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The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max have been out for a couple of months. By now, you’re probably familiar with some of the new features available on the phone, like StandBy Mode, which turns your phone into a smart display, and NameDrop, which you can use to share your contact information simply by placing your phone near someone else’s.

Read more: Check Out These 7 Hidden iOS 17 Settings and Features on Your iPhone

However, if you haven’t had time to explore the features that are exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, you’re going to want to. While there aren’t many Pro and Pro Max exclusive features, we’ve gone ahead and highlighted three that you’ll definitely want to set up, configure and put to use. If you’re looking to get the most out of your new iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max, here’s what you need to know.

Don’t have an iPhone 15 Pro yet? Check out our review of the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max and this gallery that takes a closer look at the two high-end iPhone models.

1. Set up the new action button

The action button is one of the biggest changes to the iPhone hardware in a long time, replacing the ring/silent switch that’s been around since the very first iPhone model. Instead of just toggling between ring and switch mode, the action can be customized to do things like turn on your flashlight, record a voice memo and run a shortcut.

Read more: Use Your iPhone 15 Pro’s New Action Button for More Than One Thing

In Settings > Action Button, swipe through the various actions you want the action button to perform when pressed. These are actions you have available:

• Silent Mode (default): Switch between silent and ring mode.
• Focus: Turn on your main Focus mode, like Do Not Disturb.
• Flashlight: Turn on your rear flashlight.
• Voice Memo: Record an audio note.
• Magnifier: Use your camera as a magnifying glass.
• Shortcut: Trigger a shortcut you’ve downloaded or created.
• Accessibility: Use an accessibility feature of your choosing.
• No action

If you see arrows below an action, that means there are additional options. To assign an action to the button, simply swipe and stay on the action in your settings. When you’re finished, exit the setting’s page.

2. Change the default camera lens when you open your camera

The default main camera on the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max is the 24mm lens, which is equivalent to 1x zoom. It’s your standard lens, but if you always find yourself zooming in a tiny bit when you’re snapping a photograph, you can change over to a different default lens for the main camera.

In Settings > Camera > Main Camera, choose between the three main lenses:

• 24mm – 1x (default)
• 28mm – 1.2x
• 35mm – 1.5x

The next time you open your main camera, your camera will start at whatever new focal length you choose, whether it’s 1.2x or 1.5x. If you want to swap between lenses, tap the main camera zoom control to manually switch between 24mm, 28mm and 35mm. You can also press and hold down on the control and drag the slider for more precise control.

3. Take advantage of the iPhone 15 Pro’s USB-C 3.0 speeds

The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus both have a USB-C port, but the two models support the same USB 2.0 speeds as prior iPhone models with a Lightning port, which is 480 megabits per second. The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max on the other hand also have USB-C ports, but they support USB 3.0 speeds, which is 10 gigabits per second — making it 20 times faster.

So what does this all mean for you? First, you’ll need a USB-C cable that supports 3.0 speeds. The USB-C cable that comes with your iPhone only supports 2.0 speeds, so you’ll need to buy an additional cable (like this one on Amazon).

Now that you have the correct cable, you can quickly transfer data between your iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. If you’re transferring data from iTunes to your iPhone, and vice versa, that should be quicker. But it works for really any files being transferred out of your iPhone, especially to a flash drive. That’ll also be faster.

Apple also has a page highlighting that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max can support recording ProRes video (high-quality lossy video compression format) directly to an external storage device, at up to 4K at 60 frames per second. It’s a niche feature, but if you’re a cinematographer or a video editor, shooting in ProRes gives you better detail and color depth you can color grade later on without losing quality. Having it directly recorded to an external storage device saves space and time, allowing you to connect the SD directly to your computer without having to transfer it from your iPhone first.

The upcoming iOS 17.2 update already brings several important features to Apple’s phones, like Journal and using your Live Stickers to react in messages. Now, a report says you can add faster wireless charging for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 to that list.

