AllYouCanTech

### iOS 26.2: Launch of AirDrop Codes

iOS 26.2, which was launched last month, brings a host of new features, one of which is an update to the widely used AirDrop functionality termed “AirDrop codes.” This innovative feature is designed to bolster the security and simplify the sharing of files among users who may not be in each other’s contact lists.

#### What Are AirDrop Codes?

AirDrop has been a preferred feature for iPhone users for a long time, enabling effortless sharing of pictures, files, and more with friends and family. With the launch of AirDrop codes in iOS 26.2, Apple has introduced an additional layer of verification for users sharing files with unfamiliar contacts. As per Apple’s official release notes, AirDrop codes generate a one-time code on the receiver’s device that the sender must input to finalize the transfer. This procedure guarantees that only authorized individuals can send files, thus enhancing the overall security of the feature.

#### How AirDrop Functions in iOS 26.2

When configuring AirDrop on an iPhone, users have historically had three choices:

1. **Receiving Off**
2. **Contacts Only**
3. **Everyone for 10 Minutes**

With the launch of AirDrop codes, a practical fourth option is added. If a user wishes to share files with someone not in their contacts, they can now use a one-time code to temporarily authorize each other. After the sender inputs the code, both the sender and receiver will appear as AirDrop options for the following 30 days.

#### Managing AirDrop Contacts

Users can oversee their AirDrop contacts via the Settings app by going to **Settings ⇾ General ⇾ AirDrop**. Apple mentions, “You will automatically show up for 30 days to individuals with whom you have shared a one-time code.” This feature is particularly advantageous for those who often exchange files with acquaintances without the intention of saving them as permanent contacts.

#### Benefits of AirDrop Codes

The rollout of AirDrop codes responds to certain drawbacks of previous options. The “Everyone for 10 Minutes” option significantly relaxes security, while “Contacts Only” can be tedious due to the time involved in creating a new contact. AirDrop codes streamline the process, allowing for rapid and secure sharing without requiring the creation of permanent contacts.

#### Conclusion

The newly introduced AirDrop codes feature in iOS 26.2 improves the user experience by offering a secure and effective means to share files with unfamiliar contacts. This enhancement signifies Apple’s dedication to user privacy and convenience, making AirDrop a more valuable utility for iPhone users. Have you had the chance to use AirDrop codes yet? Share your thoughts in the comments.

**Apple Card Transition: From Goldman Sachs to Chase**

Last week, Apple made it official that Chase will take over the Apple Card, signaling the conclusion of its collaboration with Goldman Sachs. This noteworthy change has been outlined in a report from The Wall Street Journal, which characterizes the relationship between Apple and Goldman Sachs as an “unhappy marriage.”

### An Unhappy Marriage for Apple and Goldman Sachs

The report suggests that Apple had considerable hopes for the Apple Card, particularly regarding applicant approval rates. Apple expected Goldman Sachs to endorse nearly all applicants, which resulted in a rise in the number of subprime borrowers. Over 30% of Apple Card balances are held by individuals with credit scores deemed subprime, a percentage that surpasses those usually encountered by banks that focus on subprime lending.

As the relationship deteriorated, Apple officially recommended terminating its partnership with Goldman Sachs and initiated dialogues with other financial entities. In its outreach, Apple compared its partnership with Goldman Sachs to an unfulfilled marriage, implying that though both sides were inclined to continue, it was evident that neither was content.

### Exploring Alternatives

In a bid to tackle the issues stemming from the partnership, Apple, Goldman Sachs, and prospective new issuers considered the idea of utilizing a private-credit fund to oversee the existing balances. This strategy, although novel, would signify a considerable shift from conventional lending methods.

Goldman Sachs contacted various private-credit firms to gauge their interest, and Apple engaged with a boutique investment bank and a small fintech entity to aid in finding an appropriate partner. However, the timeline for a decision regarding the new issuer extended beyond original expectations, causing frustration among Goldman executives.

### The Selection Process

Throughout the negotiations, Apple was reportedly in talks with several firms, including Chase, American Express, and Synchrony. Synchrony felt it was nearing a deal and started planning on how to reduce the expenses linked to the card transition. Nevertheless, in May 2025, Apple notified Chase that it was its chosen partner.

Despite this, Apple also reached out to Capital One, suggesting that an agreement was on the horizon but permitting them one last chance to engage. In the end, Apple selected JP Morgan Chase, which negotiated terms that included safeguards against possible increases in card delinquencies and the option to withdraw from the agreement prior to its finalization.

### Transition Timeline

The transition from Goldman Sachs to Chase is anticipated to take place over the forthcoming two years. Apple has pledged to share further details as the process develops, indicating a new phase for the Apple Card and its users.

This significant transition not only signifies Apple’s shifting strategy in the financial services arena but also underscores the intricacies and hurdles of partnerships in the fintech sector. As Apple moves ahead with Chase, the impacts for both companies and their clientele will be closely observed.

**Digg Makes a Comeback: A Fresh Chapter for Community-Driven Content**

Digg has officially returned. After several months in a closed beta phase, the revamped platform is now accessible to the public, relaunching with an emphasis on trust indicators, transparency in moderation, and safeguards against AI-generated spam.

### Second Time’s the Charm

Last March, Digg’s founder, Kevin Rose, partnered with Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, and the pair (along with various investors) reclaimed Digg from the digital advertising firm BuySellAds. The platform, once a contender in news aggregation, faltered during the Web 2.0 phase and was dismantled in 2012, with its assets switching owners multiple times until last year’s reacquisition.

