YouTube is using artificial intelligence, AirPlay vulnerabilities threaten millions of Apple devices, the iPhone 17 will come with 12GB of RAM, ChatGPT adds new shopping features, Meta launches its new AI app, and other exciting news on the sidelines…
Google Gemini integration with iOS 19
Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced that he hopes to reach an agreement with Apple to add Google's Gemini technology to iPhones by the middle of this year. This statement came during a court hearing related to a lawsuit against Google in the United States. Pichai noted that he had discussions with Apple CEO Tim Cook last year about integrating this technology into the iPhone.
Apple is expected to announce iOS 19 during its annual developers conference in June 2025, which aligns with the timeline Pichai mentioned. If agreed upon, the new system will likely include integration with Google Gemini. This integration will allow Siri and iPhone writing tools to use Gemini, just as ChatGPT now does in iOS 18.2, where users can get direct answers and easily create text and images. Google Gemini is already available as an iPhone app.
Meta, Spotify, and Match form alliance against Apple and Google
Meta, Spotify, and Match have launched a new group called the "Coalition for a Competitive Mobile Experience" to challenge Apple and Google's dominance of the smartphone app market. The group accuses the two companies of unfair practices that harm developers and demands that they be held accountable for verifying users' ages when downloading apps. The goal is to pressure US lawmakers to change rules and support laws that protect children when using apps.
The main issue the group is focusing on is the need to verify users' ages before downloading apps that may be unsuitable for children. In Utah, a law passed in March requires app stores, such as the Apple Store and Google Play, to verify a user's age and obtain parental consent before allowing children to download certain apps. Similar laws are also being proposed at the national level. The coalition argues that Apple and Google, as operators of these stores, should take on this role, while the two companies reject this and say that developers are responsible. The coalition also criticizes Apple's high fees of 15-30% on digital transactions and its restrictions on the use of other payment methods or app stores.
Unusual design of the USB-C port on the iPhone 17 Air
Apple is preparing to launch the iPhone 17 Air in September 2025. It is said to be the thinnest iPhone yet, measuring just 5.5mm thick, compared to the 8.25mm of the iPhone 16 Pro. This slim design comes with notable changes, most notably the USB-C port, which is no longer centered but is positioned closer to the back. This change helps create room for the display components within the slim phone.
To enable Apple to design a phone this thin, it made other changes, such as reducing the speaker holes to just two on either side of the port instead of five, and using only a single rear camera. Apple will also abandon the traditional SIM card slot and adopt eSIM technology in all markets. The phone will also feature a new Apple C1 chip, which will help preserve battery life due to its thinness.
Open AI revamps ChatGPT after hype
The company has rolled back a new update to its GPT-4o model following user complaints about its strange behavior. The update, released last week, caused ChatGPT to overdo its praise and flattery, sparking widespread ridicule on social media. CEO Sam Altman announced that the old update has been restored for free users, and a fix is underway for the paid version.
In an official statement, the company acknowledged that it had focused too much on short-term feedback without considering how users would interact with ChatGPT over the long term, resulting in responses that felt inauthentic and annoying. The company now plans to improve the program through a four-point plan that includes improving training, establishing rules to ensure honesty, increasing testing before launch, and developing methods to evaluate performance. It will also allow users more control over ChatGPT's behavior, such as the ability to choose different personas for the program and provide immediate feedback in the future.
Meta launches its new artificial intelligence application
Meta announced the launch of Meta AI, the company's first standalone AI application. Meta AI was already integrated into apps like Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Facebook, but it is now also available as a standalone app. The application is based on Llama 4 technology, and Meta aims to provide a personalized AI experience focused on voice conversations.
When you download the app, it asks personalized questions to get to know you, helping it provide more helpful answers. The app is easy to use and can be spoken to naturally, with the ability to run in the background while working on other apps. The app also lets you create and edit images via voice or text conversations, and can search the internet to provide product suggestions or research information. The app leverages Meta's social media expertise, remembering information about you and using data from Meta platforms, such as your profile or the content you like, to provide more personalized responses. The app is available for free on the App Store.
Meta AI - Vibes & AI Glasses
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Apple Watch SE 3 may come with new screen sizes
Apple is developing a new, lower-cost Apple Watch SE, and according to display analyst Ross Young, production has begun on this model with 1.6- and 1.8-inch screens. These sizes are close to the current 40mm and 44mm models, but Apple could opt for a design inspired by the Apple Watch Series 7 in the 41mm and 45mm sizes, or an entirely new design. There are rumors of a plastic case in bright colors, which could result in a smaller 38mm and 42mm watch with a larger display and thinner bezels for a modern look. Apple is promoting this watch as a kid-friendly option, so a smaller design could make sense for younger wrists. The watch is expected to launch in September 2025, along with the Apple Watch Series 11 and Series 3 Ultra models.
