Apple Music raised prices for the first time in four years. Apple One bundle subscriptions also increased in cost.

• Apple raises prices for Apple Music and Apple One subscriptions (9to5Mac)
• Apple Music gets first U.S. price hike in four years (AppleInsider)
• Apple Music is getting a price hike (The Verge)
• Apple Music and Apple One prices rise for the first time in years (Engadget)
• Apple Music Hikes Subscription Prices, Citing Rising Licensing Fees (Variety)

Apple reclaimed its position as the world's most valuable company, overtaking Nvidia. The tech giant approaches a $5 trillion market valuation.

• Apple Overthrows Nvidia to Reclaim Wall Street’s Crown (Wall Street Journal)
• Apple reclaims title as World’s Most Valuable Company (MacDailyNews)
• Apple overtakes Nvidia as world’s most valuable company as it barrels toward $5T (9to5Mac)
• Apple overtakes Nvidia as the most valuable publicly traded company in the U.S. (MacTech)
• AAPL capitalization squeaks past NVDA, Apple becomes world's most valuable company (AppleInsider)

San Francisco ordered Apple and Google to remove "nudify" apps from their app stores. The AI applications create nude images of people without consent.

• Apple and Google ordered to remove ‘nudify’ apps from their app stores (MacTech)
• San Francisco Demands Apple and Google Delete AI ‘Nudify’ Apps From App Stores (Wired)
• Apple and Google Hit With Demand to Pull AI 'Nudify' Apps (MacRumors)
• Apple ordered to remove 8 'nudify' AI apps from the iPhone's App Store (AppleInsider)
• Apple and Google ordered by San Francisco attorney to take action against 'nudify' apps (Engadget)

Apple increased vapor chamber orders for upcoming foldable iPhone models. The thermal component is critical for managing heat in advanced devices.

• Apple ramps up vapor chamber orders for foldable iPhone Ultra and Twentieth Anniversary iPhone (MacDailyNews)
• Rumor: Apple increases orders for key component ahead of foldable iPhone launch (9to5Mac)
• Apple Reportedly Ramps Up Vapor Chamber Orders for Foldable iPhone (MacRumors)
• Mass production of folding iPhone vapor cooling system has begun (AppleInsider)

Apple raised AppleCare+ prices for Mac and iPad plans by 50 cents monthly. The tech giant's extended warranty service now costs more for new subscribers.

• Well, Apple, you can’t blame AppleCare price hikes on memory and storage shortages (MacTech)
• AppleCare+ for Macs and iPads Just Got More Expensive (MacRumors)
• Apple bumps monthly AppleCare+ for iPad, Mac by 50 cents (AppleInsider)
• AppleCare+ gets a price increase for new Mac and iPad plans (9to5Mac)
• Apple’s reportedly raising the price for AppleCare Plus on Macs and iPads (The Verge)

Apple Intelligence cleared regulatory approval in China, paving the way for its launch in the country. The tech giant reached an agreement with Chinese authorities on the AI feature's rollout.

• Apple Intelligence finally on the road to release in China (AppleInsider)
• Apple Intelligence Finally Cleared to Launch in China (MacRumors)
• Apple reaches agreement with Chinese government on Apple Intelligence rollout (9to5Mac)
• Apple clears biggest hurdle to bringing Apple Intelligence to China (Cult of Mac)
• Apple Intelligence gains regulatory approval in China (MacDailyNews)

Google will allow third-party app stores on Android beginning next week. The move follows Google's settlement with Epic Games.

• Google will allow third-party app stores on Android next week (Engadget)
• Google and Epic give up fighting — third-party Android app stores are coming next week (The Verge)
• Third-party app stores coming to Google Play next week as Epic settlement withdrawn (Ars Technica)
• App Store Chaos (MacStories)

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit accusing Apple of failing to prevent child sexual abuse material on iCloud. The dismissal invoked Section 230 protections for online platforms.

• Judge Dismisses Suit Accusing Apple of Failing to Limit Child Sex Abuse Material (NY Times - Technology)
• Apple wins dismissal of major lawsuit over child sexual abuse material on iCloud (MacDailyNews)
• Judge dismisses lawsuit against Apple regarding child sexual abuse material on iCloud  (MacTech)
• Judge dismisses lawsuit accusing Apple of failing to stop CSAM on iCloud (9to5Mac)
• iCloud $32.8B CSAM lawsuit dismissed, Apple protected under Section 230 laws (AppleInsider)

The European Union exempted Apple Watch and AirPods from mandatory user-replaceable battery rules. The devices' small size and design complexity qualified them for relief from the requirements.

• EU Drops Battery Removal Requirement for Apple Watch and AirPods (MacRumors)
• Apple Watch, Meta Glasses, AirPods get reprieve from EU replaceable battery law (AppleInsider)
• Apple Watch among wearables exempted from EU user-replaceable battery rules (9to5Mac)

Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition launches on Apple Arcade August 6. The game brings NFL action to the subscription service ahead of football season.

• Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition brings gridiron action to Apple Arcade on August 6 (Apple Newsroom)
• Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition brings gridiron action to Apple Arcade on August 6th (MacDailyNews)
• Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition Coming to Apple Arcade (MacRumors)
• Apple Arcade adding the ultimate NFL game just in time for football season (9to5Mac)
• EA SPORTS Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition arrives on Apple Arcade on August 6 (MacTech)

Apple plans to launch an OLED iPad Mini by October 2026 with multiple upgrades. The company will refresh larger iPad models in 2027, according to reports.

