A proper at-home office setup requires the essential components: a nice desk, some office decor, wireless charging stations for a clean workspace and a good computer that will help you get your work done. And if you regularly use your computer at a single location, then a desktop is a better option for you than a laptop.
Other upsides to getting a desktop are the Zoom meeting camera angles: You don’t have to worry about your camera shaking with slight touches or picking up background sounds like typing. Being able to operate a separate mouse and keyboard is also an advantage of getting a desktop.
You can find a good desktop on all computer sites including Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo and more. We’ve rounded up some of the best prices we’ve found and almost all the good deals were at Best Buy, where you can save hundreds on quality desktops.
Asus ROG Gaming laptops and desktops are perfect for the avid gamer. This gaming desktop runs Windows 11 and delivers exhilarating gaming experiences powered by a 12th-gen Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia GeForce graphics.
This pricey desktop boasts 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD. The 27-inch screen is nearly frameless and it can swivel to a vertical position, which is why this desktop falls under Lenovo’s Yoga series (which is usually for flexible laptops). The display is also touchscreen with 4K Ultra HD visuals. You get a powerful AMN Ryzen 7 processor coupled with 16GB RAM, making this desktop perfect for graphics-heavy gaming and video editing.
Powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 5000 Series processor and 8GB of RAM, this desktop has a storage capacity of 512GB and comes in ceramic white. Don’t let the name scare you. From top to bottom, this system was built specifically for gaming performance but it can be used for just about anything. It runs Windows 11 and can support Wi-Fi 6. This tower is usually $1,050, but you can save $300 at Best Buy.
Dell Inspiron laptops have been around for a while and there are also desktops that match the quality of the Dell staple. This 24-inch Inspiron desktop runs AMD Ryzen 5, 8GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD. The 1920×1080 resolution on a full HD 10-point multitouch screen makes it easy to touch, tap and glide through Windows 10. The desktop has a built-in card reader and supports Wi-Fi 6. All of this comes in well below $1,000.
This HP desktop has a thoughtfully designed three-sided micro-edge display that lets you see more screen; it also has a pop-up privacy camera that tucks away when not in use. It operates Windows 11 and an AMD Ryzen 7 5000 processor. The desktop is equipped with 12GB RAM and an internal SSD of 1TB. You can easily stream 4K content and play your favorite games with this desktop with dual front-facing speakers.
The Lenovo IdeaCentre was inspired by the great outdoors — specifically, cypress trees. It’s built to be balanced and durable without sacrificing performance. It features a 10th-gen Intel Core i5 processor and a 27-inch Quad HD multitouch screen with a 2560×1440 resolution for super sharp images. Also, 12GB RAM will help you breeze through projects that you can store in the 512GB SSD.
Serious gamers will love this desktop. The Predator Orion has 16GB of RAM and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card, 1TB of Gen 4 SSD storage — all running on Intel Core i7. The stats are impressive and so is the look of the desktop. It has a multihued ambience of ARGB with FrostBlade fans that hum in high-speed harmony.
If you’re flying over the holidays, there’s a lot to keep track of: Your tickets, your luggage, your loved ones and more.
Almost all airlines will let you use a digital version of your boarding pass. Now some states are allowing residents to clear airport security with a digital version of their driver’s license or other approved identification stored in their Apple Wallet.
Rather than root through your pocketbook, all you have to do is flash your iPhone or Apple Watch.
“The addition of driver’s licenses and state IDs to Apple Wallet is an important step in our vision of replacing the physical wallet with a secure and easy-to-use mobile wallet,” Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, said in a statement in 2021.
It’s not quite a universal game-changer yet: While 12 states have committed to digital IDs, only three have officially started accepting them. And while the airport you depart from might accept a license on your Apple Watch, you might not be extended the same courtesy on the return trip.
The Transportation Security Administration is already supporting the technology at select airport security checkpoints, though. So it’s really a question of when, not if the option becomes available nationwide.
Here’s what you need to know about putting your driver’s license in your Apple Wallet, including how to do it and which states recognize digital IDs.
How do I add my driver’s license to my Apple Wallet?
Apple built the technology to upload your ID to your Apple Wallet into iOS 15 for the iPhone. The process is similar to how you would add a new credit card.
First, tap the “plus” button at the top of the screen in Wallet. (If you have an Apple Watch paired to your iPhone, it will ask you about adding your license there, as well.)
To add a ID to your Apple Wallet, tap the “plus” button at the top of the screen.
Dan Avery/CNET
You’ll then scan your physical driver’s license with your iPhone’s camera and take a selfie, “which will be securely provided to the issuing state for verification,” according to Apple.
You’ll also be asked to complete a series of face and head movements “as an additional security step.”
Once your ID has been verified by the state that issued it, it will be added to your Wallet.
To be able to add your license or ID to Apple Wallet, it will need to be issued from a participating state. In addition, you’ll need:
An Apple ID with two-factor authentication turned on
Your device region set to the US
For now, only residents of Arizona, Colorado and Maryland can upload their licenses.
Dan Avery/CNET
Also, only passengers with TSA PreCheck on their boarding pass are eligible to flash digital licenses, according to the TSA website, though the agency said it plans to add the option for other passengers in the future.
Only one license or ID can be added to an iPhone and paired Apple Watch at a time.
Which states accept digital ID?
Apple initially announced in 2021 that eight states were participating in the program, then bumped the number to 12 this year.
But those are states committed to accepting Apple Wallet IDs, not that currently do.
Right now, only Arizona, Colorado and Maryland support the digital identification feature — and only at select security checkpoints at these airports:
Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma and Utah have all agreed to support the initiative, as has Puerto Rico, though specific timetables have not been announced.
Other states are expected to join this roster: Last year Bailey said Apple was “already in discussions with many more states.”
And in November, the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles said it was “exploring” the digital ID option.
“There is a proviso that created a study committee on the idea and they are still undergoing research,” spokeswoman Maranda Williams told The State, a Columbia, South Carolina, news outlet.
Separate from Apple’s efforts, some states allow residents to upload their driver’s licenses to their phones through state-operated apps, like Louisiana’s LA Wallet. But these are for driving and age verification purposes and are not accepted by TSA yet.
Apple
How do I use a license stored in my Apple Wallet at TSA?
To present your digital ID, tap your iPhone or Apple Watch on the identity reader at the security checkpoint.
You’ll then be prompted to authenticate your identification with Face ID or Touch ID.
If it’s successful, a checkmark should appear on the screen.
According to Apple, “you don’t need to unlock, show or hand over your device [to a TSA agent].”
Is this technology secure?
According to Apple, it is.
A statement on the Apple Support website says the program uses the same privacy and security features already in the iPhone and Apple Watch to prevent tampering and theft.
“Your driver’s license or state ID data is encrypted,” it said. “Neither the state issuing authority nor Apple can see when and where you use your license or ID, and biometric authentication using Face ID and Touch ID helps make sure that only you can view and use your license or ID.”
The TSA has also endorsed digital IDs.
“Digital identity has the ability to strengthen airport security and enhance the passenger experience by reducing touchpoints, providing greater privacy, and verifying IDs more accurately,” the agency said in a statement.
If my state accepts digital IDs, do I still need my physical license at the airport?
Yes. The program is still in its infancy, and there’s no guarantee the checkpoint you use will be set up to accept a driver’s license on your Apple Wallet.
“All passengers must continue to have readily available their physical driver’s license,” according to the Transportation Security Administration website. “The TSA officer may require this physical ID in addition to the digital ID.”
Where else can I use my digital ID?
With the rollout of iOS 16 in June, apps that require age or identity verification should now be able to accept ID cards stored in your Apple Wallet app, Apple said. Uber Eats and car-share service Turo were cited as two apps that could potentially offer this functionality, according to MacRumors, but neither has officially done so.
Apple added that retailers, restaurants and other venues will make use of the feature in the future.
Digital IDs are not currently accepted by police or departments of motor vehicles.
I have an Android phone. Can I upload my ID to Google Wallet?
In a December 2022 system update, Google announced it was beta testing allowing Android phone users to upload their driver’s licenses to Google Wallet “for convenient, private and secure presentation.”
Google said the feature would be available in “selected US state(s),” it didn’t indicate which ones or when.
