Apple has released iOS 28 beta 8 for iPhone, along with iPadOS 27 beta 8 for iPad. The latest beta build first arrives for developer beta testers, but the matching public beta build typically soon follows so keep an eye out for that as well.

Though the betas are intended for advanced users for testing purposes, anyone can technically install iOS 27 beta on iPhone or iPadOS 27 on iPad. Given these are later betas, the experience is fairly well refined, but should still be placed into the beta category where bugs and unexpected behavior may be encountered. I have been running the betas on my primary hardware for a while now and it has been a mostly positive experience, but most people should wait for the final version when it arrives in near future.

iOS 27 has a primary focus on performance enhancements and feature improvements, and there are efforts made for visual cleanup as well. You will find improved system performance, better search functionality including Spotlight and Mail search improvements, new Siri AI features, a dedicated Siri app that is sort of like a chatbot, refinements to various system icons, improvements to the Liquid Glass interface including a slider to adjust transparency, and various other changes and tweaks.

Separately, Apple has also issued MacOS 27 Golden Gate beta 8, watchOS 27 beta 8, and tvOS beta 8.

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Apple has issued the 8th beta version of MacOS 27 Golden Gate to users participating in the developer beta testing program. Typically the matching build arrives as a public beta soon after, so if you’re on that beta track keep an eye out for an update soon too.

MacOS 27 Golden Gate is nearing completion, with an assumed release date sometime in September. MacOS 27 Golden Gate has a heavy emphasis on performance and system improvements, where you’ll find improved Spotlight search, Mail search, system search, and more. You’ll also find new adjustments and tweaks to the Liquid Glass interface including a slider to control the intensity of the transparent effects. There are new features as well, including new Siri AI capabilities, and a dedicated Siri app which is sort of like a chatbot.

Any user can jump ahead into the OS if they feel like it by installing MacOS 27 Golden Gate beta onto their Mac if they’re comfortable with the beta experience. I personally went all in on the MacOS 27 beta and it has been a mostly positive experience for me, but every user is different.

Aside from MacOS 27, Apple has also released iOS 27 beta 8, iPadOS 27 beta 8, watchOS 27 beta 8, and tvOS 27 beta 8.
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Continuing on our journey through retro classic computing experiences, here’s another fun one reborn for retro gamers in the modern MacOS era: Chonkcraft.

Remember Warcraft 2, the award-winning classic real-time strategy game from Blizzard circa 1995? You’d play as Orcs or Humans, build a village and an army, and then command that army through battles as you takeover a map. You could play the Human or Orc campaign, or, in what were often absolute riots of entertainment and chaos, against your friends online in 4v4 matchups, making it one of the earliest popular online PvP RTS games. Warcraft 2 was a big hit for both classic Mac and PC, and it’s easy to see why. Perhaps you have wished you could play Warcraft 2 on your modern Mac with Apple Silicon and modern MacOS, only to find out that Blizzard does not offer this, and there’s a whole host of hoops to jump through to get it running through emulators… but not anymore, thanks to Chonkcraft!

Chonkcraft is a modern Warcraft II game engine that plays the original game media files, preparing the artwork and audio for you, and ready to play the classic game with one simple launcher on your modern Mac or PC.

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If you’re a longtime Mac user you might recall the popular After Dark screensaver series of Classic Mac OS, which featured a fun range of screen saver options including the infamous Flying Toasters, Mowing Man, Boris the Cat, Bad Dog, Bouncing Ball, Art Critic, Nightlines, and many more. Many of these screensavers were just plain cool, while others were quirky, goofy, and outright silly, and they graced the screens of Classic Macintosh computer labs and home computers from 1989 throughout the 1990s. While those years are long gone (sigh), a fun project called Afterglow lets you run those classic After Dark screensavers on your modern Mac, even in MacOS 27 Golden Gate.

Relive those 1990s Macintosh memories with Afterglow, it’s free and a fun trip down memory lane, whether you used classic Macintosh computers back in that era, or you’re just a curious retro computing enthusiast.

• Check out Afterglow here at the developers page

Afterglow will ask you for the original After Dark files, but you can also use the app to browse InternetArchive where you can download them directly, so just choose the version(s) of After Dark you want to download to your Mac and enjoy.

To use Afterglow After Dark screensavers on modern MacOS, go into the apps Settings (Afterglow menu > Settings) and choose to install the screen saver.

If you chose to download multiple After Dark packs, you’ll have a whole bunch of classic screensavers to choose from.

