Category: TidBits

Control Center Is Improved—and Highly Customizable—in macOS 26 Tahoe
Productivity

Control Center Is Improved—and Highly Customizable—in macOS 26 Tahoe

Control Center debuted on the iPhone over a decade ago in iOS 7 and made its way to the Mac in 2020 with macOS 11 Big Sur. However, through macOS 15 Sequoia, Mac users who wanted to tweak Control Center for their needs were limited to turning specific controls on or off. With macOS 26 Tahoe, Apple completely overhauled Control

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How to Share Sensitive Information Securely over the Internet
Security

How to Share Sensitive Information Securely over the Internet

At some point, most of our communications shifted from analog to digital: letters and phone calls became emails, texts, and video calls. With analog methods, we could generally assume that our private communications would remain private. Few people were going to steam open a letter or wiretap a phone line. The Internet changed that—digital communications, if not properly protected, can

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10 Reasons to Upgrade to Apple’s Version 27 Operating Systems This Fall
News

10 Reasons to Upgrade to Apple’s Version 27 Operating Systems This Fall

Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference keynote—the final public appearance for outgoing CEO Tim Cook—was different this year. Although it was still a tour of the changes we’ll see in version 27 of Apple’s operating systems, the company broke it into three parts. The first focused on interface refinements, performance improvements, and feature tweaks that smooth rough edges in our current user

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Use Fake Contacts to Improve Dictation Accuracy
Productivity

Use Fake Contacts to Improve Dictation Accuracy

Apple’s Dictation feature is a great way to avoid slow typing on the iPhone and iPad, and it can be welcome on the Mac as well. But it struggles with proper nouns—it guesses wildly at unfamiliar names and often fails to capitalize common words that are part of a name (so you get “New York Public library”). Apple doesn’t provide

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Office 2019 for Mac Goes Read-Only on July 13, 2026
TidBits

Office 2019 for Mac Goes Read-Only on July 13, 2026

If you’re still using Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac, on July 13, 2026, an expiring certificate will cause your copies of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook to enter “reduced functionality mode,” meaning you can view and print documents but cannot edit or create new ones. To check if you’re affected, open Word and choose Word > About Microsoft Word (or

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Not Sure If You’re Presentable for a Video Call? Try Hand Mirror
TidBits

Not Sure If You’re Presentable for a Video Call? Try Hand Mirror

Since the pandemic, video calls have become a fact of life for many of us, so much so that it’s now possible to sit down for a meeting without thinking about whether you’ve changed out of your pajamas or brushed your hair. (No judgment; we’ve all done it.) To ensure that you’re presentable before you connect, use the Mac app

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Use Your AirPods as a Camera Remote
Productivity

Use Your AirPods as a Camera Remote

Have you ever wanted to activate the shutter button for your iPhone’s camera—for either a still photo or a video—when you’re not holding it? Selfie sticks often come with Bluetooth buttons that can do that, and starting in iOS 26, you also can use your AirPods 4 or AirPods Pro as a camera remote. While you’re wearing your AirPods, turn

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When Should You Upgrade Your Apple Devices?
TidBits

When Should You Upgrade Your Apple Devices?

The simple answer to “When should you upgrade?” is when your device no longer does what you need, or when you want something new. But that’s not helpful if you’re trying to make an informed decision—is there a sweet spot when it makes more sense to upgrade rather than squeeze another year out of your current device? The answer is

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How AI Vulnerability Detection Changes Software Security
AI

How AI Vulnerability Detection Changes Software Security

The latest generation of AI models has fundamentally changed how quickly security vulnerabilities can be found in software, for both defenders and attackers. Understanding what’s happening helps explain why we keep emphasizing the importance of keeping your devices updated. In April 2026, AI company Anthropic announced Mythos Preview, an AI model with unprecedented capabilities for finding security flaws in software.

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