Apple has introduced the second-generation AirTag with improved range, a louder speaker, and Apple Watch support. The new AirTag also prompted iOS 26.2.1, iPadOS 26.2.1, and watchOS 26.2.1, which Apple shipped alongside certificate-extending updates to iOS 12 through iOS 18 that you should install before January 2027. In other Apple news, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple plans to replace Siri’s command parser with a Gemini-based LLM in iOS 26.4 and incorporate a full chatbot experience into iOS 27. How many subscriptions do you pay for, and what do they cost? We’ve built a five-question poll to find out, but you’ll need to audit your recurring payments, so we share tips for tracking them down. Finally, we link to Seth Godin’s reflection on the “unreasonable standards” that made the original Mac great. Notable Mac app releases this week include 1Password 8.12, Acorn 8.4, Parallels Desktop 26.2.1, and Tinderbox 11.5.2.
Apple’s second-generation AirTag arrives with a new Ultra Wideband chip that extends Precision Finding range by 50%, a speaker that’s 50% louder, and Precision Finding support on the Apple Watch Series 9 or later.
The new AirTag needs new software—no surprise there. More interesting are the updates Apple pushed to iOS versions dating back to iOS 12, extending certificates that would otherwise expire in January 2027.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple will update Siri with a Google-based language model in iOS 26.4 this spring, then unveil a true chatbot interface in OS 27 at WWDC in June.
Subscriptions have become an inescapable part of digital life, but how many do you pay for? Take our five-question poll to audit your subscriptions, tally your spending, and see how you compare with other TidBITS readers.
Watchlist
Password manager adds Dark mode and clear icons for macOS 26 Tahoe. ($47.88 annual subscription, free update, 4.8 MB, macOS 12+)
Brings a couple of handy editing improvements to the image editor. ($29.99 new, free update, 87.4 MB, macOS 14+)
Maintenance update for the virtualization software focused on Windows-related bug fixes. ($99.99 Standard Edition, free update, 5.4 MB, macOS 13+)
Note-taking assistant integrates AI, supports Readwise.io, and improves load times for large projects. ($289 new, free update, 37.3 MB, macOS 11+)
