With WWDC behind us and summer in full swing, it won’t be long before the iPhone 15 is upon us. It’s still about two months away, but the rumor mill is already giving us a good idea of what to expect. Just as we have had for the last few years, we expect a standard iPhone 15 in regular and Plus sizes (6.1 and 6.7 inches, though slimmer bezels may make the displays ever-so-slightly larger), and the iPhone 15 Pro in nearly identical standard and Max sizes.

At the low end, pricing is expected to be similar to current iPhone 14 models: $799/£849 for the standard iPhone 15 and $899/£949 for the larger Plus model. At the high end, prices could jump by $100, with some rumors suggesting that the largest Pro model will be rebranded as the iPhone 15 Ultra and have an even higher price hike.

So why should you pay so much more? What do you get when you spring for one of the iPhone 15 Pro models? Based on the best available rumors so far, here are the differences that Apple hopes will entice you to spend hundreds more.

The A17 chip

For the last two years, Apple has put a different chip in the Pro model iPhones. The iPhone 13 Pro had an A15 Bionic like the iPhone 13, only the higher-end phone had 5 GPU cores instead of 4. With the iPhone 14, Apple went further and made the A16 Bionic exclusive to the Pro models–the standard iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus got the A15 again (with 5 GPU cores).

If you want the A17 and all the benefits it brings, you’re going to need to buy the iPhone 15 Pro or Max. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are going to get the A16 found in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. That’s still a very fast chip, but we have high hopes that the new 3nm process will allow Apple to really push the A17 design in new ways instead of just making it 15-20 percent faster.

The titanium body

The iPhone 15 Pro’s enclosure may be made of titanium instead of stainless steel, just like the Apple Watch Ultra. That would be the first time Apple used a new material in the iPhone Pro since the model launched in 2019.

Steel tends to be a little stronger and harder than titanium (it varies widely depending on the exact composition and heat treatment of the steel), but titanium is still very strong and hard and weighs about half as much as steel. That means a much lighter and more comfortable iPhone–especially the largest Max/Ultra model, which currently tips the scales at 240 grams.

The telephoto camera

The regular iPhones have a standard (wide) and an ultrawide camera. The Pro models include a telephoto camera–currently a 12MP camera with 3x zoom in the iPhone 14 Pro.

Some say the iPhone 15 will have the same big 48MP wide-angle camera as the iPhone 14 Pro, which could be a reason to not buy the Pro model. But consider this: the non-Pro iPhones have thus far not supported the ProRAW format, which is required to capture full-sized 48MP photos–in standard HEIF or JPG formats you only get pixel-binned 12MP photos. Since ProRAW likely isn’t coming to the non-Pro iPhone 15, we assume iPhone 15 photos will be limited to 12MP images, so you’ll still need an iPhone 15 Pro to take full advantage of the 48MP camera.

Regardless, the iPhone 15 Pro is sure to have a telephoto camera that the iPhone 15 doesn’t have. And if you’re looking at a larger phone, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is said to feature a new periscope lens telephoto camera with an optical zoom of 5x-6x and a digital zoom of at least 20X, both substantially better than they the iPhone 14 Pro.

Furthermore, the Pro iPhones also have LiDAR sensors, which is good for AR apps and for improving focus and portrait mode in dark environments. It also might be useful when the Vision Pro ships next year.

The Action button

With the iPhone 15 Pro models, Apple is rumored to finally replace the mute switch, which has been with us since the original iPhone, with a button. This so-called “Action button” would perform different functions depending on how you’re using your phone. For example, when locked it will mute or unmute your iPhone, but perhaps when using the Camera app, it could take on another function like quickly switching between video and photo modes. Maybe a double-tap of the button from your home screen will perform a shortcut from a list of options, similar to the “back tap” accessibility feature?

There’s no reason that mute needs to be a toggle switch rather than a button, and a button provides a lot more flexibility. Plus, it means cases without awkward cutouts. And it look like you’ll only get it on the Pro phones.

The display

The iPhone 15 is expected to have an OLED display with the Dynamic Island, as found on the iPhone 14 Pro today. But even so, the Pro models are still far superior, with features like higher peak and outdoor brightness, always-on display, and ProMotion. And that always-on display will get even more useful in iOS 17 thanks to the new StandBy feature.

The USB-C port

All iPhone 15 models are expected to ditch the Lightning connector in favor of USB-C. The European Union’s new laws require it on future products. The rumors suggest that we can expect USB 2.0 data transfer speeds on the regular iPhone 15 (480 Mbits per second, just like Lightning), while the iPhone 15 Pro will get USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3 support, giving data transfer speeds of up to 20 or 40 Gbits per second.

Faster charging speeds are a possibility, though some rumors suggest that those higher speeds will be limited to special USB-C cables that have authentication chips in them like Lightning cables do today.

iPhone

Gaming subscription services are all the rage now, but Apple Arcade isn’t quite like Google Stadia or Xbox Game Pass. So if you’ve got questions about it, we’ve got plenty of answers.

Updated 07/07/23: Slay the Spire+ and LEGO DUPLO World+ are now available.

What is Apple Arcade?

Apple Arcade is a gaming subscription service for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and AppleTV that features more than 150 games. The games are a mix of genres and styles, and include original games you’ll only find on the service and others that can be found on the regular App Store or even other platforms. Apple Arcade isn’t a streaming service like Xbox Live Cloud Gaming or GeForce NOW. Games must be downloaded onto your device in order to be played.

What do I need to run it?

Apple Arcade is available as part of iOS 13, iPad OS 13, tvOS 13, and macOS Catalina or later. Some of the more visually-intensive games may only run well on newer hardware, though, and some Mac games require macOS 11 (Big Sur).

How much does Apple Arcade cost?

Apple Arcade costs $4.99 per month, and you’ll also get a one-month free trial. You can also sign up for the annual plan, which is $49.99.

If you’re currently on the $4.99 month-to-month plan and want to switch to the annual plan, you can do so on your iPhone or iPad. Open the App Store app, then tap your account icon in the upper right. Tap Subscriptions, then tap the entry for Apple Arcade. Here, you can switch to the annual plan. Apple Arcade is also included in the
Apple One subscription bundles, which range from $10 a month to $30 a month.

How do I sign up for Apple Arcade?

There isn’t an Apple Arcade app—it’s built into the App Store. On your iPhone, iPad, or Mac open the App Store and look for the Apple Arcade tab at the bottom of the screen (or in the left column on macOS). A sign-up screen with a Try It Free button will appear. After the trial you’ll be charged either the monthly or annual fee, depending on your selection. When subscribing, you’ll need to enter your Apple ID password or use Touch ID or Face ID to sign in, and you’ll have to confirm your subscription purchase a few times.

Once you’re done with the sign up, the Arcade section of the App Store shows what games are available to you. To access a game, tap on it in the App Store, then tap the Get button. When the game is done installing on your device, the Get button turns into a Play button, and you can tap it to launch the game. The game app icon will also appear on your device’s Home page.

On the Apple TV, there actually is an Arcade app. Open that to see the sign-up offer. You’ll also find an Arcade tab within the App Store.

Does my subscription include family sharing?

Yes. One $4.99 per month subscription can be shared between up to six people (including you).

How do I cancel Apple Arcade?

First off, keep in mind that if you cancel Apple Arcade (either before your free trial is up or after subscribing), you won’t be able to keep playing the games unless you re-subscribe. If you’re okay with that, you can use the same process you use to cancel any other subscription service. Here’s the easiest way to do it on the iPhone and iPad:

1. Open the App Store app and tap on your profile photo in the upper right.
2. In the screen that pops up, press Subscriptions near the top of the page.
3. You’ll then see a list of active subscriptions, and Apple Arcade should be listed there. Tap it.
4. You’ll either see Cancel Free Trial or Cancel Subscription toward the middle of the page that appears. Tap whatever option is available, then Confirm Cancellation.

