Facebook today announced several updates for its Messenger platform, introducing Siri call integration, new AI features, support for HD video calls, and audio and video voice messages.
iPhone users can now ask Siri to make a call or send a message through the Messenger app. "Hey Siri, send a message to [person] on Messenger" will now work for hands-free calls. This is a feature that Apple has offered for some time, but Messenger did not support it until now.
Facebook is also adding audio and video voice messages, mirroring a FaceTime feature that Apple introduced with iOS 17. Messenger users can leave audio or voice messages when a Messenger call isn't picked up.
Messenger now supports HD video calls, background noise suppression, and voice isolation for clearer call quality when using Messenger. HD is enabled by default for calls made on Wi-Fi, and it can be added for cellular calls as well in the Messenger settings.
In the near future, Messenger will support AI backgrounds in Messenger video calls. Creating a personalized AI background can be done by tapping on the effects icon in the sidebar of a video call and choosing the "Backgrounds" option.
Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below.
Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
Friday October 31, 2025 1:40 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a small but helpful change for iPhones, and it could prevent you from running late to something important.
Specifically, when an alarm goes off in the Clock app, there is a new "slide to stop" control on the screen for turning off the alarm. On previous iOS 26 versions, there is simply a large "stop" button, which could be accidentally tapped.
The new ...
Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more.
Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1.
Release Date
Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
One thing worth...
Friday October 31, 2025 7:32 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple has just given a strong indication that it will not be releasing any additional new Macs for the remainder of the year.
Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh dropped the hint during the company's earnings call on Thursday:On Mac, keep in mind, we expect to face a very difficult compare against the M4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac launches in the year-ago quarter.Parekh essentially gave a heads up ...
Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors.
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Wednesday October 29, 2025 7:13 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Rumors are stoking excitement for the next-generation iPad mini that Apple is reportedly close to launching. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out.
Processor and Performance
Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to...
Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:07 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas.
The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...
Apple launched the Apple TV HD, the Siri Remote, tvOS, and their accompanying App Store a decade ago today, marking a major overhaul of the device.
The new vision for the Apple TV was unveiled on September 9, 2015 during Apple's "Hey Siri" event in San Francisco, where CEO Tim Cook introduced the device with the statement, "The future of TV is apps." The announcement represented a major...
Recently, Facebook has been offering up friend suggestions of people that I have only ever texted outside of Messenger. How in the world did Facebook make that connection if it's not somehow monitoring my phone activity?
Most likely, these people allowed the Facebook app to access their contacts, which happened to have your info. I'm guessing Facebook also knows your number (for security/2FA purposes), so they put the two and two together that way.
That's exactly what happened when I signed up for Venmo a while back. They require your phone number, and the app asked if it could access my contacts so it could suggest friends who are already on Venmo. I declined it, yet it still showed a bunch of people I know...some I haven't even talked to in 10+ years.
So while you may be the best person on the planet about protecting your privacy, it's all the other people who have you as contact that screw it up by giving apps access to their contacts.
No, he's literally using WhatsApp and giving his entire contact list away to Meta who also owns Messenger. It's pretty straightforward.
Ah, I missed that part. Thought they were using Messenger and regular texting. My point is still valid though. Companies can also get information about you through other people who have you as a contact.