You can enjoy the original Flying Toasters screensavers, complete with the audio and karaoke lyrics (~ “Flying out of the sun… the smell of toast is in the air” ~)

You can watch Boris the cat chase butterflies and cause general mischief on your Mac:

Watch Mowin’ Man mow your desktop and a virtual lawn on your screen:

And don’t forget Bad Dog, the virtual puppy who digs holes and chews on your desktop files. I used to always wish that Bad Dog could be combined with Boris the Cat for total desktop mayhem, alas my childhood screen saver dreams remain in my dream.

These type of retro Mac and computing revival projects are a lot of fun, and we enjoy sharing them here. You might recall that a few years back someone rebuilt After Dark on the web and we shared a tip on how to make that into your screensaver, but AfterGlow makes it much easier, and has access to a more complete screensaver collection.

If you were a classic Macintosh user, don’t miss Afterglow, it’s wonderfully nostalgic and makes for a fun modern MacOS screen saver collection too.

If you’re a MacBook Air or MacBook Neo owner, there’s one accessory that I consider an absolute must-have; a USB-C hub. Why? Because it considerably expands the port options available to you, it’s not cumbersome, and the good news is that they’re also pretty cheap at around $25. What’s not to like?

A good USB-C hub will expand your port options beyond what the MacBook offers by default, and my particular MacBook Air USB-C hub of choice is the Anker 7-in-1, which includes an HDMI port, two USB-A 3.0 ports, a USB-C data port, a USB-C charging port, an SD card slot, and a MicroSD / TF card slot. It’s simple, affordable, and lightweight, making it a fantastic accessory.

• Grab the Anker 7-in-1 USB-C hub for $26 over at Amazon

Arguably the biggest downside to the MacBook Air or the MacBook Neo is its lack of ports for accessories and expansions, with both computers having just two USB-C hardware ports and a headphone jack. And for the MacBook Neo and older MacBook Air models, one of the USB-C ports is typically used for charging, which further reduces your available port options. But what if you want to use an external display? What if you want to connect your MacBook to a TV via HDMI to watch videos? What if you have some older USB-A hardware or flash drives laying about that you want to put to use? What if you have some SD cards or a TF card that you want to use with the Mac? By default, you won’t have those options, but with the addition of the simple and cheap USB-C hub, you will have those capabilities available to you right away.

There are many other USB-C hub options out there, but I personally like the Anker because it’s small and lightweight so I can easily throw it in my laptop bag when I’m on the go, plus it’s very affordable. It’s also from a popular brand, which helps to have thousands of positive reviews behind it, and while our intended purpose is for a Mac, it also works on a PC if you need to use it elsewhere.

Personally I wish Apple made a USB-C of their own like this, I think it would be a big hit. But while they don’t offer a 7-in-1 hub like Anker does, they do have the $70 Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter, but that only has one USB-A port, one HDMI port, and a USB-C power passthrough port, so it’s not much of an expansion in comparison, and it’s also nearly 3x the price of the Anker.

Do you use a USB-C hub to expand the port options for your MacBook Air or MacBook Neo? Do you have a preferred model? Are there any accessories that you consider must-haves for your Mac laptop? Share your thoughts and hardware in the comments.

Apple has scheduled an event for September 9 at 10 AM PT, titled “Surprise and shine” on their homepage and invitations. The event will be streamed for anyone to watch on Apple.com as well as YouTube.

Typically, Apple uses the September event to unveil their new iPhone models, along with other updates to hardware, and to announce the public release dates of upcoming system software.

This will also be the first Apple event led by new incoming Apple CEO John Ternus, as Tim Cook is set to hand over the reigns on September 1 of this year.

Rumors suggest Apple will unveil the new iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Pro, along with a much anticipated high end foldable dual-screen “iPhone Ultra”, “iPhone Fold”, or “iPhone Duo”, though like the device itself, the colloquial names are simply rumors as well. There are also rumors that Apple will use the event to update Apple Watch to Series 12, introduce updates to Mac hardware including the possibility of a touch screen MacBook Pro, and there are swirling rumors of a new Home device that is based around Siri AI. As with all rumors, it’s best to take these with a grain of salt until Apple announces anything officially, and it’s possible that some of these rumored devices could arrive at a later date, or never.

The event will also land users with official public release dates for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, MacOS 27 Golden Gate, watchOS 27, and tvOS 27. Apple has previously only said that the OS 27 suite will be released in the fall.

