Mohammed Azharuddin Khan discusses the good, the difficult and the rewarding parts of returning to education in the middle of your career.

Earlier this year, Technology Ireland ICT Skillnet announced its plans to award four fully funded places on its MSc in Leadership, Innovation and Technology programme as a way of celebrating the course’s 20 years in operation.

The programme, which is delivered at Technological University Dublin, is a part-time, applied master’s designed specifically for experienced professionals working in technology and innovation-led environments.

In the years since it was first introduced in 2006, the programme has produced 300 graduates.

One such graduate is Mohammed Azharuddin Khan, who recently completed the course.

Khan, a project manager at Dell Technologies, tells SiliconRepublic.com that he was drawn to the leadership programme through “an honest realisation”.

“I was leading big projects, and the work was going well,” he explains. “But I started to notice something. The higher the conversations went, the less my technical skills helped me.

“The things that got me this far were not the same things that would take me further.”

Determined to find a way to progress, Khan decided to look at a few courses – but none of them “felt right”, he says.

“They were either too general or too far from the work I actually do.”

He was ultimately drawn to the MSc in Leadership, Innovation and Technology programme.

“[It] sat exactly where I spend my time, between technology, leadership and innovation,” he says. “That made sense for me. It wasn’t learning for its own sake, it was learning I could bring straight back into my day-to-day work.”

Back to school

Having completed an engineering degree at the beginning of his career, Khan says the return to education years later was noticeably different from his earlier studies.

“During my undergrad, studying was my main focus,” he explains. “I had more time and fewer responsibilities. I learned a lot, but most of it stayed as theory. I did not have much real experience at that time, so it was mostly about passing exams.”

This time, he says, it was very different.

“I could relate what I was learning directly to my work. Sometimes I would read about a leadership concept and immediately think of a situation from my job.

“It felt practical and useful, not just theory. I could apply things quickly, and because of that, the learning stayed with me.”

But while the learning experience was different, Khan says the hard part wasn’t the studying – it was “managing everything around it”.

Around the time that Khan was starting the course, he and his wife had a son. The first-time dad had to balance a full-time job, learning how to be a father and his studies.

“Looking back, that period changed a lot for me,” he says.

“When I reflect on it now, I can see how important the support system was. I received strong support from the teaching staff, who were understanding and flexible. My organisation and my manager were also supportive, which made a big difference.

“Most importantly, my wife supported me throughout this time. Having this kind of support really helped me keep going. There were moments when it felt overwhelming, but that support and encouragement made a big difference.”

Learn and apply

Khan describes his experience of the programme as very positive, particularly praising the structure of the course and its relevance to real work situations.

“I was able to connect what I learned with my day-to-day job, which made it very practical,” he says.

Khan says one of the highlights of the programme was the blended learning format that the course utilised, with both in-person and online classes.

“This helped me manage work and study in a better way,” he explains. “The in-person classes also gave a good chance to connect with classmates from different industries.

“Being in a room with experienced professionals from different industries really changed how I think. Sometimes I would bring a problem from my own work, and someone from a different field would see it in a completely new way. This kind of learning was very valuable.”

For anyone considering going back to education mid-career, Khan advises that you don’t wait for the “perfect time”, because it never really comes.

“There will always be work, family and other responsibilities,” he explains. “I started my course when I had a newborn at home and a full-time job. It was not easy, but looking back, it was definitely worth it.”

He also advises that you talk to the people around you before you start – including your partner, manager and team. He recommends that they should know what you’re planning since their support will make a big difference during the inevitable busy and difficult weeks of mid-career learning.

This support system, he says, will help you stay on track.

“Another important thing is to see your experience as a strength,” says Khan. “When you study in the middle of your career, you can connect learning to real situations. This helps you understand things better and makes the learning more valuable compared to when you are just starting out.

“The qualification and degree are important, but the real benefit is how the experience changes your thinking. It helps you grow as a professional and as a leader, and that is something that stays with you long after the course is finished.”

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Sennheiser is entering the open-ear true wireless category with the ACCENTUM Clip, a new clip-on style earbud designed for listeners who want to hear their surroundings without giving up entirely on sound quality.

