Headline: AirPods now more versatile with studio-quality audio recording and camera remote
QUICK READJune 9, 2025
Apple today previewed studio-quality audio recording and camera remote features for AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), and AirPods Pro 2, delivering new ways to capture content and improving how users communicate. Updates to audio recording enable creators to record studio-quality vocals on the go, and start or stop video recordings from a distance with a simple press of the AirPods stem. Building on the benefits of Voice Isolation, AirPods users will also enjoy even clearer calls with enhanced voice quality.
Creating content gets even better with studio-quality audio recording. Interviewers, podcasters, singers, and other creators can record their content with greater sound quality, and even record while on the go or in noisy environments with Voice Isolation. With the H2 chip, beamforming microphones, and computational audio, users will also enjoy more natural vocal texture and clarity across iPhone calls, FaceTime, and CallKit-enabled apps. Studio-quality audio recording and improved call quality work across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, while also supporting the Camera app, Voice Memos, dictation in Messages, video conferencing apps like Webex, and compatible third-party camera apps.
Capturing content at a distance is easier than ever with cameraremote. While using the Camera app or compatible third-party camera apps on iPhone or iPad, content creators can press and hold the AirPods stem to take a photo or start a video recording, and one more press-and-hold will stop the recording. For users who like capturing themselves singing or dancing, the new features make it easy to perform in sync with a soundtrack while simultaneously recording the video.
All of these features are available for testing starting today through the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com, and a public beta will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month at beta.apple.com. New AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 2 features will be available this fall as a free firmware update with iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe 26. Features are subject to change. Some features may not be available in all languages or regions, and availability may vary due to local laws and regulations. For more information about availability, visit apple.com.
Headline: Apple Intelligence gets even more powerful with new capabilities across Apple devices
June 9, 2025
PRESS RELEASE
Apple Intelligence gets even more powerful with new capabilities across Apple devices
Developers can now access the Apple Intelligence on-device foundation model to power private, intelligent experiences within their apps
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today announced new Apple Intelligence features that elevate the user experience across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple Intelligence unlocks new ways for users to communicate with features like Live Translation; do more with what’s on their screen with updates to visual intelligence; and express themselves with enhancements to Image Playground and Genmoji.1 Additionally, Shortcuts can now tap into Apple Intelligence directly, and developers will be able to access the on-device large language model at the core of Apple Intelligence, giving them direct access to intelligence that is powerful, fast, built with privacy, and available even when users are offline. These Apple Intelligence features are available for testing starting today, and will be available to users with supported devices set to a supported language this fall.
“Last year, we took the first steps on a journey to bring users intelligence that’s helpful, relevant, easy to use, and right where users need it, all while protecting their privacy. Now, the models that power Apple Intelligence are becoming more capable and efficient, and we’re integrating features in even more places across each of our operating systems,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “We’re also taking the huge step of giving developers direct access to the on-device foundation model powering Apple Intelligence, allowing them to tap into intelligence that is powerful, fast, built with privacy, and available even when users are offline. We think this will ignite a whole new wave of intelligent experiences in the apps users rely on every day. We can’t wait to see what developers create.”
Apple Intelligence features will be coming to eight more languages by the end of the year: Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (traditional), and Vietnamese.
Live Translation Breaks Down Language Barriers
For those moments when a language barrier gets in the way, Live Translation can help users communicate across languages when messaging or speaking. The experience is integrated into Messages, FaceTime, and Phone, and enabled by Apple-built models that run entirely on device, so users’ personal conversations stay personal.
In Messages, Live Translation can automatically translate messages. If a user is making plans with new friends while traveling abroad, their message can be translated as they type, delivered in the recipient’s preferred language, and when they get a response, each message can be instantly translated.2 On FaceTime calls, a user can follow along with translated live captions while still hearing the speaker’s voice. And when on a phone call, the translation is spoken aloud throughout the conversation.3
News Ways to Explore Creativity with Updates to Genmoji and Image Playground
Genmoji and Image Playground provide users with even more ways to express themselves. In addition to turning a text description into a Genmoji, users can now mix together emoji and combine them with descriptions to create something new. When users make images inspired by family and friends using Genmoji and Image Playground, they have the ability to change expressions or adjust personal attributes, like hairstyle, to match their friend’s latest look.
In Image Playground, users can tap into brand-new styles with ChatGPT, like an oil painting style or vector art. For moments when users have a specific idea in mind, they can tap Any Style and describe what they want. Image Playground sends a user’s description or photo to ChatGPT and creates a unique image. Users are always in control, and nothing is shared with ChatGPT without their permission.
Visual Intelligence Helps Users Search and Take Action
Building on Apple Intelligence, visual intelligence extends to a user’s iPhone screen so they can search and take action on anything they’re viewing across their apps.
Visual intelligence already helps users learn about objects and places around them using their iPhone camera, and it now enables users to do more, faster, with the content on their iPhone screen. Users can ask ChatGPT questions about what they’re looking at on their screen to learn more, as well as search Google, Etsy, or other supported apps to find similar images and products. If there’s an object a user is especially interested in, like a lamp, they can highlight it to search for that specific item or similar objects online.
Visual intelligence also recognizes when a user is looking at an event and suggests adding it to their calendar.4 Apple Intelligence then extracts the date, time, and location to prepopulate these key details into an event.
Users can access visual intelligence for what’s on their screen by simply pressing the same buttons used to take a screenshot. Users will have the choice to save or share their screenshot, or explore more with visual intelligence.
Apple Intelligence Expands to Fitness on Apple Watch
Workout Buddy is a first-of-its-kind workout experience on Apple Watch with Apple Intelligence that incorporates a user’s workout data and fitness history to generate personalized, motivational insights during their session.5
To offer meaningful inspiration in real time, Workout Buddy analyzes data from a user’s current workout along with their fitness history, based on data like heart rate, pace, distance, Activity rings, personal fitness milestones, and more. A new text-to-speech model then translates insights into a dynamic generative voice built using voice data from Fitness+ trainers, so it has the right energy, style, and tone for a workout. Workout Buddy processes this data privately and securely with Apple Intelligence.
Workout Buddy will be available on Apple Watch with Bluetooth headphones, and requires an Apple Intelligence-supported iPhone nearby. It will be available starting in English, across some of the most popular workout types: Outdoor and Indoor Run, Outdoor and Indoor Walk, Outdoor Cycle, HIIT, and Functional and Traditional Strength Training.
Apple Intelligence On-Device Model Now Available to Developers
Apple is opening up access for any app to tap directly into the on-device foundation model at the core of Apple Intelligence.
With the Foundation Models framework, app developers will be able to build on Apple Intelligence to bring users new experiences that are intelligent, available when they’re offline, and that protect their privacy, using AI inference that is free of cost. For example, an education app can use the on-device model to generate a personalized quiz from a user’s notes, without any cloud API costs, or an outdoors app can add natural language search capabilities that work even when the user is offline.
The framework has native support for Swift, so app developers can easily access the Apple Intelligence model with as few as three lines of code. Guided generation, tool calling, and more are all built into the framework, making it easier than ever to implement generative capabilities right into a developer’s existing app.
Shortcuts Get More Intelligent
Shortcuts are now more powerful and intelligent than ever. Users can tap into intelligent actions, a whole new set of shortcuts enabled by Apple Intelligence. Users will see dedicated actions for features like summarizing text with Writing Tools or creating images with Image Playground.
Now users will be able to tap directly into Apple Intelligence models, either on-device or with Private Cloud Compute, to generate responses that feed into the rest of their shortcut, maintaining the privacy of information used in the shortcut. For example, a student can build a shortcut that uses the Apple Intelligence model to compare an audio transcription of a class lecture to the notes they took, and add any key points they may have missed. Users can also choose to tap into ChatGPT to provide responses that feed into their shortcut.
Additional New Features
Apple Intelligence is even more deeply integrated into the apps and experiences that users rely on every day:
The most relevant actions in an email, website, note, or other content can now be identified and automatically categorized in Reminders.
Apple Wallet can now identify and summarize order tracking details from emails sent from merchants or delivery carriers. This works across all of a user’s orders, giving them the ability to see their full order details, progress notifications, and more, all in one place.
Users can create a poll for anything in Messages, and with Apple Intelligence, Messages can detect when a poll might come in handy and suggest one. In addition, Backgrounds in the Messages app lets a user personalize their chats with stunning designs, and they can create unique backgrounds that fit their conversation with Image Playground.
These features build on a wide range of Apple Intelligence capabilities that are already available to users:
Writing Tools can help users rewrite, proofread, and summarize the text they have written. And with Describe Your Change, users can describe a specific change they want to apply to their text, like making a dinner party invite read like a poem.
Clean Up in Photos allows users to remove distracting elements while staying true to the moment as they intended to capture it.
Visual intelligence builds on Apple Intelligence and helps users learn about objects and places around them instantly.
Genmoji allow users to create their own emoji by typing a description. And just like emoji, they can be added inline to messages, or shared as a sticker or reaction in a Tapback.
Image Playground gives users a way to create playful images in moments, with concepts like themes, costumes, accessories, and places. And they can add their own text descriptions, and create images in the likeness of a family member or friend using photos from their photo library.
Image Wand can transform a rough sketch into a polished image that complements a user’s notes.
Mail summaries give users a way to view key details for an email or long thread by simply tapping or clicking Summarize.
Smart Reply provides users with suggestions for a quick response in Mail and Messages.
Siri is more natural and helpful, with the option to type to Siri and tap into its product knowledge about the features and settings on Apple products; Siri can also follow along if a user stumbles over their words, and maintain context from one request to the next.
Access to ChatGPT is integrated in Writing Tools and Siri, giving users the option to tap into ChatGPT’s image- and document-understanding capabilities without needing to jump between tools.
Natural language search in Photos makes it easier for users to find a photo or video by simply describing it.
Users can create a memory movie in Photos by typing a description.
Summaries of audio transcriptions in Notes are automatically generated to surface important information at a glance.
Users can generate summaries of call transcriptions to highlight important details.
Priority Messages, a section at the top of the inbox in Mail, shows the most urgent emails, like a same-day invitation to lunch or a boarding pass.
Priority Notifications appear at the top of a user’s notifications, highlighting important notifications that may require immediate attention.
Notification summaries give users a way to scan long or stacked notifications and provide key details right on the Lock Screen.
Previews in Mail and Messages show users a brief summary of key information without needing to open a message.
The Reduce Interruptions Focus surfaces only the notifications that might need immediate attention.
A Breakthrough for Privacy in AI
Designed to protect users’ privacy at every step, Apple Intelligence uses on-device processing, meaning that many of the models that power it run entirely on device. For requests that require access to larger models, Private Cloud Compute extends the privacy and security of iPhone into the cloud to unlock even more intelligence so a user’s data is never stored or shared with Apple; it is used only to fulfill their request. Independent experts can inspect the code that runs on Apple silicon servers to continuously verify this privacy promise, and are already doing so. This is an extraordinary step forward for privacy in AI.
Availability
All of these new features are available for testing starting today through the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com, and a public beta will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month at beta.apple.com. Users who enable Apple Intelligence on supported devices set to a supported language will have access this fall, including all iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad mini (A17 Pro), and iPad and Mac models with M1 and later, with Siri and device language set to the same supported language: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, or Chinese (simplified). More languages will be coming by the end of this year: Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (traditional), and Vietnamese. Some features may not be available in all languages or regions, and availability may vary due to local laws and regulations. For more details, visit apple.com/apple-intelligence.
About Apple Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple’s six software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV+. Apple’s more than 150,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth and to leaving the world better than we found it.
Genmoji and Image Playground are available in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, and Japanese.
Live Translation in Messages supports English (U.S., UK), French (France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Spain), and Chinese (simplified).
Live Translation in Phone and FaceTime is available for one-on-one calls in English (U.S., UK), French (France), German, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Spain).
The ability to add an event to Calendar with visual intelligence is available in English on all iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Workout Buddy will be available on Apple Watch Series 6 or later, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), and Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2 with an Apple Intelligence-supported iPhone starting in English.
Headline: visionOS 26 introduces powerful new spatial experiences for Apple Vision Pro
June 9, 2025
PRESS RELEASE
visionOS 26 introduces powerful new spatial experiences for Apple Vision Pro
Widgets become spatial and anchor in a user’s space, Personas are more expressive and realistic, and new APIs unleash exciting opportunities for developers, creators, and enterprises
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today previewed visionOS 26, an expansive update packed with groundbreaking spatial experiences and new features for Apple Vision Pro. Everyday interactions become more immersive and personal, with widgets that integrate into a user’s space, spatial scenes that use generative AI to add stunning lifelike depth to photos, striking enhancements that make Personas feel more natural and familiar, and shared spatial experiences for Vision Pro users in the same room.
visionOS 26 also adds support for 180-degree, 360-degree, and wide field-of-view content from Insta360, GoPro, and Canon, while new enterprise APIs allow organizations to create spatial experiences unique to visionOS. And with support for PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers, players can enjoy a new class of games on Apple Vision Pro.1
“Apple Vision Pro has defined what’s possible in this new era of spatial computing, and with visionOS 26, we’re excited to push the boundaries even further,” said Mike Rockwell, Apple’s vice president of the Vision Products Group. “With brand-new ways for Vision Pro owners to connect, explore, work together, and enjoy content, we’re incredibly excited for users to enjoy features like apps and widgets that they can arrange in their spaces, spatial scenes that offer a brand-new viewing experience for their photos, and dramatically enhanced Personas on Vision Pro.”
Widgets Become Spatial
Across the Apple ecosystem, widgets offer personalized and useful information at a glance, and with visionOS 26, widgets become spatial, integrating seamlessly into a user’s space and reappearing every time they put on Apple Vision Pro. Widgets in visionOS 26 are customizable, with a variety of options for frame width, color, and depth. Beautiful new widgets — including Clock, Weather, Music, and Photos — all offer unique interactions and experiences.
Users can decorate their spaces with favorite widgets, including stunning panoramas and spatial photos of their favorite memories, clocks with distinctive face designs, and quick access to their go-to playlists and songs on Apple Music. The Widgets app helps users find widgets, including those from compatible iOS and iPadOS apps, and developers will also be able to create their own widgets using WidgetKit.
Enhanced Shared Spatial Experiences
Users love how visionOS lets them connect with family, friends, and colleagues remotely, and with visionOS 26, they can share spatial experiences with other Apple Vision Pro users in the same room. They can come together to watch the latest blockbuster movie in 3D, play a spatial game, or collaborate with coworkers. Users can also add remote participants from across the world via FaceTime, enabling connection with people near and far.
Dassault Systèmes, a leading provider of engineering and 3D design software, is leveraging this ability with their 3DLive app, bringing the ability to visualize 3D designs both in person and with remote colleagues.
With visionOS 26, Personas are transformed to feel more natural and familiar. Taking advantage of industry-leading volumetric rendering and machine learning technology, the all-new Personas now have striking expressivity and sharpness, offering a full side profile view, and remarkably accurate hair, lashes, and complexion. Personas are still created on device in a matter of seconds, and new improvements to the setup process allow users to adjust and preview how their Persona looks spatially, and even pick glasses from over 1,000 variations.
Introducing Spatial Scenes
visionOS 26 makes spatial photos even more realistic, leveraging a new generative AI algorithm and computational depth to create spatial scenes with multiple perspectives, letting users feel like they can lean in and look around.
Users can view spatial scenes in the Photos app, Spatial Gallery app, and Safari, while developers can use the Spatial Scene API to make their app experience even more immersive. Zillow is taking advantage of the API for their Zillow Immersive app, allowing users to see images of homes and apartments with the rich depth and dimension that spatial scenes offer.
New Ways to Browse, Play, and Watch
Users can select spatial browsing to transform articles on Safari, hide distractions, and reveal spatial scenes that come alive as they scroll. Web developers have the ability to embed 3D models directly into web pages, letting users shop and browse with depth and dimension, and see and manipulate 3D objects and models right in Safari.
visionOS 26 supports native playback of 180-degree, 360-degree, and wide field-of-view content from Insta360, GoPro, and Canon. Users can enjoy their exciting 2D action footage the way it was meant to be seen. Developers can incorporate this new playback capability into their apps and websites.
visionOS 26 also introduces support for the PlayStation VR2 Sense controller. Now, developers can deliver even more engaging gameplay experiences for Apple Vision Pro thanks to high-performance motion tracking in 6 degrees of freedom, finger touch detection, and vibration support.
Enterprise APIs and Tools
Companies around the world are harnessing spatial computing on Apple Vision Pro to supercharge their workflows for design, training, sales, education, and more. New capabilities like team device sharing let organizations easily set up and manage a shared pool of devices. Users can securely save their eye and hand data, vision prescription, and accessibility settings to their iPhone running iOS 26 and bring it to another Vision Pro, making sharing easier than ever.
visionOS 26 adds support for Logitech Muse, a spatial accessory built for Apple Vision Pro that enables precise input and new ways to interact with collaboration apps like Spatial Analogue.1
Enterprise-focused APIs, like the new Protected Content API, ensure that only people who have been granted access can see confidential materials like medical records or business forecasts, while preventing copying, screenshots, and screen sharing.
