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Tag: iOS

  • Apple’s iOS 26.4 arrives in public beta with AI music playlists, video podcasts, and more | TechCrunch

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    Apple this week released the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 26.4, which introduces several new features, including an AI-powered playlist-generation feature in Apple Music, support for video content in the Podcasts app, end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages, and more. 

    The update is currently available in pubic beta, with the public release expected sometime in March or April. 

    Apple Music’s AI playlist

    One of the most noticeable improvements arrives in Apple Music — iOS 26.4 introduces a new AI-powered “Playlist Playground” feature that leverages Apple Intelligence. The feature allows users to generate a custom 25-song playlist from a text prompt, such as “upbeat workout mix” or “calm evening.” Users can then further refine the results and even select matching cover art. 

    Image Credits:Apple (screenshot)

    In addition, Apple Music’s user interface has been refreshed to showcase full-screen artwork for albums and playlists.

    Concerts Near You

    Plus, Apple Music is getting a new “Concerts Near You” section that helps users discover live shows from their favorite artists. You can filter this section by Date and Genre, or switch locations if you’re traveling.

    Image Credits:Apple (screenshot)

    Apple Podcasts video episodes

    Following Spotify’s push into video, Apple’s Podcasts app is making it easy to switch back and forth between audio and video episodes with this release. Creators can publish video podcasts using HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), and listeners can seamlessly switch between audio and video playback within the same episode, moving to a full horizontal display if they choose.

    Image Credits:Apple

    At launch, the video episodes will be integrated with other Apple Podcasts features, like personalized recommendations and editorial curation on the New tab and Category pages, just as audio podcasts are.

    HLS also brings an automatic quality adjustment feature, which helps videos play better whether listeners are on Wi-Fi or cellular. Plus, users will be able to download video episodes for offline viewing. At launch, HLS is supported by Acast, Amazon’s ART19, Triton’s Omny Studio, and SiriusXM, including SiriusXM Media, AdsWizz, and Simplecast.

    Image Credits:Apple

    Creators will be able to dynamically insert video ads, including host-read spots, into their podcasts, too. Apple doesn’t charge creators to distribute podcasts, but it says that, starting later this year, participating ad networks will have to pay an impression-based fee for the delivery of the dynamic ads in the HLS videos.

    Encrypted RCS messaging

    Messaging is also receiving an important upgrade with encrypted Rich Communication Services (RCS), which begins testing in iOS 26.4. End-to-end encryption for RCS conversations will one day help ensure messages between iPhone users and Android users are just as secure as iMessage.

    Currently, Apple is only testing this between iPhones in beta. These conversations will be labeled as encrypted and cannot be read while sent between devices. The company notes that the feature will be released publicly in a later software update for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS, and the beta is not available for all devices and carriers.

    Stolen Device Detection is on by default

    Security improvements are another highlight of iOS 26.4. Stolen Device Protection is now enabled by default, adding an extra layer of biometric authentication for sensitive actions such as accessing saved passwords or making certain account changes. By requiring Face ID or Touch ID authentication in more scenarios, Apple reduces the risk of unauthorized access if a device is stolen and the passcode is compromised.

    Image Credits:Apple

    CarPlay adds in-car video playback

    Drivers using Apple CarPlay will also notice changes. CarPlay now supports in-car video playback for select apps — including the Apple TV app —but only when the vehicle is parked to ensure safety. This enhancement introduces new entertainment options for passengers when they’re stopped or while waiting in the car for a period of time. (Hooray for parents in the pickup line at school!)

    Third-party AI services come to CarPlay

    CarPlay for the first time will offer access to third-party AI services like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Anthropic’s Claude.

    Audio Zoom in Camera app

    Image Credits:iPhone screenshot/TechCrunch

    Meanwhile, the Camera app introduces Audio Zoom. When recording video, the microphone focuses on the subject as you zoom in, reducing background noise and enhancing clarity. This feature makes it easier to capture speeches, performances, or interviews without external audio equipment.

    Image Credits:Apple (screenshot)

    Additionally, the Ambient Music feature is now accessible through a widget, letting users instantly play soundscapes designed for focus, sleep, or relaxation directly from the Home Screen, instead of just the Control Center as before. The feature, first introduced in iOS 18.4, added a variety of ambient sounds to stream across categories like Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing.

    “Urgent” reminders

    There’s also a new “Urgent” section in the Reminders app that groups high-priority tasks and can trigger more prominent alerts when deadlines approach. Setting a reminder as Urgent will add an alarm so you’re sure not to miss the event.

    Image Credits:iPhone screenshot/TechCrunch

    And more …

    A few other smaller features include the following:

    • A new unified Apple Account Hub in the App Store, Apple Music, and other Apple apps replaces the “profile” feature that was previously used.
    • A new animation is in the Messages app when you draft a message.
    • An updated Wallpaper Gallery separates the different categories in a new way; a similar design came to the Apple Watch Face Gallery as well. The new version includes sections for Weather, Astronomy, Emjoi, and more, among other changes.
    • Apple Music lets you add songs to multiple playlists at once.
    • The Health app adds a new metric: Average Bedtime, which shows the average time you went to bed over the past two weeks. The Vitals section was also updated to include a blood oxygen level on the daily graph.
    • Freefrom adds a Content Hub for Creator Studio subscribers, providing access to new AI features and high-quality art. Its icon was updated, too.
    • The Personal Hotspot feature now includes a Data Usage section that shows how much data has been sent to your device and which Apple and non-Apple devices have been using your data.
    • Live Captions adds support for Chinese (Taiwan) under the language options.
    • There’s a new “Set Battery Charge Limit” action in Shortcuts.
    • The App Store’s Search bar is back at the top of the screen.
    • The link to iCloud.com gets a larger, featured section within the iCloud section in the Settings app. Before, there was only a toggle to “Access iCloud Data on the Web.” Now it’s more like a big ad for iCloud.

    Notably absent from this release is a next-generation Siri experience. While Apple has signaled deeper AI ambitions for its voice assistant, those larger changes do not appear in iOS 26.4, reportedly delayed once again.

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    Lauren Forristal, Sarah Perez

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  • Apple adding major privacy improvement to next OS update—here’s how to enable it

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    Apple is rolling out a new privacy control in its next iPhone and iPad software update that limits how precisely cellular networks can track a user’s location.

    The feature, called Limit Precise Location, arrives with iOS and iPadOS 26.3 and reduces the accuracy of location data that mobile carriers can infer from cell tower connections.

    Instead of pinpointing a device’s exact position, supported networks will only be able to determine a broader area, such as a neighborhood.

    The update is expected to be Apple’s first major iPhone software release of 2026, with a public rollout likely in late January, according to The Mac Observer.

    Why It Matters

    Cellular carriers routinely collect location data as part of normal network operations, but that information has also been misused in the past.

    In 2024, U.S. regulators fined major wireless carriers nearly $200 million over improper handling and sharing of customer location data.

    By limiting the precision of carrier-level location data, Apple is closing a lesser-known privacy gap that exists outside of app-based location permissions, which users can already manage through iOS settings.

    What To Know

    Apple says the new setting affects only the information available to cellular networks and does not interfere with normal device use.

    “The limit precise location setting doesn’t impact the precision of the location data that is shared with emergency responders during an emergency call,” Apple said in a support post.

    The company added that it also does not affect app-based location sharing through services such as Find My.

    According to Apple’s support documentation, the feature is available on iPhone Air, iPhone 16e and iPad Pro (M5) Wi-Fi + Cellular models running iOS or iPadOS 26.3 or later, and only on supported carriers.

    To enable it:

    1. Open Settings
    2. Tap Cellular
    3. Select Cellular Data Options
    4. Scroll to Limit Precise Location and toggle it on.
    5. Users may be prompted to restart their device.

    As of now, supported carriers include Boost Mobile in the U.S., Telekom in Germany, EE and BT in the U.K., and AIS and True in Thailand, Apple says.

    What People Are Saying

    Commenters on Reddit’s r/apple forum praised Apple’s commitment to security, although there were some skeptics.

    “A feature meant to actually benefit the privacy of users?” one commenter wrote. “Tides must be shifting. Something’s gonna happen soon. I wonder why Apple wants to be in our good graces again.”

    “Apple is that one company that has been making privacy its selling feature for more than a decade,” another user pointed out. “It’s also why its AI implementations sucked so badly….it just didn’t have enough user data.”

    “It’s always been more privacy-focused than other big tech companies, so this isn’t really anything new,” a third individual agreed.

    “It tried to get into the user data and ads business, but it didn’t work out for it. Now it focuses on privacy as its schtick.”

    What’s Next

    Apple has begun testing iOS 26.3 in beta, with a full public release expected by the end of January if the company follows its usual update schedule.

    Newsweek has reached out to Apple for comment via email.

    To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, click here.

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  • Don’t Fall for Sketchy iPhone VPNs—Here Are the Only 3 You Should Use

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    iPhone VPNs, Compared

    You might be surprised how similar the three VPNs I chose are when you break down their features, but that’s not an accident. Given how restrictive I was with who made the final cut, there’s a pretty high bar for inclusion. Although there are some minor differences, I designed this list in a way that you can choose one of my picks without reading a single word and still come out the other side with an excellent VPN for iPhone.

    Other iPhone VPNs We Tested

    Surfshark

    Courtesy of Surfshark

    Surfshark: Surfshark was a strong contender for the main list. Even its Starter plan comes with extra features like a masked email generator. Features like ad and tracker blocking, as well as unlimited simultaneous connections, come standard across plans. However, it was a bit slower than my top picks, dropping around 20 percent of speed on average, compared to around 15 percent for the top options.

