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    Apple could offer eSIM-only iPhone 17 Pros in more countries

    Apple is expected to bring the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro models without a physical SIM card tray slot to more countries this year, rumor has it.

    Apple’s transition to eSIM-only iPhones won’t be complete with this year’s iPhone 17 lineup, if an image shared on X by hit-or-miss leaker Majin Bu is anything to go by.

    According to the leaker, the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will retain a physical SIM card tray slot in some countries (the United States not being among them).

    Apple expanding eSIM-only iPhones to more countries

    However, the rumored iPhone 17 Air model is expected to be offered exclusively with eSIM support in every country Apple chooses to sel it because of to its ultra-thin design, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said earlier this year in a blog post on Medium.. It’s unclear, however, if and how Apple plans on bringing the iPhone 17 Air to China, which has yet to approve eSIMs in smartphones.

    In November 2024, The Information reported that Apple would remove the physical SIM card tray on iPhones in more countries in 2025.

    What iPhone models support eSIM?

    Apple began phasing out physical SIM cards in favor of the electronic SIM, or eSIM, starting with the iPhone 14 lineup (2022). In the United States, the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max were sold without a physical SIM tray, operating exclusively via eSIM

    In other countries, however, these phones were offered in dual-SIM configurations with both a physical nano-SIM and eSIM support, and in China, the devices came with dual physical SIM card slots and no eSIM support to comply with regulatory requirements.

    All models in the iPhone 15 (2023) and iPhone 16 (2024) lineups sold in the United States also lack a physical SIM tray, with international variants adopting a dual-SIM approach. eSIM technology allows you to add a SIM line digitally, by scanning a QR code received from your carrier. Unlike physical SIM cards that can break and malfunction, especially when your iPhone is exposed to direct sunlight over time, there are no such worries with eSIM.

    eSIM is also more secure than a physical SIM card, as it cannot be stolen and inserted into another device. You can add up to eight eSIMs to your iPhone, which is great for international travelers, but only two SIM lines can be active at a time. For further information about eSIM support on the iPhone, visit Apple’s support page.

    Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/08/15/apple-iphone-17-pro-no-sim-card-tray-more-countries/

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    iOS 18.6.1 watchOS 11.6.1 bring Blood Oxygen monitoring to previously excluded Apple Watch Series 9, 10 Ultra 2 models

    Apple announced on Thursday that it would release iOS 18.6.1 for iPhones and watchOS 11.6.1 for Apple Watches so that Blood Oxygen monitoring could make a comeback on certain models – specifically, the Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2.

    The updates are now available at the time of this writing, and Apple said this update was made possible by a recent ruling made by U.S. Customs.

    iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1 software updates.

    The update brings a redesigned Blood Oxygen monitoring system to Apple Watches that didn’t have access to the original Blood Oxygen monitoring feature. It works by grabbing data from the Blood Oxygen sensor on the Apple watch and then performing measurements and calculations on the paired iPhone.

    Users can then view their results in the Respiratory section of the Apple Health app, giving a deep dive into just how oxygenated the user’s blood supply is.

    Apple was careful to mention that Apple Watch users that had access to Blood Oxygen monitoring all along – those sold before Apple was barred from selling products found to be infringing on Masimo’s Blood Oxygen monitoring technology by the International Trade Commission (ITC) – will not see any change in today’s update. Instead, the update merely brings this feature to devices that didn’t have access to it before.

    This means that some Apple Watch users will get access to the ‘redesigned’ Blood Oxygen feature, which works as a ‘workaround’ to the whole Masimo patent infringement debacle, while other Apple watch users will get to keep and continue using the Blood Oxygen feature that they’ve had access to all along.

    While it still feels like a two-tier system at the moment, it remains to be seen whether Apple will incorporate a unified user experience in iOS & watchOS 26 or continue developing two different systems for two entirely different classes of users.

    Blood Oxygen monitoring is just one of the core health monitoring features offered by the Apple Watch, followed by things like irregular heart rhythm detection, sleep apnea notifications, fall detection, sleep tracking, wrist temperature tracking, and many more.

    Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/08/14/watchos-11-6-1-brings-blood-oxygen-monitoring-back-to-some-apple-watch-models/