Additional visionOS 26 features include:
More Apple Intelligence features — including updates to Image Playground — come to Apple Vision Pro. visionOS 26 also adds support for new languages: French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish, along with support for English in Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, and the UK.2
Look to Scroll allows users to explore apps and websites using just their eyes. Users can customize the scroll speed, and developers can integrate Look to Scroll into their visionOS apps.
In the redesigned Control Center, features like Guest User, Focus, Travel Mode, and more are conveniently displayed in one view, letting users effortlessly manage their music, adjust their Environment settings, and connect to Mac Virtual Display.
Users can unlock their iPhone while wearing Apple Vision Pro, even in a fully immersive experience like an Environment. This feature can be enabled in Settings for Face ID-enabled iPhone models running iOS 26.3
visionOS 26 supports relaying calls from iPhone, so a user can now answer phone calls directly from Apple Vision Pro, or start a call from People View by selecting a contact’s phone number or clicking on a phone number in a web page.4
Home View now supports folders, letting users rearrange and group apps together.
Availability
All of these features are available for testing starting today through the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com. For more information, visit apple.com/os/visionos. Apple Intelligence requires Apple Vision Pro running visionOS 26 with Apple Intelligence enabled and Siri and device language set to the same supported language: English (Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, UK, U.S.), French (Canada, France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish (Mexico, Spain). Features are subject to change. Some features may not be available in all languages or regions, and availability may vary due to local laws and regulations. Compatible hardware and software may be required.
About Apple Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple’s six software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV+. Apple’s more than 150,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth and to leaving the world better than we found it.
Accessory sold separately.
Image Playground is available in English (Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, UK, U.S.), French (Canada, France), German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish (Mexico, Spain) when Apple Intelligence is enabled. Feature availability varies by region.
Unlocking iPhone while wearing Apple Vision Pro requires both Apple Vision Pro and a Face ID-compatible iPhone signed in to the same Apple Account and running visionOS 26 and iOS 26 or later.
Relaying cellular calls from iPhone to Apple Vision Pro requires visionOS 26 or later, and iOS 14 or later. Devices must be signed in to the same Apple Account, connected to the same Wi-Fi network, and within Bluetooth range with Bluetooth enabled.
Headline: Apple introduces a delightful and elegant new software design
June 9, 2025
PRESS RELEASE
Apple introduces a delightful and elegant new software design
A universal design across platforms brings more focus to content and a new level of vitality while maintaining the familiarity of Apple’s software
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today previewed a beautiful new software design that makes apps and system experiences more expressive and delightful while being instantly familiar. It’s crafted with a new material called Liquid Glass. This translucent material reflects and refracts its surroundings, while dynamically transforming to help bring greater focus to content, delivering a new level of vitality across controls, navigation, app icons, widgets, and more. For the very first time, the new design extends across platforms — iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 261 — to establish even more harmony while maintaining the distinct qualities that make each unique.
“At Apple, we’ve always believed in the deep integration of hardware and software that makes interacting with technology intuitive, beautiful, and delightful,” said Alan Dye, Apple’s vice president of Human Interface Design. “This is our broadest software design update ever. Meticulously crafted by rethinking the fundamental elements that make up our software, the new design features an entirely new material called Liquid Glass. It combines the optical qualities of glass with a fluidity only Apple can achieve, as it transforms depending on your content or context. It lays the foundation for new experiences in the future and, ultimately, it makes even the simplest of interactions more fun and magical.”
Introducing Liquid Glass: A New and Expressive Material
Inspired by the depth and dimensionality of visionOS, the new design takes advantage of Apple’s powerful advances in hardware, silicon, and graphics technologies. The new material, Liquid Glass, is translucent and behaves like glass in the real world. Its color is informed by surrounding content and intelligently adapts between light and dark environments. Born out of a close collaboration between the design and engineering teams, Liquid Glass uses real-time rendering and dynamically reacts to movement with specular highlights. This creates a lively experience that makes using iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV even more delightful.
This gorgeous new material extends from the smallest elements users interact with every day — like buttons, switches, sliders, text, and media controls — to larger elements, including tab bars and sidebars for navigating apps. It also shines in system experiences, such as the Lock Screen, Home Screen, notifications, Control Center, and more.
Updated App Designs
Driven by the goal of bringing greater focus to content that’s instantly familiar, Apple’s design team considered every aspect of Apple’s platforms to identify improvements that could be made across the board.
Controls, toolbars, and navigation within apps have been redesigned. Previously configured for rectangular displays, they now fit perfectly concentric with the rounded corners of modern hardware and app windows — establishing greater harmony between hardware, software, and content. Controls are crafted out of Liquid Glass and act as a distinct functional layer that sits above apps. They give way to content and dynamically morph as users need more options or move between different parts of an app. And with thoughtful groupings, it’s easier for users to find the controls they need.
Tab bars and sidebars have been redesigned with the same approach. In iOS 26, when users scroll, tab bars shrink to bring focus to the content while keeping navigation instantly accessible. The moment users scroll back up, tab bars fluidly expand. In iPadOS and macOS, updated sidebars make apps like Apple TV even more immersive. They refract the content behind them — while reflecting content and the user’s wallpaper from around them — which ensures users always have a sense of their context.
These updated design elements apply across fresh new experiences in apps such as Camera, Photos, Safari, FaceTime, Apple Music, Apple News, and Apple Podcasts.
An Enhanced Experience Across Platforms
The new design extends across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS, with updates to system experiences like the Lock Screen, Home Screen, desktop, and Dock. To maintain the focus on the subject of photo wallpapers on the Lock Screen, the time is now crafted out of Liquid Glass and fluidly adapts to fit elegantly behind the subject.
On the Home Screen and desktop, the Dock, app icons, and widgets have all been crafted from multiple layers of Liquid Glass. They look stunning, with specular highlights, and allow for greater personalization options while still maintaining the familiarity that users rely on. For example, in macOS Tahoe 26, users can customize the desktop and Dock with widgets and app icons that come to life in light or dark appearances, colorful new light and dark tints, as well as an elegant new clear look. And it’s made even better with a completely transparent menu bar that makes the Mac display feel even larger.
Building Dynamic Apps
For developers using SwiftUI, UIKit, and AppKit, an updated set of APIs make it easy to adopt the new design. By using Liquid Glass materials and the new and updated controls, developers have the opportunity to refresh the design of their apps to make every user interaction even more intuitive and delightful.
About Apple Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple’s six software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV+. Apple’s more than 150,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth and to leaving the world better than we found it.
Available on Apple TV 4K (2nd generation and later).
Headline: Apple TV brings a beautiful redesign and enhanced home entertainment experience
June 9, 2025
UPDATE
Apple TV brings a beautiful redesign and an enhanced entertainment experience to the home
tvOS 26 elevates the Apple TV design featuring Liquid Glass, along with updates to Sing in Apple Music with iPhone
Apple today announced tvOS 26, making Apple TV even more immersive, enjoyable, and convenient. Featuring a stunning new design with Liquid Glass, tvOS 26 is designed to keep the focus on what’s playing so users never miss a moment. The Apple TV app also now showcases cinematic poster art that makes it fun and easy to discover what to play next. Enhancements to profile-switching and a streamlined way to log in to apps make it easier than ever to access entertainment, while updates to Apple Music Sing bring users new ways to enjoy singing along with friends using iPhone.
Liquid Glass Comes to the Largest Screen in the Home
The new design introduces a new material called Liquid Glass.1 It brings a vibrant look to Apple TV, delivering a fresh and expressive design that beautifully reflects and refracts its surroundings using real-time rendering. Interactions with the Apple TV app are also enhanced to create a more delightful and engaging experience while watching shows and movies. The new design keeps the content central to the viewing experience while fast-forwarding or rewinding, starting a sleep timer, adjusting audio, or setting a “Movie night” scene in Control Center.
Easily Access Entertainment
The Apple TV app is redesigned with beautiful new poster art that incorporates Liquid Glass, and allows more shows and movies to be displayed, enhancing how users discover entertainment.
To quickly find personalized viewing recommendations, users will now have the choice to automatically display profiles when Apple TV wakes, allowing them to quickly get back to their recommendations and Watchlist in the TV app and playlists in Apple Music.
Additionally, tvOS 26 introduces a new API for developers that links app logins to an Apple Account, making it effortless for users to sign in to their favorite apps, shows, and movies when setting up a new device.
Take the Mic with Sing in Apple Music
Sing-along sessions reach a new level of fun with tvOS 26, allowing users to transform iPhone into a handheld microphone for Apple TV and have their voices amplified as they belt out their favorite songs.2 Get the party started with friends, as everyone can jump in using their own iPhone to queue up songs or react with onscreen emoji. Accompanied by real-time lyrics and visual effects that light up the big screen, Sing in Apple Music is more engaging than ever, and with Lyrics Translation and Pronunciation, users can follow and sing along to an even wider variety of songs, even if they don’t know the language.3
Stay Connected with FaceTime
With tvOS 26, users can enjoy a more personalized FaceTime experience that’s consistent with iOS. Contact Posters on Apple TV make it easier and more personal by displaying a contact’s customized photo and name when starting a FaceTime call on Apple TV. Live Captions expand to include French, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and Spanish, enabling Apple TV to use on-device intelligence to display Live Captions for FaceTime conversations, so users can follow what’s being said in even more languages. Additionally, FaceTime audio and phone call notifications will appear onscreen for the active profile, allowing users to answer on connected HomePod speakers or their iPhone, and ensuring that communication with loved ones remains at the forefront.
Additional updates coming to Apple TV:
Enjoy breathtaking landscapes with new Aerial screen savers captured across India, including in Goa and Kerala.
Personalize the screen saver experience by choosing specific Cityscape, Earth, Landscape, or Underwater Aerials to display — or hide.
Designate any AirPlay-enabled speaker as the permanent speaker for Apple TV.
Availability
All of these features are available for testing starting today through the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com, and a public beta will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month at beta.apple.com. New software features will be available this fall as a free software update. For more information, visit apple.com/tv-home and apple.com/apple-tv-4k/#whats-new. Features are subject to change. Some features may not be available in all languages or regions, and availability may vary due to local laws and regulations. For more information about availability, visit apple.com.
Available on Apple TV 4K (2nd generation and later).
Available on iPhone 11 and later with Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) running the latest operating system software.
Lyrics Translation available for select songs in the following languages: English to Chinese (simplified), English to Japanese, Korean to Chinese (simplified), Korean to English, Korean to Japanese, and Spanish to English. Lyrics Pronunciation available for select songs in the following scripts: Cantonese to Jyutping, Chinese (simplified) to Pinyin, Chinese (traditional) to Pinyin, Hindi to Romanized Hindi, Japanese to Romanized Japanese, Korean to Katakana, Korean to Romanized Korean, and Punjabi to Romanized Punjabi.
Headline: macOS Tahoe 26 makes the Mac more capable, productive, and intelligent than ever
June 9, 2025
PRESS RELEASE
macOS Tahoe 26 makes the Mac more capable, productive, and intelligent than ever
Introducing a stunning new design, more Continuity experiences with the Phone app and Live Activities, the biggest update to Spotlight ever, and expanded Apple Intelligence capabilities
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today previewed the next major macOS release — macOS Tahoe 26 — which introduces a stunning new design and powerful capabilities that enable users to get even more done. With the new design, iconic elements of macOS will feel more expressive, delightful, and personal while remaining instantly familiar, including the desktop, Dock, in-app navigation, and toolbars. Users can further personalize the experience with an updated Control Center and new color options for folders, app icons, and widgets. Continuity gets even better with the Phone app arriving on Mac, so users can access familiar features from iPhone — including Recents, Contacts, and Voicemails — and new ones like Call Screening1 and Hold Assist.2 And with Live Activities from iPhone, users can stay on top of things happening in real time, like an upcoming flight, right on their Mac. Spotlight gets its biggest update ever, allowing users to now directly execute hundreds of actions — like sending an email or creating a note — and take advantage of all-new browsing experiences to get to content faster.
Apple Intelligence expands with powerful new features that elevate the Mac experience further, while protecting privacy at every step. Live Translation helps users easily communicate across languages, translating text and audio. Genmoji and Image Playground offer new options for creativity.3 Shortcuts get even more powerful with intelligent actions and the ability to now tap directly into Apple Intelligence models to automate complex tasks.
“macOS is the heart and soul of the Mac, and with Tahoe, we’re building on what users love most. Whether you’re a power user or just getting started on Mac, there’s something for everyone, with even more features to turbocharge productivity and make working across Mac and iPhone more seamless than ever before,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “With its gorgeous new design, amazing Continuity experiences, powerful enhancements to Spotlight, more intelligent shortcuts, and updates to Apple Intelligence, the Mac experience is better than ever.”
A Gorgeous New Design
The gorgeous new design enhances the Mac experience in new ways, while maintaining the familiarity of macOS. It is crafted with Liquid Glass, a translucent new material that reflects and refracts its surroundings. The Dock, sidebars, and toolbars have been refined, bringing greater focus to a user’s content. The menu bar is now completely transparent, making the display feel even larger. There are more ways to customize what controls appear in the menu bar and Control Center, along with how they’re laid out. The new design also unlocks more personalization on the Mac. App icons come to life in light or dark appearances, colorful new light and dark tints, as well as an elegant new clear look. Users can also change the colors of folders and add a symbol or emoji to give them a unique identity. And when combined with personalized wallpapers and theme colors, it’s easier than ever to make Mac a seamless extension of a user’s style.
New Continuity Experiences with the Phone App and Live Activities
The Phone app arrives on Mac thanks to Continuity, which lets users relay cellular calls from their nearby iPhone. The Phone app on Mac has the familiar features of the Phone app on iPhone — including Recents, Favorites, and Voicemails — and the latest updates like Call Screening and Hold Assist. Call Screening automatically answers calls from unknown numbers and asks the caller for information so a user can decide whether or not to answer. And when a user is stuck on hold, Hold Assist allows them to keep their spot in line while they wait for a live agent, so users can continue working on their Mac.
Live Activities from a user’s nearby iPhone will now appear in the menu bar on their Mac so they can stay on top of things happening in real time, like an upcoming Uber ride, flight, or live sports score. When clicking on a Live Activity, the app opens in iPhone Mirroring to show more information so users can take action right from their Mac.
The Biggest Update Ever to Spotlight
Spotlight, the central place to search for things on Mac, makes finding what users are looking for easier than ever, and provides users with all-new ways to take action. During a search, all results — including files, folders, events, apps, messages, and more — are now listed together and ranked intelligently based on relevance to the user. New filtering options rapidly narrow searches to exactly what a user is looking for, like PDFs or Mail messages. Spotlight can also surface results for documents stored on third-party cloud drives. And when a user doesn’t know exactly what they’re searching for, Spotlight’s new browse views make it easy to scan through their apps, files, clipboard history, and more.
Users can now take hundreds of actions directly from Spotlight — like sending an email, creating a note, or playing a podcast — without jumping between apps. Users can take actions from both Apple apps and apps built by developers, because any app can provide actions to Spotlight using the App Intents API. Users can also run shortcuts and perform actions from the menu bar in the app they’re currently working in, all without lifting their hands off the keyboard. Spotlight learns from users’ routines across the system and surfaces personalized actions, such as sending a message to a colleague a user regularly talks to. Additionally, Spotlight introduces quick keys, which are short strings of characters that get users right to the action they’re looking for.
Brand-New Capabilities Powered by Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system that delivers helpful and relevant intelligence, gets even more capable while protecting users’ privacy at every step.
Seamless communication across language barriers with Live Translation: In Messages, Live Translation can automatically translate messages, so if a user is making plans with new friends while traveling abroad, their message can be translated as they type and delivered in the recipient’s preferred language. And when the user receives a response, each text can be instantly translated.4 On FaceTime, a user can follow along with translated live captions while still hearing the speaker’s voice. And when a user is on a call in the Phone app, their words are translated for the recipient as they speak.5 This is enabled by Apple-built models that run entirely on device, so conversations stay private.
Shortcuts get more intelligent: A whole new class of intelligent actions lets users create shortcuts that are more powerful than ever, including summarizing text with Writing Tools and creating images with Image Playground. And now users will be able to tap directly into Apple Intelligence models, either on-device or with Private Cloud Compute, to generate responses that feed into the rest of their shortcut, maintaining the privacy of information used. For example, a student can build a shortcut that uses Apple Intelligence models to compare an audio transcription of a class lecture to the notes they took, and add any key points they may have missed. Users can also choose to tap into ChatGPT for its broad world knowledge and expertise. Additionally, users can now run shortcuts automatically on macOS, such as at a specific time of day, or when taking a specific action like saving a file to a folder or connecting a display.
