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Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are some of the best earbuds on the market right now — especially if you’re a Galaxy phone user. And right now, you’ve got a chance to snag yourself a pair for less. Both Amazon and Best Buy are offering an early Black Friday deal that knocks $60 off the list price, dropping them down to $170. There’s no set expiration at Amazon, but Best Buy only has this deal available until 9:59 p.m. PT (12:59 a.m. ET) tonight, so we’d recommend getting your order in before then.

Besides the superior fit, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro offer better active noise cancellation, which is improved by about 40%. While they don’t compete with high-end models such as the Sony WF-1000XM5, they come close. They also have an excellent transparency mode, although the Buds 2 Pro do lack more fine-tuned noise canceling levels, which is a shame.

It also comes with many other great features for Galaxy device owners. For example, you can get 24-bit audio, unless you’re on an Android device that doesn’t support One UI, in which case you get AAC audio codec, so you’ll miss out on high-res audio tracks. Even so, audio performance is excellent, as you’d expect with earbuds at this price.

In terms of battery life, you get about 5 hours with ANC on and 8 hours with it off, plus another three full charges from the case. The Buds 2 Pro also comes with an IPX7 rating, meaning they’re water-resistant. In other words, they can handle sweat or a bit of wind and rain if you like to go jogging.

The Buds 2 Pro are treated by Samsung as a Galaxy accessory, given all the Galaxy-locked features, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing considering how popular Galaxy devices are. Even so, that might put you off buying the Buds 2 Pro, in which case it might be worth checking out some of these other earbuds and headphone deals for alternatives. And you can check out our roundups of all the best early Black Friday deals at both Amazon and Best Buy for even more bargains on headphones, as well as TVs, kitchen appliances, smart home devices and much more.

We live in a connected world, where losing your cellphone signal doesn’t just mean you can’t check Instagram — it could be a matter of life and death. It doesn’t matter which type of phone you use or even which cellular service provider you have, it’s inevitable that you’ll run into service disruptions, either from bad weather or remote areas that can weaken your phone signal.

Travel is going to be ramping up soon for the winter holidays, and losing your cellphone signal can get you into a real jam. If you want to avoid losing signal when navigating, dropping important calls with friends and family or even missing crucial travel updates and advisories this holiday season, there are several tips and tricks you can use to improve your cellphone signal.

The tried-and-true approach of turning on Airplane mode, waiting a few seconds, and then turning it off again can definitely help with reception. But when that doesn’t work, you might need to take more drastic steps, like removing your SIM card or resetting your network settings.

Before you dive into your phone’s settings, take a few minutes to perform some basic troubleshooting steps that could get your phone working at peak performance.

Note: Although software across different iPhone models is relatively the same, Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel and other Android devices may have different software versions, and so certain settings and where they are located might differ from device to device.

To improve your cellphone service, try these steps first

The settings on your phone can help you get better cell service, but there are other tricks for improving your reception without even touching your phone’s software.

• Move yourself so that there are no obstructions between your phone and any cell towers outside. That might involve stepping away from metal objects or concrete walls, which both kill reception. Instead, get to a window or go outside if possible.
• Remove your phone case. It doesn’t hurt to remove whatever case you have on your phone, especially if it’s thick, so that the phone’s antenna isn’t blocked by anything and can get a better signal.
• Make sure your phone is charged. Searching for and connecting to a stronger signal drains power, so if your phone battery is already low on charge, you may have a difficult time getting good service.

Always start by turning Airplane mode on and off

Turning your phone’s connection off and then back on is the quickest and easiest way to try and fix your signal woes. If you’re moving around from one location to another, toggling Airplane mode restarts the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and cellular network modems, which forces them to find the best signal in the area.

Android: Swipe down from the top of your screen — to access the Quick Settings panel — and then tap the Airplane mode icon. Wait for your phone to completely disconnect from its Wi-Fi and cellular connections. It doesn’t happen instantly, so give it a good 15 seconds before you tap on the Airplane mode icon again.

iPhone: On the iPhone, you can access Airplane mode from the Control Center, but that varies depending on which iPhone model you have. On the iPhone X and later, swipe down from the top-right corner to access the Control Center. On older iPhone models, swipe up from the bottom of the screen. Then tap the Airplane mode icon, which will turn orange when it’s enabled. Again, wait up to 15 seconds before turning it off.

