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Load up your silenced PP7s and prime those remote mines: GoldenEye 007 is coming to the Nintendo Switch Online and Xbox Game Pass subscription services this Friday, Jan. 27. The James Bond first-person shooter originally hit the N64 in 1997.

Online multiplayer will be exclusive to the Switch version, the official 007 website noted. It’s unclear if this version will offer twin-stick controls, but we’ve reached out Nintendo for comment. You’ll need to be subscribed to Switch Online’s $50-a-year Expansion Pack tier to access GoldenEye and other N64 games.

The Game Pass version (playable on Xbox One and Xbox Series X and S) will include “alternative control options, achievements to unlock and native 16:9 resolution up to 4K Ultra HD,” Craig Duncan, the head Microsoft-owned developer Rare, said in a blog post Wednesday. A subscription costs $10 a month, though people who own a digital copy of Rare Replay, the 30-game compilation of classics that came out in 2015, will also get access to GoldenEye for free.

GoldenEye’s return was revealed in a Nintendo Direct livestream last September.

As a licensed tie-in to the 1995 movie that introduced actor Pierce Brosnan as the legendary British agent, the game won critical acclaim for its fun single-player campaign and epic split-screen competitive multiplayer. It became the N64’s third bestselling title, with 8.09 million units sold — it was only topped by Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64, which sold 11.91 million and 9.87 million copies, respectively.

Rare also developed GoldenEye followup Perfect Dark for N64 in 2000, before Microsoft acquired the company in 2002.

Fans have been expecting a remaster for Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and S to be revealed for months, since achievements for this remaster have leaked multiple times. It was reportedly planned for release on Xbox 360 in the late 2010s, and an apparent extended gameplay video appeared in 2016. At the time, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said the game’s licensing rights complicated efforts to get it on the console. The versions coming on Friday don’t appear to be the remasters; the Switch release seems to visually identical to the N64 one, while the Xbox release looks like an upscaled edition of the original.

“Great to see that GE007 is being made available again. I hope this means that a new generation will get to experience and enjoy the game,” David Doak, a developer whose face was famously used for in-game Bond ally Dr. Doak, tweeted after the announcement last September. “It was an absolute privilege to be part of the talented team that created it 25 years ago.”

He also tweeted a recent shot of him dressed like his in-game counterpart, and joked that players shouldn’t “come crying” to him if they have trouble unlocking the infamous Invincibility cheat. That’s one of the game’s most difficult challenges — you have to beat Facility in under 2 minutes and 5 seconds to get it. Doak has spoken at length about the game’s development over the years.

Read more: GoldenEye at 20: We Raise a Martini to a Classic Game

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Bond’s first appearance, in author Ian Fleming’s novel Casino Royale. Last year was the 60th anniversary of the Bond movie franchise — with latest film No Time to Die now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video — but the series is in a state of flux as fans await the announcement of Daniel Craig’s successor in the role. Hitman developer IO Interactive is also working on its own Bond game.

James Bond Movies Ranked, From Sean Connery to Daniel Craig

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Here’s a dilemma: You’ve found the perfect gift for someone but you don’t know the correct address to send it to. You don’t want to text them to ask for their address because that would give away the surprise — but if you don’t ask then you’re left with a great gift and no address to mail it to. Unfortunately, while the internet can solve most problems, a correct address can be hard to find. But if you’re shopping for a gift on Amazon, all is not lost. There’s an amazing Amazon shopping feature that makes it possible to send a stealthy gift with just the recipient’s phone number or email address.

Here’s how to send gifts to friends who may have moved and whose address you don’t have on file. Just note, however, you need to be a Prime member and there are a couple other caveats. (Here’s how to sign up for a Prime membership if you don’t have one. If you’re already a member, there are plenty of perks you probably aren’t using, like free Grubhub Plus food delivery for a year.)

Is there a catch to sending Amazon gifts without an address?

Yes, here are the puzzle pieces needed to make this convenient shopping hack work. You must:

• Be an Amazon Prime member.
• Have the recipient’s email address or mobile phone number.
• Use the mobile app to send the gift without a specific shipping address. (The new shopping feature won’t work with Amazon.com, only the mobile app.)
• Ship and receive the gift to the continental US — sorry, Hawaii and Alaska.

Important note: Not every gift is eligible. For example, we couldn’t send the baby clothes we picked out for our colleague’s newborn this way, but we were able to select a pair of $36 Amazon over-ear headphones (not currently available) to send to a recipient without a physical address on hand.

How does the Amazon Prime gift option work?

We’ll share more details in the step-by-step below, but in general, as the gift-giver you just have to send a gift receipt and select the new delivery option. The recipient will then be notified to accept the gift by providing their address. If they decide to not accept the gift, they can exchange it for an Amazon gift card. Amazon says it won’t tell the person who picked out the gift if the recipient chooses a gift card instead.

How to send a gift on Amazon without knowing the recipient’s address

If you just picked out a gift for your family member or friend on Amazon, here’s how you can send it to them through text or email:

1. Add the gift to your cart using Amazon’s mobile app.

2. Tap Add a gift receipt for easy returns and then tap Proceed to checkout.

3. Once at checkout, select the option to Let the recipient provide their address and tap Continue.

4. Enter the recipient’s phone number or email address. This is where you can also add a custom message sent alongside your gift. You can also select gift wrapping at this stage. (Note that this typically costs another $5 for an Amazon gift bag.)

5. Place your order by clicking Continue. The recipient will then be notified and asked to accept the gift.

Pro Amazon Tip!

Shop for Amazon’s daily deals for discounted prices on your favorite products.

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How to accept an Amazon gift

If you have been sent a gift through Amazon, here’s how to accept it (or get a gift card instead):

1. Click on the text or email notification from Amazon and tap View and accept your gift.

2. Tap on your present to unwrap it and watch an animation of your gift being revealed.

3. Once you’ve virtually unwrapped your gift, you can choose to Accept and provide an address or Exchange for an Amazon gift card.

4. If you choose to accept the gift, you will be prompted to provide your delivery address. After you enter your address, tap Deliver to this address and then Accept the gift.

5. Amazon will then ship your gift to you with free Prime shipping.

For more, check out how to use Amazon subscribe and save to buy your favorite products at a discount. Plus, you can bypass shipping fees with this shopping tip.

AT&T ended the year with more phone and internet subscribers, according to results from the last fiscal quarter.

The Dallas telecom company reported its earnings on Wednesday, noting 656,000 postpaid net phone additions in the fourth quarter, a metric used by the industry as shorthand for success and dependable revenue. AT&T said it gained customers even though it had less generous phone promotions and deals than its competitors.

