Apple is planning to start showing ads in the Apple Maps app this summer, and signs of ads have already shown up in the iOS 26.5 beta as Apple prepares to roll them out. Where Ads Show Up Ads will be displayed in the ‌Apple Maps‌ search interface. Depending on the search, relevant ads will be shown first in search results. Apple is also implementing a new Suggested Places feature in Maps that will show recommendations based on what's trending nearby and the user's recent searches. Suggested Places The Maps app is getting a Suggested Places feature that recommends locations to visit based on trending places that are around you and your recent Maps searches. Ads will be shown in Suggested Places. No Opt-Out Similar to ads in the App Store, there will be no option to turn off ads in ‌Apple Maps‌. Ads will be displayed for all users in the U.S. and Canada. Countries Ads will be shown in ‌Apple Maps‌ in the United States and Canada first, and could expand to other countries in the future. Platforms Ads will be displayed in the Maps app on iPhone and iPad. What Ads Look Like Apple says that ads in Maps will be clearly marked as ads with an "Ad" label, similar to how ads show up in the ‌App Store‌ search results. Businesses will be able to bid for ad placement, which is how ads in the ‌App Store‌ work. The highest bidder for a given term will have their ad shown in the app. Privacy Your location and ads that you see and interact with in the Maps app are not associated with your Apple Account, and the data is not shared with third parties. Beta Testing Apple is laying the groundwork for Maps ads in the iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5 betas. There's an ads splash screen in the Maps app along with underlying ad code, but ads are not yet live. Launch Date Apple only said "summer" for the ads launch. "Summer" in the Northern Hemisphere starts on June 21 and ends on September 22. iOS 26.5 is likely to launch in late May or early June, and it's possible ads will be tied to the update.Tag: Apple MapsThis article, "Ads Are Coming to Apple Maps This Summer: Here's What to Expect" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

X today launched XChat, a standalone messaging app for the iPhone and iPad, available now on the App Store. XChat allows users to chat with anyone on X in a private, focused space separate from the main X app. At launch, the app supports direct messaging and group chats, audio and video calls, and file sharing. X claims all messages are end-to-end encrypted and PIN protected, with no ads or tracking. Other features include disappearing messages, the ability to edit and delete messages for everyone in a chat, and a mechanism to block or alert users when a screenshot is attempted. The app is free to download and requires iOS 26.0 or later. Chat with anyone on X.Completely private.Now on your home screen.Download for iOS: https://t.co/wBBfjJyJmu pic.twitter.com/u0QeGs1Z3D— XChat (@chat) April 24, 2026 The app has been in testing with a small group of beta users since last year. X says more updates are still planned, with X lead designer Benji Taylor teasing that XChat is "just the beginning of what we're building for messaging." Unlike the main X app, XChat adopts iOS 26 design conventions, including the ‌iOS 26‌ keyboard. The app offers several customization options, including light and dark modes, message permissions, left-swipe interaction settings, and a selection of app icon options. There is also a prominent button within XChat for jumping back to the main X app. XChat can now be downloaded from the App Store in the United States. A release date for an Android version of the app has not yet been announced.Tag: TwitterThis article, "XChat App Now Available" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

Windows users will no longer be forced to run automatic updates in the middle of a game or a busy day. Microsoft is rolling out some long-awaited changes to Windows Update to users on its Dev and Experimental Windows Insider channels, including the ability to indefinitely delay updates up to 35 days at a time. Last month, Microsoft announced a slew of upcoming changes to improve Windows 11 and address some of users' most common complaints about the platform. Chief among the company's planned fixes was making updates less disruptive. In its blog post on Friday, Microsoft says you'll be able to "extend the pause end date as many times as you … Read the full story at The Verge.

Welcome to episode 97 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Damien and Will are joined by Andrew Romero to talk through a couple of Pixel hardware leaks coming out of Android 17 Beta 4. First, they discuss the growing possibility of a Pixel Laptop, and wonder what Google needs to do to succeed in an ever-competitive space. Then they turn to “Pixel Glow,” a mysterious new notification light system seemingly on the way for Pixel 11. Sponsored by Proton Unlimited: Pixelated listeners can save 30% on an annual subscription to the company’s suite of privacy-friendly services by signing up using our link. Thanks to Proton Unlimited for sponsoring the podcast. more…