That last part matters. Open-ear earbuds have become a real category, not just a fitness accessory hiding in the headphone aisle. The appeal is obvious: no ear canal seal, better awareness while walking, commuting, running, working, or pretending to listen during a meeting. The problem has usually been the sound. Bass can be lightweight, treble can get splashy, and privacy can be questionable if the driver is not properly aimed.

Sennheiser says ACCENTUM Clip is designed to address those issues with a 12mm dynamic driver, Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification, LDAC support, Bluetooth 6.0, and a clip-style design that leaves the ear canal open for natural ambient awareness rather than using an electronic transparency mode.

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Open Ear Listening Without Electronic Pass Through

The ACCENTUM Clip does not try to block the world and then pipe it back in with microphones. Its open design allows outside sound to remain audible naturally, which is the whole point of this category.

That gives it a very different use case than traditional ANC wireless earbuds. These are not for airplanes, subway platforms at full roar, or shutting out the person next to you who has mistaken speakerphone for a personality. They are for daily movement, office use, calls, light workouts, and situations where isolation is either unnecessary or a bad idea.

The earbuds weigh 6.8 grams each and use a flexible silicone bridge to keep the speaker positioned near the ear without inserting anything into the ear canal. Sennheiser also says the speaker geometry and built-in damping are designed to reduce unwanted sound leakage, which is one of the more important technical challenges with open-ear designs.

LDAC, Dynamic EQ, and App Control

Sennheiser is positioning ACCENTUM Clip as a more audio-focused open-ear option. The earbuds support SBC, AAC, and LDAC, with LDAC available when paired with a compatible source device. That will matter most for Android users who want a higher-bitrate Bluetooth option; iPhone users will be using AAC.

The company has also added Dynamic EQ, which adjusts the tonal balance as volume changes. At lower levels, the EQ compensates for tonal shifts; as volume rises, the curve backs off to maintain balance and avoid distortion. That is a useful feature in an open-ear product because listeners often raise volume to overcome street noise or gym noise, which can make lesser designs sound strained.

ACCENTUM Clip also works with the Sennheiser Smart Control Plus app, including a 5-band EQ, shareable presets, and Sound Check guided tuning.

Battery Life and Durability

Battery life is rated at up to 9 hours per charge, with the charging case providing three additional top-ups for up to 36 hours total. A 10-minute USB-C quick charge provides up to 2 hours of playback.

The earbuds are IP54 rated for dust and sweat resistance, which puts them in the right lane for commuting, walking, gym use, and lighter outdoor activity. Each earbud also includes a dual-microphone system with AI noise reduction for voice calls. Bluetooth 6.0 brings multipoint connectivity, independent earbud use, and Google Fast Pair support.

Where ACCENTUM Clip Fits in the Open Ear Category

Sennheiser is not walking into an empty room. Bose, Sony, Shokz, Cleer Audio, Soundcore, Nothing, JBL, and Huawei have all pushed open-ear listening in different directions.

The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds ($299) helped make the clip-style format more visible, combining an open-ear fit with Bose OpenAudio, Immersive Audio, multipoint support, and up to roughly 7 hours of battery life depending on use.

Sony has taken a different approach with the LinkBuds Open ($229), using an 11mm open-ring driver that keeps the center of the earbud open for ambient sound. Sony also includes Adaptive Volume Control, DSEE processing, app-based EQ, multipoint, IPX4 water resistance, and up to 22 hours of total playback.

Shokz OpenDots 2 ($199) is another important competitor, especially for fitness and all-day wear. It features bone and air conduction mics, a spherical acoustic system, customizable EQ modes, IP57 water resistance, and up to 10 hours per charge or 40 hours with the case.

Cleer Audio also deserves to be in this conversation. Its ARC series has been one of the more aggressive attempts to make open-ear earbuds sound less compromised, especially with larger drivers, Snapdragon Sound, higher-quality Bluetooth codec support on select models, app-based tuning, and durable sport-friendly designs. The ARC 4 and ARC 5 ($219) are particularly relevant here because Cleer has clearly treated open-ear listening as an audio category, not just a safer workout-earbud category.