While most of the NFL’s Week 16 slate was pushed up to Saturday, there’s Christmas football cheer left to go on Sunday, too. There are three national games on the docket for today: Packers vs. Dolphins at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) on Fox, Broncos vs. Rams at 4:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. PT) on CBS and finally Buccaneers vs. Cardinals at 8:20 p.m. ET (5:20 p.m. PT) on NBC.
Here’s what you need to know to stream the games live this weekend, and our recommendations for watching the rest of the 2022 NFL season, including RedZone, week in and week out.
Tyreek Hill and the Miami Dolphins host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images
What are my streaming options for NFL games in 2022?
Paying for cable is the easiest solution, but not the cheapest. For cord-cutters looking to save some money, NFL football streaming options can get complicated, with games played across three different days and nights each week on different channels and streaming services.
Most NFL games are played on Sunday, with a game each week on Thursday night and another each week on Monday night. On Sundays, games start at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) and 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. ET), with most AFC teams on CBS and most NFC teams on Fox.
Although the first Thursday night game was on NBC, the rest of the games for Thursday Night Football (with the exception of Week 12’s Thanksgiving Thursday games) will be shown on Amazon Prime Video. Unlike last season, Prime Video is now the exclusive home of Thursday Night Football and the games are no longer available on Fox or the NFL Network, though the games will be available on TV in teams’ local markets.
As in previous seasons, Monday Night Football games will be on ESPN.
All five of the live TV streaming services carry ESPN and Fox, and all but Sling TV carry CBS. All but DirecTV Stream carry the NFL Network. For the games on CBS and Fox, keep in mind that not every service carries every local network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries CBS and Fox in your area.
In addition to Prime Video, there are three other streaming services that cord-cutting NFL fans should consider. The paid Premium plan of Paramount Plus will show CBS games on Sundays, and the paid Premium plan of Peacock will show NBC’s broadcasts of Sunday Night Football.
Wait, there’s one more streaming service to consider for the remainder of the year. Prior to the season, the NFL launched a new streaming service for watching games on your phone or tablet — no casting to your TV. In past years, you could do this for free with the Yahoo Sports app, but now you’ll need to pay $5 a month or $40 for the season for the NFL Plus subscription. With it, you’ll be able to watch every local game on Sunday and the national games on Sunday, Monday and Thursday nights as well as the playoffs and Super Bowl — again, only on your phone or tablet.
Lastly, there’s NFL RedZone, a channel that springs to life each fall and shows live NFL action during the Sunday afternoon games. It pops in and out of the live games and attempts to show each touchdown scored in each game. RedZone is available as an add-on on four of the five major live TV streaming services — all but DirecTV Stream.
Where can I stream the NFL Network?
For fans used to watching the NFL on CBS or Fox, these NFL Network games can be tough to find. That’s where we come in.
A number of the major streaming services offer the NFL Network, including YouTube TV, Sling Blue, Hulu Plus Live TV and FuboTV. The least expensive is Sling TV Blue, which costs $40 per month. All of those options include the NFL Network with their respective base tiers.
Those with the NFL app and an NFL Plus subscription will also be able to watch this game on a phone.
Best for everything: YouTube TV ($65)
Sarah Tew/CNET
Our pick from the last two years remains our go-to choice in 2022.
At $65 per month each, YouTube TV checks all the NFL boxes. Local channels CBS, NBC and Fox are included in many markets, and ESPN and the NFL Network are also included so you can watch Sundays and Monday nights. The next best options are FuboTV and Hulu Plus Live TV; both offer the same channels as YouTube TV for NFL fans, but for $70 a month.
Want to follow your fantasy team with RedZone? That’s available on all three services as part of an add-on. If you’re a YouTube TV subscriber, you can add the $11 per month Sports Plus add-on by clicking on your profile and going to Settings, then the Membership tab. FuboTV subscribers can go into My Profile and choose Manage Add-ons to get its $11-per-month Sports Plus with NFL RedZone offering. And Hulu users can now add RedZone for $10 per month with its Sports add-on.
Both YouTube TV and FuboTV allow three people to watch at once (Hulu allows two live streams) and all three have apps on nearly every mobile device and major streaming platform, including Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, Roku and Apple TV.
While all three are largely similar, we like YouTube TV for its superior DVR — unlimited storage compared with 30 hours on FuboTV and 50 hours on Hulu. We also like YouTube TV because it gives you an option to stream in 4K for an extra $20 a month. FuboTV does, too, with its $80-a-month Elite plan. Keep in mind that only Fox and NBC offer 4K NFL broadcasts; CBS and ESPN do not.
DirecTV Stream offers the main broadcast channels for NFL games, but it starts at $70 per month and lacks the NFL Network and RedZone.
Sling TV’s Orange and Blue plan for $55 a month gets you ESPN and the NFL Network, and, in select major markets, Fox and/or NBC, but you’ll still lack CBS. You can also add RedZone for $11 per month with the Sports Extra add-on.
The cheapest way to stream NFL RedZone
NFL RedZone shows every touchdown scored during the Sunday afternoon games each week.
Rob Carr/Getty Images
A frequent fan-favorite method of following all the NFL action on Sundays, RedZone is a way to catch every big play around the league. The cheapest road to RedZone is to get Sling TV Blue for $40 per month and add the $11 per month Sports Extra add-on.
This option can also be streamed on a host of devices including iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV and web browsers.
Note: If you only subscribe to Sling’s Orange package you won’t be able to get RedZone in Sports Extra. Your base package needs to be either Sling Blue or its larger Sling Blue Plus Orange bundle for you to be able to get RedZone as an add-on. If you choose the latter, the Sports Extra add-on is more, $15 per month, as you will also get additional channels like the SEC Network, ACC Network and PAC 12 Network.
If you mainly plan to watch on a phone, you can also check out RedZone Mobile, which is in the NFL app. This is a separate subscription from NFL Plus and runs $35 for the season (which breaks down to around $7.78 per month for the roughly four-and-a-half months of regular season football). While this is one of the cheapest ways to get RedZone, be aware that — similar to NFL Plus — you will not be able to AirPlay or Chromecast it onto a larger screen and will need to watch on your phone.
Budget alternative for NFC fans in big cities: Sling Blue ($40) or antenna ($20 one-time)
Sarah Tew/CNET
Those looking to save some cash might want to check out Sling Blue for $40 a month. While it lacks ESPN, meaning you’ll miss out on Monday Night Football, in select markets you’ll be able to get Fox and NBC. The catch is that those markets are mainly in big cities, so if you live outside one of those areas, Sling Blue might not be for you.
You can also add RedZone through the company’s $11 per month Sports Extra add-on.
Fox broadcasts most NFC games on Sundays, while NBC has Sunday Night Football. CBS, which broadcasts the bulk of AFC games, isn’t included on Sling at all. But an antenna can fill those local channel gaps without a monthly charge.
Budget alternatives for AFC fans: Paramount Plus (or an antenna)
Sarah Tew/CNET
There are some apps that offer CBS’ slate of Sunday AFC games live, including Paramount Plus’ Premium tier for $10 per month. Depending on where you live, however, your local CBS station (and those NFL games) might not be available. CBS offers livestreaming services in many markets; you can check for yourself if your area has live CBS streaming here.
An antenna is another option for getting CBS. And as we mentioned above, an over-the-air antenna connected to your TV provides another option, no streaming or monthly fee required, as long as you have good reception.
Thursday Night Football: Amazon Prime Video
In past years, Thursday Night Football games were shown on Prime Video but were also available on Fox or the NFL Network. This year, starting Week 2, the games on Thursday nights are available only on Prime Video, giving NFL fans more incentive than free two-day shipping to sign up for an Amazon Prime account for $15 a month or $139 a year. You can also subscribe only to Prime Video for $9 a month.
The first eight games on Amazon Prime Video’s exclusive Thursday Night Football coverage for the 2022 NFL season.
Amazon
What about Sunday Ticket?
For one more season, NFL Sunday Ticket is still largely limited to DirecTV satellite subscribers. While that is expected to change in 2023, those who live in buildings that can’t add a satellite dish can already get a streaming version to watch football starting at $294 for its To Go package for the season, or $396 for a Max package that includes the RedZone channel (a student version is also available at a discount). You can check your address on the Sunday Ticket site. Both packages have a one-week free trial.
With the season well past the halfway point, those prices have dropped to $220.47 for the To Go option and $281.97 for Max.
The problem here, however, is that even if you’re eligible, it doesn’t include local games. You can only watch Sunday games that aren’t being broadcast on CBS, Fox or NBC in your area. They also won’t be helpful come playoff time — as you’ll need your local stations and ESPN to catch all those games.
