The lines between iPad and Mac have never been blurrier – with iPadOS 26. The update brings a suite of powerful new features that elevate the iPad’s utility, bridging the gap between touch-first tablet and full-fledged desktop machine: Menu Bar: Within any active app, swipe down from the top of the screen and you will see a new, fully functioning macOS-style menu bar. With the foremost dropdown menu being the app’s name (where app settings are typically accessed), other standard menus can include File, Edit, Format, View, Window, and Help. The menu bar is dynamic, and will display menus specific to the app. Windowed Apps: A new Windowed Apps mode allows users to arrange and resize multiple app windows in a single space, similar to how it works on a Mac. This mode can also be activated from the Control Center using a new button, which supports long press to switch between Windowed Apps and Stage Manager. Users can move and stack multiple windows by dragging them from the top, resize them by dragging the bottom-right corner, and quickly snap them to half the screen by dragging to a corner. Tapping a space on the Home Screen scatters all open windows to the sides, creating room to open other apps. Traffic Lights: Tapping the three familiar traffic lights symbol, straight out of macOS expands it into red, amber, and green buttons for closing, minimizing, and expanding the window to fullscreen. Long-pressing the buttons also reveals the Mac-style Move & Resize and Fill & Arrange options, as well as an option to park the app off-screen to Add a New Window App Exposé: In the new Windowed Apps mode, iPadOS 26 also includes an App Exposé-style view that’s similar to the App Switcher. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to invoke the view, which shows all the open apps in the current space. You can also scroll the new interface to see your other open apps, whether they’re sharing spaces or open in full-screen mode. Preview: The iPad finally includes the Mac’s long-standing Preview app, only now with Apple Pencil support, enabling you to easily open, edit, and mark up a range of images, documents, and file types. The Preview app’s browsing menu is a lot like the Files interface, where you can browse your files and check out recent and shared items. You can also scan documents from right within the app. Trackpad Pointer: If you have a Magic Keyboard trackpad or a Bluetooth mouse connected to your iPad, the cursor is now a Mac-like pointer rather than a circle. And if you shake it, the pointer will get bigger so that you can easily locate it on the screen. Advanced File Management: The iPad’s Files app is enhanced with a new List view that features resizable columns and collapsible folders, and new filters, allowing users to see more document details at a glance and organize their files. To help you identify folders more easily, the app now supports folder customization with custom colors, icons, and emoji, all of which sync across devices. Folders in Dock: In the Files app, long press on a folder and you’ll see a new Add to Dock option in the contextual dropdown menu. So you can now park any folder in your Dock, and if you long press on its icon, you’ll see Mac-style display options to view the content as a Grid or a Fan, as well as the typical sorting preferences. In iPadOS 26, you can now fit up to 23 icons in the Dock, so there’s nothing stopping you from adding multiple folders. In Settings ➝ Multitasking & Gestures, there’s also a new option to Automatically Show and Hide the Dock, just like in macOS.
New AI model uses behavior data from Apple Watch for better health predictions, outperforming traditional detection methods that rely on data streams from sensors
Apple-sponsored research paper, which relies on data from the Heart and Movement Study, explains how behavior data can often serve as a more significant health indicator relative to conventional biometric data obtained through hardware sensors. The study says that physical activity, cardiovascular fitness, and mobility metrics are especially useful for detecting transient and static health states. With that information in mind, the researchers created what they call a WBM, or wearable health behavior foundation model. It was trained on “behavioral data from wearables, using 162K participants with over 15 billion hourly measurements from the Apple Heart and Movement Study.” In short, the WBM uses patterns derived from raw sensor data to predict a person’s health state, and the study suggests this outperforms traditional detection methods that rely on data streams from sensors. The research paper also says the WBM was tested on 57 health-related tasks, and that it outperformed a traditional PPG (photoplethysmograph) model in most situations. Specifically, WBM outperforms PPG in predicting static health states such as beta blocker use, as it more reliably detects heart rate reductions during the day. It also outperformed PPG in predicting transient health states such as pregnancy, though it was unable to predict diabetes better than PPG. “Low-level sensor data outperforms behavioral data in tasks where physiological information is sufficient,” the study says. As for what all of this means in practice, Apple could adopt this type of hybrid approach as a way of building upon its existing health-related technology. In other words, using a WBM-like model alongside the existing Apple Watch PPG or ECG (electrocardiogram) sensors.