    Mullvad: Mullvad is a favorite among privacy enthusiasts, and for good reason. It doesn’t fuss with multi-year discounts or referral programs, and you don’t even need to provide an email to sign up for an account. You can even pay the static monthly fee by mailing Mullvad cash. It’s a great service if privacy is your top priority, but it trades speeds and features in the process. VPN services like Nord and Proton have quickly grown into full privacy and security suites, while Mullvad is more focused on making a robust VPN. In the context of an iPhone, the scales tip more toward those security suites, but Mullvad is still a great privacy-focused option to keep in mind.

    ExpressVPN: By the numbers, ExpressVPN should be at the top of the list. It has a ton of servers, a featureset that can go toe-to-toe with Nord, and speeds only a touch below Proton. However, ExpressVPN has found itself in a spiral of increasing controversies over the past four years, and the brand has yet to get back on solid footing. After being purchased by Kape Technologies—the company behind the infamous adware company Crossrider—former US intelligence official Daniel Gericke took over at CTO and continued in that role for two years, even after being fined over $300,000 by the US Department of Justice for hacking activities on behalf of a foreign government. Gericke left in 2023, but that same year, ExpressVPN experienced a large swath of layoffs, and Kape, its parent company, was delisted from the London Stock Exchange. The vast majority of shares went to Unikmind Holdings Limited, a company owned by Israeli billionaire Teddy Sagi, who got his start by creating gambling software Playtech. That’s an extremely condensed version of what ExpressVPN has gone through over the past few years. The company hasn’t done anything nefarious, but the revolving door of executive control tied to controversial names doesn’t inspire confidence.

    Private Internet Access: Private Internet Access, or PIA, is also owned by Kape Technologies, and it followed a similar playbook as ExpressVPN and CyberGhost, which Kape also owns. After the acquisition and community backlash, there’s been very little transparency about what’s going on in the company. A connection to Kape definitely raises questions, but that doesn’t immediately disqualify a service from being included. Unfortunately for PIA, it had much slower speeds than any of the other VPN services I tested, so regardless of ownership, it isn’t a top pick for iPhone VPNs.

    iPhone VPNs to Avoid

    X-VPN: X-VPN is one of many different VPNs that show up high in the search results on iPhone. There’s a desktop app, but X-VPN mainly targets mobile users with its free plan. It was featured in a Tech Transparency Project report about VPNs with ties to the Chinese government, alongside apps like TurboVPN. I haven’t tested TurboVPN, but X-VPN has issues. Even without questionable ties, X-VPN doesn’t have the best speeds, and it lacks basic features like split tunneling, all while charging the same price as top VPNs like NordVPN and Proton VPN.

    Hola: Hola is an infamous name if you’ve been around the VPN space long enough. Around a decade ago, Hola fell under fire. It owns a data collection company known as Bright Data (formerly Luminati), and that network is made up of users who use Hola. This network was used for a public distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. Even a decade on, Hola still logs user data, including your IP address, and it still sells access to its peer-to-peer network, meaning you could become an exit node without knowing.

    EventVPN: EventVPN comes from the same team behind ExpressVPN, but it takes a very different approach to privacy. It’s free, and it’s only available on iPhone and Macs, but most importantly, it’s supported by ads. EventVPN says it’s able to leverage an ad-supported model with Apple’s advertising privacy features, which allows for tailored ads without giving out personally-identifiable information. That’s the story, at least, but as you can read in our iPhone privacy guide, Apple’s privacy-focused advertising model still shares some critical information, including your zip code. Further, the pervasiveness of ads in EventVPN makes it hard to recommend. You have to wait through a 30-second video each time you connect or disconnect from a server, and a banner ad lives at the top of the app at all times. EventVPN has a paid plan to remove ads, but at that point, you might as well pick up ExpressVPN. And, on the free end, there’s ProtonVPN and Windscribe, both of which I’d recommend over EventVPN.

    How We Tested

    To earn the best iPhone VPN title, a service needs to satisfy three criteria. It needs to be secure, fast, and easy to use. That may seem straightforward enough, but there’s a little more that goes into it. For ease of use, I only looked at VPNs that offer a one-tap connection. If you need to configure anything, that’s a disqualification. That still encompasses a lot of the most popular VPNs on iPhone, so I narrowed the field further by focusing on apps that balance usability with power. You should have all the relevant features in the iOS app that are available in the desktop app, and organized in a way that they don’t disrupt that one-tap experience.

    Speed testing is where I focused a lot of my testing time. Speed testing is highly variable, and trying to come out with one singular number to encompass the speed of thousands of servers is a fool’s errand. The numbers I gathered for this guide are the result of 20 tests I ran for each VPN, then averaged.

    I tested five locations for each VPN, measuring my unprotected speed immediately before testing and running three passes before averaging. Each location was tested at a different time of day, and I removed any outliers before averaging. For this guide, that meant if there was greater than a 10 percent deviation between two of the three passes. After averaging the speed drop for each location, I gathered all of those numbers together and averaged them for a final speed drop.

    Finally, security. The traditional wisdom with a VPN is that you, at some point, have to put some faith in the company that its privacy policy is accurate and it isn’t lying about its logging practices. That didn’t do it for me. Again, I set a high bar for inclusion.

    Every VPN I’ve included here has not only been independently audited, but also been forced to uphold its no-logs policy in legal proceedings. You indeed need to put some trust that the VPN provider you’re using is telling the truth, but the options I included all have rock-solid track records when it comes to transparency.

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    Jacob Roach

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  • iOS 27 Will Reportedly Just Be Bug Fixes for iOS 26

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    Are you still waiting for more patches to materialize and fix something that’s bugging you about iOS 26?

    I have good news: A really big patch for iOS 26 is reportedly coming, and it’s iOS 27.

    iOS 26 was actually pretty well received, and I wouldn’t want to make it sound like Apple is scrambling to fix it, but it was a big, ambitious update. Bloomberg’s Apple scoop-getter, Mark Gurman, claims the next mobile operating system will be, quite reasonably, less ambitious. Gurman says it will be to iOS 26 what 2009’s Snow Leopard MacOS update was to 2007’s Leopard—less a reinvention than an attempt to perfect what its predecessor was trying to do.

    First of all, once again to all the Liquid Glass haters: Apple has indicated that there will be no takebacks here. You’re stuck with this vibe across all your Apple devices for the next few years. There have already been some tweaks, and Gurman hints that iOS 27 will “include adjustments to the new styling.” 

    Intuitively, the most obvious area of focus when trying to mop up problems with this hardware-intensive update would be the slight but pervasive jank distributed across the whole OS—interconnected issues of sluggishness, weirdness, battery drain, and overheating.

    Indeed, the unfailingly polite Gurman says that while he personally never experienced any of these downsides, Apple engineers are “combing through Apple’s operating systems, hunting for bloat to cut, bugs to eliminate, and any opportunity to meaningfully boost performance and overall quality.”

    He also notes that “user interface glitches,” “keyboard failures,” and “cellular connectivity snags” have been reported by users.

    But it won’t all be minor tweaks, and there will reportedly be a few major updates that “center on AI, an area where the company is still playing catch-up.” 

    Given that AI notification summaries in particular still seem to be a solution in search of a problem, this is an area where a small fix might make a huge difference. The feature rolled out in a disastrous, hallucination-laden form, breaking non-existent news stories that undermined trust in at least one news outlet that did nothing wrong. The feature was pulled, and then returned in a less exciting form. By being stingy with specificity in iOS 26, notification summaries avoid catastrophe, but also usefulness. With iOS 27, Apple has a chance to finally nail it on the third try. 

    iOS 26.4 is when users will reportedly get the long-awaited, secretly Google-powered, Siri update—the one that might finally make Apple’s voice assistant do something interesting for the first time in over a decade. But that big AI feature added to the current OS could be followed by related iOS 27 features like a paid “health focused AI agent,” AI-powered web search features, and apparently an Apple chatbot app that Gurman says is currently known as “Veritas,” and used as a “proving ground for the re-architected Siri.” 

    All this Siri talk feels like a time shift back to the 20-teens, so forgive me if I sum up what the update from iOS 26 to iOS 27 will probably mean with a paraphrase from that era: If you like your iOS, you can keep it.

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    Mike Pearl

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  • The Most Popular iPhone Travel App Is an Overnight Success 12 Years in the Making

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    A few weeks ago, Flighty quietly pulled off something remarkable. In the middle of a nationwide travel meltdown, it rocketed to number one in the App Store’s Travel category, and number 17 most popular overall. During what was one of the most chaotic weeks of travel in recent memory, it seemed as though everyone was suddenly depending on the same app.

    If you only looked at the charts, you might think Flighty came out of nowhere. The thing is, there’s a lot more to the story. First of all, Flighty has long been a favorite among frequent travelers, pilots, and anyone else who cares about knowing everything you could know about their next flight. I recommend Flighty to anyone I know whose plans include getting on a plane.

    The real story, however, is that Flighty is the product of a 12-year journey that started on an oil rig, wound its way through a brief stint at Apple, and eventually arrived at the exact moment when millions of travelers needed it most. It is, you could say, an “overnight success” that just happened to have taken more than a decade. Which, by the way, is how these things almost always work.

    A data-obsessed weather app

    Long before Flighty, its founder, Ryan Jones, was a mechanical engineer working in the oil industry in East Texas. And then the iPhone happened. Somewhere between long shifts and long drives, Jones found himself following a handful of indie developers on Twitter and realized that most apps are just made by normal people, not giant software companies.

    So he gave himself six months to make one. Not only that, Jones wanted to prove he could make an app that made it into the top 100 apps on the App Store. That’s a big bet for someone who didn’t even know how to code. But he had an idea: take weather data—something inherently nerdy and hard to parse—and make it visual.

    That idea became Weather Line, a beautifully simple weather app that turned forecasts into a clean line graph that looked like it was designed for the iPhone on purpose. The app launched in 2013, and proved something important. Jones told me that the experience “gave me the confidence that there wasn’t this secret group of people in California who only knew how to build software and make great products, and like no one else could figure it out.”

