Adam Engst recounts his first 700-mile electric vehicle road trip, sharing seven takeaways on route-planning apps and charging strategies. He also examines the iOS 26.4.2 and iOS 18.7.8 updates, which patch a notification privacy vulnerability. In ExtraBITS, we link to Glenn Fleishman’s comprehensive FindYourTag database of Find My–compatible devices and share news of Joanna Stern’s new independent media venture, New Things. Notable Mac app releases this week include 1Password 8.12.12, Acorn 8.5, Fantastical 4.1.12 and Cardhop 2.4.7, Firefox 150, Parallels Desktop 26.3.1, Quicken Classic 9.0, SoundSource 6.0.6, and Unite Pro 1.3.
The FBI extracted Signal messages from an iPhone by exploiting a notification database flaw. Apple has now released iOS 18.7.8 and iOS 26.4.2 to fix a bug that allowed deleted notifications to persist on devices.
Adam Engst’s 711-mile round trip from Ithaca to Virginia became an education in EV charging—from unplanned charging stops to mysterious range variations. Here’s what he learned and what he’ll do differently next time.
Watchlist
Fixes a bug that could prevent updates for beta release channel users. ($47.88 annual subscription, free update, 4.8 MB, macOS 12+)
Brings a new Shape Processor and Arrow shape style, plus several SVG improvements. ($29.99 new, free update, 87.7 MB, macOS 14+)
Maintenance updates for the calendar and contact management apps. ($56.99 annual subscription, free update, various sizes, macOS 12+)
Brings a couple of handy improvements and bug fixes to the Web browser celebrating its sesquicentennial release. (Free, 151.4 MB, macOS 10.15+)
Fixes a bug that prevented Steam from launching in a Windows 11 virtual machine. ($99.99 Standard Edition, free update, 5.4 MB, macOS 13+)
Updates the financial management app with several new and improved features. ($77.88/$101.88/$143.88 annual subscription, free update, 3.2 MB, macOS 13+)
Audio control utility brings enhanced Head Tracking compatibility for AirPods and Beats headphones. ($49 new, free update, 53.7 MB, macOS 15+)
Adds a new option to open links in your default browser. ($39.99 new, free update, 34.3 MB, macOS 15+)
