TikTok appears to be quietly showing some users an option to purchase "coins" on the web instead of through in-app purchases, circumventing the commission that Apple receives on digital purchases.

tiktok logo
As noted by David Tesler (via TechCrunch) TikTok has been offering a limited number of TikTok app users an option to purchase coins on TikTok.com instead of in the app. "Try recharging on tiktok.com to avoid in-app service fees," reads the text. "You can save the service fee and get access to popular payment methods."


Following through and opting to purchase from TikTok.com brings up an interface for using payment options such as PayPal or a credit/debit card. "Save around 25% with a lower third-party service fee," the app suggests. The purchase workflow can be completed entirely in the TikTok app with no requirement to use in-app purchase.

TikTok's coins are used as a way for users to provide "Gifts" to creators. Users pay real money for a certain number of coins, and those coins are used for little gift emoji that can be provided to creators. TikTok says that gifts are used to determine the number of "diamonds" awarded to content creators, and diamonds can be redeemed for money. A TikTok coin is worth about half a diamond, and 100 diamonds is worth 50 cents, so TikTok is collecting quite a bit of money during the conversion.

Apple requires in-app purchase to be used for digital goods and services, and TikTok's "coins" presumably count as a digital good. If TikTok is indeed offering customers a way to purchase coins without in-app purchase as suggested by the screenshots from Tesler, then TikTok is breaking Apple's App Store rules.

TikTok coins would likely be considered tips, and Apple has forced other major social networks like Facebook to use in-app purchase for a creator tipping feature. What TikTok is doing is actually similar to the direct purchase options that Epic Games added to the Fortnite app back in 2020, a move that ultimately led to the banning of the Fortnite app and a multi-year legal battle.

Most TikTok users are only able to purchase coins through the in-app purchase interface, and the option to purchase direct from TikTok with a credit or debit card is allegedly a feature showing up only for a small number of users. The option is perhaps being limited to those who have spent a lot of money on coins in the past.

With iOS 17.5, Apple is adding a "Repair State" feature that is designed to allow an iPhone to be sent in for service without deactivating Find My and Activation Lock. The fourth iOS 17.5 beta that came out today adds a "Remove This Device" option for all devices in ‌Find My‌, and using it with an ‌iPhone‌ puts that ‌iPhone‌ into the new Repair State.

ios 17 5 repair state
Right now, sending an ‌iPhone‌ to Apple to be repaired requires turning off Find My, and Apple says that it "might not" be able to repair devices that have ‌Find My‌ activated. Turning off ‌Find My‌ disables Activation Lock, an important anti-theft security feature that prevents an ‌iPhone‌ from being used with another Apple ID.

Apple currently uses ‌Find My‌ and Activation Lock as a way to ensure that a person sending a device in for repair actually owns that device, and that it's not stolen. An ‌iPhone‌ sent in for repair with ‌Find My‌ disabled cannot be tracked, and it is not protected from theft, so if it is lost or stolen at some point in transit during the repair process, there is no recovery method available. Removing ‌Find My‌ also has a hitch with Stolen Device Protection, as there is an hour wait when turning off ‌Find My‌, which can be inconvenient for repair purposes.

The new repair state leaves ‌Find My‌ turned on, so Activation Lock remains enabled, and the ‌iPhone‌ continues to be trackable with the ‌Find My‌ app while it is being repaired. When enabled, the device in the repair state has a "Ready for Repair" label. "This device remains fully functional in the repair state," reads the text.

ios 17 5 repair state icon
In the list of devices, an ‌iPhone‌ put into a repair state has a small stethoscope icon, and it can be marked as lost. While in repair state, the ‌iPhone‌ is fully functional.

As of right now, using the "Remove This Device" option in ‌Find My‌ to enable a repair state appears to be limited to the ‌iPhone‌. Using it on other devices like an ‌iPhone‌, Mac, or Apple Watch shows a warning that the feature will remove the device from the ‌Apple ID‌ account, allowing it to be used by someone else. Note that an ‌iPhone‌ must be online and trackable through ‌Find My‌ for the repair state option to pop up. An ‌iPhone‌ that is offline will display the standard removal text. It is also worth noting that repair state cannot be disabled at the current time.

Repair state is a feature that is still in development, so it might work with other devices when iOS 17.5 and its sister updates launch in May.

