Over the past few years, Apple has been building its devices’ gaming reputations, with Mac gaming finally taking off and the iPhone becoming an incredibly popular handheld for gamers of all stripes. Now, it looks like the company could be taking things a step further with an all-new app that would work as a kind of gaming App Store.

According to “reliable sources familiar with the matter” cited by 9to5Mac, Apple plans to launch a new app that “combines functionality from the App Store and Game Center in one place.” This could let you download games, discover new titles, message your friends in-game, and more.

The report from 9to5Mac states that the app will have a “Play Now” tab with “editorial content and game suggestions” from both the App Store and Apple Arcade. The new app will house challenges, leaderboards, achievements and information about upcoming gaming events, and would also integrate with your existing Game Center profile. Developers may even be able to distribute mini games using App Clips.

The article compares Apple’s gaming app to Microsoft’s Xbox app for iPhone, which lets you set a status, see your friends’ activities, find new games and browse your game library. The idea is that it could become a gaming hub that integrates features found in several other apps from Apple.

A new Discord rival?

One of the more interesting features mentioned by 9to5Mac is one that might end up rivaling the Discord chat and calling app, which is very popular with gamers. The report states that Apple is “experimenting with some kind of integration with FaceTime and iMessage in its new gaming app – possibly to help players communicate with each other.”

Apple has tried various gaming strategies in the past, with the most prominent being Apple Arcade. This subscription service lets you pay $6.99 / £6.99 / AU$9.99 a month to gain access to a large library of ad-free games that work across multiple Apple devices.

Yet despite its promising premise, Apple Arcade has never really taken off or attracted AAA titles to its roster. That’s possibly because all of its games must work across a range of Apple products, from the iPhone to the Mac. Without being able to optimize for Apple’s more powerful systems, games are inevitably constrained in what they can do, which isn’t great news for Mac gamers.

It sounds like the gaming app unearthed by 9to5Mac would be a different beast, though. Offering a native way to communicate with other gamers might be the ace up its sleeve, but whether it will be able to convince people to ditch the incredibly popular Discord app is another matter.

It’s not clear if this app will be limited to the iPhone or brought to other devices like the Mac as well. However, 9to5Mac says it’s unknown whether Apple will release it as part of a future iOS 18 update or save it for iOS 19, suggesting it will come to Apple’s mobile devices at the very least. Whatever the case, it could help to strengthen Apple’s position as a company that takes gaming increasingly seriously.

You might also like

• iOS 18 finally brings in a gaming upgrade for iPhones that Android phones have had for years
• Turns out, people don’t really want console games on iPhone – but I think that misses the point
• I've demoed plenty of games on Apple devices – here's why I believe the future of Mac gaming has never been brighter

The still rumored iPhone 17 Pro Max will almost certainly be one of the biggest and best phones of 2025, headlining the iPhone 17 line – which will also probably include the iPhone 17 itself, the iPhone 17 Pro, and a new iPhone 17 Air or iPhone 17 Slim model.

That final phone may steal much of the attention, but it’s the iPhone 17 Pro Max that will probably have the most impressive specs.

And while we’re not expecting it to land until September, leaks and rumors are already emerging – all of which you’ll find below.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? The next top-end iPhone
• When is it out? Probably September 2025
• How much will it cost? Likely upwards of $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149

Look out for it in September

• Likely to launch in the first half of September
• Will probably cost at least $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149

The iPhone 17 Pro Max – along with the rest of the iPhone 17 series – will probably be announced in September of 2025.

While there’s no news yet on that front, Apple almost without exception launches its new phones in the first half of September, so we can be quite confident of that much.

Prior to the iPhone 16 series Apple also usually announced the phones on a Tuesday or Wednesday, but with the iPhone 16 it went with a Monday instead, so we can’t be quite as confident of the exact day as in previous years.

Still, the second week of September is the most likely based on past form, meaning likely Monday September 8, Tuesday September 9, or Wednesday September 10. The Thursday or Friday is also possible, but those aren’t days we usually see Apple go for.

Either way, pre-orders for the iPhone 17 Pro Max will most likely start on the Friday of the announcement week, so our best guess for that is Friday, September 12 – though a week earlier on Friday, September 5 is also possible. And the phone will likely ship on the following Friday – meaning probably September 19 but possibly September 12.