Despite inflation and worries surrounding a recession, AT&T CEO John Stankey was cautiously optimistic about the company’s forecast for the year.

“The good news is, I think we’re through the worst of it,” Stankey said on a conference call, though he noted that geopolitical disruption could be a swing factor changing the carrier’s 2023 outlook.

The results come at a time when wireless carriers are tightening their belts through layoffs and pulling back on the kind of promotions and freebies they once offered to lure in new customers. On Tuesday, Verizon also said it was moving away from aggressive promotions even if meant short-term losses. Consumers can expect to see fewer wireless deals going forward.

AT&T also ended the year by surpassing its goal of covering 130 million people with its midband 5G, with the telecom company hitting the 150 million mark. Midband spectrum runs on a frequency of 5G that brings wider coverage and higher speeds to more places. The spectrum was mostly in its C-band frequency range, which AT&T paid $27 billion to acquire in 2021 and started rolling out last year. AT&T wasn’t clear about whether this number includes the 3.45 GHz frequencies of 5G midband that the carrier paid $9.1 billion to acquire a year ago. The carrier set a new target to cover 200 million people with midband 5G by the end of 2023.

AT&T lost 13,000 net prepaid phone subscribers in the last quarter, including customers for AT&T’s Cricket brand that rivals T-Mobile’s Metro and Verizon’s new Total affordable prepaid offerings.

The carrier posted 280,000 broadband fiber net additions, noting that its fiber customers now outnumber customers with older DSL and other internet services. AT&T touched on its Gigapower fiber joint venture with private equity company BlackRock Alternatives, announced just before the end of 2022, which Stankey likened to an opportunity in the early race for wireless phone service. The venture aims to harness government subsidies to deploy multi-gig fiber in new areas to reach 1.5 million customers.

“The possibility to help close the digital divide and focus on access to affordable high-speed internet is a top priority of AT&T,” Stankey said.

The carrier acknowledged that it will have a new offering this year for fixed wireless, an internet frontier that AT&T effectively ceded to Verizon and T-Mobile in the early days of 5G. In the past, AT&T has confirmed it won’t expand into fixed wireless except on rare occasions to meet specific business needs. So long as fixed wireless delivers less bandwidth than fiber, AT&T isn’t excited about it as an alternative to wired broadband, Stankey said, noting any deployment would have a narrow niche where fiber can’t easily reach.

“I don’t see [fixed wireless] place long-term in dense metropolitan areas, and I don’t see it in reasonably well-populated suburban areas,” Stankey said.

AT&T reported revenues of $31.3 billion, which is around the revenue for the same period last year and slightly under the $31.39 billion expected. The carrier reported 61 cents of adjusted earnings per share, which was better than the 57 cents earned per share expected by analysts polled by Yahoo Finance.

At the start of the new year, AT&T expects wireless revenue growth of 4% and broadband revenue growth of 5% through 2023. The carrier noted it expects to spend around the same for capital expenditures this year, which hit a record $24 billion in 2022 due to expanding midband 5G and fiber rollouts.

AT&T’s stock was up a tenth of a percent to $19.18 in after-hours trading.

Virtual reality headsets have changed quite a bit over the past decade, mostly getting more powerful and more expensive. HTC’s Vive XR Elite, like Meta’s recent Quest Pro and possibly Apple’s long-awaited device, asks the question: Are we truly ready for the rise of the $1,000-plus VR rigs?

Now playing:Watch this:Super Small Vive XR Elite Doesn’t Quite Work For My Eyes

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The $1,099 headset, available for preorder now, is arriving by the end of February — remarkably soon. That means it’ll be available alongside Sony’s PlayStation 5-connected PSVR 2. While less expensive than the Quest Pro, the XR Elite’s price costs about as much as buying a PS5 and a PSVR 2 together. It’s far from an impulse purchase. But the hardware, which shrinks down the VR form to a pair of nearly glasses-like goggles and includes mixed-reality capabilities that could allow for AR apps, looks to solve how we’ll be using the metaverse for more in our lives than just games, simulation and fitness.

Read more: The Wonders of CES 2023: 3D Laptops, Wireless TV and Shape-Shifting Screens

No other company has really cracked this challenge either. But this Vive headset looks, more than ever, like it’s a stepping stone to future AR glasses.

“We see where mixed reality is going to create a whole new suite of use cases. We know the virtual reality use cases are great. I think the AR side is amazing, too,” Dan O’Brien, HTC’s general manager of Vive, told me in a conversation at CES in Las Vegas earlier in January. He acknowledged that HTC tried to make an AR device in 2015 but stopped because of the complications. O’Brien sees 5G and cloud computing as a key next step. “You need a 5G network, a really robust one to make AR go to scale — you need a cloud infrastructure to deliver to those types of wearables.”

The XR Elite is primarily a standalone VR headset, and it looks like an impressive piece of tech: It has a familiar Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 chip much like the Meta Quest 2, Quest Pro and Vive’s existing business-focused Focus 3. But it adds a higher-resolution 110-degree field of view, LCD displays with 2K resolution per eye that can run at 90Hz. There’s also a boosted 12GB of RAM along with 128GB of storage. It can connect to PCs to run SteamVR or HTC’s VivePort software, or connect with Android phones. But its potential as a bridge to AR experiences seems like the most impressive feature.

Those are just specs, though. The XR Elite is a VR headset with a similar proposition to previous models, but with expanded capabilities. Its compact size is the most surprising part: At 340 grams, it’s less than half the weight of the Quest Pro. The rear hot-swappable battery gives about two hours of life. It gets even smaller by unclipping the back battery strap and adding glasses arms that can turn the headset into a modified pair of VR glasses, which could just plug into an external USB-C charger or battery for power. It’s small enough to fit in a compact carrying case tube.

But that compact size comes with a twist: Instead of fitting on top of glasses, the XR Elite uses adjusting dials, or diopters, which can change the lens prescription on the fly without you needing to wear glasses at all — for some people, at least. The diopters only accommodate up to a -6 prescription, but my own vision is over -8 for nearsightedness. It’s a challenge HTC faced with its even smaller Vive Flow phone-connected VR goggles, which also went for the glasses-free approach.

The XR Elite has a dedicated depth sensor on the front, along with color passthrough cameras that can eventually show mixed reality-experiences, similar to the Quest Pro. The Quest Pro doesn’t have the Elite’s added depth sensor, but it accommodates for that with its onboard cameras.

