Hi friends, welcome to TechPP Daily Brief. Today, we have major updates from the tech world. Apple might soon raise its product prices, ChatGPT is rolling out the ability to schedule tasks, Facebook now uses public posts and Reels to answer AI questions, and the iPhone Air has reached its final stage and is launching along with the upcoming iPhone 18 series. Apple is also aggressively collecting your data for personalization. Also, WhatsApp might soon roll out a “view once” text feature, and finally, I will also share my experience of using iPadOS 27 on my iPad Air M1.

TechPP Daily Brief

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The Daily Brief: June 18, 2026

Apple News

Apple Products Might Soon Get More Expensive

Apple Products Could Get More Expensive

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Apple’s current CEO, Tim Cook, says that Apple is planning to increase prices for Apple products. Tim Cook doesn’t mention which products are going to get price hikes, but considering the current situation, every product that uses RAM and storage could get expensive in the coming days, which includes iPhones, Macs, and other Apple products.

Apple isn’t the only company that has increased pricing. Many smartphone brands have already increased the prices of their existing models and started selling new ones at higher prices than they need to be. Soon, Apple is going to join the list. To mitigate the RAM prices, Apple has already stopped selling the base variants of several products, including the Mac Mini and the recently launched MacBook Neo. We should see how much the prices of Apple products are going to increase.

The Second Generation of the iPhone Air Is Coming

iPhone Air 2 Is Coming

iPhone Air, Apple’s thin and lightweight device, which launched in 2025, will get an upgrade in the coming days. Bloomberg reports that the iPhone Air 2 has reached final testing and will launch along with the iPhone 18 series in September.

The iPhone Air is a thin and lightweight iPhone from Apple. However, the first generation has two major downsides. It has a single camera on the rear and weak battery life. We shared our detailed thoughts on the iPhone Air and why Apple shouldn’t compromise features for the sake of thin and light phones. However, this time Apple is going to include one more camera, making it overall two, and also improve battery life on iPhone Air 2.

Both are the biggest weaknesses of the iPhone Air, and they should be addressed to make it appealing for mass users.

My Experience of iPadOS 27

My Experience With iPadOS 27

After installing iOS 27 on my iPhone 14 Plus, I installed iPadOS 27 on my M1 iPad. Fortunately, my M1 iPad supports Apple Intelligence, so I immediately signed up for Apple’s new Siri AI beta. I am currently on the waitlist. Similar to iOS, iPadOS 27 is also about refinements.

The moment I installed iPadOS 27, my iPad felt a lot smoother and less jittery compared to iPadOS 26. It even comes with a few handy features, such as the ability to adjust the liquid glass slider if you don’t like the transparent look. New, useful features in the Notes app, and create shortcuts using natural language. You can list the full eligible iPads for iPadOS 27.

If you are a student or someone using an iPad as a secondary device, I recommend installing it. However, if you are serious and use your iPad often and don’t want the battery life to degrade, then I wouldn’t recommend the update for you.

Cybersecurity Researchers Mysk Claim That Apple Records Extensive App Store Interactions

In the name of personalization, the companies are collecting a lot of data from you, and now Apple joins the list. Apple recently introduced Personalized Collections in the App Store to recommend apps and games based on each user’s interests and behavior.

You can read the full Apple Privacy Policy to check exactly what data Apple collects about you. But according to the security researcher Mysk, Apple is collecting more data than you can imagine. He says that Apple is collecting every data point and interaction you make on the App Store, including every tap. He found this data in the Personal Archive, which you can request from Apple to download your data.

AI News

OpenAI Is Rolling Out a Scheduled Tasks Feature for Paid Users in ChatGPT Mobile and Web

Now you can schedule tasks in ChatGPT if you are a paid user. Using the schedule feature, you can run automated tasks in ChatGPT, including either one-time or recurring tasks. Depending on your plan, you can set up to 15 active tasks. You can also connect to existing apps and services to monitor changes and notify you.

It seems like tasks are currently rolling out to users. I am on the ChatGPT Plus plan, but I still don’t see the feature on my ChatGPT account. If you are on the free plan, scheduled tasks are not available to you.

Here are the plans and the number of tasks you can schedule:

Plan Maximum active tasks
Free 0
Go 3
Plus 5
Business 10
Edu 10
Pro 15
Enterprise 15

Meta Now Uses Information From Public Posts on Facebook and Instagram to Answer Your AI Questions

Similar to Google and how it uses Reddit to answer AI questions, Facebook uses its own publicly available Facebook app and Instagram data to answer Meta AI questions. The feature is already rolling out to all users, and you can access Meta AI by tapping on the search bar and entering your question

The Big Picture:
User-generated content is more valuable than ever during this AI era. Companies with access to user-generated content are leveraging their advantages and using that content to answer AI queries. For instance, Google AI Overviews aggressively uses Reddit content to answer most of the queries.