The update will bring Qi2 wireless charging to Apple’s previous-generation phones, 9to5Mac reported Tuesday. Qi is a standard for wireless charging that device manufacturers implement in their devices. The iPhone 15 was the first model from Apple to support the new Qi2 standard at launch.

Apple didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The second Qi standard has a 15-watt speed maximum. While first-generation Qi chargers that work with iOS and Android phones have been capable of reaching that rate, most of the chargers have been released with 7.5-watt or 10-watt caps (which hasn’t mattered until recently as older phones had only been capable of wirelessly charging at 5 watts or 10 watts).

The Qi2 standard adds magnetic charging based on Apple’s MagSafe technology, though it’ll conceivably be available for device makers to create chargers that juice up both iOS and Android phones. Ultimately, this should allow the iPhone 13, iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 to connect to and wirelessly recharge using third-party Qi2 chargers.

Qi2 charging devices will start hitting store shelves in time for the holiday season, according to the Wireless Power Consortium’s press release announcing the new standard. Belkin, Mophie, Anker and Aircharge are set to release Qi2 products.

Apple hasn’t revealed exactly when iOS 17.2 will be available to download, though it’s expected to be available in the next week or two. The update adds the long-awaited Journal app that Apple revealed at WWDC in June, spatial video recording for iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max (which can be viewed with the Apple Vision Pro headset) and many other small but meaningful improvements.

Read more: iOS 17.2: The Journal App and More Are Almost Here

We haven’t even gotten close to peak AI anything, but you won’t be able to buy a new laptop next year without seeing it everywhere, notable in its absence as well as its presence. That’s because the business interests of everybody who wants to sell you hardware or software are in complete alignment, which will result in a gravitational pull we can’t escape. AMD on Wednesday jumped in that line with its new Ryzen 8040 series of mobile processors at its Advancing AI event.

On-chip AI acceleration is critical for mobile devices, because it ameliorates the battery-killing nature of continual AI processing, which is far more cost-effective and environmentally better to perform locally than in the cloud — data centers to support consumer AI use are a black hole of energy usage and expensive to run. The accelerators are dedicated to iterating through and managing memory for the results of the vector calculations of small, pretrained models running on the device.

All the primary computer manufacturers now include a neural processing unit tile on its flagship processor’s die. AMD added it with its Ryzen 7040 series, Qualcomm rolled out its Snapdragon Elite in October, Intel announced it as part of the new Meteor Lake architecture (its first chips with the accelerator are rumored to debut next week) and Apple made its Neural Engine a central part of its M series architecture from the start.

In parallel with its GPU capabilities, branded RDNA, AMD refers to its NPU’s capabilities XDNA. The Ryzen 7040 series (Phoenix) included the first generation of the NPU. The mobile processors AMD announced Wednesday for its Ryzen 8040 series (Hawk Point) uses the same NPU architecture but offers better performance. AMD rates Phoenix at 10 trillion operations per second (by the NPU alone), while it says Hawk Point delivers 16 TOPS.

Ryzen 8040 series mobile CPUs

	Max boost (GHz)	Cores	Threads	NPU	Power class	Integrated graphics
Ryzen 9 8945HS	5.2	8	16	Yes	35-54W	Radeon 780M
Ryzen 7 8845HS	5.1	8	16	Yes	35-54W	Radeon 780M
Ryzen 7 8840HS	5.1	8	16	Yes	20-30W	Radeon 780M
Ryzen 7 8840U	5.1	8	16	Yes	15-30W	Radeon 780M
Ryzen 5 8645HS	5	6	12	Yes	35-54W	Radeon 760M
Ryzen 5 8640HS	4.9	6	12	Yes	20-30W	Radeon 760M
Ryzen 5 8640U	4.9	6	12	Yes	15-30W	Radeon 760M
Ryzen 5 8540U	4.9	6	12	No	15-30W	Radeon 740M
Ryzen 3 8440U	4.7	4	8	No	15-30W	Radeon 740M

Laptops with the first series of Hawk Point chips are expected to be available by the end of March, and the company has its subsequent-gen XDNA 2 slated to ship to laptop manufacturers later in 2024. AMD claims those “Strix Point” Ryzen processors will offer three times better performance for generative AI over Hawk Point. And that may complicate your buy-now-or-wait decision.

