Nobody seriously doubted that a foldable iPhone was coming this year. But a new rumour has added an interesting wrinkle: we might be waiting until the 11th hour to actually get one. 

Barclays analyst Tim Long believes the iPhone Fold will be announced at Apple's usual September event alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, but won't ship until a few months later in December. It sounds frustrating, but there's precedent. The iPhone X launched in November 2017. The XR followed in October the year after. Apple has form for announcing something extraordinary and then making you wait just a little longer for it. With the most scrutinised Apple product in years, that caution feels understandable.

So what do we actually know about the device itself? Quite a lot, as it turns out. As reported by MacRumors, the design is expected to follow a book-style fold rather than a clamshell, opening up to reveal a 7.8-inch inner display that's roughly the size of a piece of A6 paper. Think iPad mini, but one that fits in your pocket. The outer screen, for when the phone is closed, sits at around 5.5 inches, so it functions like a regular iPhone until you need more space.

One of the most interesting details is that Apple has apparently been obsessing over the crease problem for years. Every foldable on the market has that visible fold line down the middle of the screen. According to multiple reports, Apple pursued eliminating it entirely, regardless of cost, developing a new liquid metal hinge and display treatment in the process. Whether they've truly cracked it, we'll have to see. The reality is, if they can remove the crease entirely, this will be an extremely desirable product. 

There's a notable trade-off to be aware of. Due to the complexity of fitting a folding mechanism inside the chassis, Face ID is reportedly out, replaced by Touch ID built into the side button, similar to how it works on the iPad Air. For those of us who use Face ID dozens of times a day, that's worth knowing upfront.

Then there's the price. Most analysts are pointing to somewhere between $1,999 and $2,500 for the base model, which would make it by far the most expensive iPhone Apple has ever sold. More than a Mac Studio, as one report rather bluntly put it. That's a significant ask, even for early adopters. And while Apple has shown that a small minotiry are willing to spend the big bucks for the latest tech (Vision Pro), that was a much more niche product. The market for a foldable iPhone should be much larger. 

Whether it arrives in September or December, the iPhone Fold is shaping up to be the most significant hardware launch Apple has put out in a very long time. 

Update Your iPhone. Now. Seriously.

Apple doesn't usually shout about security vulnerabilities. They tend to quietly fix things in the background and move on. So when Apple publishes a support document specifically telling customers to update iOS to protect your iPhone from web attacks, it's worth paying attention.

Here's what's going on. Security researchers identified real, active attacks targeting iPhones running older versions of iOS. The weak point is WebKit, the engine that powers Safari and, crucially, every single browser on iPhone. That means Chrome, Firefox, and any other browser you might prefer all share the same underlying technology. Two vulnerabilities were confirmed as actively exploited, and Apple described the activity as an "extremely sophisticated attack" aimed at specific targeted individuals. That kind of language typically points toward spyware-style operations rather than everyday cybercrime.

The really uncomfortable part is how little you need to do to be caught out. As reported by 9to5Mac, Apple's own support document warns that simply clicking a malicious link or visiting a compromised website could be enough to put your data at risk. You don't need to download anything or hand over any passwords. Just the wrong website at the wrong moment.

Apple has been working through this methodically. Updates have been pushed out across current iOS versions, and patches have also been sent back to older devices still running iOS 15 and iOS 16. Devices still on iOS 13 or iOS 14 will receive an alert to install a Critical Security Update in the coming days, though the honest advice there is to upgrade further if your device allows it. Apple has also just introduced something new called Background Security Improvements, which allows smaller, targeted security fixes to be delivered silently without needing a full iOS update. This particular batch of fixes came through that route for devices already on iOS 26.3.1.

So what should you actually do? Go to Settings, tap General, then Software Update. If there's an update waiting, install it. If you're already on iOS 26.3.1, you should be covered. If you're on an older device that can't run iOS 26, make sure you're on at least iOS 15.8.7 or iOS 16.7.15, which are the latest patched versions for those older releases.

It takes two minutes and it matters. Don't put it off.

Could Apple TV Finally Fix This Frustrating Issue? 

We've all been there. You sit down, you've got an hour to spare, and you spend forty-five minutes of it scrolling through streaming services trying to decide what to watch. By the time you've picked something, you're too tired to enjoy it. Apple is having a proper go at solving this problem, and the solution is called Genius Browse.

The name will be familiar to anyone who used iTunes back in the day. The original Genius feature would analyse your music library and suggest songs you might like, and Apple is now applying the same idea to films and TV shows. As reported by 9to5Mac, Genius Browse is arriving in tvOS 26.4, which is expected to roll out within the next week or so, and it sits right on the Home tab of the Apple TV app so it's impossible to miss.

Here's how it works. Rather than just serving up a generic list of recommendations, Genius Browse organises suggestions by mood and vibe. Categories spotted in the beta include things like Tense Psychological Thrillers, Upbeat Workplace Comedies, Breathtaking Nature Docs, Good for Date Night, and Thrilling Blockbusters. Each user profile gets its own personalised set of categories based on what they watch, and the categories refresh regularly so you're not seeing the same suggestions every time you check.

The clever bit is what happens when you drill in. As reported by MacRumors, hovering over any individual title in a category brings up a second row of related recommendations underneath it. So each film or show you look at unlocks another layer of suggestions, meaning you can keep going deeper rather than hitting a dead end.

Crucially, it's not just Apple TV content on offer. Genius Browse pulls in recommendations from Disney+, HBO Max, Prime Video, Peacock, and other compatible services. The one notable absence is Netflix, which has long refused any kind of integration with the Apple TV app and shows no signs of changing that position.

There are a couple of frustrations worth mentioning. First, Genius Browse is exclusive to the Apple TV box running tvOS 26.4. You won't find it in the Apple TV app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, which seems like a strange call given how many people use those apps. Second, the update also quietly phases out the dedicated iTunes Movies and iTunes TV Shows apps, so if you still rely on those for anything, it's worth knowing they're on their way out.

The wider reaction from Apple TV users has been broadly positive, though as ever, some feel Apple is solving the wrong problems first. Autoplay trailers before episodes remain a genuine annoyance for a lot of people, and the lack of a simple Continue Watching tab is a complaint that has been around for years. Genius Browse is a welcome addition, but it doesn't fix either of those.

Still, for the sheer daily frustration of not knowing what to watch next, this looks like a genuinely useful upgrade. And it's free, which is always the right price.

Tip of the week

In light of the suggestion by Apple this week that all users get their iPhone's up-to-date, I thought I'd remind you how to do that. 

Head into Settings, then General, then Software Update. If there's an update required, install it from here.