If airplane mode doesn’t work, restart your phone

Our phones are miniature computers, and just like computers, sometimes you can fix issues like network connection by simply restarting them.

Android: Hold down the power button, or the power button and the volume down key (depending on your Android phone), until the on-screen menu shows up, and then tap Restart. If your phone doesn’t offer a restart option, you can simply tap Power Off to shut down your device, and then boot it back up with the power button.

iPhone: On the iPhone X and older models, hold down the sleep/wake button and either one of the volume buttons and then swipe right on the power slider to turn off the device. Wait until it fully turns off, then press down on the sleep/wake button to turn it back on.

Alternatively, you can do a force reset on your iPhone: Press the volume up button, followed by the volume down button and then press and hold the side button. Keep holding it in, after your phone’s screen goes black and until you see the Apple logo appear again.

If your iPhone has a home button, hold down the sleep/wake button until the power slider is displayed and then drag the slider to the right. Once the device is turned off, press and hold the sleep/wake button until you see the Apple logo.

Take your SIM card out of your phone

Another troubleshooting step that might help is to remove your SIM card and then place it back in your phone with the phone turned on. If the SIM card is dirty, clean it. If it has any physical defects, you may need to replace it.

You’ll need a SIM card tool — usually included in your phone’s box — or an unfolded paper clip or sewing needle to get the SIM tray out of your phone.

All phones: Remove the SIM card, check to see if it’s damaged and positioned in the SIM tray correctly, then put it back in your phone.

eSIM: For phones with an eSIM — that is, an embedded electronic SIM in your phone — there’s nothing for you to remove. The best you can do is restart your phone.

Check your carrier settings (and update your software)

Mobile carriers frequently send out carrier settings updates to help improve connectivity for calls, data and messages on their network. Although this feature is available on all iPhone models, it’s not universal on Android, so you might not find carrier settings if you don’t have a supported phone.

iPhone: Carrier updates should just appear, and you can update from the pop-up message that appears. To force your iPhone to check for a carrier settings update, go to Settings > General > About on your phone. If an update is available, you’ll be prompted to install it.

Android: As mentioned before, not all Android phones have carrier settings, so you’ll have to open the Settings app and type in “carrier settings” to find any possible updates. On supported Pixels, go to Settings > Network & internet > Internet, tap the gear next to your carrier name and then tap Carrier settings versions.

Reset your phone’s network settings

Sometimes all you need is a clean slate to fix an annoying connectivity issue. Refreshing your phone’s network settings is one way to do that. But be forewarned, resetting your network settings will also reset any saved Wi-Fi passwords, VPN connections and custom APN settings for those on carriers that require additional setup.

Android: In the Settings app, search for “reset” or more specifically “reset network settings” and tap on the setting. On the Pixel 6 Pro running Android 13, the setting is called Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth. After you reset your network settings, remember to reconnect your phone to your home and work Wi-Fi networks.

iPhone: Go to Settings > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network settings. The next page will warn you that resetting your network settings will reset your settings for Wi-Fi, mobile data and Bluetooth. Tap Reset Network Settings and your phone will restart.

Contact your phone carrier

Sometimes unexpected signal issues can be traced back to problems with your wireless carrier. A cell tower could be down, or the tower’s fiber optic cable could have been cut, causing an outage.

For consistent problems connecting to or staying connected to a cellular or data network, it’s possible your carrier’s coverage doesn’t extend well into your neighborhood. To help, some carriers will offer a network extender — a device that acts as a small wireless tower that relies on your internet connection, such as AT&T’s MicroCell or T-Mobile’s Personal CellSpot.

Other times, a newfound signal issue can be due to a defect with your phone or a SIM card that’s gone bad. Contacting your carrier to begin troubleshooting after you’ve tried these fixes is the next best step to resolving your spotty signal.

