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Fed up with iPhone autocorrect? Here’s how to reset it.

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How to Reset Autocorrect on iPhone graphic, with a photo of a woman looking annoyed at an iPhone
Put a stop to the madness.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

If you’ve noticed that the iPhone’s autocorrect has been especially bad over the last few months, you’re not alone. It appears that iOS 26.2 introduced a bug that made the keyboard much more frustrating to use. Luckily, the solution is simple. You can learn how to reset autocorrect on your iPhone really quickly. 

First, you need to update to iOS 26.4, the release that fixed the iPhone’s autocorrect bug. Then, resetting your keyboard dictionary will get rid of any bad patterns it may have picked up since December. 

Keep reading or watch our quick video.

Cash in on Siri’s stupidity [Cult of Mac podcast No. 19]

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Photo of an iPhone with Siri running
Will you get your slice of the stupid Siri pie?
Image: appshunter.io/Unsplash License/Modified by Cult of Mac

This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: We’ve been complaining about just how stupid Siri can be for years, but Apple’s failure to deliver a promised AI upgrade just cost the company a cool $250 million.

We discuss how you can get your sliver of that payout, whether a stupid Siri is a deal-breaker (obviously not, since we all swear by our iPhones), and how Apple can really make things right.

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

  • The MacBook Neo is so popular that Apple totally missed the boat on its projections. Now the company is making an unusual move — and it might mean the budget laptop goes up in price.
  • If you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to buy a Mac, it’s here.
  • After getting banged up for its lack of savvy when it comes to artificial intelligence, Apple looks ready to win the AI wars, thanks to its brilliant strategy.
  • And finally, Griffin goes over the pros and cons of an affordable home rowing machine. Come for the review, stay for the extremely weird Ohio hallway.

Listen to this week’s episode of the Cult of Mac podcast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video version, embedded below.

Grab AirPods Pro 3 for just $199.99 before this deal disappears again

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AirPods Pro 3 and their charging case on a silver aluminum background
AirPods Pro 3 are always brilliant, and now they are more affordable.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

A fantastic AirPods Pro 3 deal drops Apple’s excellent noise-canceling earbuds back to a record-low price of just $199.99 at Amazon and Best Buy. That’s a substantial $50 discount.

We’ve seen this deal come and go in recent weeks, and it’s back on now for who knows how long. If you want Apple’s best earbuds at the best price, jump on this deal before it disappears again.

AirPods Pro 3 bring new features, including Live Translation, a heart rate monitor, revved-up audio quality and redesigned ear tips for better active noise cancellation. Plus, like the previous model, they can even function as clinical-grade hearing aids.

Make no mistake: These are the best wireless earbuds you can buy for your iPhone, Mac and other Apple gear. Nothing can match how seamlessly AirPods integrate with Apple devices.

Price cut: Easily add wireless CarPlay for just $60 with this 10-inch touchscreen

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Product image of wireless CarPlay screen (works with Android Auto, too).
Upgrade your car’s in-car infotainment quickly, easily and on the cheap!
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Essgoo’s 10-inch wireless CarPlay screen lets you upgrade practically any car in an instant. Whether you’re dealing with an old-school radio, a tiny in-car screen or, worse, no touchscreen at all, it’s time for an upgrade.

This 10-inch, full-HD touchscreen comes with a telescopic mount, so you can position it appropriately for safe driving. Or you can mount it on your dashboard with the included bracket, if that suits your car’s interior better.

Either way, it lets you easily add wireless Apple CarPlay (or Android Auto) and a touchscreen to any car — without an expensive trip to the dealership. And right now, you can get this 10-inch CarPlay screen for just $59.99 (regularly $89.99), with free shipping while stock lasts.

Today in Apple history: iTunes experiments with video downloads

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Morcheeba's
Morcheeba's "The Antidote" was one of the first music videos available on iTunes.
Photo: Morcheeba

May 9: Today in Apple history: iTunes experiments with video downloads May 9, 2005: Apple quietly begins selling music videos in the iTunes Music Store.

The feature arrives with iTunes 4.8, initially offering bonus content for people purchasing albums through the store. It will take several months for Apple to start selling individual music videos, along with Pixar short films and a selection of TV shows, for $1.99 a pop.

My top 3 tips for making an iPhone Home Screen that doesn’t suck

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Graphic showing an iPhone Home Screen, before and after removing a bunch of icons and adding widgets
Turn your scramble of icons into something that sparks joy.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

There are two types of iPhone owners in the world: Those with a carefully manicured, minimalist Home Screen of perfectly arranged icons, and those with random icons spilled haphazardly across the screen.

If you find yourself among the latter group, you might think that it’s too late for you — that making a beautiful, aesthetic Home Screen is beyond your creative ability. 