    On the contrary, he could just make something great, and people would use it. As for his goal, Weather Line reached number 17 on the App Store charts.

    Then, he took detour number two and “accidentally” got hired at Apple. For two years, he sat inside one of the most product-obsessed companies in the world, absorbing how it thinks about design and product. That would become incredibly important for what came next.

    The app he wished he had

    Flighty didn’t start with a grand plan. It started in an airport Chili’s.

    Jones has told this story before: he was stranded during a brutal delay and couldn’t get reliable information from anyone—not the gate agent, not the airline, not the apps that were supposed to help. The data clearly existed. It just wasn’t getting to the people who actually needed it. So he decided to build the app he wished he had.

    He tweeted about the idea that night and ended up assembling a small distributed team that would spend the next few years obsessing over a single problem: turning an overwhelming amount of aviation data into something normal people could understand instantly.

    “I think what I’m great at is taking nerdy data and making it really simple and visual on small screens,” Jones told me. “That’s what Weather Line was. That’s a lot of what Flighty is.”

    Flighty launched in 2019, and from the beginning, it has always done one thing better than anything else: tell you what’s happening with your flight. I cannot even tell you the number of times I’ve been sitting in an airport and Flighty let me know a flight was delayed or canceled long before the airline did.

    There’s no magic behind that. It’s the same instinct that powered Weather Line—making something complicated, simple enough for everyone to understand. In this case, it just happens to be applied to a much harder domain.

    It also required a different kind of superpower: learning how to negotiate with the obscure companies that sell flight data to airlines, hedge funds, and large industrial customers. That experience became one of Flighty’s not-so-secret advantages. The team figured out how to get world-class data, stitch it together, and wrap it in a design that makes it feel obvious.

    Success is a long game

    What’s most interesting about Flighty is that none of this came with the typical trappings of a startup “success story.” There’s no giant funding round or massive ad spend. The team is seven people. Marketing is mostly people sharing screenshots because the product gives them something worth sharing.

    Even the business model is unconventional. Flighty offers a free tier, along with monthly and annual subscriptions of its Pro tier. But there’s also a flexible weekly plan—one of the only legitimate uses of weekly subscriptions, in my opinion—that aligns with how people actually travel. The annual and lifetime plans serve the frequent-flyer crowd while the free tier gives people a taste without forcing them into a trial they’ll forget to cancel.

    Still, nothing compared to what happened during the shutdown.

    Becoming an overnight success

    When flights started melting down, Flighty didn’t have to reinvent itself. It simply did what it always does—only this time, millions more people were watching. Downloads and subscriptions grew and, for a brief window, the most popular travel app in the world was the one built by a handful of people who spent a decade getting ready without knowing it.

    From the outside, that looks like luck. But when you zoom out, it’s the opposite.

    This is what it looks like when someone brings a very specific set of skills—visualizing data, designing for clarity, negotiating for obscure inputs, sweating the details—and applies them to a hard problem that almost everyone would like solved.

    The truth is, “overnight success” is almost never about timing alone. It’s usually about what happens when someone keeps going long enough for all of those oddly specific experiences to line up at the right moment. For Flighty, that moment was a government shutdown that wreaked havoc on travel.

    The thing is, Flighty didn’t become the world’s most useful travel app just last week. It was just the moment everyone finally noticed.

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

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    Jason Aten

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  • Holy Sh*t, Google Made Android Play Nice With iPhone’s AirDrop

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    I want you to brace yourself, because, despite what I’m about to tell you, the world (to my knowledge) is not ending. Are you ready? Okay… Google made Android and Apple’s AirDrop play nice with each other. Deep breaths, everyone.

    In a blog post from Google, the company said Quick Share, the Android equivalent of AirDrop, can now send files via Bluetooth to an iPhone just like it can between two Android devices. The same goes the other way, too; iOS users can now AirDrop to Android devices by discovering the device as they normally would on their iPhones. They both just… work now.

    There is one slight catch at this juncture in time, and that’s the fact that only Google Pixel 10 owners have this ability for the time being. Google says it plans to bring the functionality to other Android devices in the future—that is, if Apple doesn’t have a total meltdown first.

    As reported by The Verge, to make matters even more intriguing, Google says that this sudden interoperability was not done in concert with Apple. Rather, Google went ahead and cracked this code all on its own, through “its own implementation,” adding that its security process has been vetted by a third party. Given the lack of cooperation, there’s a definitive chance that all of this will come crashing down. Trust me, I’ve seen how these iOS workarounds go (looking at you, Nothing Chats), and they’re not as simple as they’re made to sound.

    Nothing CEO Carl Pei, which makes phones like the Nothing Phone 3 and Phone 3a Lite, said on X his company is “already exploring how to bring this to Nothing phones as soon as we can.”

    If you’re curious how this all works in action, here’s a video demonstration from Google below, and Google also has official support documentation of how the process happens here. From what I can tell through the documentation and the video, it looks about as intuitive as it gets. For the record, we weren’t able to get the feature to work at Gizmodo, but folks over at Bloomberg seem to have had more success.

    It’s been a slow process, but Apple’s walled garden is definitely a lot more scalable than it used to be. First, there was RCS support, which allowed certain feature interoperability between iOS and Android, like tapbacks, read receipts, and better picture/video messaging and group chats. That process, which was actually sanctioned by Apple, was a long time coming and was more a product of external pressure on Apple to make iOS more friendly with other ecosystems, or, to put it another way, less anti-competitive. Additionally, there was the whole European Union forcing Apple to adopt USB-C thing, which… thank god.

    While better functionality between AirDrop and Quick Share doesn’t appear to have been the product of the same pressure, there’s a chance that it could still stick, given the fact that regulators seem to be more acutely aware of potential anti-competitiveness. In the event that Apple puts its foot down, would Google appeal its case? I don’t know, maybe. Or maybe Apple won’t even try, knowing full well it’s lost similar battles in recent years.

    For now, all we have is speculation and a little hope. Maybe our mobile computing just actually, for real, and for good, got a little bit easier.

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    James Pero

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  • Got a Pixel 10? Google’s Android Phone Can Now Share Files With Apple’s AirDrop

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    The caveat is that the iPhone user will need to switch AirDrop into the “Everyone for 10 Minutes” mode instead of “Contacts Only” mode. Google says this isn’t some kind of workaround solution. It’s a direct, peer-to-peer connection; your data isn’t routed through a server, shared content isn’t logged, and no extra data is shared. Naturally, iPhone owners will be able to send data back to Pixel 10 phones as well.

    Google has not worked with Apple on this cross-compatibility, as the company says it “welcomes the opportunity” to work with Apple so that this sharing function can work in the Contacts Only mode. “We accomplished this through our own implementation,” a Google spokesperson tells WIRED. “Our goal is to provide an easy and secure file-sharing experience for our users, regardless of who they are communicating with.”

    In a security blog post, Google says the underlying strategy for what makes this new synergy between Quick Share and AirDrop work is the memory-safe Rust programming language. “These overlapping protections on both platforms work in concert with the secure connection to provide comprehensive safety for your data when you share or receive,” writes Dave Kleidermacher, vice president of Google’s platforms security and privacy.

    Google tapped NetSPI, a third-party and independent penetration testing firm, to validate the security of the new sharing feature. The findings? The interoperability is “notably stronger” than other industry implementations. That’s pretty important, considering what happened the last time someone tried to improve cross-compatibility between iOS and Android without Apple: the startup Beeper tried to make texts from Android phones show up as blue bubbles on iPhones and caused all kinds of drama.

    The number of people who can actually use this feature is limited because it’s only available on Google’s latest Pixel 10 smartphones, which just launched this past August. However, Google says it’s looking to expand the feature to more Android devices in the future.

    This new feature in Quick Share is rolling out starting today to the Pixel 10 series, which includes the Google Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold. As it’s rolling out, you may not see it immediately on your device. To use it, all you need to do is select something to share, whether it’s a file, contact, or photo, choose Quick Share in the sharing menu, and make sure the iPhone owner has their AirDrop set to “Everyone for 10 Minutes Only.” The iPhone will be able to see the Pixel 10 device and can receive or send data.

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    Julian Chokkattu

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  • How to Install Liquid Glass Effect on Any Android Phone

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    • Liquid Glass is no different, so in this article, I will tell you how you can also install Liquid Glass on your Android and then complain about it.
    • There are customisation options available within the app that allow you to control your dock’s overall look and also control the saturation and colours of the glass effect on the home and lock screens.
    • This article tells you how you can achieve a liquid glass effect on your Android device with the help of an application.

    Liquid Glass may not have been the upgrade that Apple hoped for, but it does look slick. So naturally, everybody wants to try it once, and since not everyone has an iPhone, they can install this application. Android developers have always been the first to the inspiration game, where they like something they see either on iOS or anywhere else, and then they just make it for Android. Liquid Glass is no different, so in this article, I will tell you how you can also install Liquid Glass on your Android and then complain about it.

    Apple’s Liquid Glass on Android

    The app that I am talking about in this article mimics the overall look of the liquid glass feature on iOS. It is not completely integrated within the Android skin, so there will be instances where you will see none of it. Liquid glass is not visible in the notification panel or the overall UI, just in the lock screen and home screen. Furthermore, there will be a dock setup at the bottom of your screen, which makes it look cool. There are customisation options available within the app that allow you to control your dock’s overall look and also control the saturation and colours of the glass effect on the home and lock screens.

    How to Install Liquid Glass

    You only need to download the DockWalls app from the Play Store and then follow the steps mentioned below.