If all else fails, try a signal booster to improve cell reception

If after going through all of our troubleshooting steps, including talking to your carrier to go over your options, you’re still struggling to keep a good signal — try a booster. A signal booster receives the same cellular signal your carrier uses, then amplifies it just enough to provide coverage in a room or your entire house.

The big downside here is the cost. Wilson has three different boosters designed for home use, ranging in price from $349 for single room coverage to $999 to cover your entire home. To be clear, we haven’t specifically tested these models. Wilson offers a 30-day money back guarantee and a two-year warranty should you have any trouble with its products.

With your signal issues resolved, using your phone as a mobile hotspot for a backup connection is easy, but there are some things you need to know. If you’re looking for iPhone-specific tips and tricks, check out our guide to hidden features on iOS 16. And for Android fans, we have some hidden features for Android 12 as well.

It was a beautiful October wedding in 2015. The bride wore a princess-inspired ballgown and strolled down the outdoor aisle on the arm of her tuxedoed father, my husband’s cousin. I was glad to have my iPhone 5 to snap some photos. We don’t get to Arizona often, since it’s 1,500 miles away from our Seattle home.

But while standing around outside chit-chatting before the reception, I made the mistake of letting my 7-year-old daughter borrow my fairly new phone to play Plants vs. Zombies. CRASH! It slipped through her fingers and smashed to the hot sidewalk. Now, it was my phone that was the zombie.

Right up until I flipped the damaged phone over, I told myself maybe it wouldn’t be that bad — I’ve dropped my phone dozens of times, and generally, it lives to see another day.

Hey, we all gotta go sometime. This was my phone’s time. The screen was a shattered mess. That Arizona cement does not play. Just touching the screen stabbed my finger with a tiny shard of glass.

Cracked screens are still the most common way phones are damaged, according to a survey this month by Allstate Protection Plans. In the last year alone, people in the US have collectively spent more than $17 billion repairing or replacing their phones.

And while Apple has made huge strides in the technology onboard the iPhone over the years, their durability is still a thing of nightmares: Allstate’s 6-foot drop test found that the latest model, the iPhone 15 Pro Max, shattered on impact with a sidewalk.

Since it’s such a common occurrence, there are a few ways you can prepare for a broken iPhone, from AppleCare Plus to third-party insurers. Here’s what I did, and some other ways to handle a shattered phone.

The solution

When my iPhone hit the sidewalk, I figured I was done for. My phone addiction was going to have to get put on hold until we flew back home and I had the time to figure out my next steps.

I was wrong. My husband, the tech geek in our household, scoffed at the idea of waiting several days and 1,500 miles till I could use my phone again. He bet me we could get it fixed before even trekking to the airport.

I had forgotten that we had paid for AppleCare Plus on our phones, meaning we essentially had an insurance plan that covered repairs. I’m usually the kind of person who shies away the hard sell from salespeople trying to push any form of extended warranty. I don’t trust them, and if I’ve already paid big bucks for some device, I fight against any idea that I should give a store MORE of my money. Didn’t I just pay you? And kind of a large amount?

But we’d ponied up for AppleCare Plus because our phones, for good or for ill, have taken over so much of our lives. It seemed like a good risk. I don’t remember what we paid at the time, but current AppleCare Plus prices are listed here, and range from $4 a month/$80 for two years for an iPhone SE, to $10 a month/$200 for two years for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. (It costs more if you spring for theft and loss coverage.)

I’m sure I still resented the cost when we paid for it. But boy, was I thankful for it as the wedding danced on.

The save

Even something as ho-hum as getting your phone repaired seems weird outside of your own ZIP code. Where do you go, can you trust them and what if they can’t get it done before you have to leave town? There wasn’t an Apple store anywhere close to the former mining camp town (population 7,000) where the wedding took place. But we had to drive back to the Phoenix area to catch our flight, and thankfully, there were multiple Apple stores on the way.

And then, we got lucky. Back home in Seattle, I’ve had to wait as long as a week to get an appointment at the Apple Genius Bar. But somehow, the Scottsdale store had a next-day appointment. That morning, we bade farewell to the bride, groom and family, and drove the rental car 80-some miles to the store that had an opening. While the four of us — me, my husband, my still-apologetic daughter and my 80-year-old mother-in-law — strolled the connected shopping mall, those miracle workers at Apple popped out the destroyed screen and popped on a new one. Aside from one other not-so-visible chip, the rest of the phone was fine.

