macOS 26.4 Warns Against Terminal-Based Malware Attacks
Please visit https://tcn.tidbits.com/macos-26-4-warns-against-terminal-based-malware-attacks/ to access this member content.
Posts
Intel-Based Apps Will Stop Working in macOS 28
Yes, we know we’re still on macOS 26. In 2025, Apple announced macOS 27 would be the last version to support Rosetta for most Intel-based apps. (Beyond that, Apple will maintain a subset of Rosetta functionality for older, unmaintained gaming titles.) This fact has become relevant because in the just-released macOS 26.4, when you launch apps that rely on Rosetta for Intel compatibility, macOS may start warning you that they won’t open in a future version of macOS. These warnings are just reminders—nothing will change until you upgrade to macOS 28, probably in late 2027 or 2028, giving you plenty of time to find replacements. To identify Intel-based apps now, open System Information from the Utilities folder in your Applications folder, select Applications in the sidebar, and click the Kind column header to sort all your Intel apps together. iMazing’s free Silicon app does the same thing with a nicer interface.
(Featured image based on an original by iStock.com/Kurgenc)
Social Media: Running macOS 26.4? You may start seeing warnings about Intel-based apps not opening. They won’t stop working until macOS 28, but now’s the time to find replacements. Here’s how to identify which apps need attention.
Create AI-Powered Playlists with iOS 26.4’s Playlist Playground
Apple Music subscribers running iOS 26.4 can use the new Playlist Playground feature to create AI-generated playlists tailored to any mood, genre, activity, or era. To try it on your iPhone, open the Music app, tap the Library tab, tap the + button, then tap Create New Playlist. Instead of manually adding songs, tap the search field and enter a natural language description like “songs from a high school dance in the early 1980s” or “positive workout music from after 2010.” Playlist Playground will generate a playlist of songs based on your prompt. You can refine it by giving additional prompts, rearranging songs by dragging the hamburger buttons, or tapping Add Songs at the bottom. When you’re satisfied, tap the checkmark button at the top right to keep the playlist. Playlist Playground requires Sync Library to be enabled in Settings > Apps > Music, and the feature is currently available only in the U.S. and in English.
(Featured image by iStock.com/demaerre)
Social Media: Apple Music’s new Playlist Playground in iOS 26.4 uses AI to create custom playlists based on any mood, genre, or activity you describe. Just type what you’re in the mood for and let the app do the rest.
Check Your Input Source If Your Mac Types Unexpected Characters
If your Mac starts typing unexpected characters—or rejects a password you know is correct—check to see if the Input Source menu appears in the upper-right corner of the screen, indicating that your Mac has more than one keyboard layout available for writing in other languages. Accidentally switching from the standard U.S. keyboard (or whatever you regularly use) to another layout—like the French ABC – AZERTY, which swaps the A and Q keys, among others—can cause keystrokes to produce different characters than expected. This key swapping is particularly confusing in password fields, where you can’t see what’s being typed. To fix it, click the Input Source menu and choose your default. To prevent this problem from recurring, go to System Settings > Keyboard, click Edit next to Input Sources, and delete any keyboard layouts you don’t use. You can also change what the Globe key does in System Settings > Keyboard—you can prevent accidental layout changes by switching it from Change Input Source to Show Emoji & Symbols, Start Dictation, or Do Nothing.
Estonia, Tallinn, July 11, 2020. Apple Macbook pro 15 Retina on table
(Featured image based on an original by iStock.com/Armastas)
Social Media: Is your Mac typing the wrong characters or rejecting your password? You may have accidentally switched keyboard layouts. Here’s how to check your input source and prevent it from happening again.
How to Find and Silence the Browser Tab That’s Playing Audio
When a Web browser has many tabs open, it can be hard to find the one playing audio if you need to silence it. Worse, when a browser relaunches, it can be tough to identify and silence all the tabs that have automatically started playing audio. Happily, all browsers can help. Tabs with active audio show a speaker icon next to their names; click it to mute the audio. These speaker icons are easier to spot in browsers that display tabs vertically rather than horizontally across the top, where space constraints may prevent the speaker icons from appearing. Safari provides an additional option: a speaker icon on the right side of the address bar (see the top screenshot). Click it to mute all audio, or Control-click it to see which tabs are playing audio. Chromium-based browsers—including Google Chrome, Brave, and Microsoft Edge—display a musical note icon in the upper-right corner of the toolbar (bottom screenshot). Click it to open playback controls and stop playback.
(Featured image based on an original by iStock.com/Khosrork)
Social Media: Drowning in open tabs and can’t find the one playing sound? Look for the speaker icon on the tab itself, or use Safari’s address bar icon or Chrome’s music note for quick control.