Because CPU branding is complicated, don’t assume that all 8040-series CPUs have the NPU. At the bottom of the stack, the two cheapest processors don’t have it, which means the NPU may be out of the reach of budget buyers.

One of the spotlight products announced, the updated 16-inch Acer Nitro V 16 gaming laptop goes “up to” a Ryzen 7 8845HS and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060, but a mystery base configuration starts at $1,000. Who knows if that base includes an NPU-equipped CPU or how price scales for the configurations. Acers equipped with the NPU will use it for optimizing battery life and expanded power-management features. The Nitro’s expected to ship in March, in line with the wait we usually have from announcement to shipping of new chips this time of year.

Another reason for the aligned push is to motivate software developers to use the application programming interfaces in order to offload much of the inferencing and generative work the way they address the graphics accelerator for a smoother experience with interactive graphics tasks.

There are a lot of developers who already use custom AI models, like Adobe, Zoom, OBS (in OBS Studio, for streamers) and Microsoft. But there’s a multitude of APIs for handling the on-device model and interaction with the operating system — WindowsML, Intel OpenVINO, Nvidia’s integration into its own software (like DLSS in the graphics driver and Broadcast) and more. It’s still all shaking out.

Apple Watches are often touted as the best smartwatches you can buy, but they aren’t the only wearable option out there. Known for its style and long battery life, the Fossil Wellness Edition Gen 6 is packed with features you’ll love, and right now instead of the usual $299 price tag, the 44mm Fossil Wellness Edition is marked down to just $159 on Amazon.

Released in January, this Fossil smartwatch is packed with fitness-focused and smartwatch features, including phone notifications, music controls, the Alexa voice assistant, automatic workout detection and a SpO2 blood oxygen sensor. It boasts a two-week battery life, and a Wellness Gauge watch face that displays heart rate data and your V02 Max measurement for oxygen consumption. In his preview of the watch, CNET’s Mike Sorrentino noted that it doesn’t run Google’s Wear OS, but it syncs with both the iPhone and Android phones using Fossil’s app. That does mean you can’t use the Google Play store for new watch apps though.

Available with a silicone band, the current price is for black, rose gold and navy models. There’s no telling how long this deal will last, so if this attractive watch has been on your wish list, nab it now to score the discount.

Google is launching a slew of new features for its family of Pixel phones and other mobile devices, including a few updates that are powered by the search giant’s new Gemini Nano AI model. The update began rolling out to compatible Pixel phones on Wednesday.

Many of the changes build on existing Google features, including Pixel-exclusive ones like the Recorder app and Photo Unblur for sharpening old photos. Google is touting the Pixel 8 Pro as being the first phone to run Gemini Nano, and it’s starting by applying the model to the Recorder app and Smart Reply predictive text feature. The update is another sign that Google is weaving AI into its mobile products, a point it emphasized during the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro’s unveiling in October.

The Pixel 8 Pro will be able to summarize conversations in the Recorder app without requiring an internet connection. Gemini Nano is also powering a new version of Smart Reply that should provide “high quality responses with conversational awareness,” according to Google’s blog post. The new Gemini-powered Smart Reply is in developer preview and can be accessed in WhatsApp, but will eventually expand to other apps.

Video Boost, the option that lets you send video footage to the cloud for more rigorous processing and better brightness, is also coming to the Pixel 8 Pro in this update. Google announced the feature back in October but is only now launching it for its high-end smartphone.