The Soundcore AeroClip ($149) brings the clip-on idea down to a lower price point with an open-ear design, 12mm drivers, IP55 rating, multipoint, AI call microphones, and up to 32 hours of total battery life. Nothing’s Ear open also sits in this awareness-first category with an IP54 rating, dual connection, Clear Voice Technology for calls, and up to 30 hours of total playback.

That is the context Sennheiser has to deal with. The market already understands the benefit of open-ear listening. ACCENTUM Clip has to prove that Sennheiser’s tuning, LDAC support, app control, and physical design can make it one of the better-sounding choices in a category that still has plenty of room to improve.

The Bottom Line

The Sennheiser ACCENTUM Clip is aimed at listeners who want true wireless earbuds that do not seal them off from the world. The feature set is stronger than basic open-ear fare: LDAC, Bluetooth 6.0, 36-hour total battery life, app-based EQ, IP54 protection, and a lightweight clip design.

The big question is sound quality. Sennheiser clearly knows how to tune open-back headphones, but open-ear true wireless earbuds are a different fight. If ACCENTUM Clip delivers fuller bass, controlled leakage, and a less compromised tonal balance than many rivals, Sennheiser could have a serious entry in a category that is finally growing up.

Price & Availability

Sennheiser ACCENTUM Clip will be available in Black and Cream. According to the Canadian press release, the earbuds will be available in Canada starting July 23, 2026 through Sennheiser’s consumer site and Best Buy for $269.95 CAD. U.S. pricing and availability were not included in the supplied Canadian release.

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Watching email marketers obsessively monitor their sender IP, checking it daily, warming it carefully, treating it like a rare orchid, is not only relatable, it’s a reminder of how much conventional wisdom can leave you completely exposed.

Because the blacklist that’s killing your campaigns in 2026 probably has nothing to do with your IP at all. It has to do with what’s inside your email. Specifically, the links.

That’s the uncomfortable premise behind SURBL, the Spam URI Realtime Blocklist, and once you understand how it works, a lot of “mystery” delivery failures stop being mysterious. Warmy.io’s research team has published a full breakdown of what causes a listing, how to detect it, and how to recover, details we draw on throughout this piece.

The list that checks your links, not your IP

SURBL doesn’t care where your email comes from. It cares where it’s going. While traditional blocklists like Spamhaus or Barracuda evaluate the sender, SURBL evaluates the message, every URL buried in your body copy, every social icon, every tracking pixel.

This distinction changes everything. A clean sending IP offers zero protection if a link inside your email points to a flagged domain. Your message arrives in the inbox. The links are silently disabled. Your click-through rate quietly collapses, and you have no idea why. For a deeper technical breakdown of how the system works, the SURBL blacklist report from Warmy.io is the most thorough public resource currently available.

Five lists, five different problems

SURBL isn’t actually one list. It’s five, each targeting a different category of threat, and each requiring a different fix if you land on one.

PH (Phishing): Domains used for credential harvesting or identity theft.

MW (Malware): Sites hosting or distributing spyware, viruses, or ransomware.

CR (Cracked Sites): Legitimate websites that have been quietly compromised and repurposed by spammers, without the owner ever knowing.

AB (AbuseButler): Domains flagged through high-volume sending and automated spam pattern analysis.

Multi: A combined super-list that lets mail servers query all four in a single DNS lookup.

The CR list is the one that keeps legitimate business owners up at night. Your site can look completely normal, loading fine, taking orders, passing every visual check, while hidden redirect scripts installed by attackers are triggering SURBL flags behind the scenes.

How you end up on the list without doing anything wrong

Here’s the part nobody likes to hear: you don’t have to send spam to get listed on SURBL. That’s what makes it different from almost every other blacklist, and what makes it so disorienting when it happens.

A hacked WordPress install can plant redirect scripts invisible to you but obvious to SURBL scanners. An affiliate link carries the reputation history of every sender who ever used it, including the ones who spammed it to death before you. An insecure contact form on your website is an open door for spammers to push their own links through your domain. And linking to any domain registered in the last 72 hours is, on its own, one of SURBL’s strongest triggers. New domain, no history, no trust.