Apple's standard iPhone 18 could feature 12GB of memory for the first time, according to analyst Dan Nystedt. In a new post on X, Nystedt said that the standard ‌iPhone 18‌ will match the 12GB of RAM Apple gave the iPhone 17 Pro and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max last September. It would mark the first time the entry-level iPhone model has shipped with that much memory. This rumor making the rounds again, add 12GB of RAM. https://t.co/vP14mEn5le— Dan Nystedt (@dnystedt) April 24, 2026 Nystedt also flagged an earlier rumor claiming that Apple has secured TSMC's first 2nm chip production run for the A20 chip set to power the ‌iPhone 18‌ lineup. According to that report, TSMC's 2nm process delivers 15% better computing performance than 3nm, with no loss in power efficiency. The iPhone 17 series uses TSMC's N3P ‌3nm‌ node. The jump to 12GB of RAM on the base model is likely tied to Apple Intelligence. Apple is expected to introduce expanded AI features with iOS 27, which the company is set to announce at WWDC on June 8. On-device AI workloads are memory-intensive, and keeping the entry-level iPhone capable of running ‌Apple Intelligence‌ in full would give Apple reason to push the standard model's memory up to par with last year's Pro tier. The ‌iPhone 18‌ is not expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro this fall. Apple is reportedly planning to delay the standard model until early 2027, alongside the iPhone 18e and a second-generation iPhone Air, while the Pro models and the long-anticipated foldable iPhone will ship in the usual fall time frame.Related Roundup: iPhone 18Related Forum: iPhoneThis article, "iPhone 18 Could Come With 12GB of RAM" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

Alex Jones is onto something. | Photo by Joe Buglewicz / Getty Images Alex Jones may soon lose Infowars, the digital perch that he's used for decades to traffic in conspiracy theories, to The Onion, the satirical newspaper. But not before he's uncovered something truly dastardly: comedian Tim Heidecker's past (publicly available) work. "The Onion newspaper has been rocked by the discovery that their new creative director, produced pro pedo/child kidnapping, torture and murder programs," Jones wrote on X on Friday. "Below is an actual mug shot of the creep.." he continued. Included in the post is a fake mugshot of Heidecker taken from a 2017 Adult Swim courtroom series, in which he's standing trial for 20 coun … Read the full story at The Verge.

Article URL: https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/24/google-to-invest-up-to-40b-in-anthropic-in-cash-and-compute/ Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47895080 Points: 109 # Comments: 61

In a handy new tweak rolling out now, Google Maps now shows more prominent street labels on Android Auto. more…

Following Paramount Skydance's move to launch an investigation into how its upcoming Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender animated feature leaked onto the internet, a suspect has been taken into custody by police. The Straits Times reports Singaporean police have arrested a 26-year-old man who is alleged to have uploaded the new Avatar movie (previously titled The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender) online after accessing a server where the project was being held ahead of its scheduled October 9th premiere on Paramount Plus. According to the authorities, a copy of the entire movie was found on the suspect's electronic devices. If he is ultimatel … Read the full story at The Verge.

Websites for some of the world’s most prestigious universities are serving explicit porn and malicious content after scammers exploited the shoddy record-keeping of the site administrators, a researcher found recently. The sites included berkeley.edu, columbia.edu, and washu.edu, the official domains for the University of California, Berkeley, Columbia University, and Washington University in St. Louis. Subdomains such as hXXps://causal.stat.berkeley.edu/ymy/video/xxx-porn-girl-and-boy-ej5210.html, hXXps://conversion-dev.svc.cul.columbia[.]edu/brazzers-gym-porn, and hXXps://provost.washu.edu/app/uploads/formidable/6/dmkcsex-10.pdf. All deliver explicit pornography and, in at least one case, a scam site falsely claiming a visitor’s computer is infected and advising the visitor to pay a fee for the non-existent malware to be removed. In all, researcher Alex Shakhov said, hundreds of subdomains for at least 34 universities are being abused. Search results returned by Google list thousands of hijacked pages. A handful of hijacked columbia.edu subdomains listed by Google One of the sites redirected by a UC Berkeley subdomain. Hijacking a university's good name Shakhov, a researcher at SH Consulting, said that the scammers—which a separate researcher has linked to a known group tracked as Hazy Hawk—are seizing on what amounts to a clerical error by site administrators of the affected universities. When they commission a subdomain such as provost.washu.edu, they create a CNAME record, which assigns a URL to the IP address hosting the subdomain. When the subdomain is eventually decommissioned—something that happens frequently for various reasons—the record is never removed. Scammers like Hazy Hawk then swoop in by registering the expired domain name at the base of the old URL.Read full article Comments