For $65 a month, you’ll get all the major football channels with YouTube TV. Plus, RedZone is available for an extra $11 per month. Plug in your ZIP code on YouTube TV’s welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area.
Sling TV’s $40-a-month Blue plan includes NBC, Fox and the NFL Network. Enter your address here to see which local channels are available where you live. NFL RedZone is also available for an extra $11 per month.
Note: This version of Sling TV does not include ESPN. For that, you’ll need to switch to the similarly priced Orange plan or go for the combined $55 per month Orange and Blue bundle. With the combined plan, RedZone is an extra $15 per month.
Those looking for CBS’ Sunday games will be able to stream them on Paramount Plus with its $10 per month Premium tier. You can check for yourself if your area has live CBS streaming here.
Thursday Night games are available only on Amazon Prime Video. For millions of Amazon Prime subscribers, the Prime Video channel is already included at no extra cost. But if you’re not a subscriber, it might be worth it to shell out the$9 a month for the stand-aloneTV service fee.
This story is part of 12 Days of Tips, helping you make the most of your tech, home and health during the holiday season.
You should always mess with your iPhone‘s settings, especially if you just got a new one — maybe even as a gift this Christmas. There’s always something you can toggle on or off to make your iPhone work better for you, you just need to know where to look. If you’re burning through battery, you might always turn on low-power mode. If you working out is your thing, you might set up a shortcut to automatically turn on your workout playlist when you walk into the gym.
No matter what you need, you’re bound to find some cool customization options — some that you know and others that you might have never heard of — in your settings. Want to declutter your home screen? Use your battery a little less throughout the day? You can do all of that and more with these 22 iOS settings.
No matter how many settings you toggle off and on, battery life will always be an issue, especially if you’re traveling and don’t always have access to your fast charger. If you’re constantly on-the-go and need some juice, you should consider getting this affordable and slim MagSafe charger that can charge your iPhone from zero to 50% in just 30 minutes.
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1. Stop apps from tracking your exact location
Apps like Doordash, Postmates, Google Maps and Waze all require your exact location to deliver food to the right location or direct you to where you want to go. But not all apps need to know precisely where you are at every moment.
You can easily prevent any app from tracking your exact location. In the Settings app, choose an application (like Instagram, for example), tap Location and then toggle off Precise Location. Any app with Precise Location off will only know your approximate location, within a few miles.
Don’t toggle this feature off for apps that require exact location, like food delivery and navigation services.
Nelson Aguilar/CNET
2. Turn the back of your iPhone into a button
The back of your iPhone can be used as a secret button to activate certain actions, like take a screenshot or enable low power mode, and run shortcuts that can automatically play music when you arrive at the gym or turn on your smart lights when you get home. However, the option is hidden deep in your settings — here’s how to find it.
In the Settings app, go to Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap and choose one of the two tapping options (double or triple tap). You should see a list of actions you can run by tapping the back of your iPhone, like opening your camera, turning on the flashlight, scrolling up and down and more. Tap on on action or shortcut to set it for double or triple tap.
Tap on the back of your phone to do all kinds of fancy tricks.
Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET
3. Bring back full-screen incoming call alerts
If your iPhone is unlocked and you receive a phone call, a banner-style notification will appear at the top of your screen, with a photo and name of the person calling, and the options to pick up or deny the call. But this banner wasn’t always there.
Before iOS 14, the incoming call screen would take over your entire display when your iPhone was unlocked and in use. It was disruptive, sure, but it also got the job done.
When the banner appeared, it was a welcome change for many, because it’s more discreet and allows you to still use your phone while receiving a call. However, if for any reason you’re not a big fan of the banner and want to revert to the more attention-grabbing full-screen alert, go to Settings > Phone > Incoming Calls and tap Full Screen.
This incoming call alert isn’t ideal for everyone.
Jason Cipriani/CNET
4. Turn off 5G coverage you don’t want or have
Apple touts a Smart Data feature that’s specific to its 5G phones (iPhone 12 and iPhone 13) that will automatically switch between 4G LTE and 5G networks based on how you’re using your device.
However, you may find that your iPhone’s battery drains faster than it did before. If you don’t want to sacrifice battery life for faster 5G speeds, shut it down. You can always turn 5G back on when you want it, or when service in your area improves.
To turn off 5G on your iPhone 12 or iPhone 13, forcing it to always use 4G LTE even if you have 5G coverage, open the Settings app, then go to Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Voice & Data and tap LTE.
Alternatively, if you want your iPhone to exclusively use a 5G connection when available, you can select 5G On.
5G is nice, if you have access, but it can also be a battery hog.
5. Fine-tune how much data is used by a 5G connection
If you’re happy with your 5G performance, here’s a network-related setting you should check out. Go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Data Mode, where you’ll find three different options: Allow more data on 5G, Standard and Low Data Mode.
Even though there are brief descriptions below the three different settings, they don’t paint a complete picture for the first option. According to an Apple support document, allowing more data on 5G will give you high-quality video and FaceTime calls. It also enables your phone to download software updates and stream high-definition Apple TV and Apple Music content, and it allows third-party developers to also improve their respective apps.
The default setting on this page will depend on your carrier and your data plan, so it’s a good idea to check your iPhone and make sure it’s correctly set to your preference.
6. Stop apps from cluttering up your home screen
The App Library is a place where you can quickly find and access all of your applications. And while apps are housed here, all newly downloaded apps also appear on your home screen. This may not be a problem if you download apps sparingly, but if you’re installing new apps on a consistent basis, they can quickly clutter up your home screen.
To stop downloaded apps from appearing on your home screen, go to Settings > Home Screen and select App Library Only. If you want to find the app, you’ll have to swipe left on your home screen until you reach the App Library.
This setting will prevent your home screen from getting too messy.
Nelson Aguilar/CNET
7. Unlock your phone while wearing a face mask
One of the frustrating aspects of wearing a face covering has been the inability to unlock an iPhone with Apple’s Face ID technology. Because half of your face is covered, Face ID just doesn’t work. And while entering your passcode to unlock your phone works, it’s not as convenient.
With iOS, you now have the option to turn on a face unlock feature that makes it easy to unlock your iPhone when you’re wearing a face mask. Before the update, you could only unlock your iPhone if you owned an Apple Watch.
To unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch, open the Settings app on your iPhone and then open the Face ID & Passcode option. Scroll down until you find the Unlock with Apple Watch section (you must be connected to an Apple Watch for the setting to appear), where you can turn on the feature for any watches linked to your iPhone.
If you have an iPhone 12 or iPhone 13 that runs iOS 15.4 or later, you can unlock your iPhone while wearing a mask without an Apple Watch. Go to the Settings app and open Face ID & Passcode. From there, you can toggle Face ID With a Mask and choose the Face ID With a Mask option. It’s pretty awesome.
You can unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch if Face ID isn’t working.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
8. Put the address bar in Safari back on top
The address in Safari migrated to the bottom of the screen with the introduction of iOS 15 — a welcome addition for those with smaller hands who had difficulty reaching it with one hand at the top. While this move might feel more natural, since it’s closer to the keyboard and where you typically place your thumbs, it can be off-putting since many people are used to seeing the URL bar near the top of the screen.
If you want to put the address bar back at the top of the screen, go to Settings, tap Safari and choose the Single Tab option under the Tabs subheading.
9. Add features that can be used when your iPhone is locked
There are times when you might want to have certain info handy even when your phone is locked. That’s why Apple allows you to enable some features without having to unlock your device, such as the notification center, Control Center, the ability to reply to messages and the Wallet app.
To customize the features you’d like to access on the lock screen, launch the Settings menu, tap Face ID & Passcode and enter your passcode when prompted. Scroll down until you see the Allow Access When Locked section, and toggle the sliders based on your preferences.
You can decide which features you want to access when your phone is locked.
Screenshot by Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
10. Make your favorite email app or web browser your default
It was a long time coming, but 2020’s iOS 14 update finally brought the ability to choose your own default apps — at least for email and web browsing. That means that when you tap a link or an email send button, your iPhone will automatically launch the web browser or email provider of your choosing rather than Safari or Mail.
To get started, open the Settings menu and select the app you’d like to set as a default (such as Google Chrome or Outlook). You should then see a button that says Default Mail App or Default Browser App. Tap that option and select the app of your choosing instead of Safari or Mail.
