9to5Mac

Halide cofounder Sebastiaan de With joins Apple’s design team

Published: Jan 28nd 2026 10:07am on 9to5Mac

Halide and Lux co-founder and designer Sebastiaan de With announced today that he is joining Apple’s human interface design team.

This marks a return to Apple for de With, who previously worked as a freelancer for the company on projects including Find My, MobileMe, and iCloud.

This iOS 26.3 feature is a sign of what’s to come for iPhone

Published: Jan 28nd 2026 9:24am on 9to5Mac

With iOS 26.3, Apple is rolling out a new feature that lets you limit the information that cellular networks can use to determine your location. The twist, however, is that the feature is only supported on devices powered by Apple’s in-house modem.

I think what’s more interesting than this specific feature itself is what it represents for the future.

Apple Watch offline map routes debut for Strava and Komoot apps

Published: Jan 28nd 2026 9:13am on 9to5Mac

If you’re an Apple Watch user who likes leaving your iPhone behind on outdoor adventures, recent updates from Strava and Komoot apps should make that easier than ever.

Patreon criticizes Apple’s renewed in-app purchase mandate, agrees to comply

Published: Jan 28nd 2026 9:07am on 9to5Mac

Apple says Patreon now has until November 2026 to move all remaining creators to the App Store’s in-app purchase system, or risk removal from the App Store. Patreon disagrees, but says it will comply. Here are the details.

Apple was fined a total of $851M last year for privacy and antitrust violations

Published: Jan 28nd 2026 7:59am on 9to5Mac

Publicly available information reveals that Apple was fined a total of $851 million last year for privacy and antitrust violations, down from $2.1B in 2024.

The data was collated by Proton, which reports that it would have taken the iPhone maker just three days, three hours and 28 minutes to pay off the total …

New study highlights Apple Watch’s role in AFib monitoring after treatment

Published: Jan 28nd 2026 7:23am on 9to5Mac

A new trial suggests Apple Watch could make a meaningful difference in what happens after atrial fibrillation ablation, not by changing the procedure itself, but by changing what patients and doctors catch afterward.

Researchers found that a simple routine of patient-led ECG check-ins surfaced more recurrences and was linked to fewer unplanned hospitalizations over the follow-up period.

Pixelmator Pro launches on iPad, here’s what the new app can do

Published: Jan 28nd 2026 6:27am on 9to5Mac

Today Pixelmator Pro has launched on iPad for the first time, exclusive to Apple Creator Studio. Here’s what the long-awaited iPad version of Pixelmator Pro can do.

Chrome rolling out Gemini 3-powered ‘auto browse’ with Google AI Pro 

Published: Jan 28nd 2026 6:04am on 9to5Mac

Google today announced “Chrome auto browse” as a “powerful agentic experience that handles multi-step chores on your behalf.”

PSA: Apple Creator Studio 3-month free trial offered even for older devices

Published: Jan 28nd 2026 5:37am on 9to5Mac

Apple Creator Studio is officially here, and by all appearances a great value for many. Apple offers a 1-month trial for all users, but it turns out there are surprise offers for 3 free months being given too—even if you haven’t bought a new device.

AirTag 2 teardown reveals the speaker is now harder to remove

Published: Jan 28nd 2026 4:43am on 9to5Mac

AirTag 2 ships to users’ starting today, and YouTuber Joseph Taylor has already posted an unboxing video and teardown. Here’s what it revealed.