    1. Once you open the application, you will have four tabs above.

    Four tabs

    2. Add images of your choice by clicking on the ‘ + ‘ icon.

    Plus icon for wallpaper add

    3. Scroll down on the Base tab and then tap on the Accelerometer On button.

    Accelerometer On icon
    Accelerometer On

    4. Then, from the layout menu, select the Two Glasses option.

    Two Glasses
    Two Glasses selected

    You can also swipe to change your home screen wallpaper. This app does not change the internal theme of your UI; it just changes the home screen and lock screen.

    Lock Screen Look
    Lock Screen
    Home Screen Look
    Home Screen

    FAQs

    Q. How can I disable Liquid Glass on an iPhone?

    Simply head over to Settings> Accessibility> Display and Text Size> Reduce Transparency. Once you do this, the liquid glass effect on your iPhone will be disabled.

    Q. Does liquid glass work on Android?

    No, Liquid Glass is a feature of iOS. This is not supported in Android; however, there are some applications that can help you set up a theme similar to Liquid Glass on your Android. Dock Walls is a perfect example of such apps.

    Wrapping Up

    This article tells you how you can achieve a liquid glass effect on your Android device with the help of an application. This particular app only allows you to apply the glass effect to your lock and home screen. There are no changes in icons, settings menu, or notification panel. So make sure you try it once.

    You may also like to read:

    Have any questions related to our how-to guides, or anything in the world of technology? Check out our new GadgetsToUse AI Chatbot for free, powered by ChatGPT.

    You can also follow us for instant tech news at Google News or for tips and tricks, smartphones & gadgets reviews, join the GadgetsToUse Telegram Group, or subscribe to the GadgetsToUse Youtube Channel for the latest review videos.

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  • Apple Announces $2 Million Bug Bounty Reward for the Most Dangerous Exploits

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    Since launching its bug bounty program nearly a decade ago, Apple has always touted notable maximum payouts—$200,000 in 2016 and $1 million in 2019. Now the company is upping the stakes again. At the Hexacon offensive security conference in Paris on Friday, Apple vice president of security engineering and architecture Ivan Krstić announced a new maximum payout of $2 million for a chain of software exploits that could be abused for spyware.

    The move reflects how valuable exploitable vulnerabilities can be within Apple’s highly protected mobile environment—and the lengths the company will go to to keep such discoveries from falling into the wrong hands. In addition to individual payouts, the company’s bug bounty also includes a bonus structure, adding additional awards for exploits that can bypass its extra secure Lockdown Mode as well as those discovered while Apple software is still in its beta testing phase. Taken together, the maximum award for what would otherwise be a potentially catastrophic exploit chain will now be $5 million. The changes take effect next month.

    “We are lining up to pay many millions of dollars here, and there’s a reason,” Krstić tells WIRED. “We want to make sure that for the hardest categories, the hardest problems, the things that most closely mirror the kinds of attacks that we see with mercenary spyware—that the researchers who have those skills and abilities and put in that effort and time can get a tremendous reward.”

    Apple says that there are more than 2.35 billion of its devices active around the world. The company’s bug bounty was originally an invite-only program for prominent researchers, but since opening to the public in 2020, Apple says that it has awarded more than $35 million to more than 800 security researchers. Top-dollar payouts are very rare, but Krstić says that the company has made multiple $500,000 payouts in recent years.

    In addition to higher potential rewards, Apple is also expanding the bug bounty’s categories to include certain types of one-click “WebKit” browser infrastructure exploits as well as wireless proximity exploits carried out with any type of radio. And there is even a new offering known as “Target Flags” that puts the concept of capture the flag hacking competitions into real-world testing of Apple’s software to help researchers demonstrate the capabilities of their exploits quickly and definitively.

    Apple’s bug bounty is just one of many long-term investments aimed at reducing the prevalence of dangerous vulnerabilities or blocking their exploitation. For example, after more than five years of work, the company announced a security protection last month in the new iPhone 17 lineup that aims to nullify the most frequently exploited class of iOS bugs. Known as Memory Integrity Enforcement, the feature is a big swing aimed at protecting a small minority of the most vulnerable and highly targeted groups around the world—including activists, journalists, and politicians—while also adding defense for all users of new devices. To that end, the company announced on Friday that it will donate a thousand iPhone 17s to rights groups that work with people at risk of facing targeted digital attacks.

    “You can say, well, that seems like a very large effort to protect only that very small number of users that are being targeted by mercenary spyware, but there is just this incontrovertible track record described by journalists, tech companies, and civil society organizations that these technologies are constantly being abused,” Krstić says. “And we feel a great moral obligation to defend those users. Despite the fact that the vast majority of our users will never be targeted by anything like this, this work that we did will end up increasing protection for everyone.”

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  • Apple Took Down These ICE-Tracking Apps. The Developers Aren’t Giving Up

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    Legal experts WIRED spoke with say that the ICE monitoring and documentation apps that Apple has removed from its App Store are clear examples of protected speech under the US Constitution’s First Amendment. “These apps are publishing constitutionally protected speech. They’re publishing truthful information about matters of public interest that people obtained just by witnessing public events,” says David Greene, a civil liberties director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

    This hasn’t stopped the Trump administration from attacking the developers behind these ICE-related apps. When ICEBlock first rose to a top spot in Apple’s App Store in April, the Trump administration responded by threatening to prosecute the developer. “We are looking at him,” Bondi said on Fox News of ICEBlock’s Aaron. “And he better watch out.”

    Neither the White House nor ICE immediately responded to requests for comment.

    Digital rights researchers say that the situation illustrates the dangers when key platforms and communication channels are centrally controlled—whether directly by governments or by other powerful entities like big tech companies. Regardless of what is officially available through the Google Play store, Android users can sideload apps of their choosing. But Apple’s ecosystem has always been a walled garden, an approach that the company has long touted for its security advantages, including the ability to screen more heavily for malicious apps.

    For years, a group of researchers and enthusiasts have tried to create “jailbreaks” for iPhones to essentially hack their own devices as a way around Apple’s closed ecosystem. Recently, though, jailbreaking has become less common. This is partly the result of advances in iPhone security, but partly related to the trend in recent years of attackers exploiting complex chains of vulnerabilities that could potentially be used for jailbreaking for malware instead, particularly mercenary spyware.

    “The closed ecosystem motivation sort of dwindled as Apple added capabilities that previously required a jailbreak—like wallpapers, tethering, better notifications, and private mode in Safari,” says longtime iOS security and jailbreak researcher Will Strafach. “But this situation with ICE apps highlights the issue with Apple being the arbiter and single point of failure.”

    Stanford’s Pfefferkorn warns that while US tech companies are not state-controlled, they have in her view become “happy handmaidens” when it comes to “repressing free speech and dissent.”

    “It’s especially disappointing,” Pfefferkorn says, “coming from the company that brought us the Think Different ad campaign, which invoked MLK, Gandhi, and Muhammad Ali—none of whom would likely be big fans of ICE today.”

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  • How to (Mostly) Get Rid of Liquid Glass

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    On an iPhone or iPad, the process is only slightly different. Open System Settings, go to the Accessibility section, then the Display & Text Size section. From here you can tap the Reduce Transparency toggle. Do so and all the various glassy bits of the user interface will become solid.

    I recommend changing this setting and seeing how you like it. It’s not a perfect fix, but it disables the most distracting part of Liquid Glass: the constant distorted transparency. I also tested this tweak on an old iPad that was feeling slow after the iPadOS 26 update, and it’s downright snappy now.

    A Few Other Suggestions

    Reducing transparency really undoes the worst part of Liquid Glass, but you can go a little further. Here are a few more tips.

    The Increase Contrast option is in the same menu as Reduce Transparency. Toggling it will put an outline around all the arguably too-subtle edges and outlines throughout the operating system. It makes the interface elements on the screen look outright retro, which some people may not love, but give it a shot if you find it hard to see the edges of things while using your devices.

    If you’re finding your older device runs slowly, even with reduced transparency, I recommend also toggling the Reduce Motion setting, which you can find in Accessibility > Motion. Toggle this setting and the various animations used by the operating system will be simplified. This should result in a device that feels faster and more responsive.

    Before and after: On the right, you can see the elements on the iPhone’s screen are less transparent, the text is easier to read, and the background is free of visual clutter.

    Courtesy of Justin Pot

    Finally, on your iPhone, the toolbar in Safari, the default web browser, has been condensed in the latest update. Doing things like seeing all of your tabs now requires multiple taps. You can get the old toolbar back in System Settings by heading to Applications > Safari and scrolling down to the Tab Style section. Tap Bottom or Top, depending on your preferences, and you’ll find the old toolbar back.

    Like I said: None of this will give you back the old, pre-Glass operating system you preferred. These tweaks do roll back the worst parts of the changes, though, so give them a shot if you’re annoyed.

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  • The 25 Key Settings You Need to Change on Your iPhone

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    Apple’s software design strives to be intuitive, but each iteration of iOS contains so many additions and tweaks that it’s easy to miss some useful iPhone settings. Apple focused on artificial intelligence when it unveiled iOS 18 in 2024, but there’s a lot under the hood that adds to the steady stream of intriguing customizations and lesser-known features from the last few years. Several helpful settings are turned off by default, and it’s not immediately obvious how to switch off some annoying features. We’re here to help you get the most out of your Apple phone.

    Once you have things set up the way you want, it’s a breeze to copy everything, including settings, when you switch to a new iPhone. For more tips and recommendations, read our related guides—Best iPhone, Best iPhone 16 Cases, Best MagSafe Accessories—and our explainers on How to Set Up a New iPhone, How to Back Up Your iPhone, and How to Fix Your iPhone.

    Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting that’s too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year. Includes unlimited digital access and exclusive subscriber-only content. Subscribe Today.

    Customize the Control Center

    Apple via Simon Hill

    Swipe down from the top right of the screen to open the Control Center, and you’ll see it’s more customizable than ever. You can tap the plus icon at the top left or tap and hold on an empty space to open the customization menu. Here you can move icons and widgets around, remove anything you don’t want, or tap Add a Control at the bottom for a searchable list of shortcut icons and widgets you can organize across multiple Control Center screens. You can also customize your home screen with iOS 18 to change the color and size of app icons, rearrange them, and more.

