Technologies

Why Apple Hasn’t Released the iPhone Fold… Yet

Commentary: Apple debuted the iPhone 14 Pro in September, but a foldable iPhone still feels like a longshot.

This story is part of Focal Point iPhone 2022, CNET’s collection of news, tips and advice around Apple’s most popular product.

Apple’s new iPhone 14 line includes some of the biggest hardware updates made in years, including the iPhone 14 Pro’s redesigned cutout for Dynamic Island’s contextual notifications and an iPhone 14 Plus model. But among the changes, Apple has not yet confirmed if a rumored foldable iPhone is in development. This is particularly curious as Samsung continues to refine its foldable phone lineup with the release of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and the Galaxy Z Fold 4 back in August.

Samsung isn’t the only company making phones with foldable screens. There’s the Motorola Razr. And outside the US, Huawei and Xiaomi also have foldable phones. Which leaves us with an obvious question: Where’s Apple’s foldable iPhone?

Apple doesn’t comment on future products

The first thing to consider is that Apple doesn’t announce products until they’re ready. OK, there was the AirPower wireless charging pad. But otherwise Apple isn’t going to tell us it’s working on a foldable iPhone or confirm rumors.

Next, Apple typically positions products as a solution to a problem, highlighting quality and innovation.

The Galaxy Z Fold seems less like an answer to a problem and more of a «look at this tech wizardry, what can we do with it?!» And the cool-factor, as ingenious as it is, comes at the expense of features we expect from regular phones, including battery life, ergonomics, software experience and price. The Galaxy Z Flip solves the problem of portability, but it comes with some of the same drawbacks as the Fold, particularly around battery life and camera quality.

To be fair, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 took a significant step forward by embracing its large main screen and adding support for Samsung’s S Pen stylus. And the Z Fold 4’s improved Flex Mode for apps seems like it might tip the balance, making the Fold more useful than just cool.

If Apple were to release a foldable iPhone, what problem would it solve? Could it be an iPhone Flip, replacing the iPhone 13 Mini by offering you a big screen that’s still pocket-friendly? Or will it be an iPhone Fold — more like an iPad Mini that folds in half, making its closed size more like the iPhone 13 Pro Max? Or will we see a design that doesn’t exist yet? What about an iPhone Roll, where the screen unrolls like an expanding window shade? That’s where rumors start to enter the picture.

iPhone Fold rumors

Back in January 2021, Mark Gurman wrote for Bloomberg that Apple «has begun early work on an iPhone with a foldable screen, a potential rival to similar devices from Samsung.»

And in May of 2021, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said, as reported by MacRumors, that «Apple will likely launch a foldable iPhone with an 8-inch QHD Plus flexible OLED display in 2023.» He revised his prediction, in a tweet this past April, to say that it might be 2025 before there’s a foldable screen device from Apple. It’s also worth noting that Kuo’s tweet was on April 1, which means it could have been an April Fool’s joke.

Both Gurman and Kuo have excellent track records when it comes to Apple rumors. So if these reports are accurate, we’ll see a foldable iPhone in 2025. It will be about the size of an iPad Mini and it’ll fold in half. End of story. But hold on.

How to make a foldable iPhone

Before Apple makes a foldable iPhone, it has to figure out how to make a foldable iPhone. Research company Omdia claims that in 2021, 11.5 million foldable phones shipped. Apple sells hundreds of millions of iPhones a year. So if it makes a foldable iPhone, it has to be certain that it can manufacture the phones at the same quality and in a high enough quantity to meet demand. More times than not when Apple introduces a radical hardware change — like 2014’s iPhone 6 Plus and its larger screen — those models are hard to find at launch because they sell out quickly. Sometimes they’re given a later release date, as we saw with the iPhone 12 Mini and 12 Pro Max launch.

Then there’s the physical complexity that needs to be considered. Foldable phones have numerous mechanical parts that could malfunction or wear, such as hinge components that keep dust out and the various layers behind the folding screen. In fact, when journalists tested review units of the original Galaxy Fold, the device was plagued by hinge and display failures. That was years ago, of course, and Samsung has since fixed those issues. But it shows what can happen with first-gen products.

If a foldable iPhone is in the works, Apple will likely innovate its design to minimize the parts and mechanisms involved, which should reduce the possibility of the phones failing because something breaks. The Cupertino company has a great track record in this area.