Updates to Genmoji and Image Playground: macOS Tahoe brings new ways to create Genmoji, giving users the ability to start with existing emoji and descriptions, modify personal attributes like hair length or accessories, and select expressions based on the moment. Users will also have more control of personal attributes and expressions in Image Playground, and can tap into brand-new styles with ChatGPT, like an oil painting style or vector art. For moments when users have a specific idea in mind, they can tap Any Style and describe exactly what they want.
Increased productivity with Reminders: Apple Intelligence can review an email, website, note, or other content on Mac to find the most relevant action items. And users can also choose to use Apple Intelligence to automatically categorize Reminders into sections to make them more manageable.
New Apple Games App, Game Overlay, and More Titles
macOS Tahoe introduces Apple Games, a dedicated app that gives players a home for all their games, making it easier to jump back into favorites, discover new games tailored just for them, and play with friends in whole new ways. With the new Game Overlay, players can conveniently adjust their system settings, chat with friends, or invite them to play, all without having to leave their game. Players can also turn on Low Power Mode, which extends gaming sessions and maximizes playtime on battery. For developers, macOS Tahoe introduces Metal 4, which brings even more advanced graphics and next-generation rendering technologies to games, like MetalFX Frame Interpolation and MetalFX Denoising, for smoother visuals and faster frame rates.
Alongside these improvements, developers continue to deliver exciting new games on Mac, including upcoming titles like Crimson Desert and InZOI. Both games leverage powerful software technologies like MetalFX Upscaling to accelerate performance and deliver high-quality visuals, as well as take advantage of the M3 and M4 family of chips with ray tracing for a breathtaking experience. Additional titles on the way include Cyberpunk 2077, Cronos: The New Dawn, Architect: Land of Exiles, Lies of P: Overture, HITMAN World of Assassination, EVE Frontier, Where Winds Meet, and more.
Additional features in macOS Tahoe include:
Safari, the world’s fastest browser,6 offers a fresh but familiar experience, featuring a rounded tab design that floats in the toolbar, along with a refreshed sidebar with new sections to help users more easily find saved content like iCloud Tabs and Saved. When compared to Chrome, Safari is 50 percent faster at loading frequently visited websites7 and offers up to four more hours of battery life when streaming video.8 And for even greater protection from trackers when browsing, Safari now offers advanced fingerprinting protection in all browsing by default.
The Messages app brings Backgrounds, Polls, and a redesigned details view that helps users easily navigate what has been shared in a conversation. Plus, it features typing indicators in groups to let participants know exactly who is going to chime in, as well as the ability to add new contacts easily right from the group chat and search with more natural language.
Journal comes to Mac, making it easy to capture and write about everyday moments and special events when inspiration strikes. On Mac, it’s easy to type long, thoughtful entries and view them on a map. Users can keep multiple journals for various aspects of life, which are all synced across Apple devices.
Photos has an updated design that includes beautiful Liquid Glass elements, enhancements for customization, easier workflows, and sidebar consistency with iPadOS. Pinned Collections now come to Mac, so users can access the collections they use most with a click on the sidebar. Users will also find new buttons to quickly access filtering and sorting options in all views, and the ability to customize the size of Collections tiles, so they can view their library just how they like.
On FaceTime, the reimagined landing page features beautiful Contact Posters of recent callers, Liquid Glass controls now float in the bottom right and recede to create more space, and a new More button lets users quickly access features like SharePlay and Live Translation.
Notes adds the ability to import and export a note into a markdown file, and support for capturing conversations in the Phone app as audio recordings with transcriptions.
Accessibility features include Magnifier on Mac, which enables users with low vision to zoom in on their surroundings using Continuity Camera on iPhone or attached USB cameras, apply image filters so items are easier to see or read, and even change perspective when viewing presentations or books from an angle. Additional features include Accessibility Reader, a new systemwide reading mode designed with accessibility in mind; an all-new Braille Access experience that offers a user-friendly interface for those with a connected braille display; and Vehicle Motion Cues, which helps reduce motion sickness in a moving vehicle.
With Passwords, users can easily reference changes they make to their accounts, including checking previous versions of passwords they save, along with details on when they were changed.
Availability
All of these features are available for testing starting today through the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com, and a public beta will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month at beta.apple.com. The release will be available as a free software update this fall. The Apple Intelligence features detailed require supported devices, which include all iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad mini (A17 Pro), and iPad and Mac models with M1 and later that have Apple Intelligence enabled and Siri and device language set to the same supported language: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, or Chinese (simplified). More languages will be coming by the end of this year: Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (traditional), and Vietnamese. For more information, visit apple.com/os/macos and apple.com/apple-intelligence. Features are subject to change. Some features may not be available in all languages or regions, and availability may vary due to local laws and regulations. For more information about availability, visit apple.com.
About Apple Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple’s six software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV+. Apple’s more than 150,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth and to leaving the world better than we found it.
Call Screening supports Cantonese (China mainland, Hong Kong, Macao), English (U.S., Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, South Africa, UK), French (Canada, France), German (Germany), Japanese (Japan), Korean (Korea), Mandarin Chinese (China mainland, Taiwan, Macao), Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (U.S., Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain).
Hold Assist will be available in English (U.S.), English (Canada), English (UK), English (Singapore), English (Australia), English (India), French (France), Spanish (U.S.), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), German (Germany), Portuguese (Brazil), Japanese (Japan), and Mandarin Chinese (mainland China).
Genmoji and Image Playground are available in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, and Japanese.
Live Translation in Messages supports English (U.S., UK), French (France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Spain), and Chinese (simplified).
Live Translation in Phone and FaceTime is available for one-on-one calls in English (U.S., UK), French (France), German, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Spain).
Testing conducted by Apple in May 2025 using JetStream 2.2, MotionMark 1.3.1, and Speedometer 3.1 performance benchmarks. Tested with prerelease Safari 26.0 and latest stable versions of Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox at the time of testing on: 15-inch MacBook Air systems with Apple M4 and prerelease macOS Tahoe, and Intel Core Ultra 9-based PC systems with Intel Arc Graphics and Windows 11 Home; iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) units with prerelease iPadOS 26.0, and Intel Core Ultra 7-based PC systems with Intel Arc Graphics and Windows 11 Pro; and iPhone 16 Pro Max with prerelease iOS 26.0, and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite-based smartphones with Android 15. Devices tested with a WPA2 Wi-Fi network connection. Performance will vary based on usage, system configuration, network connection, and other factors.
Testing conducted by Apple in May 2025 by measuring page load performance of snapshot versions of 10 popular websites under simulated network conditions. Tested on production 15-inch MacBook Air systems with Apple M4, 16GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, and prerelease macOS Tahoe. Tested with prerelease Safari 26.0 and Chrome v136.0.7103.93. Performance will vary based on usage, system configuration, network connection, and other factors.
Testing conducted by Apple in May 2025 on production 15-inch MacBook Air systems with Apple M4, 16GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, and prerelease macOS Tahoe. Systems tested with WPA2 Wi-Fi network connection while running on battery power, with display brightness set to 8 clicks from bottom and keyboard backlight off. Video streaming tested with 1080p content on prerelease Safari 26.0 and Chrome v136.0.7103.93. Not all features are available on all devices. Battery life varies by use and configuration. See apple.com/batteries for more information.
Headline: Apple elevates the iPhone experience with iOS 26
June 9, 2025
PRESS RELEASE
Apple elevates the iPhone experience with iOS 26
The release delivers a stunning new design, powerful Apple Intelligence capabilities, new ways to stay connected in the Phone and Messages apps, and exciting updates to CarPlay, Apple Music, Maps, and Wallet
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today previewed iOS 26, a major update that brings a beautiful new design, intelligent experiences, and improvements to the apps users rely on every day. The new design provides a more expressive and delightful experience across the system while maintaining the instant familiarity of iOS. Integrated throughout the system and built with privacy from the ground up, Apple Intelligence gets even more capable. Updates to the Phone and Messages apps help users stay connected while eliminating distractions like unwanted calls. iOS 26 also introduces new features in CarPlay, Apple Music, Maps, and Wallet, as well as Apple Games, a brand-new app that gives players a single destination for all their games.
“iOS 26 shines with the gorgeous new design and meaningful improvements to the features users rely on every day, making iPhone even more helpful,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “Experiences are more expressive and personal, from the Lock Screen and Home Screen, to new capabilities across Phone and Messages that help users focus on the connections that matter most. And with powerful new Apple Intelligence capabilities integrated across the system, users can get things done easier than ever.”
A Beautiful New Look
The new design makes apps and system experiences more expressive and delightful, while keeping iOS instantly familiar. It’s crafted with Liquid Glass — a new translucent material that reflects and refracts its surroundings, bringing greater focus to content, and delivering a new level of vitality across controls, navigation, app icons, widgets, and more. The new design extends to the Home Screen and Lock Screen, making them more personal and expressive than ever. Liquid Glass also brings new customization options to app icons and widgets, including a stunning clear look.
On the Lock Screen, the time fluidly adapts to the available space in an image, and spatial scenes bring wallpapers to life with a 3D effect when users move iPhone. Updated design elements also deliver fresh experiences in apps. A simplified, streamlined Camera layout helps users keep their attention on the moment they’re capturing, and the Photos app is updated to feature separate tabs for Library and Collections views. In Safari, web pages flow from the top edge to the bottom of the screen, enabling users to see more of the page while maintaining access to frequently used actions like refresh and search. In Apple Music, News, and Podcasts, the tab bar is redesigned to float above users’ content, dynamically shrink when users are browsing to put content front and center, and then expand when they scroll back up.
An updated set of APIs provides developers with access to Liquid Glass materials and components so they can make their apps appear just as dynamic and delightful.
New Capabilities Powered by Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence elevates the iPhone experience and helps users get things done easier than ever, while unlocking new ways to communicate and do more with what’s on their screen. Live Translation is integrated into Messages, FaceTime, and Phone to help users communicate across languages, translating text and audio on the fly.1 Live Translation is enabled by Apple-built models that run entirely on device, so users’ personal conversations stay personal.
Building on Apple Intelligence, visual intelligence extends to a user’s iPhone screen so they can search and take action on anything they’re viewing across apps. Users can ask ChatGPT questions about what they’re looking at onscreen to learn more, as well as search Google, Etsy, or other supported apps to find similar images and products. Visual intelligence also recognizes when a user is looking at an event and suggests adding it to their calendar, repopulating key details like date, time, and location.2
Genmoji and Image Playground provide users with even more ways to express themselves, including mixing their favorite emoji, Genmoji, and descriptions together to create something new.3
Shortcuts are now more powerful and intelligent than ever. Users can tap into intelligent actions, a whole new set of shortcuts enabled by Apple Intelligence, and will see dedicated actions for features like Writing Tools and Image Playground.
Apple Intelligence can now automatically identify and summarize order tracking details from emails sent from merchants and delivery carriers, giving users the ability to see their full order details and progress notifications all in one place — even for purchases not made with Apple Pay.
Additionally, a new Foundation Models framework opens up access for any app to tap directly into the on-device foundation model at the core of Apple Intelligence, giving developers direct access to powerful intelligence that’s fast, built with privacy at its core, and available offline, using AI inference that is free of cost.
Features for Staying Connected and Eliminating Interruptions
Fundamental to the iPhone experience, the Phone app now offers a unified layout that combines Favorites, Recents, and Voicemails all in one place. Call Screening builds on Live Voicemail and helps eliminate interruptions by gathering information from the caller and giving users the details they need to decide if they want to pick up or ignore the call.4 And for the times when a user is stuck on hold, Hold Assist notifies the user when a live agent is available.5
In Messages, users can now screen messages from unknown senders, giving them more control over who appears in their conversation list. Messages from unknown senders will appear in a dedicated folder where users can then mark the number as known, ask for more information, or delete. These messages will remain silenced until a user accepts them.
iOS 26 also offers enhancements to conversations, including custom backgrounds and the ability to create polls. With Apple Intelligence, Messages can detect when a poll might come in handy and suggest one, and users can generate unique backgrounds that fit their conversation with Image Playground. Additionally, in group chats, users can now see typing indicators, and request, send, and receive Apple Cash.6
Enhancements to CarPlay
CarPlay — the smarter, safer way to use iPhone while driving — is used over 600 million times per day, and now with iOS 26, it receives updates that make it even more beautiful and easy to use. The stunning design includes a new compact view for incoming calls, allowing users to see who’s calling without missing key information like upcoming directions. iOS 26 also brings Tapbacks and pinned conversations to Messages in CarPlay, and with widgets and Live Activities, users can stay in the loop without losing focus on the road. These updates also come to CarPlay Ultra, which brings the best of iPhone and the best of the car together for a deeply integrated, unified experience across every screen.
Updates to Apple Music, Maps, and Wallet
In Apple Music, Lyrics Translation helps users understand the words to their favorite songs, while Lyrics Pronunciation allows everyone to sing along, regardless of language. AutoMix uses intelligence to transition from one song to the next like a DJ, using time stretching and beat matching to seamlessly move from one song to the next.
In Apple Maps, Visited Places help users remember the places they’ve been. Users can choose to have iPhone detect when they’re at a place like a restaurant or shop, and view all of their Visited Places in Maps. Visited Places are protected with end-to-end encryption and cannot be accessed by Apple. Additionally, iPhone can now use on-device intelligence to better understand a user’s daily route, presenting them with their preferred route when they’re headed home or to the office, along with notifying them of delays and offering alternate routes.
Updates in Apple Wallet help make everyday interactions with the physical world easier than ever. Users can choose to pay with installments or rewards when they make in-store purchases with Apple Pay using iPhone. Refreshed boarding passes in Wallet offer the ability to see and share Live Activities for real-time updates on a flight. They also provide convenient access to a traveler’s most relevant information, such as Maps to navigate airports, Find My to track important items and report missing bags, and more.
Additional features in iOS 26:
Apple Games is a new app that gives players an all-in-one destination for their games. It helps players jump back into titles they love, find their next favorite, and have even more fun with friends. They’ll find out what’s happening across all their games, including major events and updates, so they never miss a moment. The Games app is also the best way to experience Apple Arcade, Apple’s game subscription service with more than 200 award-winning and highly rated games for the whole family.
AirPods are more versatile than ever with new features for AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), and AirPods Pro 2. Building on the benefits of Voice Isolation, studio-quality audio recording allows iPhone, iPad, and Mac users to record their content with great sound quality and enjoy even clearer calls. With camera remote, users can press and hold the AirPods stem to take a photo or start and stop a video recording on iPhone or iPad.
Parents can now create or move kids into Child Accounts even more easily, taking advantage of a wide set of parental controls designed to keep children safe. Enhancements across Communication Limits, Communication Safety, and the App Store include parental approvals for contact requests from kids, blurring out sensitive content in FaceTime calls and photos in Shared Albums, and enabling parents to grant an exception for their child to download an app with an age rating that exceeds the app content restriction they set.
Browsing in Safari gets even more private with advanced fingerprinting protection extending to all browsing by default.
Powerful accessibility features include Accessibility Reader, which provides a customized systemwide reading experience, and Braille Access, an all-new interface for iPhone devices with connected braille displays. Updates to Live Listen, Background Sounds, Personal Voice, and more bring a new level of accessibility across the Apple ecosystem.
Availability
All of these features are available for testing starting today through the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com, and a public beta will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month at beta.apple.com. New software features will be available this fall as a free software update for iPhone 11 and later. The Apple Intelligence features detailed require supported devices, which include all iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad mini (A17 Pro), and iPad and Mac models with M1 and later that have Apple Intelligence enabled and Siri and device language set to the same supported language: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, or Chinese (simplified). More languages will be coming by the end of this year: Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (traditional), and Vietnamese. For more information, visit apple.com/apple-intelligence. Features are subject to change. Some features may not be available in all languages or regions, and availability may vary due to local laws and regulations. For more information about availability, visit apple.com.
About Apple Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple’s six software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV+. Apple’s more than 150,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth and to leaving the world better than we found it.
Live Translation in Messages supports English (U.S., UK), French (France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Spain), and Chinese (simplified). Live Translation in Phone and FaceTime is available for one-on-one calls in English (U.S., UK), French (France), German, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Spain).
The ability to add an event to a calendar with visual intelligence is available in English on all iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Genmoji and Image Playground are available in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, and Japanese.
Call Screening supports Cantonese (China mainland, Hong Kong, Macao), English (U.S., Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, South Africa, UK), French (Canada, France), German (Germany), Japanese (Japan), Korean (Korea), Mandarin Chinese (China mainland, Taiwan, Macao), Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (U.S., Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain).
Hold Assist supports English (U.S., Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, UK), French (France), Spanish (U.S., Mexico, Spain), German (Germany), Portuguese (Brazil), Japanese (Japan), and Mandarin Chinese (mainland China).
