by Steve Sorbo | Oct 2, 2026 | TCN Content, Uncategorized
If you’ve kept Outlook for Mac in its older, familiar interface, you may need to switch soon to keep receiving email. Microsoft says legacy Outlook for Mac will stop connecting to Exchange Online mailboxes starting in October 2026. Those are the mailboxes commonly used for business email through Microsoft 365.
Before switching to the current Outlook for Mac, back up any data stored only on your Mac and check whether the features you rely on will still be available.
What Is Changing?
Legacy Outlook connects to Exchange Online through Exchange Web Services, usually abbreviated EWS. Microsoft is retiring that connection method. The current Outlook for Mac remains supported.
Microsoft’s updated EWS retirement plan describes a phased process beginning in October 2026. Your IT administrator may be able to keep legacy Outlook connected temporarily after October 2026, but Microsoft will shut down that connection method completely on April 1, 2027. (Yes, April Fools’ Day.)
If your administrator extends access, agree on a firm date to finish the move.
Check Whether You’re Using Legacy Outlook
Updating Outlook doesn’t always move you out of the legacy experience. Look for an enabled Legacy Outlook switch in the Outlook window. Microsoft’s instructions for the current experience say to turn that switch off to move to the redesigned Outlook.
You can also check the Help menu. If it includes Revert to Legacy Outlook, you’re already using the newer interface. If neither control appears, ask IT which version and mode you’re using.
Does the Deadline Apply to You?
Microsoft lists different deadlines depending on your Outlook license and where your email is hosted:
- Microsoft 365 business email: Legacy Outlook users with Exchange Online mailboxes need to move to the current Outlook.
- Microsoft 365 Personal or Family: Legacy Outlook support ends in October 2026. The Exchange Online cutoff doesn’t set a disconnection date for third-party accounts such as Gmail or iCloud.
- Exchange Subscription Edition on your organization’s servers: Microsoft lists legacy support through October 9, 2029, with security updates and technical assistance on a best-effort basis.
- Office LTSC 2024: Microsoft lists the same limited support through October 9, 2029. Even with that license, legacy Outlook will lose access to Exchange Online as EWS shuts down.
For the complete license-by-license breakdown, see Microsoft’s support timeline table. If you’re unsure where your work email is hosted, ask your IT provider.
Protect Your Local Data
Start with a current backup of your Mac. Then look for anything stored only in Outlook on that computer, particularly folders under On My Computer. Pay special attention to local calendars, contacts, and previously imported archives. Signing in to the same account elsewhere won’t recover locally stored information.
For an additional safety copy, legacy Outlook can export messages, contacts, and other items to an .olm archive. Microsoft’s instructions start with Export on the Tools tab; some versions offer it in the File menu. Save the completed archive somewhere included in your backups.
The migration announcement says local tasks and notes aren’t transferred. Microsoft’s current feature comparison also lists the in-app Notes and Tasks modules as upcoming and Public Folders as unavailable. If you rely on those features, arrange another way to access the information before switching.
Switch and Test Your Usual Tasks
Once you’ve backed up your data and checked the features you need, turn off the Legacy Outlook switch. If it’s missing, check for an update with Help > Check for Updates. On a company-managed Mac, contact IT if the switch or update is unavailable.
If your local folders haven’t appeared, look for Import On My Computer Data in the File menu, or an Import Now button under On My Computer. Microsoft documents both ways to start the import. Follow the prompts, then check the imported contents. Menu wording can vary by version; if neither option appears, get help before deleting or recreating your Outlook profile.
After switching and completing any local import, work through these steps:
- Accounts: Confirm that expected folders and recent messages appear. Send a test message and verify that you receive a reply.
- Calendars and contacts: Review upcoming appointments and confirm access to shared calendars and important contacts.
- Local archives: Find several older messages and open their attachments. Keep your original data and backups until you’ve verified the migration.
