Apple Daily Digest: OS 27 Betas Evolve, Secret Siri Interfaces, and Dual-Battery Foldables — 2026-07-20#

Highlights#

Today’s news is dominated by a deeper look into the future of Apple’s ecosystem, marked by the release of the fourth developer betas for iOS 27, macOS Golden Gate, and other major operating systems. Developers are uncovering hidden features, including a secret Siri AI popover in macOS and concrete code references to a dual-battery foldable iPhone.

Top Stories#

• [iOS 27 Beta Code Confirms Dual-Battery Foldable iPhone]: Deep inside the iOS 27 beta 4 code, researchers found Battery Health strings referencing an iPhone with multiple internal batteries. This strongly supports long-standing rumors of the foldable “iPhone Ultra,” which will likely feature a battery in each half of the device to maximize internal space and distribute weight. (Macworld)
• [Apple Releases Fourth Betas for iOS 27, macOS Golden Gate, and More]: Apple has rolled out the fourth developer betas across its entire OS lineup, refining the upcoming Apple Intelligence and Siri AI features. The updates include tweaks to Siri’s interface, a new splash screen for the Siri Search or Ask feature, and proactive Spotlight indexing via iOS 26.6 to prepare devices for advanced AI processing. (MacRumors)
• [Secret Siri Interface Hidden in macOS 27 Beta]: A hidden “floating contextual interface” for Siri AI has been discovered in the macOS 27 Golden Gate developer beta 3 and public beta 1. This popover menu appears when users highlight text, offering quick access to Writing Tools like rewriting and summarizing, as well as contextual actions like creating calendar events or tracking flights. (MacRumors)
• [Major Upgrades Coming to OLED iPad mini]: Apple is preparing to launch a radically updated iPad mini this October, featuring an OLED display for richer contrast and deeper blacks. The tablet will skip a few processor generations to adopt an A19 Pro or A20 Pro chip to support Apple Intelligence, while possibly incorporating a new water-resistant casing and vibration-based speakers. (9to5Mac)
• [Apple Shelved Intel and ‘Extreme’ Mac Pro Models]: Apple reportedly developed and subsequently canceled two unreleased Mac Pro models, including a surprising Intel-based model (J170) meant to support legacy professional workflows and discrete graphics cards. The company also scrapped an M3 Ultra version (J190) and previously abandoned “Extreme” chips due to exorbitant costs and a worldwide RAM shortage. (MacRumors)

Articles Worth Reading#

[Open Minis Is the iOS Agent I Wish Siri AI Could Be] (MacStories) This detailed review highlights Open Minis, a powerful third-party iOS chatbot app that provides a glimpse into the true potential of on-device AI agents. By combining frontier models with native Apple APIs and a built-in Alpine Linux shell, the app deeply integrates with system frameworks like HealthKit, HomeKit, and Photos to perform complex tasks securely. It serves as a fascinating proof-of-concept for power users, demonstrating what a fully unbridled Siri AI could achieve if it embraced deeper system-level API access.

[Apple Likely Left Jony Ive Out of Its OpenAI Lawsuit on Purpose] (MacRumors) Apple recently sued OpenAI over trade secrets involving former iPhone executive Tang Tan, but notably excluded its former design chief, Jony Ive, from the complaint despite his current work on OpenAI’s hardware. According to Mark Gurman, this omission is a calculated move designed to preserve relationships with influential figures like Laurene Powell Jobs, who is close friends with Ive and an investor in his firm, LoveFrom. Apple also likely wished to avoid generating public sympathy for Ive, focusing the legal battle entirely on the specific individuals allegedly coaching recruits to bypass Apple’s security measures.

[iPhone 18 Pro’s new A20 chip rumored to bring two major upgrades] (9to5Mac) The forthcoming iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra are expected to pack a massive leap in processing power thanks to the A20 Pro chip, which will be the first iPhone silicon built on TSMC’s cutting-edge 2-nanometer process. In addition to enhanced efficiency and power from the 2nm fabrication, Apple is reportedly adopting Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module (WMCM) packaging. This innovation integrates components like the SoC and DRAM directly at the wafer level without a substrate, significantly improving thermal performance, signal integrity, and on-device AI processing capabilities.