Bringing back the Library in the Photos app is today’s “flush headphone jack” moment.

Say what you want about Liquid Glass. Whether you hate it or love it, what is no doubt a victory for everyone (unless you’re clinically insane) is the return of the Library in the Photos app. A staple feature that was always present from the beginning of iPhone was harshly taken away from us in iOS 18, only to return to its former glory.

The Library is like the Home Button for the Photos app. Simply tap the Library to see everything in chronological order. No more frustration in sorting between your recent Collections only to be frustrated trying to find photos you took just a few days ago.

If WWDC was a true live event, you would have seen people cheer when they saw the clip showing the return of the Library, exactly like when the flush headphone jack was announced with the iPhone 3G.

The iPhone (aka iPhone 2G), debuted with huge fanfare, but it had one glaring hardware issue, which was a recessed headphone jack. That meant any headphone jack with a wider diameter plug just wouldn’t work with your iPhone, the ultimate iPod. Every iPod prior to the iPhone had a flush headphone jack and you could use any pair of headphones with it, but now all of a sudden your special headphones were not compatible. You needed a 3.5mm to 3.5mm adapter in order to use your non-Apple headphones. Back in those days, I had a Nokia N95 8GB, and I would scoff at those iPhone users with their substandard headphone jack since mine was flush, even though the headphone jack on the Nokia N95 was side mounted!

It was one year of agony for early iPhone adopters (similar to iOS 18’s removal of the Library), but one that never surfaced again.*

Here’s to many more fantastic years with the Library.

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*The iPhone 7 did get rid of the headphone jack, but that was justified.

Apple quickly fixes its Liquid Glass blunder.

If you shared the YouTube video early on, you got a special surprise thanks to a “very unfortunate play button” — but Apple fixed it quickly, maybe even within the hour.

Just like Imodium.

watchOS 26 lets you use your Apple Watch to check the battery status of your AirPods.

I think this is new for watchOS 26.

You can check the battery life of your AirPods (and presumably other connected accessories) from your Apple Watch. If your iPhone is unlocked and in use, the ability to check goes away probably because it assumes you’re using the AirPods with your iPhone. A great feature for those who use a cellular connection on Apple Watch.

What would really be nice is the ability to check the battery life of your iPhone from your watch too.

Apple removed these watch faces from watchOS 26.

These are some of the most useless watch faces, so it’s a good thing they’re gone. Fire and Water looked cool, but it’s not cool to not know the time.

watchOS 26 brings the Always-On Display with ticking seconds hand to many more watch faces for the Series 10.

I was getting a bit nervous since the WWDC keynote didn’t mention a peep about watch faces. My original article was going to be titled, “Lamenting watchOS 26,” and I might have gone into a poetic rant, but nay, this deed shall I no longer pursue.

It took me forever to finally get the watchOS 26 beta on my beloved Jet Black Series 10, but I was lying in bed and finally got the “hello” screen. I instantly went to an analog watch face (Solar Analog in this case), slapped the screen to turn it off, and behold, the seconds hand still kept ticking.

Disappointed I was not, although I was ready for it. Sleep was fighting with me, but curiosity won at the end. I tried out a bunch of other watch faces, and many, not all, analog watch faces that are full screen now support the ticking seconds hand.

Most functional ones that mimic real watch faces support it, but the more flamboyant ones like Kaleidoscope do not. It is still a bit inconsistent because Nike Analog supports it, but Nike Hybrid doesn’t.

It’s a work in progress, and hopefully we get support for more watch faces as the betas continue. My rough count puts supported watch faces at around 20, versus 5 or 6 just the day before.

Can a clear case stain your iPhone?

I thought was just some dust or some sort of residue, but no matter what I tried to do, the stains wouldn’t come off. Even the case branding was faintly embossed onto the iPhone.

The evidence speaks for itself.

You can see the Spigen branding transferred over to the blue anodized aluminum on the iPhone 13 mini…

along with “Air cushion technology.”

Every side of the device has stains that are a direct result of the clear case being on the device for 3 years and 9 months. How do I know the case was on the device for 3 years and 9 months? The seller told me he had this case on since he bought the device brand new, and after looking up the serial number, it was purchased in September 2021.

I believe him.

Over time, the oxidation, UVA light, and heat got to the case giving it a yellow fade, and also transferring some of that tinge via a chemical reaction to the iPhone itself.

Maybe Apple can put these photos in a future version of “Designed by Apple in California,” and my phone could compete with Evans Hankey’s iPhone.

