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Today’s newsletter is brought to you by Incogni.

Apple silicon has been an enormous triumph.

The success of Apple’s home-grown chips firmly puts to bed the misguided idea that the company doesn’t innovate under Tim Cook’s leadership. (See also AirPods, Apple Watch, iPhone cameras, Apple Pay and much more.)

But Apple silicon does come with one big downside: You can’t upgrade storage or RAM post-purchase. You’re stuck with whatever you originally ordered.

Take my 24-inch M1 iMac, a wonderful machine that I purchased back in 2021.
It’s still going strong, as you’d expect from a computer that’s about 5 years old. However, I foolishly ordered the model with only 256GB of storage.

At the time, I thought that’d be plenty. But alas, I’m almost daily firing up CleanMyMac to find enough space just to download my email.

But I now see a much easier solution: Sandisk’s new Extreme Fit USB-C Flash Drive, a teeny-weeny SSD that’ll add a terabyte of extra storage to your computer for about $120.

My one concern is speed. Will it be fast enough for everyday use (which, for my workflow, is not particularly demanding)?

And, yeah, according to our great hands-on review, it’s plenty snappy. Amazon, here I come!

Also in today’s newsletter:

Bloom is a super-clever reimagining of the Mac’s Finder. See this glowing review from our resident Mac power user, Rajesh Pandy. You can see immediately how it beats Finder at its own game.
If you got a new iPhone, you deserve a new charger that can top it up at maximum speed, like this super-speedy (and now on sale) 3-in-1 model from Ugreen.
Incogni’s data-scrubbing service removes your personal info from the web (and even the dark web). And that protects you from spam and scams. Get 55% off Incogni using code CULTOFMAC. Thanks to Incogni for sponsoring today’s newsletter.
Here’s a great thing to know about for your next parties or car trip: How to let other people add songs to your music queue.
Illinois is the latest state to support digital IDs. Here’s how to add one to your iPhone’s Wallet app, in case you need a refresher.
Thanks to a comment on yesterday’s poll, I discovered that at least one of our readers is a hybrid Apple/Android user! Shocking, I know. So, Rgiii, this post is just for you: There’s a new app that makes Android and AirPods play nice together.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

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Keep your SSN off the dark web

Every day, data brokers profit from your sensitive info — phone number, DOB, SSN — selling it to the highest bidder. What happens then?

Best case: Companies target you with ads.
Worst case: Scammers and identity thieves breach those brokers, leaving your data vulnerable or on the dark web.

It's time you check out Incogni. It scrubs your personal data from the web, confronting the world’s data brokers on your behalf. And unlike other services, Incogni helps remove your sensitive information from all broker types, including those tricky people search sites.

Help protect yourself from identity theft, spam calls and health insurers raising your rates. Plus, just for Cult of Mac readers: Get 55% off Incogni using code CULTOFMAC.

This Sandisk SSD is so tiny it can live on your MacBook [Review]

We fully tested the Sandisk Extreme Fit USB-C Flash Drive, a tiny SSD that seamlessly boosts your MacBook storage.

I ditched Finder on my Mac for this app, and I’m not going back

Forget about the Mac's default file manager. With a multi-pane design and advanced features, the Bloom app is a fantastic Finder replacement.

How to quickly queue songs on Apple Music (and clear the queue)

You can queue songs in Apple Music so that the tracks you want to hear play automatically, one after another.

10 surprising benefits of Apple Watch Series 11

The benefits of Apple Watch Series 11 go well beyond basic fitness tracking and new goodies like hypertension detection and sleep scores.

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Get $40 off this blazing-fast charger for iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch

With this Ugreen MagFlow 3-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charger deal, you can bring speedy Qi2.2 top-ups to iPhone.

Illinois drivers can add their digital license to iPhone

Illinois motorists can securely add a digital driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet on iPhone. This is especially useful for travelers.

How to add your ID to Apple Wallet

iPhone and Apple Watch users can add their passport to the Apple Wallet app — and in some states, their driver’s license. Here’s how.

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Your secret weapon for 4K Mac screen recordings

Take the hassle out of 4K screen recordings with AWZ Screen Recorder for Mac. It handles multiple export formats and plays nice with socials.

LibrePods finally brings real AirPods support to Android

An open-source Android app brings true AirPods functionality on Android, adding native-style controls, battery info, and smarter integration.

Today in Apple history: Apple Park gets the official go-ahead

On November 19, 2013, the Cupertino City Council approved plans for Apple Park. The ambitious new HQ was called Apple Campus 2 at the time.

Cult of Mac’s buyback program

We pay top dollar for used Apple gear

Sell your old iPhone, iPad, MacBook and more through Cult of Mac. Free shipping, fast payment!

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Fact-based news without bias awaits. Make 1440 your choice today.

Overwhelmed by biased news? Cut through the clutter and get straight facts with your daily 1440 digest. From politics to sports, join millions who start their day informed.

Tweets of the day

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Wallpaper of the day

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One more thing ...

❝

You just make the best product you can, and you don't put it out until you feel it's right. But no matter what you think intellectually, your heart is beating pretty fast right before people see what you've produced.

— Steve Jobs, 1989.

Today’s poll

How often do you need to clear storage?

Results from yesterday’s poll: Do you subscribe to Apple One?

Best reader comments

Subscribe to The Weekender — Get the week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.