In the News

On June 11, 2012, Apple announced that the upcoming iOS 6 would include a new app for the iPhone called Passbook. Apple said that you could use the app to store boarding passes, store cards, movie tickets, and other similar items. On October 20, 2014, Apple introduced Apple Pay, along with the ability to store digital versions of your credit cards in the Passbook app. The following year, Apple released iOS 9 and changed the name from Passport to Wallet, which is still what the app is called today. In 2021, iOS 15 added the ability to store the digital version of a government-issued ID in the Wallet app—which is a useful feature, but four years later, only 13 of the 50 states support it. This week, Apple updated the Wallet app yet again to allow any U.S. citizen to store a government-issued ID in the Wallet app, assuming that you have a U.S. Passport. I added mine last night, and the process of doing so is fascinating. First, the Wallet app scans your passport. Then, to make sure it is your real passport and not just a picture of it, your iPhone reads the chip embedded in the back of the passport. Next, to make sure that you are you, the iPhone scans your face, using a process similar to setting up Face ID. After that, to make sure that you are really you and not just a person holding up a picture or mask of you, your iPhone prompts you to complete a series of specific facial and head movements until the iPhone shakes in your hand. Finally, the app does some sort of verification process to match your face to the face on your passport. I’m making it sound more complicated than it really is—you just follow along with the directions—but it is the most verification that I’ve ever seen my iPhone perform. And for good reason! I should now be able to use my iPhone as my identification for TSA for a domestic flight—or, as Chance Miller of 9to5Mac notes, at some other locations. It is nice to know that if my wallet is stolen while I travel (or if I leave it at home by mistake), I should still be able to prove my identity at the airport. And now, the other news of note from the past week:

• There are many Apple products that have a special place in my life. My iPhone is with me all the time. My Apple Vision Pro amazes and delights me every time I use it. But the workhorse in my law practice is my iPad Pro. It is a key part of my productivity as a lawyer, and I cannot imagine practicing law without it. Jason Snell of Six Colors reports that the first generation of the iPad Pro went on sale ten years ago this week. As I noted in my review from ten years ago, it is a fundamentally different type of iPad. Happy birthday, iPad Pro!
• Ed Hardy of Cult of Mac reports that your iPhone can now automatically install security patches without requiring you to do anything.
• Did you ever finish a workout only to realize that your iPhone didn’t give you credit on your Activity Rings because you forgot to tell your Apple Watch that you were working out? Ryan Christoffel reports that you can now manually log workouts in the Fitness app to close Activity rings. And if you want to cheat and tell your iPhone that you ran a marathon over lunch, I promise not to rat you out to any of the Apple Fitness+ instructors.
• Akshay Kumar of The Mac Observer explains what every icon in the iPhone’s Camera app means.
• If you frequently use a Mac for videoconferences and you want to look your best, John Voorhees reports that the next version of macOS, macOS Tahoe 26.2, will add a feature called Edge Light. It uses the edge of your screen to create a virtual ring light. Interesting idea.
• The next version of iOS 26 will be iOS 26.2. Joe Rossignol of MacRumors reports that it will add a new feature to CarPlay: the the ability to remove pinned conversations in the Messages app, which is something that was just recently added by iOS 26.
• I’m in the market for a new car in the near future, and it may be an electric car. (If you own an EV that you like and recommend, I’d love to hear from you.) One EV car model that I have had no intention of purchasing was a Tesla. There are a number of reasons for that, but one of them was the lack of CarPlay support. I know I’m not alone; many people tell me that they would never purchase a car unless it supported CarPlay. This is just a rumor, but as noted by Jason Snell of Six Colors, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg believes that Tesla is working to add CarPlay support to its cars in the coming months, presumably in an attempt to respond to the sharp drop in Tesla sales. It will be interesting to see if this happens.
• Notwithstanding an article by Patrick George in The Atlantic predicting that CarPlay’s days are numbered, John Gruber of Daring Fireball disagrees, and even predicts that GM’s CEO will be fired after deciding to abandon CarPlay. I don’t know about that, but I certainly hope that CarPlay has a long future.
• Amy Skorheim of Engadget reviews the Anker Laptop Bank and says that it is great. I agree 100%. I reviewed it earlier this year, and I continue to use it multiple times a week. It holds a ton of power, charges multiple devices at once, has a useful display, and the built-in cords are incredibly convenient. Even though the word “Laptop” is in the name, I virtually never use it with a laptop computer. I use it with my iPad, iPhone, Vision Pro, and more. The other day, I took a HomePod mini outside to listen to some music while enjoying the nice weather, and I used this device to provide power. This makes a great gift for yourself and a wonderful holiday present if you are looking for something useful for anyone who enjoys technology. Best of all, it is currently only $91.99 on Amazon, which is an amazing price (32% off) and less than I paid for mine.
• When I bought my iPhone 17 Pro Max, I traded in my iPhone 16 Pro Max and got $700 back from Apple. David Snow of Cult of Mac reports that Apple recently decreased many of its trade-in prices. (The iPhone 16 Pro Max is now down to $670.) His post lists all of the other trade-in values if you want to see them all.
• Houston attorney and author Marc Grossberg was driving his car when, all of a sudden, he passed out. Yikes! Fortunately, he was wearing his Apple Watch. Click here to watch a short video on Facebook where he shares what happened next. And thanks to Houston attorney Reginald Hirsch for sharing this story with me.
• Apple has brought the Detailed City Experience—its more detailed version of Apple Maps—to Kansas City, as reported by Marcus Mendes of 9to5Mac. Gone to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come…
• Jason Snell of Six Colors reports that, next season, anyone who subscribes to Apple TV will be able to watch all MLS soccer games without purchasing a separate $99 subscription.
• Matthew Cassinelli reports that the icon for the App Store is made up of three app icons supporting each other. I’ve never noticed that before.
• Brett Burney is taking a vacation, so there will be no episode of the In the News podcast this week. It will return next week.
• And finally, I’m going to end today’s post with a picture instead of a video. This week, Apple announced a new iPhone accessory: the iPhone Pocket, a piece of cloth that costs, ahem, $149.95 or $229.95. I’m with Stephen Hackett on this one, who remarked: “I’m a professional writer, but I have no words for this.”