And here’s how to cancel Apple Arcade on the Mac:

1. Open the App Store app and then press the icon with your profile photo in the lower left.
2. The Account window will appear, and you should then click View Information at the top of the window. Enter your password when/if prompted.
3. When your Account Information appears, scroll down to the Manage section and click the Manage link to the right of Subscriptions.
4. When the list of your active subscriptions appears, click Edit to the right of Apple Arcade.
5. Toward the middle of the page that appears, you’ll see a button that says either Cancel Free Trial or Cancel Subscription. Click it, then click Confirm Cancellation and Confirm.

How do I access Apple Arcade games?

Apple Arcade is its own tab in the App Store. You can find games to download there, and grab anything you like without fear of being charged, seeing ads, or having to later buy in-app purchases.

Once downloaded, Apple Arcade games are found just like any other app on your device.

Does Apple curate the games on Apple Arcade?

Yes. Apple says it is “handpicking the games in Apple Arcade” and that it curates them “based on originality, quality, creativity, fun, and their appeal to players of all ages.”

Do Apple Arcade games have in-app purchases?

No. In Apple’s words, “since every game includes access to the full experience, including all game features, content, and future updates, no additional purchases will be required.” Even games that have in-app purchases on the App Store won’t have any in Apple Arcade.

Do Apple Arcade games have ads?

Also no. On a related note, Apple says Apple Arcade has no ad tracking.

Is Apple Arcade a game streaming service like Google’s Stadia or Xbox Game Streaming?

No. All Apple Arcade are downloaded.

Are Apple Arcade games available on other systems?

Apple Arcade games were originally exclusive to Apple Arcade—not in the regular App Store nor on any other mobile platform. Some would appear on PC or consoles, but never in a subscription service.

Apple has since relaxed that policy somewhat, and you can find games in Apple Arcade that also exist in the regular App Store or on Android. They are usually denoted by a “+” at the end, to differentiate the Apple Arcade version (free to download with your subscription, and free from ads or in-app purchases) from the App Store version. For example
Mini Metro (App Store) vs.
Mini Metro+ (Apple Arcade).

Will I still be able to buy games on the App Store without an Apple Arcade subscription?

Yes. There’s no sign that the existing games model will be going away, as it works fine for freemium games like Idle Heroes or Toon Blast. Apple is focusing on “handpicked” games for Apple Arcade, so there’s little doubt that the library will be much smaller than the thousands of games available in the App Store.

Are there demos for Apple Arcade games?

No, and they’re not really necessary. Like App Store apps, games download quickly and can easily be removed if you don’t want to keep it anymore.

Apple partly envisions Apple Arcade as a way of letting players try out games with more freedom than the App Store currently allows (which is basically none). In Apple’s words, “rather than pay upfront for each game, a subscription to Apple Arcade will give players the opportunity to try any game in the service without risk.”

The service has a free trial, though, as we’ve seen with both Apple Music and Apple News+.

Am I able to keep playing Apple Arcade games if I cancel my subscription?

No. As with most subscription services, you only have access while you’re a subscriber.

Can I use controllers with Apple Arcade games?

Yes. In additional to traditional MFi (Made for iOS) controllers, you can pair some specific Bluetooth controllers for both the
PlayStation 4 and
Xbox One with either your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. Since many Apple Arcade games are playable on Mac and Apple TV (where controller support is more common), many games will support them. Some games, especially those that are also available in the broader App Store and only for iPhone or iPad, have no controller support.

How often are new games released?

Games are typically released on Fridays, but not every Friday. The release schedule is sporadic—some Fridays there are no new games released, some see one game released, some more than one. Sometimes there will be no new game release, but existing games will get a big update with new content and features.

On average, new games are released at a rate of about one every 2-3 weeks, though this may improve as Apple has loosened the rules around Apple Arcade exclusivity.

What games have been released so far?

There are over 150 games available for Apple Arcade, and the list grows all the time.

