Everything Apple Weekly

EA Weekly: New Apple Betas, Apple Pay at Walmart & More

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22 Aug 2026 • 08:00

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This week, Apple has released it's latest Developer and Public betas for version 27 of its platforms, reportedly laid off a number of employees as part of is Vision Pro group and announced major changes to App Store fees in the EU. Here's everything you might have missed about Apple this week:

Apple Releases Developer Beta 6 & Public Beta 4

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The latest developer beta was released on Monday evening, with Apple bringing out a new public beta later in the night.

The changes include a new glassy look to the macOS window controls, new Mac wallpapers and unifying the Preview app icon across all platforms.

Apple also pushed a new update for the current version of it's platforms releasing iOS 26.6.1, iPadOS 26.6.1, macOS 26.6.2 and visionOS 26.6.1.

Unreleased Apple Products Referenced in macOS 27 Beta Code

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Following the Beta releases, MacRumors analyst Aaron Perris spotted references to unreleased Apple products in the code of macOS 27.

These included references to upcoming home products, the new iPhone's expected in September and a new iPad mini.

Notably, a video also surfaced, appearing to show someone using AirPods with cameras. You can watch the video, by viewing the original article.

Apple Donates To Indonesia Earthquake Relief Efforts

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Apple CEO Tim Cook announced on X that the company will donate to relief efforts on the ground, following an earthquake in Indonesia over the weekend.

According to a BBC News article at the time, at least 53 fatalities have been recorded.

Apple Makes Changes to App Store Fees in The EU

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The App Store will update it's business terms and commission rates from the 1st October this year, following a long-running dispute with the EU.

The new rates are as follows:

Apple In-App Purchase: 26% commission for most developers, including members of the App Store Small Business Program, Mini Apps Partner Program, or Video Partner Program. It will be 15% for auto-renewing subscriptions after the first year.
Alternative payment processing: 20% commission. Developers in the previously mentioned programs will pay 10%.
Linking out to complete purchases: 15% commission. Developers in the previously mentioned programs will pay 10%.
Other marketplaces and the web: 5% Core Technology Commission.

Despite the changes, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has criticised the changes as not compliant with EU law.

Apple TV's 'Bad Monkey' Returns Later This Year

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Apple TV's crime and comedy series Bad Monkey returns for season 2 on the 2nd December. Season 2 has 10-episodes, that release every Wednesday from 2nd December, 2026 up to the 3rd February, 2027.

The shows creator, Bill Lawrence, is behind Apple TV favourites including Ted Lasso and Shrinking.

Apple Lays Off Some Vision Pro & Siri Employees

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Over 200 employees across the Vision Pro Group and Siri have been laid off.

This news comes as Apple continues to push updates for its augmented reality (AR) platform, visionOS. In just a matter of weeks, the company will release visionOS 27, the fourth version of the operating system.

Apple says they will "create new roles as part of this change".

Major US Retailer Walmart Announces Support for Apple Pay

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One of the World's biggest retailers, Walmart, has announced they will being rolling out support for Apple Pay and other tap to pay method from next week.

The roll out is set to take until the end of the year, though some petrol stations may not receive the support until mid-2027.

This news comes 12 years after Apple launched the service, and over a decade since major UK & US retailers adopted the payment method.