• New iPad Mini With Four Upgrades Reportedly Launching by October (MacRumors)
• Report: Apple targets October launch for OLED iPad mini, kicking off next wave of iPad updates (9to5Mac)
• iPad mini with OLED release imminent, pricing unclear (AppleInsider)
• Apple’s OLED iPad Mini upgrade is on the way as prices continue to rise (The Verge)
• An OLED iPad mini could finally arrive this year (Engadget)

WhatsApp is developing its own backup system for iPhone chats, reducing reliance on iCloud. The feature aims to let users store conversations independently of Apple's cloud service.

• WhatsApp is building its own iCloud alternative for chat backups (9to5Mac)
• This leaked WhatsApp feature could make iCloud a lot less important (Cult of Mac)
• WhatsApp Beta Reveals iCloud Backup Alternative for iPhone (MacRumors)

Apple released public beta versions of iOS 27 and macOS 27 Wednesday. The updates include Siri AI enhancements and platform improvements.

• Apple Opens Public Beta Testing for iOS 27 and macOS 27 (TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog))
• First iOS 27, macOS 27 public betas are out, but you should still be careful (AppleInsider)
• The OS 27 public betas are out now with Siri AI, platform improvements, and more (MacWorld)

Apple released revised beta 3 builds for iPadOS 27 and macOS 27. Public beta versions became available alongside the updates.

• Apple Updates iPadOS 27 and macOS 27 Beta 3 (TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog))
• iPadOS 27 & macOS 27 beta 3 get a version 2 update as public betas drop (AppleInsider)
• Apple rolls out revised beta 3 builds for iPadOS 27 and macOS 27 Golden Gate (9to5Mac)

Apple released the macOS Golden Gate public beta for testing. The update, also referred to as macOS 27, includes new Liquid Glass features.

• First macOS Golden Gate Public Beta Now Available (MacRumors)
• macOS 27 public beta now available, here’s how to install it (9to5Mac)
• First Look: macOS Golden Gate Public Beta (Six Colors)
• The macOS 27 public beta is worth it just for the Liquid Glass tweaks (The Verge)
• Apple rolls out macOS 27 Golden Gate public beta 1 with powerful Siri AI, refined Liquid Glass, and more now available to testers (MacDailyNews)

Apple released the first public beta of iOS 27, featuring enhanced Siri AI and iPhone speed improvements. Public betas for macOS 27, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27 and tvOS 27 also became available.

• iOS 27 public beta is here with Siri AI, iPhone speed upgrades, and more (9to5Mac)
• Apple’s public betas for iOS 27 and more are out now (The Verge)
• Public betas for iOS 27, macOS 27 and more Apple platforms are now available (Engadget)
• Apple releases first public betas of  macOS 27 Golden Gate, iOS 27, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27 and tvOS 27 (MacTech)
• iOS 27 public beta arrives, and it’s stable enough to trust (Cult of Mac)

Apple released watchOS 27 public beta Tuesday with new artificial intelligence features for Siri. The update brings enhanced capabilities to Apple Watch devices for registered beta testers.

• watchOS 27 Now Available to Public Beta Testers (MacRumors)
• watchOS 27 public beta is here with Siri AI and smarter Apple Watch features (9to5Mac)
• Siri AI makes the Apple Watch finally feel like a wrist computer (The Verge)
• watchOS 27: The MacStories Public Beta Preview (MacStories)

Apple released the fifth developer betas of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS and visionOS 26.6. The updates are available to registered developers.

• Apple seeds fifth developer betas of macOS 26.6, iOS 26.6,  iPadOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6, watchOS 26.6, visionOS 26.6 (MacTech)
• Apple releases fifth iOS 26.6, iPadOS 26.6, watchOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6, and visionOS 26.6 betas (MacDailyNews)
• Apple Releases Fifth watchOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6 and visionOS 26.6 Betas (MacRumors)
• Apple Seeds Fifth iOS 26.6 and iPadOS 26.6 Betas to Developers (MacRumors)
• Apple rolls beta 5 for iPadOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6, watchOS 26.6, more (9to5Mac)

Meta is pressuring Apple to open its AirPods pairing technology to third-party devices. Apple has not publicly committed to the request.

• Meta Pushes Apple for AirPods-Style Device Pairing (TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog))
• Facebook demands AirPods-like pairing for its glasses and headsets (AppleInsider)
• Apple Plans AirPods-Like Pairing for Meta's Glasses and Quest (MacRumors)

Apple captured a record 20% global smartphone market share as competitors faced challenges. The company's pricing strategy helped it gain ground in China and other key markets.

• Report: Apple hits record 20% global smartphone shipment share as market plunges (9to5Mac)
• Apple's Steady iPhone Pricing Pays Off as Rivals Scramble (MacRumors)
• Strong iPhone 17 demand keeps Apple climbing in global smartphone market (Cult of Mac)
• Second report says Apple posted its strongest-ever Q2 for iPhone shipments amid market downturn (9to5Mac)
• iPhone growth defies the smartphone market's worst second quarter in 13 years (AppleInsider)