Interested users can add an invitation to their calendar if desired via Apple.com, or visit Apple.com on September 9 to watch.

The YouTube URL for the “Surprise and shine” event is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39BalPDuTo0.

The iPhone is loaded with so many features that it’s easy to overlook some of the most useful tricks we all use everyday. With that in mind, I’m going to cover seven of the iPhone tips that I use every day, which I find genuinely useful.

This is a collection of iPhone tips that are simple, practical, and broadly applicable, the type of features that are routine in my daily iPhone usage, and hopefully might be useful in yours too. And going beyond my own usage, we’d love to hear your own routine iPhone tips and tricks too, so feel free to share those in the comments, and to provide feedback on these tips as well.

Let’s jump to it!

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Apple has released the seventh beta version of macOS 27 Golden Gate to users who are running the developer beta. A matching build typically arrives for public beta testers soon after.

Any user can install MacOS 27 Golden Gate beta onto a compatible Mac, though beta system software is generally only recommended for advanced users who are comfortable with the beta experience.

macOS Golden Gate has a primary focus on performance, with notable improvements to features like Spotlight search (which is far more reliable in Golden Gate), Mail search, system search, and photos search. Additionally there are general performance improvements that are observable throughout the operating system. You will also find tweaks and adjustments to the Liquid Glass interface, including a slider that can adjust the transparent effect, and the traffic light window icons are shiny and more dimensional in a sort of Aqua-esque throwback. MacOS 27 Golden Gate also includes new Siri AI features, Apple Intelligence features, and a dedicated Siri app which is sort of like a chatbot.

Separately, Apple has also released iOS 27 beta 7, iPadOS 27 beta 7, and the 7th betas of watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27.

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iOS 27 beta 7 has been released by Apple for iPhone, along with iPadOS 27 beta 7 for iPad. The 7th beta build is available for all developer beta testers, and typically a matching public beta version will arrive soon after.

iOS 27 for iPhone and iPadOS 27 for iPad have an emphasis on performance and include improvements to features like Spotlight search, Mail search, Siri, along with a new Siri AI feature, a dedicated Siri app, along with tweaks to visual elements including a Liquid Glass slider, refinements to icons, and numerous other smaller changes throughout the operating systems.

Any user can choose to install iOS 27 beta on iPhone or iPadOS 27 on iPad, though they should be comfortable with the beta experience, which includes things like bugs, app compatibility issues, and potentially other problems that are not typical for a final operating system.

Additionally, Apple has also released MacOS 27 Golden Gate beta 7 for Mac, along with the beta 7 updates for watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27.

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Amazon is offering the top configuration of M5 MacBook Air 13″ at a $150 discount again, in various color options. You can also save $100 on a few other models including the 16GB/1TB configuration, and the same discount is available on the 15″ Air in 16GB / 1TB configuration as well:

• 13″ MacBook Air M5 – 24GB – 1TB – $1649 (down from $1799)
• 13″ MacBook Air M5 – 16GB – 1TB – $1499 (down from $1599)
• 15″ MacBook Air M5 – 16GB – 1TB – $1699 (down from $1799)

AirTags 2 4-pack for $80

AirTags 2 are handy trackers with many uses , and you can grab a 4-pack of the AirTags 2 $20 off the retail price:

• AirTags 2 – 4-pack – $80 (down from $99)

Misc Deals

• M5 Max MacBook Pro 16″ – 32GB RAM – 2TB SSD – $3999 (down from $4399)
• MacBook Neo 13″ – $689 (down from $699)
• Apple Watch Series 11 for $299 ($100 off from $399)
• AirPods Pro 3 for $189 (down from $249)
• AirPods Max for $449 (down from $549)
• AirPods 4 for $99 (down from $129)
• Magic Trackpad – $119 (down from $129)
• Magic Keyboard – $89 (down from $99)
• Anker 7-in-1 USB-C hub For $20 (down from $26)

FTC: OSXDaily is an affiliate partner with Amazon, meaning if you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment which goes towards keeping the site running.

Some Mac users running the MacOS 27 Golden Gate beta have discovered a peculiar bug where they are unable to force quit certain processes or apps, usually if they are errant or unresponsive. I personally have run into this a handful of times with being unable to force quit Safari and Google Chrome, despite the apps being unresponsive and beachballing, and the standard Force Quit approaches do not work, whether that’s the task manager or Activity Monitor, neither of which were able to successfully terminate the errant apps..