Google confirms ChromeOS and Android are being merged into ‘a single platform’ with more robust app support likely on this combined platform
Google’s Android head has confirmed that ChromeOS is being combined with the company’s mobile platform. Sameer Samat, President of the Android Ecosystem, noted the usage of Apple’s typical ecosystem of products — including a MacBook Pro and an Apple Watch — before finally acknowledging the writing on the wall with ChromeOS. The only real hint comes from Samat’s curiosity over, as he says, how people currently use their laptops to get work done. That could hint at a focus towards providing more robust app support on this combined platform. This move comes with plenty of questions for current ChromeOS users, including how their laptops will adapt to this new platform and if the move to Android will change the typical decade-long support window provided by Google and various Chromebook OEMs. It could also cause plenty of headaches for enterprise users, especially schools, depending on how the rollout is conducted. It doesn’t sound like the move is right around the corner, of course — to reiterate, there’s nothing here that would really constitute real details. But with ChromeOS feeling stagnant at times and ARM laptops having a bit of a moment, it feels like there’s no better time than the present to enact this sort of shift.
Clover’s integration of Homebase’s scheduling, time tracking, and employee management capabilities into its Dashboard to provide SMBs with all-in-one platform to manage hourly teams effortlessly
Clover announced system enhancements with integrated workforce management capabilities from Homebase, the all-in-one platform for small business team management.The enhancements will embed Homebase’s scheduling, time tracking, and employee management capabilities into the Clover Web Dashboard, providing merchants with a single platform to manage their daily operations. Key advantages of Clover’s workforce management solution include: Unified Workforce Management: Clover seamlessly embeds Homebase’s leading time clock, scheduling, and timesheet solution into the Clover Web Dashboard, providing SMBs with a powerful, all-in-one platform to manage hourly teams effortlessly. Optimize Labor & Boost Profitability: By leveraging tools that prevent early clock-ins and proactively manage overtime expenses, small businesses can benefit from more efficient operations that directly impact their bottom line. Empower Your Team & Enhance Communication: Create a more connected and productive workforce with built-in team messaging that’s easily accessible on Clover devices, in addition to employee self-service features for schedules and timesheets. This helps ensure frictionless communication and allows teams to take control of changing or covering shifts. Simplify Payroll & Focus on Growth: Businesses can benefit from automated timesheet generation and easy export. These features eliminate manual data entry and errors, freeing up valuable time for owners and operators.
Amazon’s virtual assistant’s web-based version Alexa.com to be launched this summer; would be vastly more conversational and able to handle significantly more complex tasks
Alexa.com, a new web-based version of Amazon’s virtual assistant, will reportedly be launched “no sooner than July 31.” This version of Alexa was first announced in February and was previously scheduled to launch at the end of June, cites internal Amazon documents. Amazon spokesperson Lauren Raemhild said, Alexa.com is not delayed and “will be available with Alexa+ Early Access this summer.” The company’s Alexa+ Early Access web page said Monday that Alexa.com is “coming soon.” Several million people have early access to Alexa+ and 90% of the features Amazon announced in February. Raemhild said that Amazon is fine-tuning Alexa+ as it expands the new virtual assistant to more customers. “Customers love that Alexa+ is vastly more conversational and able to handle significantly more complex tasks, and this Early Access phase is really important as we learn how they want to use it, and what they expect,” Raemhild said.
Apple’s future devices may feature two-stage displays with a camera and flash embedded within a display that allows the camera to remain completely hidden when not in use
Apple has been granted a newly revised patent that in part describes embedding a camera and flash within a display. “Electronic devices with two-stage displays,” is concerned with producing a screen that has layers of different display technologies. It’s ostensibly for any conceivable device with a screen — and Apple lists the broadest possible range of those — but much of the patent describes the Apple Watch. “An electronic device may be provided with a two-stage display,” it says. “The display may have an inner layer with a pixel array for displaying images and an outer layer formed from a light modulator with an array of cells that can each be placed in a transparent mode or a light-blocking mode.” The patent describes having first a type of fast-reacting display that is capable of showing video. Then on top of that there could be a second display layer that’s typically used to show slow-changing images, such as text. That layer could be effectively turned off to allow users to see the video on the layer below, or it could be turned on to change the appearance of the device. In that case, a camera shutter “may have an appearance that matches the housing of the electronic device.” “When it is desired to capture images, control circuitry in the electronic device may temporarily place the shutter in a transparent mode to allow light from a flash and/or light being imaged by the camera to pass,” continues the patent.
