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Adam Engst 16 comments

Release Your Inner Art Director with Improved ChatGPT Image Generation

If you’re better at critiquing images than creating them, ChatGPT’s improved image generation is worth a try. Recent enhancements let you direct iterative changes, fix specific areas, and finally get text that’s spelled correctly.

Adam Engst 8 comments

Gift Card Scam Funnels Millions in Apple Devices Through New Hampshire Warehouses

Criminals are stealing gift card numbers from retail shelves, replacing them, draining them when purchasers load funds, and using the proceeds to buy Apple products for export—yet another reason to avoid physical gift cards.

Adam Engst 37 comments

AppBITS: EyesOff Alerts You to Shoulder Surfing

Worried about prying eyes at the coffee shop? EyesOff uses your Mac’s webcam to detect when someone’s watching your screen and can alert you, hide your work, or lock your Mac.

Adam Engst 5 comments

Apple Settles “More Personalized” Siri Delay Lawsuit for $250 Million

Apple will pay $250 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over delayed Siri features. Owners of iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models purchased between June 2024 and March 2025 may receive $25–$95 per device. Here’s how the math works out.

Adam Engst 17 comments

TipBITS: How Fake Contacts Can Fix Dictation’s Proper Noun Problems

Does Dictation substitute a contact’s name for a common word, fail to capitalize proper nouns, or mangle unusual spellings? You can fix these frustrations by adding—or subtly editing—entries in Contacts.

Adam Engst 2 comments

Apple Extends Notification Privacy Fix to iOS 15, iOS 16, and iPadOS 17

If your iPhone or iPad is too old to run iOS 18 or later, Apple hasn’t forgotten you—new updates for iOS and iPadOS 15, iOS and iPadOS 16, and iPadOS 17 patch the notification retention flaw that could expose deleted messages.

Adam Engst 4 comments

OS 26.5 Adds Encrypted RCS Messaging, Fixes Bugs

The OS 26.5 updates bring end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging to iPhones, a Pride Luminance wallpaper and watch face, and Suggested Places recommendations in Maps. Otherwise, expect a few bug fixes and numerous security updates.

Adam Engst 19 comments

Flighty Now Tracks Airport Disruptions Worldwide

The Flighty flight-tracking app has introduced Airport Intelligence, which uses AI to explain conditions at every airport worldwide, plus a free Flighty Airports webpage showing real-time disruption levels at major airports.

Adam Engst 20 comments

Beware Greeting Card Scams from Trusted Senders

Scammers are hijacking email accounts to send fake party invitations that look like they’re from friends, and even experienced users are falling for them. Learn the red flags, how to alert an affected friend, and what to do if you’re caught.

Adam Engst 29 comments

Yet Another Story of an iOS Update Silently Changing Settings

Apple updates sometimes toggle settings without warning. A recent case involving iCloud Private Relay illustrates the problem—and raises the question of whether we can track what changes during an update.

Adam Engst 3 comments

ChatGPT’s Goblin Obsession Evades OpenAI’s Fixes

OpenAI has traced ChatGPT’s bizarre goblin fixation to training gone awry, but the creatures keep escaping—as Adam Engst discovered when goblins popped up in a conversation about a conference presentation.

Adam Engst 2 comments

Designer Transforms Mac mini Into Lego-Inspired Workstation

Remember Lego’s old computer bricks? Designer Paul Staal has supersized the concept into the M2x2, a working Mac mini enclosure that combines retro Lego charm with a 7-inch display.

Adam Engst 21 comments

macOS Text Replacement Export/Import Works Great Until It Doesn’t

Apple lets you export and import text replacements by dragging them to and from the Text Replacements dialog. It’s great for backups and sharing, but if you try to import thousands of entries, such as from the TidBITS AutoCorrect Dictionary, things may fall apart unpredictably.

Michael E. Cohen Adam Engst No comments

iPhone and Services Drive Apple to Record Q2 2026 Despite Supply Constraints

Apple reported record financial results for what it described as its “best March quarter ever,” with over $29 billion in profits and double-digit growth across every geographic segment as the Tim Cook era approaches its end.

Adam Engst 14 comments

TidBITS Readers Show Decades-Long Loyalty

A poll of 668 readers confirms what we’ve always suspected: TidBITS readers stick around. Fully 64% have been reading for over 30 years, 87% for more than 20 years, and 94% for at least a decade.