The warning signs hiding in plain sight

SURBL failures tend to be silent, which is what makes them dangerous. The signals are there, they just don’t look like a blacklisting at first glance.

Watch for SMTP 554 bounce codes on a clean sending IP (almost always a URI block), a sudden unexplained drop in click-through rates (Gmail and Outlook use SURBL data to disable links in delivered messages), or “too many hops” notifications where a receiving server hit its limit trying to scan your URLs. Any complaint spike tied to a specific URL rather than your sending domain is also worth isolating immediately. Warmy’s deliverability monitoring flags these signals automatically, before they escalate into a full listing.

Getting off: the sequence matters as much as the fix

Removal from SURBL is not a form you fill out and wait. The sequence is non-negotiable: identify the root cause, fix it completely, then submit. Sending a removal request before the underlying issue is resolved doesn’t just fail, it actively slows you down, as vague submissions without technical documentation get deprioritised.

Start at surbl.org/lookup to confirm which sub-list you’re on. That determines your remediation path. CR listing? Clean your site with Sucuri or a Cloudflare WAF and document what you found. AB listing? Identify and stop the high-volume behaviour that triggered spam trap hits. Then file a detailed removal request, specific causes, specific steps taken, nothing vague. The full step-by-step remediation framework is available in Warmy.io’s SURBL report, including sub-list breakdowns built for technical teams.

Prevention costs less than a crisis

A few habits dramatically reduce SURBL exposure before it becomes a problem. Audit every link in your email templates, including the ones you forget are there: social icons, tracking pixels, footer links. Use a dedicated sending domain so a listing never touches your primary brand. And don’t link to anything registered in the last 72 hours. No exceptions.

For new domains or those recovering from a previous listing, Warmy.io’s AI-powered email warmup builds sender reputation gradually, reducing the behavioural signals that trigger AB-type listings before they start.

From silent link-disabling to cracked CMS sites, SURBL is proving something the email industry is still slow to absorb: reputation isn’t just about where your email comes from. It’s about everywhere it tries to go.

• Trend Micro found criminals abusing Claude’s “Shared Chats” feature to spread infostealers via ClickFix and malvertising
• Fake Apple Support chats on claude.ai, promoted through Google Ads, tricked macOS developers into pasting malicious commands
• Anthropic banned the accounts and disabled malicious conversations, promising further abuse mitigations

Security researchers Trend Micro have detected criminals abusing a legitimate feature in Claude AI to trick software developers into downloading malware. The campaign also includes malvertising, as well as the tried-and-true ClickFix method.

The goal of the campaign is to infect software developers – primarily those building AI tools on macOS environment – with infostealers.

For years, the scarce resource in AI was chips. Now it is power.

Verse Enterprises wants to unblock that bottleneck. The San Francisco startup has raised an oversubscribed $54mn Series B. Bessemer Venture Partners led the round. GV, Nvidia and Norrsken VC also took part.

The race to AI is now a race to power

Data centres are scaling faster than grids can handle. In many regions, developers wait years just to plug in. Generation shortages, transmission bottlenecks and long interconnection queues all slow them down.

The strain is everywhere. Denmark recently paused new grid connections after AI data centres overwhelmed its system. The EU has even asked households to cut power use at peak times. Verse says hundreds of data centres sit stuck in utility queues, which it claims leaves $500bn in annual revenue on the table.

Skipping the line with batteries

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Verse’s answer is to jump the queue. Its new product, Dispatch Intelligence, manages on-site batteries and solar in real time. The grid then sees a flexible load instead of a constant one. Crucially, the data centre never throttles its compute.

For the hardware, Verse has teamed up with battery developer Calibrant Energy. Calibrant brings the on-site storage and solar; Verse runs the software. It is the same behind-the-meter logic now pulling money toward clean-energy-as-a-service startups. Together, the company says, they can bring new capacity online up to three years faster.

“Clean energy is actually the economic and feasible solution, because the speed of deployment is fast,” said Verse co-founder and chief executive Seyed Madaeni.

Will utilities play along?