Apple Cash services are provided by Green Dot Bank, Member FDIC. Apple Payments Services LLC, a subsidiary of Apple Inc., is a service provider of Green Dot Bank for Apple Cash accounts. Neither Apple Inc. nor Apple Payments Services LLC is a bank. Learn more about the terms and conditions. Only available in the U.S. on eligible devices.
Headline: watchOS 26 delivers more personalized ways to stay active and connected
June 9, 2025
PRESS RELEASE
watchOS 26 delivers more personalized ways to stay active, healthy, and connected
A new software design makes using Apple Watch even more delightful, Workout Buddy brings a first-of-its-kind workout experience with Apple Intelligence, and the Smart Stack and Messages are more intelligent
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today previewed watchOS 26, offering a beautiful new look and even more intelligence for a more personalized experience, to support users in staying active, healthy, and connected. A new design with Liquid Glass makes features like the Smart Stack, Control Center, the Photos watch face, and in-app navigation and controls more expressive, while maintaining the instant familiarity of watchOS. Apple Intelligence enhances the fitness experience with Workout Buddy, which provides personalized, spoken motivation. The Workout app features a new layout, and offers music to listen to based on a user’s tastes and the workout type. watchOS 26 makes everyday interactions even more convenient with Smart Stack hints and updates to Messages, and introduces a new one-handed wrist flick gesture to easily dismiss notifications.
“Apple Watch is an indispensable companion for millions of people around the world, and watchOS 26 uses intelligence to offer an even more personalized experience,” said David Clark, Apple’s senior director of watchOS Engineering. “From a gorgeous new design, to Workout Buddy with Apple Intelligence, personalized music suggestions in the Workout app, and more intelligence in the Smart Stack and Messages, we’re excited about the many ways watchOS 26 will support each user in staying active, healthy, connected, and safe throughout their day.”
A Beautiful New Design
A gorgeous new software design with Liquid Glass brings a fresh look to watchOS 26. Across apps, this new design enables a vibrant and expressive experience that reflects and refracts content using real-time rendering, which brings even more focus to content and makes using Apple Watch even more delightful. Smart Stack widgets, Smart Stack hints, notifications, Control Center, and in-app controls and navigation will adopt the new design. The popular Photos watch face is enhanced with numerals made of Liquid Glass, allowing users to see even more of their photo.
Apple Intelligence Comes to Fitness with Workout Buddy
Workout Buddy is a first-of-its-kind fitness experience with Apple Intelligence that incorporates a user’s workout data and their fitness history to generate personalized, motivational insights during their session, based on data like heart rate, pace, distance, Activity rings, personal fitness milestones, and more.
For example, as a user starts a run, Workout Buddy will give a personalized pep talk that may remind them of their running mileage for the week so far, or share how they are doing against their Activity ring goals: “Way to get out for your run this Wednesday morning. You’re 18 minutes away from closing your Exercise ring. So far this week, you’ve run 6 miles. You’re going to add to that today.”
During the workout, Workout Buddy can mark key moments like their mile splits, or tell them if they hit a new milestone based on their fitness history: “Mile four. You picked up the pace and ran that last one in 8 minutes and 28 seconds.” “Hey, check this out. Your total running distance for the year just crossed the 200-mile mark! That’s a lot of running!”
When a user ends a workout, Workout Buddy will recap their workout stats and congratulate them on their achievements: “Way to get your workout in! You went 4.3 miles in just over 38 minutes. Your average pace was 8 minutes and 58 seconds, and your average heart rate was 128. That was your longest run of the last 28 days. What will you do next?”
To offer meaningful inspiration in real time, Workout Buddy analyzes data privately and securely, with Apple Intelligence. A new text-to-speech model then translates insights into a dynamic generative voice built using voice data from Fitness+ trainers, so it has the right energy, style, and tone for a workout.
Workout Buddy will be available on Apple Watch with Bluetooth headphones, and requires an Apple Intelligence-supported iPhone nearby. It will be available starting in English, across some of the most popular workout types: Outdoor and Indoor Run, Outdoor and Indoor Walk, Outdoor Cycle, HIIT, and Functional and Traditional Strength Training.
Additional Updates to the Workout Experience
The Workout app is one of the most popular apps on Apple Watch, and in watchOS 26, it debuts the biggest update to its layout and navigation since its introduction. Four new buttons in the corners of the app make it easier for users to access their favorite features to customize workouts, like Workout Views, Custom Workout, Pacer, Race Route, and more.
To add inspiration, users can set up music and podcasts right in the Workout app to automatically play when they start a workout. For users’ convenience, Apple Music can now select the best playlist for a user’s workout based on the workout type and their personal tastes.1 Alternatively, users can see suggestions for playlists or podcasts based on what they’ve recently listened to during that particular workout type.
The Smart Stack Becomes Even More Proactive
The Smart Stack is designed to help users quickly access important information from any watch face. In watchOS 26, the Smart Stack improves its prediction algorithms by incorporating more contextual data, sensor data, and data from a user’s routine to provide Smart Stack hints, a proactive prompt for actionable suggestions that are immediately useful. Made of Liquid Glass, Smart Stack hints will appear on the display as a gentle visual prompt. For example, a hint for Backtrack may appear when a user is in a remote location with no connectivity, or a hint for a Pilates workout may show up when a user arrives at a studio location at their usual time.
Added Convenience in Messages
Apple Watch now supports Live Translation in Messages with Apple Intelligence, allowing incoming texts to be automatically translated into a user’s preferred language, right on their wrist.2 And when the user responds, their texts can be instantly translated for the person they’re having a conversation with. Live Translation will be available on Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2, with an Apple Intelligence-supported iPhone.
Additionally, for users whose device language is set to English, Apple Watch will intelligently suggest relevant actions in Messages using the context of a conversation, like starting a Check In when a friend asks a user to share when they arrive home, or using Apple Cash when a user is asked to contribute to a group gift. Customizable Backgrounds set on iPhone will also appear on Apple Watch to make conversations feel more personal and distinct, and users can respond to polls right on their wrist. Smart Replies get even more precise for users whose device language is set to English, with an improved on-device language model that can generate relevant responses based on the content of a conversation.3
Notifications Are Easier to Manage
Notifications are even easier to manage with a simple wrist flick gesture on Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2. When a user raises their wrist to check a notification but isn’t ready to respond, they can quickly turn their wrist over and back to dismiss the notification. The wrist flick gesture can be used to dismiss notifications and incoming calls, silence timers and alarms, and return to the watch face. It uses the accelerometer and the gyroscope — along with a machine learning model — to analyze a user’s wrist movement. Wrist flick joins the double tap gesture to allow users to do even more on Apple Watch with only one hand, for times when the user’s other hand is occupied, such as when walking the dog, cooking, or holding a cup of coffee.
Apple Watch can also now automatically adjust the speaker volume based on the ambient noise in a user’s surroundings for notifications, timers, alarms, incoming calls, and Siri, allowing them to stay connected without worrying about disturbing those around them.
Additional updates in watchOS 26:
The Notes app comes to Apple Watch, allowing users to access their notes right on their wrist. Users can also pin and unlock notes, complete checklist items, and create new notes with Siri, dictation, and the keyboard.
Hold Assist and Call Screening come to the Phone app, when an iPhone is nearby. When a user is waiting for a live agent, Hold Assist recognizes once a live agent is available and notifies the user to return to the call.4 Call Screening helps users manage incoming phone calls from unknown numbers more efficiently by collecting a name and reason for the call before their phone rings, so they can make an informed decision on whether to pick up, decline the call, or ask for more information.5
For users who are deaf or hard of hearing, Live Listen controls come to Apple Watch with a new set of features, including real-time Live Captions of what their iPhone hears on a paired Apple Watch while listening to the audio.6 Apple Watch serves as a remote control to start or stop Live Listen sessions on a paired iPhone, or jump back into a session to capture something that may have been missed.
The Photos face will now shuffle images based on Featured content from Photos, so users can see images of their most meaningful moments every time they raise their wrist or tap the display.
Users can now explore and discover watch faces more easily with the redesigned watch face gallery on Apple Watch and in the Watch app on iPhone, with faces grouped into collections.
New Tools for Developers
Developers are able to take advantage of new APIs in watchOS 26 across design, the Smart Stack, and more. Developers can use new SwiftUI APIs to adopt the beautiful new design materials of watchOS 26. With the Control Widget API, developers can create custom controls to be added to the Control Center, Action Button, or Smart Stack widget, and the Smart Stack Relevance API allows third-party widgets to be added to the Smart Stack with new signals like Points of Interest, with user permission to incorporate location data. For example, the Smart Stack can intelligently show a widget for Slopes when users arrive at a ski resort with improved location APIs, and now Dark Noise can add a custom control to Control Center so users can easily turn on a sleep soundscape without picking up their iPhone.
Availability
All of these features are available for testing starting today through the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com, and a public beta will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month at beta.apple.com. watchOS 26 will be available this fall as a free software update for Apple Watch Series 6 or later, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), and all Apple Watch Ultra models, paired with iPhone 11 or later, running iOS 26. The Apple Intelligence features detailed require supported devices, which include all iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max that have Apple Intelligence enabled and Siri and device language set to the same supported language. Features are subject to change. Some features may not be available in all languages or regions, and availability may vary due to local laws and regulations. For more information about availability, visit apple.com.
About Apple Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple’s six software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV+. Apple’s more than 150,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth and to leaving the world better than we found it.
Apple Music subscription is required for automatic music selection.
Live Translation in Messages will be available on Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 when paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone. Live Translation in Messages supports English (U.S., UK), French (France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Spain), and Chinese (simplified).
Updates to Smart Replies will be available on Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2.
Hold Assist requires iPhone nearby, and supports English (U.S., Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, UK), French (France), German (Germany), Japanese, Mandarin Chinese (China mainland), Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (U.S., Mexico, Spain).
Call Screening requires iPhone nearby, and supports Cantonese (China mainland, Hong Kong, Macao), English (U.S., Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, South Africa, UK), French (Canada, France), German (Germany), Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese (China mainland, Macao, Taiwan), Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (U.S., Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain).
Live Captions support English (U.S., Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, UK), German (Germany), French (Canada, France), Spanish (U.S., Mexico, Spain), Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese (China mainland), and Cantonese (China mainland, Hong Kong).
Headline: New games. New hardware. And new ways to play. As Xbox turns 25 next year, the future of gaming is just getting started.
As Xbox approaches its 25th anniversary, their latest showcase shines a light on boundless creativity and imagination. From pioneering new hardware formats to rethinking how we connect and play, Xbox continues to inspire gamers and developers alike. By combining console, PC, and cloud experiences, Microsoft breaks down barriers and opens doors for stories and worlds beyond our wildest dreams. Their commitment to innovation empowers creators big and small, fostering a vibrant and inclusive gaming community. Here’s to the team at Xbox and Satya Nadella for pushing the envelope and keeping the magic of play alive and truly ever-evolving.
Headline: Everything announced at Xbox Games Showcase 2025
And there were a lot of games on show, with players getting a look at just some of the games they can look forward to this year. From our first-party studios, we saw a world premiere for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, an unexpected Obsidian double-bill in the form of The Outer Worlds 2 and Grounded 2, a world premiere of Double Fine’s otherworldly Keeper,a first look at Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s Order of the Giants DLC, and got new gameplay from Ninja Gaiden 4, and Gears of War: Reloaded. Looking further ahead, we also saw extended gameplay for Clockwork Revolution, showing us more from inXile’s most ambitious game yet.
And from our partners, there’s even more to look forward to. New studio Quarter Up brought us a wonderful surprise in the form of Invincible VS, Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy XVI arrives for Xbox today – with Final Fantasy Remake Intergradeto come later this year – and Atlus introduced us to Persona 4 Revival.
We also saw follow-ups to indie hits like Super Meat Boy 3D, High on Life 2, and Planet of Lana II as well as world premieres and new looks at some incredibly exciting new ideas, including The Blood of Dawnwalker, Game Freak’s Beast of Reincarnation, and At Fate’s End, the new game from the creators of the beloved Spiritfarer – among many others.
And after a huge 2025 filled with games from today’s double feature, there’s so much more to come. Phil Spencer closed the show by speaking about the upcoming 25th anniversary of Xbox, with the exciting proclamation that, in 2026, Xbox players will celebrate a quarter-century of Xbox with a new Fable, the next Forza, Gears of War E-Day, and, “The return of a classic that’s been with us since the beginning…”
And the fun only continued in The Outer Worlds 2& Grounded 2 Direct, which followed immediately after Xbox Games Showcase concluded. Presented by the developers at Obsidian Entertainment, the show offered brand new information and gameplay for the sequel to the award-winning RPG, and also offered up some details on a whole other game arriving this year after the surprise announcement of Grounded 2. Make sure to check back for full rundowns on what was announced in the second part of our enormous double feature.
Want to catch up on everything from the show? Read on for every single announcement and reveal from the Xbox Games Showcase 2025:
Introducing the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X Handhelds
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The ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X are two new handhelds that combine the power of Xbox with the freedom you expect from Windows. Both launch holiday 2025 in select markets, with availability to follow for other markets where ROG Ally series are sold today.
Together with ASUS, we’ve combined our strengths and technical expertise to provide a premium gaming experience that travels with players wherever they go. With the Xbox Ally, it’s never been easier to access your favorite games – from Xbox, Battle.net, and other leading third-party PC storefronts – all from a single device.
Find out more about both handhelds – including specs, features, the new Xbox full screen experience, and more – in our dedicated Xbox Wire article. Pricing, pre-orders and more will follow in the coming months.
Welcome to 2035 — Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Brings the Most Mind-Bending Action to Date
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere, or play it day one on Game Pass – also available on Battle.net, Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4
For the first time in Call of Duty history, developers Treyarch and Raven Software are bringing players Black Ops titles back-to-back with the confirmation of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.
The year is 2035 and the world is on the brink of chaos, ravaged by conflict and psychological warfare following the narrative events of Black Ops 2 and Black Ops 6. With cutting-edge technology in hand, the Black Ops team led by David Mason must fight back against a manipulative enemy who weaponizes fear above all else.
Squad up with friends or play solo in the innovative Co-op Campaign, harness near-future weaponry in the signature Multiplayer mode packed with brand-new maps, and descend into the next twisted chapter of Round-Based Zombies in the heart of the Dark Aether.
This tease is just the beginning. Don’t miss the official reveal of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 this summer.
Extended Look at Steampunk RPG, Clockwork Revolution in New Trailer
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere, or play it day on with Game Pass – also available on Steam
Clockwork Revolution—the time-bending RPG from inXile entertainment – debuted a new trailer, revealing the grittier side of the steampunk city of Avalon. This is where the downtrodden steal to survive, gangs prey on the weak, and where our hero Morgan calls home. After discovering that history has been carefully crafted by the city’s ruler, Lady Ironwood, you’ll use a time travel device to go into the past and set things straight – in whatever way you see fit.
We have an exclusive interview from inXile on what makes the game tick, from reactive storytelling to weapon crafting, and why this is their most ambitious project yet.
Gears of War: Reloaded – New Trailer Revealed, Multiplayer Beta Announced
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere, or play it day one with Game Pass – also available on Steam, PlayStation 5
Gears of War is coming to more players than ever before with the upcoming release of Gears of War: Reloaded on August 26, 2025 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Xbox Cloud, Steam and PlayStation 5.
An all-new trailer showcases the iconic gameplay and cinematics that changed gaming forever, now lovingly remastered. This is the definitive release, optimized for each platform, featuring 4K textures, 60 FPS in Campaign, 120 FPS in Multiplayer, cross-play, cross-progression and more.
Additionally, a two-weekend Multiplayer Beta begins June 13, taking place across all platforms, for Game Pass Ultimate/Game Pass PC members, owners of the digital version of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, and those with Gears of War: Reloaded preorders.
Be sure to check out our Xbox Wire feature, which includes an Official Xbox Podcast interview with The Coalition, as well as details of how to participate in the Beta.
Grounded 2 Heads to Game Preview and Steam Early Access July 29
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Xbox Game Preview with Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere, or play it day one with Game Pass – also available on Steam Early Access
Grounded 2 steps out of the backyard and into the suburban wilderness—new bugs, new biomes, same tiny chaos. Set in the all-new Brookhollow Park and featuring the return of our teen heroes, this continuation brings major quality-of-life upgrades like the all-in-one Omni-Tool and delivers on one of the community’s most requested features: rideable Buggies. It’s not just a sequel—it’s the follow-up fans were hoping for, packed with sharper tools, weirder bugs, and enough callbacks to make you wonder if we’ve been lurking in your forum threads (spoiler: we have).
Built in partnership with Eidos-Montréal and launching into Game Preview on July 29, Grounded 2 brings more story, systems, and surprises from the very beginning—shaped by over 25 million players and counting. Whether you’re returning or just jumping in, wishlist today on Xbox and Steam, and get ready to ride together, survive together, and help shape this world with us.