Related Roundups: iOS 17, iPadOS 17
Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17

Apple today released a firmware update for the USB-C Apple Pencil that came out last year. The new firmware has a version number of 10M6060, up from 10M5164. On device, the updated firmware version number will be 37377.37377.16.0.

Apple Pencil USB C sliding cap feature
There is no word on what features, fixes, or updates might be included in the new firmware, and Apple does not offer release notes for ‌Apple Pencil‌ software releases.

The USB-C ‌Apple Pencil‌ is nearly identical in design to the ‌Apple Pencil‌ 2, but it is shorter and has a hidden USB-C port for charging and pairing. It cannot wirelessly charge, and it lacks some of the features available with the more expensive ‌Apple Pencil‌ models such as pressure sensitivity.

Apple does not have an established procedure for updating ‌Apple Pencil‌ hardware, but in the case of the USB-C ‌Apple Pencil‌, connecting it to an iPad with a USB-C cable and powering on the ‌iPad‌ should be enough to spur the update to download.

Related Forum: iPad Accessories

Apple will report its earnings results for the second quarter of its 2024 fiscal year on Thursday, May 2 at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time. Apple's CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri will discuss the results on a conference call with analysts a half hour later.

Apple Vision Pro with battery Feature Blue Magenta
Keep reading for some key things to know about the quarter, including a recap of new products announced, revenue expectations, and more.

New Products During Quarter

The quarter ran from December 31, 2023 through March 30, 2024, according to Apple's fiscal calendar. The following products launched during this period:

  • Apple Vision Pro
  • 13-inch MacBook Air with M3 chip
  • 15-inch MacBook Air with M3 chip

Revenue Expectations

Apple has not provided formal revenue guidance since before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the average Wall Street estimate for Apple's second quarter revenue is $90 billion, according to Zacks Investment Research. This would be around a 5% decline compared to the $94.8 billion revenue the company reported in the year-ago quarter.

Maestri provided the following commentary on Apple's earnings call last quarter:

As a reminder, in the December quarter a year ago, we faced significant supply constraints on the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max due to COVID-19 factory shutdowns. And in the March quarter a year ago, we were able to replenish channel inventory and fulfill significant pent-up demand from the constraints. We estimate that this impact added close to $5 billion to the March quarter's total revenue last year. When we remove this impact from last year's revenue, we expect both our March quarter total company revenue and iPhone revenue to be similar to a year ago.

Conference Call

Cook and Maestri will hold a conference call at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday to discuss the company's quarterly earnings results. The call should last around one hour, and it will include a Q&A segment with analysts.

A live audio stream of the conference call will be available on Apple's Investor Relations page, and a recording will be available later in the day for replay.

What's Next

Apple's current quarter runs through June 29. Apple has yet to announce any new products during the quarter, but it is expected to unveil new versions of the iPad Pro, iPad Air, Apple Pencil, and Magic Keyboard at its "Let Loose" event on May 7.

AAPL is trading above $172 as of writing, down from a 52-week high of $199.62.

Tags: AAPL, Earnings

Apple is expected to announce iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, and new features have already been rumored for many apps, including Apple Music, Apple Maps, Calculator, Messages, Notes, Safari, and others.

iOS 18 Apple Music Messages and Notes Feature 1
Below, we recap iOS 18 rumors on a per-app basis, based on reports from MacRumors, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, and others:

While they are not dedicated apps, it has also been rumored that generative AI technology will allow the iPhone's virtual assistant Siri and built-in search tool Spotlight to respond to more complex questions and search queries.

For even more rumors, read our iOS 18 roundup.

Related Roundup: iOS 18

Apple today seeded the fourth betas of upcoming iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after Apple released the third betas.

iOS 17
Registered developers are able to opt into the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to the Software Update section, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option, and toggling on the iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 Developer Beta. An Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta.

Most of the features that Apple promised would be coming in ‌iOS 17‌ have now been released, but iOS 17.5 adds additional app ecosystem changes in the European Union. App developers can offer apps for download on the iPhone directly from their websites, in addition to through app marketplaces.

There are also code changes that hint at new Apple Pencils and a Battery Health feature for the iPad, with more information on what's new available in our iOS 17.5 beta features post.

