Epic and Google agree to settle their lawsuit and change Android’s fate globally by Sean Hollister

Google is agreeing to reduce its standard fee to 20 percent or 9 percent, depending on the kind of transaction. It’s agreeing to create a new program in the very next version of Android where alternative app stores can register with Google and (theoretically) become first-class citizens that users can easily install. And it appears to be agreeing to offer “Registered App Stores” and lower fees around the world, not just in the US, through June 2032 — six and a half years from now.

The hope is that Apple would do something similar, worldwide and skip this process everywhere. That would require a new leader, I think.

One thing that was not clear to me was that they mentioned this is up to 2032. What would happen after that? I don’t see them going back from this.

Apple adds a new toggle to make Liquid Glass less glassy by Jay Peters

The option is available now in the iOS 26.1 developer beta that Apple launched on Monday. You can access it from Settings > Display & Brightness > Liquid Glass, where you can choose between “Clear” and “Tinted.” The latest iPadOS 26.1 and macOS 26.1 developer betas also let you tint Liquid Glass

I like Liquid Glass generally, but there are a few places where I have come across a few bugs and legibility issues.

This is good I guess, but I could not figure out any differences in the screenshots in the article.

Apple teases M5 MacBook by Jay Peters

Apple is teasing the imminent launch of a new MacBook with an M5 chip. In an X post, Apple SVP of worldwide marketing Greg Joswiak wrote that “something powerful is coming,” and a short video in the post includes the words “coming soon” and a silhouette of an Apple laptop.

I think Apple has settled on two events per year - wwdc and the iPhone event. Everything else is just these product videos and announcements. I love the Mac and feel a little sad about how Apple perceives its importance.

Apple's Smart Glasses With In-Lens Display May Feature Two Modes by Joe Rossignol

In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said he was told a future version of Apple's smart glasses may be able to run a full version of the visionOS operating system when they are paired with a Mac, and then switch to a more lightweight, mobile-friendly interface when they are paired with an iPhone.

This would make sense if they are connected to the Mac with a wire. A similar device exists already which connect to a PC.

Apple sidelines lighter Vision Pro to prioritize smart glasses by Jay Peters

With its glasses, Apple will be late to the game. Meta just announced a bunch of new glasses of its own, including a second-generation version of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses with much better battery life that are available now, a new pair of Oakley-branded glasses designed for athletes launching this month, and the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, which my colleague Victoria Song called the best smart glasses she’s ever tried.

I read the same piece of news on three publications - MacRumours, slashdot and the verge. They are all source from the same Mark Gurman report.

I was not sure if I wanted to talk about it. But I guess I do.

This is not a good look on Apple, or the way it is being reported. Apple seems to be behind Meta on these things, till it comes out with a product (Vision Pro) and then Meta bashes it, but eventually creates its own take on the ideas (use hand gestures to control the UI).

The reason it is not a good look because this reads like - this company did something great, so let’s abandon our efforts and do the same thing. That is not a good place to be in. You seem like a laggard.

Your Mac Can Auto-Join an iPhone Hotspot in macOS Tahoe by Juli Clover

With Auto-Join Hotspot turned on, when your Mac doesn't have Wi-Fi available and is near an ‌iPhone‌ or iPad providing a Personal Hotspot, it will automatically attempt to join it.

This is a good feature till we get the 5G modem in the Mac. Will I buy it if it’s not standard though? IDK.

Apple Hiring for 'Answers' Team Working on 'ChatGPT-Like Search'

"While still in early stages, the team is building what it calls an 'answer engine' — a system capable of crawling the web to respond to general-knowledge questions," wrote Gurman. "A standalone app is currently under exploration, alongside new back-end infrastructure meant to power search capabilities in future versions of Siri, Spotlight and Safari."

Makes sense if Apple and Google are made to end their agreement, that Apple would create their own search-esque product. In that sense, it makes sense for Apple to maybe acquire Perplexity.

How Apple’s New Spotlight Compares to Raycast

But there are four modes outside this default: Applications, Files, Actions, and Clipboard. You can switch between these modes by using the right and left arrow keys or by using the Command key in combination with a corresponding number. You'll see a simpler overlay when you do so.

I am not a Raycast or any other custom launcher user. So, for me these are great improvements. Spotlight is bringing a basic set of functionality to spotlight, which would introduce these things to the normal users like me. Good stuff!

First Look: iPadOS 26 Public Beta

In earlier eras, Apple reluctantly accepted multitasking by introducing Split View and Slide Over, and then later Stage Manager, which created a windowing system that was not Mac-like at all. Windows couldn’t be resized freely, or placed freely, or overlap other windows in the wrong way.

Apple is over it. Go ahead, put those windows wherever you want (even hanging off the side of the screen), resize them to any size, put other windows on top, and even control them using the three familiar stoplight buttons in the top left corner. It works more or less the same as the Mac, and it works on all iPads that can run iPadOS 26, even the iPad mini. It also works on external displays, and I admit to forgetting more than once that I was using iPadOS when it was attached to my Studio Display.

There are a lot of new things coming to iPadOS26, but the major theme seems to be - get it closer to the Mac.

I recently got an iPad. I use Stage Manager on the Mac. I used to think Stage Manager works the same way on both the Mac and the iPad, it does not. It will soon.

Stage Manager is no longer a windowing system, but just an optional window-collection utility like it is on the Mac.