Title	Publisher	Release Date
A Fold Apart	Lightning Rod Games	04/17/20
A Monster’s Expedition	Draknek Limited	09/10/20
Agent Intercept	Prodigy Design	09/19/19
Air Twister	YS Net Inc.	06/24/22
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure	ustwo	12/11/20
All of You	Alike Studio	11/06/20
Alto’s Odyssey: The Lost City	Team Alto / Snowman	07/16/21
Alto’s Adventure—Remastered	Team Alto / Snowman	03/25/22
Amazing Bomberman	Konami	08/05/22
Angry Birds Reloaded	Rovio	07/16/21
Asphalt 8: Airborne+	Gameloft	08/27/21
Assemble With Care	ustwo	09/19/19
ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree	Wildboy Studios	09/19/19
Badland Party	HypeHype Oy	05/06/22
Baldo: The Guardian Owls	Naps Team	08/27/21
Ballistic Baseball	Gameloft	10/18/19
Battleheart Legacy+	Mika Mobile	11/04/22
BattleSky Brigade: Harpooner	BattleBrew Productions	09/19/19
Beyond a Steel Sky	Revolution Software	06/26/20
Beyond Blue	E-Line Media	04/17/20
Big Time Sports	Frosty Pop Games	09/19/19
Bleak Sword	Devolver Digital	09/19/19
Bold Moves+	Red Games Co.	06/09/23
Bridge Constructor+	Headup GmbH	02/04/22
Butter Royale	Mighty Bear Games	01/24/20
Card of Darkness	Pendleton Ward	09/19/19
Cardpocalypse	Versus Evil	09/19/19
Castle Crumble	Orbital Knight	02/03/23
Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls	Konami	09/17/21
Cat Quest II	The Gentlebros.	09/19/19
Charrua Soccer	Batovi Games	02/07/20
Chess Universe+	Tilting Point	05/04/23
ChuChu Rocket! Universe	Sega	09/19/19
Cityscapes: Sim Builder	Playstack	05/04/23
Clap Hanz Golf	Claphanz	04/02/21
Clue: The Classic Mystery Game+	Marmalade Game Studio	03/24/23
Construction Simulator 2+	Astragon Entertainment	04/15/22
Cooking Mama: Cuisine!	Office Create Corp.	06/17/22
Cozy Grove	Spry Fox	03/18/21
Crashlands+	Butterscotch Shenanigans, Inc.	01/14/21
Crayola Create and Play+	Red Games Co.	10/29/21
Creaks	Amanita Design	07/10/20
Cricket Through the Ages	Devolver Digital	09/19/19
Crossy Road+	Hipster Whale	10/08/21
Crossy Road Castle	Hipster Whale	02/28/20
Cut the Rope Remastered	Paladin Studios	04/02/21
Dandara: Trials of Fear+	Raw Fury	12/03/21
Dead End Job	Headup GmbH, Ant Workshop	09/19/19
Dead Cells+	Playdigious	12/02/22
Dear Reader	Local No. 12	09/19/19
Decoherence	Efecto Estudios	10/11/19
Detonation Racing	Electric Square	07/30/21
Discolored	Shifty Eye Games & Jason Godbey	11/08/19
Disney Coloring World+	StoryToys Entertainment	05/04/23
Disney Getaway Blast+	Gameloft	05/04/23
Disney Melee Mania	Mighty Bear Games	12/17/21
Disney SpellStruck	Artist Arcade	05/04/23
Doctor Who: An Unlikely Heist	Tilting Point	04/07/23
Dodo Peak	Moving Pieces Interactive	09/19/19
Don’t Bug Me!	Frosty Pop Games	09/19/19
Doodle God Universe	JoyBits	07/16/21
Doomsday Vault	Flightless	01/03/20
Down in Bermuda	Yak & Co	09/19/19
Dread Nautical	Zen Studios	09/19/19
EarthNight	Cleaversoft	09/19/19
Episode XOXO	Episode Interactive	01/06/23
Exit the Gungeon	Devolver Digital	09/19/19
Explottens	WRP Pvt.	09/19/19
Fallen Knight	FairPlay Studios	10/25/19
Fantasian	Mistwalker	04/01/21
Farm It!	Tummy Games	03/26/21
Farming Simulator 20+	Giants Software	05/04/23
Farmside	The Label	02/17/23
Fledgling Heroes	Subtle Boom	09/19/19
Football Manager 2023 Touch	SEGA	11/08/22
Frenzic: Overtime	The Iconfactory	06/18/21
Frogger and the Rumbling Ruins	Konami	06/03/22
Frogger in Toy Town	Konami	09/19/19
Galaga Wars+	Bandai Namco	11/12/21
Game Dev Story+	Kairosoft Co., Ltd	06/18/21
Game of Thrones: Tale of Crows	Devolver Digital	08/07/20
Garden Tails: Match and Grow	Playdots, Inc.	09/16/22
The Gardens Between+	The Voxel Agents	10/14/22
Gear.Club Stradale	Eden Games	04/08/22
Getting Over It+	Bennett Foddy	05/04/23
Gibbon: Beyond the Trees	Broken Rules	02/25/22
Gin Rummy Classic+	MobilityWare	10/07/22
Goat Simulator+	Coffee Stain Publishing	05/13/22
Grand Mountain Adventure+	Toppluva	04/28/23
Grindstone	Capybara Games	09/19/19
GRIS+	Devolver	09/30/22
Guildlings	Sirvo Studios, Inc.	11/08/19
Hanx101 Trivia	BlueLine Studios Inc.	09/02/22
Hearts: Card Game+	MobilityWare	01/07/22
HEROish	Sunblink	07/22/22
Hexaflip: The Action Puzzler	Rogue Games, Inc.	09/19/19
Hidden Folks+	Adriaan de Jongh	01/28/22
Hill Climb Racing+	Fingersoft	05/04/23
HitchHiker	Versus Evil	03/26/21
Hogwash	Bossa Studios	10/25/19
Horizon Chase 2	Aquiris Game Studio	09/09/22
Hot Lava	Klei Entertainment	09/19/19
Human: Fall Flat+	505 Games	03/31/23
HyperBrawl Tournament	Milkey Tea Limited	09/19/19
Illustrated	BorderLeap	01/13/23
INKS.+	State of Play Games	06/25/21
INMOST	Chucklefish Limited	10/11/19
Iron Marines+	Ironhide Irl	05/04/23
JellyCar Worlds	Walaber Entertainment	12/09/22
Jenny LeClue	Mografi	09/19/19
Jet Dragon	Grezzo Co.	06/16/23
Jetpack Joyride+	Halfbrick Studios	07/23/21
Jetpack Joyride 2	Halfbrick Studios	08/19/22
Jigsaw Puzzle by MobilityWare+	MobilityWare	06/10/22
Jumper Jon	Ogre Pixel	11/01/19
Kimono Cats	HamaNature Studios	03/03/23
King’s League II	Kurechi Sdn. Bhd.	09/19/19
Kingdom Rush Frontiers TD+	Ironhide Irl	11/12/21
Kingdom Rush Vengeance TD+	Ironhide Irl	07/29/22
Kingdom Two Crowns+	Raw Fury	05/04/23
Kings of the Castle	Frosty Pop	01/17/20
Layton’s Mystery Journey+	Level-5 Inc.	09/03/21
Legend of the Skyfish 2	Crescent Moon Games	04/03/20
Legends of Kingdom Rush	Ironhide Game Studio	06/11/21
LEGO Brawls	The Lego Group	09/19/19
LEGO Builder’s Journey	The Lego Group	12/19/19
LEGO DUPLO World+	StoryToys Entertainment	07/07/23
LEGO Star Wars Battles	TT Games	09/24/21
LEGO Star Wars: Castaways	Gameloft	11/19/21
Leo’s Fortune+	1337 & Senri LLC	06/25/21
Lifelike	kunabi brother	10/25/19
Lifeline+	3 Minute Games	02/24/23
Lifeslide	Dreamteck	09/19/19
Limbo+	Playdead	05/04/23
Little Orpheus	Sumo Digital	06/12/20
Love You to Bits+	Alike Studio	08/26/22
Lumen	Lykkegaard International	02/05/21
Manifold Garden	William Chyr Studio	10/18/19
Marble It Up: Mayhem!	Marble it up	11/08/19
Marble Knights	WayForward	09/18/20
MasterChef: Let’s Cook!	Tilting Point	09/03/21
Mind Symphony	Rogue Games, Inc.	10/11/19
Mini Motorways	Dinosaur Polo Club	09/19/19
Millionaire Trivia: TV Game+	Uken	06/30/23
Monomals	Picomy	11/01/19
Monster Hunter Stories+	Capcom	08/06/21
Monument Valley 2+	ustwo games	03/11/22
Moonshot – A Journey Home	Noodlecake	04/22/22
Murder Mystery Machine	Blazing Griffin	09/19/19
Mutazione	Die Gute Fabrik	09/19/19
My Bowling 3D+	iWare Designs	07/01/22
My Little Pony: Mane Merge	Gameloft	12/16/22
My Talking Tom+	Outfit7 Limited	08/12/22
My Town Home – Family Games+	My Town Games	05/04/23
NBA 2K21 Arcade Edition	2K Sports	04/02/21
NBA 2K22 Arcade Edition	2K Sports	10/19/21
NBA 2K23 Arcade Edition	2K Sports	10/21/22
Necrobarista	Route 59	07/17/20
Neo Cab	Chance Agency	09/19/19
Neversong	Serenity Forge	05/01/20
Next Stop Nowhere	Night School Studio	08/14/20
Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis	Viacom International	01/21/22
Nightmare Farm	Hit-Point Co., Ltd.	10/05/19
No Way Home	SMG Studio	01/10/20
NUTS	Noodlecake Studios	01/22/21
Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm	Cornfox & Bros.	09/19/19
Oceanhorn: Chronos Dungeon	Cornfox & Bros.	01/08/21
Octodad: Dadliest Catch+	Young Horses	05/04/23
Oddmar+	Mobje Ltd.	12/03/21
Old Man’s Journey	Broken Rules	11/18/22
Operator 41	Shifty Eye Games	09/19/19
Osmos+	Hemisphere Games	03/17/23
Outlanders	Pomelo Games	09/19/19
Over the Alps	Stave Studios	09/19/19
Overland	Finji	09/19/19
PAC-MAN Party Royale	BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment	10/18/19
Painty Mob	Devolver Digital	09/19/19
Patterned	BorderLeap	09/19/19
Pilgrims	Amanita Design	10/05/19
Pocket Build+	MoonBear LTD	04/01/22
Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On!	Game Freak	01/20/23
Populus Run	FIFTYTWO	01/29/21
Possessions	Noodlecake Studios	09/19/19
PPKP+	Shimada Toshiro	05/04/23
Pro Darts 2022+	iWare Designs	05/27/22
Pro Snooker & Pool 2022+	iWare Designs Ltd.	04/15/22
Projection: First Light	Blowfish Studios	09/19/19
Prune+	Joel McDonald	04/29/22
Punch Planet	Sector-K Games	09/19/19
Rayman Mini	Ubisoft	09/19/19
Red Reign	Ninja Kiwi Limited	09/19/19
Redout: Space Assault	34BigThings	10/05/19
Reigns: Beyond	Devolver Digital	11/06/20
Retro Bowl+	New Star R&D	06/23/23
Retro Goal+	New Star R&D	06/23/23
Riptide GP: Renegade+	Vector Unit	02/10/23
Rosie’s Reality	RosieReality	11/15/19
Roundguard	Wonderbelly Games	03/13/20
Samorost 3+	Amanita Design	07/08/22
Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time	Cartoon Network	08/21/20
Sayonara Wild Hearts	Annapurna Interactive	09/19/19
Scrappers	Q-Games	04/10/20
Secret Oops!	Mixedbag	01/31/20
Shadow Blade+	Crescent Moon Games	03/04/22
Shantae and the Seven Sirens	WayForward	09/19/19
Shinsekai: Into the Depths	Capcom	09/19/19
ShockRods	Stainless Games	10/11/19
Shovel Knight Dig	Yacht Club Games	09/23/22
Simon’s Cat – Story Time	Tactile Games Limited	04/02/21
Skate City	Snowman	09/19/19
Slash Quest	Noodlecake Studios	10/01/20
Slay the Spire+	Humble Bundle	07/07/23
Snake.io+	Kooapps	05/04/23
Sneaky Sasquatch	RAC7	09/19/19
Sociable Soccer	Rogue Games, Inc.	11/08/19
Solitaire Stories	Red Games Co.	07/02/21
SongPop Party	Gameloft	04/02/21
Sonic Dash+	Sega	04/08/22
Sonic Racing	Sega	09/19/19
South of the Circle	State of Play	10/30/20
Sp!ng	SMG Studio	03/05/21
Spaceland	Tortuga Games	09/19/19
Spades: Card Game+	MobilityWare	01/07/22
Speed Demons	Radiangames	09/19/19
Spek	RAC7 Games	09/19/19
Spelldrifter	Free Range Games	09/19/19
Spider Solitaire: Card Game+	MobilityWare	10/07/22
Spidersaurs	WayForward	09/19/19
Spire Blast	Orbital Knight sp.	01/22/21
Splitter Critters+	RAC7 Games	12/10/21
Spongebob SquarePants: Patty Pursuit	Nickelodeon	05/28/20
Spyder	Sumo_Digital	03/20/20
Squiggle Drop	Noodlecake	01/27/23
Star Fetched	Crescent Moon Games	11/01/19
Star Trek: Legends	Tilting Point LLC	04/02/21
Stela	SkyBox Labs	10/11/19
Stellar Commanders	Blindflug Studios	09/19/19
Steven Universe: Unleash the Light	Cartoon Network	11/27/19
Stitch.	Lykkegaard Europe	10/28/22
Stranded Sails	Shifty Eye Games	09/19/19
Subway Surfers Tag	Sybo Games	07/15/22
Summon Quest	The Label	04/21/23
Super Leap Day	Nitrome	08/06/21
Super Impossible Road	Rogue Games, Inc.	09/19/19
Super Mega Mini Party	Red Games Co, LLC	11/01/19
Super Stickman Golf 3+	Noodlecake	08/06/21
Survival Z	Ember Entertainment	02/19/21
Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat	BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment	04/02/21
Takeshi and Hiroshi	Oink Games Inc.	11/08/19
Tales of Memo	Tendays Studio	10/25/19
Tangle Tower	SFB Games	09/19/19
Temple Run+	Imangi Studios	05/04/23
Temple Run: Puzzle Adventure	Scopely, Inc.	09/17/21
Tetris Beat	N3twork Inc.	08/20/21
The Bradwell Conspiracy	Bossa Studios	10/05/19
The Collage Atlas	Robot House Games Ltd	10/16/20
The Enchanted World	Noodlecake Studios	09/19/19
The Get Out Kids	Frosty Pop Games	09/19/19
The Last Campfire	Hello Games	08/27/20
The Loud House: Outta Control	Nickelodeon	02/14/20
The Lullaby of Life	1 Simple Game	07/24/20
The Mosaic	Raw Fury	11/01/19
The Oregon Trail	Gameloft	04/02/21
The Otherside	The Label	05/08/20
The Pathless	Annapurna Interactive	11/12/20
The Pinball Wizard	Frosty Pop Games	09/19/19
The Survivalists	Team17	10/08/20
Things That Go Bump	Tinybop Inc.	10/18/19
Thumper: Pocket Edition+	Drool LLC	10/01/21
Time Locker+	Sotaro Otsuka	05/04/23
tint.	Lykkegaard International	09/19/19
Tiny Wings+	Andreas Illiger	10/15/21
TMNT Splintered Fate	Paramount Global	05/04/23
Transformers Tactical Arena	Red Games Co	11/05/21
Towaga: Among Shadows	Noodlecake Studios	09/19/19
Towers of Everland	Cobra Mobile Limited	05/22/20
UFO on Tape: First Contact	Revolutionary Concepts	11/08/19
Ultimate Rivals: The Court	Bit Fry Games	07/09/21
Ultimate Rivals: The Rink	Bit Fry Games	12/12/19
Various Daylife	Square Enix	09/19/19
Very Little Nightmares+	Bandai Namco	05/04/23
Warp Drive	Supergonk	11/27/20
Warped Kart Racers	Electric Square	05/20/22
Way of the Turtle	Illusion Labs	09/19/19
What the Car?	Triband ApS	05/04/23
What the Golf?	Fig	09/19/19
Where Cards Fall	Snowman	09/19/19
Winding Worlds	KO_OP	05/15/20
Wonderbox: The Adventure Maker	Aquiris	04/01/21
Word Laces	minimega	09/19/19
World of Demons	PlatinumGames	04/02/21
World’s End Club	IzanagiGames	09/04/20
Wurdweb	Aran & Adriaan	08/13/21
Wylde Flowers	Studio Drydock	02/22/22
Yaga	Versus Evil	10/25/19
Zen Pinball Party	ZEN Studios	09/03/21
Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes	Firefly Games	12/04/20
Zookeeper World	Kiteretsu Inc.	09/10/21