The model is not a sure thing. Allison Weis, global head of storage at Wood Mackenzie, says flexibility can lower the barriers to connecting, but guarantees nothing. Utilities have not set standards for what data centres must do to get online faster. Nor have they confirmed that batteries or on-site power will count.

“There’s no uniform framework,” Weis said. That may soon change. US federal regulators are due to publish guidance on speeding up data-centre connections. The open question is who pays: the hyperscalers, through their own generation, or everyone else, through grid upgrades.

What the money is for

Verse is not alone in this race. Nvidia has also backed Emerald AI, which builds similar software, and Verse is now wiring Dispatch Intelligence into Nvidia’s DSX AI Factory design for gigascale sites. The chipmaker has good reason to help: every data centre stuck in a queue is one that cannot buy its chips.

The startup plans to move fast. It wants to manage more than 100 sites within a year. For Verse, clean power is no longer the slow option. It is the shortcut.

Aside from Apple, everybody seems to be doing clip-on earbuds these days, including Sennheiser. The company just announced its Accentum Clip buds, set to ship on July 23 in black or white. But the only rub is they won’t be coming to the US on that date, and it’s unclear when they’ll hit US retailers. However, Sennheiser says Canadians will be able to pick them up for $270 Canadian (roughly $190). 

Read More: Best Wireless Earbuds of 2026

I am curious to hear how they sound compared to other leading clip-on buds, which are not only becoming more comfortable and better designed, but are delivering better performance compared to early clip-on models. The Sennheiser Clip are equipped with 12-millimeter drivers, Bluetooth 6.0, have support for the LDAC audio codec for Android users (along with AAC for Apple users) and are rated for 9 hours of battery life on a single charge with an additional 27 hours in the charging case. They’re splashproof and dust-resistant with an IP54 rating and weigh 6.8 grams per bud. 

Sennheiser says the Accentum Clip are “tuned for clarity and punchy bass with smooth treble” and the earbuds use dynamic EQ for “seamless compensation of tonal shifts” when playback volume is raised and lowered “to maintain balance while preventing unpleasant distortion.”

If the Canadian price is any indication, I suspect the Accentum Clip will cost around $200 when they final make it stateside. That’s toward the premium end of the clip-on earbuds spectrum, with Sony’s LinkBuds Clip and Shokz OpenDots One in a similar price range. Bose’s Ultra Open Buds, which list for $300, are currently being discounted to $200.  

If you’re looking for value clip-on options, Baseus sells its new Bowie MC2 buds for around $60 on Amazon. I like them a lot for what they cost. The Baseus Inspire XC1 buds, which feature Sound by Bose, are also a decent value at $110. 

Check out my list of the best clip-on earbuds for other options in this nascent earbuds subcategory. Maybe these new Sennheiser Accentum Clip buds make the list once I get a chance to test them. Hopefully, that’ll happen in the not-so-distant future and not require a trip abroad. 

As TVs and projectors have evolved over the years, detail or “native resolution” was one spec that drove the market forward. 480i analog CRT TVs were replaced by 720P and 1080i digital HDTVs, which soon were replaced by 1080p HDTVs as the standard in around 2005. Just under 10 years later, 4K TVs were introduced to the consumer market, leading to a new wave of upgrades. More pixels meant more detail, and more detail meant a sharper picture, particularly as screen sizes grew from 27 inches to 55 inches to 85 inches to over 100 inches. FOMO on the highest resolution TVs drove a lot of TV owners to upgrade to the latest, greatest, biggest, most pixel-packed new models.

Just How Many Ks Do You Need?

But a funny thing happened on the road to “more Ks.” As 4K TVs became more common, and increased competition lowered the profit margins, TV makers tried their hands at the resolution upgrade game again with the introduction of 8K TVs. To put things in perspective, 4K TVs (3840×2160 pixels) have four times the detail of 1080p TVs (1920×1080 pixels). And 8K TVs (7680×4320 pixels) have four times the detail of 4K TVs. But it turns out that consumers were quite happy with 4K resolution and most were not willing to pay the premium for an 8K TV, particularly with no native 8K content to play on them.