Related Roundups: iOS 17, iPadOS 17
Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming macOS Sonoma 14.5 update to developers, with the software coming a week after Apple released the third beta.

sonoma desktop wwdc
Registered developers can opt in to the beta through the Software Update section of the System Settings app. Note that an Apple ID associated with an Apple Developer account is required to get the beta.

We don't yet know what is included in ‌macOS Sonoma‌ 14.5, and no new features were found in the first three developer betas. Fresh release candidate versions of macOS Ventura 13.6.7 and macOS Monterey 12.7.5 have also been seeded to developers.

Related Roundup: macOS Sonoma
Related Forum: macOS Sonoma

Apple today released the fourth beta of an upcoming visionOS 1.2 update to developers, allowing them to test new features ahead of the software seeing a public launch. The fourth ‌visionOS‌ 1.2 beta comes one week after the release the third beta.

visionOS Home Screen
The ‌visionOS‌ beta can be downloaded by going to the Settings app on the device and toggling on developer betas. A registered developer account is required, and Apple recommends making a backup before installing new software.

Apple may make further improvements to Personas, EyeSight, and other features with ‌visionOS‌ 1.2, but no major new additions were found in the first three betas.

Related Roundup: visionOS
Related Forum: Apple Vision Pro

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming watchOS 10.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming a week after the release of the third beta.

Apple Watch Faces watchOS 10 Feature Blue
To install the ‌watchOS 10.5 update, developers need to open the Apple Watch app, go to the Software Update section under "General" in Settings, and toggle on the watchOS 10 Developer Beta. An Apple ID linked to a developer account is required.

Once beta updates have been activated, watchOS 10.5 can be downloaded under the same Software Update section. To install software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life and it must be placed on an Apple Watch charger.

We don't yet know what's included in watchOS 10.5, and there were no new features found in the first three beta updates.

Related Roundup: watchOS 10
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming tvOS 17.5 to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming a week after the release of the third beta.

apple tv 4k green
Registered developers are able to download the tvOS 17.5 update by opting in to the beta through the Settings app on the Apple TV. A registered developer account is required.

tvOS software updates are often minor in scale compared to other operating system updates, focusing primarily on smaller improvements rather than outward-facing changes. We don't yet know what's included in tvOS 17.5.

Apple shares some information on tvOS releases in its tvOS support document, which is updated after each tvOS launch, but Apple does not provide notes during beta testing.

Though we don't always know what's new in tvOS betas, we let MacRumors readers know when new updates are available so those who are developers can download new software upon release.

A related HomePod software update 17.5 beta has also been seeded.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Caution)

Ubisoft today announced that Assassin's Creed Mirage will be available in the App Store starting June 6 for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, as well as iPad Air and iPad Pro models equipped with the M1 chip or newer.

Assassins Creed Mirage
Assassin's Creed Mirage can now be pre-ordered on the App Store, but it shows a June 10 release date as of writing, rather than June 6 as Ubisoft's announcement states. Ubisoft says the game will be free to play for 90 minutes, and users will be able to unlock the full version across the iPhone and iPad with a single $49.99 in-app purchase.

Ubisoft says the iPhone and iPad versions of Assassin's Creed Mirage offer the same experience as the console version, but with touch-based controls.

The game's description in the App Store:

In Assassin's Creed® Mirage, you are Basim, a cunning street thief with nightmarish visions, seeking answers and justice. After an act of deadly retribution, Basim flees Baghdad and joins an ancient organization – The Hidden Ones. As he learns their mysterious rituals and powerful tenets, he will hone his unique abilities, discover his true nature, and come to understand a new Creed – one that will change his fate in ways he never could have imagined.

Assassin's Creed Mirage was first released for Xbox, PlayStation, and Windows in October.

With the A17 Pro chip, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max support hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading, allowing for improved graphics rendering in games. This hardware upgrade has allowed for more AAA games on the iPhone, such as multiple Resident Evil titles and Death Stranding Director's Cut.

Related Roundup: iPhone 15 Pro

Safari will gain a series of AI-powered features and UI enhancements in iOS 18, AppleInsider reports.

safari icon blue banner
Safari will apparently receive a range of visual tweaks alongside several new tools to improve the browsing experience, including:

  • An "Intelligent Search" browser assistant tool that leverages Apple's on-device AI technology to identify key topics and phrases on webpages for summarization purposes.
  • A "Web Eraser" tool that allows users to remove unwanted portions of webpages easily. Erasure is persistent, remaining even when revisiting a site unless changes are reverted.
  • A new, quick-access menu emerging from the address bar that consolidates page tools, bringing over some functions that currently sit in the Share Sheet and placing them alongside the new tools.