Personal Software

Apple has planted its own flag in the streaming wars with Apple TV+, its in-house streaming service that focuses almost entirely on original programming rather than an extensive library of existing TV shows or movies.

This guide will list all the Apple TV+ content you can watch today, divided into episodic shows or series and movies. There’s also a ton of new content in the works for Apple’s $6.99-a-month service. If you want to know what’s on the way, check out our list of upcoming Apple TV+ shows and movies.

Updated 07/07/23: The second season of children’s animated program Duck and Goose is now streaming.

Latest releases

Duck and Goose (season 2)
Released: July 7, 2023

Hijack
Released: June 28, 2023

Swagger (season 2)
Released: June 23, 2023

Carpool Karaoke (season 5 part 2)
Released: June 23, 2023

Lovely Little Farm (season 2)
Released: June 16, 2023

The Snoopy Show (season 3)
Released: June 9, 2023

The Crowded Room
Released: June 9, 2023

Macworld’s picks

There’s far too much content on Apple TV+ to sift through it all yourself. If you’re looking for something to watch and don’t know where to start, here are a few of the Macworld staff’s favorite shows, series, and movies.

Bad Sisters

• Synopsis: A dark comedy about a group of Irish sisters who find themselves at the center of a life insurance investigation after John Paul–the abusive husband to one of the sisters–dies unexpectedly.
• Number of seasons: 1
• Release date: August 19, 2022

Black Bird

• Synopsis: A gripping miniseries about a convicted con artist who works for the FBI to try to get a serial killer’s confession before he is released from prison. Based on the true story of James Keene and Larry Hall.
• Number of seasons: 1
• Release date: July 8, 2022

For All Mankind

• Synopsis: What if the U.S.S.R. put a man on the moon before the U.S.? How would the ensuing space race change history throughout the decades? That’s the high concept behind this gripping big-budget sci-fi series.
• Number of seasons: 3
• Release date: November 1, 2019

Mythic Quest

• Synopsis: A lighthearted workplace comedy about a game development studio and the big egos and personal conflicts that happen within. It’s goofy good fun but sometimes quite touching.
• Number of seasons: 3
• Release date: February 7, 2020

Physical

• Synopsis: Even if you’re not old enough to remember the aerobics craze in the 80s, Physical will give you all the big hair and leotard vibes. Starting Rose Byrne as an alternate-universe Jane Fonda, this dark comedy will keep you laughing, guessing, and sweating with plot twists and crisp writing.
• Number of seasons: 2
• Release date: June 18, 2021