For a full breakdown of new features, Buggies, story details, and what to expect in Game Preview, check out the complete Xbox Wire post here.
Keeper: A Beautiful, Otherworldly Adventure from Lee Petty and Double Fine Productions, Arrives October 17
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere, or play it day one with Game Pass – also available on Steam
Keeper – the beautiful, otherworldly third-person adventure from Double Fine Productions – was announced during the show with a somewhat psychedelic and mysterious first trailer. And we don’t have long to wait – it arrives on October 17.
We encountered a Lighthouse that, after eons of standing dormant, falls to the ground, breaking into heaps of rubble, but then reassembles and stands up again on newly formed legs. It has awakened.
Yes folks that’s right, in Keeper you play a walking Lighthouse, able to shine a beam of bright light that affects the world around it, with a spirited seabird companion coming along for the ride. The trailer takes us on an epic adventure into a strange unknowable island, joining the Lighthouse on a journey toward the center of the island.
Find out more about the story in the game, and the story behind the game, in our Xbox Wire article.
The Path to Master Ninja Begins: Ninja Gaiden 4 Emerges from the Shadows October 21
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere, or play it day one with Game Pass – also available on Steam, PlayStation 5
The legendary ninja action franchise returns in Ninja Gaiden 4, a high-octane fusion of Team Ninja’s signature combat and PlatinumGames’ dynamic flair. The trailer that debuted during the show provides a deeper look at Yakumo, a young ninja prodigy, and an array of new weapons at his disposal as he battles through hordes of enemies.
From seamless weapon switching and obliteration techniques to the explosive return of Bloodbind Ninjutsu and Ninpo arts, the trailer teases a brutal, stylish evolution of the series. With a sneak peek at new characters like Seori, massive boss battles, the mysterious connection to the legendary Ryu Hayabusa, and a near-future Tokyo struggling in the grips of an overwhelming evil, Ninja Gaiden 4 is set to deliver a legacy reborn when it launches October 21. We went hands-on with the game for the first time and interviewed its director – find out much more in our article.
The Outer Worlds 2 Gets a New Trailer and a Huge Deep-Dive
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere, or play it day one with Game Pass – also available on Battle.net, Steam, PlayStation 5
The Outer Worlds 2 pulls you into Arcadia – a colony isolated from the rest of the system, fought over by power-hungry factions, and on the brink of near to mid-term collapse by rifts forming in the space around it. With the future up for grabs, survival might depend on your choices, your alliances… and maybe a few well-placed deals along the way. Featured in the Xbox Games Showcase and expanded in today’s The Outer Worlds 2 Direct, this bigger, bolder sequel builds on everything fans loved about the original: deeper RPG systems, sharper satire, and wildly reactive storytelling. With new companions, enhanced movement and combat, science weapons and armor, and full character customization, The Outer Worlds 2 puts you at the center of a chaotic struggle for Arcadia’s future. Launching October 29, 2025, it hands you the chaos and asks: what are you going to do with it? The world needs a hero. You’ll have to do.
For a full breakdown of factions, features, editions, and pre-order details, check out the complete Xbox Wire post here.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4: Foundry Demo Out Today!
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere, or play it day one on Game Pass – also available on Battle.net, Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4. Foundry demo not available on Nintendo Switch platforms
The Birdman returns along with a host of legendary and new parks, skaters, tricks, and more with the upcoming release of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 on July 11. The remake brings a robust Career mode across two tours, Single Sessions and Speedruns, and Free Skate to help nail those tricky combos without the heat of a timer.
Play the Foundry Demo now with a pre-order (see available platforms here), PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate and shred across the Foundry and College parks as Tony Hawk and Rayssa Leal. Digital Deluxe Edition purchasers will exclusively have access to skate as The Doom Slayer! For the latest news, visit tonyhawkthegame.com.
Aniimo Is a Beautiful New Creature Collecting Action-RPG
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere – see developer website for other platforms
Revealed for the first time today, Aniimo is a ground-breaking open-world ARPG where players are invited to join in the exploration of a living and dynamic world, and meet the magical Aniimo that inhabit it. Instead of waiting for someone else to create their dream game, the Aniimo team did it themselves. Travel across a beautiful new world, meeting, learning about, and capturing the Aniimo that inhabit it. Battle Aniimo in real-time, or use the Twining system to become an Aniimo, and experience the game in a whole new way. Aniimo will arrive in 2026, but a closed beta begins for PC players later this year – find out how to join in here.
Aphelion Is a Sci-Fi Adventure Grounded in Real-World Science
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere, or play it day one with Game Pass – see developer website for other platforms
Aphelion is a third-person sci-fi adventure from Don’t Nod (Life Is Strange, Jusant). After crash-landing on a frozen planet, astronaut Ariane must navigate brutal terrain and shifting realities to rescue her injured partner, Thomas. Blending exploration, traversal, and tense stealth gameplay, Aphelion delivers a cinematic, emotionally charged journey through an uncharted world. Play as both characters to understand the mystery of the planet Persephone in a story grounded in real-world science, and made in partnership with the European Space Agency. Aphelion arrives in 2026.
At Fate’s End Is the Captivating New Game from the Spiritfarer Team
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere, or play it day one with Game Pass – see developer website for other platforms
Thunder Lotus proudly revealed At Fate’s End, an action-adventure game where you fight the ones you love. Wield the legendary God Sword Aesus as Shan, the deft young heiress of the Hemlock clan. Solve intricate narrative puzzles, uncover painful truths, and hone both your blade skills and knowledge to face your estranged siblings in intense, emotional duels – and ultimately decide your family’s fate. From the award-winning team behind Spiritfarer, At Fate’s End weaves tight, visceral action with rich narrative depth, exploring the complicated bonds between brothers and sisters in a world where swords clash and family wounds run deep.
Game Freak & Fictions Reveal Beast of Reincarnation
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere, or play it day one with Game Pass – see developer website for other platforms
The show revealed the first trailer for Beast of Reincarnation, a new action-RPG from revered developer Game Freak. Set in a post-apocalyptic Japan, the world has become consumed by corruption and overtaken by formidable beasts. Play as Emma, a cursed outcast, and her loyal dog Koo as they journey through a dangerous, ever-shifting world that demands precision and mastery of technical combat. Uncover what it means to be human at the edge of extinction in Beast of Reincarnation.
The Blood of Dawnwalker Reveals its First Gameplay Trailer
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere – see developer website for other platforms
From Rebel Wolves and Bandai Namco Entertainment, comes a brand new dark fantasy role playing saga: The Blood of Dawnwalker. You play as Coen, a young man turned into a Dawnwalker: half-man, half-vampire, forever treading the line between the world of day and the realm of night. Fight for your humanity or embrace the cursed powers to save your family. Whatever your choice, the question stands: is your soul worth the lives of those you love? Coming in 2026, wishlist now on Xbox Series X/S and Xbox on PC.
Cronos: The New Dawn – New Survival Horror from Bloober Team Arrives This Fall
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere – see developer website for other platforms
Get ready to embark on a haunting journey this fall as Cronos: The New Dawn arrives. In this gripping third-person survival horror, step into the shoes of the Traveler, an agent of the mysterious Collective, whose mission is to salvage what remains of humanity. In the time-warped nightmare of the future, monsters known as Orphans stalk the land. Emerging from the downfall of mankind, these grotesque creatures can fuse together to create even deadlier foes.
In the gameplay trailer, we witnessed the Traveler descending into an Orphan nest, confronting the twisted creatures that inhabit its depths. The corpses of fallen Travelers tell a grim tale, yet their final recordings offer crucial warnings. Can you succeed where others have failed?
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade Is Coming to Xbox
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Play Anywhere – see developer website for other platforms
The beloved, expanded remake of the genre-defining Final Fantasy VII is on its way to Xbox this Winter. Relive the first act of the iconic 1997 game as Cloud Strife, the legendary hero, meets unforgettable allies and explores the dystopian city of Midgar. Culminating in a dramatic escape, this pivotal chapter sets the stage for one of gaming’s most legendary stories.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade includes both the base game and Intermission—a story episode starring Yuffie Kisaragi, the spirited ninja from Wutai. Her episode offers a different perspective on the events of the main game, expanding the world and deepening the lore. Relive one of gaming’s greatest stories on Xbox.
Final Fantasy XVI Comes to Xbox Today
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Play Anywhere – see developer website for other platforms
Surprise! Final Fantasy XVI, the iconic (or should that be Eikonic?) action-RPG comes to Xbox platforms today. With an enormous medieval fantasy world, a dramatic, mature storyline, and lightning-fast action combat, this is a true gaming epic. Its release means that every mainline single player Final Fantasy game is now playable with Xbox.
Fans can purchase either the Standard or Complete Edition, with the latter boasting all expansions and DLC. Plus, as an Xbox Play Anywhere title, one purchase lets you play across all Xbox platforms, with full cross-save. Find out more in our Xbox Wire article.
High On Life 2 Comes to Game Pass This Winter!
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere, or play it day one with Game Pass – see developer website for other platforms
High On Life returns, as you and your beloved rag-tag team of alien misfits shoot, stab, and skate your way through weird alien worlds across the galaxy to blow up an evil pharmaceutical conglomerate hell-bent on putting a price tag on human life!
Wreak havoc at the galaxy’s biggest convention, an alien zoo for humans, and a luxury futuristic cruise liner on your cosmic quest to take down big pharma. And stay tuned for an exclusive trailer breakdown with Squanch Games on the Xbox YouTube channel.
Invincible VS: Quarter Up Reveals 3v3 Tag Fighting Game – Coming in 2026
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud,Xbox Play Anywhere – see developer website for other platforms
Quarter Up, Skybound’s first in-house gaming development studio, revealed Invincible VS. The trailer reveals a brutal, tournament-quality superhero 3v3 tag fighting game set in the award-winning Invincible Universe. It also showcases: fan-favorite superheroes Mark (Invincible), Thula, Bulletproof and Atom Eve; iconic arenas; the high-stakes of bloody superhero battles; and an authentic depiction of battle damage and bloody combat fans know and love. Invincible VS will launch in 2026.
Mudang: Two Hearts Is a Cinematic Tactical Action-Adventure Arriving in 2026
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere – see developer website for other platforms
Mudang: Two Hearts is a third-person tactical action adventure set on the Korean Peninsula after reunification. Revealed for the first time today, it blends stealth, close-quarters combat, and emotionally driven storytelling into a seamless cinematic experience.
Players experience the story through two distinct perspectives: Ji Jeongtae, a North Korean special forces operative dispatched to the South, and GAVI, a K-pop idol whose past holds a dangerous secret. As a new wave of terrorist attacks fractures the fragile illusion of peace, the two become entangled with an enigmatic militant group known as Byeolmuban.
Built in Unreal Engine 5 and using our proprietary performance capture pipeline, Mudang delivers a deeply immersive combat system rooted in authentic special forces tactics and is set to launch in 2026.
The Midnight Channel Returns: Persona 4 Revival Officially Announced
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere, or play it day one with Game Pass – see developer website for other platforms
A remake of the modern classic JRPG, Persona 4 Revival received a debut trailer, showing off the game’s gorgeous updated visuals within the rural town of Inaba. Arriving as a transfer student, you’ll experience an unforgettable year with new friends you meet along the way. However, rumors of bizarre murders and a mysterious TV channel quickly disrupt your peaceful everyday life. A door to another world opens, awakening your Persona abilities: it is time to fight alongside your trusted allies to uncover the truth.
Planet of Lana II Revealed – Double the Size, and Deeper than Ever
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere, or play it day one with Game Pass – see developer website for other platforms
Revealed today, Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf is an ambitious cinematic puzzle adventure that doubles the size and scope of the original. Launching in 2026 and day one with Game Pass, this highly anticipated sequel revisits Lana and Mui’s profound bond as they navigate a changed world after the robot invasion of the first game.
With new and improved mechanics for Lana and Mui, as well as brand new abilities to control the creatures and robots around you, prepare to unravel a deeper, longer sci-fi story where Lana confronts her own demons and unveils the planet’s darkest secrets, as a new threat puts their unbreakable bond to the ultimate test.
Wishlist Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf today on the Xbox Store and follow @PlanetOfLana on social media to stay up to date!
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy Expands the Universe in New Ways
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere, or play it day one with Game Pass – see developer website for other platforms
This new game from Asobo Studio and Focus Entertainment expands the universe of A Plague Tale with an original story set 15 years before the events of the last game, A Plague Tale: Requiem. With a new action-adventure approach, players are invited to dive into Sophia’s past and journey with her to the Minotaur’s Island, outsmart deadly foes, unravel ancient secrets, and confront the creature at the heart of a devastating curse. Her sword in one hand and light in the other, Sophia will plunge into the myth of the macula, until she understands why it resonates so intimately with her.
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy will be released in 2026 – you can wishlist the game today on the Xbox Store.
Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive Transforms the Hit Webtoon into an Action-RPG
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere – see developer website for other platforms
The global phenomenon Solo Leveling makes its debut on Xbox! Based on the hit webtoon, ARISE OVERDRIVE is an action-RPG that lets you experience overwhelming power and thrilling combat. Master a dynamic action system, block deadly attacks, and counter with perfect parries. Unleash the Monarch’s Awakening to transcend limits and dominate the battlefield. Feel the intensity as you wipe out enemies in style. Team up with friends in multiplayer mode to conquer powerful stages and enjoy the thrill of true growth and cooperation. It’s time to rise, fight, and prove your strength. The Xbox PC version arrives fall 2025, with Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Cloud versions to follow in 2026.
Super Meat Boy 3D Revealed with a New Trailer
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Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere, or play it day one with Xbox Game Pass – see developer website for other platforms
Gaming’s most iconic chunk of meat is back! Today’s Showcase revealed Super Meat Boy 3D from Sluggerfly and Headup Games, who are taking Team Meat’s indie darling into the third dimension. The game arrives in early 2026.
Super Meat Boy 3D is exactly what you love about the series: a challenging platformer where you guide a cube of meat on a mission to rescue his bandage-made girlfriend from a villainous fetus in a jar—now in 3D! You’ll wall-jump through buzzsaws, collapsing caves, and fiery forests, dying countless times along the way. With old-school difficulty, fast-paced gameplay, tough bosses, and plenty of secrets, it’s a new dimension for Meat Boy. Wishlist Super Meat Boy 3D today on the Xbox Store and get ready to die again and again and again when you play it day one on Game Pass.
There Are No Ghosts at The Grand: Become Decorator by Day and Ghost Hunter by Night in a Cozy, Spooky Musical Mystery
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Play Anywhere, or play it day one with Game Pass – see developer website for other platforms
Inherit a crumbling English hotel and restore it by day while battling ghosts by night in There Are No Ghosts at The Grand. With a sardonic cat, a talking power tool, and a twisting supernatural plot, this is a spooky, cozy, musical mystery unlike any other. You have exactly 30 days and 30 nights to restore the crumbling hotel and explore the surrounding seaside village for eerie supernatural secrets. Coming to Xbox Series X|S and PC in 2026, and available on Game Pass… just don’t believe them when they tell you that There are No Ghosts at the Grand.
Age of Mythology: Retold – Heavenly Spear Brings the Japanese Pantheon, Coming Fall 2025
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere, Game Pass – also available on Battle.net, Steam, PlayStation 5
Age of Mythology: Retold will make room for more gods, more heroes and more legends this Fall with the Heavenly Spear expansion. An all-new Japanese pantheon introduces 12 new gods with unique powers, divine technologies and myth units drawn from centuries of legend. Players can embark on a 12-mission campaign following Yasuko, a humble farmer’s daughter who discovers a magical spear and is swept into a mythic war. Wishlist now! Already own the Age of Mythology: Retold Premium Edition? Heavenly Spear is yours at no additional cost – jump in and play on day one!
The Elder Scrolls Online Shows Us the Return of the Worm Cult
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud – also available on Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Mac
ZeniMax Online Studios premiered a gameplay trailer for The Elder Scrolls Online,revealing the adventures to be found in Western Solstice during Seasons of the Worm Cult Part 1, a continuation of ESO’s main quest storyline from over 10 years ago. Releasing in tandem, the Update 46 base-game patch adds character Subclassing, the Hero’s Return system for returning players, and many more quality-of-life updates. The Elder Scrolls Online: Seasons of the Worm Cult Part 1 and Update 46 are available now on PC and Mac, andwill arrive for Xbox and PlayStation consoles on June 18.