Not all my experiences with Apple have been this smooth. When I’ve had laptop issues in the past, Apple has had to send out my machine for repairs, and I’ve been without it for a week or more. Not ideal when you’re a writer who depends on your device for work.

But this phone repair took maybe a couple of hours — just enough time for my husband to pick out a pair of Vans at the mall, and for our daughter to ride the carousel with Mom. I had the phone back in time to use it for our online boarding passes at the airport. I think we paid $29. Without AppleCare Plus, it surely would’ve been hundreds more.

The what ifs

But what if we hadn’t had AppleCare Plus? It certainly isn’t the only option to protect your phone. In this article, CNET writer Mike Sorrentino examines whether AppleCare Plus or a cellphone insurance plan offered by some wireless carriers are the better deal. It’s going to depend on your situation. You could also go with third-party insurers like SquareTrade, an Allstate company that covers accidents to your phone and offers repairs through a variety of ways, from mail-in to drop-off at a local store, including Apple products at the Genius Bar. Another company, Asurion, offers insurance for smartphones, tablets, consumer electronics and more, with screen repairs starting at $79.

The main benefit with other insurance, it appears, is that AppleCare Plus must be purchased within 60 days of when you buy your phone. SquareTrade, however, notes on its website that it covers “any phone, old or new,” with “continuous coverage when you upgrade phones.”

I’m no shill for Apple or AppleCare Plus — I get no kickback from Tim Cook and have no stock in the company (I wish). I’m still super suspicious of extended warranties, protection plans and anything that salespeople try to ladle on to your purchase. But damn if AppleCare Plus hasn’t saved my butt on more than one occasion, including this one. This wedding had a happily-ever-after ending after all.

Editors’ note: CNET and Asurion have an advertising partnership. This story is editorially independent from that relationship.

Google Chrome has been my primary browser for as long as I can remember. From the moment I configured my first MacBook Air, I’ve been a Chrome loyalist. To be honest, even though I’ve always owned Apple products, I’ve never really paid that much attention to Safari. Chrome always seemed easier to use and, frankly, appeared to have more to offer. However, with its newest release, its safe to say that Safari has turned my head.

MacOS Sonoma dropped earlier this fall, and brought some interesting upgrades to Apple’s web browser. These changes aren’t necessarily revolutionary, but they’re a nice collection of tweaks that add up to make Safari appealing to me in a way it never was before.

These are my favorite new Safari features. For more, here are the ways MacOS Sonoma is catching up Macs up to iPhones and MacOS shortcuts you need to know.

Profiles come to Safari

While browser profiles aren’t new to the game, Safari’s are different. Profiles on other browsers are usually meant for other people — family members or guests — who would be sharing the same computer as you, or at least the same browser. Safari’s browsing profiles are more targeted at your own browsing experience, with Apple showcasing profiles for “School” and “Home.” Though, if you want to use Safari on a shared computer, you can still create separate profiles for each user.

If you want to set up Profiles on Safari, it’s easy to do. All you need to do is open Safari, click Safari in the menu bar and then click Create Profile (this will change to Manage Profile after you create your first profile) -> Start Using Profiles.

When creating a new profile, you’ll need to give it a name (optionally you can pick an icon and color for your profile) and select whether you want to create a new folder for bookmarks or use one of your pre-existing bookmark folders for the new profile.

After you’ve created your profile, you can switch between your Safari profiles by clicking the box at the top next to the search bar that says the name of the profile you’re currently browsing on.

Web apps on your Dock

Before MacOS Sonoma, if a favorite app of yours wasn’t available to download on your Mac, you couldn’t access it via an app icon in the Dock. With Sonoma, that’s not quite true anymore. If you have a favorite website, you can now create a web app version of it you can place in your dock. This allows you to open the website and use it separately from the Safari browser — think of Safari’s new web apps like bookmarks on steroids.