Wisconsin has filed a civil complaint in Dane County Circuit Court accusing Kalshi, Robinhood, and Coinbase, along with affiliated subsidiaries, of operating what it describes as illegal sports betting through prediction markets and event contracts under state law. The complaint opens by reaffirming the state’s gambling restrictions, stating: “Sports betting has long been illegal in Wisconsin, with exceptions only for certain Native American tribal gaming operations.” It further alleges coordinated conduct among the companies: “Yet three companies—Kalshi, Robinhood, and Coinbase—are working together to facilitate illegal sports betting throughout the state.” State alleges disguised sports wagering through “event contracts” Wisconsin argues the platforms are effectively enabling sports wagering while rebranding it as financial trading. The complaint states: “Through their so-called ‘prediction markets,’ Kalshi, Robinhood, and Coinbase profit from Wisconsin residents placing bets on the outcome of sporting events, just like how ordinary casino sportsbooks profit from the bets people make there.” The filing contends that the underlying structure mirrors traditional gambling products despite its financial-market framing. College basketball betting used as key example As part of its argument, Wisconsin cites specific examples from college athletics betting activity. The complaint notes: For instance, Wisconsinites could use these companies’ services to place all kinds of bets on the recent NCAA college basketball tournament, including who would win the Final Four matchup between the University of Michigan and the University of Arizona, which team would cover the point spread, and even which team would first score ten points.” The state argues these offerings demonstrate that the platforms are functionally indistinguishable from sportsbook-style wagering. Allegation of “casino-style” mechanics behind trading language The complaint also focuses on how the platforms generate revenue, stating: “And for every bet made, these companies collect a fee akin to a casino’s rake at a poker table.” Wisconsin argues that this fee structure reinforces its claim that the companies are operating gambling services rather than neutral financial marketplaces. The filing further claims the companies use financial terminology to mask gambling mechanics. It states: “Kalshi, Robinhood, and Coinbase use a fig leaf to disguise the casino-style sports betting they facilitate in Wisconsin.” “They relabel their sports bets as ‘event contracts,’ meaning contracts traded between buyers and sellers at agreed-upon prices that mimic the odds of a sports-related outcome.” Pricing structure tied to implied probabilities Wisconsin also details how contract pricing reflects real-time probability estimates. “As of April 3, 2026, traders could buy contracts taking the position that the University of Michigan would win its Final Four matchup with the University of Arizona for around $0.53, which reflected a roughly 53% projected chance of Michigan winning.” It adds that payouts function in binary fashion: winning positions pay $1 per contract, while losing positions expire worthless, mirroring traditional betting outcomes. Broader legal pressure on prediction markets Separately, prediction market operators are facing increasing regulatory scrutiny across multiple jurisdictions. In New York, regulators and prosecutors have pursued actions involving Coinbase and Gemini over compliance and consumer protection concerns tied to trading products. Kalshi is also engaged in ongoing litigation, including an injunction request in Montana seeking to block state-level restrictions on its contracts, while an Arizona court is handling procedural disputes in a separate challenge involving the classification of event contracts. Wisconsin seeks injunction and legal classification Wisconsin is asking the court to halt the companies from offering sports-related event contracts within the

The Friday afternoon collection of Android game and app price drops has now arrived, featuring titles like Lia: Hacking Destiny, Ash of Gods: Redemption, Boxville 2, Guardian War: Ultimate Edition, Outliver: Tribulation, and more. On your way down scope out the up to $110 discount on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+, these new TCL mini-LED and RGB Google TVs with giant launch deals, and Google Pixel 10 Pro/XL at up to $456 off.  more…