We haven’t heard anything about the iPhone 17 Pro Max price either and that’s a bit harder to predict, since we don’t know whether Apple will raise the price from the iPhone 16 Pro Max or not. For reference, the iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149, so it’s likely that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will cost at least that much.

Can you trust these rumors?

So far there aren't any price or release date leaks yet, so it's all just educated guesses, but we'd be surprised if this phone wasn't announced in September.

One button replacing three

• Could combine the volume and Action buttons into one key
• May be sold in a Teal Titanium shade
• Likely to once again have a 6.9-inch screen

So far we’re not expecting drastic design changes, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max might at least gain a new button – or perhaps more accurately lose some buttons, as one report suggests it will have a single key that replaces the two volume buttons and the Action button.

Details on this button are light, but if it emerges, we’d imagine it might sport a similar design to the Camera Control key, so you can swipe across it to change the volume, or press it to trigger a custom action.

Also on the design front, one source claims that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will be available in one of the three colors pictured below. These, from left to right, are apparently dubbed Dark Green Titanium, Teal Titanium, and Green Titanium. And apparently all three are being considered, but only one would be used if any, with the source speculating that Teal Titanium is the most likely.

We’ve also heard that Apple could hide the Face ID components under the screen in the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which might allow for a smaller Dynamic Island, though a smaller Dynamic Island could instead be achieved through using a new ‘metalens’ technology for the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s proximity sensor.

The source of the metalens claim also says that unsurprisingly the iPhone 17 Pro Max will have a titanium frame, just like the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

The same source also says to once again expect a 6.9-inch screen, and we’ve elsewhere heard that the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s display might use a type of glass that’s less reflective and more resistant to scratches.

Can you trust these rumors?

So far only one source has mentioned a new button, so we'd take this with a pinch of salt, especially as the Action button is a recent addition, so it would be strange to remove it already. A smaller Dynamic Island is possible, and has leaked multiple times, but it's more likely to be achieved through a new proximity sensor design than under-display Face ID.

A new telephoto camera

• Could have a new 48MP telephoto camera
• The front-facing camera might be boosted to 24MP

We’ve heard quite consistent tips about the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s cameras, with the most exciting claim being that the telephoto will have a new 48MP sensor, up from 12MP on the current model. We’ve heard this claim of a 48MP telephoto camera for the iPhone 17 Pro Max from multiple sources, so this is very likely accurate.

However, this snapper will probably still offer 5x optical zoom, and it might be the only rear camera that’s getting a significant upgrade – meaning 48MP main and ultra-wide cameras could make a return.

The front-facing camera might also be improved though, with one of the same sources saying the iPhone 17 Pro Max will have a 24MP selfie camera, up from 12MP currently.

And in more surprising news, one source has claimed that the iPhone 17 Pro Max could have a mechanical aperture, allowing you to adjust the aperture, changing the depth of field in the process.

Can you trust these rumors? 

Numerous sources have mentioned a 48MP telephoto camera, so that much is very likely. The 24MP selfie camera hasn't been leaked as much, so we'd take that with a pinch of salt, but the claim comes from a credible source.

As for a mechanical aperture, we're skeptical of this, as it sounds like a major yet niche upgrade, but it's always possible.

A powerful chipset and loads of RAM

• A powerful A19 Pro chipset
• 12GB of RAM

The iPhone 17 Pro Max will almost certainly have an A19 Pro chipset – after all, the current model has an A18 Pro. Multiple sources have mentioned an A19 Pro chipset, and they’ve also said that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will have 12GB of RAM, up from 8GB in the current model.

That could be a major boon to its AI capabilities. Though there’s some debate over whether both iPhone 17 Pro models will get 12GB of RAM or whether this RAM upgrade will just be for the Pro Max.

We haven’t heard anything about the battery yet, but reportedly the iPhone 17 Pro Max could have a thinner and lighter motherboard than the current model, which in turn might leave space for a larger battery.

Can you trust these rumors? 

The iPhone 17 Pro Max will almost certainly have an A19 Pro chipset based on past form, and we'd say an increase to 12GB of RAM is very believable too, since it could help with AI.

You might also like

• Best iPhone: which Apple smartphone reigns supreme?
• iPhone 16 Pro Max review: a beautiful, intelligent beast
• iPhone 17: latest news and rumors for every expected model

The iPhone 16 Pro is barely a month old, but we're already seeing some credible rumors for next year's successor – and the latest camera speculation for the iPhone 17 Pro has got me considering delaying my iPhone upgrade.