    Change Your Lock Screen Buttons

    Apple via Simon Hill

    Screenshot

    You know those lock screen controls that default to flashlight on the bottom left and camera on the bottom right? You can change them. Press and hold on an empty space on the lock screen and tap Customize, then Lock Screen. Tap the minus icon to remove an existing shortcut, and tap the plus icon to add a new one. You can also change the weather and date widgets, the font and color for the time, and pick a wallpaper.

    Extend Screen Time-Out

    Screenshot of extended settings on iphone

    Apple via Simon Hill

    While it’s good to have your screen time out for battery saving and security purposes, I find it maddening when the screen goes off while I’m doing something. The default screen time-out is too short in my opinion, but thankfully, you can adjust it. Head into Settings, Display & Brightness, and select Auto-Lock to extend it. You have several options, including Never, which means you will have to manually push the power button to turn the screen off.

    Turn Off Keyboard Sounds

    Screenshot of the keyboard sound setting on the iPhone

    Apple via Simon Hill

    The iPhone’s keyboard clicking sound when you type is extremely aggravating. Trust me, even if you don’t hate it, everyone in your vicinity when you type sure does. You can turn it off in Settings, Sound & Haptics by tapping Keyboard Feedback and toggling Sound off. I also advise toggling off the Lock Sound while you’re in Sound & Haptics.

    Go Dark

    Screenshot of dark mode setting on the iphone

    Apple via Simon Hill

    Protect yourself from eye-searing glare with dark mode. Go to Settings, pick Display & Brightness, and tap Dark. You may prefer to toggle on Automatic and have it change with the sun setting, but I prefer to be in Dark mode all the time.

    Change Your Battery Charge Level

    Screenshot of battery level setting on iPhone

    Apple via Simon Hill

    If you’re determined to squeeze as many years out of your iPhone battery as possible, consider changing the charging limit. You can maximize your smartphone’s battery health if you avoid charging it beyond 80 percent. The iPhone’s default is now Optimized Battery Charging, which waits at 80 percent and then aims to hit 100 percent when you are ready to go in the morning. But there’s a slider you can set to a hard 80 percent limit in Settings, under Battery, and Charging.

    Set Up the Action Button

    Screenshot courtesy of Simon Hill

    20-Setting_Action Button 1_Photo SOURCE Simon Hill

    Screenshot

    Folks with an iPhone 15 Pro model or any device in the iPhone 16 range have an Action Button instead of the old mute switch. By default, it will silence your iPhone when you press and hold it, but you can change what it does by going to Settings, then Action Button. You can swipe through various basic options from Camera and Flashlight to Visual Intelligence, but select Shortcuts if you want it to do something more interesting. If you’re unfamiliar, check out our guide on How to Use the Apple Shortcuts App.

    Turn Off Apple Intelligence

    Screenshot of apple intelligence setting on iphone

    Screenshots courtesy of Simon Hill

    Much vaunted but slightly underwhelming, Apple Intelligence isn’t fully baked yet, and we are still waiting for an improved Siri. If you prefer to opt out of certain features or opt out completely, go to Settings, Apple Intelligence & Siri, and tap on it to toggle Apple Intelligence off. If you prefer to keep select features on, you can find instructions in our How to Turn off Apple Intelligence guide.

    Hide Sensitive Apps

    Screenshot of hidden apps settings on iPhone

    Apple via Simon Hill

    Whether you are embarrassed by your Candy Crush addiction or risque photos, or perhaps you’ve been using the Notes app to plan your partner’s birthday party, you can hide them from prying eyes. I’m not here to judge. To protect an app, you have two options: tap and hold on the icon and select Require Face ID, then Require Face ID or Hide and Require Face ID. The first option leaves the app in place, but no one can access it without a Face ID check. If you prefer to hide the app, choose the second option and then Hide App, and it will be obscured inside a Hidden folder at the bottom of your App Library that requires a Face ID check to open.

    Stop Videos Autoplaying or Looping

    Screenshot of video autoplay settings on iphone

    Apple via Simon Hill

    If you find it irritating that videos automatically play as you scroll through the Photos app, or it bugs you that they loop and repeat instead of stopping at the end, you can change that behavior. Tap Settings, Apps, then Photos, and scroll down to toggle Auto-Play Motion and Loop Videos off.

    Enhance Speech in Movies and TV Shows

    Image may contain Amplifier Electronics Mobile Phone and Phone

    Apple via Simon Hill

    It can be tough to make out the dialog in some TV shows and movies, but Apple has a fix for muffled speech on your iPhone. When you’re playing a video, tap the screen to bring up the menu and select the audio icon. You can select Enhance Dialogue and choose Enhance or Enhance More to make the voices louder and clearer.

    Set Up Do Not Disturb

    Screenshot courtesy of Simon Hill

    Screenshot

    At an absolute minimum, you should shut up your iPhone at night so it doesn’t disturb your sleep, but Apple offers a wide range of tools to automate or schedule downtime to help you focus. Go to Settings, Focus, and choose Do Not Disturb to get started. You can turn off notifications but set up exceptions so that specific contacts or apps will get through. You can also go to Screen Time and Downtime to set a specific schedule for each day.

    Change Your Default Apps

    Screenshot courtesy of Simon Hill

    Screenshot

    You don’t have to use Safari as your browser or Apple’s Mail app for emails. You can change the default apps on your iPhone by going to Settings, Apps, and Default Apps. If you have valid alternative apps installed for Email, Messaging, Browser, and a few other categories, you can select them instead of Apple’s apps.

    Keep iCloud Files Local

    Screenshot of iCloud setting on iPhone

    Apple via Simon Hill

    You can choose to keep certain files that you have synced with iCloud stored locally on your iPhone, which is handy if you want to access them when there’s no internet available. Open the Files app, go to the Browse tab, and choose iCloud Drive. You can tap and hold on any folder or file and select Keep Downloaded to keep a copy on your iPhone.

    Limit App Permissions

    Screenshot of limit app setting on iphone

    Apple via Simon Hill

    It’s worth reviewing your app permissions and limiting them. There are a few routes to do this, but Settings, then Privacy & Security, might be the easiest. There’s a lot here, but I advise looking at Location Services and removing or reducing permissions for apps you don’t think need them. You can toggle off Precise Location for many, since an approximate location is often enough for them to function the way you want. Other apps to keep an eye on are Contacts and Photos, as both now give you the option to allow limited access.

    By the way, if you want to turn off Background App Refresh to stop apps sucking down data and draining the battery when you aren’t using them, go to Settings, Apps, and choose any you don’t need to refresh unless you open them to toggle it off.

    Change Siri’s Voice

    Screenshot of Siri voice controls on iPhone

    Apple via Simon Hill

    Apple offers a whole range of voices for Siri now. Go to Settings, choose Apple Intelligence & Siri, and tap Voice to see a list of variations (American, Australian, British, Indian, Irish, South African) and voices (Irish Voice 2 is my pick). Just be aware that if you choose a new one, it may take a while to download.

    Set a Shortcut for Your Email Address

    Screenshot courtesy of Simon Hill

    Screenshot

    Forget about typing out your whole email address every time. Go to Settings, General, and choose Keyboard. Tap Text Replacement and then the plus icon at the top right to set up text shortcuts, such as “eml” for your full email address, or “addy” for your mailing address. This can also work for any other text you type out frequently.

    Show Notifications on Lock Screen

    Screenshot of show notification settings on iphone

    Apple via Simon Hill

    Apple is all about privacy, but having to unlock your iPhone to see the content of an incoming message can be annoying. You can change how this works by going to Settings, Notifications, and selecting Show Previews. It is set to When Unlocked by default, but you can choose Always or Never.

    Make Some AI Art

    Screenshot of ai art settings on iphone

    Apple via Simon Hill

    If you decide to give AI a chance and fancy generating some art with AI assistance, open up the Playground app. You can pick photos, themes, costumes, accessories, places, or type prompts. Here’s a full guide on how to use Apple’s Image Playground. It’s available on Apple devices running iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, or macOS Sequoia 15.2.

    Reduce Car Sickness

    Screenshot courtesy of Simon Hill

    Screenshot

    Do you get nauseous when you use your iPhone as a car passenger? Go to Settings, Accessibility, choose Motion, then Show Vehicle Motion Cues. You can turn it on or off to display dots that help reduce motion sickness, but if you tap Automatic, it will turn on when it detects you are in the car.

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  • How to Set Up Your New iPhone

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    Photograph: Simon Hill

    A Quick Word on eSIM

    Apple has supported eSIM technology since the iPhone XS. It’s basically an electronic SIM card instead of the tiny, physical chip you insert into your phone for cellular connectivity. The iPhone 14 series was the first to completely get rid of the physical SIM card slot (in the US). That means the only way to set up a cellular connection in the US is with an eSIM.

    If you’re unfamiliar with the process, don’t worry, it’s very easy. During setup, you’ll be asked if you want to transfer your number from your old iPhone. Once you agree, it will take a minute or two to activate cellular data on your new iPhone, and you’re good to go. Keep in mind that your old physical SIM card will effectively stop working once you do this.

    If you’re coming from an Android phone (with or without eSIM support), you will need to scan a QR code provided by your carrier. This might even be the case with an iPhone if you’re having trouble—just contact your carrier, and they should be able to sort things out quickly. Some Android phones may support the easier eSIM transfer process, like Google’s Pixel 10 series.