Other highlights include an update to Photo Unblur that’s better at sharpening photos of cats and dogs in addition to people, photo previews on the Pixel Fold’s outer screen while using the inner screen as a viewfinder in the camera app, the ability to use the Pixel 6 and later as a computer webcam when connected via USB, and suggested replies when screening calls.

With the update, Google’s Password Manager will also be able to automatically detect accounts that support passkeys, a new type of login credential that uses biometric authentication and your physical device to approve logins. It’s a more secure alternative to the password that’s become more widely adopted in 2023.

Google is taking a page from Samsung and Apple with some of the changes in its latest update. For example, Google is introducing Repair Mode, which prevents personal data from being accessed when you send in your phone for a repair. It sounds similar to Samsung’s Maintenance Mode, which the company released globally in 2022. You’ll also be able to unlock your Pixel phone using your watch when it’s nearby, a feature that’s been available on the Apple Watch for years. The previously-mentioned webcam feature also resembles Apple’s Continuity Camera mode for the Mac and iPhone.

You can view the full list of new features on Google’s blog. While it’s typical for Google to periodically bring new features to Pixel devices, this update contains more features than most. Perhaps it’s a signal that Google is deepening its focus on Pixel-exclusive features now that it has a bigger ecosystem of devices that span phones, earbuds, watches and more. The update also serves as yet another sign that AI is going to play a big role in smartphones moving forward, with Google, Qualcomm and Samsung all making AI-related smartphone announcements in the last three months.

With Christmas just a few short weeks away, you’re probably keen to make sure that you get the best holiday gifts at the best prices. And, right now, picking up a brand-new PlayStation 5 next-gen console just got even cheaper.

Sony recently released a slightly redesigned PS5. You can grab bundles offering Spider-Man 2 for just $499, or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for the same $499, included with a new PS5 Slim console, which basically scores you a free game with your purchase. It helps that the two games that you can choose from are highly likely to be on this gift recipient’s wishlist, too.

Note that these devices both come with a horizontal stand, but if you’re planning on standing your console upright, you’re going to want to invest in a vertical stand, which is sold separately for $30. Don’t see what you need at the price that you want? Check out our list of the best PlayStation deals before making your purchase anywhere else.

Manchester United will be hoping to bring some rare cheer to Old Trafford today, as Erik ten Hag’s struggling side face Chelsea at home in the English Premier League.

United have had a week to forget, after their damaging 3-3 draw in their Champions League trip to Galatasaray was followed by an equally demoralizing 1-0 defeat at Newcastle on Saturday.

Unlike United, Chelsea are showing signs of improvement after their poor start to the campaign, with Mauricio Pochettino’s men coming into this fixture off the back of a feisty 3-2 victory against Brighton.

One point of optimism for the hosts ahead of this match is United’s recent record against the Blues. The Red Devils are currently on an unbeaten run of 11 league games against their west London rivals, with their last loss against Chelsea coming in a 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge all the way back in November 2017.

Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services for watching all of the action live wherever you are in the world.

Manchester United vs. Chelsea: When and where?

Manchester United host Chelsea at Old Trafford on Wednesday, Dec. 6. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. GMT local time. That’s 3:15 p.m. ET or 12:15 p.m. PT in the US and Canada, and 7:15 a.m. AEDT early on Thursday morning in Australia.

How to watch the Manchester United vs. Chelsea game online from anywhere using a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view the game locally, you may need a different way to watch — 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, non-blackout 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 the Man United vs. Chelsea game in the US

Wednesday’s Man United vs. Chelsea match is streaming on Peacock. You’ll need a Peacock Premium or Premium Plus account to catch the game live.

Livestream the Manchester United vs. Chelsea game in the UK

Premier League rights in the UK are split between Sky Sports, Amazon Prime Video and TNT Sports (previously known as BT Sport). Man United vs. Chelsea is part of a full program of Premier League games being shown exclusively live on Amazon Prime this week.

Livestream the Man United vs. Chelsea game in Canada

If you want to stream this match live in Canada, you’ll need to subscribe to Fubo Canada. The service has exclusive rights for this Premier League season.