Fallout 76 Shows Off its Fin-tastic Fishing Update
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Game Pass – also available on Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4
Bethesda Game Studios unveiled the launch trailer for Fallout 76’s latest update, Gone Fission. This fin-tastic update introduces fishing to the Wasteland, revealing a cozier side of Appalachia away from the guns and ghouls. Players can experiment with bait, weather conditions, rods, and locations to catch a variety of fish, – including prized Axolotls that change each month – and Local Legends. Gone Fission is available across all platforms for free, letting every Fallout 76 player enjoy the relaxing summer pastime. Find out more about fishing in the Wasteland on Xbox Wire.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants DLC Launches September 4
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere – also available on Steam, PlayStation 5
The latest Indiana Jones adventure is getting a DLC chapter in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of the Giants! Indy’s new journey will take him deep into unexplored territory as he dives beneath the bustling streets of Rome to investigate a dark and twisted new mystery.
This DLC is set during the main game and expands on the story of the Nephilim Order. Face off against old threats and new foes, navigate Rome beyond the walls of Vatican City, and uncover the legend of a colossal beast. Maybe some ancient secrets are better left undisturbed…
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants will be available on September 4, 2025. For those who purchased the Premium Edition, Premium Upgrade or Collector’s Edition, the DLC is included. Find out more in our Xbox Wire article about The Order of Giants.
Sea of Thieves: Season 17 Sets Sail on a Smugglers’ Tide
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Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox PC, Xbox Play Anywhere, Game Pass – also available on Steam, Battle.net, PlayStation 5
A new gang of nefarious troublemakers have infiltrated the Sea of Thieves! Known as The Smuggler’s League, they’re recruiting pirates willing to deal with dangers others are afraid to handle, including weapons and some of the most powerful explosives ever seen on the seas. Crews that think they’re up to the challenge can embark on new Smuggler’s Voyages to salvage — or steal — these hot properties and see them safely into the wrong hands, but one false move could spell disaster. Sparks are sure to fly when Season 17: Smugglers’ Tide launches in August, free for all players.
IPAA was part of a coalition letter was sent to the Members of the United States Senate supporting the proposed 10-year moratorium on enforcement of state and local AI-specific regulations.
Headline: Orenburgneft’s Environment-Oriented Investments Exceed 3 Billion Roubles in 2024
Orenburgneft (part of Rosneft’s oil production complex) allocated more than 3 billion roubles to environmental protection activities in 2024, almost 13% more than in the previous year. Funds have been invested in implementing the gas programme, improving pipeline reliability, land remediation, improving the efficiency of industrial waste management, resource conservation, reforestation and water biodiversity conservation.
As part of the targeted gas programme, in 2024 the main technological equipment was installed at the gas compressor station of the Donetsk-Syrtsky field and the construction of gas pipelines for the Eastern group of fields is being completed. These measures will enable additional volumes of associated gas to be routed to the Buzuluk gas processing plant, where the gas is processed to commercial quality and a large fraction of the hydrocarbons — a valuable raw material for the petrochemical industry — is removed.
Investments in the implementation of the pipeline reliability improvement programme ensured the planned replacement of pipeline sections, repairs and pipe blocking. The stable operation of the industrial infrastructure is ensured, among other things, by diagnostics using modern equipment.
The enterprise uses technologies that conserve resources. Last year, Orenburgneft reduced its energy consumption by 6.8 million tonnes of fuel equivalent, helping to improve the environmental performance of its production. Key initiatives included optimising the operation of pumping equipment in reservoir pressure maintenance systems, upgrading downhole oil production equipment and redesigning onshore infrastructure.
The enterprise provides environmental monitoring of natural components. Air, water and soil are regularly sampled in areas where production activities take place. Methane emissions are monitored using advanced technology.
Orenburgneft uses modern technologies to dispose of production waste. The by-products obtained are reused in industrial applications. The enterprise’s volunteers help protect the environment. For several years, employees have organised the collection of used plastic and paper. Local students take part in environmental campaigns organised by oil companies. In 2024, more than 12 tonnes of secondary raw materials were sent for recycling through joint efforts.
Employees carry out voluntary clean-ups in the towns and cities where they work, along the banks of waterways, and organise community clean-up days. Over the past three years, oil workers have planted around 3,000 young pine, fir, lime and birch trees. Together with activists from the Movement of the Firsts, oil workers cleaned up the dendrological garden in the Buzuluk Forest National Park. Previously, with the help of the enterprise’s employees, a tourist trail was created in the reserve, which is integrated into the National Park’s network of ecological trails.
The enterprise’s environmental efforts have been repeatedly recognised at various levels. In the regional competition Economy Leader, Orenburgneft has been recognised as the winner in the category Environmental Responsibility Leader for over 10 years.
For reference:
Orenburgneft, a subsidiary of Rosneft Oil Company, is engaged in production operations in Orenburg, Samara and Saratov regions. Cumulative oil production of the enterprise exceeds 470 million tonnes of oil.
Department of Information and Advertising Rosneft April 9, 2025
Headline: Rosneft holds the first open academic competition for schoolchildren in Bashkiria
Bashneft (Rosneft subsidiary) held the first open academic competition for schoolchildren at the Ufa State Petroleum Technical University (USPTU). The winners will receive additional points to the Unified State Examination when entering USPTU.
More than 100 schoolchildren from Ufa and other cities and districts of Bashkortostan took part in the academic competition. Students of 10-11 grades could test their knowledge in mathematical chemistry and mathematical physics.
The winners of the competition will be awarded at the All-Russian Employment Fair to be held in Ufa on 18 April 2025. Bashneft will also offer the winners an opportunity to go on an “oil quest” at the fair, which is dedicated to the profession of an oil worker. The Rosneft academic competition in USPTU is planned to be held on an annual basis with an increase in the number of participants.
As a part of the corporate program of continuous education “school – college/university – enterprise”, Rosneft implements projects to attract talented young people and form an external talent pool. The program has been implemented in the Republic of Bashkortostan for several years already. 49 schoolchildren were enrolled in the 10th grade “Rosneft Classes” in 2024. In addition, 25 9th grade students were enrolled in the Rosneft Class in Ufa on a pilot basis. The Ufa Fuel and Energy College (UFEC) became a partner.
USPTU and UFEC have six corporate groups of Bashneft in various training areas, including: solid fuel, oil and gas processing technology, design and operation of oil and gas processing equipment, oil and gas geology and geophysics, etc. In profile groups, students combine work at the production site with individualized training. Training in specialized subjects is conducted with the involvement of expert teachers among Bashneft’s employees.
In partnership with Bashneft’s enterprises, USPTU has established basic departments: Petrochemical Process Technology, Welding of Oil and Gas Structures, Bashneft Refining and Bashneft Environmental Engineering.
For reference:
Basheft is one of the oldest oil and gas enterprises in the country engaged in oil extraction and processing. The key assets of Bashneft, including the refinery and petrochemical complex, are located in the Republic of Bashkortostan.Oil and gas exploration and production are also carried out in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area–Yugra, Nenets Autonomous Area, Orenburg Region and the Republic of Bashkortostan.
USPTU is Bashneft’s key partner in personnel training. More than 50% of Bashneft’s employees are graduates of this university.
Department of Information and Advertising Rosneft April 11, 2025
The community is up in arms over another local post office in Aotearoa New Zealand about to be closed down, this time in the iconic and historic Auckland inner city suburb of Ponsonby.
A local author and founder of Greenstone Pictures, John Harris, has led a pushback against plans to close the Ponsonby post office branch in Three Lamps next month with an undated open letter to the chief executive David Walsh.
Saying he was “surprised and dismayed” to see the “closing soon but staying put” sign in the Ponsonby NZ Post shop, Harris pointed out that the small office gave “great service to dozens of businesses” in the area, and hundreds of residents.
“It is misleading on your poster to claim that people will be able to obtain the same services at nearby post shops like that in Jervois Road,” Harris said.
“Will they be able to pay their bills and car registration there? Collect mail and parcels? Buy courier bags and send mail and parcels?
“And do you expect them to walk there? It is not helpful to say this closure ‘might mean a few minutes extra drive’.
This assumed that all clients were using a car, not elderly or young who were on foot.
Parking in busy streets “And people are expected to try and find parking on other busy streets — Jervois Road, Karangahape Road, Wellesley Street.”
Harris said: “The Ponsonby post shop is a vital part of the network that binds the community together.
“To close it is like removing part of the community’s nervous system: an ill-considered stab at the heart of a community which has always been vibrant, socially aware and productive.”
The NZ Post website proclaims that “we provide customers with the solutions and products to help them communicate and do business.”
However, said Harris, this planned closure for July 4 did not match those promises.
Harris also pointed out that NZ Post made a $16 million operating profit for the last six months of 2024.
The Ponsonby protest letter from a local community advocate to the NZ Post. Image: APR
“Congratulations. I’m pleased you are keeping NZ Post viable. But it shows there is a bit of ‘wriggle room’ to keep the Ponsonby store open.”
Digital services use In response to the call to reconsider the decision, a customer services officer replied on June 6 on behalf of chief executive Walsh, saying that the NZ Post Office needed to “ensure our physical locations are in the right places and operating efficiently” in an age where more people used digital services.
“In some areas, including Ponsonby, we’ve had more than one store serving the same neighbourhood. That’s not a sustainable way for us to operate, so we’ve had to make some changes.”
However, critics of the decision to close the Ponsonby store say the reasoning was “not credible”, stressing that all claimed alternative postal stores are several kilometres away.
Harris, a children’s author with a strong association with the local community stretching back to the 1970s and a former editor of West End News in Freemans Bay, acknowledged that the Ponsonby PO boxes lobby was being kept open, “but what about the ordinary rank-and-file residents and small business owners who value the other everyday services offered at the store?”
He said he had written to local MP, Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick and the Ponsonby Business Association seeking their support.
At the invitation of the Government of the Kingdom of Norway, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, will lead the ASEAN Secretariat delegation for a Working Visit to Norway, on 9 to 12 June 2025, covering Oslo and Bergen. Throughout the visit, SG Dr. Kao is scheduled to meet with key stakeholders, including the Prime Minister of Norway, H.E. Jonas Gahr Støre, as well as with various Ministers of the Government of Norway, parliamentarians, business community and private sectors, academia, and students.
During his visit to Oslo, SG Dr. Kao will participate in the Oslo Forum and take the opportunity to give a lecture at the Centre of Geopolitics as well as engage in discussions at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI). In addition, SG Dr. Kao will engage with the ASEAN Committee in Oslo (ACO) to brief members of the ACO on the latest developments in ASEAN. The Working Visit aims to further advance ASEAN-Norway ties, particularly as ASEAN and Norway celebrate their tenth anniversary of the ASEAN-Norway Sectoral Dialogue Partnership this year.
The post Secretary-General of ASEAN to conduct a Working Visit to Norway appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.
Headline: WTO members focus on TFA implementation, transit issues and capacity-building
The TFA — which contains provisions for expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit — is the first WTO agreement in which developing and LDC members can determine their own implementation schedules, in accordance with their national priorities and capacities, and seek to acquire implementation capacity through the provision of related assistance and support.
The WTO Secretariat reported that 80 per cent of implementation commitments by developing and LDC members have been reached, with 65 members committed to implementing Category C measures requiring technical assistance and capacity-building over the next two years. Developed members were required to implement all provisions of the TFA from its entry into force. More information is available in the TFA database.
Developing greater transparency on TFA implementation
The WTO Secretariat reported on member notifications related to TFA implementation efforts and requests for extensions of implementation schedules. While member notifications on donor arrangements and their progress currently contain limited information and may not reflect the present situation, the TFA Facility (TFAF) is collecting survey data on capacity-building partners and assistance gaps at the member level. Members also supported several tools the WTO Secretariat has deployed through the TFA Database to enable them to track deadlines and to request extensions for implementation dates, where needed.
The Committee also took note of the WTO Secretariat report “Notification Status of Regular/Period and One-Time Only Notifications in the Goods Area (1995-2024)” (G/C/W/859 ). The document found that while the overall membership had a submission rate of TFA transparency notifications of over 80 per cent, this figure was less than 60 per cent for LDCs. The Chair signalled his availability for consultations on this matter.
Improving transit corridors and technical assistance coordination
The Committee held a dedicated session on transit, with the WTO Secretariat presenting preliminary findings from a study on transit corridors serving landlocked developing countries (LLDCs). Coordinated by Botswana as the LLDC coordinator, the study examines how corridors efficiently implement TFA measures to lower trade costs in landlocked countries which face trade costs 1.4 times higher than coastal economies.
The study covers 19 corridors across Africa, Asia, Eurasia and South America, showing transit time reductions of 20-40 per cent through digital tools and coordination mechanisms. As an example, the Northern Corridor connecting Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan through Mombasa reduced transit times from 11 to 5 days. The updated report will be circulated before the October Committee meeting, with the WTO Secretariat organizing a side event at the UN LLDC-3 Conference in Turkmenistan (5-8 August 2025).
The African Group also issued a call for strengthened coordination mechanisms to address technical assistance and capacity-building challenges in implementing Category C measures (measures for which members have identified the need for assistance and capacity building), particularly amidst reduced development aid budgets. The Chair signalled a willingness to hold consultations ahead of the October 2025 dedicated session on technical assistance and capacity building to prepare for comprehensive discussions on strengthening coordination mechanisms.
Experience sharing showcases digital innovations
Members conducted productive experience-sharing sessions covering digitalization and Authorized Economic Operators (AEOs). China shared a presentation on “Cross-Border E-Commerce,” while the European Union highlighted the importance of digital trust-building through customs “single windows” and electronic identification systems. The United States and the OECD made a presentation on “The digitalization of trade documents and processes: going paperless today, going paperless tomorrow”.
Japan, Moldova, Mongolia and Paraguay shared national and regional AEO experiences, and Bangladesh shared a presentation on Time Release Study effectiveness, while the United Kingdom and UNCTAD discussed forthcoming publications on National Trade Facilitation Committees (NTFCs).
During the dedicated transit session, Mozambique shared its experience on transit issues while the European Union explained how corridor and transit issues are integrated into a strategy to support developing and least developed members strengthen connectivity and trade facilitation.
All presentations are available here.
Other Committee work
The Committee continued its exchanges on customs procedures, with several members maintaining engagement with Indonesia on two measures regarding customs procedures for intangible products. The United States also raised a new specific trade concern regarding Indonesia’s customs penalty regime.
Capacity building and learning sessions
Several learning sessions also took place alongside the Committee meeting. The World Bank and the World Customs Organization, in collaboration with TFAF, organized a Time Release Study methodology session on 4 June, covering measurement techniques and resource requirements.
The TFAF and certain Annex D+ organisations (consisting of ITC, OECD, UNCTAD, the World Bank, and the WCO) held an in-person training session on 2-3 June on mobilizing technical assistance and capacity building for TFA implementation. The training activity brought together 15 capital-based delegates from LDC and developing members to discuss how to better coordinate resource mobilization and to be more effective when engaging with development partners. Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation (GATF)/German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and TradeMark Africa also participated in the training session on 3 June.
If you would like to receive news on trade facilitation, subscribe to the TFA Newsbytes here.
Headline: Verizon declares quarterly dividend on June 6
NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Board of Directors at Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) today declared a quarterly dividend of 67.75 cents per outstanding share, unchanged from the previous quarter. The quarterly dividend is payable on August 1, 2025 to Verizon shareholders of record at the close of business on July 10, 2025.
Verizon continues to take a strategic and disciplined approach to achieving its financial goals by focusing on targeted customer segments and integrating its services to deliver greater personalization. Building on its financial strength, Verizon continues to invest in its business and drive innovation to better serve its customers.
“As the nation’s leader in mobility and broadband for consumers and businesses, we create great experiences for a broad and high-quality base of customers,” said Chairman and CEO Hans Vestberg. “This allows us to continue paying our dividend even in uncertain economic environments, while investing in our business to extend our network leadership, enhance America’s communications infrastructure and meet the present and future needs of all our customers.”
Verizon has approximately 4.2 billion shares of common stock outstanding. The company made more than $11.2 billion in cash dividend payments in 2024.
Headline: WTO Fish Fund launches Call for Proposals for implementing Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies
Developing and LDC members that have ratified the Agreement are eligible to submit proposals for technical assistance and capacity-building activities to support their implementation of the Agreement. These fall into two categories: project preparation grants of up to USD 50,000 for activities such as studies and needs assessments to prepare for implementation of the Agreement, and project grants of up to USD 300,000 for specific projects to implement the Agreement.
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said: “A vital feature of this historic Agreement is that it provides funding for developing and least-developed country members to receive technical assistance and capacity building support to implement the new disciplines and improve fisheries management. Delivering this support is essential to realizing the Agreement’s benefits for people, oceans, and the planet. This Call for Proposals represents a first but significant step towards turning the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies into lasting, transformative change for livelihoods and marine fisheries. I am deeply grateful to our current and future donors to the Fish Fund!”
WTO members can access the application portal here. Proposals must be submitted by 9 September. However, if the Agreement enters into force before this date, the deadline will be extended by one month. The Steering Committee of the Fish Fund will review and evaluate all submissions.