    Image may contain Electronics Mobile Phone Phone Iphone Credit Card and Text

    Photograph: Simon Hill

    Adding Other Accounts and Setting Preferences

    Otherwise, it’s just a matter of personalizing your preferences. Want to add an email account? Go to Settings, Apps, Mail, Mail Accounts, and choose Add Account. Want to fine-tune which apps refresh in the background (and drain your battery in the process)? Head to Settings, General, Background App Refresh, and toggle your little heart out. Want to save time on web forms? Go to Settings, Apps, Safari, Autofill, and prefill your contact info. You can also turn on the battery percentage view by going to Settings, Battery, and toggling on Battery Percentage.

    Screenshot courtesy of Simon Hill

    Your new device will be running iOS 26, which boasts some important new features, but you might consider changing these privacy settings right away.

    One last recommendation: Get rid of the clutter. You can delete any of Apple’s many, many stock apps you don’t want (including, of course, Stocks). Do it! It feels great, I promise. We even have tips on the key iPhone settings to change. Oh, and while you’re digging around in Apple’s software, go to Settings and then Focus to take advantage of the Do Not Disturb mode that lets you cut down on the constant stream of alerts.

    Hitting these basics should get you started on the right path. When you’re settled, maybe look into Apple Shortcuts. And if you’re done with your old iPhone, read our instructions on how to factory-reset it.

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  • Diminish Distractions by Setting Your iPhone to Gray Scale When You’re Home

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    Phones are undeniably useful when you’re out and about in the world. Directions, photos, music, messaging the people you’re meeting up with, or even just scrolling while you’re waiting for the bus—it’s all great.

    The problem with phones, in my opinion, is when you’re at home. Home is the place where you might rather spend your time reading a book, practicing an instrument, or messing around in the garden. But everything is hard, almost impossible, when your phone is so freaking interesting.

    That’s why it’s important to make your phone boring on purpose. Whenever we talk about how to break your smartphone addiction, a trick that’s commonly cited is to set your phone to gray scale. The problem: making your phone black and white and gray all the time makes it less useful during the times you actually need it.

    That’s why I set up an automation that sets my phone to gray scale when I arrive at home and turns it back to color when I leave my house. This gives me the best of both worlds: a fully functional phone on the road and a less distracting one at home. Even better, because I’m using Apple Shortcuts to do this, I don’t need to buy or install any apps. I don’t even need to tap a button to make it work.

    Here’s how you can set this up. And yes, because these tools are specific to iOS, you’ll need an iPhone.

    Step 1: Make 2 Shortcuts

    To get started, open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone. We’re going to make two shortcuts, one for when you get home and one for when you leave home. Name both appropriately.

    Courtesy of Justin Pot

    For the first shortcut, which will trigger when you get home, search for the action Set Color Filters. Add it and make sure that the shortcut is set to turn color filters On. This will filter out onscreen colors and turn your display gray scale. For the other shortcut make sure it will turn color filters Off. You should now have two shortcuts.

    Step 2: Set Up the Automation

    From the main screen of the Shortcuts app, tap Automations in the bottom toolbar. We are going to set up two automations: one for when you leave home and another for when you get home.

    Diminish Distractions by Setting Your iPhone to Gray Scale When You're Home

    Courtesy of Justin Pot

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  • How to Switch iPhones Without Losing a Thing

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    Photograph: Simon Hill

    If your old device doesn’t support Quick Start, or you don’t want to use it, then follow the steps on the Hello screen until you reach a screen asking whether you want to join a Wi-Fi network. Choose the network you wish to join. You will be prompted to set up eSIM (choose Transfer From Another iPhone) and then set up Face ID or Touch ID.

    … or Restore Your Backup

    Alternatively, you can restore the backup you made. Here’s how:

    Restore From iCloud Backup

    If you used iCloud to back up your iPad or iPhone, continue through the setup process until you reach the Apps & Data screen and tap the Restore from iCloud Backup option. Sign in to your Apple ID (if you’re forgetful, consider using a password manager to find and store old login information), and choose the backup you want to use. The backups are time-stamped, so if you’ve been regularly backing up your phone, there will be several listed; be sure to look at the date and size of the backup to make sure you pick the correct one.

    Restore From Mac or PC

    If you used your computer to back up your data, plug your phone or tablet into it. If you’re using a Mac running Catalina 10.15, open Finder and select your device. If your Mac is running an older operating system or you have a PC, open iTunes. Select your iPhone/iPad when it appears in the window. Click Restore Backup under the General tab and choose the correct date.

    Make Sure Your Wi-Fi Connection Is Stable

    Don’t disrupt the Wi-Fi connection until the transfer is complete. Disconnecting early will cause your backup to pause until you reconnect. The same goes if you are restoring by tethering your device to a Windows PC or Mac—leave your phone or tablet plugged in until it’s finished.

    That’s It!

    Closeup of a mobile phone with the screen saying Enjoy Your New iPhone.

    Photograph: Simon Hill

    There isn’t anything else to it. If you went ahead and fired up your new iPhone or iPad without transferring anything, you’ll have to either erase it and start over or transfer your content manually—but that’s going to be a lot more work than doing a full transfer. We recommend starting over from scratch and following the above steps to get all your data over at once.

    Do not delete data on your old device until your new one is up and running. Have fun with your new iPhone or iPad, and if you don’t need your old phone, consider selling it. Be sure to check out our Best MagSafe Accessories and Best Apple 3-in-1 Wireless Chargers guides to kit out your new iPhone.

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  • iPhone 17 Review: The Best iPhone Value in Years

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    Next to the ultra-thin iPhone Air and the packed-to-gills iPhone 17 Pro/17 Pro Max, the iPhone 17 looks unremarkable—boring, even. The three new colors other than black and white are less vibrant than the shades the iPhone 16 came in. But peel back a few layers and things become clear: the iPhone 17, starting at $799, is in fact a remarkable value, providing a ton of bang for your buck.

    Besides the slight growth of the screen from 6.1 inches to 6.3 inches, the iPhone 17 is cosmetically similar to the iPhone 16. If the iPhone Air is the new premium model and the iPhone 17 Pros are the most powerful, then the iPhone 17 is the everyman’s iPhone. It has more than enough solid upgrades over last year’s model, but not as many as the iPhone 17 Pros.

    The iPhone 17 is not going to wow anyone with its industrial design, but underneath it all, it’s a trooper that goes the distance. It’s the iPhone you get if you want the Goldilocks experience.

    iPhone 17

    The iPhone 17 offers the best bang for buck in an iPhone. It’s a value proposition that’ll last for at least five years.

    Pros

    • Finally 120Hz, always-on display
    • Nearly A19 Pro-level performance
    • Great Center Stage camera for selfies
    • 48-megapixel ultrawide camera
    • Excellent battery life

    Cons

    • Dull colors
    • Only USB-C 2 speeds

    Basic design

    © Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

    Take the iPhone 16 design, stretch it a teensy bit up, and you get the iPhone 17. That may sound harsh, but it’s true: the iPhone 17 is 5.89 inches tall versus the 5.81-inch iPhone 16. Somehow it’s 0.01 inches narrower, though. It’s unlikely you’ll feel that it’s 0.24 ounces heavier, either; I didn’t.

    If you were hoping for more material change, you’re gonna be disappointed. I don’t think it’s worth fretting over since the iPhone 17 feels great in the hand. Not that most people will care since they’ll slap a case over it.

    Apple has stuck with an aluminum frame and gently curved sides that melt into the cover and back glass. The back has a vertically aligned pill-shaped bump for the dual cameras. What you can’t see with the naked eye is the improved scratch resistance for the screen. Apple is using Ceramic Shield 2, its second-gen cover material with increased durability, which Apple claims is 3x more scratch resistant than the iPhone 16’s first-gen Ceramic Shield screen. Apple also says Ceramic Shield 2 cuts down on glare. It doesn’t eliminate reflections from what I could see, and any reduction in glare is minimal at best. Still, I’ll take the increased scratch resistance. I asked Apple if Ceramic Shield 2 now means that keys or sand or pocket lint won’t easily scratch it, but the company clarified that its durability claims are not for a single instance where there’s unfortunate contact with some scratchy objects; it’s over time. Take that for what you will.

    Colors are subjective, but if you ask me, I think the iPhone 17 colors are dull. Besides black and white, there’s lavender, sage, and mist blue. Sage looks the best to me, but it’s still a muted green. I think it’s time for Apple to bring back red or coral or pacific blue. Give the regular iPhone some soul to stand out between the iPhone Air and iPhone Pros.

    A more “pro” display

    iPhone 17 in Sage green
    © Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

    That 0.08 inches of extra height means Apple was able to squeeze in a slightly larger 6.3-inch screen versus the 6.1-inch display on the iPhone 16. This is the same screen as the iPhone 17 Pro, with the same resolution, same 3,000 nits of peak outdoor brightness, the same 120 Hz “ProMotion” refresh rate, and the same always-on display. At last, Apple’s regular iPhone series isn’t saddled with a 60Hz refresh rate.

    To my eyes, there’s no visible difference between the screen on the iPhone 17 and the 17 Pro. Both Super Retina XDR displays look crisp, have excellent and wide viewing angles, and get more than bright enough indoors and outdoors. I neglected to mention this in my iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pros review, but I really wish Apple would include something akin to the “Aqua Touch 2.0 technology” in the OnePlus 13 that makes the touchscreen more responsive when there’s liquid on it or your fingers are wet. The slightest droplet of water on the iPhone 17 still confuses the screen into thinking you’re touching it when you’re not.

    Nearly pro performance

    Unlike Android phones, where performance can take a major downturn if the chipset maker (Qualcomm, Samsung, MediaTek, etc.) has architecture or production problems, Apple’s A-series silicon just steadily gets better year after year.