You no longer have to use Safari or Mail as default apps.
The first time you experience Apple’s Face ID tech, you’ll notice that you can’t see the content of new alerts and notifications on the lock screen. For example, instead of seeing who sent you a text message and what it says, you’ll only see a generic Messages alert.
By default, all iPhones with Apple’s Face ID tech will hide the content of an alert until you pick up your phone and unlock it. It’s a privacy feature that I rather enjoy, but I also understand how it could be annoying (I’ve heard a few complaints from readers and family members alike).
You can change how notifications appear on your lock screen by going to Settings > Notifications > Show Previews and selecting Always. Conversely, you can select Never if you want to keep the content of your notifications always hidden from the lock screen.
Phones in the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups can record high dynamic range (HDR) video with Dolby Vision. That means your videos will be brighter with more accurate colors and improved contrast. Sounds awesome, right? It is. But there’s a problem — not every app or service will work with HDR video.
Developers will need to update their apps in order to accept HDR video, but even then, the person viewing the video will need a capable device to see the difference in quality. For Apple devices, those include the iPhone 8 or newer, the 2020 iPad Air, the second-generation iPad Pro and some Macs.
So, what can you do to share videos universally? Well, you have a few options:
You can turn off HDR video by going to Settings > Camera > Record video and turning the switch next to HDR Video to the Off position. Going forward, all videos will be captured in standard dynamic range, and you shouldn’t have any issues sharing or editing it.
Leave HDR Video turned on, but when you want to share the video, with Facebook for example, use the Photos app instead of going into the Facebook app and uploading it. When you use the Photos app, your iPhone will automatically convert the video to SDR and upload it. When you send the video to another iPhone user, Apple will detect if their iPhone, iPad or Mac is compatible with HDR Dolby Vision. If it’s not, Apple will convert the video automatically.
If you leave HDR Video on and need to edit your video, you can use Apple’s iMovie app or the Photos app that’s built into your iPhone. You can even use iMovie to export the video as SDR if needed.
HDR video looks great, but it doesn’t work everywhere yet.
Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET
13. Customize your home screen with fancy wallpaper
Another home screen tweak you should make involves your wallpaper or background. Apple has added some new wallpapers of its own, with a pretty cool twist.
Open the Settings app on your iPhone and select Wallpaper from the list. Make sure the switch labeled “Dark Appearance Dims Wallpaper,” which you’ll see below the two thumbnail previews of your wallpaper, is turned on. Now, tap Choose a new wallpaper and select either Stills or Live. See the circle near the bottom of each wallpaper? It’s half black, half white.
That circle means that the wallpaper has both light and dark mode versions and will change automatically based on the system status of your phone.
On an iPhone with 3D Touch, you can use a third-party app to play longer-duration “Live” photos on your lock screen.
Patrick Holland/CNET
14. Turn on dark mode to save your battery
Speaking of dark mode, if you don’t want to have to repeatedly adjust your screen’s brightness, you can use your phone’s dedicated dark mode. Dark mode converts all of the white backgrounds in apps to, more often than not, a black background. In turn, your phone is able to save battery power thanks to the darker colors.
Turn it on by going to Settings > Display & Brightness and selecting the Dark option at the top of the screen.
We get a lot of notifications every day, but not all of them are relevant all the time. With iOS 15, Apple introduced a feature called Focus Mode. Think of it as a custom Do Not Disturb feature that’s tailored to specific circumstances.
Focus Mode blocks less relevant alerts, while allowing notifications from important people and apps to come through so that you don’t miss anything. You can set up different types of Focus Modes for specific circumstances.
Apple currently offers options for Do Not Disturb, personal, sleep, work, driving, fitness, gaming, mindfulness and reading, but you can also create your own custom mode. You can schedule Focus Modes so that they turn on automatically when needed, and display your status in apps so that others know you have notifications silenced.
To get started, open the Settings menu, tap Focus and choose one of the available options to set up your notification preferences. Tap the plus (+) symbol in the top right corner to add a new Focus.
16. Make your screen text bigger or smaller
With a couple of taps on your iPhone’s screen, you can adjust the font size to make it easier to read. Open Settings and go to Display & Brightness > Text Size where you can use the slider until you’re happy with the font size.
For a little added oomph, you can turn on Bold Text (it’s just below the Text Size button).
17. Add an alternate appearance to Face ID
Apple’s facial recognition feature — Face ID — constantly learns different aspects of your face with each scan. If you’re struggling to get Face ID to consistently recognize you, try the Alternate Appearance option.
Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode > enter your PIN > Set Up An Alternate Appearance and go through the process of enrolling your face again.
Face ID doesn’t always get it right.
Óscar Gutiérrez/CNET
18. Disable auto brightness for longer battery charge
Your iPhone’s screen brightness level can have a big impact on battery life. By default, iOS will automatically adjust the display’s brightness based on how much light its ambient sensor detects. But if you want to take complete control, you can disable auto-brightness, meaning the brightness level will stay where you set it until you adjust it again.
Open Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and at the bottom of the page, you’ll find a switch to turn off Auto-Brightness.
Now, whenever you want to adjust your screen, you can do so by opening Control Center with a swipe up from the bottom of the screen on a device with a home button, or a swipe down from the top-right corner on newer iPhones.
Keep your screen dim to save battery life.
Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET
19. Triage your privacy settings
The first time you set up an iPhone with all of your apps, you’re bombarded with prompts asking for permissions to access personal information ranging from tracking your location to your Apple Health information or your camera roll.
It’s far too easy to get in the habit of approving everything just so you can use the app, but take a few minutes and go through your privacy settings to tailor what each app can and can’t see. We walk you through the whole privacy process in two quick steps.
Apple has put all of its privacy controls in one place.
Jason Cipriani/CNET
20. Use Control Center to access apps with a swipe or tap
The iPhone’s Control Center is a convenient spot to quickly change songs, turn on airplane mode, connect to Wi-Fi or start a timer, but there’s so much more to it than that. You can quickly turn your flashlight on, check on a timer or start recording your screen with a quick swipe and tap.
Customize which apps and features are available in Control Center by opening Settings > Control Center. Remove an option with a tap on the red minus button or add an option by selecting the green addition button. Drag features up or down using the three-line icon on the right side of the screen.
Personally, I like having quick access to the Wallet app and toggles for low-power mode and dark mode.
As a reminder, if you have an iPhone with a home button, like the iPhone SE, you can swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open Control Center. If you have an iPhone with Face ID, you’ll need to swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen where the battery icon is.
Control Center has a lot of potential; you just need to customize it.
Jason Cipriani/CNET
21. Organize alerts with Notification Summary
Apple wants to help you manage your notifications in iOS, starting with the Notification Summary feature. Rather than letting notifications pile up on your home screen, you can schedule alerts that aren’t urgent to arrive in a bundle at a specific time of day.
Important notifications like calls, direct messages and other time-sensitive alerts (like the status of your Uber or Lyft ride, for example) will still appear immediately.
To try this out, open Settings, press Notifications and tap Scheduled Summary.
22. Change Siri’s voice
If you’ve recently set up a new iPhone, you may have noticed that Siri no longer defaults to a female voice. Instead, you’ll be asked which Siri voice you want to use, including several more recent options. Once you’ve made your selection, Apple will change Siri’s voice across all of the devices linked to your Apple ID.
There are a bunch of great games for the Nintendo Switch, and tons of family favorites. But there are also ones that cost nothing. Good ones, too. Free-to-play games are a growing subset of the console world now: Fall Guys, Rocket League and Knockout City are must-plays. Nintendo has a couple of its own, but my favorite is still Tetris 99.
While these games all feature ways to buy upgrades, mostly for in-game currency, you don’t need to buy these extras to enjoy playing the games. I’d generally recommend skipping the extras, in fact.
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You’re a cuddly little character trying to survive in a series of elimination games in this absurd Battle Royale-style platformer. Several game modes keep things unexpected, and there are lots of goals and achievements to unlock. The Switch port has some frame rate slowdown, but it’s still a lot of fun.
This is, perhaps, the best reinvention of Battle Royale gaming ever made. You’ll try to survive playing Tetris against 99 other players, and you’ll fail. A lot. And love it. Optional in-game purchases offer offline modes and extra challenges, which I bought because I just love this game to pieces. One downside: You need a Switch Online subscription to play this one, which costs $20 a year. (Switch Online is needed to play most online games, though, so it’s worth it.)