According to a research note from the usually reliable analyst Jeff Pu (via MacRumors), both the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max will see their 5x telephoto camera upgraded from a 12MP sensor to a 48MP one. Less excitingly (for me, at least), the front camera will also be boosted to a 24MP sensor.

The note contains other predictions for Apple's next flagship phone – both models will apparently get 12GB RAM (up from 8GB) to improve Apple Intelligence and multitasking speeds, plus a first major reduction in size for the Dynamic Island (thanks to a new metalens for the Face ID system). Naturally, there will also be a new A19 Pro chip.

But as a photographer who's close to upgrading to the iPhone 16 Pro, those telephoto rumors for the 17 Pro have given me pause for thought. I've previously written about why I skipped the iPhone 15 Pro, with the main reason being my golden rule to wait until any new Apple feature reaches second-generation refinement.

This year, the iPhone 16 Pro brought Apple's 5x telephoto camera to the smaller Pro model (it was previously a Max exclusive), but it is largely identical to last year with an f/2.8 aperture and 12MP sensor. That 'zoom' camera will reach real maturity, it seems, in the 17 Pro series with the same 48MP boost that Apple brought to the iPhone Pro's wide-angle camera this year – and that could be worth waiting for.

Why a telephoto upgrade would be a big deal

Apple left one of the iPhone 16 Pro's three cameras with a 12MP resolution – the telephoto one. The main camera is a 24mm, 48MP affair with a bright f/1.78 aperture, while the 13mm Ultra Wide was upgraded to 48MP. While the Ultra Wide doesn't pack the same computational 'Fusion' magic as the main camera, the resolution is still a helpful upgrade for things like macro shots.

Sensor size is at least as important as resolution, if not more so. But a higher-resolution 48MP sensor can help reduce noise through 'binning' – in other words, combining adjacent pixels to make larger ones that are more sensitive to light. Technical improvements like that are particularly helpful when light is being bounced around an internal tetraprism, like it is on the telephoto lens.

If the iPhone 17 Pro's telephoto camera combined a resolution boost with a larger sensor, its image quality would be much-improved. While our iPhone 16 Pro review found its 5x camera to be perfectly solid, it is still the weakest sibling of the phone's three hardware-based cameras – and one I'd probably only use in emergencies or as a handy pair of digital binoculars.

Of course, waiting for Apple to give the iPhone Pro series a 'perfect' photography setup – three 48MP cameras with large sensors and 'Fusion' processing – is a fool's game. Apple is a master of bread-crumbing these little camera upgrades just enough to keep you on the upgrade cycle. I will most likely still succumb to the temptation of an iPhone 16 Pro upgrade, but these rumors mean it's certainly tempting to wait one more year.

You might also like...

• You’re not alone – many users are reporting iPhone 16 battery life issues on iOS 18
• This stunning, transparent iPhone 16 Pro make us wish Apple was more of a risk-taker
• Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max review: a beautiful, intelligent beast

We don't usually have long to wait between the launch of one iPhone series and some major leaks about the next one, and so it is with the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 17 – with key details of the 2025 iPhones now out in the wild.

According to well-respected Apple analyst Jeff Pu (via 9to5Mac), the iPhone 17 Air (or iPhone 17 Slim) – expected to replace the iPhone 16 Plus – is going to come with a 6.6-inch display, an A19 chip made by Apple, and 8GB of RAM.

Those specs will of course be enough to run Apple Intelligence. The phone is also said to be coming with a single 24MP camera on the front and a single 48MP camera on the back – even though the iPhone 16 Plus has a dual-camera rear setup.

If this is the first you're hearing about the iPhone 17 Air, the rumored new entry in the iPhone series is expected to be noticeably slimmer than the others, as Apple aims to boost sales of all four handsets in the range.

Here's what may be coming

There are also details of the other iPhone 17 models from Pu. He says we can expect the iPhone 17 specs to match the iPhone 17 Air, while the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will get an A19 Pro chip and 12GB of RAM for even better performance.

These predictions match up pretty well with what we've heard so far, though some sources are saying the 12GB of RAM will be exclusive to the iPhone 17 Pro Max – possibly due to issues with supply and production.

This is far from the first iPhone 17 leak we've seen of course: we've previously heard about some of the colors that could be coming to the series, as well as another change in the button configuration, and some display upgrades too.