Consumers started to notice that other picture quality elements – like contrast, black levels, color saturation and color gamut – mattered more than resolution for overall picture quality, even on massive 100+ inch screens. So most TV and projector makers, pulled back on 8K support, focusing instead on other differentiating factors like Quantum Dots, Local Dimming, Micro LED backlighting and RGB backlighting for LCD TVs and, of course, OLED and QD-OLED technology for pixel perfect black levels. Projector makers mostly switched from lamp-based illumination to laser lighting engines, which not only improves peak brightness and contrast, but also lasts much longer than traditional bulbs.

Putting the HIGH in High Dynamic Range

With the introduction of 4K/UHD standards, another important element of picture quality was improved, called “Dynamic Range.” This is the difference between the darkest black and the brightest white or color that can be encoded into the movie or TV show. Standard Definition movies and High Definition movies, even those on physical media such as Blu-ray Disc, are significantly limited in their dynamic range, with most movies encoded and mastered for a a peak brightness of only 100 nits. This means the picture can only get so bright, limited by the content itself.

Meanwhile 4K/UHD content supports a much higher range of values between deepest black and peak brightness. This is known as HDR (High Dynamic Range) and it allows 4K movies and TV shows to be much more dynamic, with fine details visible on screen in both the dark shadows and in the brightest areas of the screen. 4K/HDR titles are frequently mastered for a peak brightness of 1,000 nits or 4,000 nits. There are even some HDR titles mastered for 10,000 nits of peak brightness.

Today, TV manufacturers’ support for 8K resolution has virtually disappeared, at least in North America. There are still some displays that support native 8K resolution but they’re few and far between. On the flat panel side, Samsung still has a few TVs that offer native 8K resolution. On the projector side, select home theater projectors from JVC also support native 8K video, displaying it in 8K resolution via pixel shifting technology on their native 4K projectors with 8K eShift.

But there is still apparently some support for 8K from within the industry itself, manifesting itself in the shape of an industry trade group, formed in 2019, known as the “8K Association.” The “8KA” is dedicated to establishing standards and increasing adoption of 8K resolution in all aspects of the video reproduction chain, from the software itself to media players to display devices including TVs and projectors.

Not Just 8K, But Better 4K

Today, Kaleidescape, provider of premium media players and its own digital movie ecosystem, has just announced its first 8K-capable media player, the Strato K ($4,995). The Strato K is not only the first Kaleidescape player to support native 8K movies and TV shows, but it also supports a new higher fidelity 4K media format, called “4K Cinematic.” 4K Cinematic mode offers full 4:4:4 chroma encoding, and much higher bitrates, even compared to Kaleidescape’s current 4K UHD offerings. 4:4:4 chroma encoding and higher bitrates lead to better color detail, crisper images and fewer of the egregious video artifacts that plague low quality streaming sources.

The new Kaleidescape Strato K is the first movie player certified by the 8K Association that meets the performance and interoperability requirements developed by the Association’s Technical Working Group. In addition to Kaleidescape, 8KA members include leading companies such as Panasonic, Samsung and Xperi, along with other contributors to the 8K ecosystem.

According to Kaleidescape, there are already over 150 titles available in the Kaleidescape movie store in 4K Cinematic format. 8K content licensing is also in the works, but 8K title selection is very limited at this time.

In Kaleidescape CEO Tayloe Stansbury’s words, “Kaleidescape’s Strato K is the world’s highest-fidelity movie player. It brings movie lovers closer to the filmmaker’s intent, with cleaner detail, true-to-life color, and a more natural presentation that dramatically improves the viewing experience of any display.”

Strato K is available now for pre-order, at $4,995 US MSRP. In addition, with Strato K’s release, the current flagship Strato V player’s price has been lowered from $4.495 to $3,995 (US MSRP).

The Strato K features a compact form factor, similar in size and general design to the Strato V, but not quite as compact as the Strato E and Strato M. Like the other recently introduced players, the Strato K can operate as a standalone player. Its internal one terabyte (1 TB) solid state drive can store a handful of movies in 4K, 4K Cinematic or 8K formats. For more dedicated movie lovers and collectors, Strato K can be grouped with one or more Kaleidescape Terra movie servers to add movie storage and provide whole-home entertainment.