The iPadOS and macOS versions of Safari are also expected to align further. These new features are purportedly undergoing evaluation alongside internal builds of ‌iOS 18‌ and macOS 15 ahead of their unveiling at Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) in June. Earlier this month, backend code on Apple's servers suggested that a new Safari browsing assistant is in the works, corroborating this report.

Farther in the future, Apple is said to be working on a more powerful version of Visual Look Up that allows users to obtain information on products when browsing through images. The feature is expected to be released sometime in 2025.

Last week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that ‌iOS 18‌ will "overhaul" many of Apple's built-in apps, including Notes, Mail, Photos, and Fitness. Apple's next-generation operating systems are almost certain to be previewed during Apple's WWDC keynote on June 10, and the updates should be widely released in the fall.

Related Roundup: iOS 18

Amazon today kicked off numerous discounts across multiple Apple products and accessories, the highlight being the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C for $179.99, down from $249.00. You'll also find deals on the Apple Pencil 2, AirTags, and Studio Display.

Airpods Pro 2 Discount Feature TriadNote: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

For the AirPods Pro 2, this is a match of the all-time low price on the earbuds, and one of the only times so far in 2024 that we've tracked this discount. Fast delivery options have a May 2 delivery estimate, while free delivery will arrive around May 5 for most residences in the United States.

Secondly, Amazon has the Apple Pencil 2 for the record low price of $79.00, down from $129.00. The Apple Pencil 2 is compatible with the iPad mini (6th generation), iPad Air (4th generation and later), 12.9-inch iPad Pro (3rd generation and later), and 11-inch iPad Pro (1st generation and later).

apple pencil 2 april

Moving to AirTags, Amazon has the 1-Pack for $24.00 and the 4-Pack for $79.99. These are both solid second-best prices on each AirTag model, and similar to the AirPods Pro deal, you won't need to clip any coupons to see these discounts.

airtag april


Finally, we're tracking a pair of deals on the Apple Studio Display on Amazon. The Standard Glass model has hit $1,299.97, down from $1,599.00, which is an all-time low price. The Nano-texture Glass model is available for $1,599.97, down from $1,899.00, which is a second-best price.

studio display april


Both models come with the tilt-adjustable stand, but you can also find markdowns on the tilt- and height-adjustable stand. There are currently no deals on the VESA mount adapter models on Amazon.

Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

Apple today said it is working on a fix for an iPhone software bug that has resulted in some alarms in the Clock app failing to play a sound at the set time for some users recently, according to NBC's Emilie Ikeda and The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern.

StandBy iOS 17
The issue was highlighted by the TODAY Show on NBC this morning after gaining traction on social media platforms like TikTok. It is unclear how many iPhone users have experienced this issue, but not everyone is affected. While some TikTok users allege that the iPhone's Attention Aware feature has contributed to the problem, Apple did not reveal a specific cause.


The promised fix could be included in a future software update, such as iOS 17.4.2 or iOS 17.5, but Apple did not provide a timeframe for a resolution.

Related Roundups: iOS 17, iPadOS 17
Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17

Alongside the new Beats Solo 4 headphones, Apple's Beats brand is announcing an all-new entry-level model of earbuds, Beats Solo Buds. Priced at $79.99 and shipping in June, Beats Solo Buds deliver 18 hours of battery life and come in the smallest case ever designed for Beats earbuds.

beats solo buds purple
Beats Solo Buds feature a custom-built acoustic architecture and an ergonomic design with four ear tip size options for a precise fit. There is no active noise cancelation on the Beats Solo Buds, but they do offer passive noise isolation to improve audio quality. A custom microphone design paired with an advanced noise-learning algorithm help deliver improved call quality.


When it comes to battery life, Beats Solo Buds offer up to 18 hours of playback right in the buds themselves without needing to recharge, which is easily the longest battery life for any Beats earbud product.