Well, cleaning up your iPhone’s Home Screen is a lot easier than clearing out your basement or organizing your kitchen junk drawer. A Home Screen that works better and looks better comes down to just a few simple tips. You can set one up in just minutes.

Here’s how.

AirPods Max 2 hit new record low

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AirPods Max 2 deal: Don't delay!
AirPods Max 2 only debuted this spring, but that doesn't mean you must pay full price.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s AirPods Max 2 headphones are currently on sale at their biggest discount yet. You can snag a pair of the premium headphones for just $509 in any of the five colors available. That’s a 7% discount off the $549 retail price.

Get a lifetime of ad-free 4K downloads from Netflix, YouTube and more

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Photo of Keeprix streaming downloader open on a laptop on a desk.
All-in-one streaming video downloader Keeprix makes it easy to watch offline.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Streaming is great until you want to watch something offline, save a show before it disappears, or avoid the limits most platforms put on downloads — that’s when you need a streaming downloader like Keeprix.

It works with Netflix, YouTube and other major streaming services, letting you save the videos you care about so you can watch them whenever you want. That means no dealing with ads, expiration timers or unreliable Wi-Fi. And a lifetime subscription to Keeprix is on sale for $95.99 (regularly $159.99).

Finally, a compact USB-C hub that handles dual displays properly [Review] ★★★★

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EZQuest USB 4 Dual Display 8-in-1 Hub review★★★★
Get eight USB-C ports in a pleasingly small package with this new hub from EZQuest.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The EZQuest USB 4 Dual Display 8-in-1 Hub is for Mac users who have gone all-in on USB-C ports. It boasts no less than seven high-speed ports and an eighth just for charging. And it takes up just one port on your Mac.

Unlike the USB-C ports in most hubs, EZQuest’s can be used for external screens, removing the need for HDMI. One or two displays are supported, depending on the computer the accessory is attached to.

As someone ready to dump all the old legacy ports, I happily put this product through testing.

Today in Apple history: 1997’s ‘MacBook Air’ weighed 4.4 pounds

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The PowerBook 2400c was Apple's ultra-thin laptop of the late '90s.
The PowerBook 2400c was Apple's ultra-thin laptop of the late '90s.
Photo: Apple

May 8: Today in Apple history: PowerBook 2400c launch May 8, 1997: Apple launches the PowerBook 2400c laptop, a 4.4-pound “subnotebook” that’s the MacBook Air of its day.

The PowerBook 2400c predicts the rise of speedy, lightweight notebooks, while also paying tribute to Apple’s past. Its design echoes the original PowerBook 100. Even years later, it remains a cult favorite among many Mac users.

Try these brilliant ways to use an iPad in a Mac setup

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studio-display-ipad
This user's setup changed a lot since the one we showcased in early 2024.
Photo: [email protected]

In some ways, iPad is the most versatile computer Apple makes — which makes it an unusually rich ingredient in a Mac workstation. And as iPadOS grows ever more capable, more users find new, smarter roles for their tablet. The following 10 examples drawn from the Cult of Mac Setups archive represent the best uses of iPad in Mac setups. They show just how many ways the tablet can earn its place on a desk.

Apple cracks down on unverified student discounts in US

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Apple North County store Escondido Calif
Getting an educational discount on Apple products just got more complicated.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s Education Store in the US and Canada now requires UNiDAYS verification. This brings the store’s policy in line with the rest of the world.

Going forward, to be eligible for a student discount on Apple products, you’ll need an active UNiDAYS account.

Price cut: Convert PDFs easily on your Mac with this pro tool

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Photo of a person using PDF Converter Pro on a laptop
Try out this Mac-compatible PDF editor and converter instead of the pricey Adobe Acrobat Pro.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Ever been annoyed when someone sends you a PDF instead of a file you can edit? An all-in-one PDF editor like AcePDF Converter & Editor can help, and it doesn’t need to cost a fortune.

Lifetime licenses for the Mac PDF app are on sale for $23.97 (regularly $99.99).

AirPods Ultra could become Apple’s first AI wearables

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AirPods Ultra may be Apple’s most ambitious AI product yet
AirPods Ultra could be an AI-focused device, not just a simple audio player.
AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

Apple’s next-gen AirPods are reportedly in “late stages of development,” with the addition of cameras being a standout feature of the earbuds. The goal of adding cameras is apparently to make the earbuds, potentially called “AirPods Ultra,” into AI-friendly devices that are aware of the user’s surroundings.

They could become the first of a new class of wearables from Apple designed for the AI era.

New Philips Hue Sports Live software syncs smart lights to the action

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Philips Hue Sports Live
Sports Live software doesn't need a hardware connection to react to action onscreen. It uses data.
Photo: Signify

Philips Hue and its sibling smart-lighting brand WiZ both get a new feature soon that could change how you watch the World Cup this summer, parent company Signify said Thursday. Called Sports Live, the software uses real-time match data to trigger lighting effects in your home whenever key moments happen on the pitch — goals, yellow cards, red cards — with no manual input or hardware required.