Since then, Rose, Ohanian, and their small team have been dedicated to reinventing Digg, implementing innovative ideas to foster more constructive discussions within its trust-oriented community. According to TechCrunch:

> “They’re optimistically wagering that AI can assist in mitigating some of the chaos and toxicity prevalent in today’s social media environment. Concurrently, social platforms will require a fresh array of tools to prevent AI bots from masquerading as humans.”

With this perspective, the new Digg will utilize trust signals to identify patterns of genuine participation. They will combine various validation indicators and technologies to combat AI-driven spam, and may even mandate proof of product ownership before users can join and contribute in certain communities.

### Community-Focused Features

Beginning today, users can easily establish their own communities, moving beyond the 21 general-theme communities (like entertainment and gaming) active during the closed beta. TechCrunch notes that “community managers (i.e., moderators) for these specific forums will have the authority to create their own rules, and their moderation records will be made public, allowing members to see what decisions are being executed.”

At this point, there’s no schedule for when the new Digg will finish its open beta. The company intends to heed user feedback and adapt the platform as needed. You can participate by following [this link](https://digg.com/) or by downloading the Digg app [from the App Store](https://apple.co/3NnBQko).

Apple researchers have released a study on Manzano, a multimodal framework that combines visual comprehension and text-to-image generation while reducing the performance and quality trade-offs evident in existing models. The study, titled [MANZANO: A Simple and Scalable Unified Multimodal Model with a Hybrid Vision Tokenizer](https://machinelearning.apple.com/research/manzano), introduces a cohesive method that enables both image comprehension and creation within a singular framework.

Present-day multimodal models frequently encounter difficulties in reconciling visual comprehension with generative capabilities. Generally, these models either emphasize autoregressive image generation at the cost of visual understanding or the other way around. This challenge stems from the conflicting needs of visual tokenization, where autoregressive generation thrives on discrete image tokens, whereas understanding necessitates continuous embeddings. Numerous current models adopt a dual-tokenizer approach, resulting in inefficiencies and task conflicts.

Manzano resolves these challenges by utilizing an autoregressive language model (LLM) to anticipate the semantic meaning of an image, which is subsequently processed by a diffusion decoder to generate the actual pixels. The structure of Manzano consists of three essential elements:

1. A hybrid vision tokenizer that produces both continuous and discrete visual representations.
2. An LLM decoder that forecasts the subsequent discrete image or text tokens from a combined vocabulary.
3. An image decoder that translates the anticipated image tokens into pixel data.

This groundbreaking architecture enables Manzano to adeptly manage intricate prompts, achieving performance on par with top models like GPT-4o and Nano Banana. Across various benchmarks, both the 3B and 30B parameter versions of Manzano displayed superior or competitive outcomes compared to other leading unified multimodal LLMs.

The researchers evaluated Manzano with a spectrum of model sizes, ranging from 300 million parameters to 30 billion parameters, to analyze how performance scales with increased model size. Furthermore, Manzano excels in image editing tasks, including instruction-guided editing, style transfer, inpainting/outpainting, and depth estimation.

For a detailed examination of Manzano’s architecture, tokenizer training, diffusion decoder design, and evaluation findings, the complete study can be accessed [here](https://machinelearning.apple.com/research/manzano). This research highlights Apple’s ongoing endeavors to improve image generation capabilities, with potential future applications in their products.

Netflix is officially making its entrance into the podcasting world, representing a major extension of its content repertoire. Following the recent debut of video podcasts through a collaboration with Spotify, Netflix is now poised to launch its first original podcasts featuring well-known figures.

### Launch of Netflix Original Podcasts with Pete Davidson and Michael Irvin

Podcasting has experienced a dramatic rise in popularity, fueled by platforms such as YouTube and Spotify, with Apple Podcasts also witnessing a revival. The medium has become essential to political campaigns and promotional efforts for films and television, underscored by the Golden Globes’ establishment of an award for ‘Best Podcast.’

Acknowledging the increasing impact of podcasts, Netflix, the foremost global streaming service, has opted to embrace the movement. The company has secured partnerships with Spotify and iHeartRadio for exclusive video podcasts, while also introducing its own original content.

Netflix has revealed its first two in-house podcasts:

– **The Pete Davidson Show**, debuting on Friday, January 30
– **The White House with Michael Irvin**, launching on Monday, January 19

#### Show Descriptions

**The Pete Davidson Show**: This podcast showcases the former *Saturday Night Live* star in a relaxed atmosphere, engaging in open discussions with friends. The show guarantees an unfiltered approach to conversations.

**The White House with Michael Irvin**: This sports-themed podcast will address current sports headlines, game evaluations, and commentary. It will present two episodes weekly and will feature a rotating cast of co-hosts, including former NFL All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who is also engaged in the show’s production.

New episodes of *The Pete Davidson Show* will be published every Friday, whereas *The White House with Michael Irvin* will deliver two episodes each week. Both podcasts will be available to anyone with a Netflix subscription, fitting with the platform’s goal to assimilate various types of content.

As Netflix broadens its podcast offerings, it prompts the inquiry of how audiences will interact with this novel format. The fusion of video and audio content could transform the podcasting landscape, creating an exhilarating advancement for both the platform and its subscribers.