It’s perhaps more important than ever to protect your privacy and your data.
In general, Apple does a great job protecting your privacy. However, the iPhone in your pocket is a spying device par excellence, and there are all kinds of ways information about you can leak out.
Take location data, which is used across a wide array of iPhone services and apps. Location data is end-to-end encrypted on iPhone, and location tracking is performed on device, so it’s pretty well-protected.
But there are lots of ways you might inadvertently share details of your movements to the wider world — posting photos to social media, for example, which are embedded with location data.
So it’s well worth spending a few minutes digging into settings to see how, exactly, your location is being used, and by what apps. Here’s how to get started.
Also in today’s newsletter:
The new Apple Watch Vitals app is freaky-good at detecting slight bodily changes that warn of potential health problems. It alerted me to a cold a day before symptoms appeared. Apple’s now looking at expanding this kind of health monitoring into a full-blown, AI-powered health, wellness and diet coach. It sounds very intriguing.
I’m not a fan of Breaking Bad, but creator Vince Gilligan’s new sci-fi show for Apple TV+ looks weird and mysterious — in a very good way.
Two worth-checking-out Apple TV+ series just started streaming: The Last Frontier and Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars.
Somehow, Amazon’s big fall sale is ongoing, with a lot of zombie Apple deals still kicking. And Cult of Mac Deals has a fantastic buy on a pair of $20 sleep earbuds that block nighttime disturbances, like your partner’s room-rattling snoring.
Although I loved most of my Macs over the years, I have little desire to collect old machines, except the “sunflower” iMac G4 and maybe this one.
— Leander Kahney, EIC.
A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team
A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team
The CultCast: Sora takes over the App Store … unfortunately!
Cult of Mac’s buyback program
A message from Belay
You don’t have to stay stuck.
Stop doing it all. Start leading again. Access the next phase of growth with BELAY’s free resource, Delegate to Elevate.
Tweets of the day
MacOS 26 Tahoe Themed to look like Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.
Recently Glow has received several significant updates that makes the experience even better. Early release, but progress is great.
SIP needs to be disabled to theme.
To download the tool: discord.gg/tnZ8VAUq2
— #Sam Guichelaar (#@SamGuichelaar)
6:08 PM • Oct 9, 2025
Perhaps I'm alone, but I like that the iPhone 17 Pro is aluminum and that it can wear and dent and scratch. I like having worn tools that show a life of loving and hard use, like my M1 Max MacBook Pro.
— #Sebastiaan de With (#@sdw)
6:51 PM • Oct 9, 2025
Do it, you cowards!
— #GregsGadgets (#@GregoryMcFadden)
8:33 PM • Oct 9, 2025
Wallpaper of the day
One more thing ...
Every once in a while, I find myself in the presence of purity — purity of spirit and love — and I always cry. It always just reaches in and grabs me. That was one of those moments. There was a purity about that I will never forget. I cried in my office as he was showing me the idea, and I still cry when I think about it.
Today’s poll
How do you feel about an AI doctor nagging you?
Results from yesterday’s poll: Do you like yakking on the phone?
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