Next year might even be the year we get to see the first foldable iPhone – though we'd say there's much less chance of that than there is of an iPhone 17 Air. The new iPhone 17 series will most probably be arriving in September 2025.

You might also like

• The best iPhones you can buy
• Our full iPhone 16 review
• 5 new iOS 18.1 features to expect

If you’ve noticed excessive battery drain from your iPhone lately then you’re not alone. There are numerous reports of this issue across the internet, with the vast majority of complaints relating to phones in the iPhone 16 family on iOS 18.

As spotted by MacRumors, there are lengthy threads on Reddit, the Apple Support Community, and elsewhere complaining about massive battery drain, in many cases even when the phone is in standby.

Most reports seem to relate to the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max, but the standard iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Plus are also mentioned.

Some users have additionally claimed that iOS 18.0.1 or the iOS 18.1 beta have improved matters, but not everyone has found these updates have solved their issues.

So, it’s possible that one of these updates will fix things for you, but if not, you might be waiting a while for a fix, especially as Apple hasn’t even acknowledged the issue yet. That said, it’s not clear how widespread this particular problem actually is, and if you’re not already experiencing unusual battery drain on an iPhone 16 model running iOS 18, then you’re probably safe.

Short-term salves

But what to do if your battery is draining fast? For now, you could try turning off the always-on display feature, disabling ProMotion, turning off background app refresh, or getting rid of widgets.

All of these features drain battery, so disabling them would naturally help improve matters, but that’s not ideal, since it’s also limiting what your phone can do.

It’s also possible that factory resetting your phone will help, with some users saying as much, but others haven’t been so lucky.

If that doesn’t help, then you’ll probably have to wait for a patch to fix it properly. So, hopefully we’ll see one soon.

You might also like

• Best iPhone: which Apple smartphone reigns supreme?
• An upcoming iPhone feature will make it easier to detect spam calls
• iPhone 16 Pro too dull? These leaked 17 Pro colors could be worth waiting for

Spam and scam calls are an ever increasing nuisance, so a reliable caller ID service – and particularly one that can flag or auto block known scam numbers – is near essential. Sadly, this isn’t something Apple offers natively, and while there are some third-party caller ID services, these can be quite hit and miss, or cost extra. But finally, Apple is taking the first steps towards such a service.

The company has announced (via Engadget) that, next year, it will allow businesses enrolled in Apple Business Connect to register for Business Caller ID. With this, their company name, logo, and department will appear on the incoming call screen when they contact customers.

This should make it a lot easier to differentiate a legitimate call from a spam call since, if there’s no logo shown, there’s a high chance that it’s an unwanted call. If there is a logo, you can judge based on the company that’s calling whether it’s likely to be something you want to answer.

A good start

This still isn’t a perfect solution – companies will need to enroll, and we can imagine many smaller ones won’t, though it as at least a free service, so there’s not too much of a barrier to entry. And, of course, this only applies to businesses, not personal numbers, so not all genuine calls will be identified.

This system also isn’t designed to specifically flag or block spam and scam calls, so these will still ring on your phone.

Still, it’s a big and overdue step in the right direction from Apple, and one that anyone who frequently gets calls from unknown numbers will probably be very happy about.

It’s not clear exactly when next year this Business Caller ID service will launch, but the sooner the better as far as we’re concerned.

You might also like

• Best iPhone: which Apple smartphone reigns supreme?
• What is Apple Intelligence? The new Apple AI coming to your iPhone
• iPhone 16 Pro too dull? These leaked 17 Pro colors could be worth waiting for

We’ve been hearing reports of a foldable iPhone for years, and rumored launch dates have slipped ever later, with recent leaks suggesting the foldable iPhone wouldn’t land until late 2026 or 2027. However, a new leak suggests we might actually see it as soon as 2025.

This comes from Taiwanese site United Daily News (via @Jukanlosreve), which claims that Apple has accelerated its development of a foldable iPhone, and has been in frequent contact with Taiwanese manufacturers to try and get key components like the bearings ready for mass production by the end of this year.

This in turn apparently means that the foldable iPhone is likely to launch sometime next year. The site doesn’t say when, but we’d guess that, if this is accurate, it might launch in September, alongside the iPhone 17.

Ever increasing interest and competition

So, why is Apple reportedly accelerating the launch? According to United Daily News, it’s because Samsung, Huawei, and other brands are frequently releasing foldable phones, and the product category is getting ever more popular as a result.