Livestream the Man United vs. Chelsea game in Australia

Football fans Down Under can watch this EPL fixture on streaming service Optus Sport, which is showing every single Premier League game live in Australia this season.

Quick tips for streaming the Premier League using a VPN

• With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming EPL matches 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.

Apple released the iOS 17.2 release candidate, or RC, on Tuesday, which means the iOS update will likely be released to the general public in the next week or two. The RC includes at least a dozen new features, including long-awaited additions such as the Journal app and Contact Key Verification. Developers and beta testers can download and try the RC and all the new features now.

We recommend downloading the RC on something other than your primary device. Since this isn’t the final version of iOS 17.2, these features might be buggy and battery life may be shortened, and it’s best to keep that experience to a secondary device.

If you’re a developer or public beta tester, here are some of the new features you can find in the iOS 17.2 RC. Note that these might not be the only new features to land on your iPhone when iOS 17.2 is released.

The Journal app

Apple finally debuted the Journal app with iOS 17.2 beta 1. The tech giant announced the app at the company’s WWDC event in June alongside iOS 17, but it was absent from the update’s launch on Sept. 18. It now appears Journal will be included in iOS 17.2.

Apple said at WWDC that the app uses on-device machine learning to create personalized writing suggestions. Some of these suggestions are created using information on your iPhone, like photos you’ve taken and music and podcasts you’ve listened to throughout the day. And if you forget what podcast you listened to earlier in the day — like I regularly do — the app shows you that information when you go to make an entry.

The app also shows you a handful of topics to write about, called Reflections. Some of my Reflections included, “Write about a time you gave someone an unexpected gift,” and, “Who cheers you up when you’re feeling down?”

But if you don’t want to write about whatever you listened to or use a Reflection, you can just write by tapping the New Entry button. In New Entry, you can write whatever you want, or create a voice note, take a photo or create a video to add to your journal entry.

You can also lock the app after it’s closed for a set amount of time for some privacy. So if you close the app and don’t reopen it for a certain amount of time, like five minutes, it will ask for your Face ID or passcode to open it again.

With iOS 17.2 beta 3, Journal asks you to set up a journaling schedule the first time you open the app. You can set the schedule for a certain time every day, every other day or however often you’d like to journal. Once that’s done, Journal will notify you when it’s time to journal. The option to schedule notifications to remind you to journal isn’t new, but this splash screen is.

Contact Key Verification in Messages

Apple announced Contact Key Verification in December 2022, and the security feature finally appeared in iOS 17.2 beta 1.

“With iMessage Contact Key Verification, users who face extraordinary digital threats — such as journalists, human rights activists, and members of government — can choose to further verify that they are messaging only with the people they intend,” Apple said in a news release in December.

Apple wrote that many people won’t be the target of a cyberattack, but Contact Key Verification gives people who might be a target an additional security layer.

To enable Contact Key Verification go to Settings > Apple ID >Contact Key Verification, tap the slider next to Verification in iMessage and follow the on-screen prompts.

React with Live Stickers

Live Stickers is a new feature Apple introduced in iOS 17 at launch. The feature lets you create your own stickers from pictures you’ve taken. And in iOS 17.2 beta 1, you can react to texts in Messages with your Live Stickers. To react with a Live Sticker, long-press on a text like you would to add a reaction, then tap Add Sticker in the dropdown menu to pull up your stickers.

New Apple Music settings

If you subscribe to Apple Music — which costs $11 a month — iOS 17.2 beta 3 lets you automatically add songs you’ve favorited to your library. If you don’t like this, you can turn the setting off by going to Settings > Music and tapping the toggle next to Add Favorite Songs.

More Memoji customization

In iOS 17.2 beta 1, there’s a new menu in the Memoji editor called Body that lets you edit the appearance of your Memoji’s body. You can adjust your Memoji’s waist, bust, shoulders and arms in this menu. However, there are only three options in each of these sections as of the time of this writing, so Memoji isn’t a full-on character creator menu as you’d see in a video game.