Now, Facebook is using its own platform data to answer AI questions. Meta says all the public posts available to users will be used to answer questions, and currently, there is no option to opt out of Meta AI using your public posts.

Meta has not published which categories or questions it is going to use data for, but it will most likely use those posts for local queries and for any information that requires user-generated content, like planning local trips, news, information from the local communities, and much more.

Pinterest Has Announced the Ask Pinterest App

Pinterest Launches Ask Pinterest

Ask Pinterest is a new experimental AI-powered shopping and product-discovery app. It comes with a conversational interface similar to ChatGPT, where you can ask questions in natural language, and it uses Pinterest data to answer your questions. Basically, an AI search engine for Pinterest.

The Big Picture:
If you use Pinterest for inspiration, its search is getting a big upgrade. Although Pinterest is currently launching Ask Pinterest as a dedicated app, I believe eventually it will make it into the original Pinterest app.

Pinterest comes with a dedicated natural chat interface where you can ask questions, and it searches your pins and Pinterest content to answer your queries. Basically, instead of searching just by including keywords, you can just type what you want in natural language, and it will suggest things for you.

Whether you are planning a dinner for your family party or planning a work trip, you can just describe it in an actual conversation, and it will answer it for you. Currently, there is no information on when and where the app will be available.

Apps and Software

WhatsApp Might Soon Support View-Once Text Messages

WhatsApp Tests View-Once Text Messages
Image source: WPBETAINFO

WhatsApp is currently testing view-once messages on selected users in iOS and Android, spotted by WABetaInfo. Similar to images, now you can send “view once” messages, which disappear once a user opens them.

The Big Picture:
The “view once” text message works very similarly to the “view once” images feature already present on WhatsApp. After entering your text, you can select the “view once” option; once the message is sent, the user can only view it once, and it will disappear as soon as they open it.

Users cannot take a screenshot, forward, or copy the access once it has been opened. View once text messages are already available on Meta platforms, including Instagram and even Telegram. Now WhatsApp is introducing this feature; it is currently in beta and expected to roll out in the coming weeks for both Android and iOS users.WhatsApp also offers disappearing messages that auto-delete messages after a certain period of time.

Disney+ Is Disabling Dolby Vision and 3D Content in 11 European Union Countries

If you live in Europe and are planning to watch Dolby Vision or 3D content on Disney+ this weekend, I have bad news for you. If you were planning to watch Dolby Vision or 3D content on Disney+ this weekend, I have bad news for you. Due to legal issues, Disney is disabling Dolby Vision and 3D content in selected European countries, which are rumored to include the following: Germany, Italy, France, Finland, and Denmark.

Gaming News

Now You Can Upgrade to the Latest Version of GTA 5 for Free

GTA 5 Gets a Free Next-Gen Upgrade

Rockstar Games, the company behind the GTA 5 series, is now offering a free upgrade to Xbox and PS5 users to get the latest version of GTA 5 for free. For instance, if you own a PS4 version of GTA 5, you can upgrade to the PS5 version for free. Similarly, if you own an Xbox One version of GTA 5, you can upgrade to the Xbox Series X or S version for free.

The offer begins on June 18, 2026. Currently, there is no information on the deadline, and you can upgrade to the latest version on the Xbox and PS5 stores themselves.

Launch Monitor

Now coming to Launch Monitor, here are the major tech consumer products launched in the last 24 hours:

Google has opened preorders for its first Gemini-designed smart speaker. It costs $99.99. It offers 360-degree audio, Matter and Thread support, and ships from June 25. This is the new smart speaker from Google after many years, with full Gemini support. Miss you, Google Assistant.

Haier launched its new Haier HQLED P7 Pro in India. These TVs come in different sizes, including 43, 50, 55, 65, and 75-inch sizes. Features include Google TV with Gemini, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Dolby Atmos, and gaming features such as VRR and ALLM. Prices range from Rs 35,990 to  Rs 90,990.

Epson expands its printer portfolio in India. Now launched 15 printers, including the L1350, L3310 series, L3360, and L5390. Prices of these printers range from Rs 13,999 to Rs 24,999.

While everyone else is struggling with how to procure the RAM, OnePlus, on the other hand, introduced a new high-memory 16GB + 512GB version of the OnePlus 15R in India for Rs 61,999

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