Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.6 updates to developers, one week after seeding the first betas and a couple weeks after releasing iOS/iPadOS 13.5 with Exposure Notification API, Face ID updates, Group FaceTime changes, and more.
iOS and iPadOS 13.6 can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center or over the air once the proper developer profile has been installed. Note that Apple has changed the version number of this beta to 13.6. When it was first released last week, it was iOS 13.5.5.
Though the feature is not live yet, iOS and iPadOS 13.6 include signs of a new Apple News+ Audio feature, which will see Apple offering some news stories in an audio capacity.
Apple has been working with publishers to garner permission to create audio versions of some stories. Apple also plans to offer a recap of the day's top stories for subscribers to listen to.
Code in iPadOS 13.6 also suggests Apple is working on keyboard shortcuts that will allow users who have a Magic Keyboard or other attached keyboard to adjust the brightness level of the keys, but it's not clear if this will be a feature included in the update.
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps.
To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features.
The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4.
There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...
I'm surprised they're adding new features this late in the iOS cycle...
I like it. Use WWDC to lay out the annual roadmap (fall through summer), but don't ship everything in one go.
I suppose there will be overlap this time, though: iOS 14 beta 1 will likely drop later this month, while iOS 13.6 final might ship the same day or even after.
Look, I don’t blame Apple for this, but here is an interesting comparison: iOS 5 5.0: October 12, 2011 5.0.1: November 10, 2011 5.1: March 7: 2012 5.1.1: May 7, 2012. Now for 13: 13.0: September 19, 2019 13.1: September 24, 2019 13.1.1:September 27, 2019 13.1.2:September 30, 2019 13.1.3:October 15, 2019 13.2:October 28, 2019 13.2.1: October 30 , 2019 13.2.2: November 7, 2019 13.2.3: November 18, 2019 13.3:December 10, 2019 13.3.1: January 28, 2020 13.4:March 24, 2020 13.4.1: April 7, 2020 13.5: May 20, 2020 13.5.1: June 1: 2020 And now 13.6
I really don't think the amount of releases is an indicator of quality. Windows used to be more Service Pack-focused, where bugfixes were only released about once a year (if that). It didn't mean that Windows was more stable, just that it was on a different schedule.
While I think it is a bit crazy how many updates iOS 13 has gotten, but at the same time I prefer this versus keeping bugs/features held back till the next year’s OS release. Things like cursor support in 13.4 was a nice mid-cycle surprise.
Look, I don’t blame Apple for this, but here is an interesting comparison: iOS 5 5.0: October 12, 2011 5.0.1: November 10, 2011 5.1: March 7: 2012 5.1.1: May 7, 2012. Now for 13: 13.0: September 19, 2019 13.1: September 24, 2019 13.1.1:September 27, 2019 13.1.2:September 30, 2019 13.1.3:October 15, 2019 13.2:October 28, 2019 13.2.1: October 30 , 2019 13.2.2: November 7, 2019 13.2.3: November 18, 2019 13.3:December 10, 2019 13.3.1: January 28, 2020 13.4:March 24, 2020 13.4.1: April 7, 2020 13.5: May 20, 2020 13.5.1: June 1: 2020 And now 13.6
Just More and more ways to kill blocks of your Solid state memory by constantly slamming in big lumps of files over and over again. Brilliant!
I'm not aware of a single case where a critical amount of blocks died on an iPhone. Given how much better flash storage has become, and how relatively short the lifespan is (five years is probably stretching it), I don't think that's a big concern.
