Technologies

Is Disney Plus With Ads Worth it?

I tested it for a week, and it may not be so bad for those people willing to spend $11.

When it first debuted in 2019 for $8 a month, Disney Plus was considered a great value for its commercial-free access to Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and the legendary Disney vault. To top that off, you can stream on four screens at a time. Though there were some major titles missing at launch for US customers, the streaming service has since become a major player.

On Dec. 8, Disney rolled out its Disney Plus Basic plan, which costs $8 per month and includes ads but no downloads. The ad-free version is now $11, but can also select from three Disney bundles. Disney owns a majority stake in Hulu, so you may wonder if Disney Plus ads play in a similar format.

I tried it out, and I can assure you it’s a different experience than Hulu’s. But I’ll note that sometimes the commercials interrupt what you’re watching at odd intervals during a scene.

For many of you, paying $11 per month to stream without ads may be worth the cost for you and your family. Here’s a rundown of what I learned while testing the new subscription plan and what you might want to consider.

Read more: Best Streaming Services for Kids

There are ads in Disney Plus kids’ content, but not all of it

When I tried Netflix with ads, I noticed there were no commercials on kids’ titles, and Disney Plus seems to be doing that for some children’s content. Though ads played during the animated Diary of a Wimpy Kid film, Rodrick Rules, there were no commercials in Bluey episodes. Encanto, however, had a preroll of ads as well as three commercial breaks during the movie. I streamed all three on an adult profile.

If you have a child’s profile set to «Junior Mode,» Disney Plus reduces the number of available titles. This applies to ad-supported and ad-free subscriptions. There are only 26 animated films you can stream on this profile type, and it excludes the most popular features, such as Encanto, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Lightyear and even the 1950 animated version of Cinderella (which is rated G). While the limited number of TV series and movies available in Junior Mode are ad-free, you will probably want to adjust the parental controls so your kids can watch more.

Toggle off Junior Mode and change the content rating on the child profile to enable additional titles, including PG-13 and TV-14. Cinderella will be restored along with other Disney favorites like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coco. However, many of these family-friendly releases have commercials, so count on sitting through a few ad breaks while watching Encanto, Descendants, Finding Dory and more. That’s the trade-off that could make or break this subscription option for you.

Sometimes ads won’t play

I found that when watching some shows, not all the ads would play. Disney Plus typically plays a preroll of ads before a show or movie begins that lasts either 30 or 45 seconds, and then additional ad breaks are shown on the progress bar. While watching the new Rodrick Rules movie, I sat through the preroll and then noted two commercial breaks set to play in the middle. I only watched the first set of commercials. The second break came about 30 minutes in, but for some reason, it was skipped as the movie played.

Finding Dory had three commercial breaks embedded in the middle of the film, but the second and third ad breaks were skipped. I did fast-forward through this film a few times, so I’m unsure if that affected commercial playback.

The frequency of ads varies

Like Netflix, the number of commercial breaks in a Disney Plus movie or TV show varies, but the length of each break averaged one minute. You can tell how many ad breaks are coming up by looking for dots on the progress bar. Home Alone had three ad breaks in the middle of its 1-hour, 44-minute runtime. All three lasted for one minute. 2018’s Black Panther only had one commercial break after the preroll, and it was for 60 seconds. And the aforementioned Rodrick Rules aired 60 seconds’ worth of commercials during its first break.

Encanto, which is a little over an hour and 50 minutes long, had three, one-minute commercial breaks after its preshow set of ads. The 44-minute Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special had two ad breaks in the middle after the preroll. One was 20 seconds long and the other didn’t play, and I did not pause or fast-forward through this movie.

In addition to a preroll, there were two 60-second ad breaks in a single 54-minute episode of Willow. I played two episodes of The Simpsons and each had a 23-minute run time. One had a 30-second set of commercials before the episode and two ad breaks during the show which lasted one minute each. The other episode had a 45-second pre-roll and two 60-second commercial breaks.

Zootopia Plus, a new animated Disney Plus series, had a short set of commercials before its nine-minute episode, but zero ads during the show. Maybe because it’s rated PG for «alcohol, implied language and kidnapping of a character»? PJ Masks, on the other hand, didn’t have any commercials at all — just like Bluey.

When compared to its rivals, Disney Plus does things differently. In one test, Hulu showed about five minutes’ worth of commercials in one 22-minute episode of Bob’s Burgers. HBO Max’s Our Flag Means Death has episodes that run for about 30 minutes. The platform ran one 25-second round of ads at the start of the show, and two more ad breaks for about 30 to 45 seconds each. Netflix shared that it airs roughly four to five minutes of ads per hour of content, and during my test, many of the commercial breaks lasted for 75 seconds each. Disney Plus is averaging about 2.5 minutes of ads per piece of content.

As far as the types of ads, there were spots for Nintendo Switch, Lego, Panera, Dior, IHG Hotels, Toyota, Barbie, Macy’s and other major brands. There was even an ad about RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). You can’t fast-forward during an ad break, and unlike Hulu, there are no random prompts asking you to select what types of ads you prefer to see.