- Features you use: Check your signatures, important rules, shared mailbox access, and essential add-ins.
If something fails, tell your help desk or IT provider what you were trying to do and what happened. For example, name the shared mailbox you can’t open and include any error message. Microsoft directs personal-account users to Help > Contact Support.
If your organization offers Outlook on the Web, confirm that you can sign in and use it as a fallback if the desktop app has problems. However, note that it won’t replace access to information stored locally on your Mac.
Contact us if you need help moving local archives or setting up shared accounts.
(Featured image by iStock.com/Rawf8)
Social Media: Microsoft says legacy Outlook for Mac will stop connecting to Exchange Online mailboxes starting in October 2026. Check which Outlook experience you’re using, protect local archives, and test essential features when you switch.
by Steve Sorbo | Oct 2, 2026 | TCN Content, Uncategorized
If you use Shared Albums to collect job-site photos or share progress with clients, new options in macOS 27, iOS 27, and iPadOS 27 change image quality and whose iCloud storage the photos use.
New permanent shared albums preserve the full resolution of your photos and videos, but count against the album owner’s iCloud storage, including photos and videos uploaded by other participants. That means a busy project album can fill your account even when you haven’t added anything yourself. Apple’s Shared Albums limits explain the new rules.
What Changed and What Didn’t
Previously, Shared Albums reduced most photos to 2048 pixels on the long edge and delivered videos at up to 720p resolution. The new albums preserve original formats and full resolution, making them more useful when you need to inspect a detail in a job-site photo or provide images for a client’s publication. Apple documents the quality differences.
The storage rules now depend on the album:
- New permanent albums: On an iPhone or iPad running version 27, open Photos, tap Collections, scroll to Shared Albums, tap Shared, and tap the Add button. Name the album, leave Make Album Temporary turned off, and tap Done. New albums created on a Mac or Apple Vision Pro running version 27, or on iCloud.com, use the same storage rules: everything added, including contributions from other people, counts against the creator’s iCloud storage. Apple shows how to create an album.
- Existing older albums: Updating your device does not upgrade albums created in version 26 or earlier. Their shared copies remain stored in iCloud without counting against anyone’s allowance. To check one on an iPhone or iPad, open the album and tap More. On a Mac, Control-click the album in the sidebar. If you see Upgrade Shared Album, leave it alone to keep the old storage and image-quality rules.
- Older albums you upgrade: To change a Shared album deliberately, open it in Photos on an iPhone or iPad running version 27, tap the More button, then tap Upgrade Shared Album. On a Mac, select the album under Shared Albums in the Photos sidebar, Control-click the Shared Album, then click Upgrade Shared Album. Photos and videos already in the album remain exempt; anything added afterward counts against the owner’s storage and will be shared at full resolution. Upgrading does not restore detail lost from older uploads. See Apple’s upgrade instructions.
- Temporary albums: Follow the new-album steps above, but turn on Make Album Temporary before tapping Done. These albums don’t use your iCloud storage and can hold up to 5000 items, but they expire after 30 days. Save anything you need to keep. If you later turn off Make Album Temporary in Manage Shared Album, its contents begin counting against the owner’s storage. Apple explains temporary albums.
Why a Shared Album Can Disrupt Other Work
If you create a renovation album and invite subcontractors to contribute, their uploads use your storage allowance, not theirs. Buying more storage for a contributor will not give your album more space.
A full iCloud account can also cause trouble beyond the project photos. Apple says that running out of storage prevents iCloud backups, stops new uploads to iCloud Photos, and keeps iCloud Drive and other iCloud apps from updating across devices. It also prevents sending and receiving messages through an iCloud email address.
Permanent Shared Albums in version 27 also require iCloud Photos to be enabled. Apple includes that requirement in its iPhone and iPad setup instructions. If you turn on iCloud Photos to use the new albums, your photo library also starts uploading to iCloud. Review its size before enabling it, especially on a device containing years of photos.