“With Sports Live, we’re moving beyond the traditional screen-based sync offering, broadening the role of smart lighting in at-home sports entertainment,” said said John Smith, business leader for Connected Lighting at Signify.

“By using live match data to trigger lighting in real time, we’re creating a new level of precision and immersion in how fans experience sports at home, making every match a truly memorable occasion,” he added.

How to block ads (and other distracting things) on iPhone for free

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Image showing the Hide Distracting Items feature hiding a banner ad, with a photo of a bunch of billboards, captioned “Remove Ads on iPhone”
Simplify the web, one annoyance at a time.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Safari’s Hide Distracting Items feature lets you remove ads from your iPhone, along with other elements on the page that irritate you. It doesn’t require an ad blocker or a paid extension — Apple built it right into the browser.

Hide Distracting Items is not an ad blocker per se. But if pop-ups and other items that cover the page with no obvious close button pester you (like a cookie banner) Hide Distracting Items can come to the rescue. Here’s how to use it — keep reading or watch our video.

How AI helped 4 Swift Student Challenge winners bring great app ideas to life

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Swift Student Challenge winner apps
Left to right: Swift Student Challenge winners Yoonjae Joung, Karen-Happuch Peprah Henneh, Anton Baranov and Gayatri Goundadkar.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s 2026 Swift Student Challenge produced some of its most socially conscious code yet, with four Distinguished Winners using Apple’s developer tools — and a lot of AI assistance from Claude, among others — to build apps that address tremors, presentation anxiety, flood safety and music education. Apple showcased them in a feature story Thursday. 

Today in Apple history: Apple PR guru Katie Cotton steps down

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Katie Cotton
Katie Cotton helped control Apple's narrative in the press for years.
Photo: Apple

May 7: Today in Apple history: Apple PR guru Katie Cotton steps down May 7, 2014: Katie Cotton, the fearsome, much-admired head of Apple’s worldwide publicity machine, steps down from her vice president post after 18 years with the company.

During her stint at Apple, Cotton worked in lockstep with CEO Steve Jobs and proved instrumental in controlling the company’s portrayal in the press. Her departure provides one more reminder that the Jobs era is over at Apple.

How Apple solved the MacBook Neo shortage

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MacBook Neo demand just won't slow down
Apple will supposedly make twice as many MacBook Neos than it had earlier planned.
Photo: Apple

Apple reportedly will produce twice as many MacBook Neos as it originally planned. That will require producing more A18 Pro chips, which might force Apple to raise the price of the popular laptops.

Demand for the company’s first entry-level notebook exceeds supply because it also exceeds Apple’s prelaunch estimate of how popular the MacBook Neo would be.

This quick privacy fix tackles both active threats and old data leaks

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Surfshark opened on a mobile device
Stay secured online with Surfshark One+ with Incogni, now on sale at 81% off!
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Here’s a privacy-focused security bundle that pairs two top-notch services — Surfshark One+ and Incogni — for one low price. Snag this deal to cover real-time security threats and remove your personal data from the internet, all for just $91.99 for two years.

The best time to buy a Mac is right now

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Buying a Mac
Rising memory costs and tightening supply means you should consider buying a Mac right now.
AI image: ChatGPT

If you’ve been on the fence about buying a Mac, you might want to stop waiting. A growing DRAM and NAND shortage is about to make all kinds of computers more expensive and harder to find.

Right now, Apple is still (somewhat) ahead of that curve. But that window is closing fast. So, if you need to buy a Mac, now’s the best time to pull the trigger.

10 best computer speakers, from dirt cheap to $399

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Top budget computer speakers - Audioengine A5+ speaker setup
You can't really go wrong with Audioengine A5+ speakers, especially if you add a subwoofer.
Photo: [email protected]

Your computer monitor’s built-in speakers aren’t doing your music, movies or video calls any favors. Whether you work from home, game a lot or simply stream your favorite playlist, a good pair of desktop speakers transforms the experience for the better. The good news is that you don’t need to spend a fortune to hear a real difference. Here are my picks for top budget computer speakers under $399 (with many way under that price).

I found that the around-$300 bracket has quietly become one of the most exciting categories in consumer audio. Brands like Audioengine, Edifier, Creative and Onkyo compete fiercely. That means the quality on offer today would have cost twice as much just a few years ago.

Never pay for VPN again: Get FastestVPN on 10 devices, just $30 for life

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Save hundreds with this 10-device deal on a FastestVPN lifetime license.
Keep all your Apple devices safe with a low one-time payment.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The more devices you own, the more difficulty you will encounter in protecting your privacy from malicious actors and sanctioned snoops. This heavily discounted FastestVPN lifetime license guards up to 10 of your devices, from your MacBook to your iPhone, for just $29.99.