Like the Strato V, the Strato K supports Dolby Vision dynamic HDR as well as HDR10. Movies and TV shows are available in the Kaleidescape movie store in 8K, 4K Cinematic, 4K, and 2K with lossless multichannel and object-based audio, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

The Kaleidescape Strato K player will make its public debut later today (June 18, 2026) at a special event hosted by the SMPTE Hollywood Section and the 8K Association in the Amazon Culver Theater’s 8K screening room.

Comparison Highlights

The Bottom Line

While interest and excitement around 8K resolution has waned (perhaps for good reasons), we’re happy to see Kaleidescape pushing the quality of media toward to its current limits. With support for both 8K resolution and for higher quality “4K Cinematic” content, and with bit rates and color reproduction that exceed even the highest quality physical media, the Strato K looks like an impressive addition to the line. If you’re looking for a high quality movie player with an eye toward the future, the Strato K is worth checking out.

Where to buy

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Apple will allow developers to distribute apps via third-party marketplaces and process transactions outside its ecosystem.

Apple is opening up app distribution and payments processing in Brazil following an agreement with the country’s antitrust regulator.

These changes follow a three-year long investigation stemming from a complaint filed by Uruguayan e-commerce giant Mercado Libre, which accused Apple of abusing its monopoly in the distribution of apps for its devices.

The new updates will give developers additional options to distribute iOS apps to Brazilian users via alternative app marketplaces, Apple said. Third-party app stores will need to be approved by Apple first, and will need to meet “ongoing requirements to serve developers and users”.

Additionally, Apple will also allow developers to include alternative payment processing methods in their apps or guide consumers to external sites to complete transactions.

These new payment options will appear alongside Apple’s own in-app purchasing. However, purchase history and subscription management will not reflect payments made using third-party methods, the company clarified.

Apple said it will also not provide refunds for transactions conducted outside its ecosystem, and will have less ability to support customers encountering issues, scams or fraud.

The company introduced similar changes in Japan late last year.

In 2025, Brazil’s regulator, Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica (CADE), found Apple to be guilty of anticompetitive conduct within its iOS ecosystem.

Its investigation revealed that Apple prohibited the sale of services from third parties, and required developers to exclusively use the iOS payment system for transactions with customers.

The watchdog found that these practices created “artificial entry barriers” for competitors selling apps and other tools to iOS users.

Later that year, Apple and CADE entered into an agreement to implement anticompetitive measures. The agreement’s requirements are set to last for three years from when Apple announces changes to iOS in Brazil.

The agreement also reduces the commission Apple charges to sell apps on the App Store from 30pc to 10pc for members of the Small Business programme, Video Partner programme, Mini Apps Partner programme, and for subscriptions following their first year – and 21pc for the rest. Apple says a “vast majority” of developers will pay the lower fee.

Some of the developers steering transactions to websites outside iOS will pay a commission of 15pc, while iOS apps being distributed outside the App Store in Brazil will be charged a 5pc commission.

Apple also highlighted a number of cybersecurity issues emerging from opening up iOS to third-party markets and payment platforms.

The company said that it has worked with CADE to introduce new protections against potential malware, fraud or scam threats from third-party services, including an authorisation process for app marketplaces and baseline reviews for all iOS apps.

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Apple TV has a treat for Formula 1 fans. The platform is streaming the Austrian Grand Prix, with all sessions available to watch. This includes practice rounds, qualifiers and the race itself. Even better? It’s free and I don’t mean “free for subscribers.” Anyone can pop open the app and watch, subscription or not.

Events start on June 26 at 7:30AM ET with the first practice round. There’s another practice round later that day at 11AM ET. The qualifying round begins on June 27 at 10AM ET and the race starts at 9AM ET on June 28.

REMINDER ‼️

Apple TV will make the entire Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix race weekend available FREE to viewers in the U.S., with live coverage from June 26–28. pic.twitter.com/uJ4b1Xp4wP

— Vincenzo Landino (@vincenzolandino) June 18, 2026

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The platform has gone all-in with Formula 1. It recently secured broadcast rights in the US and the company says viewership is up when compared to last year. Despite signing a deal for exclusive streaming rights, Apple has allowed Netflix to air certain races. Others will be available to watch on IMAX screens.