So far, 101 WTO members have formally accepted the Agreement. Funds may be disbursed once the WTO receives the 111 instruments of acceptance needed for the Agreement to enter into force.
The contributions and pledges received by the Fund thus far amount to approximately CHF 14.5 million (just over USD 17.5 million), with commitments made by Australia, Canada, the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
The Fish Fund was established under Article 7 of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, which ministers adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference in 2022. Housed at the WTO, the Fund operates in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Bank.
For more information, please visit the WTO Fish Fund website here and download the fact sheet titled “How to Access Funding — Opening the Call for Proposals” available here.
The list of all WTO members that have submitted their instrument of acceptance is available here.
More information on the WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism is available here.
Brazil generates power from a diverse range of sources that include thermal sources (gas, oil, and coal), hydropower, nuclear, and renewable. Hydropower accounts for the majority of the country’s annual power generation. However, overdependence on hydropower has made the country vulnerable to droughts. To overcome the challenge, the country is rapidly developing its renewable power capacity. In 2024, renewable power accounted for 36.7% of the country’s annual power generation and is expected to increase to 50.7% in 2035, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Attaurrahman Ojindaram Saibasan, Senior Power Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Opportunities in Brazil’s power sector stem from the abundance of natural resources for power generation, as well as from the government’s policies, which encourage their development. This is especially important in the case of renewable technologies. The renewable power market has developed substantially in Brazil in recent years. The success of the development of renewables has primarily been due to the introduction of the government’s auctioning system.”
The government is focusing on the rapid development of the renewable power sector in the country, especially wind power and solar PV. Several wind and solar PV projects are currently under construction in the country. This has opened a wide range of opportunities for local and international equipment manufacturers.
Saibasan adds: “Full liberalization of the power market is expected to bring in a myriad of opportunities, especially in the renewables segment. Currently, only major consumers, such as factories, shopping centers, and large corporations, have the autonomy to select their electricity supplier within Brazil’s Free Contracting Market (ACL — Ambiente de Contratação Livre).”
By the year 2028, it is anticipated that all electricity consumers, encompassing small businesses and residential households, will possess the ability to choose their energy provider. At present, the market operates on a largely “one-size-fits-all” basis. However, post-2028, significant developments are expected, including:
Green energy retailers offering exclusively 100% renewable electricity.
Smart contracts with dynamic pricing that varies according to the time of day, weather conditions, and other factors.
Peer-to-peer energy trading, enabling individuals to sell surplus energy from rooftop solar installations to their neighbors.
Energy-as-a-service models, eliminating the need for consumers to own solar panels or batteries by allowing them to subscribe to energy services instead.
Saibasan concludes: “Liberalized markets hold considerable appeal for private investors. Both local and international energy companies. This is expected to drive the renewables market and increase its share in annual generation to over half of total annual power generation in 2035.”
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive lung disease characterized by scarring of lung tissue, leading to impaired lung function and respiratory symptoms. The emerging therapies aim to address unmet needs in IPF management by targeting specific fibrotic pathways. Therapies such as LYT-100 by PureTech, currently in Phase IIb clinical trials, show promise in potentially offering improved efficacy and safety profiles, as it is a deuterated form of pirfenidone, which allows it to break down slower than pirfenidone, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
One of the primary challenges in managing IPF is the difficulty in achieving an early diagnosis. The nonspecific nature of IPF symptoms often leads to misdiagnosis or late-stage identification, delaying the initiation of treatment. The current treatment landscape is limited; therapies such as Boehringer Ingelheim’s Ofev (nintedanib) and Roche’s Esbriet (pirfenidone) can only slow disease progression and are associated with side effects that may impact the patient’s quality of life.
Filippos Maniatis, Healthcare Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The standard of care for IPF currently includes Ofev and Esbriet. These drugs have been approved based on their efficacy in slowing disease progression, but many studies have previously demonstrated the low adoption of both marketed therapies due to high costs, further highlighting the need for alternative therapies.”
The clinical development pipeline for IPF includes various agents that offer potential new treatment options for patients. The entry of new agents, as well as generics, could disrupt the market currently dominated by Ofev and Esbriet, leading to significant shifts in treatment paradigms.
Maniatis concludes: “LYT-100 offers a new approach to targeting fibrosis in IPF, which could significantly benefit patients. PureTech presented promising Phase IIb data from its ELEVATE study at the American Thoracic Society 2025 conference, demonstrating the potential to stabilize lung function decline at 26 weeks while maintaining safety and tolerability. Therefore, LYT-100 may be able to demonstrate superior outcomes compared to existing therapies, positioning LYT-100 as a potential game-changer in the IPF treatment landscape.”
The US cardiovascular devices market is facing growing challenges as President Trump’s tariffs disrupt global supply chains and worsen international relations. Particularly, pulsed field ablation (PFA) devices, often manufactured abroad for cost, efficiency, and material access, are now subject to higher tariffs. This disruption could slow the significant growth seen in the sector in recent years, with hospitals and manufacturers facing rising costs, delays, and uncertainty, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
The electrophysiology market has been growing at a record pace in the past few years, mainly due to the innovation and efficacy in new devices. In the past year alone, PFA devices have rapidly displaced every other advanced electrophysiology system.
Boston Scientific’s FARAPULSE, Medtronic’s PulseSelect, and Johnson & Johnson’s VARIPULSE have all had success in the market, with improved clinical outcomes, shorter procedure times, and better safety for patients. Boston Scientific and Medtronic have both indicated high financial growth in their cardiovascular divisions, with PFA systems being a large part of this growth for both companies.
David Beauchamp, Medical Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Trump’s tariffs, however, could reduce this high growth. The US remains the largest market for cardiovascular devices, and PFA is currently only available in a handful of countries due to regulatory approval. If these tariffs do end up staying on medical devices, major PFA manufacturers will have to absorb the costs of tariffs or raise the already high prices for these devices.”
GlobalData estimates the US PFA market to be worth $535.9 million in 2024. The market is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 31.65% from 2024 to 2034. However, this growth rate may slow down as tariffs begin to create cost increases in the medical device supply chain.
Beauchamp concludes: “It is possible that the American tariffs on other countries could result in a reduction of growth in medical device markets, especially in the cardiovascular sector, where many components are sourced outside of the US. With the continuing uncertainty of these tariffs, it remains to be seen what the effects will be on the medical device industry. In very high-growth markets, including the PFA market, supply chain disruption and manufacturing cost increases may result in healthcare providers preferring other, cheaper options, which could result in possible slowdown for the growth of PFA systems.”
Digital twins are increasingly transforming industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, and aerospace, offering solutions to optimize operations, improve efficiency, and enable predictive capabilities across various sectors. Against this backdrop, the global digital twins market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 35.6% from $5 billion in 2019 to $154 billion by 2030, forecasts GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
GlobalData’s latest Strategic Intelligence report, “Digital Twins,” reveals that the growth of the global digital twins market will be driven by low-cost sensors used in Internet of Things (IoT) devices, a decline in the cost of high-performance computing (HPC), and cloud accessibility. Advances in data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) will also drive the growth.
Aisha U-K Umaru, Strategic Intelligence Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Large companies such as Amazon have tapped into their reach and reputation to partner with firms such as Matterport and Anthropic to enhance their digital twin offerings, and smaller companies such as Aerogility are providing services to specific industries such as aerospace and defense.”
Digital twins: Diverse use cases
Conceptually, digital twins have been around for decades; a forerunner was used in NASA’s Apollo 13 mission to the moon in 1970. While far from ubiquitous today, adoption is increasing across industries.
Umaru continues: “Digital twins are employed in various industries, including oil and gas, power, sport, and government. They serve a wide range of purposes within these fields, from enhancing the efficiency of a factory to providing an enriched viewing experience for sports fans.”
AI’s impact on digital twin industry
Digital twins are increasingly harnessing AI to provide more context to the users. This approach has created a hybrid technology called semantic twins, which can provide a deeper level of understanding by letting users ask large language models (LLMs) questions about a twin and its components. In response to these questions, the LLM can draw from its knowledge of the twin, the twin’s aims and objectives, and its broader understanding of systems and the world. For example, a semantic twin of a city may be asked, “How can I update this twin to be in line with other cities with similar population and transport systems that are managing traffic congestion more effectively?”. Semantic twins also benefit from other features of generative AI, including advanced predictive analytics and information retention.
Umaru concludes: “AI is pervading almost every industry, and it can offer more depth to digital twins. Semantic twins can allow users to draw deeper meaning from their digital twins, using LLMs for support.”
Headline: Copilot Actions now available in Labs + Copilot with Instacart
Welcome to Microsoft’s Copilot Release Notes. Here we’ll provide regular updates on what’s happening with Copilot, from new features to firmware updates and more. Try Copilot Actions — Now in Copilot Labs Let Copilot lend you a hand with everyday web tasks. Copilot Actions is a new experimental feature available to Copilot Pro users in
Welcome to Microsoft’s Copilot Release Notes. Here we’ll provide regular updates on what’s happening with Copilot, from new features to firmware updates and more.
Try Copilot Actions — Now in Copilot Labs
Let Copilot lend you a hand with everyday web tasks. Copilot Actions is a new experimental feature available to Copilot Pro users in the U.S., designed to help you get things done — not just find answers.
With simple chat prompts, you can ask Copilot to:
Book a hotel
Make a dinner reservation
Order flowers
Find a flight
Schedule a tour
…and much more — all from your browser.
Copilot works behind the scenes to complete tasks on your behalf, and you stay in control every step of the way. You can pause, stop, edit, or take over at any time.
Available now in Copilot Labs on any modern browser.
Example prompts to try:
“Order me a bouquet of flowers using 1800Flowers.com”
“Book me a hotel room on Hotels.com for this weekend”
“Make a dinner reservation for two at an Italian restaurant on OpenTable.com”
Recipes and Instacart
Getting all your ingredients ready just got even easier on Copilot with Instacart. With Recipe cards, you can now directly purchase ingredients in Copilot. Simply select “Shop Ingredients on Instacart” while using Copilot on iOS, Android, the Mac app, or Copilot.com.
The Recipe feature is enabled for all users — no sign-in required — and is available across all Copilot markets, making it effortless to find inspiration and shop for ingredients seamlessly. Currently, the Instacart Buy option is only available in the U.S., but it will be extending to Canada soon!
Headline: New features in Microsoft Store on Windows focus on personalization, faster search
The Microsoft Store on Windows is used by over 250 million users each month – and we take the responsibility we have to you, our customers, seriously. We use the feedback you send to ensure we’re focusing on the most important things our customers care about. Last December, we announced a variety of product quality improvements, and in February, we shared how we’re evolving our Store into an AI marketplace. And we’re excited to keep the momentum going, with many more updates planned for this year.
Today, we’re excited to announce a variety of newly available features that we believe will level up your Store experience.
Let’s jump in!
Home page, curated for you
The Microsoft Store homepage will now be personalized for you. Whether you’re a gamer chasing the next big hit, a productivity enthusiast looking for time-hacks or a developer in search of tools, the newly redesigned homepage will elevate the content most meaningful to you. In the coming weeks, you’ll see fresh recommendations based on recent activities, what’s trending in your region and the most recent deals. Personalized recommendations are controlled by your Store settings.
Find what you’re looking for, faster
We are making four big improvements to help you to search for and discover new content faster. First, search in Store just got a whole lot smarter. We have rearchitected how search works – it is now more intent-aware, leverages signals like app updates and ratings more diligently for ranking and addresses language-specific nuances. This translates to results that are more relevant to what you are looking for – try it out today!
Second, for users in the United States, Copilot is now available in the bottom right corner to answer questions while you’re browsing product pages. You can open it up to ask questions about the page you’re viewing or select two products for comparisons.
Third, when you’re browsing product pages, you’ll now see a new “Discover More” section that includes related content that you may be interested in. And fourth, we have added product page badges to help you easily tell which apps have AI features, and which apps are great for Copilot+ PCs.
Deeper Windows integration
One of the superpowers of Store apps is their ability to integrate into the rest of Windows – so here are two new ways we’re trying to meet you where you are. First, if you’re like us and use Windows search to look for most things on your PC, we have exciting news! You’ll now be able to launch Windows search, search for an app or game from the Store and install it quickly1.
Second, we’re experimenting with offering app suggestions to open select file extensions, which is particularly helpful if you don’t have an app for that extension, or haven’t selected a default app. If you’re a Windows Insider in the U.S. or China regions, you’ll soon be able to try this out by using the context menu to select an app to “Open With” and browsing our recommendations. If you’ve already selected a default app, that will show up first.
More fixes under the hood
The Store is getting faster. After rigorous performance investments, the Store launches two times faster than it did six months ago2. We have also significantly improved installation reliability and speed over the last six months. To make sure you see the latest improvements, please ensure you have the latest Windows update.
Other goodies in Store
There’s a long list of fit and finish improvements for you to go try, including: a new capability that lets you install individual components for games; faster in-apps rating dialogs for when you want to share your feedback with developers; and a new field on product pages to let you know when an app or game was last updated.
And we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the importance of our Store developers. Since last December, we’ve welcomed new partners like Notion, Perplexity, Docker and Day One. And more are on the way – including Manus, an autonomous AI agent (productivity tool) designed to perform and deliver complex tasks for knowledge workers across various domains – so please keep checking for new releases.
Built with care and tested with precision, the Microsoft Store on Windows is here to help you find what you’re looking for. As always, we are listening to your feedback, so please submit via Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Microsoft Store. We still have a lot more in the pipeline, so visit the “What’s New” section in the Store to stay connected on new releases.
1Feature availability varies by market.
2 Data based on internal testing and subject to factors such as device, location, Windows and Store app versions.
Headline: Connect with Microsoft at Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit June 9-11
Security professionals visiting booths scattered around a hall, eager for solutions to today’s top cybersecurity challenges to protect their resources and people. The hum of hundreds of conversations. Presenters in packed sessions sharing expertise, trends, and stories to energize attendees. Few occasions are as thrilling as a cybersecurity event, knowing that all around you are people who understand the frustrating challenges and exciting wins of working in cybersecurity. The rise in quantum computing and AI as tools used by adversaries make such events both inspiring and necessary as professionals seek new approaches and ways to manage risk and protect assets.
Join Microsoft Security at Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit, where we will showcase end-to-end security innovations and share world-class threat and regulatory intelligence to give you the advantage you need in the era of AI. This is an opportunity to learn how Microsoft’s AI-first end-to-end security platform can help you overcome the top security challenges and manage risk effectively even as high-level threats evolve.
The Summit is one of manytop cybersecurity events in 2025where security professionals like you can hear insights from Microsoft Security and interact with your peers. Microsoft Security offers AI-first, end-to-end protection for identities, endpoints, apps, and clouds, providing comprehensive security in the AI era, powered by unmatched threat intelligence. Accelerate your secure adoption of AI with ready-to-go security and governance tools built for generative AI.
We’re excited to be returning to the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit and look forward to giving attendees several ways to connect. We invite you to come see our innovation and engage with us. Our experts will be giving two sessions, we’ll be offering live demos in our booth (#945), and we’ll be chatting with attendees during one-on-one meetings.
We’re excited to meet with conference attendees and encourage you to book a time. During these meetings, we can exchange perspectives on the latest cybersecurity threats, security best practices, and industry trends. It’s also a good time to learn more about specific Microsoft product capabilities and which features can address your organization’s unique challenges. We’re always up for sharing security strategies too.Book a one-on-one meeting with a Microsoft expert.
When choosing session topics for conferences, we consider several factors. What topicsor trendsare top of mindin the industry? Whatis sparkingconversation with ourclients? Where can we add the most value to help organizationsfacing modern security challenges?TheGartner Security &RiskManagementis noexceptionandattendeescanbenefitfromattending one– or even better, both––ofMicrosoft’s two sessionsat the event. If youwant to hear insights on AInews and maximize the value of Microsoftproducts, youwon’twant tomissthese sessions for insightsthat can help youbetter manage your organization’s risk:
“Microsoft: Security in the Age of Agentic AI”(11:30 AM-12:00 PM on Tuesday, June 10):HammadRajjoub, Director, Securitywillexplore the future of security AI agentsand thehuman-driven waytheyintroduce innovative security principles tailored for AI-driven enterprises.Agenticworkflows are set to revolutionize security by enabling complex problem-solving, agent collaboration, and iterative learning.Hammadwill also discuss the continued importance ofprinciples like Zero Trust,leastprivilege, andassumebreach, butshare whytheywillbeinsufficientas AI reshapes enterprises and cybersecurity, requiring new principles.