Change your default notification sounds and haptics

In iOS 17.2 beta 4, Apple allows you to change the default notification sound. This is the first time Apple has allowed iPhone users to change the default notification sound. To change this sound, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Default Alerts, and you’ll be able to select new and classic tones.

In the Default Alerts menu, you can also change your haptics by tapping Haptics near the top of the page. Here you can choose between a handful of haptic patterns, and you can create a custom haptic by tapping Create New Vibration.

Photos and Apple Music working together

If you go into the Photos app after updating to the iOS 17.2 beta 3, Photos will ask permission to access your Apple Music library. The screen says it will use songs from your library to curate songs for your Memories.

AppleCare and Warranty menu

In iOS 17.2 beta 4, if you go to Settings > General you’ll see a new option called AppleCare and Warranty. If you tap into this option, you’ll see all of your devices that are or aren’t covered under AppleCare or a warranty. In previous betas, this option was called Coverage.

Catch-up arrow in Messages

A new feature in iOS 17.2 beta 1 can help you understand what’s happening in a texting group or if someone sends you a lot of messages. The beta brings the catch-up arrow back to Messages, so if you wake from a nap with a lot of messages, you can jump to the beginning of the new messages and follow the drama for context.

The catch-up arrow was in some early iOS 17 betas, but it has been absent since.

New options for sharing Contact Posters

In iOS 17.2 beta 3, you can now share your Contact Poster through Phone and FaceTime. If you go to Settings and either Phone or FaceTime, you will see an option called Share Name and Photo. Tap this and you can select whether to automatically share your Contact Poster with your contacts or whether to require your phone to always ask before sharing. This feature was only in Message before.

iPhone 15 Pro action button updated

According to the Apple news blog iSoftware Updates, iOS 17.2 beta 1 updates the iPhone 15 Pro’s action button. With the beta, the action button now has a translate function. The new function will reportedly allow you to translate phrases or have a conversation with someone in another language.

Sharing content between your iPhone and Apple Vision Pro

Apple announced its Vision Pro headset at WWDC in June. While you can’t buy the Vision Pro yet — Apple plans for the headset to be available in the US in early 2024 — iOS 17.2 beta 1 introduces a setting to allow your iPhone to work as an additional screen for it.

The setting is called AirPlay Receiver and can be found under AirPlay & Handoff in Settings. Apple writes that AirPlay Receiver allows you to stream or share content from your Vision Pro headset to your iPhone.

Spatial Video recording for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max

The second iOS 17.2 beta has a new feature that allows iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max users to record Spatial Video. This feature will supposedly allow the video to be viewed in 3D on the upcoming Vision Pro headset. Spatial Videos can also be viewed in the Photos app as normal videos.

Disable inline predictions on your keyboard

Have you ever been typing a text in Messages and suddenly a gray word appears in front of your cursor? This is called inline text predictions, and if you’ve ever been confused or annoyed by this feature, iOS 17.2 beta 3 introduces the ability to turn it off. In the beta, you go to Settings > General > Keyboard and tap the slider next to Show Predictions Inline.

More Sensitive Content Warnings

Sensitive Content Warnings were introduced in iOS 17 and blur out images and videos that show up in certain Apple services and that might contain nudity. With iOS 17.2 beta 2, these warnings have been expanded to include contact posters that might include nudity.

More Siri requests

With iOS 17.2 beta 2, you can ask Siri a few new questions, like what your altitude is and what’s your estimated arrival time if you’re using the voice assistant for directions.

Collaborative playlists in Apple Music

With iOS 17.2 beta 1, Apple introduced collaborative playlists for Apple Music subscribers. However, this feature disappeared in iOS 17.2 beta 4. It’s unclear now if collaborative playlists will be included in iOS 17.2 when it’s released to the general public later this year.