Oh, you can’t stream Disney Plus Basic on Roku

If your go-to media player is a Roku, you’re out of luck for now when it comes to signing up for this subscription plan. According to Disney’s help center, the following ad-supported Disney Plus subscriptions are currently unavailable on Roku devices: Disney Plus Basic, Disney Bundle Duo Basic and Trio Basic. This is likely to change sometime in the future, however. For now, viewers have the option to use a different streaming device or sign up for an ad-free plan instead. I didn’t encounter any issues when streaming on a FireTV device, smart TV, Apple TV box, Chromecast, iPad or PC web browser. Your mileage may vary.

Skip this subscription if you’d rather avoid ads for your kids

The biggest question comes down to whether you prefer that your children can stream anything they want without any commercials. Junior Mode is all ad-free, but it’s missing so many titles — both animated and live-action — that kids love. Classics like Pinocchio, Cinderella and The Little Mermaid will at least play commercials before the movie begins, and may or may not feature ads in the middle of the program. The same goes for other family-friendly releases like Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, Aladdin or Pirates of the Caribbean.

Some of you may find the ad-based experience similar to watching the Disney Channel on cable and don’t mind it. But not everyone is on board with that just to save $3. Though the price is now bumped up to $11 monthly for ad-free Disney Plus, you may want to stick with it so everyone in your household can enjoy watching without commercials.

Technologies

How Sonic Rumble Spins Away From Mario Party With Its Own Multiplayer Style

Sonic Rumble producer Takashi Iizuka explains how the team built a party game suiting the blue hedgehog’s style.

For decades now, the Mario Party franchise has dominated the niche of the best multiplayer party games you can play with friends on your couch — or now, online. Despite challenges from games like Fuzion Frenzy, Super Monkey Ball, Rayman Raving Rabbids and more, none have stolen Nintendo’s crown.

But now, Sega is making a play for the casual party game space with Sonic Rumble, a new title featuring the company’s iconic hedgehog and his friends. The free-to-play game is now available on PC, as well as on mobile for iOS and Android phones, allowing up to 32 players to join in on matches.

Sega’s hedgehog mascot is no stranger to party games, but entries like Sonic Shuffle on Dreamcast and Sega Superstars on the PlayStation 2 came out decades ago. For the publisher’s newest take on Sonic multiplayer, Sonic Rumble producer Takashi Iizuka answered questions over email, from adapting Sonic’s «gotta go fast» action to party multiplayer and whether other iconic Sega stars will make cameo appearances.

Q: There are some party games that have cemented the genre, like Mario Party. Aside from a cast of Sonic characters, how does Sonic Rumble distinguish itself from other party games?
Iizuka: While many other party games have their charm, our vision for Sonic Rumble was to combine the speed of classic arcade games with the competitive, high-stakes energy of a battle royale game. We call this mix an «Arcade Royale.»

Each stage is designed to keep the mayhem on full blast, whether players are dashing through obstacle courses or scrambling to collect rings before time runs out. What really sets Sonic Rumble apart is how it blends approachability with intensity. We wanted it to be easy for anyone to jump in and play, while still maintaining the intensity that fans have come to know and love from the Sonic franchise.

With the live service aspect of Sonic Rumble, we plan to consistently introduce new elements, from surprising collaborations to limited-time events, keeping the game fresh and fun for years to come.

When designing Sonic Rumble, what guidelines did the team/studio abide by to ensure it feels like a Sonic game?
Iizuka: We wanted to create a game that both new and longtime fans would love, and that could be played on the go or at home on their PC.

Sonic Rumble needed to embody what makes Sonic special, not just through the characters, but through the gameplay itself. That meant focusing on movement, momentum and control of the characters within the environment, so even in this new multiplayer format, gameplay still feels authentic to the Sonic experience. We also wanted to ensure that Toy World itself captured that Sonic spirit, with bright arenas, upbeat music and plenty of personality. Even if Sonic Rumble is an entirely new kind of Sonic game, players will instantly recognize the spirit and rhythm of the franchise in every match and mode.

The gameplay shown in the trailer has a distinctly Sonic feel — racing along tracks, jumping on bumpers, collecting rings and so on. How did the team adapt this to party gameplay?
Iizuka: We didn’t just place Sonic characters in a stereotypical party environment; we made Sonic mechanics and gameplay the foundation of Sonic Rumble. We achieved this adaptation through strategic twists on familiar elements.

In Sonic Rumble, rings are the high-stakes resource, rather than protection like in previous Sonic titles. We’ve made the Ring collection central to victory, allowing players to steal them from each other. The Dashing mechanic is another example, something usually used for speed can now also be used for attacking. By updating these core movements and abilities, we’ve added another layer of strategy and skill to the competition.

The recently released Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds had a deep roster of Sonic characters along with several from other Sega franchises, like Yakuza and Super Monkey Ball. Will Sonic Rumble also have crossover characters? What about characters from Sonic lore (like the Chaotix or Sonic the Werehog)?
Iizuka: Our immediate priority is to ensure Sonic Rumble is both fun and fulfilling for our core fan base as well as for players new to the Sonic franchise. That means focusing on the incredible depth of the Sonic Universe. We know how necessary customization is and are heavily committed to allowing players to fully personalize Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, and Dr. Eggman with unique skins, in-game skills, and emotes.