Severance

• Synopsis: A combination of dystopian sci-fi drama and workplace comedy about a company where employees are “severed”–when at work, they can’t remember their outside lives, and vice-versa.
• Number of seasons: 1
• Release date: February 18, 2022

Shrinking

• Synopsis: A surprisingly quick-witted comedy about a therapist who has trouble dealing with the death of his wife and his eccentric patients.
• Number of seasons: 1
• Release date: January 27, 2023

Slow Horses

• Synopsis: Gary Oldman turns in a great performance as the cranky leader of a band of misfit spies.
• Number of seasons: 2
• Release date: April 1, 2022

Ted Lasso

• Synopsis: Apple’s fish-out-of-water comedy/drama about a midwestern college football coach who heads to England to coach Premiere League soccer is a breakout hit for good reason.
• Number of seasons: 3
• Release date: August 14, 2020

The Morning Show

• Synopsis: Big star power and a fantastic performance by Jenniffer Aniston highlight this fast-paced drama that goes behind the scenes of a fictional morning news program.
• Number of seasons: 2
• Release date: November 1, 2019

Shows and series

These are all the episodic series you can currently watch on Apple TV+, including both recurring and limited series. This list is in alphabetical order.

Title	Premiere	Seasons / Episodes
1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything	May 21, 2021	8 episodes
Acapulco	October 8, 2021	2 seasons, 20 episodes
Amazing Stories	March 6, 2020	1 season, 5 episodes
Amber Brown	July 29, 2022	1 season, 10 episodes
Bad Sisters	August 19, 2022	1 season, 10 episodes
Becoming You	November 13, 2020	1 season, 6 episodes
Best Foot Forward	July 22, 2022	1 season, 10 episodes
Big Beasts	April 21, 2023	1 season, 10 episodes
Black Bird	July 8, 2022	6 episodes
Boom! Boom! The World Vs Boris Becker	April 7, 2023	2 episodes
Calls	March 19, 2021	1 season, 9 episodes
Carpool Karaoke	August 8, 2017	5 seasons, 75 episodes
Central Park	May 29, 2020	3 seasons, 39 episodes
Circuit Breakers	November 11, 2022	1 season, 7 episodes
City on Fire	May 12, 2023	1 season, 8 episodes
Dear Edward	February 3, 2023	1 season, 10 episodes
Dear…	June 5, 2020	2 seasons, 20 episodes
Defending Jacob	April 24, 2020	8 episodes
Dickinson	November 1, 2019	3 seasons, 30 episodes
Doug Unplugs	November 13, 2020	2 seasons, 26 episodes
Dr. Brain	November 3, 2021	1 season, 6 episodes
Drops of God	April 21, 2023	1 season, 8 episodes
Duck & Goose	July 8, 2022	2 seasons, 16 episodes
Earth at Night in Color	December 4, 2020	2 seasons, 12 episodes
Echo 3	November 23, 2022	1 season, 10 episodes
El Deafo	January 7, 2022	3 episodes
Eva the Owlet	March 31, 2023	1 season, 8 episodes
Extrapolations	March 17, 2023	1 season, 8 episodes
Five Days at Memorial	August 12, 2022	8 episodes
For All Mankind	November 1, 2019	3 seasons, 30 episodes
Foundation	September 24, 2021	1 season, 10 episodes
Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock	January 21, 2022	1 season, 14 episodes
Fraggle Rock: Rock On!	April 21, 2020	1 season, 6 episodes
Frog and Toad	April 28, 2023	1 season, 8 episodes
Get Rolling with Otis	October 8, 2021	2 seasons, 18 episodes
Ghostwriter	November 1, 2019	3 seasons, 39 episodes
Greatness Code	July 10, 2020	2 seasons, 13 episodes
Gutsy	September 9, 2022	1 season, 8 episodes
Harriet the Spy	November 19, 2021	2 seasons, 20 episodes
Hello Tomorrow!	February 17, 2023	1 season, 10 episodes
Hello, Jack! The Kindness Show	November 5, 2021	2 seasons, 16 episodes
Helpsters	November 1, 2019	3 seasons, 40 episodes
Helpsters Help You	April 24, 2020	6 episodes
High Desert	May 17, 2023	1 season, 8 episodes
Hijack	June 28, 2023	7 episodes
Home	April 17, 2020	2 season, 19 episodes
Home Before Dark	April 3, 2020	2 seasons, 20 episodes
Interrupting Chicken	November 18, 2022	1 season, 9 episodes
Invasion	October 22, 2021	1 season, 10 episodes
Jane	April 14, 2023	1 season, 10 episodes
Liaison	February 24, 2023	1 season, 6 episodes
Life by Ella	September 2, 2022	1 season, 10 episodes
Lincoln’s Dilemma	February 18, 2022	4 episodes
Lisey’s Story	June 4, 2021	8 episodes
Little America	January 17, 2020	2 seasons, 16 episodes
Little Voice	July 10, 2020	1 season, 9 episodes
Long Way Up	September 18, 2020	11 episodes
Loot	June 24, 2022	1 season, 10 episodes
Losing Alice	January 22, 2021	1 season, 8 episodes
Lovely Little Farm	June 10, 2022	2 seasons, 14 episodes
Make or Break	April 29, 2022	2 seasons, 15 episodes
Monster Factory	March 17, 2023	6 episodes
Mr. Corman	August 6, 2021	1 season, 10 episodes
My Kind of Country	March 24, 2023	1 season, 8 episodes
Mythic Quest	February 7, 2020	3 seasons, 30 episodes
Now and Then	May 20, 2022	1 season, 8 episodes
Oprah Talks COVID-19	March 21, 2020	1 season, 13 episodes
Oprah’s Book Club	November 1, 2019	1 season, 14 episodes
Pachinko	March 25, 2022	1 season, 8 episodes
Physical	June 18, 2021	2 seasons, 20 episodes
Pinecone & Pony	April 8, 2022	2 seasons, 16 episodes
Platonic	May 24, 2023	1 season, 10 episodes
Prehistoric Planet	May 23, 2022	2 season, 10 episodes
Pretzel and the Puppies	February 11, 2022	2 seasons, 18 episodes
Puppy Place	October 15, 2021	2 seasons, 16 episodes
Real Madrid: Until the End	March 10, 2023	3 episodes
Roar	April 15, 2022	1 season, 8 episodes
Sago Mini Friends	September 16, 2022	1 season, 12 episodes
Schmigadoon!	July 16, 2021	2 seasons, 12 episodes
See	November 1, 2019	3 seasons, 24 episodes
Servant	November 28, 2019	4 seasons, 40 episodes
Severance	February 18, 2022	1 season, 9 episodes
Shantaram	October 14, 2022	1 season, 12 episodes
Shape Island	January 20, 2023	1 season, 8 episodes
Shining Girls	April 29, 2022	1 season, 8 episodes
Shrinking	January 27, 2023	1 season, 10 episodes
Silo	May 5, 2023	1 season, 10 episodes
Slow Horses	April 1, 2022	2 seasons, 12 episodes
Slumberkins	November 4, 2022	1 season, 8 episodes
Snoopy in Space	November 1, 2019	2 seasons, 24 episodes
Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne	December 10, 2021	38 min.
Snoopy Presents: It’s The Small Things, Charlie Brown	April 15, 2022	38 min.
Snoopy Presents: Lucy’s School	August 12, 2022	38 min.
Snoopy Presents: To Mom (and Dad), With Love	May 6, 2022	38 min.
Stillwater	December 4, 2020	3 seasons, 30 episodes
Super League: The War for Football	January 13, 2023	4 episodes
Surface	July 29, 2022	1 season, 8 episodes
Surfside Girls	August 19, 2022	1 season, 10 episodes
Suspicion	February 4, 2022	1 season, 8 episodes
Swagger	October 29, 2021	2 season2, 18 episodes
Ted Lasso	August 14, 2020	3 seasons, 34 episodes
Tehran	September 25, 2020	2 seasons, 16 episodes
The Afterparty	January 28, 2022	1 season, 8 episodes
The Big Conn	May 6, 2022	4 episodes
The Big Door Prize	March 29, 2023	1 season, 10 episodes
The Crowded Room	June 9, 2023	1 season, 10 episodes
The Essex Serpent	May 13, 2022	6 episodes
The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey	March 11, 2022	6 episodes
The Last Thing He Told Me	April 14, 2023	7 episodes
The Line	November 19, 2021	4 episodes[a]
The Long Game: Bigger Than Basketball	April 22, 2022	1 season, 5 episodes
The Me You Can’t See	May 21, 2021	1 season, 6 episodes
The Morning Show	November 1, 2019	2 seasons, 20 episodes
The Mosquito Coast	April 30, 2021	2 seasons, 17 episodes
The Oprah Conversation	July 30, 2020	1 season, 15 episodes
The Problem with Jon Stewart	September 30, 2021	2 seasons, 20 episodes
The Reluctant Traveler	February 24, 2023	1 season, 8 episodes
The Shrink Next Door	November 12, 2021	8 episodes
The Snoopy Show	February 5, 2021	2 seasons, 26 episodes
They Call Me Magic	April 22, 2022	1 season, 4 episodes
Tiny World	October 2, 2020	2 seasons, 12 episodes
Truth Be Told	December 6, 2019	3 seasons, 28 episodes
Trying	May 1, 2020	3 seasons, 24 episodes
Visible: Out on Television	February 14, 2020	5 episodes
Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson	July 30, 2021	1 season, 6 episodes
WeCrashed	March 18, 2022	8 episodes
Wolfboy and the Everything Factory	September 24, 2021	2 seasons, 20 episodes