While the web app may look and behave like its webpage equivalent on Safari, there are differences. A web app doesn’t share browsing history, cookies, website data, or settings with Safari, Apple said. Everything stays in the web app.

It’s easy to set up web apps on your dock. Go to the website you want to turn into a web app in Safari, then just go to File > Add To Dock. Alternatively, you can click the Share button, which looks like a square with an arrow coming out of the top, and then select Add to Dock.

After you’ve selected Add to Dock you are good to go. You can tinker with some settings, like the name of the app, but otherwise, you’re all set. If you want to change the settings in your web app, all you’ll need to do is open the app, click the app’s name in the menu bar and then click Settings.

Reigning champions Man City could confirm their place in the knockout stages of this season’s UEFA Champions League with a win today at home against Young Boys.

Sitting pretty at the top of Group G on nine points after three straight wins, City boss Pep Guardiola will be determined for his men to deliver another victory here — a result that would allow him to rotate his squad for the remaining pool fixtures.

The reverse fixture in Bern, Switzerland, a fortnight ago saw Young Boys put in a valiant effort to hold out City for long periods, but the Premier League giants ultimately prevailed with a 3-1 win.

Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch every game live wherever you are in the world.

Manchester City vs. Young Boys: When and where?

Man City play Young Boys at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. GMT local time in the UK (3 p.m. ET, 12 p.m. PT in the US and Canada, and 7 a.m. AEDT on Wednesday, Nov. 8 in Australia).

How to watch Man City vs. Young Boys game online from anywhere using a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view Champions League matches locally, you may need a different way to watch the action — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.

With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. So if your internet provider or mobile carrier has stuck you with an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can correct that problem by giving you an IP address in your correct, nonblackout area. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.

Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.

Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.

Livestream Man City vs. Young Boys in the US

American soccer fans can stream every fixture of this season’s tournament via Paramount Plus, which has exclusive live English-language broadcast rights in the US for UEFA Champions League matches.

Livestream Man City vs. Young Boys in the UK

Champions League live broadcast rights in the UK are held by TNT Sports (formerly known as BT Sport).

Livestream Manchester City vs. Young Boys in Canada

If you want to stream UCL games live in Canada, you’ll need to subscribe to DAZN Canada. The service has exclusive broadcast rights to the Champions League this season.

Livestream Man City vs. Young Boys in Australia

Football fans Down Under can watch UCL matches on streaming service Stan Sport, which has exclusive rights to show the Champions League live in Australia this season.

Quick tips for streaming UEFA Champions League matches using a VPN

• With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming Champions League games may vary.
• If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
• If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
• All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
• And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.

Yes, Black Friday might be around the corner but why wait when you can get your hands on this Anker 20K portable charger with a built-in USB-C cable with a massive 20% off right now?

This portable charger would normally retail for around $50 but if you clip the on-screen coupon before adding it to your cart Amazon will sell you one for just $40 instead.

This battery pack not only has a built-in USB-C cable so that you won’t need to remember to take one with you, but it also comes in four different colors as well. There’s no reason why these most functional of devices shouldn’t also be fun to use, and Anker’s choice of purple, white, pink and black colors sure is a vibe. It’s the purple one that you’ll see at the top of this post and it might just be our favorite of the four.

On the inside, all four battery packs are the same and feature a 20,000mAh battery despite the small frame. You’ll be able to charge all of your favorite USB-C devices thanks to that 22.5W USB-C cable that’s attached, and that includes the latest iPhone 15.

Need to charge other things? There’s an additional USB-C port while a USB-A port is also offered should you need it. That means that you can charge three things at once, perfect for those carrying an iPhone, AirPods and an iPad for example.

Charging isn’t all this thing can do — there’s a handy built-in stand as well so you can prop your phone up while it’s charging.

Amazon hasn’t said when this discount will come to an end but this is the first time this particular battery pack has been available as part of a deal, so it might not be here for long. And remember, the Amazon Black Friday event is sure to kick into gear soon as well.