So, now that there’s an appetite for these products, the time could be right for Apple to launch one. Many of the early teething problems with foldable phones have also been ironed out in recent models like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 – though minor issues like creases in the screen remain.

All that said, we’d take this rumor with a pinch of salt, since most previous leaks regarding the foldable iPhone suggest we’ll be waiting longer. But it sounds like United Daily News has sources in the supply chain, so they may well be right in saying that production is being accelerated.

In which case, Apple could be launching two totally new models in September, with both the foldable iPhone and the previously leaked iPhone 17 Air possibly landing.

You might also like

• iPhone 16 Pro too dull? These leaked 17 Pro colors could be worth waiting for
• iPhone 16 Pro Max review: a beautiful, intelligent beast
• The iPhone 17 Pro could have yet another new button

The unofficial consensus seems to be that the iPhone SE 4 will be announced early in 2025, and a newly leaked image supposedly showing a case for the handset gives us some idea of the design choices we can expect to see.

This image comes from well-established tipster @SonnyDickson, and taken in isolation, it doesn't look as though much is going to change from the iPhone SE 3 launched in 2022. The rear camera bump is the same size, for example, and in the same position.

The iPhone buttons are all in familiar places too – the cut-outs for the mute switch and the charging port at the bottom, and the raised areas for the volume and power buttons, are all where they should be.

However, we've heard from other leaks that the iPhone SE 4 will be the first in the series to ditch Touch ID and the home button, and use Face ID instead: it's apparently going to resemble the iPhone 14, though these rather major design changes wouldn't be revealed with a look at the case.

More iPhone SE 4 rumors

Another rumored design tweak that this case leak doesn't confirm or contradict is an increase in screen size: the iPhone SE 4 display is apparently growing to 6.1 inches from 4.7 inches as well as adding the iconic notch up at the top, giving fans of small phones one less option to pick from.

While the case might not be hugely different from those for the current model – apart from the size – the leak is more evidence that a refresh for this model could be on the way. The iPhone SE 3 launched in March, and the iPhone SE 4 could follow suit.

We've also heard the next iPhone SE might have an A18 chip (matching the one inside the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus), notable camera upgrades, and a 5G modem made by Apple itself (which could well mean faster speeds on cell networks).

The phone might even support Apple Intelligence, with 8GB of RAM on board enough to get the AI features running smoothly. Hopefully, Apple will still be able to hit the $429 / £419 / AU$719 launch price of the current model.

You might also like

• iPhone SE 4 tipped to be a controversial but powerful upgrade
• These are the best iPhones you can buy
• The iPhone SE 4 and next iPads could bring big 5G and Wi-Fi changes

Now that the iPhone 16 launch is behind us, we can start thinking about the iPhone 17 – and a fresh rumor suggests that the most expensive Pro Max model will be the only handset in the series making the jump to 12GB of RAM.

This comes from reliable tipsters Yeux1122 and @Jukanlosreve, and it's said to be "more likely" that the iPhone 17 Pro Max gets 12GB while the iPhone 17 Pro sticks to 8GB (which is what's inside all of the current 2024 models).

According to this leak, Samsung is hitting issues with its memory module production line, and that means there's not going to be enough components to fit inside the millions of iPhone 17 Pros Apple wants to order, as well as the iPhone 17 Pro Max phones.

This isn't a completely new rumor, either: well-respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously said that 12GB of RAM would be an iPhone 17 Pro Max exclusive, though he didn't go into detail about the reasoning behind it.

AI and RAM

We're still quite a way out from the launch of the iPhone 17 range of course, which should turn up in September if Apple sticks to its usual schedule. It's always possible that plans will change between then and now.

However, we know that RAM – which gives devices thinking room – is important for powering Apple Intelligence, so it may be that the iPhone 17 Pro Max outperforms the other handsets in the series when it comes to AI tasks.

The 8GB of RAM across the board on the iPhone 16 phones is a brand new upgrade: you may remember that the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Plus had 6GB of RAM on board, though the Pro models both have 8GB (and therefore support Apple Intelligence).

It's still early days for iPhone 17 rumors, but we've heard quite a few of them already – not least that the iPhone 16 Plus will be replaced by a new iPhone 17 Air when the time comes, which will apparently make use of a thinner form factor.

You might also like...

• The iPhone 17 Pro could have yet another new button
• These rumored iPhone 17 Pro colors could be worth waiting for
• The iPhone 17 tipped to get some major display upgrades