The XR Elite could also adapt further. While the hardware doesn’t have its own eye-tracking tools onboard, eye- and face-tracking add-ons are coming later in the year. The headset’s controllers are the same standard ones that HTC has for the Vive Focus 3, which follow the same game controller-like playbook as the Meta Quest 2 and others. But HTC already has its own line of wearable VR body trackers and wristbands, and more accessories could follow.

O’Brien acknowledges that the sticky, mass-market appeal of VR and AR aren’t here yet. “I think developers will be using cloud computing, being able to actually get their content into the metaverse much faster, and much more efficiently,” he said. “If you think about the streaming business, these streamers, these TikTokkers, all these kids that create the really compelling, fun experiences that just keep drawing you back in? That’s not in the metaverse today, We need to create more opportunities for less sophisticated immersive content creators to get involved, and then create more [of an] economy.”

O’Brien sees cloud computing, driven by eye tracking’s ability to compress graphics data via a technology called foveated rendering, as a way of eventually shrinking the processors on future headsets, getting smaller and fitting on more people.

My concern is about the limited prescription options at the moment. “As we get to much lighter glasses, people will probably be bringing more of their prescriptions to it in the future,” says O’Brien. “For now, what we can do is just try to address the majority of the market as best we can with these types of setting changes, because we have to get the headsets lighter. We’ve got to get them more comfortable. And if you’re going to have these big eye relief areas inside of these headsets, they’re going to stay really big.”

O’Brien sees the included VR controllers as possibly becoming optional one day, even maybe being left out of the box and bought separately, but not yet. Hand tracking isn’t reliable enough. “Hand tracking has to make massive advancements over the next two to three years to really become much more of a natural input tool.” But O’Brien suggests it’s a way for future headsets to get more affordable. “If a user can just put on glasses and interact with content [with their hands], that’s going to be a much less expensive product.”

Hands-on thoughts

My feelings after trying HTC’s new Vive XR Elite for myself in Las Vegas couldn’t be more mixed. I am excited to see a fully self-contained VR headset — with mixed reality passthrough camera capabilities, no less — fit in something so small it can be folded up in a carrying tube. I just wish it worked for me without having to remember to wear contact lenses.

Vive’s premium standalone headset undercuts the Meta Quest Pro by $400, and it’s a lot smaller and lighter. But it’s hard for me to tell how good it is in comparison, for several reasons. My handful of demos in Las Vegas were largely standard VR-type experiences, with only a couple that added a background of the real world provided by the headset’s color passthrough cameras. Also, my extreme nearsightedness and my glasses didn’t work with the headset’s limited built-in vision-adjustment diopter dials, and I didn’t bring contact lenses. I either had to play with slightly fuzzy VR, or wedge my glasses into the headset and sacrifice comfort and field of view.

The headset’s extremely small, and with its battery back strap, it balances weight to feel more like a simple ring-like device you rest on your head. The back strap can be detached in favor of glasses-like arms (and powering up via an external battery pack through USB-C), but I didn’t wear that configuration. The face fit wasn’t perfect, though: I found some pressure on my nose and around my eyes, even without glasses, in ways I don’t get from the Meta Quest 2.

The Vive XR Elite’s controllers are the same ones that Vive uses for its business-targeted standalone Vive Focus 3. They’re fine, and similar to the Quest 2, but not particularly surprising and don’t improve the experience beyond other standard VR headsets. They use the same tracking system that needs the headset’s front cameras to help position location. The more advanced Quest Pro controllers, in comparison, have their own tracking cameras inside.

The XR Elite has depth sensing to potentially measure rooms and layer VR into them via mixed reality, using the passthrough color cameras in a way that the Quest Pro does. The dedicated depth sensor promises better mixed reality accuracy, but no demos I tried really showed this off. The closest experience, a Beat Saber-like music conducting game called Maestro, layered a VR interface on top of the real-world demo kiosk I was in, allowing me to look around and be in the game… but it didn’t blend the real and virtual much beyond that. Another demo, which had me punching targets on a grid in front of me, suspended the grid onto a background of the world around me, but without much interaction: The real-world passthrough cameras were just a backdrop.

The color passthrough camera quality seemed about equivalent to the Quest Pro, or the Pico 4 VR headset. I’m more interested in what other AR apps could emerge.

For that, though, the XR Elite will need willing software partners. Meta hasn’t released many mixed reality-capable apps for the Quest Pro yet, and the same challenges might be in store for HTC. In that sense, this headset feels as much like a developer kit for future mixed reality as it is a working, PC-compatible VR product.

This product has been selected as one of the best products of CES 2023. Check out the other Best of CES 2023 award winners.

When Bowers & Wilkins introduced its first true-wireless earbuds in April 2021, they were among the very best-sounding models in that highly competitive headphone space. Now we get the next generation of those buds, the PI7 S2 ($399, 349, AU$700) and PI5 S2 ($299, 249, AU$450) — and they manage to be both quite impressive and a tad disappointing at the same time. (For what it’s worth, the names are “pi 7” and “pi 5”, styled in all caps and no spaces, not “P seventeen” and “P fifteen.” Got it?)

8.2

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 S2

Like

• Great sound
• Improved battery life and Bluetooth range
• Very good noise-canceling and voice-calling capabilities
• Wireless charging case turns into a Bluetooth transceiver, enabling you to connect to an external audio source such as an in-flight entertainment system

Don’t Like

• Pricey
• Same Qualcomm chipset as in the previous model
• Missing some features typically found on premium buds

Let’s start with the underwhelming part. For better or worse, although the PI7 and PI5 now come in new color options, their design has barely changed, and they look very similar to their predecessors. If you look closely, the grilles over the microphones appear to be slightly larger, and there’s a sensor just below one of the microphones that wasn’t there previously. Bowers and Wilkins didn’t mention anything about new drivers, so presumably they’re the same, and I’ve confirmed that these new models use the same legacy Qualcomm QCC5126 chipset (with Bluetooth 5.0) as the originals. (The latest 5 series chips are the QCC5141 and QCC5144).

So what’s upgraded? According to Bowers & Wilkins, the new models have better battery life and Bluetooth range, now up to 25 meters, which is double the previous range. Additionally, the buds now integrate into the new Bowers & Wilkins Music app for iOS and Android and have a much improved set-up experience (I can attest to that).

With the original PI7 buds, you only got about four hours of battery life on a single charge with an additional four charges in the case (20 hours total). The battery life on the PI7 S2 is up to five hours for the buds with 16 hours more from the case (21 hours total). Meanwhile, the PI5 goes from 4.5 hours on a single charge to up to five hours but dips from 20 hours additional from the case to 19 hours.