    I’ve long stopped putting too much emphasis on synthetic benchmarks like Geekbench 6, but just to see how much less powerful the iPhone 17’s A19 chip is compared to the A19 Pro in the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pros, I ran the CPU test. The results truly shocked me. Using the average of three tests taken on the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, and iPhone 17 Pro, the iPhone 17 was 1.6% more powerful than the Air and 1.3% less powerful than the 17 Pro for single-core tasks.

    iPhone 17 in Sage green, iPhone 17 Pro in Silver
    © Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

    The A19 Pro chip pulls ahead of the A19 for multicore applications, but not by much: the Air is 5% more powerful and 17 Pro is 9.48% more powerful than the iPhone 17. I thought for sure with one less GPU core (five instead of six) that the iPhone 17 Pros would be more powerful by a larger margin, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

    That’s great news if you’re worried about getting FOMO from not having the A19 Pro chip in the iPhone 17. But there’s another thing to consider: thermals and sustained performance. Compared to the iPhone 17 Pros, which have a vapor chamber that keeps temperatures down and spreads heat across the phone more uniformly when apps push the GPU hard, the iPhone 17 gets warmer a lot quicker. And if it gets too hot, it takes a little longer to cool down. Generally, my iPhone 17 review unit never got toasty, but if you’re planning to play 3D games like Genshin Impact or shoot a lot of 4K video with the phone or do either under the sun in hot environments, you may run into the infamous “”iPhone needs to cool down” sooner.

    The Center Stage camera is legit

    iPhone 17 in Sage green
    © Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

    The iPhone 17 has some solid camera upgrades, too. The dual rear camera is now a “Fusion” camera consisting of a 48-megapixel main camera and now a higher-resolution 48-megapixel ultrawide (up from 12 megapixels on the iPhone 16). Photos look about the same to me compared to the same shots taken with my iPhone 16 Pro. Even the ultrawide shots look nearly identical; okay, they’re slightly brighter, but that’s nothing dialing up the brightness slider in the Photos app couldn’t easily handle. There’s no telephoto lens on the iPhone 17; if you want that, you’ll need to step up to the iPhone 17 Pros, which have a 4x telephoto lens that’s also capable of 8x “optical-quality” shots. You do get the 2x “optical-quality” lens from the main 48-megapixel image sensor, but that was already a feature on the iPhone 16.

    As I said in my iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pros review, the Center Stage camera is the biggest upgrade for photography and video since Apple first added a front-facing camera on the iPhone 4. The 18-megapixel Center Stage camera is a square image sensor, which can capture horizontal selfies even if you’re holding the phone vertically. You can also take vertical photos if you hold the iPhone 17 horizontally. The feature also works for video recording. It’s a very cool feature that everyone is going to appreciate, not just Gen Z TikTokers. The Dual Capture mode that records from the front and rear cameras is also very fun, especially for reaction-type videos.

    Since the iPhone 17 is not a “pro” iPhone, it doesn’t have the more advanced recording features found in the iPhone 17 Pros, like ProRAW for stills, ProRes for video, Apple Log 2, or genlock. Slow-motion video recording is also limited to 1080p at 240 fps compared to 4K at 120 fps on the 17 Pros. Lastly, you don’t get the “studio-quality” microphones found in the 17 Pros. I don’t think any of these “missing” features makes the iPhone 17 a dealbreaker, but it does feel like Apple could have included them if it wanted to, other than to feature-lock them to the higher-end iPhones.

    And just like I said in my iPhone 17 Pros review, I think Camera Control is still largely wasted. It’s there, but not more useful than as a shortcut to launching the Camera app. I much prefer the camera shortcut on Android, which has been a thing for over a decade: double-clicking the power button.

    More battery to doomscroll

    iPhone 17 in Sage green
    © Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

    No amount of battery life is ever going to be enough, but I’ll gladly take more hours gen-over-gen. In the iPhone 17’s case, battery life has increased by 8 hours compared to the iPhone 16—up to 30 hours versus 22 hours (for local video playback, which is how Apple measures battery life). It’s 3 fewer hours than the iPhone 17 Pro, which gets up to 33 hours.

    Using the iPhone 17 like a normal human being (because who is insane enough to watch local video for 30 hours straight), I found the iPhone 17 lasted about as long as my iPhone 16 Pro, which Apple says gets up to 27 hours for video playback. Give or take, I was able to go from off the charger at 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on a single charge with around 20 to 25% left in the tank. That’s great battery life and you can easily go two days with light usage.

    More for the same money

    iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max
    © Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

    If all of that doesn’t sound like a good enough value, how about double the storage (256GB versus 128GB) versus the iPhone 16—for the same $799? That’s a good deal. Yeah, inflation and all that, but that’s still a damn good deal for everything that you get.

    There’s a $300 difference between the iPhone 17 and the 17 Pro this year, which is $100 more than last year. For most people, the iPhone 17 has more than enough, and the extra $300 can be pocketed or put towards an accessory like the new $250 AirPods Pro 3.

    I truly couldn’t find much to complain about on the iPhone 17. iOS is iOS. If you don’t like the “walled” Apple garden, there’s nothing new to report here, since it’s the same deal. Apple Intelligence, unfortunately, is still underwhelming and we’ll have to wait until next year to see the new AI-powered Siri. If there’s anything to really gripe about, I wish the USB 2 transfer speeds for the USB-C port were the faster USB 3 on the iPhone 16 and 17 Pros.

    If you’ve reached this far and you’ve been nodding your head at all the new stuff and don’t feel an urge to jump up to the 17 Pros, congrats, maybe the iPhone 17 is for you. If you still have an iPhone from recent years and it’s not having any issues, just update to iOS 26 (unless you really hate Liquid Glass). The best thing about iPhones is that they last a long time and Apple supports them with annual software updates for at least five years, and security updates for a few years after. You get a lot with the new iPhone 17, but you also may not need one if yours works just fine. For people switching from Android—you’re either gonna love Apple’s ecosystem or hate it and crawl back.

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    Raymond Wong

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  • Apple’s latest iPhone security feature just made life more difficult for spyware makers | TechCrunch

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    Buried in an ocean of flashy novelties announced by Apple this week, the tech giant also revealed new security technology for its latest iPhone 17 and iPhone Air devices. This new security technology was made specifically to fight against surveillance vendors and the types of vulnerabilities they rely on the most, according to Apple.

    The feature is called Memory Integrity Enforcement (MIE) and is designed to help stop memory corruption bugs, which are some of the most common vulnerabilities exploited by spyware developers and makers of phone forensic devices used by law enforcement. 

    “Known mercenary spyware chains used against iOS share a common denominator with those targeting Windows and Android: they exploit memory safety vulnerabilities, which are interchangeable, powerful, and exist throughout the industry,” Apple wrote in its blog post. 

    Cybersecurity experts, including people who make hacking tools and exploits for iPhones, tell TechCrunch that this new security technology could make Apple’s newest iPhones some of the most secure devices on the planet. The result is likely to make life harder for the companies that make spyware and zero-day exploits for planting spyware on a target’s phone or extracting data from them. 

    “The iPhone 17 is probably now the most secure computing environment on the planet that is still connected to the internet,” a security researcher, who has worked on developing and selling zero-days and other cyber capabilities to the U.S. government for years, told TechCrunch.

    The researcher told TechCrunch that MIE will raise the cost and time to develop their exploits for the latest iPhones, and consequently up their prices for paying customers.

    “This is a huge deal,” said the researcher, who asked to remain anonymous to discuss sensitive matters. “It’s not hack proof. But it’s the closest thing we have to hack proof. None of this will ever be 100% perfect. But it raises the stakes the most.”

    Contact Us

    Do you develop spyware or zero-day exploits and are studying studying the potential effects of Apple’s MIE? We would love to learn how this affects you. From a non-work device, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram and Keybase @lorenzofb, or email. You also can contact TechCrunch via SecureDrop.

    Jiska Classen, a professor and researcher who studies iOS at the Hasso Plattner Institute in Germany, agreed that MIE will raise the cost of developing surveillance technologies.

    Classen said this is because some of the bugs and exploits that spyware companies and researchers have that currently work will stop working once the new iPhones are out and MIE is implemented. 

    “I could also imagine that for a certain time window some mercenary spyware vendors don’t have working exploits for the iPhone 17,” said Classen. 

    “This will make their life arguably infinitely more difficult,” said Patrick Wardle, a researcher who runs a startup that makes cybersecurity products specifically for Apple devices. “Of course that is said with the caveat that it’s always a cat-and-mouse game.”

    Wardle said people who are worried about getting hacked with spyware should upgrade to the new iPhones. 

    The experts TechCrunch spoke to said MIE will reduce the efficacy of both remote hacks, such as those launched with spyware like NSO Group’s Pegasus and Paragon’s Graphite. It will also help to protect against physical device hacks, such as those performed with phone unlocking hardware like Cellebrite or Graykey. 

    Taking on the “majority of exploits”

    Most modern devices, including the majority of iPhones today, run software written in programming languages that are prone to memory-related bugs, often called memory overflow or corruption bugs. When triggered, a memory bug can cause the contents of memory from one app to spill into other areas of a user’s device where it shouldn’t go.

    Memory-related bugs can allow malicious hackers to access and control parts of a device’s memory that they shouldn’t be permitted to. The access can be used to plant malicious code that’s capable of gaining broader access to a person’s data stored in the phone’s memory, and exfiltrating it over the phone’s internet connection.

    MIE aims to defend against these kinds of broad memory attacks by vastly reducing the attack surface in which memory vulnerabilities can be exploited.

    According to Halvar Flake, an expert in offensive cybersecurity, memory corruptions “are the vast majority of exploits.” 

    MIE is built on a technology called Memory Tagging Extension (MTE), originally developed by chipmaker Arm. In its blog post, Apple said over the past five years it worked with Arm to expand and improve the memory safety features into a product called Enhanced Memory Tagging Extension (EMTE).  

    MIE is Apple’s implementation of this new security technology, which takes advantage of Apple having complete control of its technology stack, from software to hardware, unlike many of its phone-making competitors.