Although this particular case is less than 4 years old, the actual case was probably released alongside the iPhone 12 mini, making the chemical recipe of this case 5 years old. Case makers have gotten better since then, making clear cases that are less prone to turning yellow. Apple’s clear cases also change color after many years, but they haven’t left any stains on my phone nor my wife’s phone. My wife had a 12 Pro Max with an Apple clear case for almost four years, and no stains. Granted, her phone was made of stainless steel instead of aluminum. She does have a clear case on her aluminum iPhone 16 Plus, so we’ll see what happens after a few years.

You can clearly see (pun intended) the exposed parts of the phone were spared from staining.

Could this issue have been avoided with some good-old phone hygiene by taking the phone out of the case and cleaning it once a week? Even once a month? I would say yes. The fact is sweat and hand oils do get inside cases, and prolonged contact with heat and UV light will discolor it.

The irony of the situation is hilarious, since the phone was supposed to be protected by the case, and instead got permanently stained by it.

This editing feature in Photos will save you tons of storage.

If you crop a video and select “Save Video,” the storage size of your video won’t decrease. You have to select, “Save Video as New Clip” to get a reduction in file size, and then delete the original video.

The “Save Video” option crops your video, but still retains the whole video in case you change your mind. When you go back to editing the video under the “crop” option, you will see the entire video with your cropped selection. I had a 10GB slow-mo video that was 42 minutes long, but I only needed 1 minute from it. After cropping my video and selecting “Save Video,” the file size was still 10GB. I was sure I didn’t need all that extra footage, so I selected, “Save Video as New Clip,” and then deleted the original 10GB video.

My new file size? 342MB.

How I am preparing to test iOS 26 next week.

iOS 26 will be the biggest makeover since iOS 7, and if you remember those days, the first developer betas were brutal if you used them on your primary device. Our phones have become more and more a 3rd arm that we must have, and it isn’t wise to put any developer beta on your primary device.

At least the first few.

For that reason, I have obtained an iPhone 13 mini as my testing device, which I picked for several reasons:

1. I wanted to see how well optimized iOS 26 will be on Apple’s smallest screen.

2. I had an iPhone 12 mini in the past, and this will be a nice flashback to a more comfortable form factor.

3. The iPhone 13 mini supports FaceID in landscape among other improvements and is only a few bucks more expensive than an iPhone 12 mini.

4. I still use a physical SIM card, so I needed an iPhone with a physical SIM in case I decide to change primary devices. I flew to Canada to buy a 16 Pro Max last year to get the SIM slot version, so I can easily swap if needed. This way I have an easy out and won’t be stranded without cellular function no matter how unstable my phone is. There’s nothing worse than unstable beta software and trying to port your eSIM out to another phone.

Just a few more days to go!

A new era in Apple’s UI imagined.

Great piece by Sebastiaan de With, discussing where Apple’s UI design is potentially headed. A nice trip down memory lane of iOS 6 and its skeuomorphic elements is just pure nostalgia.

I love the finishing touch at the bottom that I think more people should do:

All writing, conceptual UI design and iconography in this post was made by hand by me. No artificial intelligence was used in authoring any of it.

Will we get Night Mode as a standard feature in watchOS 26?

Night Mode is a great feature that is limited to two watch faces* on the Apple Watch Ultra models, but it should be a feature available to all Apple Watches on more watch faces.

It arguably classifies as an Accessibility feature since many people would like to preserve their vision at night, and Night Mode is the best way to do it. Currently all iPhones starting with the iPhone XS and later support Night Mode on StandBy. This feature is not limited to the Pro iPhones, so the same standard should apply with the Apple Watch.

The Apple Watch Series 10 did get some trickle-down features from the Ultra such as a Depth gauge, Depth app, and even a water temperature sensor. Hopefully Apple continues with their trickle-down economics and gives us Night Mode for all Apple Watches, this time baked into watchOS instead of a particular watch.

*Wayfinder and Modular Ultra

How Apple can raise iPhone prices and please consumers and investors at the same time.

Rolfe Winkler and Jang Lie from WSJ (News+ link via DaringFireball):

Apple is weighing price increases for its fall iPhone lineup, a step it is seeking to couple with new features and design changes, according to people familiar with the matter.

The company is determined to avoid any scenario in which it appears to attribute price increases to U.S. tariffs on goods from China, where most Apple devices are assembled, the people said. […]

The people familiar with the supply chain said Apple would have trouble making up for China tariff costs solely by seeking further savings from its suppliers, meaning that a hit to its profit margin was likely unless it could raise prices. […]

These circumstances have led Apple to look at what supply-chain insiders described as the least-bad choice: raising prices on the new iPhones to preserve profit and finding reasons other than tariffs to explain the move. It couldn’t be determined what new features Apple may offer to help justify price increases.