If you find yourself with a stuck process on MacOS 27 Golden Gate that will not respond to typical Force Quit measures, you can use the terminal trick below to take care of the problem and successfully terminate the app or process.

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Amazon is cutting $150 off the price of select models of M5 MacBook Air 13″ in top configurations with 24GB RAM and 1TB SSD storage, the precise colors that are available at this discounted price are in flux so check out which model is available that suits your interest. Link below is to the sky blue (which is a vaguely blue-ish silver) model:

• 13″ MacBook Air M5 – 24GB – 1TB – $1649 (down from $1799)

With the recent price hikes on Apple hardware, finding substantial discounts on Macs is a bit harder than it once was, so if you’re in the market you’ll likely appreciate Amazon making these available.

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Safari is arguably the best performing web browser for Mac users (and iPhone and iPad for that matter), and while I also use other web browsers as well, I continuously return to Safari and Safari Technology Preview as my default browser of choice. Aside from fantastic performance, Safari has many great tricks up its sleeve that make using the browser particularly great, and here I’m going to share five of my favorite and most-used Safari tips for Mac.

While we’re focused on Safari for Mac here, each of these tips is also available for Safari on iPhone and iPad. So if you get accustomed to using these on one of your Mac, or other Apple devices, you’ll be happy to know they are universal across the ecosystem (though sometimes accessing the features can be slightly different).

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Apple has released Safari 26.6.1 for Mac users running MacOS Sequoia and MacOS Sonoma. The updates include over a dozen important security patches to Safari, as well as addressing several security issues that could result in Safari crashing, making it a recommended update for all Mac users running those operating systems to install.

Some of the patched security issues were also addressed in the separate security update focused release of macOS Tahoe 26.6.2 and iOS 26.6.1, so if you have other Mac, iPhone, or iPad hardware, you’ll want to update those devices as well.

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AirTags 2 are the second generation of super useful tracking accessories for many purposes including tracking packages, cars, luggage, purses, pets, bikes, car keys, bikes, and anything else you might want to keep an eye on within the Find My network. You can grab a 4-pack of the AirTags 2 at a nice little discount from Amazon right now too:

• AirTags 2 – 4-pack – $89 (down from $99)

Misc Deals

• MacBook Neo 13″ – $689 (down from $699)
• AirPods Pro 3 for $189 (down from $249)
• AirPods Max for $449 (down from $549)
• AirPods 4 for $99 (down from $129)
• Magic Trackpad – $119 (down from $129)
• Magic Keyboard – $89 (down from $99)
• Apple Watch Series 11 for $299 ($100 off)
• Anker 7-in-1 USB-C hub For $20 (down from $26)

FTC: OSXDaily is an affiliate partner with Amazon, meaning if you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment which goes towards keeping the site running.

iOS 26.6.1 and iPadOS 26.6.1 have been released as security updates for iPhone and iPad, respectively. Additionally, there’s also iOS 18.7.10 and iPadOS 18.7.10 available with security patches.

These updates include over 30 important security fixes and are therefore recommended for all users to install on their devices.

Separately, Apple has released macOS Tahoe 26.6.2 with security patches for Mac as well.

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macOS Tahoe 26.6.2 has been released as a security focused software update for Mac users running the Tahoe operating system. There are over a dozen security patches included, making the update recommended for those running Tahoe. There are not currently any associated security updates for MacOS Sequoia or Sonoma.

Separately, Apple has released security updates for iPhone and iPad as well, versioned as iOS 26.6.1, iPadOS 26.6.1, iOS 18.7.10, and iPadOS 18.7.10.

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MacOS 27 Golden Gate beta 6 is has been released by Apple to Mac users who are participating in the developer beta testing program. Typically the matching public beta build will arrive soon after as well.

MacOS 27 Golden Gate focuses mostly on improving the performance of MacOS including features like Spotlight search, Mail search, and system search. You’ll also find general tweaks to the Liquid Glass interface which includes an adjustment slider to modify the intensity of the transparent effects. Additionally, MacOS 27 includes a dedicated Siri app, new Siri AI features, and more.

If you’re comfortable with the beta OS experience, bugs and all, you can install MacOS 27 Golden Gate beta onto an eligible Mac.

Separately, iOS 27 beta 6 for iPhone, iPadOS 27 beta 6 for iPad, watchOS 27 beta 6, tvOS 27 beta 6, and visionOS 27 beta 6, are also available for beta testers.

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