The iPhone 18 will have a stronger and faster memory.
A new report on Weibo claims that the iPhone 18 series in 2026 will feature significantly improved memory performance with six-channel LPDDR5X memory. This improvement will allow for faster app switching, improved multitasking, and support advanced AI features. The iPhone 18 Pro models will benefit even more thanks to the new A20 Pro chip. The source, Digital Chat Station, who leaked this information, is known for its accurate predictions about Apple devices, but plans could change.
ChatGPT adds new shopping features
Open AI has announced updates to its ChatGPT app, including shopping tools that make searching and comparing products easier. Users can now describe what they're looking for, such as "best 4K monitor under $500," and receive organized results with images, ratings, prices, and summaries of user reviews. They can tap on the product for more details or visit the seller's website directly. Results are ad-free and based on user preferences such as budget and style, but some features may be limited in countries like the UK and the EU due to privacy laws.
The update also includes an "Ask about this" button to explore product details, a feature to view multiple sources of information, and quick search suggestions. These features are available to everyone for free on the web and in apps. WhatsApp users in the US can also contact ChatGPT via a dedicated number to get instant answers and sports scores.
All iPhone 17 models will have 12GB of storage.
Weibo leaker “Digital Chat Station,” along with analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, revealed that all iPhone 17 models, including the iPhone 17 Air, Pro, and Pro Max, will feature 12GB of RAM to support Apple’s “intelligence” features. There’s a possibility that the base iPhone 17 will only get 8GB if Apple faces a supply shortage, with a final decision expected by May. Currently, the iPhone 16 models have 8GB, so moving to 12GB would boost AI performance, make tasks faster and more complex offline, and improve multitasking.
22 years since the launch of the iTunes Store
Apple launched the iTunes Store on April 28, 2003, as the world's first digital music purchase and download platform. Initially intended for Mac computers before expanding to Windows, the store was a huge success, selling over a million songs in its first week and becoming the world's largest music retailer by 2010. Later, it evolved to include apps, books, podcasts, and movies. With the emergence of streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, the store's importance declined. Today, the store no longer has the same role as before, but it still exists as a section within the Apple Music app, while the rest of the services have moved to separate apps.
Miscellaneous news
◉ Google announced that it will end support for older Nest thermostats in October 2025. After that date, these devices will no longer work with the Google app or voice commands, but users will still be able to manually adjust the temperature. Users in the US and Canada can upgrade to newer devices with a discount, while in Europe, Google is offering a discount on a replacement device called Tado.
◉ Security experts have discovered vulnerabilities in AirPlay that threaten millions of Apple devices and some connected accessories, potentially allowing hackers to deploy malware within the same Wi-Fi network. Apple has released updates to address the issue, but some third-party devices are still vulnerable. It is recommended to update your system and disable AirPlay when not in use, especially on Mac devices.
◉ Apple has reportedly scrapped plans to use a new anti-reflective, scratch-resistant coating on the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max displays due to the difficulty of mass-producing it. This coating would have made the screen less reflective and stronger than Ceramic Shield, but slow production has made it impractical. Currently, Apple is content with a fingerprint-resistant coating, with the anti-reflective technology only available on Macs and iPad Pros. Apple may revisit this feature in the future if manufacturing processes improve.
◉ Apple has completed the Engineering Verification Testing (EVT) phase of an iPhone 17 model, a crucial step to ensure the devices function as planned before moving on to the next testing phases and then production. Although the launch is still scheduled for September, this phase allows Apple to make minor specifications changes.
◉ Despite Apple's move to India, the 2027th anniversary iPhone models are expected to be manufactured in China in XNUMX, due to the complex design that requires advanced manufacturing techniques. According to Mark Gurman, upcoming releases will include a foldable iPhone and an innovative design with a greater reliance on glass. Reports indicate that China remains the best positioned to manufacture these advanced devices, thanks to its expertise and infrastructure.
◉ YouTube announced that it has begun testing a new feature that uses artificial intelligence to display selected videos in search results. Short snippets of videos containing useful information are played directly based on search terms. This feature does not summarize videos, but rather excerpts from them that illustrate the desired information without requiring the user to open the entire video. The experiment is currently available to a limited group of YouTube Premium users in English and is primarily targeted at searches related to products or locations. YouTube has not yet clarified the criteria the AI uses to select these clips.
◉ In iOS 18.4, Apple introduced a new App Store feature that uses artificial intelligence to generate short summaries of user reviews, providing a quick and balanced view of how others feel about apps. Apple uses a multi-step system of large language models (LLMs) to filter out inappropriate reviews and extract recurring themes, with a focus on safety, fairness, and accuracy. These summaries are dynamically updated to keep pace with updates and new features in apps, and thousands of summaries have undergone human review to ensure their quality.
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