New features alone won’t be enough to justify a higher price. Apple has been improving the iPhone each year and hasn’t raised the $999 ceiling ever since the debut of the iPhone X in 2017. If they add new features and raise the price, it will signal tariffs to most people.

There is one move though, that could please investors, consumers, and even Apple’s marketing team to lower the tariff burden.

What if Apple just bumped the base storage of newer iPhones to 256GB at the same $100 cost? Technically they would be raising prices by eliminating the base storage, but at least you’re getting 256GB in return. The average consumer would also be accepting of this price increase because it is tariff season after all, and everything is supposed to go up in price. Heck, it might even feel like a deal since everyone else is giving you the same product at a higher cost. At least Apple is kind enough to “give you” an extra 128GB of storage.

Paying an extra $100 for something that costs Apple probably a few bucks extra is also going to put a smile on investors’ faces since those memory chips are pennies on the dollar for Apple, helping Apple keep a higher profit margin per iPhone sold. This increased pricing also has some cascading effects on older iPhones which I talk about below, that further quenches Wall Street’s thirst for growth. Remember, these increases will be worldwide, so the effect will be compounded.

The marketing team could easily help with Apple’s keynote, where the presenters (Kaiann and Joz) could market the new pricing, “which also matches last year’s price with this level of storage.”

Here’s how the pricing would look for the 256GB models:

1. iPhone 17 Pro Max - $1,199

2. iPhone 17 Pro - $1,099

3. iPhone 17 Air - $999

4. iPhone 17 - $899

Phones that still start at 128GB:

1. iPhone 16 - $799

2. iPhone 16e - $599

A few notes to consider:

1. The 15 and 16 Pro Max already start at $1,199 with 256GB of storage, so Apple would leave the 17 Pro Max unchanged.

2. The 256GB iPhone 17 Air at $999 is equal to the 256GB 16 Plus in price, so the pricing strategy still works since the 17 Air is the replacement for the Plus model.

3. The iPhone 17’s new base price of $899 allows the iPhone 16 to keep its $799 price for another year, similar to the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and not take a $100 discount, keeping it at a higher margin. Dropping the iPhone 16 to $699 will also cannibalize the 16e market.

Apple’s operating systems to adopt a naming system similar to car manufacturers.

Mark Gurman on Twitter:

NEW: Apple will announce its biggest ever software rebrand at WWDC, tied to operating system redesigns. Apple is moving from version numbers to years (like Windows in the 90s). The new OSs: iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, visionOS 26, tvOS 26, watchOS 26.

I wonder if Apple would say, “iOS 2026,” but brand it as “iOS 26.” It sounds more reasonable to say the whole year just like with cars, but shorten the number when written down.

This dilemma reminds me of the iPhone “X” vs iPhone “ten” confusion.

Feeling authentic in a world of AI.

Great interview by Steven Bartlett (The Diary Of A CEO) with Simon Sinek. Watch this six minute chapter of why being a human and having imperfections is what makes us unique, great, and authentic.

The best passcode for a lazy person is a 5-digit passcode.

If you use the standard 4-digit or 6-digit passcode formats on the iPhone, you get the equivalent amount of bubbles on your lock screen, showing anyone who even glances at your phone how long your passcode is before you even start pressing buttons.

If you select a “Custom Numeric Code” when adding or changing your passcode, you can just type a 5-digit code and your lock screen will now show an empty box that doesn’t give away the length of your passcode. Sure you would have to hit the “OK” button afterwards, but it’s still the safer option.

You can’t go less than 4 digits. I tried.

4 and 6-digit passcodes make it easier for snoopers to figure out your passcode, but having a 5-digit passcode makes it harder to determine because no one would know it’s only 5 digits.

LiDAR lasers on newer cars can destroy your iPhone camera lens.

Ryan King from Jalopnik via The Verge:

Reddit user u/Jeguetelli posted worrying footage of a brand new Volvo EX90 from his iPhone 16 Pro Max. Nothing was wrong with the crossover SUV. That was the problem. The lidar sensor mounted in a pod above the windshield shot out a laser barrage of near-infrared light into the camera. The damage was immediate and obvious, leaving behind a red, pink and purple constellation of fried pixels. You can tell the permanent damage was to that specific lens because the image returned to normal after zooming out to a different lens. Jeguetelli didn't seem too concerned about the incident because he had Apple Care.

You don’t even have to be directly in front of the LiDAR unit in order to get permanent damage as you can see from the video, so just don’t risk it regardless of whether or not you have AppleCare+. This would technically fall under “Other Accidental Damage,” which is a $99 fee with AppleCare+, and $249 without AppleCare+.