But when their batteries do run out, you'll need to find a power source, as the charging case does not include any additional battery storage onboard for recharging directly from the case. That not only helps keep costs down, but also allows for the tiny case that slips easily into a pocket and is 40% smaller than the case for Beats Studio Buds +.

beats solo buds black pocket
With up to 18 hours of battery life in the buds, most users will be able to go multiple days without needing to recharge Beats Solo Buds at all. When that time comes, however, all they have to do is to connect a power source to the USB-C port on the case, and that power source can even be an iPhone 15. A Fast Fuel feature provides an hour of playback time with just five minutes of charging.

beats solo buds gray charging
As with most other recent Beats headphones and earphones, Solo Buds include a custom Beats chip platform that allows for tight integration across both iOS and Android with one-touch pairing, automatic setup across devices, and support for Apple's Find My and Android's ‌Find My‌ Device services. The Beats 'b" buttons on the buds can be configured for a variety of functions, including music and phone call controls, voice assistant activation, and volume control.

beats solo buds red pairing
Beats Solo Buds will begin shipping in June and will be available in four colors: Matte Black, Storm Gray, Arctic Purple, and Transparent Red. With the introduction of Solo Buds, Beats will be discontinuing the standard Beats Studio Buds but will be retaining the more advanced Beats Studio Buds +. The Beats earbud lineup will also continue to include the Beats Fit Pro and Powerbeats Pro, so there will be a full range of truly wireless earphone options to suit all types of users.

Tag: Beats

Apple's Beats brand today is announcing an update to its most popular line of headphones with the new Beats Solo 4. The on-ear headphones have been re-engineered inside and out to deliver upgraded performance and fit while featuring even longer battery life compared to the previous generation.


On the acoustic front, Beats Solo 4 feature custom-built 40 mm transducers specifically tuned for music and designed to minimize artifacts and distortion, and the on Apple devices the headphones support Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking to immerse you in your audio environment while keeping the sound source anchored to your device as you move around.

Upgraded digital beam-forming microphones and an intelligent noise-learning algorithm trained in over 7,000 hours of exposure to real-world environments help deliver excellent call quality and voice assistant performance.

beats solo 4 colors
Beats Solo 4 support three different modes of connection: wirelessly over Bluetooth, wired over USB-C, and wired over a 3.5mm audio connector. Most users will likely opt for wireless connectivity for convenience, but connecting over USB-C offers support for lossless audio and the ability to charge the headphones while listening, while the 3.5mm jack offers a simple connection method for battery-free listening.

If you're connecting wirelessly, Beats Solo 4 will deliver up to 50 hours of playback, up from 40 hours in the previous generation, while you can take up to 36 hours of phone calls on a single charge. A 10-minute Fast Fuel charge will give you up to five hours of playback time if you're low on battery.

beats solo 4 blue basketball
Active noise cancelation (ANC) is not included on Beats Solo 4, but the on-ear design offers fairly solid passive noise isolation in our testing, keeping even rather loud environmental sounds from intruding much on our listening experience.

Beats Solo 4 include a proprietary Beats chip platform to support both iOS and Android with one-touch pairing, automatic setup across devices, and support for Apple's Find My and Android's ‌Find My‌ Device services. iOS users also get access to always-on "Hey Siri" functionality and support for Audio Sharing. The iconic Beats 'b" button on the ear cups can be configured for music and phone call controls and voice assistant activation, while volume can be controlled by pressing above or below the "b" button.

beats solo 4 pink ipad
Overall, Beats Solo 4 retain the same iconic design that has led to over 40 million units sold since the introduction of the original Beats Solo headphones in 2009. Offering a more compact form factor and a cheaper price point than the over-ear Beats Studio Pro, Beats Solo 4 weigh just 217 grams while delivering a comfortable fit thanks to durable UltraPlush ear cushions, infinite-rotation gimbals on the ergonomically angled ear cups, and a flex-grip headband with customizable sliders. We did notice a bit of ear fatigue due to the on-ear design, but adjusting the headphones slightly definitely helped extend our listening session with out too much discomfort.

beats solo 4 pink case
The case design is essentially the same as that for the Beats Studio Pro, which may not appeal to all users. It's a compact nylon case with a low-profile carrying/attachment loop and a side zipper, and the interior features a main compartment for the headphones and two small pockets for the included USB-C to USB-C and 3.5mm to 3.5mm cables. As with the slightly larger Studio Pro case, it can be a bit difficult to get the headphones in and out of the case.