Movies and short films

Apple TV+ is home to a fair number of original movies, too. Some of the movies saw a limited theatrical release, all are listed here in alphabetical order.

Title	Release Date
Hala	December 6, 2019
9/11: Inside the President’s War Room	September 1, 2021
Beastie Boys Story	April 24, 2020
Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry	February 26, 2021
Blush	October 1, 2021
Boys State	August 14, 2020
Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You	October 23, 2020
Causeway	November 4, 2022
Cha Cha Real Smooth	June 17, 2022
Cherry	March 12, 2021
CODA	August 13, 2021
Come from Away	September 10, 2021
Dads	June 19, 2020
Emancipation	December 9, 2022
Fathom	June 25, 2021
Finch	November 5, 2021
Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds	November 13, 2020
Ghosted	April 21, 2023
Greyhound	July 10, 2020
Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth	April 17, 2020
Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues	October 28, 2022
Luck	August 5, 2022
Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special	December 4, 2020
Mariah’s Christmas: The Magic Continues	December 3, 2021
On the Rocks	October 23, 2020
Palmer	January 29, 2021
Raymond & Ray	October 21, 2022
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me	November 4, 2022
Sharper	February 17, 2023
Sidney	September 23, 2022
Spirited	November 18, 2022
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie	May 12, 2023
Swan Song	December 17, 2021
Tetris	March 31, 2023
The Banker	March 20, 2020
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse	December 25, 2022
The Elephant Queen	November 1, 2019
The Greatest Beer Run Ever	September 30, 2022
The Sky Is Everywhere	February 11, 2022
The Tragedy of Macbeth	January 14, 2022
The Velvet Underground	October 15, 2021
The Year Earth Changed	April 16, 2021
Twas the Fight Before Christmas	November 26, 2021
Who Are You, Charlie Brown?	June 25, 2021
Wolfwalkers	December 11, 2020

Apple TV

The Amazon Prime Sale is a great time to pick up a deal on a new SSD or hard drive to use with your Mac, as Amazon and its partners are likely to discount products even more than usual. In 2023 the Amazon Prime Day sale will run from July 11 to 12.

To take advantage of the Prime Day deals you will need Amazon Prime membership, which costs $14.99 / £8.99 / AUD$6.99 on a monthly basis (or $139 / £95 / AUD$59 annually), but can be canceled after the 30-day free trial that’s available to new users.

Check out the best Prime Day Apple deals for even more offers.

Best Amazon Prime deals for SSDs and hard drives

In the past, we’ve seen savings of more than $320 on a SanDisk SSD, and £200 off a Western Digital hard drive. Below we are listing some of the best deals we’ve seen this year. We will also highlight any deals we have seen on SSDs and hard drives we’ve reviewed in our best SSDs and hard drive round-ups.

Amazon U.S.

For the best memory and storage deals on Amazon right now go to Amazon’s Memory & Storage section where you will find deals on external hard drives, SSDs and Network Attached Storage.

Also take a look at these Hard drive deals specific to Prime Day. You might also like these Prime Day flash storage deals.

• Samsung T7 Shield, 4TB: normally $429.99, now £259.99.
• SanDisk Extreme 2TB Portable NVMe SSD. Normally £459.99, now £119.99 (£340 off).

Amazon U.K.

For the best memory and storage deals on Amazon right now go to Amazon’s Memory & Storage section where you will find deals on external storage, SSDs, and Network Attached Storage. Plus, these are the hard drive deals specific to Prime Day. You might also like these Prime Day flash storage deals.

• SanDisk Extreme 1TB Portable NVMe SSD. Normally £221.99, now £84.99 (£137 off).
• Seagate Portable Drive, 2TB external hard drive. Normally £85.43, now £71.90 (£13.53 off).

Best SSD for Mac deals

For our recommendations of the best SSD to buy for your Mac, check out our round-up of the best SSDs for Mac.

Best Hard drive for Mac deals

For our recommendations of the best hard drive to buy for your Mac, check out our round-up of the best hard drive for Mac.

Best NAS drives for Mac deals

For our recommendations of the best NAS drive to buy for your Mac, check out our round-up of the best NAS & PCS drives for Mac.

For more Prime Day coverage, check out our other Apple deal roundups:

See our round up of the best Amazon Prime Day AirPods deals for more Prime Day deals.

See our round up of the best Amazon Prime Day Apple Watch deals for more Prime Day deals.

See our round up of the best Amazon Prime Day iPhone deals for more Prime Day deals.

See our round up of the best Amazon Prime Day iPad deals for more Prime Day deals.

See our best Amazon Prime Day MacBook Air and MacBook Pro deals for more Prime Day deals.

See our round up of the best Amazon Prime Day Mac deals for more Prime Day deals.

Best Mac monitor deals for Prime Day

Computer Accessories, Mac

Looking for a great deal on a new display to use with your Mac? Amazon’s Prime Day will run from July 11 – 12, 2023, and if you are looking for a new monitor this yearly Amazon sale is a great time to pick one up as Amazon and its partners are likely to discount products even more than usual.

To take advantage of the deals you will need Amazon Prime (which costs $14.99 / £8.99 / AUD$6.99 a month but can be cancelled after 30 days).

Best Amazon Prime deals for monitors and displays

In the past, we’ve seen savings of more than $206/£189 on a Dell monitor. Below we are listing some of the best deals we’ve seen this year. We will also highlight any deals we have seen on Mac monitors we have reviewed in our Best Mac monitors and displays round-up.

Here are some of the best display deals we have seen on Amazon:

Amazon U.S.

For the best monitor deals on Amazon right now go to Amazon’s Monitors store. Or click here for the display deals specific to Prime Day.

• Dell S2421HS Full HD 1920 x 1080, 24-Inch 1080p LED. Normally $179.99, now $169.99 ($10 off).
• Acer 23.8” Full HD 1920 x 1080 IPS Zero Frame Home Office Computer Monitor. Normally $149.99, now $121.08 ($28.91 off).
• Dell S2722QC 27-inch 4K USB-C Monitor – UHD (3840 x 2160) Display. Normally $369.99, now $299.99 ($70 off).

Amazon U.K.

