Tech news today is led by Apple’s iPhone Duo, the company’s first foldable iPhone, after pre-order demand pushed shipping estimates well into next year. It’s one of several developer- and consumer-facing shakeups breaking this week.
Table of Contents
This tech news roundup also covers a new Apple App Store rule aimed at AI ‘nudify’ apps, Verizon’s pricing for the new iPhone Handoff feature, and Replit’s CEO saying the company has dropped Anthropic.
The TLDR
- Tech & Apps: iPhone Duo Pre-Orders Push Shipping Into Next Year
- AI Tools: Replit’s CEO Says the Company Has Dropped Anthropic
Tech & Apps
iPhone Duo Pre-Orders Push Shipping Into Next Year
Apple’s foldable iPhone Duo opened for pre-order on October 16, and the company called the response “nothing short of extraordinary,” according to 9to5Mac. Shipping estimates have already slipped past the original late-October window into November, December, and January, with some countries like Brazil pushed into early 2027. If you’re still deciding whether to free up space for a new phone, it’s worth checking how to fix an “iCloud storage almost full” warning without paying for more first.
Verizon Will Charge $10 a Month for iPhone Handoff
Verizon confirmed it will charge $10 per month for iPhone Handoff, the new feature that lets a single phone number be shared across two compatible iPhones, per 9to5Mac. That’s double T-Mobile’s $5 fee for the same feature, while Deutsche Telekom charges €6.95 and AT&T isn’t supporting it at all. Anyone juggling two iPhones under one number will want to compare carrier pricing before turning this on, and it’s a good time to also stop your iPhone from backing up apps you never use to iCloud while you’re in settings.
Apple Rewrites App Store Rules to Target AI ‘Nudify’ Apps
Apple updated its App Review Guidelines on October 16 to explicitly ban apps that generate nonconsensual intimate imagery using AI, and added language that hiding such features from reviewers via code obfuscation is now grounds for removal, according to The Verge. The change follows criticism after X users exploited Grok to create nonconsensual sexualized deepfakes earlier this year, though Apple has not removed either X or Grok from the App Store.
AI Tools
Replit’s CEO Says the Company Has Dropped Anthropic
Replit CEO Amjad Masad said during a TechCrunch Disrupt appearance on October 16 that Replit is no longer working with Anthropic, citing cost, partnership terms, and performance as the reasons, per TechCrunch. Replit announced a partnership with OpenAI back in August without previously signaling an Anthropic split, and unnamed insiders have since disputed Masad’s claim, saying the Anthropic partnership is still active.
Explore more: fix an “iCloud storage almost full” warning without paying for more, stop your iPhone from backing up apps you never use to iCloud.
Tech News FAQs
When will the iPhone Duo actually ship?
Apple’s original estimates were for late October, but pre-order demand pushed shipping into November, December, and January for most orders, with some regions like Brazil delayed into early 2027.
How much does Verizon charge for iPhone Handoff?
Verizon confirmed a $10 per month fee for iPhone Handoff, which lets one phone number be shared across two compatible iPhones. That’s double T-Mobile’s $5 fee for the same feature.
What do Apple’s new App Store rules on ‘nudify’ apps change?
Apple updated its guidelines to explicitly ban apps that create nonconsensual intimate images with AI, and now treats hiding that functionality from reviewers as grounds for removal from the App Store.
Is Replit still using Anthropic’s Claude models?
Replit’s CEO said the company has stopped working with Anthropic over cost and performance, but unnamed insiders have disputed that claim, saying the partnership is still active.
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Photo: Janitors / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.