Galaxy S25 Edge vs iPhone 16 Pro Max - brief hands-on.

Went to my local Best Buy and I was surprised to see the Galaxy S25 Edge on display. Naturally, I had to pull out my iPhone 16 Pro Max and compare the two. I think the bigger surprise isn’t really the thinness, but the lightness. You notice the lightness right away, and I think that’s the goal for both Samsung and Apple.

They’re not going for thinness, but for lightness.

Thinness just happens to be the by-product.

The screen bezels were about the same as the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and I hope the iPhone 17 Air bezels are just as small. The S25 Edge’s screen is slightly smaller at 6.7 inches vs 6.9 inches, and the S25 Edge is slightly narrower, making it even more comfortable to hold when you consider its 5.8mm thinness.

The baseline for finding that perfect balance between weight, size, and functionality is once again being challenged, instead of the old, “Go big or go home” mentality. To get 90% of the iPhone Pro Max experience with roughly a 33% weight reduction might be a fair trade-off for many people.

I think I’m sold.

September can’t come soon enough.

S25 Edge (left), iPhone 16 Pro Max (right)

S25 Edge (left), iPhone 16 Pro Max (right)

S25 Edge (left), iPhone 16 Pro Max (right)

The new 2026 Toyota RAV4, America’s best-selling car, debuts with the new Arene software platform that could indicate CarPlay Ultra compatibility in the future.

Woven by Toyota:

Arene is built to enable the safe, secure, and scalable development of software. By applying Toyota’s manufacturing expertise to modern software engineering, it empowers developers with a more unified, human-centric approach to building and deploying high-quality software. In doing so, Arene moves Toyota and WbyT closer to their shared vision of a software-defined future with zero accidents.

Other key points about their software:

Traditionally, software and hardware in vehicles have been tightly coupled, requiring custom development for each application and vehicle model. Arene’s SDK helps decouple these dependencies by enabling developers to build modular software components that can be reused across multiple applications and vehicle models.

Arene Tools consist of a suite of enterprise-grade tools that allow software to be visualized, tested, validated and managed within virtual environments, reducing the need to rely on physical prototypes. This virtualization accelerates development cycles across vehicle models and shortens time-to-market for new features.

The Arene SDK and Arene Tools help shorten development times, and together with Arene Data, they accelerate the delivery of new and improved features even after the vehicle leaves the factory floor. This results in a driving experience that becomes more personalized, more adaptive, and continuously refined over time.

Some of their other highlights from their infographic include:

Faster, seamless upgrades from a single update

More seamless, consistent and stable experiences

Greater personalization and customization

Quicker access to the latest technologies

This sounds like a tease for CarPlay Ultra if you’re really optimistic, but I think Toyota is heading in the direction of GM and Mercedes and wants to provide customers with an experience that doesn’t rely on embedding a 3rd party platform deep into their driving experience.

Toyota is not one of the brands that has committed to offering CarPlay Ultra, but if they ever do decide to change their minds, this new software platform should make it feasible to port it to the 2026 RAV4 and onward.

The new RAV4 still offers wireless Apple CarPlay (and Android Auto) as standard.

Sam Altman and Jony Ive introduce io.

My initial thoughts after seeing this video - shut up and take my money.

My seconds thoughts:

"You may not need an iPhone 10 years from now, as crazy as it sounds."

Eddy Cue

I was paralyzed by choice when it came to choosing a premium AI platform, but now I know which one I’m signing up for.

This is like a "Steve Jobs coming back to Apple moment,” seeing Jony Ive once again blend hardware and software at another level.

YouTube app update that could get you in trouble.

When watching a YouTube video in portrait on the iPhone, a swipe down on the video would make the video shrink to thumbnail-size at the bottom right corner of your screen. The top left corner of the shrunken video had an “X” button to close your video, but now it has been updated to be the Play/Pause button, and the “X” button to close your video moved over to the right.

If you had muscle memory to quickly swipe down and tap the left corner to close your video, now that same muscle memory does the exact opposite function of what you intended, and will play your video that you quickly wanted to close.

This could lead to awkward situations.

WHOOP 5.0 and MG models require new bands that are not compatible with WHOOP 4.0.

Another reason why WHOOP owners should be mad. These bands are not cheap, especially if you’re trying to make it look like a fancy bracelet. The one thing about the Apple Watch is the bands have been compatible for the last 10 years, across all their watches, which is commendable. At least WHOOP still makes their expensive bands out of “Genuine Italian Leather.”

Apple’s “WHOOP 5.0 day” will eventually come and band compatibility will be broken, and everything will hit the fan, but hopefully that day is still a long ways away.