What to Check When Storage Fills Up
Before deleting anything or changing a subscription, work through these checks:
- Identify which storage is full. On an iPhone, Settings > General > iPhone Storage shows the device’s capacity. Settings > Your Name > iCloud shows cloud storage. On a Mac, open System Settings > Your Name > iCloud. Deleting an unused app from the phone won’t free space for an album stored in iCloud. Apple explains the distinction.
- Check the album owner’s account. On the owner’s iPhone or iPad, open Settings > Your Name > iCloud, then tap Storage or Manage Account Storage. On a Mac, open System Settings > Your Name > iCloud, then click Manage. Review which apps and features consume the most space. Apple provides these storage-checking instructions.
- Ask what changed recently. Look for a new permanent album, an older album that was upgraded, a temporary album made permanent, a batch of videos, or iCloud Photos turned on for the first time. Any of these can explain an increase the owner didn’t cause directly.
- Check the cause of an upload failure. Apple’s Shared Albums troubleshooting guide specifically recommends checking the owner’s available iCloud storage. Also check the Internet connection and whether other participants can access the album. If only one person can’t contribute, review their Can Add Photos permission. Participants using older software may have read-only access to new or upgraded albums; they can use iCloud.com or update their devices.
- Choose how to make room. You can increase the owner’s iCloud+ allowance or remove content you no longer need after preserving required project records. Optimize Storage frees space on the device, not in iCloud, because the full-resolution originals stay there. Apple explains how iCloud Photos handles storage.
If you contact us for help, include the exact warning, the album’s owner, whether it’s temporary or permanent, and any recent album changes.
Set Up the Next Project to Avoid Surprises
Before creating an album, agree on who will own it and provide the storage. For business projects, follow your organization’s account policy and consider what happens when the employee who created the album leaves.
Ask contributors to upload useful selections. A few clear photos of an installation may serve the project better than every shot taken that afternoon. Agree on when videos are necessary and where completed project records will be retained.
Before deleting any shared album, save and verify the material your business needs. Deleting the album removes it for participants too; copies already saved to their own libraries remain. Apple describes the deletion effects.
For long projects, review storage use periodically, so syncing doesn’t stall.
(Featured image by iStock.com/fadfebrian)
Social Media: Photos in Apple’s Shared Albums never used to count against your iCloud storage. New permanent albums preserve full-resolution photos but use your allowance. Here’s what changed and what to check when project photos stop syncing.
by Steve Sorbo | Sep 10, 2026 | TCN Content, Uncategorized
Apple’s annual September event delivered more than the usual annual iPhone and Apple Watch updates. Alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, new Apple CEO John Ternus led the unveiling of the iPhone Duo—Apple’s first foldable iPhone—the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 with new health-sensing and listening capabilities, and the AirPods 5 with Active Noise Cancellation available in both models.
After the event, Apple confirmed that iOS 27, watchOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, iPadOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27 will ship on September 14. As always, we recommend waiting a week or two before upgrading essential devices and holding off on Golden Gate for a few months until you’re confident your necessary Mac apps are compatible. Always make a backup before upgrading.
Let’s examine the new products.
iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max boast improvements to the camera system, performance, and battery life. Apple did not announce a plain iPhone 18—rumors suggest it will arrive in early 2027.
The headline feature is the new 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera with a variable aperture. For the first time on the iPhone, the camera offers four aperture settings: ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, and ƒ/4.0. The Camera app automatically adjusts the aperture based on lighting conditions, but photographers can also take manual control through new Pro controls. The wider ƒ/1.48 maximum aperture should improve low-light performance and provide shallower depth of field for better bokeh. The Ultra Wide and Telephoto cameras remain unchanged from the iPhone 17 Pro.
Performance should be noticeably better. The A20 Pro chip delivers up to 20% faster CPU performance and 40% faster GPU performance compared to last year’s A19 Pro. The chip also features a Dual 16-core Neural Engine with double the AI processing power.
