Technologies

Use this iPhone setting to keep ads from following you across the internet

Improve your privacy by preventing ads from following you across the internet. Here’s how.

We’ve all had the creepy experience where a moment of shoe-shopping curiosity turns into weeks of being followed by ads for those very same shoes on every site you visit. Thankfully, one feature on your iPhone in iOS 14.5 and later updates can boost your online privacy by giving you the option to turn off ad tracking within apps you use. (You can also check out all the new features in the latest iOS 15 release.)

The App Tracking Transparency feature arrived with April’s iOS 14.5 update. Unless you give explicit permission to an app (including those made by Apple), it can’t use your data for targeted ads, share your location data with advertisers or share your advertising ID or any other identifiers with third parties. This change — first unveiled at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2020 — has drawn support from privacy advocates and criticism from companies such as Facebook, who say it will hurt its ad business.

The move comes alongside other efforts from Apple to increase transparency and privacy, which CEO Tim Cook called a «fundamental human right» in April. With the release of iOS 14.3 in December, users began seeing app «nutrition labels» informing them of the data an app requests before downloading it from the App Store.

Here’s how to use the new App Tracking Transparency feature to control which apps are able to track you.

How to turn off app tracking on new apps

When you download and open a new app, you’ll get a notification that asks if you want to let the app track your activity across other companies’ apps and websites. You’ll also see information about what the app would track. You can tap Ask App not to Track to block that activity or Allow.

You can also opt out of app tracking across every app you download by going to Settings > Privacy > Tracking, and toggling off Allow Apps to Request to Track. This means any app that tries to ask for your permission will be automatically blocked from asking and informed that you have requested not to be tracked. And all apps (other than those you’ve given permission to track in the past) will be blocked from accessing your device’s information used for advertising, according to Apple.

It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean ads will disappear. It just means that you’ll be more likely to see generic ads, not one for that pair of shoes you clicked on one time.

How to turn off app tracking on already-downloaded apps

For apps that you’ve already downloaded and may have tracking permissions set up for, you can still turn those permissions on or off on a per-app basis.

Under Settings, tap an app, and then tap to turn off Allow Tracking. Or go to Settings > Privacy > Tracking, and tap to turn on or off each app you’ll see in the list of apps that have requested permission to track your activity.

All app developers are required to ask for permission for tracking. If Apple learns a developer is tracking users who asked not to be tracked, they will need to either update their app, or else potentially face rejection from the app store.

Apple believes that privacy features like these are a differentiator for their products. Cook has said that because the company’s business model isn’t built on selling ads, it can focus on privacy.

For more, check out browser privacy settings you should change immediately, and CNET’s picks for the best VPNs of 2021.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Monday, July 21

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for July 21.

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.

My favorite Mini Crosswords are ones that take me on a little journey. Today, I learned something new about Hawaii and also basked in a nostalgic moment while thinking about a childhood board game. Need an assist with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. 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: Ceremonial band
Answer: SASH

5A clue: First official state hand gesture, following a 2024 Hawaiian bill
Answer: SHAKA

6A clue: Deck with the Major and Minor Arcana
Answer: TAROT

7A clue: Just love
Answer: ADORE

8A clue: Boardwalk has the highest one on a Monopoly board
Answer: RENT

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Cool place to be on a sunny day
Answer: SHADE

2D clue: Name that might come first during an alphabetical roll call
Answer: AARON

3D clue: Hybrid athletic garment
Answer: SKORT

4D clue: Just loathe
Answer: HATE

5D clue: One whose name is in lights
Answer: STAR

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for July 21, #771

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for July 21, #771.

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

Hey, Seinfeld fans, today’s NYT Connections puzzle is right up your alley. That makes the blue category fun, but that purple category got me, as always. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group, to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Top it off.

Green group hint: Liquid can change forms.

Blue group hint: Big salad, puffy shirt.

Purple group hint: A certain symbol.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Additional perk.

Green group: Phase transitions for liquids.

Blue group: Concepts from «Seinfeld.»

Purple group: What ‘ can indicate.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is additional perk. The four answers are bonus, extra, gravy and icing.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is phase transitions for liquids. The four answers are condensation, freezing, melting and vaporization.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is concepts from «Seinfeld.» The four answers are Festivus, regifting, shrinkage and yada yada.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is what ‘ can indicate. The four answers are contraction, foot, possessive and quote.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for July 21, #301

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for July 21, No. 301.

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

Golf knowledge is a weak point for me, so I struggled a little with today’s Connections: Sports Edition. It’s nice to see an appearance from one of the best team names in minor league ball. Hello, Yard Goats fans. Stuck? Check out our hints and get the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Don’t skip this step.

Green group hint: Par for the course.

Blue group hint: Constitution state.

Purple group hint: Not bored.