    Google offers MTE for some Android devices; the security-focused GrapheneOS, a custom version of Android, also offers MTE. 

    But other experts say Apple’s MIE goes a step further. Flake said the Pixel 8 and GrapheneOS are “almost comparable,” but the new iPhones will be “the most secure mainstream” devices.

    MIE works by allocating each piece of a newer iPhone’s memory with a secret tag, effectively its own unique password. This means only apps with that secret tag can access the physical memory in the future. If the secret doesn’t match, the security protections kick in and block the request, the app will crash, and the event is logged.

    That crash and log is particularly significant since it’s more likely for spyware and zero-days to trigger a crash, making it easier for Apple and security researchers investigating attacks to spot them. 

    “A wrong step would lead to a crash and a potentially recoverable artifact for a defender,” said Matthias Frielingsdorf, the vice president of research at iVerify, a company that makes an app to protect smartphones from spyware. “Attackers already had an incentive to avoid memory corruption.”

    Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

    MIE will be on by default system wide, which means it will protect apps like Safari and iMessage, which can be entry points for spyware. But third-party apps will have to implement MIE on their own to improve protections for their users. Apple released a version of EMTE for developers to do that. 

    In other words, MIE is a huge step in the right direction, but it will take some time to see its impact, depending on how many developers implement it and how many people buy new iPhones. 

    Some attackers will inevitably still find a way.

    “MIE is a good thing and it might even be a big deal. It could significantly raise the cost for attackers and even force some of them out of the market,” said Frielingsdorf. “But there are going to be plenty of bad actors that can still find success and sustain their business.”

    “As long as there are buyers there will be sellers,” said Frielingsdorf.

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    Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai, Zack Whittaker

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  • Which iPhone 17 Model Should You Buy?

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    Apple’s 2025 iPhones are here, and things are quite different for the first time in a while. The base iPhone 17 will still feel familiar, but the iPhone 17 Pro models have a completely new look, and there’s a brand-new model called the iPhone Air. The “Air” branding has been somewhat diluted of late—the current-gen iPad Pro models are lighter than the iPad Air—but the iPhone Air brings meaning back to the original idea: a super-thin and ultra-lightweight device.

    Preorders kick off September 12 and official sales start September 19. If you’re considering an upgrade, what model should you get? I’ll break down the key differences between the iPhone 17 lineup, including their similarities, so you can hopefully make a more informed choice on your next iPhone.

    Table of Contents

    You Don’t Need to Upgrade

    If you have an iPhone from just a few years ago, you probably don’t need to upgrade to Apple’s latest, unless your device has issues. Even then, there are things you can do to fix your iPhone, like getting a battery replacement, or you can try some of these troubleshooting steps. The point is, you shouldn’t feel the need to upgrade just because Apple has a new model.

    If you’re set on buying an iPhone 17 model, we have a guide on how to sell your iPhone so that it doesn’t just collect dust in a drawer. When your new device arrives, back up your old iPhone before switching to the new one, then follow our guide on factory resetting your device before selling or giving it away. We also have tips on how to set up your new iPhone and what settings to change to get the most out of it.

    Which iPhone 17 Is Right for You?

    Let’s quickly talk about the similarities across all the iPhone 17 models this year, and yes, that includes the iPhone Air, even if it doesn’t have “17” in the name.

    • Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

    • Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

    • Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

    Apple

    iPhone 17, iPhone Air, and iPhone 17 Pro

    The Display

    Although iPhones differ in screen size, they all feature an OLED screen (Apple refers to it as a Super Retina XDR display) and employ ProMotion technology. This is the first time the non-Pro models have ProMotion, which is essentially a 120-Hz refresh rate.

    This has been a common feature on Android phones for a while, but it means your display refreshes 120 times per second rather than 60, like on the iPhone 16, so everything you do will feel smoother. (We have a broader explainer here.) These are adaptive refresh rates that can drop as low as 1 Hz when there’s little activity on the screen, which is why the new iPhone 17 and iPhone Air now support the always-on display.

    Apple also says there’s a new Ceramic Shield 2 front glass that’s 3x more scratch-resistant than before, and a new anti-reflective coating to reduce glare. All of these screens can also hit up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness, meaning it’ll be easier to read your iPhone screen on sunny days.

    The Camera

    The front-facing selfie camera is identical on all the iPhone 17 models. It’s a new square-shaped 18-megapixel sensor, and that means you can expect more detail out of your selfies. However, the square sensor also introduces a smarter way to capture group selfies. You can keep holding your phone in portrait orientation for the best grip, and it will automatically zoom out to make sure everyone fits in the frame, while also switching to a landscape orientation for the widest view. All of these models also support Dual Capture, which lets you shoot with both the front and rear cameras at the same time. You can read more about these features here.

    The Usual Specs

    All of the iPhones are IP68 water- and dust-resistant, have Face ID, the Camera Control button, Action Button, USB-C, and Qi2 magnetic wireless charging (MagSafe). All devices start at 256 GB of storage. There’s Apple Intelligence on these devices, the same Emergency SOS via Satellite and Crash Detection capabilities, and they utilize Apple’s new N1 wireless networking chip for Bluetooth 6, Wi-Fi 7, and Thread support.

    The Differences

    Which iPhone 17 Model Should You Buy

    Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

    Now, here’s where they diverge, which will help you better understand what model to buy.

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    Julian Chokkattu

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  • Apple’s Best New iOS 26 Feature Has Been on Pixel Phones for Years

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    Ever since I was a child, I’ve despised answering the phone when an unknown number calls. Who could be on the other end? Literally anyone: an acquaintance, a telemarketer, a serial killer who’s menacingly breathing into the mouthpiece.

    While Apple’s upcoming Liquid Glass refresh in iOS 26 is likely to be the most immediately noticeable aspect of the software update as it starts rolling out to the public on September 15, I believe a smaller addition in iOS 26 might even have a bigger impact on how iPhone owners use their devices.

    The iPhone is finally getting call screening. Hallelujah. At launch, the feature will support calls coming in from nine languages, including English, Spanish, and Japanese.

    Once your iPhone updates to iOS 26, you can opt in and have the software automatically screen calls that come from unknown numbers. In this case, an unknown number is any phone number you haven’t interacted with before.

    When your phone automatically picks up the call, a robotic voice asks the caller for their name as well as why they want to get in contact with you. Only after that information is collected, the iPhone will ring and show you these details in a notification bubble so you can decide whether to answer.

    I was ecstatic to see this new option as I experimented with a beta version of iOS 26. I’m constantly getting calls from so many unknown numbers that I’ve completely given up answering the phone for anyone not saved in my contacts list.

    With the imminent release of iOS 26, I can make informed decisions to ignore or answer these calls. And while most of the calls will still be ignored, I no longer have to wait until the caller starts leaving a voicemail and the live transcription appears on the screen to make a decision.

    Call screening will be new for iPhones owners this fall, but users of some Android smartphones, like Google’s Pixel, have had a version of this tool, named Call Screen, available to them for years. Lyubov Farafonova, a product manager at Google, says in a statement emailed to WIRED that millions of Pixel users are using the feature in the US alone. “It is one of our fan favorite features,” she says.

    Since its release of call screening in 2018, Google has worked to make the synthetic voice sound more natural for incoming callers. It’s also started showing relevant replies as tappable options while the screening is in progress so users can easily communicate with unknown callers without actually answering the phone. Further leaning into this feature, Google plans to roll out call screening to additional markets this fall.

    “Pixel 10 owners in India can start experimenting with the beta version of manual Call Screen. This feature will be initially working in English and Hindi, with more languages and dialects on the way,” Farafonova says. “It will have a functionality to not only transcribe but also translate what the caller says to the Call Screen bot, to make life easier for those who don’t speak the same language as the caller.” Options for call screenings, manual or automatic, are coming soon to Pixel owners in Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the UK as well.

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    Reece Rogers

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  • Live Updates From Apple’s ‘Awe Dropping’ iPhone 17 Event 🔴

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    There will be no foldable iPhone on Tuesday, Sept. 9—that’s supposedly not coming until next year—but there will be four new iPhone 17 phones announced at Apple’s “Awe Dropping” event. Gizmodo’s own Senior Editor of Consumer Tech, Raymond Wong, and our amazing Social Media Editor, Adriano Contreras, will be parachuting into the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park to play with the anticipated iPhone 17, 17 Air, and 17 Pros (especially the orange one).

    New iPhones won’t be the only thing they’ll be getting their hands on. They’ll be among the first to also check out the new Apple Watches (Series 11 and Ultra 3), as well as any new AirPods (Pro 3?). Tim Cook could also pull a “one more thing…” if he wants. He’s CEO; he can do whatever he so desires. Wall Street would go wild if he invoked Steve Jobs’ favorite phrase.

    The keynote starts at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT, but we’ll have started long before that. So grab your favorite beverage and get down in the comments section to let us know what you’re most excited to see Apple announce. Or, you know, what really grinds your gears. Millions of people love new iPhones—they stop their whole lives to see what’s new—but also, Android is doing some interesting stuff. Have you seen Samsung’s gorgeous, folding Galaxy Z Fold 7? How about Google’s AI-stuffed Pixel 10 phones? At the end of the day, the only person who should care about your phone choice is yourself. Don’t let others bully you into any ecosystem.

     

     

     

    Road to iPhone 17

    © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo

    Got up super early—poor me, I didn’t get a wink of sleep—to board a flight from New York to California for the iPhone 17 reveal on Tuesday. Our social media editor, Adriano Contreras, is also coming along to capture photos and videos of not only the new iPhone 17 devices, but all the other products expected to drop. Make sure to follow Gizmodo on our Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube channel. We’ll be dropping a bunch of fun videos on everything. —Raymond Wong

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    Raymond Wong, Kyle Bar, and James Pero

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