Losing Messages or Calls? Look in the Unknown Senders/Callers Filter
In iOS, iPadOS, and macOS 26, Apple added an option in the Messages app to filter messages from unknown people and those marked as spam by the carrier. To enable filtering, open Messages, tap the Filter 
button in the upper-right corner, tap Manage Filtering, and turn on Screen Unknown Senders and Filter Spam. Once those are enabled, the Filter menu gains two new options: Unknown Senders and Spam. If a text from an unknown person comes in, the main app icon will get a red badge, but you won’t see the new message in the usual list. Instead, use the Filter menu—which also gets a blue badge—to switch to Unknown Senders or Spam and look in those lists. The Phone app works similarly—enable call filtering in Settings > Apps > Phone under Call Filtering, and unknown callers will appear in separate lists accessible via the Filter button in the Phone app’s Recents or Calls views. To move a conversation out of Unknown Senders, tap Mark as Known.
(Featured image by iStock.com/Liubomyr Vorona)
Social Media: Missing texts from unknown numbers? iOS 26 filters them into hidden lists. Here’s where to find them in the Messages app—and how to mark senders as known so you don’t miss important messages. PS: The same applies to calls in the Phone app.
iOS 26 Can AutoFill Credit Card Details
Sadly, not all websites and apps support Apple Pay, so we’ve become accustomed to manually entering our credit card information into fields, like animals. No longer! In iOS 26, the Wallet app now supports AutoFill. If you need to add a card—those set up with Apple Pay are already available—open Wallet, tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner, tap AutoFill, then tap Add Card. You can scan the card with your camera or enter details manually. Then, whenever you’re checking out on a website or in an app that doesn’t support Apple Pay, tap a payment field. You may be able to select a saved card from the suggestions above the keyboard, or you may have to tap in the field to bring up the text menu, and tap AutoFill > Credit Card (below left). When you invoke AutoFill from above the keyboard, your card number, expiration date, and security code will be automatically entered. Using the menu requires tapping the blue text for the field you want to fill (below right).
(Featured image by iStock.com/BongkarnThanyakij)
Social Media: Tired of typing credit card numbers into websites and apps that don’t support Apple Pay? iOS 26 lets you save cards in Wallet and use AutoFill to enter your payment details anywhere—here’s how to set it up and use it.
Apple Refreshes Studio Display and Introduces Studio Display XDR
Apple has updated its Studio Display with an improved 12-megapixel Center Stage camera with Desk View support, two Thunderbolt 5 ports, and improved bass from its six-speaker system—all for the same $1,599 starting price. More significantly, Apple introduced the Studio Display XDR at $3,299, bringing professional-grade HDR technology to a broader audience at a much lower price than the $5,000 Pro Display XDR it replaces. The Studio Display XDR features a 27-inch 5K panel with mini-LED backlighting, 2304 local dimming zones, up to 2000 nits of peak HDR brightness, a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, and a 120 Hz refresh rate with Adaptive Sync. Both displays require macOS 26.3.1 Tahoe and work with all Apple silicon Macs.
(Featured image by Apple)
Social Media: Apple’s new $3,299 Studio Display XDR brings mini-LED, HDR, and 120 Hz to a 27-inch 5K display—pro display tech at a far more accessible price. The standard Studio Display also gets a refresh with a better camera and Thunderbolt 5.
Customize Folder Colors and Icons in macOS 26 Tahoe
In macOS 26 Tahoe, Apple has made it easier to customize folder appearance in the Finder. Control-click any folder and choose Customize Folder. In the panel that appears, click a colored circle to apply that color and then select an icon to display on the folder. Click the Emoji button to choose from the full set of emoji instead of the icons. A few notes: Customization is available for everything except macOS’s Applications, Library, System, and Users folders. These colors are associated with Finder tags, which you can change in Finder > Settings > Tags. Although the colors and icons should sync via iCloud Drive, don’t assume they’ll survive other cloud-based syncing services or other actions (like archiving) that may not preserve Finder metadata. In other words, they’re mostly useful for individuals, not workgroups.
(Featured image by iStock.com/Christian Ouellet)
Social Media: Tired of identical blue folders? macOS 26 Tahoe lets you add colors and icons—including emoji—to folders with a few clicks. Here’s how to make your Finder easier to navigate.
New Apple Creator Studio Bundles Pro Apps
Apple has introduced Apple Creator Studio, a subscription bundle of Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage, priced at $12.99 per month or $129 per year (with education pricing at $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year). The bundle also includes premium content and a few AI tools for the iWork apps: Keynote, Pages, and Numbers. These apps will prompt you to download the new version 15, but don’t worry—they remain free for all existing features; only the new AI capabilities and premium content require a subscription. You can also still purchase Mac versions of the pro apps, though the iPad versions of Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Pixelmator Pro are now available only to subscribers. Up to six family members can share a Creator Studio subscription via Family Sharing.
(Featured image by Apple)
Social Media: Apple’s new Creator Studio bundle includes Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, and more—plus premium content and AI features in the iWork apps—for $12.99/month or $129/year. Don’t worry—Keynote, Pages, and Numbers stay free for existing features.