Apple redesigned the Dynamic Island—where the Face ID sensor lives—to be smaller while displaying more information, now showing up to three Live Activities simultaneously.
Battery life is also better. In Apple’s new “typical use” battery metric, the iPhone 18 Pro offers up to 24 hours, while the Pro Max delivers up to 30 hours. Fast charging has improved as well—the iPhone 18 Pro can add 50% in just 15 minutes with a 60W or higher adapter.
The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 and the Pro Max at $1,299—$100 increases over last year’s models due to the ongoing memory shortage. Storage upgrade prices have also jumped significantly. Available colors include black, silver, glacier, and burgundy. Pre-orders open at 5 AM Pacific on September 12, with availability beginning on September 18.
If those prices are too steep for your budget, the iPhone 17e ($699), iPhone 16 ($799), iPhone 17 ($899), and iPhone Air ($1,099) remain available, all $100 more than before the event.
Should you upgrade? The iPhone 18 Pro models look great, but unless you want the best possible camera, highest possible performance, and longest battery life, we recommend holding off. An iPhone 15 Pro or newer model that supports Apple Intelligence, which Apple is emphasizing in iOS 27, will likely still meet your needs.
iPhone Duo
The most surprising announcement was the iPhone Duo, Apple’s first foldable iPhone. While foldable Android phones have been interesting but often flawed, the iPhone Duo showcases Apple’s attention to industrial design and software integration.
Closed, the iPhone Duo is about the size of a passport book, with a 5.4-inch outer display that provides 90% of the screen area of the iPhone 18 Pro. When opened, the 7.6-inch inner display is 50% larger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max, offering more screen space for media, gaming, and productivity apps. A nano-texture finish on the inner display reduces glare and minimizes the visibility of the crease.
Apple says that the iPhone Duo’s hinge and integrated magnet array deliver a smooth, secure feel. Despite the hinge, it’s still rated IP68 for water resistance (up to 6 meters for 30 minutes), the same as the iPhone 18 Pro. Ceramic Shield and Ceramic Shield 2 protect from scratches on the back and front, respectively.
Unlike other current iPhones, the iPhone Duo uses Touch ID in the side button rather than Face ID. It’s powered by the same A20 Pro chip as the iPhone 18 Pro models, and Apple claims 24 hours of battery life in typical use.
Apple has reimagined iOS 27 for the iPhone Duo. Lock Screen controls, the Dock, the Dynamic Island, and app navigation appear on the side to maximize vertical content space. When open, the display shows two Home Screen pages with Today View—a scrolling list of widgets—on the left. Content reacts as the iPhone Duo folds, reorients when turned sideways, and switches to the appropriate display when flipped over. iOS on the iPhone Duo even borrows from iPadOS—Split View lets two apps run side by side. StandBy can kick in whenever the iPhone Duo is set down, even if it’s not charging.
The camera system includes a 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera and a 48-megapixel Fusion Ultra Wide, but no variable aperture or Telephoto camera. The folding design enables different camera experiences: Smart Take uses on-device AI to capture photos automatically while subjects are posing, Duo Preview shows a live preview on the outer display so subjects can guide the shot, and Kid Cue plays Peanuts animations to grab children’s attention. Duo FaceTime lets people who are with the user join a video call on the outer display.
The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 in star white and night sky colors, with pre-orders opening October 16 and availability starting October 23. Apple Pencil support is coming later this year.
The iPhone Duo is clearly aimed at early adopters and those who want a larger display in a pocketable form factor. At $1,999, it costs more than an iPhone 18 Pro and an iPad mini combined, but for those waiting for Apple to enter the foldable market, the iPhone Duo is worth checking out.
Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4
The Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 focus on health sensing accuracy and introduce Audio Intelligence features powered by the new S11 chip.