Playing Fortnite on iOS may not be easy as it used to be, but Fortnite on the Switch is still pretty good. Fortnite may look better on the PS5, Xbox Series X, and even the PS4 and Xbox One, but the Switch version of this endlessly evolving game is still great for being both TV-connected and portable. It’s crossplay, too, so you can play friends on other platforms.
Made by the same developer as the indie classic Journey, this beautiful and meditative explorational game sends you flying to magic realms, adding storytelling with minimal touches. The game has online play where you interact with others in supportive ways, but not through chatting.
This soccer-with-race-cars game has been brilliant for years, but since moving to a free-to-play model it’s still worth playing. Competition remains extremely addictive and extremely hard to master. It’s well worth trying if you haven’t already.
Splatoon, but with dodgeballs. This charming game from EA won us over the moment it was released, but it also moved to free-to-play recently. Competitions in 3D arenas can get intense, but the Switch controls are excellently conceived. There’s an upgraded version you can buy, but the free version is more than enough to play for casual fun.
Toby Fox, creator of the indie masterpiece Undertale, has since been working on an episodic RPG called Deltarune. It looks like a long-lost 8-bit game, is super weird, and it’s extremely worth playing if you love RPGs or indie games. Future chapters won’t be free, but enjoy these while they’re here.
Free-to-play games work by offering optional purchases in-game, and all of these (except Deltarune) follow that model. The extras aren’t needed, but often take the form of in-game currency to unlock items, experience or bonus modes. Just keep an eye on younger kids to make sure they’re not trying to buy any in-game extras, and keep your Switch eShop settings locked down with a password just in case.
Do I need Nintendo Switch Online to play?
Most of these games don’t require Nintendo’s subscription-based Switch Online service to play, which helps make them even more affordable (and, perhaps, encourage you to buy in-game extras). One exception is Tetris 99, which requires Nintendo Switch Online to play.
What about the free games that come with Nintendo Switch Online?
Nintendo’s subscription service, which starts at $20 a year, does include access to games, but they’re not technically free: You’re paying for access, and you don’t own the games if you stop subscribing. However, there are a bunch of great NES and SNES games that come with Nintendo Switch Online, plus the Battle Royale game Pac-Man 99. Nintendo’s step-up Expansion Pack includes a growing library of N64 and Sega Genesis games, too.
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An iPhone is the kind of gift that keeps on giving, letting you browse through page after page of information online. Whether you’re looking for holiday deals, movie recommendations or just the latest corporate shenanigans, your iPhone is there to help. But even behemoths like the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max can get bogged down if you’re not keeping them optimized. One of the simplest pieces of upkeep is clearing your iPhone cache every month.
You probably got gifts for your friends and family, maybe even a gift for yourself. But this Christmas, give your iPhone the gift of a clear cache.
Whether you’re browsing in Chrome, Safari or elsewhere on your iPhone, your cache builds up digital clutter over time. Clearing your cache gives your browser a new start, which can speed up your browsing whether you’re using iOS 15 or iOS 16. (And if you’re trying to get your phone to run faster, try managing your iPhone’s storage.)
Think of your browser cache like a digital refrigerator. It helps you store leftovers like website data so those pages can load faster the next time you visit them. The problem, though, is that those leftovers eventually go bad, in the sense they no longer match the data the sites actually need to load. That’s the equivalent of your fridge being full of stale or outright moldy food. At that point, pages will actually load slower and formatting might look wrong.
That’s why clearing your cache can help: It gives sites a fresh start in your browser and frees up some space in your storage. Note that clearing your cache will sign you out of sites you’re currently logged into. Still, it’s generally worth that mild inconvenience every month or so to keep things moving quickly.
Here are step-by-step guides on how to clear your cache on your iPhone based on the browser you use.
How to clear your iPhone cache in Safari
Safari is the default browser on iPhones, and you can clear your Safari cache in a few short steps. Starting with iOS 11, following this process will affect all devices signed in to your iCloud account. As a result all your devices’ caches will be cleared, and you’ll need to sign in to everything the next time you use them. Here’s what to do.
1.Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Select Safari from the list of apps.
3. Go to Advanced > Website Data.
4. Scroll down and select Remove All Website Data.
Chrome is another popular browser for iPhone users. The overall process for clearing your Chrome cache requires a few more steps, and you’ll need to do things through the Chrome browser itself. Here’s how.
1. Open the Chrome app.
2. Select the three dots in the bottom right to open more options.
3. Scroll across the top and select Settings.
4. Select Privacy and Security in the next menu.
5. Then select Clear Browsing Data to open up one last menu.
6. Select the intended time range at the top of the menu (anywhere from Last Hour to All Time).
7.Make sure that Cookies, Site Data is selected, along with Cached Images and Files. Finally, hit Clear Browsing Data at the bottom of the screen.
If you’re a Firefox devotee, don’t worry. Clearing the cache on your iPhone is pretty straightforward. Just follow these steps.
1. Click the hamburger menu in the bottom right corner to open up options.
2. Choose Settings at the bottom of the menu.
3. Select Data Management in the Privacy section.
4. You can select Website Data to clear data for individual sites, or select Clear Private Data at the bottom of the screen to clear data from all selected fields.
Clearing your cache removes the website data your phone stored locally to prevent having to download that data upon each new visit. The data in your cache builds over time and can end up slowing things down if it becomes too bulky or out of date. (My phone had about 150MB of data stored in Chrome when I checked.) Clearing that data gives sites a fresh start, which may fix some loading errors and speed up your browser. However, clearing your cache also signs you out of pages, so be prepared to sign in to everything again.
How often do I need to clear my cache?
Most people only need to clear their caches once every month or two. That’s generally the point when your browser will build up a cache large enough to start slowing things down. If you frequent a large number of sites, you should err on the side of clearing your cache more often.
You can find a microphone in pretty much every pair of wireless earbuds or headphones these days — and the better ones often have multiple beam-forming mics — making it easy to switch between listening to music and making phone calls. With so many different options available on the market, how do we determine the best pair of headphones or earbuds for making phone calls? Well, we test them vigorously in the streets of one of the busiest and loudest cities in the world: New York.
The best headphones and earbuds for calls will help reduce background noise so people can hear your voice loud and clear as you chat. They also allow you to hear callers well within loud spaces, which is why we tend to recommend noise-isolating earbuds for phone calls, although we do have a few open earbuds on the list for those who prefer that style of earbuds.
In addition to having a quality mic, features like sidetone, which allows you to hear your own voice in headphones and earbuds as you talk (so you don’t shout), and multipoint Bluetooth pairing, which allows you to pair your headphones or earbuds with two devices at the same time, are also noteworthy.
We also have a list of the best headphones for working from home, but this one is a little different. That list includes more “work” or “business” headphones that you’re more likely to use with both a phone and a computer. Check out our picks for the best earbuds for phone calls you can get right now, below. This list prioritizes consumer wireless Bluetooth headsets that work well for making calls on the go, so you can have clear phone calls wherever you go.
The new AirPods Pro (2nd generation) are powered by Apple’s new H2 chip, which delivers more processing power while being more energy efficient, according to Apple. The new chip, combined with new low-distortion drivers, allows for improved sound that offers better clarity and depth. The noise canceling is also improved — Apple says the new AirPods have “double” the noise canceling of the original AirPods Pro.
The voice-calling performance for the original AirPods Pro was very good and now it’s even better, as Apple has upgraded the microphones and changed their positioning on the buds. Additionally, the AirPods Pro 2 add an extra hour of battery life, up from five to six hours with noise canceling on. Plus, there’s now a speaker in the case that emits a sound that helps locate your buds via Find My should they decide to hide from you.
Yes (IP57 – Can Be Submerged for 30 Minutes Up to 1 Meter)
The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro offer improved noise canceling along with very good sound and voice-calling performance, plus support for high-resolution wireless audio streaming if you’re a Galaxy device owner with the right setup. That said, their biggest upgrade may be their new design and smaller size, which make them a better fit for more ears. Aside from their somewhat high price tag, their only drawback is that some of their key features only work with Samsung Galaxy devices. They’re fully waterproof with an IPX7 rating.