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have accused a U.S. Army soldier of turning secret military knowledge into a lucrative betting scheme, saying he pocketed more than $400,000 by wagering on a classified operation. According to court filings, Van Dyke was stationed at Fort Bragg and had access to classified planning materials related to the operation, which aimed to capture Maduro. He had signed agreements explicitly barring him from disclosing or using that information. Bets on Maduro’s capture Prosecutors say he created a Polymarket account in late December 2025 and placed around 13 bets. Each wager backed outcomes tied to U.S. military involvement in Venezuela and Maduro’s removal from power. In total, authorities say he staked about $33,000, consistently betting “YES” on those scenarios. Events unfolded quickly. In the early hours of Jan. 3, 2026, U.S. special forces captured Maduro in Caracas. Once the operation became public, the prediction markets resolved in Van Dyke’s favor, bringing him roughly $409,881, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors: “Clear Insider Trading” Prediction markets are not a haven for using misappropriated confidential or classified information for personal gain,” Clayton said, calling the alleged conduct a direct breach of federal trust and national security obligations. Prosecutors argue that Van Dyke’s actions meet the definition of insider trading in substance, if not in traditional market form, because they relied on nonpublic military intelligence to generate profit. They say the trades were not based on analysis or speculation, but on advance knowledge of a real-world classified operation’s timing and outcome. Alleged attempts to conceal funds According to court filings, Van Dyke allegedly took steps to obscure the source and movement of his winnings shortly after the operation became public. Prosecutors say he transferred funds through cryptocurrency channels designed to mask transaction history, including routing assets through a foreign-based digital wallet service before moving them into a brokerage account. Authorities also allege he attempted to delete or deactivate his Polymarket account and modified related crypto account details in an effort to disrupt the financial trail. Blanche underscored the government’s position on misuse of classified access, stating that service members are entrusted with sensitive intelligence solely to execute missions, not to derive personal financial benefit from it. Growing Scrutiny of Prediction Markets The case arrives amid increasing scrutiny of prediction markets and event-based trading platforms. Regulators and lawmakers have raised concerns about insider access to politically or militarily sensitive information being used for profit. In a separate case, political candidates have also faced penalties tied to trading on election-related contracts, underscoring broader concerns about market integrity. FBI, DOJ response and potential sentencing “Today’s announcement makes clear no one is above the law,” Patel said, adding that the FBI would act to protect national security and classified information. If convicted, Van Dyke faces up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud count, along with additional penalties on related charges. Prosecutors say sentencing would ultimately be determined by a judge. Featured image: Wesley Tingey/Unsplash The post U.S. soldier accused of using classified intel in $400K betting scheme appeared first on ReadWrite.

GPT-5.5 - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47879092 - April 2026 (1010 comments) Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47894000 Points: 141 # Comments: 82

Anthropic this week announced that Claude is adding integration with a ton of third-party services including Spotify, Uber, Resy, and others. more…

Google today teased an upcoming redesign of the “Fitbit Community” and “Google Home & Nest Community.” more…

Laptops powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 chipsets are starting to hit the market, but Samsung’s Galaxy Book 6 Edge has just leaked with a major change – it’ll no longer be available in a smaller size. more…

Apple's first foldable iPhone, dubbed the "iPhone Ultra," could be missing at least five key features present on the iPhone 18 Pro models despite its $2,000 price point. Recent images of dummy models shared by Sonny Dickson and Vadim Yuryev seem to reveal two previously undiscussed missing features of the ‌iPhone Ultra‌: MagSafe and the Action Button. iPhone dummy units are intended to take the place of real devices for testing purposes, particularly for accessory manufacturers, who seek to mass produce items such as cases prior to the announcement of new devices, which necessitates a high level of accuracy and manufacturing precision. Both sets of dummy models show that the volume buttons will be located on the top edge of the device, aligned to the right, similar to the iPad mini. This aspect was first rumored by Weibo leaker "Instant Digital," who said that the motherboard is apparently located on the right side of the device. As to not run cables across the screen to the left side for the volume buttons (where they are located on all other iPhone models), Apple is said to have decided to run them directly upwards, which maximizes internal space. Image via Vadim Yuryev. While a power button and volume buttons in their new location are clearly visible on the dummy models, the Action button is curiously missing. This suggests that the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ will be the first iPhone model with no Action button or silent switch. Apple introduced the Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro as a replacement for the silent switch, and it has since come to every available iPhone model. The images of the foldable iPhone dummy models shared so far have been shown alongside mock ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max units. These dupes for the high-end models, like most dummies, clearly show precise indentations for the internal array of ‌MagSafe‌ magnets to help manufacturers obtain correct alignment with their accessories. Image via Vadim Yuryev. Crucially, these indentations are absent on the foldable iPhone dummies, suggesting that the device may not have ‌MagSafe‌. This aspect remains speculative, but at 4.5mm, the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ is expected to be Apple's thinnest iPhone to date by a considerable margin, so it is not implausible that it could be too thin for ‌MagSafe‌. The ‌iPhone Ultra‌ is believed to be too thin to accommodate Apple's TrueDepth camera array, which is required for Face ID authentication and now located in the Dynamic Island. As a result, Apple is expected to revert to Touch ID on the device. The last iPhone to feature ‌Touch ID‌ was 2022's iPhone SE 3, where it was part of the device's budget offering. The last flagship iPhone with ‌Touch ID‌ was 2016's iPhone 7, so the return of ‌Touch ID‌ as the sole method of authentication on what will be the highest-end iPhone will be unprecedented. Image via Sonny Dickson. As visible on the dummy models, which corroborate a multitude rumors, the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ is expected to sport only two rear cameras. These are expected to be wide and ultra wide cameras, just like the iPhone 17. Unlike the Pro iPhones, there will be no third camera with telephoto capabilities. Previous rumors indicate that the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ will also not have a SIM card slot, again just like the iPhone Air, being compatible with eSIM only. As a result, the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ could be missing the following features: ‌Face ID‌/TrueDepth camera array Telephoto camera/third rear camera ‌MagSafe‌ Action Button Physical SIM card slot The ‌iPhone Air‌ lacks Ultra Wide and Telephoto rear cameras, a SIM card slot, and stereo speakers. With a super-thin design, a titanium frame, and a glass back, the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ is expected to be very similar to the ‌iPhone Air‌ in terms of design, and it is possible that similar feature concessions will be present on the device when it launches later this year. There are no indications that the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ will be missing stereo speakers, but it is n