As Sonic Rumble is a live-service title, it has the potential to evolve and expand over time. At launch, fans can look forward to the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Movie Crossover Event, which brings in elements like the Movie Shadow skin and epic battles in the iconic Shibuya Crossing arena. We’ve also integrated characters and skins from a SEGA Stars Crossover Event, featuring beloved icons like Opa-Opa and Upa-Upa from Fantasy Zone, AiAi and MeeMee from Monkey Ball, and characters from Altered Beast, Bonanza Bros, Pengo, and Phantasy Star.

Sonic Rumble is available now on PC, iOS App Store and Google Play Store.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, Nov. 7

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Nov. 7.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Hope you don’t have a cold — although two of the clues are related to the sounds you might make if you do have one. If you need the answers, read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Toddler’s go-to question
Answer: WHY

4A clue: Sound heard during cold season
Answer: ACHOO

6A clue: Move stealthily, like a cat
Answer: SLINK

7A clue: Breadcrumb coating in Japanese cuisine
Answer: PANKO

8A clue: Conduct surveillance
Answer: SPY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Prone to complaining
Answer: WHINY

2D clue: Sound heard during cold season
Answer: HONK

3D clue: Artist/musician Ono
Answer: YOKO

4D clue: Egyptian vipers
Answer: ASPS

5D clue: Show appreciation for a performance
Answer: CLAP

Technologies

Be Sure to Back Up Your iPhone the Right Way Before Installing iOS 26

If you’re upgrading to a new iPhone 17 or installing the latest operating system, you’ll save yourself a lot of trouble by making a good backup first. Here’s how to do it.

Now that iOS 26.1 is out, you might be more comfortable updating to Apple’s latest iPhone operating system. Or maybe it’s time for a bigger upgrade to a new iPhone 17, iPhone Air or iPhone 17 Pro? Before you do, take a little time to ensure you’ve made a good backup you can fall back on just in case something goes sideways.

I’m not talking about any regular backup, though. Hopefully, you already have your Apple Account settings configured to automatically back up the phone to iCloud, which is invaluable for everyday peace of mind. I’m talking about creating an archive that can save your hide in the unlikely event something goes wrong with the iOS 26 update.

Why an archive is essential before installing a new version of iOS

You’re probably accustomed to using iCloud Backup to maintain a regular fallback for your data. It works in the background (when you’re asleep and charging your device) and involves the least amount of backup friction, as long as you have sufficient iCloud storage space available. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup and turn on Back Up This iPhone if it’s not already active.

However, when it comes to moving to a full release version of iOS, such as from iOS 18 to iOS 26, an iCloud Backup introduces a problem: You cannot restore from that cloud backup if you revert back to iOS 18. And unfortunately, iCloud keeps just the most recent backup — you can’t pick and choose from previous backup iterations. If you try to use an iOS 26 cloud backup to restore back to iOS 18, you’ll get an error. (Making an archive is also an important step when you install iOS betas.)

This is why you need to archive a backup on your computer.

Should you encrypt the local backup?

Before you create this archived backup, you should decide if you want to enable one of the options, Encrypt local backup. For security, this feature scrambles the data to prevent someone with access to your computer from accessing it. This option also preserves sensitive information in the backup such as saved passwords and personal data in the Health and Fitness apps.

The downside is that it requires you to create a separate password for the backup. If you forget or lose that password, the entire backup is useless. And so you should write this password down somewhere you can easily retrieve it. In the context of creating an iOS 18 backup as a fallback for installing iOS 26, you’ll have to decide if that’s an acceptable trade-off.

Create a local iPhone archive on your Mac

Making this type of backup requires only disk space and some patience:

Plug the iPhone into your Mac.
Open a new Finder window (choose File > New Finder Window, or press Command-N).
In the sidebar at left, select your iPhone under Locations.
If you want to encrypt the data, click the Encrypt local backup checkbox and set a password.
In the General tab, click Back Up Now.
When the backup completes, click Manage Backups.
Right-click (or Control-click) the backup you made and choose Archive.

Taking the extra step of marking the backup as an archive protects it from being overwritten by the next local backup or automatically deleted if the Mac is low on space.

Create a local iPhone archive on Windows

The iTunes app is still the main conduit for working with a connected iPhone under Windows. Open iTunes and do the following:

Plug the iPhone into your Windows computer.
Open the Apple Devices app and click the iPhone button at the top left.
Click General.
If you want to encrypt the data, click the Encrypt local backup option and set a password.
Click Back Up Now.
Click Manage Backups.
Right-click the backup you made and choose Archive. Taking this extra step protects the backup from being overwritten by the next local backup or automatically deleted if the computer is low on space.

With an archive in place, you can start using the iOS 26 beta secure in the knowledge that should anything warrant a retreat to iOS 18, you can quickly get your iPhone back into service.

For more, here is your reminder to clear your iPhone cache. And if you are moving to a new iPhone, here are the ways to transfer your data safely.