Yes (IPX5 — protection against low-pressure water streams)
In the past, we’ve recommended Earfun’s AirPro SV and Air Pro 2 as excellent budget noise-canceling earbuds choices (they’re still good values). But the new-for-2022 Earfun Air S may be the best of the trio, with multipoint Bluetooth pairing, and the latest Qualcomm QCC3046 chip with the aptX audio codec for Android and other devices that support it. They have the same 10mm wool drivers as the AirPro SV and features surprisingly impressive sound for its modest price point. They also work well as a headset for making calls with decent background noise reduction.
The buds have an IPX5 water-resistance rating, which means they’re splash-proof and can withstand a sustained spray of water.
Note that the earbuds cost as low as $49 when you apply the CNET-exclusive discount code EFAIRS07 at checkout at Amazon or the code E4AH201 at Earfun’s online store (at Amazon you have to clip the instant 10% coupon, then apply EFAIRS07 to get an additional 20% off).
When you have a product that a lot of people love, change can be risky. Such is the case for Sony’s WH-1000XM5, the fifth generation of the 1000X series headphones, which were first released in 2016 as the MDR-1000X Wireless and have become increasingly popular as they’ve improved with each generation. Over the years, Sony has made some tweaks to the design, but nothing as dramatic as what it’s done with the WH-1000XM5. Other than the higher $400 price tag ($50 more than the WH-1000XM4), most of those changes are good, and Sony’s made some dramatic improvements with voice-calling performance as well as even better noise canceling and more refined sound.
Yes (IPX5 — protection against low-pressure water streams)
Over the years, JBL has put out some decent true-wireless earbuds, but nothing that really got me too excited. That’s finally changed with the arrival of the Samsung-owned brand’s new Live Pro 2 and Live Free 2 buds. Both sets of buds — the Live Pro 2 have stems while the Live Free 2 have a pill-shaped design — offer a comfortable fit along with strong noise canceling, very good sound quality and voice-calling performance, plus a robust set of features, including multipoint Bluetooth pairing, an IPX5 splash-proof rating and wireless charging.
The Live Pro 2 and Live Free 2 are equipped with the same 11mm drivers, six microphones, oval tubes and oval silicon tips. Aside from the design, the biggest difference between the two buds is battery life; the stemless Live Free 2 is rated for up to seven hours, while the Live Pro 2 is rated for 10 hours. The Live Pro 2 is available in four color options.
The Pixel Buds Pro are Google’s first earbuds to feature active noise canceling. While it’s nice that they finally have a feature that a lot of true-wireless earbuds have had for a while, what ultimately sets the Pixel Buds Pro apart and makes them worth considering — particularly for Android users — is their distinct design and winning fit. That helps enhance their performance on both the sound quality and noise-canceling fronts. While not quite elite for voice-calling, they did perform well as a headset for making calls. A couple of features were missing at launch — spatial audio and a five-band equalizer — but the equalizer has now been added with a firmware update. We’re now just waiting for spatial audio. They’re IPX4 splash-proof.
The QuietComfort 45 has virtually the same design as its predecessor, the QuietComfort QC35 II. It has the same drivers, according to Bose, and the buttons are in the same place. However, there are small but notable changes. First off, these thankfully have USB-C instead of micro-USB.
Secondly, the microphone configuration is different. Not only have the mics been shifted on the headphones, but there’s now an extra external mic for voice pick-up, which means the QC45 has a total of six microphones, four of which are beamforming and used for voice. By contrast, the QC35 II has a total of four, two of which are used for voice. (The Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 also have six microphones total.)
The result is that these are excellent for making calls and offer good microphone quality. They’re very close to the Bose’s Headphones 700 in that regard and also feature top-notch noise cancellation, as well as multipoint Bluetooth pairing so you can connect these with a PC and your smartphone simultaneously. Read our Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones review.
Bose’s second-generation QuietComfort Earbuds 2 are not only about 30% smaller than their predecessors, but their case is about 40% smaller and truly pocketable. They feature best-in-class noise canceling and improved sound, thanks to Bose’s new CustomTune sound calibration system that customizes the sound for your ears. Voice-calling performance is also much better than that of the original QuietComfort Earbuds with excellent noise reduction during calls.
The other big change is to the ear tips. Bose has ditched its one-piece StayEar wing tips for a two-piece Fit Kit system that features separate ear tips and “stability bands” in three size options, giving you more flexibility to get a secure fit and tight seal.
The buds initially ship in the Triple Black Color with the Sandstone color to follow later in the year. They’re IPX4 splash-proof.
The Soundpeats T3 buds have two things going for them aside from their modest price tag: They sound decent and work well for making calls with very good noise reduction. They’re also comfortable to wear and have both active noise canceling and transparency mode. However, the noise canceling is only OK, not great (same goes for the transparency mode). But you can’t expect everything for such a low price.
Equipped with Bluetooth 5.2, they’re IPX4 splash-proof and have a battery-life rating of up to 5.5 hours on a single charge at moderate volume levels.
They have relatively smooth, balanced sound and ample bass. They’re not going to wow you with clarity or dynamic sound, but they’re pleasant to listen to, which is all you can ask for in a budget set of earbuds.
Callers said that my voice sounded clearer when I was using the AirPods Pro but the Soundpeats actually reduced more background noise that the AirPods Pro. I was able to have conversations on the noisy streets of New York without a problem.
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Released in mid-2020, the Jabra Elite 45h was essentially billed as the best on-ear headphone for the money. While there’s nothing terribly fancy about these Bluetooth headphones, they are one of the best on-ear headphone values right now, with good sound quality, a sturdy design and comfortable fit (for on-ear headphones, anyway). Additionally, they perform well as a headset for making calls and includes a sidetone feature that allows you to hear your voice in the headphones so you don’t talk too loudly. Battery life is also good and it has multipoint Bluetooth pairing so you can connect to both your computer and your smartphone at the same time and easily switch between the two should a call come in on your phone (it mostly works).
Available in multiple color options, it lists for $100 but sometimes gets discounted to as low as $60.
Note that the $274 Evolve2 65, which has an integrated boom microphone, is essentially the souped-up office version of these headphones.
Take one look at the new design of the third-gen AirPods, and the first thing you’ll probably think is: “Those look like the AirPods Pro without ear tips.” You wouldn’t be wrong. While they’re more fraternal than identical twins, the AirPods 3rd Generation are shaped like the AirPods Pro, with the same shorter stems and same pinch controls as those of the Pro. Aside from the design change, which should fit most ears better than the AirPods 2nd Generation (though not very small ears), the biggest change is to the sound quality: It’s much improved. Also, battery life is better, and the AirPods 3 are officially water-resistant and support Apple’s spatial audio virtual surround feature (for Apple users only).
Like AirPods Pro, the AirPods are top-notch for making voice calls. Callers said they could hear me clearly even with a lot of background noise in the streets of New York City. The only issue is that since they are open earbuds, they let sound in, so you may not be able to hear callers as well as they can hear you in noisier environments.
Yes (IPX7 — can be submerged for 30 minutes up to 1 meter)
Available in four color options, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 hew more closely to the newer Galaxy Buds Pro and Galaxy Buds Live, both of which have eye-catching glossy curved designs and the same compact charging case as this new model. In fact, it’s the Buds 2’s design and fit — they’re 15% smaller and 20% lighter than the Buds Plus — that make them a potentially more likable alternative to the slightly better-sounding Buds Pro.
Like the Buds Pro, the Buds 2 are equipped with active noise canceling. That means all the latest Galaxy Buds models now feature some form of active noise canceling, though it’s slight with the Buds Live, which have an open design sans ear tips. While the Buds 2 look more like shrunken versions of the Buds Pro, I found them more akin to the Buds Live in that they barely stick out of your ears and are fairly discreet. Because they sit more flush with your ears — and have that curved design — they also pick up less wind noise.
I found the Buds 2 to be very good for voice calling, with excellent noise reduction during calls. While they don’t have pipes sticking out of them like the AirPods Pro, their microphones manage to pick up your voice well. They’re IPX2 sweat-resistant.
Featuring excellent sound, improved noise canceling and voice-calling performance as well a smaller, more refined design that includes stabilizing fins (so the earbuds stay in your ears more securely), the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 are among the best new true-wireless earbuds for 2022. They’re also one of the best true-wireless earbuds overall, giving the Sony WF-1000XM4 a run for their money.