While the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro were just updated with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips last month, bigger changes are reportedly around the corner. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the higher-end MacBook Pro models will be receiving a major redesign by early 2027, and he said that Apple might use "MacBook Ultra" branding for them. If so, the MacBook Ultra would likely be a higher-priced model at the top of the MacBook lineup, sitting above the MacBook Pro entirely. Up to six new features have been rumored so far, including an OLED display, touch capabilities, a Dynamic Island, M6 Pro and M6 Max chips manufactured with TSMC's advanced 2nm process, a thinner design, and built-in cellular connectivity. The exact launch timing remains to be seen, but Gurman recently said that early 2027 is now looking more likely than late 2026 due to the global memory chip shortage. Apple's supply of RAM is constrained, which might push back the launch. Keep in mind that the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M6 chip is not expected to receive many of the changes listed below. Apple last redesigned the MacBook Pro in 2021, when the M1 Pro and M1 Max models launched, so the MacBook Ultra would represent the first major redesign in at least five years and is a model that many customers are holding out for. Below, we recap rumored MacBook Ultra features. OLED Display Regardless of whether Apple uses MacBook Pro or MacBook Ultra branding, it is widely expected that these will be the first MacBooks with OLED displays. The current MacBook Pro models are equipped with LCD displays with mini-LED backlighting. The move to OLED technology would result in improved image quality, thanks to richer colors and higher contrast ratio with true blacks. All of the iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad Pro models that Apple sells today are already equipped with OLED displays, excluding refurbished models. Touch Screen Not only will the MacBook Ultra be moving to OLED, but the display will apparently have touch-screen capabilities too. This functionality would allow Mac users to use both their fingers and a keyboard and mouse/trackpad for input. Steve Jobs said that a touch-screen Mac would cause arm fatigue, but he made that comment a long time ago, and Apple does reverse course from time to time. Dynamic Island Yet another display-related change rumored for the MacBook Ultra is a hole-punch camera, and this will pave the way for a Dynamic Island instead of a notch. With a Dynamic Island, the MacBook Ultra would be another step towards a truly edge-to-edge display with thin bezels. Like on the iPhone, the Dynamic Island would display things such as low battery life alerts and AirPods connection indicators in the area surrounding the camera at the top-center part of the screen. M6 Pro and M6 Max Chips This one is obvious, but the MacBook Ultra is expected to be powered by Apple's next-generation M6 Pro and M6 Max chips. Notably, these chips are expected to be manufactured with TSMC's advanced 2nm process, which should result in greater year-over-year performance and efficiency gains than usual. The current M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are built with TSMC's third-generation 3nm process. Thinner Design MacBook Ultra is expected to have a thinner design compared to the MacBook Pro. The move from LCD with mini-LED backlighting to OLED would contribute to the thinner design, and there could be other changes that help to slim things down. As of now, there has been no indication that Apple plans to once again remove ports like HDMI, MagSafe, or the SD card slot in order to achieve this thinner design, but we shall see. That was a very unpopular decision the last time it happened. Cellular Macs can already connect to a cellular network via the Personal Hotspot feature on a nearby iPhone or iPad, but Apple has reportedly at least considered built-in cellular connectivity for future Macs. If these plans moved forward, the MacBook U

It’s not quite the color-changing car that’s been teased, but BMW’s new BMW iX3 Flow Edition brings us closer. | Image: BMW At CES 2022, BMW debuted its BMW iX Flow concept car that could dynamically change its appearance using the same grayscale E Ink panels found in e-readers like the Kindle. It was followed by the BMW i Vision Dee concept and the BMW i5 Flow Nostokana that were both upgraded with color E Ink panels. Its latest concept, the BMW iX3 Flow Edition announced at the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, might look slightly less ambitious but it takes a new approach, pushing color-changing cars closer to actual production. BMW's previous concepts wrapped the entire vehicle in a patchwork of E Ink panels that were all custom-sized and shaped to match its contours. … Read the full story at The Verge.