The new Health Sensing System delivers what Apple calls “the most accurate heart rate sensing in a wearable.” Larger, more power-efficient green LEDs now measure heart rate every 5 seconds throughout the day—60 times more frequently than before. Heart rate variability is measured up to 24 times more often.
These improvements power a new Readiness feature that analyzes recent activity, training load, vitals, and sleep score to provide a 0-10 score with recommendations: Recover, Pace Yourself, Ready, or Go For It. The score updates throughout the day as new data arrives.
Audio Intelligence represents a new category of Apple Watch features. Sound Recognition alerts Deaf users or those who are hard of hearing to sounds like doorbells, sirens, or crying babies. Shazam now automatically identifies nearby music and displays it in the Smart Stack. Live Rewind shows the previous 15 seconds of conversation as text when you double-press the Digital Crown. Siri Recap creates high-level summaries of conversations for later review. Live Rewind and Siri Recap will arrive in beta later this year and require an iPhone 16 or later, excluding the iPhone 16e.
Although the prospect of an always-listening watch has already raised privacy concerns, Apple emphasizes that Audio Intelligence features don’t create or store audio recordings: raw audio is processed in a hardware-isolated Secure Exclave and immediately deleted, while Live Rewind snippets and Siri Recap summaries synced via iCloud are end-to-end encrypted. We’ll see whether the features prompt the same kind of privacy backlash as Meta’s controversial AI glasses.
The Series 12 now offers up to 10 hours of workout battery life—25% more than the Series 11—while maintaining 24 hours of everyday battery life. Charging is faster: 15 minutes provides up to 12 hours of battery life.
Aluminum models gain Ceramic Shield 2, which Apple says is 60% tougher than the previous Ion-X glass. A new ceramic case option is available in pearl white and night blue. Other finishes include dark bronze, black, light gold, and space gray aluminum, plus radiant gold and natural titanium.
The Apple Watch Ultra 4 gains the same Health Sensing System and Audio Intelligence features, plus improved battery life: up to 50 hours of everyday use, up to 25 hours in Extended Workout mode with full GPS and heart rate, and up to 45 hours in Max Extended Workout mode. It also shares the new fast charging.
Pricing remains unchanged: the Series 12 starts at $399, and the Ultra 4 at $799. Pre-orders are available now, with availability on September 18. The Apple Watch SE 3 remains available, starting at $249.
For most people with an Apple Watch Series 10 or 11, the upgrade may be hard to justify unless Audio Intelligence features are particularly compelling. Those with older models may be considering an upgrade for refreshed battery life, and remember that watchOS 27 requires a Series 9 or later, SE 3, or Ultra 2 or later.
AirPods 5
The AirPods 5 bring Active Noise Cancellation to Apple’s entire open-ear AirPods lineup for the first time. Both the base model and the model with wireless charging case now include ANC, along with Transparency mode, Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation, Personalized Spatial Audio, and Live Translation.
The AirPods 4 were rated IP54 for dust and water resistance, while the AirPods 5 improve that to IP57, meaning they should survive temporary immersion for up to 30 minutes.
The wireless charging case model retains a few exclusive features: volume swipe on the stems, longer battery life (5 hours with ANC versus 4 hours on the base model), support for Apple Watch and Qi chargers, and a speaker in the case for Find My.
The AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case costs $149, $30 less than the $179 AirPods 4 with ANC it replaces, while the base model remains at $129. This makes Active Noise Cancellation more accessible than ever, though those who need maximum noise cancellation should still consider the AirPods Pro 3. It’s probably not worth upgrading from working AirPods unless you need better ANC, but the AirPods 5 will be waiting the next time you need a pair.
(Featured image by Apple)
Social Media: Apple has introduced the iPhone 18 Pro with a variable-aperture camera, the foldable iPhone Duo, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 with advanced health sensing, and AirPods 5 with noise cancellation. Here’s what’s new and whether you should upgrade.
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