News

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Hints At Under-Screen Face ID

Rumors are also circulating about new silicon and a split launch cycle as Apple tests bigger batteries, satellite 5G, and updated colors.

Published

6 months ago

January 21, 2026

Nour Nasir

iphone 18 pro leaks hints at under-screen face id

Apple’s next Pro iPhones may hide Face ID hardware under the screen, leaving only a small selfie camera cut-out pushed to the top-left. The Dynamic Island would shrink but stay relatively unchanged as a software-based feature for alerts and Live Activities. It’s the clearest sign of a front redesign after years of incremental changes.

Renders on Chinese platforms show the Pro and Pro Max keeping their rear look while testing new Burgundy, Brown and Purple finishes. The Pro Max is tipped for a 6.9-inch LTPO 120 Hz display and a 5,100 mAh battery. The regular Pro sticks to 6.3 inches. Lower-tier models such as the iPhone 18 and Air 2 would retain the Dynamic Island and 120 Hz panels at 6.3 and 6.5 inches.

Photography controls could also change again: Reports say Apple is dropping the capacitive camera button for a pressure-based mechanism with firmer feedback and simpler manufacturing. A variable-aperture main camera is also being tested to handle lighting shifts without heavy computational tricks, a feature already seen on select Android flagships.

Silicon is moving in-house: Pro models are rumored to run an A20 Pro chip on a 2 nm process and a C2 modem instead of Qualcomm parts, underscoring Apple’s bid to control radio performance and supply. Satellite-based 5G is also being explored beyond emergency SOS to provide basic connectivity when terrestrial coverage fails. Coverage gaps in remote regions, including many parts of the MENA region, make that push relevant for roaming and tourism.

Timing may be the bigger shake-up: Multiple tipsters point to a two-season cycle, with the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max appearing in September 2026, then the standard iPhone 18 and iPhone Air 2 in March 2027. A cheaper iPhone 17e could land in between, hinting at tighter segmentation and smoother production loads for Apple’s supply chain.

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None of this is confirmed. Display specs come from Digital Chat Station, a prolific Weibo leaker with prior Apple hits. The volume of detail suggests Apple is preparing a more assertive hardware refresh after conservative moves on recent generations.

News

YouTube Rolls Out Supervised Children’s Accounts Across MENA

An industry-first feed timer lets parents cap Shorts scrolling. Access can also be switched off entirely ahead of exam season.

Published

12 hours ago

July 10, 2026

Dana Saadeh

YouTube

YouTube has launched supervised kid accounts across the Middle East and North Africa, giving parents a way to hand their children the main YouTube app without handing over all of it. Announced in Dubai on July 2, the accounts are built directly into the platform rather than the standalone YouTube Kids app, and are aimed at families who feel a child has outgrown the curated library but isn’t ready for the open feed.

Parents can choose from three content settings, each broadly aligned with international content ratings. Explore covers educational videos, tutorials, arts and crafts, and dance. Explore More adds gaming and live streams. Most of YouTube opens up almost everything except videos rated 18+ or deemed inappropriate for supervised accounts.

The standout tool is an industry-first Shorts feed timer, which lets parents set daily limits on short-form scrolling. Set it to zero and Shorts disappears altogether – a lever YouTube suggests parents might pull ahead of exam season. Other protections are on by default for all users under 18: “Take a Break” and “Bedtime” reminders, no personalized ad targeting, autoplay switched off, and no ability to upload videos or write comments. The accounts are optional, and parents can end supervision at any time.

The kid accounts join supervised teen accounts already available across the region, which notify parents by email when a teenager uploads a video or starts a live stream.

“YouTube has been a huge part of families’ lives across this region for over 20 years,” said Javid Aslanov, head of YouTube Middle East and North Africa, citing Kantar research showing 95% of viewers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE agree YouTube has top content in education and learning.

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“It’s essential that we protect young people in – not from – the digital world,” added Garth Graham, YouTube’s head of health.

The new settings are rolling out gradually across the MENA, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and Iraq. The latest features can be set up through Family Center in the YouTube app or via Google Family Link.