Bowers & Wilkins says the battery life gains in the buds have been achieved through hardware changes, not software updates. The batteries in the buds are new and the antenna design has also changed. “The caps at the end of the earbuds — the sections that carry the logo — have been re-engineered to improve antenna performance,” a Bowers & Wilkins rep informed me. “We’ve introduced a new design of antenna and repositioned it within the earbud endcaps. At the same time, we have switched to use plastic, rather than aluminum to trim each endcap. The result is stronger Bluetooth signal strength, giving us our improved 25-meter range.”

While I certainly appreciate better battery life and improved Bluetooth range with a more reliable wireless connection, the updates struck me as relatively modest. Of course, Bowers and Wilkins could add features later, which we’ve seen before with premium buds that use Qualcomm chipsets (Jabra and Bose, for example). However, Bowers & Wilkins has never updated the firmware of its original buds. So don’t expect these to get multipoint Bluetooth pairing, which allows you to pair the buds with two devices simultaneously — say, a computer and smartphone — and have the audio automatically switch to your smartphone when a call comes in (instead, you have to manually switch between paired devices). Nor can you expect to see support for Qualcomm’s upcoming spatial audio or Bluetooth LE Audio with Auracast capabilities.

The app is also missing an equalizer to tweak your sound. I personally don’t mind a fixed EQ that sticks to a company’s signature sound, but a lot of people like to customize the sound settings of their headphones.

All that said, the touch controls work very well, as does the automatic ear-detection feature. And the PI7 S2’s wireless charging case, like its predecessor, converts into a transceiver, so you can plug the case into the headphone port on an airplane’s inflight entertainment system and wirelessly stream audio from the case to the earbuds. Alternately, you could also connect the case to a laptop audio port and use it to wirelessly stream high-resolution audio to the buds.

Note that the PI5 is very much a step-down model. It’s got a single driver instead of the dual drivers found in the PI7 and one less microphone on each earbud (two instead of three). The aforementioned “wireless audio retransmission” feature in its case is also absent.

All about the sound

Simply put, the PI7 S2 sound great so long as you get a tight seal from one of the three sizes of included ear tips. I’m a fan of Bowers & Wilkins ear tips, which have a similar design to Sennheiser ear tips, and the large tips fit my ears well. These are large ear buds that will stick out of your ears a fair amount, but they did fit my ears comfortably and fairly securely. They offer IPX54 water-resistance, which means they’re splashproof and dust-resistant, so you can run with them, though there are better earbuds options with sport fins that are more suitable for sporting activities (I’m not sure you want to risk a $399 earbud dropping out of your ear). However, I would have no problem using them at the gym.

Like its predecessor, the PI7 supports Qualcomm aptX Adaptive wireless transmission (which includes the aptX HD codec) from compatible mobile devices, allowing for “high-resolution music transmission from suitable streaming services, such as Qobuz.” The list of Android devices — and dedicated music players — that support aptX Adaptive has grown over the last few years and you should ideally pair the buds with a device that supports aptX Adaptive (along with a streaming service that offers high-resolution streaming). That said, the buds also work just fine and sound very good with Apple’s iPhones, which support the AAC codec. (Both the PI5 and PI7 support AAC streaming but the PI5 only supports standard aptX, not aptX Adaptive.) Alas, Sony’s LDAC hi-res audio codec is not supported, but typically headphones support either aptX or LDAC, not both.

I listened to the buds using an iPhone 14 Pro and an Asus ROG 6 Android smartphone that’s powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 mobile platform. As I said with the original PI7, the PI7 S2 has exactly what I’m looking for in a good set of headphones: Accurate and articulate sounding with deep, well-defined bass, natural sounding mids, nicely detailed treble and a wide soundstage that gives the overall sound some largesse.

On my iPhone, I tested the buds with Spotify, Apple Music and Qobuz. The PI7 S2 can go toe-to-toe and, in some cases, slightly edge out many of the top mainstream earbuds out there for sound, including Sony’s WF-1000XM4, Apple’s AirPods Pro 2, Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds 2, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 and Bang and Olufsen Beoplay EX, which also cost $400.

However, when I switched to the Asus and streamed high-resolution tracks from Qobuz (with aptX Adaptive), I went from saying to myself, “That sounds really good” to “Wow, that sounds awesome.” Bowers & Wilkins has a playlist on Qobuz for its PX8 full-size headphones, so I ran through a bunch of those tracks. Some of them included Taylor Swift’s Vigilante Shit, Athletes of God’s Don’t Wanna Be Normal, Anna B Savage’s Since We Broke up, Orbital’s Dirty Rat and Pixies’ Vault of Heaven. The quality of the bass was a level up — more visceral with added girth and punch — and there was a little more sparkle, depth and nuance to the music all around. I came away feeling my Spotify needed an upgrade.

Good noise canceling but not best-in-class

As with the sound, you’ll need a tight seal to get optimal performance for noise canceling, which can be set to on, off or an “auto” mode that adapts the noise canceling according to the ambient sound in your environment. You can also adjust how much “passthrough” sound you want to let into the buds, which is typically referred to as an awareness or transparency mode.

The buds’ transparency mode isn’t quite as natural sounding as some of the others I’ve used (at the moment, the AirPods Pro 2’s transparency mode is the gold standard). I settled on a midway point for the slider setting in between “min” and “max” for what I felt was the best transparency experience.

The noise canceling is quite effective and does a nice job of reducing a decent amount of ambient sound, particularly in the lower frequencies. However, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 do a better job reducing noise across a broader range of frequencies (higher frequencies are more challenging for noise-canceling headphones to muffle). So while the PI7’s noise canceling is clearly respectable, it’s not in the same class as the earbuds’ sound.

The PI7’s voice-calling capabilities are at a similar level — very good but not best-in-class. The buds did a nice job of reducing background noise on the streets of New York. While callers said they could hear a bit of background noise, it was reduced considerably, and they said my voice came clearly without any warbling. I could also hear them quite well, and there’s a bit of sidetone so you can hear your voice in the buds as you speak.

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 S2 final thoughts

Yes, the PI7 S2s are technically a second-gen product, but they feel more like a generation 1.5 product. Bowers & Wilkins has essentially smoothed out some of the rough edges on the original buds (I mean that metaphorically, not literally). The extra hour of battery life and extended Bluetooth range (with seemingly a slightly more reliable wireless connection) are welcome changes. And the setup and integration with the Bowers & Wilkins Music app creates a better overall user experience, despite its somewhat bare-bones quality (compared to Sony’s Headphones app anyway).

