If you are looking at your monthly bills and worried just how expensive your streaming subscriptions are getting, you are not alone. I can’t quite believe the subscription price creep of recent years, with Netflix costing up to £18.99 per month if you want the Premium tier. Sign up to three or four competing streaming apps, and you’re faced with a bill that makes it feel like you pay for Sky TV.

That’s why my eye has been caught by the latest offer from Disney+. Right now, any UK customer can get Disney+ for £1.99 per month for four months when they sign up before June 30, 2025.

Whether you stream using the Disney+ app on a Fire TV Stick, Sky box, Samsung TV, Apple TV box, you name it, this offer is open to you.

This discount is for the Disney+ Standard with Ads plan that normally costs £4.99 per month, so four months would usually cost you £19.96, but with this deal it’s just £7.96. If you stay signed up, the fifth month will renew at the usual price unless you cancel before that date.

Disney says this deal is for “New and eligible returning subscribers only,” so even if you are signed up now or have been before, it’s worth checking to see if you can get the deal. I’ve previously unsubscribed from Disney+ and then been accepted for a similar offer using the same account, so don’t assume you can’t get this deal just because you’ve been subscribed before.

View the Disney+ deal here

I currently subsribe to Disney+ using the Standard With Ads plan that you get with this deal, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how few ads there are. Watching a 40 minute episode of Tucci in Italy usually brings up a one minute ad reel before it starts, and then another minute break about halfway through.

The other day, I watched the film A Real Pain, and there were ads at the start but none during the film itself, which was great. So, when Disney says this plan has “fewer ads than you might expect” in its marketing, I am inclined to agree.

As well as new Oscar winning films like A Real Pain, you can stream series such as The Bear, Andor, The Kardashians, Only Murders in the Building, Abbott Elementary and Welcome to Wrexham. Plus, you get archives of classic TV and film series such as The Simpsons, Star Wars, Marvel and Alien – not to mention every Disney and Pixar film ever made.

You can log in and watch on your TV, tablet, phone or laptop, too. Not bad for £1.99 per month, if you ask me.

Millions of iPhone owners across the globe are about to be treated to a major update with Apple confirming the release of iOS 26. It’s a blockbuster update from the firm which includes a new Liquid Glass appearance, improved messaging and updates to many of Apple’s popular apps. There are also smart features coming in this release such as Call Screening – which blocks unwanted phone conversations – and spam texts are also removed automatically.

Apple has confirmed that iOS 26 will arrive on devices in the autumn, and we expect a release to take place around September 20th.

If you don’t want to wait that long, then there is a way to be one of the very first to try this upgrade.

Apple has confirmed that its Public Beta will be made available from next month, with users able to sign up and try things out long before it’s released to everyone across the globe.

“New public betas for iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, tvOS 26, HomePod software 26, watchOS 26 and AirPods Firmware are coming soon,” Apple explained.

“As a member of the Apple Beta Software Programme, you can take part in shaping Apple software by test-driving pre-release versions and letting us know what you think.

“The Apple Beta Software Programme lets you try pre-release software and provide feedback to help us make it even better.”

If you fancy giving it a go, you can sign up here.

Then, once it is released, you’ll be able to download the update and give it a whirl.

The only thing Apple advises is not to install the beta on your main device. That’s because it is a pre-released version and may have some bugs and issues in it.

That, of course, is the whole point of the beta as it gives Apple time and feedback to iron out any glitches.

There’s no word on an exact release time for the iOS 26 beta but watch this space for more details.

“iOS 26 shines with the gorgeous new design and meaningful improvements to the features users rely on every day, making iPhone even more helpful,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering.

“Experiences are more expressive and personal, from the Lock Screen and Home Screen, to new capabilities across Phone and Messages that help users focus on the connections that matter most. And with powerful new Apple Intelligence capabilities integrated across the system, users can get things done easier than ever.”

Wireless earbuds are some of the most common sights on UK streets these days. Headphone jacks have disappeared from smartphones, so people have had to invest in Bluetooth buds to keep the tunes and podcasts coming. The Apple AirPods were one of the first to popularise the tech when they launched in 2016 and remain favourites for iPhone users.

One Apple rival taking the fight to the high-end AirPods Pro 2 is Bose, the US audio company famed for its over-ear headphones that pioneered noise cancellation technology. In recent years Bose has managed to shrink down this tech into tiny wireless earbuds, and now there is a brand new pair to take the fight to Apple.

Bose has jusrt announced the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen, boasting improved noise cancellation, audio quality and ability to adjust your tunes depending on the ambient sound around you. They’ve got IPX4 water resistance and touch controls on the outside, just like older models.

They are available to pre-order from today, June 12, for £299.95, and are on full sale on June 26.

“Like its predecessor, the QC Ultra Earbuds feature Bose’s proprietary CustomTune sound calibration technology personalising audio and noise cancellation performance to the unique shape of a listener’s ear and adapting the experience as the listener’s environment changes,” Bose said.

“An updated AI algorithm layered on top of this technology improves the buds’ ActiveSense experience when in Aware Mode. Changes in noise cancellation levels are now smoother than before when the system is adjusting to filter out sudden spikes of noise, preventing audio content from being drowned out by the sound of a passing train or a nearby siren — resulting in a more refined noise cancellation experience.”

I reviewed the first Ultra Earbuds in 2023 and found them superb, so I’m interested to see just how improved these new buds are. Bose’s noise adjustment when in Aware Mode is very good already, though I feel Apple does a slightly better job with the AirPods Pro 2 as they are quicker to react. It’s handy if you’re in the transparency mode and you’re boiling the kettle, say – this tech cranks the volume so you can still hear.

The QC Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen look identical to the originals, which themselves were similar to the QC Earbuds 2 from 2022, so you won’t be able to show off you have the newest of the new unless you opt for the limited edition Deep Plum colourway (you can also get them in Black or White Smoke).

Bose says call quality is also improved thanks to a “new AI-powered noise suppression system”, but perhaps the nicest upgrade here is wireless charging. Bose annoyingly has not included this on the QC Earbuds range until now, rather opting to sell a case to add the function for £50. No thanks.

The firm also doesn’t hold back with describing its hygiene updates, saying it has equipped each new bud with an “embedded earbud wax guard to prevent wax build-up and audio degradation.” Good to know!

The £299.95 asking price is a considerable chunk more than the £229 AirPods Pro 2. But there are several reasons you might want to opt for the Bose, most obvious of all if you have an Android phone, as AirPods don’t let you use all their functions unless you have an iPhone.

Secondly, Bose’s companion app lets you adjust EQ, unlike AirPods, and the Ultras have Bose’s very clever Immersive Audio feature that turns any audio into spatial, surround sound audio. When it works, it’s great, but I’ve found it hit or miss.

Bose says the new buds will last six hours on a full charge, or four with Immersive Audio on, which isn’t the best longevity. The case holds three additional full charges.

Lastly, the Ultras support Qualcomm’s hi-res audio codec called aptX Adaptive, which means if you have a compatible Android phone, you can stream or playback hi-res music.

Whether or not these extra features are worth the premium price tag is up to you.

Bose today also announced a new addition to its Bluetooth speaker range, the SoundLink Plus, a £249.95 speaker that sits between its SoundLink Micro and SoundLink Max. Also announced and available “later this summer” is the SoundLink Micro 2nd Gen, for £119.95.