When Apple released the iPhone 7, it replaced the home button with a faux home button so there was one less mechanical part that could possibly break. And if you’ve ever owned or used a MacBook, you know Apple is at the top of its game when it comes to hinge design, and dependability. Apple also sells AppleCare Plus service — and includes a global infrastructure to support it — which could help relieve concerns over problems or accidental damage, should it release a foldable phone.

iOS and iPadOS would need to be revamped

And then there’s the software. One UI, Samsung’s name for its take on Android, has to be the most under-appreciated aspect of the Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold. These new designs would have to simultaneously do all the things we expect from current phones while also creating new functionality that takes advantage of their folding screens. They’d also have to do all of these things flawlessly without any bugs or hiccups.

For instance, the Galaxy phones’ Flex Mode has been around for years. Essentially, when the Fold or Flip are folded into an L-shape, like a mini laptop, the software shifts an app to the top half of the screen while providing functionality at the bottom. Sounds cool and full of possibilities, right?

Well, until this year that functionality has been limited. That’s why it matters that Samsung’s Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 let you turn the bottom half of their screens into touchpads while they’re in Flex Mode. The company is now showing an added benefit of the fold.

I’d like to see even more software optimized for foldable phones. And I expect Apple will face the same challenges as Samsung did, especially when adapting iOS and iPadOS.

In recent years, iOS and iPadOS have drifted apart as Apple has created more iPad-specific features that wouldn’t make sense on an iPhone. A foldable iPhone, especially in the style of a Galaxy Z Fold 4, would require a reunion of the two operating systems. Or, Apple would have to develop a new software platform that can morph between a tablet and phone mode.

Apple would likely develop a unique software feature (think iMessage or Portrait Mode) to help make its foldable phone standout from what everyone else is doing.

How much would you pay for a foldable iPhone?

Foldable phones ain’t cheap. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 starts at $1,800 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 at $1,000. And it’s no surprise that prices for Apple products are at the higher end. So if an iPhone 14 Pro that doesn’t fold in half already costs $1,000, what would be the price for one that does?

For a foldable iPhone to be successful, Apple would need to create a problem-solving design, scale manufacturing without sacrificing quality and develop hardware along with software that make the most of its foldable build. The price would also have to be premium, but not too high.

So where’s the foldable iPhone? Still in the oven.

Technologies

TikTok Deal Will Keep It Online in the US, but Your Experience of the App Might Change

TikTok has secured its future by agreeing to split the US app from the global business. But the deal will spark changes to the app’s algorithm.

TikTok has dodged a ban and secured its long-term future in the US by announcing a deal on Friday that will see a joint venture take over US operations of the popular social video app. The deal marks the conclusion of a protracted battle over the app’s continued presence in the US, which dates back to President Donald Trump’s first term in office.

TikTok in the US will now be run by TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, which was established by a White House executive order issued in September 2025. At its helm will be CEO Adam Presser, previously the head of operations, who led TikTok’s efforts to ensure that the data of the app’s US users was kept secure. Shou Chew, the CEO of TikTok’s international operations, will serve on the joint venture’s board of directors.

«TikTok USDS Joint Venture’s mandate is to secure US user data, apps and the algorithm through comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity measures,» the company said in a statement. «It will safeguard the US content ecosystem through robust trust and safety policies and content moderation while ensuring continuous accountability through transparency reporting and third-party certifications.»

The venture has three managing investors — Silver Lake, Oracle and MGX — which each hold a 15% stake. Oracle also will be responsible for protection of US user data and of the freshly retrained algorithm, which will be specific to the US version of the app.

Presidents Trump and Joe Biden raised concerns over a potential national security threat posed by TikTok, because of its Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance, which will retain a 19.9% stake in the new joint venture. During both of his presidential terms, Trump has attempted to ban TikTok, but also delayed the ban’s implementation.

The deal announced on Friday arrived moments before the deadline set by the White House for TikTok to comply with its September executive order. In a post on his social site Truth Social, Trump said he was «so happy to have helped in saving TikTok.»

«I only hope that long into the future I will be remembered by those who use and love TikTok,» said Trump. He also thanked China’s President Xi Jinping for working with the US and approving the deal. «He could have gone the other way, but didn’t, and is appreciated for his decision,» he said.