Updated Weather widget and app

In previous iOS versions, you’d have three options for a Weather widget: a small tile, a medium size tile bar and a large tile that took up half your screen. All showed the current weather conditions in more detail as they went up in size.

In the first beta of iOS 17.2 though, you have six Weather widgets to choose from. The first three are the original small, medium and large tiles. The three new widgets are all the same size as the small tile, but show more details for the day.

One tile shows the current condition, precipitation, UV index, wind levels and air quality index. Another tile shows the current conditions plus the expected conditions for the next four days. And the final new tile shows when you can expect the sunrise and sunset.

The Weather app also has a few new features, like an interactive moon calendar, the amount of rain for your area over time, and wind speed and direction. The updated Weather app is like having your own meteorologist in your pocket.

New digital Clock widget

In iOS 17.2 beta 1, the Clock widget gets an update as well. The Clock widget now gives you the option for a digital clock to easily read the time.

News app supports Live Activities

The News app also gets an update in iOS 17.2 beta 1. Now, you can enable Live Activities for the app, so you can follow news events, like elections, as they happen on Live Activity-enabled iPhones.

Apple TV app updated

The Apple TV app also gets an update with iOS 17.2 beta 1. If you open the app and tap Store in the bottom menu, you’ll see the Movies and TV Shows sectionsacross the top of your screenare gone.

Local Awareness option in Emergency Alerts

With iOS 17.1 beta 1, there’s a new option in the Emergency Alerts menu called Local Awareness. Apple writes that if you enable this option, it uses your approximate location to improve the accuracy, timeliness and reliability of emergency alerts you receive.

More Contact Poster customization options

Contact Posters is another new feature Apple introduced with iOS 17. With iOS 17.2 beta 1, you can customize your Contact Posters even more by giving you the option to give a contact poster rainbow-colored text.

Here are the full release notes for the iOS 17.2 RC:

About This Update

Journal

• Journal is a new app that lets you write about the small moments and big events in your life so you can practice gratitude and improve your wellbeing.
• Journaling suggestions make it easy to remember your experiences by intelligently grouping your outings, photos, workouts, and more into moments you can add to your journal.
• Filters let you quickly find bookmarked entries or show entries with attachments so you can revisit and reflect on key moments in your life.
• Scheduled notifications help you keep a consistent journaling practice by reminding you to write on the days and time you choose.
• Option to lock your journal using Touch ID or Face ID.
• iCloud sync keeps your journal entries safe and encrypted on iCloud.

Action Button

• Translate option for the Action button on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max to quickly translate phrases or have a conversation with someone in another language.

Camera

• Spatial video lets you capture video on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max so you can relive your memories in three dimensions on Apple Vision Pro.
• Improved Telephoto camera focusing speed when capturing small faraway objects on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Messages

• Catch-up arrow lets you easily jump to your first unread message in a conversation by tapping the arrow visible in the top-right corner.
• Add sticker option in the context menu lets you add a sticker directly to a bubble.
• Memoji updates include the ability to adjust the body shape of any Memoji.
• Contact Key Verification provides automatic alerts and Contact Verification Codes to help verify people facing extraordinary digital threats are messaging only with the people they intend.

Weather

• Precipitation amounts help you stay on top of rain and snow conditions for a given day over the next 10 days.
• New widgets let you choose from next-hour precipitation, daily forecast, sunrise and sunset times, and current conditions such as Air Quality, Feels Like and wind speed.
• Wind map snapshot helps you quickly assess wind patterns and access the animated wind map overlay to prepare for forecasted wind conditions for the next 24 hours.
• Interactive moon calendar lets you easily visualize the phase of the moon on any day for the next month.

