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New references in the latest iOS 27.2 beta show that Apple continues to develop a new feature which will lock your iPhone if it's snatched from your hand by a thief. As previously reported , the feature will use the gyroscope, accelerometer, and other sensors to determine when an iPhone has been grabbed. It'll also rely on a paired Apple Watch to detect when the iPhone has suddenly moved away from the owner's wrist. According to new code seen by 9to5Mac , the feature is called "AutoLock" internally, and it can use several different methods to determine whether an iPhone has been snatched from its owner: A sharp acceleration consistent with the phone being snatched. A paired Apple Watch remaining unreachable for a certain period. Loss of connectivity to a paired Apple Watch. Prolonged loss of network connectivity. The device remaining unlocked beyond a certain interval. There are also references to safeguards to prevent false positives, like as successful biometric authentication, or foreground app activities that could be mistakenly taken as a sign that the iPhone has been snatched. Additional code also suggests the feature works using a voting system where a potential theft signal can request a lock, while safeguards such as biometrics and familiar locations can veto it. When the iPhone is yanked from the owner's hand, assuming a successful theft signal, the device will lock and activate Stolen Device Protection to prevent thieves from accessing information on it. Stolen Device Protection adds extra security to your iPhone when you're away from familiar locations like home or work. It requires biometric authentication for actions like accessing stored passwords or credit cards, and there are built-in hour-long delays for actions like changing an Apple Account password. Android already has a Theft Detection Lock feature that locks a smartphone in a snatch-and-grab theft situation. It's not clear when Apple's equivalent feature will launch, if at all, but the additional code indicates that Apple is at least still developing it under wraps. Tag: Apple Security This article, " Apple Still Working on Anti-Snatching Feature That Locks Stolen iPhones " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Apple's new Texture and Grain controls for Photographic Styles are not available on iPhones other than the latest iPhone 18 Pro models and upcoming iPhone Duo, despite the company's original wording suggesting otherwise. When Apple announced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max earlier this month, its Newsroom press release said the new Texture and Grain controls would be "available in iOS 27 on iPhone models that support the latest generation of Photographic Styles." That original wording is preserved in copies of Apple's launch-day press release distributed through Business Wire and Notice Nearby . Elsewhere, in Apple's User Guide for iOS 27, devices that support the "latest generation Photographic Styles" are listed as the iPhone 16 series, iPhone 17 series, iPhone Air, and iPhone 18 Pro models. Apple has since changed the footnote on its iPhone 18 Pro Newsroom announcement. It now says Texture and Grain controls are available "only for photos captured on iPhone 18 Pro models and with the Ultra Wide, Main, and Center Stage cameras on the iPhone Duo." Apple also states definitively in its iOS 27 User Guide that changing the texture of a photo can be achieved "on iPhone 18 Pro models." wtf? Apple now says that the texture and grain will NOT be coming to older iPhones there's no reason why this shouldn't be coming to older iPhones this is what i despise about Apple. new software camera features almost never make it to older iPhones, even though those are... https://t.co/8FM6MQV01F pic.twitter.com/yiO1nDiuFF — Noah Cat (@Cartidise) September 22, 2026 Whether Apple initially intended to bring the controls to older devices and subsequently changed its plans is unclear, and Apple has not commented on the revision. Either way, the original compatibility information looks like it was published in error. Photographic Styles are tone presets that adjust the color and warmth of a photo, while preserving skin tones. If you have an iPhone 18 Pro, check out our how-to guide to make the most out of the feature . This article, " Apple Quietly Excludes Older iPhones From New Camera Feature " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Apple has apparently listened to user feedback and brought back the App Switcher screen in the latest watchOS 27.2 beta, but accessing it is a little different than before. In watchOS 26 and earlier versions, a double press of the Digital Crown would bring up the App Switcher, where you could easily switch to the last-used app and view and open other recently used apps. You could also swipe left on a misbehaving app to force close it. In watchOS 27, the Digital Crown double-press gesture is now reserved for Apple's upcoming new Live Rewind AI feature, so it no longer brings up the App Switcher screen. There were concerns that this meant the App Switcher would be gone for good, but Apple has reinstated it in the second watchOS 27.2 beta, released yesterday . The gesture for opening it has changed, though. As shown in the video below, you now access the App Switcher by pressing and holding the bottom of the screen while you're in an app. Apple has brought back the App Switcher! On watchOS 26 and earlier, you could access the App Switcher by double-clicking the Digital Crown, then turning the Digital Crown to navigate through your recently used apps. You could also swipe left on an app and tap the "X" button to... pic.twitter.com/G5fa0TeTR9 — (@limpless_skelly) September 22, 2026 Apple says Live Rewind, which which offers a transcript of what was said in the last 15 seconds, will be available later this year on Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4. Related Roundups: watchOS 26 , watchOS 27 Related Forum: Apple Watch This article, " App Switcher Returns in watchOS 27.2 Beta With New Launch Gesture " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
There’s an annoying little iPhone notification glitch impacting some users on iOS 27. For those affected, the Settings app gets a red badge prompting an alert to ‘Activate iCloud Storage’. However, tapping on this alert simply navigates to the iCloud storage purchase screen and the alert does not go away after dismissing it. This glitched notification appears even when the user has plenty of available iCloud storage already, like if they are on a 2 TB family Apple One plan. more…