If you’re comparing the PI7 S2 to the PI5 S2, which also sound excellent but not quite as good as the PI7, you’ll want to keep an eye on the PI5 S2’s price, which should dip more quickly than the PI7 S2’s price. The original Pi5s are selling for as low as $150, or $100 off their list price of $250, so we’ll see where everything shakes out. The PI5s could end up being the better value, though it’s unfortunate that Bowers & Wilkins added $50 to their list price.

Needless to say, $400 is a lot to spend on a set of earbuds. And when you spend this much, you ideally want the latest technology and features (aptX Lossless, for example). But if great sound is your priority, the PI7 S2s deliver it. And with the buds paired to the right device and streaming service, they can sound downright special.

GoTo, the parent company of password management service LastPass, has revealed that hackers stole some customers’ encrypted data during a security breach in November.

The breach, which stemmed directly from one that occurred in August, allowed an “unauthorized party” to gain access to some customers’ information stored on a third-party cloud storage service shared by LastPass and parent GoTo. Company data stolen in August that was then used in November to break into another LastPass database to capture unencrypted customer data like names, email and billing addresses, phone numbers, and IP addresses. No unencrypted credit card data was exposed, the company said.

Now, GoTo says some of its other enterprise products have been affected by the hack, including the theft of encrypted customer backups — copies of data emergency recovery — for Central, Pro, join.me, Hamachi and RemotelyAnywhere. The company also said it has evidence that an encryption key used to secure the data for some of its customers was also stolen.

“The affected information, which varies by product, may include account usernames, salted and hashed passwords, a portion of multi-factor authentication (MFA) settings, as well as some product settings and licensing information,” GoTo CEO Paddy Srinivasan said in a blog post update Monday. “In addition, while Rescue and GoToMyPC encrypted databases were not exfiltrated, MFA settings of a small subset of their customers were impacted.”

Srinivasan also said the company doesn’t believe any other GoTo products were affected by the theft. GoTo didn’t indicate how many customers were affected by theft but did say it’s informing those who may have been impacted by the hack.

LastPass is designed to let people securely generate and save passwordsacross their devices, store digital records, and share both with trustedcontacts.But in late December, LastPass CEO Karim Toubba acknowledged thata security incident the company first disclosed in August hadultimately paved the way for an unauthorized party to steal customeraccount information and vault data.

GoTo didn’t immediately respond to a request for additional information.

The iPhone 13 may not be the new hotness in town, but it’s still a phone that’s worth protecting. From the beginning of Apple’s iPhone history to the iPhone 14, all of its phones have been breakable in the exact same way. Despite Apple’s great work at making some of the most beautiful and advanced phones out there, they’re still not impervious to drops, falls and squishes. To protect your phone from cracks, bumps and everything else horrible in this world, you’ll want to invest in the best iPhone 13 case possible.

There are plenty of cases for every iPhone 13 model, so even if you’re on the hunt for a fashionable iPhone 13 Pro case, or something to protect your pricey 13 Pro Max, you’ll find lots of options for every budget. Just be sure that you’re getting an iPhone 13-specific case, as the new iPhone 14 has slightly different dimensions, and the cases are not interchangeable.

Read more: Best MagSafe and Magnetic Chargers for iPhone 13

Each new phone requires its own particular iPhone 13 case, so you need to make sure you’re getting the correct one to fit your specific iPhone 13 model, from the smallish iPhone 13 Mini to the enormous 13 Pro Max.

I’ve included iPhone 13 case reviews for a variety of phone case styles from slimmer to more protective iPhone 13 case models, as well as ones that offer full-screen protection and nifty features like a built-in kickstand or wallet.

Read more: Best iPhone 14 Cases So Far

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Speck Cases

Consistently top-notch iPhone case

Speck brought many of its iPhone 12 case designs to the iPhone 13, including such popular transparent models as the Presidio Perfect-Clear and Perfect-Clear with Grips, and the Presidio2 Pro (the pink one above). Speck’s grip case with built-in MagSafe cost $10 more. (I’m partial to MagSafe cases because they give you the option to attach a MagSafe accessory directly to the case, not your phone.)

All the new models have good drop protection (13 to 16 feet, depending on the model) as well as Speck’s Microban antimicrobial protection. No matter which model you choose, Speck often gives a discount for first-time buyers.

If you are looking for a more inexpensive Speck case, I did notice its Gemshell translucent cases for iPhone 13 selling for around $16 on Amazon. I like the ombre version. However, these aren’t equipped with MagSafe support.

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Spigen Ultra Hybrid Mag

Top inexpensive MagSafe case

MagSafe cases can get pretty pricey, but if you’re looking for a inexpensive clear MagSafe case for your new iPhone 13 series phone, Spigen’s Ultra Hybrid Mag is a good value at around $20. Spigen also sells a non-Mag version of this case for about $5 less and has several other iPhone 13 case options. I also tried the Spigen Mag Armor case but found that accessories stick better to the Ultra Hybrid Mag.

No drop rating is listed for the case, but Spigen’s transparent cases feel like they offer reasonable protection. If you want a tough case with stronger protection, the Spigen Tough Armor case, which includes a kickstand, is an option for $17, but I personally prefer Spigen’s Ultra Hybrid cases (the Ultra Hybrid S also has an integrated kickstand).

Note that a lot of these cheaper clear cases have a habit of turning yellow and degrading over time (and becoming less translucent), but they’re cheap enough that you probably won’t mind shelling out for a replacement case for your Apple iPhone if that happens.

$20 at Amazon

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OtterBox Symmetry Series Plus

Best slim OtterBox cases

OtterBox made a name for itself with its super protective Defender series case, but most people want something less bulky these days. The Symmetry series is slim with beveled edges, making it a good mix of sleek and protective. A raised bumper helps act as a screen protector.

Multiple color options are available, including clear, and I’m a fan of the new Symmetry Plus Clear for MagSafe (pictured in the middle in red). The Symmetry Plus Pop case, pictured on the left, integrates a PopSockets PopGrip and is wireless charging-compatible, which is important. The Symmetry Series Plus case on the right (in pink) is available in various colors and also has a MagSafe version for $10 more. OtterBox offers a discount for first-time buyers on its site.

OtterBox’s Commuter case offers raised bezel protection, is also pretty slim and has grips on the back. I’m a fan of that model, which also comes in a version with MagSafe for $10 more.

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Moft Case, Stand and Wallet Set

MagSafe case and stand combo

This is a pretty cool option for those looking for a MagSafe case, plus a MagSafe wallet that converts into a stand. You can enjoy a nice case and really good MagSafe wallet/stand accessory that stores up to three credit cards.

