Apple Debuts True-Crime Podcast 'Hooked' as First Standalone Original
Apple today debuted "Hooked," a true-crime podcast, seemingly as the company's first wholly standalone original podcast series.
While Apple has already begun its venture into original podcasts with the likes of "Oprah's Book Club" and "For All Mankind: The Official Podcast," Hooked is the first Apple Original podcast that is seemingly not tied to an Apple TV+ series in any way.
"The Line" debuted earlier this year as an independent podcast, but it is set to be accompanied by an Apple TV+ documentary series of the same name later in the fall. Hooked, on the other hand, has no apparent link to an Apple TV+ series. Hooked is still published by Apple TV+ in Apple Podcasts and it remains unclear if Apple will create a dedicated channel for Apple Original podcasts. Hooked is produced by Campside Media, and Apple describes the series as follows:
When Tony Hathaway was arrested outside a Seattle bank in February 2014, it brought an end to one of the most prolific bank robbery streaks in American history. Hathaway robbed 30 banks in a single year, all within a 30-mile radius of his suburban home. But that’s not the most surprising part of this story. Before Hathaway was a masterful bank robber—a shape-shifting professional who confounded multiple police departments and the FBI—he was a top design engineer at Boeing, one of America’s most important companies. Hathaway traveled the world in business class, working on the 747, while hiding a gigantic secret: an OxyContin addiction that ultimately unraveled his life. Based on three years of conversations between Hathaway and journalist Josh Dean, Hooked is a different kind of crime story that takes listeners on an exceptional and very personal tour of America’s opioid epidemic.
Apple has ramped up its podcast production output over the past year and is rumored to be working on a podcast streaming subscription service to better compete with Spotify. Hooked appears to be another step toward bolstering Apple Podcasts' ability to rival Spotify.
The first three episodes of Hooked are available now in the Apple Podcasts app or via RSS in other podcast players, with new episodes becoming available on Wednesdays.
Yesterday, Apple Podcasts gained two new subscription-based channels: BBC Studios and Slate. BBC Studios gives subscribers in the U.S. and Canada access to shows that were previously only accessible in the UK.
Popular Stories
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps.
The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future.
To set up the...
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another nine months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.
Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models.
The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras
Under-screen Face ID
Front camera in...
Earlier this month, Apple released iOS 26.2, following more than a month of beta testing. It is a big update, with many new features and changes for iPhones.
iOS 26.2 adds a Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. Below, we have highlighted a total of eight new features.
Liquid Glass Slider on Lock Screen
A new slider in the Lock...
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
2026 is almost upon us, and a new year is a good time to try out some new apps. We've rounded up 10 excellent Mac apps that are worth checking out.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Alt-Tab (Free) - Alt-Tab brings a Windows-style alt + tab thumbnail preview option to the Mac. You can see a full window preview of open apps and app windows.
One Thing (Free) -...
Samsung is working on a new foldable smartphone that's wider and shorter than the models that it's released before, according to Korean news site ETNews. The "Wide Fold" will compete with Apple's iPhone Fold that's set to launch in September 2026.
Samsung's existing Galaxy Z Fold7 display is 6.5 inches when closed, and 8 inches when open, with a 21:9 aspect ratio when folded and a 20:18...
The European Commission today praised the interoperability changes that Apple is introducing in iOS 26.3, once again crediting the Digital Markets Act (DMA) with bringing "new opportunities" to European users and developers.
The Digital Markets Act requires Apple to provide third-party accessories with the same capabilities and access to device features that Apple's own products get. In iOS...
Apple is working on a foldable iPhone that's set to come out in September 2026, and rumors suggest that it will have a display that's around 5.4 inches when closed and 7.6 inches when open. Exact measurements vary based on rumors, but one 3D designer has created a mockup based on what we've heard so far.
On MakerWorld, a user named Subsy has uploaded a 1:1 iPhone Fold replica (via Macworld), ...
Apple's first foldable iPhone, rumored for release next year, may turn out to be smaller than most people imagine, if a recent report is anything to go by. According to The Information, the outer display on the book-style device will measure just 5.3 inches – that's smaller than the 5.4-inch screen on the iPhone mini, a line Apple discontinued in 2022 due to poor sales. The report has led ...