Google adds simplified Unsubscribe feature to Gmail
Google has added a feature to make it easier for Gmail users to unsubscribe from emails. The company’s recently announced “Manage subscriptions” tool lets users view and manage subscription emails, to make it easy to unsubscribe from the ones they don’t want from a single place. “It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of subscription emails clogging your inbox: Daily deal alerts that are basically spam, weekly newsletters from blogs you no longer read, promotional emails from retailers you haven’t shopped in years can quickly pile up,” Chris Doan, director of Gmail, wrote on the Google blog. Google’s move is part of a larger trend, with customers seeking more control, more meaningful content and greater value from their brand interactions. “If email doesn’t meet that standard, people now have a faster and easier way to walk away,” Omar Merlo, an associate professor of marketing strategy at Imperial College London told. “This isn’t the end of email marketing. It is perhaps the end of sloppy email marketing.”
Google adds AI-powered local business calling to search
Google is expanding its AI capabilities in Search by rolling out a new, free feature that lets it call local businesses on the user’s behalf to do things like check pricing and make reservations. The agentic AI tool is designed to help users accomplish tasks faster by eliminating the need for them to make routine phone calls themselves. The automated call feature is rolling out to users and businesses in the United States — except in Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana and Nebraska, according to a support page. Subscribers to Google AI Pro and AI Ultra will have higher limits. To use automated calling, users start by searching for local businesses. Once Google displays the results, a horizontal bar appears above the list labeled, “Have AI check pricing.” Google writes a summary of the request for the user to double-check, and then the user clicks “Submit.” Google will then get information from different local businesses to canvas pricing and other data. It will send the options to the user. The feature lets Google Search call local businesses to book appointments, check restaurant wait times, and confirm pricing and availability of services. If a local business like a restaurant uses an online booking partner, Google can use that as well. Calls will be monitored and recorded for quality control. Google is adding “Deep Search” to AI Mode as well.
Mastercard debuts experience-focused World Legend Card to support a growing demand among consumers for a “more intentional way of living, where spending on meaningful experiences is prioritized over material things.”
Mastercard has introduced a new suite of benefits aimed at experience-seeking consumers. The Mastercard Collection is available across the company’s World, World Elite and newly created World Legend Mastercard cards, offering rewards on things like dining, entertainment and travel. The World Legend card is available to banks worldwide now, and will debut to cardholders in the third quarter of this year in the U.S., followed by a larger international launch. Driving this launch, is its in-house research showing a growing demand among consumers for a “more intentional way of living, where spending on meaningful experiences is prioritized over material things.” The vast majority of the company’s cardholders, “feel their best when spending their time on their passions, including culinary exploration, artistic endeavors, and cultural immersion,” while two-thirds “are becoming more intentional with how they spend their time, focusing on the relationships that matter most.”
Apple dials back Liquid Glass look and feel following user complaints of the glassy look making the UI more difficult to read, switching back to less translucent and more solid white background in the Notifications and navigation within first-party apps
The iPhone’s new glassy look has been toned down with the release of the third developer beta of iOS 26. This follows user complaints that the update made parts of the user interface more difficult to read. The update sees Apple taking yet another step to dial things back from an overly glassy look in a number of key areas. While beta 2 addressed problems with the Control Center, beta 3 shifts its focus to other areas of the mobile operating system, like Notifications and navigation within Apple’s first-party apps, like Apple Music. For instance, the navigation bar in Apple’s streaming music app no longer sees the background shining through a bit, opting for a more solid white. Notifications are also less translucent, as the background behind the text is darkened, increasing contrast. While the changes arguably make features easier to read, some users now complain that Apple has gone too far in the other direction with a return to more of a “frosted glass” aesthetic. The point of beta software is to allow Apple to collect feedback, find bugs, and address issues before the software rolls out more broadly. That means Apple could continue to tweak the Liquid Glass look and feel over the coming releases to find the sweet spot for the new glassy look within every app and screen.