The company is also dipping its toes into other sports. It streamed a Major League Soccer game captured entirely with iPhones and now airs Major League Baseball doubleheaders on Friday evenings.

Apple is bringing alternative app marketplaces and payment options to iPhone users in Brazil under an agreement with the country’s antitrust regulator, extending App Store changes that were previously limited to the European Union.

The changes reflect an agreement with Brazil’s competition regulator, the Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Economica, known as CADE, and will arrive as part of iOS 26.5. Developers can begin integrating the new capabilities immediately.

Developers in Brazil will be able to distribute iPhone apps through marketplaces outside the App Store. Marketplace operators must receive authorization from Apple and comply with ongoing requirements.

Apple will also require apps distributed through alternative marketplaces to pass a notarization process. The company said the review combines automated checks and human oversight designed to identify malware and other known security threats.

Apple is also introducing a revised business model for developers in Brazil. The new structure applies to App Store distribution, alternative payments, and app distribution outside the App Store.

Developers with iOS apps on the App Store in Brazil will pay a reduced commission of either 10% or 21% on sales of digital goods and services, depending on eligibility. Those who continue using Apple In-App Purchase will also pay an additional 5% payment processing fee.

Apple will charge a 15% Store Services Commission on purchases completed through developer websites linked from apps, with some developers qualifying for a reduced 10% rate. Apps distributed outside the App Store will face a 5% Core Technology Commission on sales of digital goods and services.

Developers who sell digital goods and services in Brazil will pay the same amount or less than they do today under the new business terms. Apple will require alternative payment options to appear alongside its own payment system.

The company said the requirement will help users distinguish between purchases processed by Apple and those handled by third parties.

Users who continue using Apple In-App Purchase will retain access to subscription management, refund requests, payment history, and fraud reporting tools. Purchases completed through alternative payment systems or external websites won’t receive the same support features.

Apple will have less ability to assist customers who encounter scams, fraud, or payment disputes involving third-party payment systems. Users may also need to share payment information with additional companies.

Brazil adopts changes similar to Apple’s European framework

Many of the changes mirror Apple’s response to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act. Alternative app marketplaces, app notarization, and external payment options already exist under the company’s EU rules.

Many of the changes mirror Apple’s response to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act

Apple first built much of the underlying framework to comply with European regulations. Brazil is the first major market outside Europe to receive a similar set of marketplace and payment changes.

The company also drew a sharp distinction between Brazil’s agreement and the European Union’s Digital Markets Act. CADE and Japan’s Mobile Software Competition Act allowed safeguards around parental controls, payment choices, and marketplace authorization to remain in place.

Those protections, Apple argued, weren’t possible under the EU framework. One example is Brazil’s requirement that app distribution flow through authorized marketplace operators.

Another is the decision to keep Apple In-App Purchase available alongside alternative payment systems. Together, those measures help address some of the security and fraud risks associated with alternative app distribution and payments, according to Apple.

The U.S. has taken a different approach. Litigation involving Epic Games focused largely on payment steering and restrictions on directing users to outside purchasing options.

The Justice Department’s antitrust case challenges broader questions about competition within the iPhone ecosystem. Neither effort has produced nationwide requirements for alternative app marketplaces.

Apple emphasizes security, child safety, and fees

Apple devoted much of its announcement to security, fraud, and child safety concerns tied to alternative app distribution and payment systems. Apps distributed outside the App Store don’t go through the same review process as App Store apps.

Alternative distribution and payment systems can increase exposure to scams, fraud, malware, and objectionable content. Apple also pointed to pornography apps that became available after similar regulatory changes in Europe and Japan.

Apple preserved several safeguards for younger users in Brazil. Apps in the Kids category can’t use external payment links, and alternative payment systems must include parental gates for users under 18.

Users under 18 also won’t be able to access web-based payment flows from App Store apps. Apple is developing APIs that would allow parents to monitor and approve purchases completed outside Apple In-App Purchase.

Apple is pairing the new marketplace and payment options with alternative fees and commissions. The company used a similar approach in Europe when it introduced marketplace distribution and external payment options.