How TikTok might change for you

TikTok has more than 200 million users in the US, and if you’re one of them, the deal announced on Friday will allow you to continue using the app without the ongoing fear of it being banned.

It also won’t see you cut off from creators in China, or the rest of the world. People in the US will still be able to watch videos from Europe, such as last year’s viral «nothing beats a Jet2 holiday» trend. TikTok users outside of the US will still be able to follow their favorite American creators.

In the TikTok newsroom post, the company addressed interoperability, saying that the deal would «provide US users with a global TikTok experience, ensuring US creators can be discovered and businesses can operate on a global scale.»

Where the experience might change is in the content that is recommended to you. Under the terms of the deal, TikTok’s algorithm will be retrained, tested and updated based on US user data. This will have a knock-on impact on what you see on the platform, according to Kelsey Chickering, principal analyst at Forrester.

«TikTok’s power lies in its content graph — an algorithm that learns from thousands of user signals to deliver hyper‑relevant, highly addictive videos,» said Chickering. «With a US joint venture retraining that algorithm on domestic data, the experience will change — maybe for the better, maybe not. One thing’s certain: TikTok in America won’t be the same.»

In spite of the interoperability that will see US TikTok users connected to those across the globe, it does seem likely that the focus on US data will lead to a shift away from the global nature of the content that the algorithm currently serves up to you.

«TikTok’s US algorithm will now be trained on US data, which means what trends — and what dominates feeds — will feel distinctly American,» said Chickering. «Global content will still appear, but its ranking will change.»

Exactly how this will look may differ from person to person, and will likely take some time to come into effect as the joint venture begins the retraining process. TikTok didn’t immediately respond to questions regarding how long it expects retraining the algorithm to take, when US TikTok users should expect to be impacted by changes and whether it will issue public updates about this process.

One potential pitfall the company might want to avoid, Chickering said, is moderating the US version of TikTok in a way that tilts too far toward any one particular political viewpoint, or fails to curb misinformation. Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter (now X) — and his subsequent algorithmic changes that alienated users and advertisers — is a cautionary tale in this regard. With Instagram Reels already vying to replace TikTok, the company will likely want to avoid making changes that could spark a mass exodus of people.

«For now, it’s speculation,» said Chickering. «It remains to be seen how new leadership will wield this power and whether moderation policies will evolve.»

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, Jan. 23

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Jan. 23.

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’re familiar with a certain blond actor (8-Across)! Read on for all the answers. 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: Attach, as one plant to another
Answer: GRAFT

6A clue: Email button with a backward-facing arrow
Answer: REPLY

7A clue: Make very excited
Answer: AMPUP

8A clue: Two-time Best Actor nominee Nick
Answer: NOLTE

9A clue: Total dork
Answer: DWEEB

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Word that can precede piano, total or staircase
Answer: GRAND

2D clue: Cut again, as a lawn
Answer: REMOW

3D clue: Company whose logo has a bite taken out of it
Answer: APPLE

4D clue: Champagne glass
Answer: FLUTE

5D clue: Laid-back kind of personality
Answer: TYPEB

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Technologies

‘Is Microsoft Down?’ Outlook and Teams Go Dark in Widespread Outage

It’s not just you: Numerous Microsoft services weren’t working most of Thursday, and the outage is continuing.

Thursday has been a tough work day for many — or maybe, a great one, depending on how eager you are to access work-related programs. Microsoft services, including Outlook, Teams and Microsoft 365 are experiencing a significant outage that’s still going on as of early evening, Pacific time. Microsoft hasn’t announced an expected time when everything will be back up and running.

You can follow the official Microsoft 365 Status account on the social-media platform X, which has been regularly posting updates about the outage.

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The first post there, from 11:37 a.m. PT, said that the company was «investigating a potential issue impacting multiple Microsoft 365 services, including Outlook, Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Purview. Further information can be found in the admin center under MO1221364.»

The admin center is the dashboard for IT admins managing Microsoft 365 services.

You can also monitor Microsoft’s Service Health Status page. That page is noting that «users may be seeing degraded service functionality or be unable to access multiple Microsoft 365 services.»

A representative for Microsoft didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.