This update also includes the following improvements and bug fixes:

• Siri support for privately accessing and logging Health app data using your voice.
• AirDrop improvements including expanded contact sharing options and the ability to share boarding passes, movie tickets, and other eligible passes by bringing two iPhones together.
• Favorite Songs Playlist in Apple Music lets you quickly get back to the songs you mark as favorites.
• Use Listening History in Apple Music can be disabled in a Focus so music you listen to does not appear in Recently Played or influence your recommendations.
• A new Digital Clock Widget lets you quickly catch a glimpse of the time on your Home Screen and while in StandBy.
• Enhanced AutoFill identifies fields in PDFs and other forms enabling you to populate them with information such as names and addresses from your contacts.
• New keyboard layouts provide support for 8 Sámi languages.
• Sensitive Content Warning for stickers in Messages prevents you from being unexpectedly shown a sticker containing nudity.
• Qi2 charger support for all iPhone 13 models and iPhone 14 models.
• Fixes an issue that may prevent wireless charging in certain vehicles.

Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website:

https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

Since Apple released the iOS 17.2 RC, the company will likely release iOS 17.2 to the general public in the next week or two. However, there’s no confirmed release date at this time.

For more Apple news, here’s what Apple announced at its ‘Scary Fast’ October event, why you should download iOS 17.1.2 now and our iOS 17 cheat sheet.

If you’re looking for top-notch sound, Sonos has a lot to offer. While the brand’s speakers are notoriously expensive, you’ll find the occasional deal that makes it a little more affordable to invest in one without breaking the bank. Right now both the Sonos Roam and the Roam SL are discounted by up to $46 at both Best Buy and Sonos, meaning you can snag one for as little as $119. That makes it a great time to grab one of these portable mini speakers for yourself or as a holiday gift for a loved one. We’re not sure how long these markdowns will last, so we recommend making your purchase sooner rather than later to take advantage of this deal.

The Sonos Roam is one of our favorite portable mini Bluetooth speakers for 2023. It weighs less than a pound and has an ultra compact design for portability, plus it comes equipped with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, is rated IP67 water- and dustproof and delivers a good sound for its size. And full charge will deliver up to 10 hours of playback, depending on which settings you use. It’s also compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control and automatically optimizes sound based on your location. This speaker’s main drawback is the hefty price tag of $179 — but right now you can score the Roam for just $134 at Best Buy, which has price matched the cost of buying from Sonos directly. That’s a $46 discount.

But if you don’t need a smart speaker per se and won’t mind going without the voice control features available on the Roam, then you may prefer to opt for the cheaper Roam SL. It’s discounted by $41 right now, bringing the price to just $119 at Best Buy — once again price matching the deal Sonos is offering.

Both companies are also sweetening the deal, with Best Buy offering four months of SiriusXM to new subscribers and Sonos offering three months of Apple Music to new subscribers with the purchase of the Roam or Roam SL. And be sure to check out other smart home deals to get all the devices you’ll want for your home.

Buying a new pair of wireless earbuds can be expensive, especially if you want to get some of the best around. The Google Pixel Buds Pro definitely fall into that category and, at their normal price of $200, they can be a bit costly. But there are often deals to be had if you shop around and we’ve found one that you won’t want to miss out on.

Right now, Amazon is selling the Google Pixel Buds Pro for just $120, a full $80 off the original price. You also get to choose from six different colors as well — they’re all part of this deal, so make sure to pick your preferred color before adding anything to your cart.

In terms of features, the Pixel Buds Pro have plenty to write home about. The spec list includes active noise cancellation, designed to ensure you don’t hear the outside world when you don’t want to. You’ll get up to 11 hours of battery life from a single charge as well, increasing to 31 hours when you take the included charging case into account.

In his full review last year, CNET’s headphone expert David Carnoy praised the Buds Pro’s “very good sound and impressive noise canceling,” as well as their battery life and voice call quality.

It’s important to note that Amazon hasn’t yet said when this deal is going to end, which means that it might disappear without notice — make sure to get your order in now if you plan on taking advantage of that hefty $80 saving. And if the Pixel Buds Pro don’t tick the right boxes for you, we have a ton of great earbud deals ready for your delectation.