Bang & Olufsen’s Beoplay EX buds are the company’s best true-wireless earbuds yet. They feature a comfortable, secure fit (except perhaps for those with really smaller ears), top-notch build quality, great sound, good noise canceling and improved voice-calling performance over B&O’s EQ buds, with three microphones in each earbud they help with reducing background noise while picking up your voice. While they’re out of most people’s price range, they’re arguably the best earbuds out there with stems and offer superior sound to the AirPods Pro with better clarity, deeper more powerful bass and richer, more accurate sound.
Battery life is rated at 6 hours at moderate volume levels with noise canceling on and there’s an extra 14 hours of juice in the brushed aluminum charging case (wireless charging is supported). The buds have an IP57 water-resistance rating, which makes them waterproof and dust-resistant. They feature Bluetooth 5.2 and multipoint Bluetooth pairing so you can connect to two devices at the same time, such as a computer and smartphone. You can use a single bud independently and the earbuds have ear-detection sensors so your music pauses when you remove them from your ears.
The buds support aptX Adaptive for devices like Android smartphones that support Bluetooth streaming with the aptX HD audio codec (AAC is also supported). They’re available in the gold tone pictured as well as a graphite color.
AfterShokz has changed its name to Shokz and released new ninth-gen bone-conduction headphones that offer slightly improved bass performance compared to the company’s earlier flagship model, the Aeropex (now called the Shokz OpenRun). That makes the OpenRun Pro the best bone-conduction headphones you can get right now, although they still can’t match the sound quality of traditional headphones.
Bone conduction wireless headphones don’t go on your ears — they actually deliver sound to your ear through your cheekbones. The big benefit of this technology as a safety feature for running is that, thanks to its open design, you can hear what’s going on around you — traffic noise in particular — while listening to music or having a phone conversation (yes, they perform well for voice calls). Also, some race coordinators don’t allow runners to wear anything in their ears, which is where headphones like this come in handy.
Like the Aeropex, the OpenRun Pro have a lightweight, wraparound titanium frame and are rated for up to 10 hours of music playback and you can get 1.5 hours of battery life from a 5-minute charge (they have a proprietary charging cable instead of USB-C, which is unfortunate). I found them comfortable to wear but you may occasionally have to adjust them on your head to relieve potential pressure points. While they do offer a bit fuller sound with more bass — it’s an incremental improvement, not a huge leap forward — like other bone-conduction headphones these are strongest in the midrange where voices live so they’re good for podcasts, talk radio, newscasts and audiobooks. A hard carrying case is included.
Note that Shokz makes other, more affordable bone-conduction headphones, including the OpenRun, if you don’t want to drop $180 on its current flagship model. Also, for around the same price AfterShokz has the OpenComm, which adds a boom microphone.
The third-gen AirPods are a nice upgrade over the second generation. That said, the AirPods 2, which came out in 2019, are now selling for around $100 and sometimes a little less. While they don’t sound as good as the AirPods 3 and have a longer stem, they fit some people’s ears better (those with smaller ears may prefer these older AirPods due to their slightly smaller design). As for voice calling, they remain in the upper echelon for earbuds.
This story is part of 12 Days of Tips, helping you make the most of your tech, home and health during the holiday season.
With the new year just around the corner, it’s a great time to clean up your MacBook and get it running at its best. Or maybe you’ve got a pristine new MacBook and want to explore all it has to offer. Either way, no laptop comes straight out of the box optimized for maximum performance — even one with an Apple logo.
No matter if you have a new MacBook like the M2 MacBook Air or an M2 MacBook Pro, own an earlier M1 MacBook Air or Pro, or you have an older Intel-based MacBook, there are things you can do to improve the experience. A handful of tweaks, tips and fixes you should do on Day 1 or Day 101 that go beyond your default MacBook settings. I’ve put together some of my personal favorites here that will make your device easier to use.
So, after you’ve jumped through the initial screens from the Mac Setup Assistant that had you log in with your Apple ID, connect to a network and so on, consider changing these settings, or at least check them out, on your MacBook. This list is sure to grow, too, now that Apple’s latest desktop OS, MacOS Ventura, has arrived.
Has Apple released an update to MacOS since it built your MacBook? Find out by clicking the Apple button in the upper-left corner of your screen and then clicking About This Mac. You should be staring at the General tab of the About This Mac window. If so, click the Software Update button, which will launch the System Preferences to check for updates.
Screenshot by Josh Goldman/CNET
Optimize battery charging
If your MacBook is going to spend most of its time plugged in, you’ll definitely want to change this setting. MacOS can learn your charging habits to reduce battery aging. Click on the battery icon on the menu bar at the top of your display and select Battery Preferences from the drop-down menu. (If you don’t see a battery icon, go to System Preferences > Energy Saver and check the box for Show battery status in menu bar.) At the bottom of the list of options, select Optimized battery charging. This will slow down your charging once the battery hits 80%.
Siri should be enabled by default, but if you would prefer to use Siri only on your iPhone, then you can disable Siri by going to System Preferences > Siri and unchecking the box for Enable Ask Siri. If you plan on using Siri frequently, then you can use this Siri window to choose Siri’s voice, language and a keyboard shortcut.
Screenshot by Josh Goldman/CNET
Customize the Touch Bar
If you have one of the last remaining Intel-based MacBook Pro or 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro models with the Touch Bar, then head to System Preferences > Keyboard and click the Customize Touch Bar button and then simply drag the buttons you want to show up on the default view of the Touch Bar to the Touch Bar below the display. Don’t worry, they’ll make the leap from your display across the hinge and to the Touch Bar.
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
Sync folders via iCloud
I find it incredibly useful to sync the Desktop and Documents folders between my two Macs and my iOS devices. To sync these two folders, go to System Preferences > Apple ID and click iCloud in the left column and check the box next to iCloud Drive. Click Options next to iCloud Drive and select Desktop and Documents folders.
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
Choose default browser
Even though it uses more system resources than Safari, I use Chrome instead of Safari because the favicons help me keep track of all of my open tabs. To set a default browser, go to System Preferences > General and make a selection other than Safari for Default web browser.
A MacBook’s “natural” scrolling direction doesn’t feel natural to me. If you want the two-finger swipe gesture to scroll vertically in the opposite way, head to System Preferences > Trackpad and click on the Scroll & Zoom tab. Next, uncheck the box for Scroll direction: Natural.
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
Add and remove items from Dock
Apple throws a number of stock apps into the Dock at the bottom of the screen. You can make room for the apps you use most frequently by removing others you don’t need in the Dock. To remove an app from the Dock, simply click on its icon in the Dock and drag it to the desktop until you see Remove appear above the icon and then let go. Poof, it’s gone! To add an app to the Dock, open it and then right-click on its icon in the Dock and mouse over the Option line in the menu and click Keep in Dock.
Matt Elliott/CNET
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Move the Dock
The Dock sits at the bottom of your screen, but on a widescreen MacBook display, you might find it better to have it on the side. To move the Dock, go to System Preferences > Dock & Menu Bar and choose either Left or Right for Position on Screen. While you’re there, you can also drag a slider to adjust the size of the Dock. You can also make it disappear from view when you aren’t using it by checking the box for Automatically hide and show the Dock.
Screenshot by Josh Goldman/CNET
Show battery percentage
Like an iPhone, a MacBook displays a small battery icon at the top of the display to show how much battery power remains. It’s more helpful if next to this icon the percentage of battery you have left is also displayed. To show the percentage, go to System Preferences > Dock & Menu Bar and choose Battery from the left column. Check the box next to Show Percentage and it should instantly appear next to the battery icon on the Menu Bar.
A spare laptop charger comes in really handy but Apple sells its MacBook adapters at a premium. However, you don’t have to use an Apple adapter to power up your MacBook via one of its USB-C ports. Instead, go with a less expensive third-party charger and keep one in your laptop bag and one at home. Just be sure to get an adapter that puts out at least the same amount of power as the one included with your MacBook.
Safari now combats two of the bigger internet annoyances: autoplay videos and ad trackers. Ad tracking is stopped by default, but there is a global setting for stopping autoplay videos that you’ll want to enable. Open Safari’s Preferences and click on the Websites tab. Choose Auto-Play from the left panel and for When visiting other websites at the bottom of the window, select Never Auto-Play or Stop Media with Sound (if you are OK with muted videos playing) and sit back and rejoice in the silence.