Upgrading to a top-tier operating system can cost a pretty penny, but if you’re looking to snag the latest Windows OS at a steal, you won’t want to miss this deal. Purchasing a license for Windows 11 Pro through Microsoft directly will run you a whopping $200. But bargain hunters looking for a deep discount can snag a Windows 11 Pro lifetime license for just $25 during StackSocial’s Holiday Frenzy sale filled with early Black Friday deals. That’s an 87% discount and the lowest price we’ve seen. This offer is slated to end Nov. 10, so be sure to get your order in soon if you don’t want to miss out on these incredible savings.

This is a great price, but it’s important to note that not every computer out there is able to run Windows 11, so before you buy it, you’re going to want to ensure that your computer will meet the requirements for the operating system. Additionally, the listing says that if you have a PC that’s already running Windows 10, and Windows Update doesn’t let you install the free Windows 11 upgrade, your computer won’t be compatible with this version either.

The activation key that’s provided following your purchase can be used to install and activate Windows 11 Pro on three computers. To be clear, purchases like this are generally intended for advanced users — those who are building a new computer or who want to dual-boot an existing computer with a second OS. To that end, you will need a secondary PC to access and download the files, so be sure you can access everything from another computer in your home or you have a friend’s machine that you can use temporarily. (You’ll also want to have a USB thumb drive on hand to transfer the file.)

Read more: Preview and Shop Early Deals at Best Buy, Walmart, B&H and More

Barcelona can seal their spot in the UEFA Champions League knockout stages today with a win over Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Spanish giants have won all three of their matches in Group H to top the group, bagging eight goals and conceding just once. However, Barça come into this clash without key midfielder Frenkie De Jong thanks to an ankle knock, adding to an injury list that also includes skipper Sergi Roberto.

While Shakhtar have lost two of their three games so far in the group, including last month’s battling 2-1 defeat in the reverse fixture, the Ukrainians’ win over Antwerp in Gameweek 2 means they’re still very much in the mix for qualification to the knockout stages. With the war in Ukraine ongoing, Shakhtar are playing their home games in borrowed venues, today in Hamburger SV’s Volksparkstadion.

Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch every game live wherever you are in the world.

Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Barcelona: When and where?

Shakhtar Donetsk play Barcelona at Volksparkstadion in Hamburg on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Kickoff is set for 6.45 p.m. CET local time in Germany (12:45 p.m. ET, 9:45 a.m. PT in the US and Canada, 5:45 p.m. GMT in the UK, and 4:45 a.m. AEDT on Wednesday, Nov. 8 in Australia).

How to watch Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Barcelona game online from anywhere using a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view Champions League matches locally, you may need a different way to watch the action — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.

With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. So if your internet provider or mobile carrier has stuck you with an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can correct that problem by giving you an IP address in your correct, nonblackout area. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.

Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.

Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.

Livestream Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Barcelona in the US

American soccer fans can stream every fixture of this season’s tournament via Paramount Plus, which has exclusive live English-language broadcast rights in the US for UEFA Champions League matches.

Livestream Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Barcelona in the UK

Champions League live broadcast rights in the UK are held by TNT Sports (formerly known as BT Sport).

Livestream Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Barcelona in Canada

If you want to stream UCL games live in Canada, you’ll need to subscribe to DAZN Canada. The service has exclusive broadcast rights to the Champions League this season.

Livestream Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Barcelona in Australia

Football fans Down Under can watch UCL matches on streaming service Stan Sport, which has exclusive rights to show the Champions League live in Australia this season.

Quick tips for streaming UEFA Champions League matches using a VPN

• With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming Champions League games may vary.
• If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
• If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
• All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
• And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.

OpenAI, the company whose ChatGPT brought AI chatbots to mainstream awareness, said Monday that it’ll let you build special-purpose AI apps using its technology. And with a new app store coming that’ll let you find or share these GPTs, as the company is calling these customized artificial intelligence tools, OpenAI looks like it’s hoping to have something an iPhone moment.

You don’t need to know how to program to make a new GPT. You have to give it plain-language instructions, upload some of your own knowledge in the form of PDFs, videos or other files, then steer the bot’s purpose in a direction like creating images or searching the web.

“GPTs are tailored versions of ChatGPT for a specific purpose,” OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman said at the OpenAI DevDay conference in San Francisco. He demonstrated the technology, telling the build system to create an advice-giving app for startups that draws from videos of his own talks that he uploaded. And he expects many more GPTs to arrive.

