Security was a hot topic this week. First, as reported by Jason Snell of Six Colors, Apple took the security updates originally planned for the upcoming iOS 26.6 and released them early as a new iOS 26.5.2 update. As Snell explained, these security updates were part of the public beta of iOS 26.6, which meant hackers had a chance to see what Apple was planning to update and then think about how to exploit those bugs between now and when iOS 26.6 comes out. In the past, it would have taken the bad guys a long time to do that, but modern AI tools can quickly identify and exploit bugs. As Matteo Wong of The Atlantic wrote just a few weeks ago, with AI “enabling a deluge of cyberattacks the likes of which we’ve never seen before,” the safest approach seems to be to Assume You Will Be Hacked. One recent cyberattack that definitely got Apple’s attention was the data breach at Tata Electronics, the company in India that makes iPhones for Apple. As Jagmeet Singh of TechCrunch reports, over 200,000 files were stolen. And as Malcolm Owen of AppleInsider reports, details of the next version of the iPhone are starting to show up on the Internet as a result of this hack. Hacking is already a big problem for all of us—especially if you work in an industry in which confidentiality is important, such as a law firm—and it looks like the problem is going to get worse. Sigh. And now, the news of note from the past week:
- As a reminder, there will be no new episode of the In the News podcast this week. We are taking a break to celebrate July 4th.
- There’s even more to say about security this week. First, Glenn Fleishman of Six Colors shares tips for securely sharing information, such as a credit card number, with others using your iPhone.
- Second, Marcus Mendes of 9to5Mac notes that iOS 27 will include a framework that developers can use to detect and warn about scams in real time as someone tries to scam you.
- In a big win for privacy rights, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled this week that law enforcement agents cannot force the police to hand over cellphone location information without a search warrant. Lawrence Bonk of Engadget says that this ends the former “search first and develop suspicions later” approach.
- Way back in 2010, I reviewed an app called Courtroom Objections developed by Houston attorney Anthony Shorter. The app contains a list of common trial objections, along with information on how best to make them. I posted an updated review in 2019. This is a useful app to have in your pocket if you handle trials—or if, like me, you are an appellate attorney who frequently works with trial attorneys to ensure that the record is protected. I mention all of this today becuase the app was recently updated to version 9.0. The update adds many new features, such as Favorites and a guide to using the objections, and it also has an improved interface that is easier to navigate. Click here to check out the app.
- John Gruber of Daring Fireball notes that even if you have an iPhone that supports 5G, you might want to turn off 5G and rely on LTE instead. It isn’t quite as fast, but for most uses it is fast enough, and it extends your iPhone’s battery life.
- David Moin of Women’s Wear Daily writes about Ron Johnson, the Apple executive who created the Apple Store. Johnson has a book coming out on September 22 called Shop Different. (If you don’t subscribe to WWD but you do subscribe to Apple News+, you can read the article in News+.) The article reveals some interesting interactions between Johnson and Steve Jobs. (If you want to roll back the clock 20 years, click here to see a picture of Ron Johnson and me that was taken when Apple opened its Fifth Avenue store in New York on May 19, 2006.)
- Click here to see the 2026 winners of the iPhone Photography Awards, which is now in its 19th year.
- Season 3 of Silo, one of the best shows on Apple TV, begins today. Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac notes that Apple launched a website tied to the show’s backstory to coincide with the new season.
- And finally, here are two fun videos from Apple that promote Active Noise Cancellation in the AirPods Pro 3. The original version of the video, embedded below, shows Brazilian soccer player Vini Jr. dancing—with fancy footwork—in a noisy public space as he listens to a song only he can hear. There is also an expanded version of the video that includes the music he is listening to. Both are fun to watch.