For the best monitor deals on Amazon right now go to Amazon’s Monitors store. Or click here for the display deals specific to Prime Day.

• Dell SE2422HX 24 Inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) Monitor. Normally £124.99, now £109.99 (£15 off).
• Philips 241V8LA- 24 Inch FHD Monitor. Normally £99.99, now £88.98 (£11 off).
• Samsung C24F390FHR, CF39 Series, LED monitor. Normally £149.99, now £106.09 (£43 off).
• HP M27f Ultraslim Monitor 27 Inch, Full HD 1080p. Normally £179, now £149 (£30 off).

We have verified that these monitors work happily with Macs.

Best Mac monitor deals

Here are some of the best deals we’ve seen on Mac monitors we’ve reviewed.

For our recommendations of the best displays to buy for your Mac, check out our round-up of the best Mac monitors.

For more Prime Day coverage, check out our other Apple deal roundups:

See our round-up of the best Amazon Prime Day AirPods deals for more Prime Day deals.

See our round-up of the best Amazon Prime Day Apple Watch deals for more Prime Day deals.

See our round-up of the best Amazon Prime Day iPhone deals for more Prime Day deals.

See our round-up of the best Amazon Prime Day iPad deals for more Prime Day deals.

See our best Amazon Prime Day MacBook Air and MacBook Pro deals for more Prime Day deals.

See our round-up of the best Amazon Prime Day Mac deals for more Prime Day deals.

Also see: Best SSD and hard drive deals for Prime Day 

Mac, Monitors

When Apple unveiled its first-ever smartwatch back in 2014, it’s fair to say that the world wasn’t exactly sure what it was for… and neither was Apple. In those early days, along with the fitness elements which would remain an enduring part of the product’s appeal, the company talked enthusiastically about sharing taps, sketches, and heartbeats with friends, which would not. It took time for users and third-party developers to teach Apple what they wanted from a smartwatch, and for the company to take that on board.

Today, the Apple Watch is a mature and versatile product. It’s so versatile, indeed, that you may not be aware of some of its most useful capabilities. In this article, we’re going to catch you up.

Take better iPhone photos

This was a superb piece of lateral thinking. There have always been situations where it’s difficult or impossible to trigger a camera because it needs to be out of reach, or out of sight, of the person taking the picture: when you’re trying to photograph the ports around the back of your Mac, for example, or when setting up a formal group photo that everyone wants to be in. Timers used to be the main solution, but often resulted in a mad scramble to place the camera correctly and get back in time before the time ran out. But the Apple Watch offers something better.

Open the Camera Remote app on your watch, and it will simultaneously open the Camera app on the paired iPhone. Whatever the iPhone’s camera can see, you can now see on your watch; you can switch between the front and rear cameras (and toggle some other settings) using the options button at the bottom right. Once you’re happy, hit the three-second timer button, look up and smile, and enjoy your perfect photo.

Unlock other Apple devices

An Apple Watch, once you’ve unlocked it with a single passcode input, remains unlocked as long as it stays on your wrist. It can thus act as a handy digital key that’s on you at all times, unlocking your Mac and iPhone by proximity alone.

On iPhone, open the Settings app and go to Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode on older devices), then scroll down and tap the toggle under Unlock With Apple Watch. On Mac, open System Settings and go to Touch ID & Password and click the toggle next to your Apple Watch.

Play games

As small as the Apple Watch’s screen may be, it can still support some fun games; they just need to be designed with that limitation in mind. You need to be selective. We’d recommend Deep Golf and Lifeline, both of which make perfect sense in this format, but there are some more excellent suggestions here.

Talk to ChatGPT

You probably have your own thoughts on the ethics of AI, but it’s hard to deny that ChatGPT is fun to play with. Thanks to the Petey app, you can now have those conversations on Apple Watch. Tap the ‘Ask me Anything’ button then type in a query (or better still, use the dictation button and save your tapping finger) and you’ll soon hear what our future AI overlord thinks of the matter. There’s even a complication, which means Petey is never more than a tap away.

Control navigation with air gestures

The standard control method for Apple Watch involves having the device on one wrist, and then tapping the screen and pressing and rotating the buttons and dials with the other hand. But there are situations where you need to control the watch with the same hand it’s on. And this is possible, thanks to AssistiveTouch, one of Apple’s handy accessibility features.

Open the Watch app on the paired iPhone. (Alternatively, you can set the feature up in the Apple Watch’s own Settings app, but I found this fiddly.) In the My Watch tab, select Accessibility, then scroll down until you see AssistiveTouch. Tap this, then tap the toggle at the top of the next screen to turn it on.

By default, doing a pinch gesture with the watch-bearing hand will take you forwards in menus, while double-pinching (pinching twice, rather than pinching once with two fingers) will take you back; clenching your fist will act as a tap, while double-clenching will open a menu of actions, which takes a little getting used to. In fact, the whole thing has a learning curve, but practice makes perfect, and you can change the actions tied to each gesture.

Tell the time without looking

If for whatever reason you are unable to look at your Apple Watch but you’d still like to know the time, Speak Time is the lesser-known feature for you. To set it up, open the Settings app on the watch and go to Clock, scroll down until you see Speak Time, then tap to turn it on. (Again, this can also be done in the Watch app on a paired iPhone; again, go to Clock then hit Speak Time.) Now you need only hold two fingers on the watch face for a second or so and it will tell you the time out loud.

Conversely, if you’d like to know the time silently without looking at the screen, consider Taptic Time. (You can turn this on in the Watch app by going to Clock > Taptic Time, or following a similar route in the Apple Watch’s Settings app.) There are various options but I find the Digits format easiest: this would for example give one long tap, followed by four short taps, followed by three long taps, followed by six short taps, to give you the time 14:36.

Quickly reply to messages

The Apple Watch probably doesn’t seem like the optimal device for writing out messages, but watchOS has been cleverly designed to help. Tap a notification of an incoming message (or open the Messages app on your Apple Watch and tap a message there) and you’ll see the option to reply. This is easier than it sounds.

The easiest method is to select one of the pre-written replies, such as yes, no, and “Can I call you later?” One tap and the canned reply is winging its way to the recipient: easy. And if these replies seem too limited, write some of your own by opening the Watch app on your paired iPhone and going to Messages > Default Replies.

If you’d rather be spontaneous, you can type out a reply on your wrist in the onscreen keyboard, but we’d recommend that you instead swipe up and select the Scribble keyboard instead: this has you scrawl a letter at a time using the entire screen, which is much easier than hitting tiny keys. Or best of all, tap the dictation button and speak your thoughts out loud.

Make your battery last much longer

Hardly anyone seems to know that the Apple Watch now has a Low Power mode–perhaps because it already had a Power Reserve mode, which was far more drastic and made the watch basically unusable. But Low Power, finally added in watchOS 9 in 2022, is much closer to the equivalent iPhone feature, simply cutting back on features and settings to eke out a little more battery life.

To turn on Low Power mode, open Control Center by swiping up from the clock face, then tap the battery percentage. Just below the Battery Remaining figure, you’ll see a toggle labeled Low Power Mode. (Note that in watchOS 10, Control Center is instead accessed by pressing the side button.)

Preserve your privacy

The always-on screen offered on the Series 5 onwards has many good qualities, but you might be worried that it means personal data may be visible to other people. Fortunately, you can adjust the settings so that sensitive complications and notifications only appear when your wrist is raised.

Let’s start with complications, which could display personal data such as calendar appointments or health information. Open the Watch app on your paired iPhone. From the My Watch tab, go to Display & Brightness > Always On > Show Complications Data. From here you can pick and choose which complications are allowed to display their data when the always-on screen is in dimmed mode.

Similarly, if you go to Display & Brightness > Always On > Show Notifications you can fine-tune the notifications which appear in dimmed mode, and which are only allowed to reveal their information when you’ve raised your wrist.