“Trustwave: Unlocking Your Data Fortress: Mastering Microsoft Purview for Proactive Cybersecurity”(2:00–2:45 PM onWednesday,June 11):MicrosoftGlobal Partner Solutions Architect David Branscomewillsharestrategies forfortifying your security and maximizingROIwith MicrosoftPurview, the integrated data governance and compliance solution transforming security.You’lllearn more aboutPurviewcapabilitieslikedata classification,data loss prevention, insider risk management, and eDiscoveryand hear from Purviewclients onhow itenables proactive data protection.Don’tlet your data be the next target—empower your defense with Purview.
Elevate your defenses, enhance efficiency, and empower your team to focus on the most critical threats with generative AI for cybersecurity.We’dbe thrilled tomeet one-on-one withyou atthe Gartnerconference.Whether you have questions, want apersonalizeddemo,or want to chat abouthow AI couldimpactyour security,scheduleatimeto speakwithone of our expertsat the event.Andstop by Booth #945 for a live demo. In the meantime,explore howAI-powered cybersecuritycan transform how you protect your organization.
Source: ASEAN – Association of SouthEast Asian Nations
The 34th Meeting of the ASEAN Directors-General of Customs (DGs) was held on 3 – 5 June 2025 in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. The Meeting was chaired by Mr. Azizil Hakim Brahim, Acting Controller of Customs, Royal Customs and Excise Department, Brunei Darussalam and attended by 10 ASEAN Member States (AMS) and the ASEAN Secretariat.
We express concern over the recent introduction of unilateral tariffs by the U.S. This has caused uncertainty and will bring significant challenges to businesses, especially micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as well as to global trade dynamics. The unprecedented imposition of tariffs by the U.S. will disrupt regional and global trade and investment flows, as well as supply chains, affecting businesses worldwide and hindering economic progress in ASEAN. We reaffirm our support for a predictable, transparent, free, fair, inclusive, sustainable, and rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core, and we acknowledge the critical role that the WTO has played in fostering global economic growth. ASEAN will remain steadfast in deepening our regional economic integration, leveraging on opportunities amidst global challenges. We will continue to work together more closely, with greater unity and solidarity and remain committed to ASEAN’s rule-based trade. This collective effort will enable ASEAN to cope with and overcome the global trade crisis, minimise the impact on our people, and continue to grow sustainably.
Download the full statement here
The post Joint Media Statement of the 34th Meeting of the ASEAN Directors-General of Customs appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.
Headline: ICC proposal to reduce tax challenges of cross-border teleworking
Five years after the pandemic, many organisations have largely returned to office-centric working models. Yet, the crisis fundamentally changed how we work, establishing new expectations around flexibility and remote work that continue to persist. In many ways, we accidentally discovered a way of working that actually fits how people live – one where handling a family crisis abroad didn’t preclude delivering excellent work.
This shift in expectations has created a new reality for businesses navigating the complex tax risks of flexible work arrangements.
The gap between employee needs and tax reality
ICC’s 2023 internal global survey of its members revealed that over 80% of employers receive temporary teleworking requests prompted by family circumstances, health-related needs, caregiving responsibilities, or the use of a secondary residence. Despite these arrangements generally being temporary and arising from normal life circumstances, employers frequently find themselves caught between employee expectations and regulatory uncertainty. These seemingly straightforward requests are hampered due to concerns around permanent establishment risk – the potential for creating a taxable business presence in another country – employer tax and social security obligations, and complex compliance requirements.
The 60-day teleworking solution
To address these challenges, ICC has proposed the introduction of a 60-day teleworking ‘safe harbour’, under which an employee’s temporary physical presence in a jurisdiction for teleworking purposes would not, in itself, give rise to a permanent establishment risk, or trigger employer-related tax or social security liabilities. The proposal aligns to the broader principles of international tax law, would not affect a country’s tax rights beyond a limited scope, and can be considered and reflected in the revised Commentary to Article 5 OECD Model Tax Convention and in the Commentary to the UN Tax Convention, without the need to work on a new article.
Why this benefits everyone, from business to country
For companies, ‘safe harbour’ eliminates legal uncertainty, allows for project continuity and continued revenue generation, and transforms potential talent retention risks into a competitive advantage.
For people, it supports workforce well-being by accommodating short-term teleworking needs in times of personal, medical or geopolitical emergencies.
For tax authorities, it reduces enforcement and compliance burdens and eliminates low-risk, low-revenue case loads from already stretched resources.
For countries, it ensures that the employee’s country of employment retains its income tax revenue, while the temporary work location benefits from increased consumption and sales tax receipts.
How it would work in practice
The proposal is built around several key components:
Short-term and on request: The presence of an employee in a country different from the country of employment should be limited in time (e.g. maximum of 60 days per year) and at the request of the employee.
A clear definition of a day: Consistent with approaches in tax residency rules, a day should be counted if any work activity is performed from the jurisdiction in question.
Individual treatment of multiple employees abroad: The presence of multiple employees in the same country should not be treated cumulatively for determining employer tax liabilities. Each employee’s teleworking days should be assessed independently to avoid unintentionally triggering permanent establishment risks or compliance obligations based on collective presence.
Administrative simplification: Where possible, encourage administrative filing to be done in a single country through optional one-stop-shop mechanisms or employer-led tax remittance models..
Good morning, and many thanks for inviting me to speak to you today. The last time I addressed the EFDI International Conference was two years ago in Budapest. This time you are meeting in my home city, and I hope that you all have an opportunity to enjoy it.
In 2023, the conference took place shortly after the banking turmoil in March of that year. That episode focused international attention on structural risks posed by high volumes of uninsured deposits and the need to review prevailing assumptions about their “stickiness” in an environment where technology allows rapid movement of funds and social media can vastly amplify rumours and, potentially, misinformation. The 2023 failures set an agenda for international work that is still being pursued. Moreover, weeks before that 2023 conference, the European Commission had released its legislative proposal on reforms to the EU crisis management and deposit insurance framework (CMDI). Two years later, this is still in the legislative process.
So, in a way, not much has changed in the intervening two years. But, arguably, we are now in a riskier environment. The global landscape is changing. Geopolitical risks are more pronounced than they have been in at least a generation. Technological innovation is moving faster than governments and regulators can keep pace, and the opportunities and risks it will bring remain in flux.
The theme of this conference is how to lay the solid ground that will allow us to embrace the future – to take advantage of its opportunities and contain its risks. This is a wide, almost daunting question. What’s more, we need to confront it against a backdrop of rising calls to reduce the costs of regulatory compliance. In some cases, the demand is to directly cut regulation. In others, it is framed in terms of simplification. The debate is obviously welcome. It is an obligation for regulators to avoid, to the greatest extent possible, imposing disproportionate costs on the industry. But by the same token, any alleviation of regulatory obligations should be fully compatible with the preservation of key social objectives, including financial stability.
I am not going to talk about this bigger picture today. Rather, I wish to focus on one dimension that is of particular relevance to this European audience of deposit insurers and financial crisis managers. That is the question of funding for bank failure management. Here, too, there are calls on us to revisit our standards and alleviate disproportionate burdens. It is claimed that the Minimum Requirement for Own Funds and Eligible Liabilities (MREL) framework in the banking union requires banks to hold materially more loss-absorbing capacity (LAC) than comparable US banks. It is argued that this both undermines the competitiveness of European banks and affects their ability to fund the EU economy and function as an engine for growth.
I will come back to this comparison shortly, but first let’s go back to basics.
The background
Following the 2008 financial crisis, the international community put in place a resolution framework designed to provide credible alternatives to bailing out failing firms. Of course, this includes resolution powers and tools, an institutional architecture and cooperative arrangements. But LAC requirements are core to the effectiveness of the framework. LAC allows the costs of resolution to be internalised so that losses are absorbed by shareholders and creditors, as they would be in liquidation, and a failed bank’s critical functions can continue to operate without resort to public funding.
The Financial Stability Board’s Total Loss-absorbing Capacity(TLAC) Standard therefore supplements the resolution framework and aims to ensure that the world’s most systemically important banks – the G-SIBs – hold sufficient LAC that will be readily available in the event of their resolution and allow authorities to execute their resolution strategy. Expressed as a comprehensive requirement that includes regulatory capital, the FSB standard requires G-SIBs to maintain TLAC of at least 18% risk-weighted assets or 6.75% of total leverage (whichever is higher).
The decision to limit TLAC requirements to G-SIBs was based on their cross-border nature and the fact that they are sufficiently comparable to support an internationally coordinated, one-size-fits-all approach. However, these are not the only banks that would be systemic in failure. The US regional bank failures of 2023 highlighted that systemic risks can flow from the failure of banks that are significantly smaller and less international than G-SIBs.
In the case of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank, those risks were considered sufficiently serious to justify invoking the systemic risk exception that allowed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to execute a more costly resolution strategy than would otherwise have been permitted and thereby protect the uninsured deposits. Those cases also illustrated the importance of adequate LAC for banks other than G-SIBs. Under the current US framework, only G-SIBs are required to hold liabilities designed to absorb losses in resolution, beyond prudential capital requirements. In the wake of those failures, it has been observed that the depositor runs and costs of failure management might have been less severe, and the FDIC might have had more options, if SVB and Signature Bank had had additional LAC which could have protected uninsured deposits from loss.2 This is an important lesson.
The arrangements for LAC in the EU are more stringent than in the United States. This is so for two reasons:
First, unlike the TLAC requirement, MREL is set for each bank based on its expected resolution strategy and considerations of resolvability, and may be adjusted within parameters set out in the framework. While TLAC is the baseline for EU G-SIBs, they are subject to an MREL add-on to align with the general EU approach to resolvability.
This approach has resulted in EU banks being subject to higher LAC requirements than similar banks in other jurisdictions. For G-SIBs, the EU requirements result overall in a surcharge of roughly 4% of risk-weighted assets for systemically important EU banks compared with those in the US.3
Second, the scope of application of MREL requirements is wider than resolution-related LAC requirements in the US. The comparison is stark. Approximately 300 EU banks, including more than 80 large banking groups in the banking union, must meet MREL, calibrated to their expected treatment in the event of failure. It should be stressed that not all those banks are required to hold LAC in excess of own funds. That is the case of banks that are expected to be liquidated in the event of failure. However, in the US only the eight G-SIBs are subject to TLAC requirements. As a result, the EU banking sector is much less at risk of the insufficiencies identified in the US during the banking turmoil.
I should note at this point, however, that there have been moves in the US to expand that scope with a proposal to require banks with $100 billion or more in assets to issue long-term debt sufficient to recapitalise the bank in resolution.4 The benefits put forward for the proposed measure include improving the resolvability of those large banks, reducing the risk of loss by uninsured depositors, giving greater scope for the FDIC to transfer all deposit liabilities and creating additional resolution options. The rule has not yet been adopted, and it is not clear what will emerge from the consultation process, but the arguments made to support the proposal are, I would argue, irrefutable. LAC is central to the credibility of resolution.
Is there scope to revise MREL requirements downward?
However, irrespective of the way in which US requirements may evolve, we want the EU framework to be a ground for stability and economic prosperity. It is therefore valid to ask whether the EU LAC requirements impose burdens on EU banks that could be alleviated by reducing MREL or simplifying how it is set.
It is hard to argue that the MREL framework is not complex, and since it is impossible to calibrate LAC requirements with scientific precision, is that complexity necessary? Simplification is always desirable provided that the ultimate objective is not compromised.
To answer this question, we need to look at the broader framework. Resolution is not credible or feasible without funding, but that funding can come from a range of sources. In addition to the LAC on the balance sheet of individual banks, those sources include resolution funds, deposit guarantee schemes (DGS) and governments. LAC pushes the costs of failure management on to the bank’s creditors and shareholders. Industry-sourced funding mutualises those costs across the banking sector, while public backstop funding channels costs to taxpayers, although they may ultimately be recovered from industry through levies or taxes.
The balance between these possible sources of funding is a policy decision based on a number of political and technical considerations. The latter include the need to minimise moral hazard. In the EU, a clear decision has been taken that LAC should be the first line of defence and that access to mutualised funding sources should be significantly restricted.
The Single Resolution Fund (SRF) is positioned as the second line of defence, after banks’ LAC. This resource can only be used in a resolution after prior loss-sharing by a bank’s shareholders and creditors. This principle is hard-wired into the framework through a mandatory writedown of at least 8% of the failing bank’s liabilities and own funds, and there is no flexibility to override this requirement.
Moreover, while in principle feasible, there is little scope for the deposit guarantee funds to be used to support resolution. This is due to a least cost constraint that, as you all know well in this audience, becomes quite restrictive as a consequence of the super-preference of insured deposits within the EU.
Finally, in resolution there is minimal scope for direct government support. Indeed, the Single Resolution Mechanism Regulation does not provide for the use of a government stabilisation tool, despite this option being included in the EU resolution recovery and resolution directive (BRRD) and therefore being available for EU countries outside the banking union.
As a result of those tight constraints for the use of external funds to support resolution of banks in the banking union, comparatively more internal resources (ie LAC) may be required to execute their resolution strategy than would otherwise have been the case.
In other jurisdictions, a different policy decision has been taken about the balance between the possible funding sources for bank failure management. For example, in the US the least cost constraint for the deposit insurer to fund resolution actions is, in practice, more flexible than in the EU because insured deposits rank equally with uninsured deposits under general depositor protection. Moreover, I have already mentioned that in March 2023, it was possible to override the US restrictions on resolution funding by the deposit insurer to address the systemic risk posed by those failures and compensate for the shortfall in the banks’ own LAC. The use of the systemic override is subject to a high procedural hurdle, designed to ensure that it is used only in exceptional circumstances. However, this “safety valve” is available under the US legal framework, backstopped by the US Treasury, and similar mechanisms are present in other jurisdictions.
We could argue about the merits of introducing a degree of flexibility also in the EU, but the current situation was a deliberate decision by European legislators which is rooted in the institutional context of Europe. While the current EU framework is not necessarily optimal, it is internally consistent.
This is not to say that change should not be considered. The Commission’s original CMDI package contained, in my view, some moderate and balanced proposals which, if adopted, could expand the resolution options for banks whose preferred resolution strategy is a sale of business.
The original CMDI proposes to replace the current super-preference for DGS claims with a general depositor preference. Moreover, it suggests allowing the DGS contribution to resolution funding to count towards the 8% bail-in requirement. Those adjustments would directly alleviate the current constraints on the availability of external funding. Consistently with that, although this is not directly recognised in the CMDI text, there could be grounds to lower calibration of MREL with respect to current levels for a large portion of the banks that are subject to LAC in excess of own funds.
I hope that the final agreement on the CMDI package will achieve the original purpose of facilitating funding for resolution. Yet the ongoing difficult debates that surround this legislation clearly illustrate the policy considerations that underlie the way in which funding sources are balanced in any jurisdiction’s legal framework.
Conclusion
This brings me back to the comparisons that are made with the US framework and the calls for MREL levels to be aligned. As a matter of principle, any material reduction in MREL would need to be compensated by other sources of funding, and in the EU those are comparatively limited at present.
It could imply, for example, greater reliance on the SRF, by relaxing the conditions of access. To spell this out, reducing the amount of prior loss absorption increases the amount of external funding needed to execute the resolution strategy. This would mean that more costs are mutualised across the national banking sectors. Alternatively, lower MREL could be balanced by greater flexibility in public funding, including through the use of government stabilisation tools.
Naturally, any of those measures would entail a significant modification of the political agreement that supported the current resolution regime. Therefore, MREL calibration may appear to be a technical exercise, but any material adjustment would require sensitive political choices.
24 new banks to be added to the euro short-term rate (€STR) reporting population as of 2 July 2025
Increase in reporting population will further support the benchmark’s robustness and representativeness
The European Central Bank (ECB), as administrator of the euro short-term rate (€STR), will expand the number of banks included in the €STR reporting population as of 2 July 2025 (reference to 1 July) by adding 24 banks to the 45 currently included in the rate’s daily calculation. The new banks were already added to the reporting population for Money Market Statistics Reporting (MMSR) on 1 July 2024, but were not included in the €STR calculation until it could be ensured that the newly reported data are of sufficiently good quality.
The expansion of the €STR sample size will improve both the robustness and the representativeness of the benchmark, which will now be supported by higher transactions volumes from a wider range of reporting institutions.
The impact on the level of the rate is expected to be limited, as the average difference observed during the testing period since July 2024 was only approximately -0.2 basis points.
The list of the new MMSR reporting banks that will be added to the €STR calculation is available on the ECB’s money market statistical reporting page.
For media queries, please contactBenoit Deeg, tel.: +49 172 1683704.
Source: ASEAN – Association of SouthEast Asian Nations
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, had a bilateral meeting with H.E. Thani Mohamed Soilihi, Minister Delegate for Francophonie and International Partnerships of France, on 6 June 2025. Both sides discussed ways and means to enhance the ASEAN-France Development Partnership as ASEAN and France celebrate the fifth anniversary of their partnership this year.
The post Secretary-General of ASEAN meets with Minister Delegate for Francophonie and International Partnerships of France appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.