$30 at Amazon

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OtterBox Aneu Series

Top-notch OtterBox MagSafe case

OtterBox’s Aneu Series cases were among my favorites for the iPhone 12, and the company has redesigned the Aneu as an iPhone 13 case. It now has an exposed ring on the back to better highlight that it is a MagSafe case (the previous version had MagSafe but it was hidden).

A top MagSafe case, the Aneu is fairly slim yet feels durable and solid. It also has a slight grip to it with raised screen bumpers to help keep your screen from cracking when falling face down. I personally like the case in dark blue (pictured) and red (not pictured).

$50 at Otterbox

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Nomad Cases

Swanky leather cases

Nomad’s line of nice Horween leather cases comes to the iPhone 13. Like previous Nomad modern leather case models, they’re designed to develop a “rugged” patina as the oils from your skin interact with them over time. The new Modern Leather Case is available in black, brown and a lighter natural color that I like. They’re rated for 10-foot (3-meter) drop protection and equipped with MagSafe. Meanwhile, the Modern Leather Folio goes for $80.

There’s also a more affordable Sport version for $40 that’s equipped with MagSafe as well (it’s not a leather case, however, but does look pretty slick).

$70 at Nomad

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Moshi iPhone Cases

Class act

I’ve always been a fan of Moshi’s iPhone cases and all its top cases are available for all the iPhone 13 models. The Altra (left — $45), available in three color options, is the most distinct-looking and has a geometric rubber finish that makes your phone nice and grippy. It also includes a lanyard (the little loop that the lanyard clips onto can be removed when you’re not using the lanyard).

The Overture (middle — $64), is a two-in-one folio wallet case that converts into a stand for video watching. You fit your iPhone into a slim shell case that then magnetically adheres to the cover, which has slots for storing credit cards and cash. It’s one of the nicer folio cases available. It’s available in black or pink.

I also like the IGlaze (right — $40), which sort of mimics the glass back of the iPhone while protecting the real glass back. It comes in five colors. The iGlaze XT (not pictured — $30) is a clear case.

One feature that’s missing is MagSafe compatibility. The iGlaze uses Moshi’s SnapTo mounting system (a car and wall mount are sold separately).

All Moshi cases are eligible for its 10-year Global Warranty program.

$40 at Amazon

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Casetify Cases

Teen spirit

Casetify is known for its eye-catching designs on the back of a clear case. They’re relatively slim, sleek-looking cases that offer decent protection and come in a variety of design patterns, with some definite appeal to teenagers. Some of the designs are hit-or-miss, but I liked the samples I got. I should note that prices appear to have gone up: Casetify cases now start at $55.

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Tech21 Cases

Tough and artsy cases

Tech21 has a range of iPhone 13 cases, including its ultra-protective Evo Max (left), which is rated for 20-foot drops and has a slide cover to protect the iPhone 13’s back cameras along with a holster you can clip to your belt. Tech21 is also making a few different models in its new Evo Art line (right). The popular Evo Check returns, and the Evo Clear is equipped with MagSafe.

$22 at Amazon

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Incipio Cases

Old favorite for iPhone cases

Incipio returns with an assortment of new iPhone 13 cases, including the Grip and Grip with Magsafe (pictured left), sturdy Duo and Duo with MagSafe (pictured right) with 12-foot drop protection, and the Organicore, an eco case that’s 100% compostable that’s now available with a translucent back for the first time. Also, the new Design Series is worth checking out.

All are available in multiple color options.

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Griffin Survivor Cases

Tough but slimmed down

Griffin’s Survivor cases once shared some similarities with OtterBox’s Defender cases. They were tough but bulky. The new Survivor iPhone 13 cases are slimmed down but retain a good portion of their tough identity, with some models, like the Survivor Endurance for MagSafe (pictured left), featuring 14-foot drop protection and a raised-edge bezel for both the screen and camera cutout. It also has a nice grip to it.

If you want something even more protective, there’s the All-Terrain Earth case — rated for 20-foot drop protection.

The Endurance for MagSafe comes in three colors for $55. Those looking for a more affordable option can take a look at the $35 Survivor Strong (pictured right) or the $25 Survivor Clear. Neither of those cases features MagSafe.

$55 at Griffin

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Caseology Cases

Under $15 iPhone case pick

These Caseology cases aren’t equipped with MagSafe but they’re nice cases for their modest price. I particularly like the NanoPop (the green case in the middle), which looks and feels like an Apple Silicone case, with a soft-to-the-touch finish, but costs a lot less. It costs $15-$17, depending on the color.

The Parallax ($15-$17) is on the left and the Skyfall ($14-$16) has a transparent back. The Vault (not pictured) is the cheapest at $13.

$16 at Walmart

$15 at Amazon

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Element Black Ops X4

One badass iPhone case

Element’s Black Ops iPhone 13 cases are really expensive but they certainly are unique. The $250 Black Ops X4 is available for the iPhone 13, 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max and has a retractable kickstand and removable “magazine” for storing credit credits and cash. When you remove the magazine, it exposes the back of your phone so you can wirelessly charge your iPhone with an Apple MagSafe Charger or another small magnetic wireless charging puck.

Like previous Element Black Ops cases, this one features precision CNC machining MIL-SPEC armored protection. If you can’t afford this Element case, the company makes the more affordable Special Ops case ($50), a nice polycarbonate MagSafe case that offers good drop protection.

$198 at Amazon

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Pelican Protector

Refined brute

I wasn’t a fan of earlier Pelican cases, which were very protective but just a little too bulky (and ugly), but in the last few years (starting with the iPhone 11), the company (which is now owned by Case-Mate) added slimmer designs — including the Protector, which is now a MagSafe case.

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Raptic Cases

Premium case for a little less

Raptic’s iPhone cases come in a variety of styles and cost a little less than competing premium cases from Speck and OtterBox. The Raptic Air (left), which I personally like best, is $30. So is the thicker Raptic Shield (middle). The Terrain is a little more at $40, but it’s the only one of these three that is fully made in America and biodegradable.

$30 at Amazon

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Gear4 Cases

Slim, stylish, protective iPhone case

British case-maker Gear4, now owned by Zagg, makes cases that are right up there with OtterBox and Speck, all of them lined with the company’s D3O shock-absorbing material and featuring beveled edges to protect your phone. I’ve tried the new Brooklyn Snap (left) and Santa Cruz Snap (right), both of which are MagSafe-equipped and rated for 13-foot drop protection. However, several other case styles are available, most of them with eye-catching designs.