Get discreet directions

When you’re lost in a new city, the last thing you want to do is advertise the fact that you’re a tourist (or indeed the fact that you’ve got an expensive smartwatch on your wrist and an expensive smartphone in your pocket). For this reason, it’s desirable to have Maps advise you of turnings in a way that’s discreet and doesn’t require that you look at the screen of your Apple Watch or iPhone.

While you’re still somewhere safe, open Maps on your iPhone and select a destination and the type of directions you want. Start the journey, and make sure you turn off the sound alerts by tapping the mute/unmute button on the right-hand side. Tuck the iPhone away in a pocket.

Now, as you walk along, the Apple Watch will alert you to left turns by giving you three sets of two short buzzes and signal right turns with a rapid and even series of 10 to 12 haptic taps. (You don’t need to count them, it’s the rhythm that gives it away.) When you reach your destination you get a long vibration.

Apple Watch

Near-field communications (NFC) allow very short-range transmission of data from a device that can be battery-free. The field generator by the NFC reader produces the tiny amount of power required to trigger a signal. Starting with AirTag support in the iPhone 6s in 2015, all iPhone models have had some kind of ability to activate and read NFC tags. (Starting with ever earlier iPhones, all Watch models, and many iPads, NFC transmission or encoding is used for Apple Pay.)

You might have received certain kinds of NFC tag notifications. The most common are:

• AirTag: Tapping an AirTag after receiving an alert that one is near you. AirTags that aren’t registered to you will be identified by your iPhone. When brought near or tapped, they send a web link that is connected to their unique identity code to help you determine if the AirTag is being used for unwanted tracking.
• App Clip: NFC transmitters can offer an App Clip, a slice of a full app that’s used for limited functionality, typically related to a place you’re at, like checking out at a retail establishment.
• Card with NFC embedded: You could be near or have your iPhone in a wallet next to a credit card or other card with an NFC chip that has additional information that can be triggered.
• NFC web tag: Locations may have NFC tags with labels that you can tap, much like scanning a QR code, to get a web link. This appears in notifications as Website NFC Tag.

One reader found that they received repeated notifications for a payment service even when their phone was ostensibly nowhere near any NFC device. It’s troubling, and they haven’t determined the source. But what’s worse is these website tag notifications can’t be disabled.

In fact, only App Clips can be disabled, and only then by enabling a feature in Screen Time. Here’s how:

1. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Content Restrictions.
2. Tap App Clicks
3. Change the setting from Allow to Don’t Allow.

This Mac 911 article is in response to a question submitted by Macworld reader Erin.

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iOS, iPhone, Mobile Phone Accessories

For a product that isn’t debuting until 2024, Apple has said a lot about the Vision Pro, its mixed reality headset. Apple spent nearly an hour in the WWDC keynote discussing it. It has rolled out developer tools for visionOS, which has given us even more clarity about what visionOS can and can’t do.

And yet I remain firmly convinced that Apple hasn’t told us the whole story. The WWDC keynote was the time to make a first impression–but there’s half a year to go before the final story is told. As a result, Apple emphasized the features of the device that it felt would best represent the device. It emphasized the fact that it’s an augmented-reality product that keeps you connected with people around you as a way to blunt criticism that Apple’s trying to use its technology to wall people off from each other.

With the Vision Pro, there’s more to come. Here’s where I think Apple will have a much larger story to tell.

Yes, it’s really a VR headset

By defaulting to a view of the world around you and requiring that the user dial reality out via the Digital Crown, Apple sends the signal that the Vision Pro is an augmented-reality headset. But the truth is, it’s a VR headset that emulates AR, and that emulation can be dropped easily. If you don’t want to work in the very spacious rooms on display in Apple’s demo video, you can just as easily work in a virtual-reality environment.

But even more than that, app developers can create entire VR experiences within their apps. While Apple will strongly encourage apps to work in augmented reality–and if you want to walk around objects, it’s required–that won’t stop the ability for apps that do what we think of as “traditional” VR experiences.

In other words, Apple didn’t talk about VR games, the most popular category of software in existing VR hardware, but VR games will absolutely be a part of the Vision Pro experience. No, we don’t know how good Apple’s hand- and eye-tracking technology will be when it comes to the needs of various VR games. But we will certainly find out.

Yes, there will be fitness apps

Apple didn’t announce any Vision Pro integration with its Fitness+ service, which I admit was a bit of a surprise. On Meta’s headsets, apps like Supernatural and Beat Saber have gained huge followings as ways to spice up the drudgery of regular workouts.

I can’t say whether Fitness+ will appear on Vision Pro at launch–Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggests it won’t–but if Apple doesn’t fill the gap, someone else will. Savvy app developers will try to be the next Beat Saber. And no matter how heavy or awkward the Vision Pro might be, no matter how much sweat the Vision Pro’s 3-D-knit headband might soak in, people will try to use VR for workouts. It’s going to happen.

Yes, there will be Memoji

Apple wanted to impress everyone with the Digital Persona, a replica of your face created via an in-depth initial scan that’s animated by Vision Pro sensors looking at your eye, face, and body gestures. I found them creepy, and I definitely wasn’t the only person who used the Vision Pro at WWDC who thought so.

I’m pretty sure Apple has never intended the Digital Persona to be the only option for users who need a proxy for interaction with other people when wearing the Vision Pro. It’s technology Apple was proud of, so it showed it off as a way to boast–as well as a way of explaining how the EyeSight feature was created.

But it can’t be the only option. Let’s start with the fact that not everyone will feel comfortable using a representation of themselves as they are if they can help it. There’s a good reason why Apple’s Memoji creation interface lets you choose a wide range of characteristics, including many that don’t even exist in human beings! Or you can choose to be an animated emoji character.

And really, if we’re being honest, it’s highly likely that the entire Memoji project was an early move in the direction of avatars for the Vision Pro. Do we really think Apple’s going to insist on Digital Personas for everyone, even if they’d rather just be an elephant? Not gonna happen.

Yes, Siri will be involved

Apple’s film about the Vision Pro shows a user reading out a website address via voice at one point. It’s pretty much the only example of Apple’s voice assistant being shown with the headset. But it’s almost inconceivable that voice control won’t be a major portion of the device’s interface.

When I used the Vision Pro, there were numerous moments when I realized that rather than manipulating a virtual interface via hand gesture, I’d probably be better off just issuing a voice command. But Siri wasn’t active on our demo headsets, probably because it’s just not good enough–and because if Apple leaned into it too much, it would make the rest of the Vision Pro interface work the company has done look a little less special.

A reliance on voice control by all of those people in solitary environments, sprawled on couches or sitting in chairs, might also reinforce the antisocial nature of these devices–if you’re comfortable constantly interjecting to Siri, that implies that nobody else is within earshot–and that’s very much not the impression Apple wants to give right now.

But there’s just no way that visionOS is a platform that isn’t strongly linked to voice commands. It just makes too much sense.

Yes your other Apple devices will play a role

The Vision Pro appears to be a peer to the iPad and iPhone, capable of running iOS apps itself without any connection to those devices. Still, we didn’t see much direct integration between Apple’s most popular product and the Vision Pro.

Perhaps it won’t be there on day one, but I have a hard time believing that the iPhone won’t work tightly with Vision Pro. In macOS Sonoma, Apple’s introducing the concept of iPhone widgets that are projected right onto your Mac desktop. Why not extend that to Vision Pro? What about launching apps on your iPhone and viewing them right within Vision Pro? Maybe even more than one at a time?

Sure, you can look down and use your iPhone while using Vision Pro, but that’s always going to be a pretty limited experience. I have to think that Apple is working hard to figure out the best ways to use Continuity features to attach all of its devices to the Vision Pro–but most especially the iPhone.

The Vision Pro won’t be here for some time yet. We’ve heard Apple’s opening sales pitch, but it isn’t nearly time for the company to close the deal. There’s more to this story than we’ve heard so far. Stay tuned.

Virtual Reality