Apple News 8 Hours

Last updated: August 21, 2026, 10:34 AM ET

Walmart Ends Its Apple Pay Boycott

Walmart will finally begin rolling out Apple Pay support across its stores next week, ending a standoff with Apple's payment platform that stretched more than a decade despite steady pressure from shoppers. The reversal brings the country's largest retailer into line with competitors that embraced tap-to-pay years ago.

Camera Air Pods Emerge From the Code

Details of Apple's long-rumored camera-equipped AirPods keep surfacing, with code in the latest mac OS Tahoe build revealing image capture resolution, a dedicated status light, and built-in person detection. A companion report explains how the earbuds will detect people in frame and flash a warning light whenever image capture begins, an apparent bid to defuse the privacy debate surrounding head-mounted cameras. The leak anchors the newest AppleInsider Podcast episode, which also digs into upcoming Apple Maps ads and the state of Siri's AI overhaul. Listeners pressed for time can grab the same rundown from 9to5Mac Daily.

Ireland Windfall, Global Gains

Apple paid $17bn in taxes to Ireland last year, a figure equal to 40% of its $43bn worldwide tax total, according to Financial Times data. Meanwhile, new Counterpoint Research numbers show the company gaining ground in India, Latin America, and Europe even as all three regional smartphone markets contracted, underscoring Apple's resilience against a broader industry downturn.

Vision Group Takes a Hit

Apple has laid off roughly 60 employees from its Vision Products Group, with reporting describing the purge as eliminating "an entire team dedicated to VR development" and signaling continued slow progress for the headset business.

Chat GPT Wants Your Texts

The latest version of ChatGPT can now read a Mac user's entire Messages history and compose texts on their behalf, a capability Apple Insider likens to handing OpenAI your house keys. Anyone serious about privacy should think twice before granting a third-party assistant that level of access.

Deals and Second Lives

On the shopping front, Amazon has slashed LG's 27-inch Ultra Gear OLED gaming monitor to $467.97, the lowest price ever recorded for the display while supplies last. For shooters, a 9to5Mac photo diary argues the iPhone remains the best camera precisely because it is the one always in your pocket, doubling as a capable B-roll rig. And if an upgrade is looming, a practical guide lays out when to reuse, sell, or recycle an older iPhone or iPad, cautioning that the wrong second act can turn aging software into a security risk.