$20 at Amazon

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Rokform

Rokform

Best mounting case

Rokform’s been making tough iPhone cases for years and aside from their durability, their key feature is the ability to use them with various mounts — including bike and motorcycle mounts — that are sold separately. I personally prefer the Crystal series but the Rugged case is slightly more, well, rugged. The new iPhone 13 cases are also MagSafe, so they cost $10 more than the iPhone 12 models.

Rokform’s iPhone 13 cases have removable magnets and they’re compatible with wireless charging if you remove the included center magnet. “With the lower magnet still intact, you can still wireless-charge while utilizing magnetic mounting and all of our mounts,” Rokform says.

See at Rokform

$60 at Amazon

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Case-Mate Cases

Flashy design

Case-Mate makes a variety of color cases, some of which have glitter integrated into their translucent designs. I only got a look at the “Cute as a Dumpling” and twinkle ombre cases, but there are plenty of cooler designs and some offer MagSafe options for $10 more.

The Case-Mate site offers a discount on your first order.

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Coach Cases

Affordable luxury

Incipio also makes cases under the Coach brand and they manage to live up to the quality you might expect. They aren’t cheap, but they also aren’t outrageously expensive.

The Leather Folio wallet case looks and feels fairly luxurious, and it also comes in a version with Coach’s “signature canvas” (center). The Slim Wrap leather case (left) also looks pretty swank and feels sturdy. You can also get standard polypropylene Coach iPhone 13 cases.

See at Incipio

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Totallee Cases

Best super-thin case

I personally wouldn’t stick this case on my phone because I like to use a case that truly protects it. However, if you’re someone who doesn’t like thick iPhone 13 cases or just wants minimal protection, Totallee makes a case that’s very close to paper thin.

The case costs $39, which seems like a lot considering how thin it is, but it is eco-friendly (it’s compostable) and does have a raised “lip” around the camera that prevents damage to the camera lens, Totalleesays.

Totallee also makes a very slim clear TPU case (pictured left) that offers a little more protection for the same price. I like that one better, but it is slightly thicker.

$39 at Walmart

$39 at Amazon

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KerfCase Plywood Case

Best wood case

KerfCase has been making handmade wooden cases for a while, and its new Plywood iPhone 13 case is not only more durable but less expensive, starting at $50 with 6-foot drop protection and a limited lifetime repair warranty. I like it better than other wood cases I’ve tried. It’s also worth noting that Apple’s MagSafe charger will stick to the back of it (it is equipped with MagSafe), and KerfCase sells a matching charging dock for the Apple MagSafe charger along with a magnetic wireless charging stand that’s pretty sweet.

$50 at KerfCase

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Bitplay Wander Case

Travel friend iPhone case with neckstrap

If you’re looking for a case that comes with a connectable cord and can be worn as a neck strap or as a crossbody strap, the Bitplay Wander is worth checking out. It also comes in clear or a smoke color and Bitplay makes other accessories for it. The Wander offers good drop protection and it’s easy to get the strap on and off the case thanks to the velcro at the end (yes, the strap stays on the case securely).

$42 at Bitplay

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LifeProof See MagSafe

Excellent MagSafe case

I’ve received many case samples and this is currently one of my favorites. OtterBox owns LifeProof and you can certainly see (excuse the pun) the influence on LifeProof’s See MagSafe case, which arguably has a slightly cleaner look and better lines than OtterBox’s Symmetry Series cases.

This case is also available in a clear version without MagSafe for $10 less, but this case is the better choice if you’re at all interested in MagSafe. It comes in a few different color options (the model shown here is listed as purple/pink but it reads more as burgundy) and is designed to withstand drops up to 6.6 feet.

LifeProof’s other cases — the Next, Fre and eco-friendly Wake — return for the iPhone 13, and while they’re certainly good and also have MagSafe (except for the Wake), I think the See is probably the best of the bunch for everyday use. They all feature the same 6.6-foot drop protection, though the flagship Fre and Next offer better dust- and water-resistance than the See.

LifeProof, like several other case-makers, has become more green in recent years. The Wave is made with 85% ocean-based recycled plastic, while LifeProof’s other cases are made with 45-50% recycled plastic.

See at Amazon

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Cyrill Cases

Solid iPhone case under $20 (Update: low stock)

Cyrill is a sister brand to Spigen and its cases are arguably slightly more stylish, although they cost a few bucks more. We’re linking to the Leather Brick case, pictured here in cream (it’s faux “vegan” leather), but the $17 Silicone case (pictured in teal) and transparent $17 Cecile cases are also good. The Silicone case is basically a knockoff of Apple’s Silicone case without the but it isn’tMagSafe compatibile..

$17 at Amazon

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Snakehive Metro Leather

Leather-backed MagSafe case with integrated kickstand (Update: low stock)

Snakehive’s Metro Leather case kind of has everything you’d want in an iPhone 13 case: An eye-catching look, nice grip and an integrated kickstand. It’s also MagSafe compatible, so you can use it with any MagSafe accessory. It seems pretty protective but I wish the corners were more raised, allowing for better screen protection in the event of a fall. Nevertheless, it’s a nice case that comes in four colors.

$35 at Amazon

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Catalyst Vibe and Influence

Clean look, lanyard-friendly (Update: low stock)

Like Lifeproof, Catalyst made a name for itself with waterproof cases, but it now focuses on standard protective case options and has two new models for the iPhone 13: the Vibe (left) and the Influence (right), which has a see-through frosted back. Both iPhone 13 cases have perforations on the corners that allow you to attach various accessories (sold separately), such as lanyards and carabiners. Both have 10-foot drop protection.

$57 at Walmart

$40 at Amazon

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Smartish Cases

Affordable wallet case (Update: low stock)

Smartish’s affordable, simple, slim cases and wallet cases return for the iPhone 13. The Wallet Slayer 2.0 case (pictured on right) comes in a variety of designs. It holds three credit cards plus cash, and you can use one of your credit cards as a kickstand.

Smartish also sells a MagSafe case called the Gripmunk (pictured left in purple). It’s one of the most affordable MagSafe cases and is easy to grip, as its name implies. There’s also a simple translucent version of the Gripmunk without MagSafe, and it’s actually pretty nice.

$20 at Walmart

$20 at Amazon

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Mous Cases

Slim design, good protection (Update: low stock)

Mous makes several iPhone 13 cases that have eye-catching designs, all lined with the AiroShock material that the company says delivers excellent protection in a slim design. They do seem durable and all include a lifetime warranty.