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
Work the Night Shift
Staring at a blue-light screen before bed can shift your body’s natural clock and make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep. With Apple’s Night Shift feature, the colors of your display are shifted to the warmer end of the spectrum during the evening hours. Head to System Preferences > Displays and click the Night Shift tab. You can set Night Shift to come on from sunset to sunrise, or you can select a custom time period. Use the slider to adjust the color temperature of the effect between less warm and more. Once you start using Night Shift, you’ll wonder how you ever sat in front of a cold, blue screen in the evening hours.
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
Make your desktop dynamic
With MacOS Mojave, Apple introduced a dynamic wallpaper that slowly changes its lighting throughout the day, going from a bright, sunny desert scene during the day and transitioning to a cool, dark screen at night. You can find it by going to System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver. While Mojave started out with just two dynamic wallpapers — Mojave and Solar Gradients — there are now several to choose from and sites where you can download more.
Screenshot by Josh Goldman/CNET
Try out dark mode
MacOS Mojave also delivered an honest-to-goodness dark mode for Macs. Go to System Preferences > General and you’ll see the Light and Dark options at the top for Appearance. On most apps, dark mode turns the background black and text white. Want to use both Light and Dark options? Select Auto and buttons, menus and windows will change throughout the day.
Screenshot by Josh Goldman/CNET
Set hours for Do Not Disturb
Along with overly blue screens, notifications have no place in my home after a certain hour. As with iOS, MacOS lets you disable notifications in the evening so you aren’t disturbed while watching Netflix or sleeping. Go to System Preferences > Notifications and check the box Turn on Do Not Disturb. By default, it’s set for the hours of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. but you can set your own Do Not Disturb Window. There are options to enable the feature when your MacBook’s display is sleeping or when you are mirroring the display to a TV or projector (and presumably watching a movie or show or video). You can also let calls come through (if you use your MacBook to answer calls) or just repeated calls, which might mean there is an emergency or something urgent to which you may need to respond.
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
Set app download tolerance level
If you want to download apps from the web at large and not just from the Mac App Store, you’ll need to tell MacOS to loosen up on the reins a bit. Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy, click the General tab and then click the lock in the lower-left corner and enter your password to make changes. Next, for Allow apps downloaded from, choose App Store and identified developers.
While on the Security & Privacy page, you can set the length of time your MacBook can sit idle before the screen locks. It’s more convenient to set a longer time but also less secure. The time period to set here doesn’t start ticking until the screen saver begins, so you also need to set the length of time before your screen saver kicks in. Go to System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver and you can select the style of your screen saver and also the time by using the drop-down menu at the top of the window.
This story is part of 12 Days of Tips, helping you make the most of your tech, home and health during the holiday season.
You can play most PlayStation 4 games on the PlayStation 5 thanks to the Sony console’s excellent backward compatibility feature. But a few publishers allow you to upgrade PS4 games to the PS5 versions for free. This lets you play with 4K dynamic resolution at 60 frames per second and delivers shorter loading times, making for a smoother gaming experience with less waiting around.
The PS5 has been going in and out of stock at retailers since it launched in 2020. The digital-only model costs $400, and the one with a disc drive is $500.
Your game upgrades won’t happen automatically or through a typical game update, so it’s easy to accidentally keep playing the PS4 version of a game on your new PS5. You have to go to the game page on the PlayStation Network and choose to upgrade to the PS5 version. That’ll download the extra data needed for the next-gen features.
If you have a PS5, make sure you’re playing the best possible version of your games.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
You can also upgrade to PS5 versions if you have a physical PS4 game, as long as you bought the PS5 with a disc drive. You’ll always need to use the PS4 disc to play the PS5 version; upgrading doesn’t get you a free digital copy of the game. You’ll still download the PS5 update from the PSN, but you won’t need a PS5-specific disc — your PS4 one will become an authenticator.
If you opted for the digital-only PS5 and have a disc, you’re out of luck. There are a few more limitations and caveats:
Some PS5 versions of current PS4 games aren’t out yet.
Next-gen versions will be bigger files, so they’ll take up more precious memory on the console’s SSD.
You’ll end up with a fresh list of trophies (each version’s list is separate).
A few games’ saves won’t transfer, and some require you to upload your save manually from the PS4 version before you can access it on PS5.
Some game upgrades are available only in cross-gen bundles or special editions.
However, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan also confirmed that upgrading future first-party games will come at a price.
“Moving forward, PlayStation first-party exclusive cross-gen titles (newly releasing on PS4 & PS5)-both digital and physical*-will offer a $10 digital upgrade option from PS4 to PS5,” he wrote a blog post. “This will apply to the next God of War and Gran Turismo 7, and any other exclusive cross-gen PS4 & PS5 title published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.”
Spider-Man: Miles Morales is one of the games you can upgrade.
PS5 Performance Mode; screenshot by Sean Keane/CNET
Some upgrades will require you to pay or buy a specific (more expensive) version of the game:
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is upgradable only if you buy the $70 cross-gen bundle or the $90 Ultimate Edition. The PS5 version costs $70; the PS4 version is $60.
Having clinched the NFC West for the first time since 2019, the San Francisco 49ers will be looking to extend their seven-game winning streak as they take on the Washington Commanders in this Christmas Eve clash. Quarterback Brock Purdy has been in unstoppable form, but comes into this game nursing a rib injury sustained in his side’s 13-21 victory over the Seahawks last Thursday.
Purdy and company now face a Commanders side that is still hopeful of reaching the playoffs despite struggling on offense. They were left ruing a succession of blown chances in the red zone against the Giants last Sunday, with the pressure now very much on quarterback Taylor Heinicke to deliver. Kickoff in Santa Clara is set for 4.05 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT) on CBS.
The game will be shown on TV in the San Francisco and Washington areas (according to 506 Sports) on live TV streaming services, but there may be cases where you’re blocked because of an internet location glitch or just want an added layer of privacy for streaming. There’s an option that won’t require you to subscribe to something like NFL Sunday Ticket or NFL Plus, or search the internet for a sketchy website: a virtual private network, or VPN.
Here’s how you can watch the game from anywhere in the US with a VPN.
Brock Purdy will be hoping to shrug off a rib injury ahead of Game Week 16.
Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images
Commanders vs. 49ers game today: When and where?
For Week 16 of the NFL season, the 49ers are hosting the Commanders at 4.05 p.m. ET (1.05 p.m. PT) on CBS. The game is set to take place in California at Levi’s Stadium.
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How to watch the Commanders vs. 49ers game online from anywhere using a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view the game locally due to incorrectly applied blackout restrictions, you may need a different way to watch the game and 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, plus it’s a great idea for when 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 and Canada, as long as you’ve got 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.
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 per month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% plus get three months of access for free — the equivalent of $6.67 per month — if you get an annual subscription.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Livestream the Commanders vs. 49ers game in the US
This week’s Commanders-49ers game is on CBS, so in addition to a VPN you’ll need a live TV streaming service that carries a local CBS affiliate that’s broadcasting the game. The least expensive such service is Paramount Plus. You’ll need to be subscribed to Paramount Plus’ Essential or Premium plans to be able to watch the game (or an older “limited commercials” plan).
Paramount Plus has two main options: Essential for $5 per month ($50 per year if paying annually) and Premium for $10 per month ($100 per year if paying annually). Both offer live NFL games, though the cheaper Essential option lacks live CBS feeds, ad-free content for on-demand streaming or the ability to download shows to watch offline later.
Since either option works for the NFL games, if all you want is football, the cheaper Essential option would be the way to go.
Numerous other live TV streaming services carry local CBS stations as well, namely YouTube TV, Hulu Plus Live TV, DirecTV Stream and FuboTV. They all cost more than Paramount Plus, but they also carry more channels, including football-specific channels like Fox, ESPN, NFL Network and/or RedZone. Check out our live TV streaming channel guide for details.
Quick tips for streaming Commanders vs. 49ers game using a VPN
Screenshot by Sarah Lord/CNET
With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — experience and success may vary.
We tested the game successfully using an ExpressVPN server in San Francisco, so that’s one location you could choose to watch the game.
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.
How we test VPN streaming for Saturday NFL games
For every game, we use a combination of ExpressVPN and either Paramount Plus (for CBS games) or Sling TV Blue (for Fox games). Using the maps on 506 Sports, we determine which servers are nearby and connect to one, then launch the streaming service and tune to the local CBS or Fox affiliate. If the channel comes through, it’s successful and we report the results above. We also screenshot the relevant program guide listing (see above) on either the local CBS affiliate’s website or Sling TV.