“Eventually, you’ll have your personalized GPTs that can call out to lots of other GPTs,” Altman said. “You’ll be able to accomplish very complex things by bringing different services together.”

Also at its DevDay, OpenAI talked up a new large language model called GPT-4 Turbo that can handle much larger, more complex prompts.

OpenAI is at the cusp of the AI revolution, training its enormously complex LLM to recognize patterns on vast swaths of text like internet chat forums. The AI technology can accept prompts like “explain the concept of hell in Dante’s Inferno” and generate its own response. The company also offers generative AI that can create images through its Dall-E technology. More than 100 million people use ChatGPT each week, Altman said.

AI systems aren’t trustworthy when it comes to facts, which is why AI proponents like OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Meta and Anthropic often position chatbots as assistants or co-pilots that still require human supervision. But their abilities to do things like create illustrations or summarize legal documents are powerful enough to have spooked many that AI could replace human employees.

The new special-purpose GPT technology could help take AI to a new level. For one thing, the GPT app idea could help people get more use out of AI with focused tools. For another, being able to tune those tools to your own needs — for example with a particular data set or image style — could improve AI beyond the vast, generic abilities that come with ChatGPT today. Last, building an app store is a tried and true way for a big business to turn a broad computing foundation into a business that lots of people pay to use.

If you’re curious, you can try out the custom GPT technology on OpenAI’s website. The interface nudges you through the process, asking what you want the tool to do, requesting files to upload and volunteering a name.

And next month, OpenAI will publish many of these chatbots through a new GPT store interface. OpenAI didn’t reveal pricing details, but the company will share revenue with those who build the custom GPTs and eventually offer subscriptions to individual ones, Altman said.

The GPT apps should appeal to businesses trying to automate tasks and give them conversational interface, said Gartner analyst Arun Chandrasekaran. But it’ll be real work to manage these chatbots as needs and usage changes, he said. In other words, next-gen tech tools still come with the maintenance hassles of their predecessors.

OpenAI is revamping its core large language model to be more powerful. Next on the priority list will be making it faster, Altman said. That’ll be good news for anyone who’s stared at ChatGPT’s interface waiting for a response.

GPT-4 Turbo arrives at developer event

At OpenAI’s first developer event, hundreds of programmers gathered to hear the latest developments about building their own services on the company’s GPT technology.

Among the new abilities OpenAI will offer developers, and thus to all of us who use those developers’ tools, is the new GPT-4 Turbo large language model. It’s capable of much larger, more complex prompts, and it’s also been optimized so it’ll cost less for developers to use.

When hearing of the more powerful prompt abilities, developers at the event cheered loudly. But it’s not just for developers: GPT-4 Turbo is now also the brains behind the ChatGPT service.

GPT-4 Turbo also is trained on more recent data, including information published up to April 2023. That’s a big improvement over the first version of GPT-3 and its ChatGPT chatbot interface, which were years out of date when they arrived a year ago.

And GPT-4 Turbo can accept images as input, which means OpenAI’s technology can be used to perform tasks like identifying objects in a photo or generating a caption. As for creating images, the new model can do so with the new Dall-E 3 technology.

Another big change for developers is the ability to create assistants — AI bots that can take actions on your behalf. OpenAI demonstrated one that went through the DevDay attendee list and granted each developer $500 in GPT usage credits.

And for enterprise customers OpenAI now will cover any legal costs resulting from copyright infringement claims through a feature called Copyright Shield. That’s potentially reassuring given lawsuits that authors and artists have filed against AI services they argue were trained using their creations without authorization.

No price cut for ChatGPT Plus

Developers cheered the cost optimization and the usage credit. But those financial perks won’t mean a price cut for ChatGPT Plus subscriptions, which cost consumers $20 per month.

“For now, people seem very happy with the price,” Altman said. Instead, the company is working on making ChatGPT more powerful, he said. “They want more usage and more stuff, so that’s what we’re focused on.”

Editors’ note: CNET is using an AI engine to help create some stories. For more, see this post.