Its new MagSafe-enabled Limitless 4.0 cases are compatible with MagSafe accessory and charger options, including Mous’ own MagSafe accessories.

Earlier Mous cases had a SIM card storage slot on the inside of the smartphone case for international travelers in the habit of swapping SIM cards. However, these don’t.

$30 at Amazon

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Torro Cases

Slick leather wallet option (Update: low stock)

UK-based Torro makes some nice leather-clad iPhone 13 cases that aren’t too expensive (a leather case typically tends to cost over $50). The Torro Leather Bumper ($38) is a pretty straightforward bumper case with a leather back while the Wallet Case ($38) is a bit swankier overall, has a magnetic clasp and multiple card slots and converts into a stand for video viewing. It’s one of the better folio wallet cases you’ll find for the money. Both leather case options are available in multiple colors.

Note that the cases pictured here are for the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro, but the iPhone 13 cases look almost identical.

$38 at Amazon

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FAQs

Even though many of us have been using desktop computers for decades, we might not know all the secret powers these contraptions of plastic and electronics hold. Your computer’s mouse and keyboard are packed full of features that can help you perform tasks faster and easier. Whether it’s reopening a closed tab or permanently deleting a file without ever hitting the recycle bin, there are plenty of tricks to help you be a little more efficient on your computer.

But in my personal experience, the one computer trick people are most consistently surprised about is an action you can do with your scroll wheel.

The scroll wheel’s hidden function

The internet is a great place to collect random tidbits of information, but sometimes you see something you want to investigate later. You don’t want to click on the link and have to go back to the previous page, because it would interrupt your current read. But you want to keep the trail open for later.

What do you do? You have a variety of options here, but this is the slickest and most efficient: If you’re using a mouse, just use your scroll wheel to click on the link. It’s not the most intuitive motion, but if you push your scroll wheel down while hovering over the link, you’ll automatically open that link in a new tab.

This little trick is great for when you’re reading something that links out to other interesting stories — just scroll-wheel click to open new tabs and check them out after you finish reading the current story.

If you want other ways of opening new tabs, we’ll walk you through it. We also have tips on keyboard shortcuts, like Ctrl + Shift + T, and taking Windows screenshots (which you can open in new tabs with a scroll-wheel click).

How to open links in new tabs

Opening pages in new tabs is a convenient browsing technique, and there are a few different ways of doing it.

• Click with your scroll wheel to automatically open the link in a new tab.
• Or right-click a link and choose “open in new tab.”
• You can also hold down Ctrl (or command on Mac) when you click the link and it will open in a new tab.

Opening things in a new tab means you don’t have to interrupt your current read, and you don’t have to wait for pages to load as you bounce back and forth. I use it all the time for comparison shopping — just pull up the things I’m considering in a few different tabs and quickly compare by tabbing through my browser. It’s also good for when you’re reading a story that references another story that you want to check out without interrupting your current read. Just click the link with your scroll wheel and check it out when you’re done with this story.

Bonus tip: You can use Ctrl + Tab to move forward and Ctrl + Shift + Tab to move backward through your open tabs.

For more computer tips, check out how to factory reset a laptop before gifting it, and essential settings for your MacBook.

A pilot program that let some political campaign emails bypass spam filters in Gmail is shutting down at the end of this month. Google confirmed the Jan. 31 end date in a legal filing Monday. The tech giant is asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee that accuses it of disproportionately sending conservative political emails to spam.

Google launched the pilot program last year after conservatives leveled charges of political bias against the company, claiming that Republican fundraising emails were more likely to be sent to spam than fundraising emails from Democrats were.

The RNC reportedly said the pilot program didn’t go far enough. In October, it filed a lawsuit accusing Google of censoring Republican fundraising emails.

Google has denied any political bias in how it sorts email.

“The RNC is wrong,” reads the motion filed Monday. “Gmail’s spam filtering policies apply equally to emails from all senders, whether they are politically affiliated or not.”

When reached for comment, Google spokesperson José Castañeda reiterated that the company doesn’t “filter emails for political purposes” and said the “suit is without merit.”

Last week, the Federal Election Committee, which approved Google’s campaign email test, said there was “no reason to believe” that the tech giant intentionally directed conservative emails to spam, reported The Wall Street Journal.

Apple now lets you protect your Apple ID and iCloud account with hardware security keys, a significant upgrade for those who want maximum protection from hackers, identity thieves, or snoops.

Hardware security keys are small physical devices that communicate with USB or Lightning ports or with NFC wireless data connections when you’re logging on to a device or in to an account. Because you must have keys in your possession to use them, they’re effective at thwarting hackers trying to reach your account remotely.

Support for the keys arrived Monday with iOS 16.3 and MacOS 13.2, and on Tuesday, Apple published details on how to use security keys with iPhones, iPads and Macs. The company requires you to set up at least two keys.

Apple has been working to tighten security in recent months, stung by iPhone breaches involving NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware. Apple’s Advanced Data Protection option arrived in December, giving a stronger encryption option to data stored and synced with iCloud. And in September, Apple added an iPhone Lockdown Mode that includes new guardrails on how your phone works to thwart outside attacks.

A big caveat, though: Although hardware security keys and the Advanced Data Protection program lock down your account better, they also mean Apple can’t help you recover access.

“This feature is designed for users who, often due to their public profile, face concerted threats to their online accounts, such as celebrities, journalists, and members of government,” Apple said in a statement. “This takes our two-factor authentication even further, preventing even an advanced attacker from obtaining a user’s second factor in a phishing scam.”

Hardware security keys have been around for years, but the Fast Identity Online, or FIDO, group has helped standardize the technology and integrate its use with websites and apps. One big advantage on the web is they’re linked to specific websites, for example Facebook or Twitter, so they thwart phishing attacks that try to get you to log in to fake websites. They’re the foundation for Google’s Advanced Protection Program, too, for those who want maximum security.

You need to pick the right hardware security keys for your devices. To communicate with relatively new models of both Macs and iPhones, a key that supports USB-C and NFC is a good option. Apple requires you to have two keys, but it isn’t a bad idea to have more in case you lose them. A single key can be used to authenticate to many different devices and services, like your Apple, Google and Microsoft accounts.

Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Yubico, the top maker of hardware security keys, announced on Tuesday two new FIDO-certified YubiKey models in its Security Key Series suited for consumers. They both support NFC, but the $29 model has a USB-C connector and the $25 model has an older style USB-A connector.

Google, Microsoft, Apple and other allies are also working to support a different FIDO authentication technology called passkeys. Passkeys are designed to replace passwords altogether, and they don’t require hardware security keys.