Beats Solo 4 come in Matte Black, Slate Blue, and Cloud Pink color options and are available to order starting today from apple.com for $199.99 ahead of a May 2 shipping date.

Tag: Beats

For the upcoming iPhone 16, Apple will adopt the same color-infused back glass that features on the standard iPhone 15 models, claims a new rumor out of China.

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective
Last year, Apple debuted a custom dual-ion exchange glass process on the non-premium iPhone 15 models that gives the rear glass layer a frosted effect that contrasts with the main frame color.

Apple's description of the effect on the iPhone 15:

"For the first time in a smartphone, colour is infused throughout the back glass, creating five beautiful colours. The back glass is strengthened with an optimised dual-ion exchange process before being polished with nanocrystalline particles and etched to create a luxurious, textured matte finish."

According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed focus digital," who claims to have seen the iPhone 16 color scheme, Apple will use the same process for the back glass on the new models, which could come in as many as seven colors this year as opposed to five.

Late last month, another Weibo source suggested Apple could extend its dual-ion exchange glass process to the back of the iPhone 16 Pro, which is expected to have the same titanium frame as the iPhone 15 Pro. However, the source of today's leak does not mention the premium iPhone 16 models, and both Weibo accounts have yet to establish a track record for accurate Apple rumors.

Apple is expected to release the iPhone 16 series around its usual mid-September timeframe.

Related Roundups: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro

Apple has poached dozens of artificial intelligence experts from Google and created a "secretive European laboratory" in Zurich to house a new team of staff tasked with building new AI models and products, according to a paywalled Financial Times report.

Apple Silicon AI Optimized Feature Siri 1
Based on an analysis of LinkedIn profiles conducted by FT, Apple has recruited at least 36 specialists from Google since 2018, when it poached John Giannandrea to be its top AI executive.

Apple's main AI team works out of California and Seattle, but the company has recently expanded offices dedicated to AI work in Zurich, Switzerland. Apple's acquisition of local AI startups FaceShift (VR) and Fashwell (image recognition) is believed to have influenced its decision to build a secretive research lab known as "Vision Lab" in the city.

According to the report, employees based in the lab have been involved in Apple's research into the underlying technology that powers OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot and similar products based on large language models (LLMs). The focus has been on designing more advanced AI models that incorporate text and visual inputs to produce responses to queries.

The report suggests that Apple's recent work on LLMs is a natural outgrowth of the company's work on Siri over the last decade:

The company has long been aware of the potential of "neural networks" — a form of AI inspired by the way neurons interact in the human brain and a technology that underpins breakthrough products such as ChatGPT.

Chuck Wooters, an expert in conversational AI and LLMs who joined Apple in December 2013 and worked on Siri for almost two years, said: "During the time that I was there, one of the pushes that was happening in the Siri group was to move to a neural architecture for speech recognition. Even back then, before large language models took off, they were huge advocates of neural networks."

Currently, Apple's leading AI group includes notable ex-Google personnel such as Giannandrea, former head of Google Brain, which is now part of DeepMind. Samy Bengio, now senior director of AI and ML research at Apple, was also previously a leading AI scientist at Google. The same goes for Ruoming Pang, who directs Apple's "Foundation Models" team focusing on large language models. Pang previously headed AI speech recognition research at Google.

In 2016, Apple acquired Perceptual Machines, a company that worked on generative AI-powered image, detection, founded by Ruslan Salakhutdinov from Carnegie Mellon University. Salakhutdinov is said to be a key figure in the history of neural networks, and studied at the University of Toronto under the "godfather" of the technology, Geoffrey Hinton, who left Google last year citing concerns about the dangers of generative AI.

Salakhutdinov told FT that one reason for Apple's slow AI rollout was the tendency of language models to provide incorrect or problematic answers: "I think they are just being a little bit more cautious because they can't release something they can't fully control," he said.

iOS 18 is rumored to include new generative AI features for Siri, Spotlight, Shortcuts, Apple Music, Messages, Health, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, and other apps. These features are expected to be powered by Apple's on-device LLM, although Apple is also said to have discussed partnerships with Google, OpenAI, and Baidu.

A first look at the AI features that Apple has planned should come in just over a month, with ‌iOS 18‌ set to debut at the Worldwide Developers Conference that kicks off on June 10.