Indie App Spotlight: ‘Queue’ makes it easier to keep in touch with everyone in your life

indie-app-spotlight:-‘queue’-makes-it-easier-to-keep-in-touch-with-everyone-in-your-life

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.

Keeping up with all of the people in your life can be hard. Queue is a simple app that helps you be better at that. It’s like a personal CRM, but for all of the people in your life.

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Apple will let third party music apps show animated artwork on the iPhone lock screen, not just Apple Music

apple-will-let-third-party-music-apps-show-animated-artwork-on-the-iphone-lock-screen,-not-just-apple-music

One of the stylish visual changes to the iPhone on iOS 26 is a new layout for the lock screen when music is playing. Artwork can now be animated and shown full-screen on the iPhone display, with playback controls resting on a platter of a liquid glass.

You can try this out right now with Apple Music. Play a song that has animated album art, and lock the phone. But users of third-party music streaming apps like Spotify will also be pleased to know that Apple is opening up this capability as an API, so third-party developers can also adopt it.

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Do these nine things to protect yourself against hackers and scammers

do-these-nine-things-to-protect-yourself-against-hackers-and-scammers

Scammers are using AI tools to create increasingly convincing ways to trick victims into sending money, and to access the personal information needed to commit identity theft. Deepfakes mean they can impersonate the voice of a friend or family member, and even fake a video call with them!

The result can be criminals taking out thousands of dollars worth of loans or credit card debt in your name. Fortunately there are steps you can take to protect yourself against even the most sophisticated scams. Here are the security and privacy checks to run to ensure you are safe …

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Decarbonizing steel is as tough as steel

decarbonizing-steel-is-as-tough-as-steel

The long-term aspirational goal of the Paris Agreement on climate change is to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, and thereby reduce the frequency and severity of floods, droughts, wildfires, and other extreme weather events. Achieving that goal will require a massive reduction in global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions across all economic sectors. A major roadblock, however, could be the industrial sector, which accounts for roughly 25 percent of global energy- and process-related CO2 emissions — particularly within the iron and steel sector, industry’s largest emitter of CO2.

Iron and steel production now relies heavily on fossil fuels (coal or natural gas) for heat, converting iron ore to iron, and making steel strong. Steelmaking could be decarbonized by a combination of several methods, including carbon capture technology, the use of low- or zero-carbon fuels, and increased use of recycled steel.

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First-of-its-kind device profiles newborns’ immune function

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Researchers from the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), MIT’s research enterprise in Singapore, along with colleagues from KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), have developed a first-of-its-kind device to profile the immune function of newborns.   Using a single drop of blood, the BiophysicaL Immune Profiling for Infants (BLIPI) system provides real-time insights into newborns’ immune responses, enabling the early detection of severe inflammatory conditions and allowing for timely interventions. This critical innovation addresses the urgent and unmet need for rapid and minimally invasive diagnostic tools to protect vulnerable newborns, especially those born prematurely. Critical unmet need in newborn care Premature infants are particularly vulnerable to life-threatening conditions such as sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Newborn sepsis — a bloodstream infection occurring in the first weeks of life — is a major global health challenge, causing up to 1 million infant deaths worldwide annually. NEC, a serious intestinal disease that causes severe inflammation,  » Read More

iOS 26 is official, Liquid Glass redesign, and our full WWDC 2025 reactions

ios-26-is-official,-liquid-glass-redesign,-and-our-full-wwdc-2025-reactions

Benjamin and Chance are back with another bumper WWDC installment, featuring our thoughts on everything Apple announced during its 2025 keynote. From new features in iOS 26 to the sweeping redesign of Liquid Glass, we give our first reactions of all the changes in the new operating systems. 

And in Happy Hour Plus, Chance talks more about his experience on the ground at Apple Park. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join.

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Bringing meaning into technology deployment

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In 15 TED Talk-style presentations, MIT faculty recently discussed their pioneering research that incorporates social, ethical, and technical considerations and expertise, each supported by seed grants established by the Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing (SERC), a cross-cutting initiative of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing. The call for proposals last summer was met with nearly 70 applications. A committee with representatives from every MIT school and the college convened to select the winning projects that received up to $100,000 in funding.

“SERC is committed to driving progress at the intersection of computing, ethics, and society. The seed grants are designed to ignite bold, creative thinking around the complex challenges and possibilities in this space,” said Nikos Trichakis, co-associate dean of SERC and the J.C. Penney Professor of Management. “With the MIT Ethics of Computing Research Symposium, we felt it important to not just showcase the breadth and depth of the research that’s shaping the future of ethical computing,

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