Screen capture tool provides more control over shadows in window captures. ($17.99 new, free update, 34.3 MB, macOS 12.3+)

Bundles dozens of refinements and bug fixes into the audio control utility. ($49 new, free update, 54.4 MB, macOS 15+)

Blogging app updated with improvements for animated GIFs. ($59.95 new, free update, 23.7 MB, macOS 10.15.4+)

Brings added emoji functionality and improved sync reliability for shared iCloud calendars. ($57 annual subscription, free update, 73.3 MB, macOS 12+)

Makes improvements to the text expansion utility's Inline Search. ($40 annual subscription, free update, 38.3 MB, macOS 11.1+)

An OpenAI model being tested for cybersecurity capabilities decided to cheat rather than solve its assigned test, breaking out of its sandbox and hacking into Hugging Face to steal the answers. Simon Willison calls it “science fiction that happened.”

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AI has made it vastly easier to build apps and pitch them to publications like TidBITS for review. But we don’t have the time or brain space to look at everything, so here’s how developers can improve their chances of catching our attention.

Ready for a glimpse into our future as Apple users? Public betas for macOS 27 Golden Gate, iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and other major Apple operating systems are now available—but beware of bugs and be sure to back up your devices first.

Apple has finally completed its silicon transition: macOS 27 drops all Intel-based Macs, and iPadOS 27 and watchOS 27 each leave five models by the wayside, whereas the iPhone compatibility list remains unchanged.

Apple has raised prices for Apple Music and most Apple One bundles, citing rising licensing costs. AppleCare+ prices also increased, presumably to keep pace with rising component costs.

Reduces the spam-filtering utility’s memory use when processing large amounts of data. ($39.99 new, free update, 61.4 MB, macOS 10.13+)

Transcription app adds a new microphone picker to the menu bar. (Free or €64 for Pro license, free update, 61.8 MB, macOS 14+)

Screenshot utility brings enhanced compatibility for the upcoming macOS 27 Golden Gate. ($29 new, free update, 76 MB, macOS 10.15+)

Drive-cloning and backup utility brings improvements to the Snapshot Comparison Browser. ($49.99 new, free update, 27.7 MB, macOS 13+)

Update for the virtual camera system that's chock-full of new features. ($49.99 annual subscription, free update, 159.7 MB, macOS 12.3+)

Introduces a new MCP server that enables you to use natural language prompts to perform complex tasks. ($74.99 new, free update, 143.8 MB, macOS 11+)

Maintenance update that addresses reported issues for the venerable text editor. ($59.99 new, free update, 32.2 MB, macOS 14+)

Tired of clunky email triage on your iPhone? Avec’s swipe-based interface lets you quickly sort important messages from noise, using AI to prioritize what matters. It’s Gmail-only and iPhone-only for now, but IMAP support is promised and a desktop version is coming.

OpenAI has replaced its Mac apps with a confusing 1.45 GB amalgamation, killed its ChatGPT Atlas Web browser after less than a year, and boosted ChatGPT Voice by backing it with more capable models.

Can’t stream a YouTube video on a plane? Worried that a rare concert recording will disappear? Need to edit a clip for a presentation? Here’s why TidBITS Talk readers download YouTube videos—and which apps they recommend.