Technologies

iOS 16.3: The New Features That Just Landed on Your iPhone

Support for the next-generation HomePod and security keys for Apple ID are some of the new features.

Apple’s iOS 16.3 update is available now, and it brings new features, bug fixes and security updates to your iPhone. The update was released alongside updates for other Apple software, too, like iPadOS, Safari and previous versions of iOS. The latest iOS update arrives about a month after the release of iOS 16.2.

Here are the new features landing on your iPhone with iOS 16.3.

Support for the second-gen HomePod

Apple’s iOS 16.3 software will support the second-generation HomePod, which is set to be released on Feb. 3 for $299 ( 299, AU$479). Apple announced the release of the new HomePod four days before the latest iOS software was made available.

New Unity wallpaper for Black History Month

The latest iOS update includes a new iPhone wallpaper as part of Apple’s Black Unity Collection. The collection celebrates Black History Month with a special-edition Apple Watch Black Unity Sport Loop, a mosaic watch face and the new iPhone wallpaper. Apple also plans to release a selection of Black History Month content for Apple TV, Fitness Plus, Music, Maps, Books, Podcasts and the App Store as part of the collection.

New ways to use Emergency SOS via satellite

Emergency SOS via satellite was introduced at Apple’s event in September. In iOS 16.3, the Call with Hold option has been replaced with Call with Hold and Release. If you enable Call with Hold and Release, you can hold the side button and a volume button to initiate a countdown and an alarm. After the countdown, you release the buttons and your iPhone will call emergency services on its own. Before with Call with Hold, pressing the side button and a volume button would first bring up the Emergency SOS call slider. If you continued to hold the buttons, a countdown started and an alarm would go off. After the countdown ended, your phone would make an emergency call.

There’s also an option to Call Quietly in Emergency SOS. By enabling this option, when you try to make an emergency SOS call, your phone won’t start flashing or making an alarm sound.

Security keys come to Apple ID

Users can now use third-party security keys instead of two-factor authentication for their Apple ID.

Security keys are a lot like keys to your home. You still use passwords, but this extra layer of security can help protect you against phishing scams and hackers.

«Hardware security keys are very, very secure,» Diya Jolly, chief product officer of authentication service company Okta, told CNET’s Stephen Shankland.

Apple’s security keys feature only works with FIDO Alliance-certified security keys.

Here is the list of new features and changes included in iOS 16.3.

New Unity wallpaper honors Black history and culture in celebration of Black History Month.
Security Keys for Apple ID allow users to strengthen the security of their account by requiring a physical security key as part of the two factor authentication sign in process on new devices.
Support for HomePod (second generation).
Emergency SOS calls now require holding the side button with the up or down volume button and then releasing in order to prevent inadvertent emergency calls.
Fixes an issue in Freeform where some drawing strokes created with Apple Pencil or your finger may not appear on shared boards.
Addresses an issue where the wallpaper may appear black on the Lock Screen.
Fixes an issue where horizontal lines may temporarily appear while waking up iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Fixes an issue where the Home Lock Screen widget does not accurately display Home app status.
Addresses an issue where Siri may not respond properly to music requests
Resolves issues where Siri requests in CarPlay may not be understood correctly.

For more iOS 16 news, see what new features were added in iOS 16.2 and iOS 16.1. Here’s how you can sign up to test Apple’s iOS beta software, too.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, April 9

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 9.

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.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword could be tricky. I’d never heard that 1-Down Confucius quote before, but once I figured it out, it’s pretty witty. Need some help 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 at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Word after «cheap as» or «old as»
Answer: DIRT

5A clue: Sean ___, director who won four Oscars for «Anora»
Answer: BAKER

6A clue: «It’s the Hard-Knock Life» musical
Answer: ANNIE

7A clue: Pastry at a tea shop
Answer: SCONE

8A clue: Works on a quilt, perhaps
Answer: SEWS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: «Never give a sword to a man who can’t ___»: Confucius
Answer: DANCE

2D clue: «You don’t need to tell me!»
Answer: IKNOW

3D clue: Straps for a horseback rider
Answer: REINS

4D clue: One might be shady
Answer: TREE

5D clue: Big Mouth Billy ___ (singing animatronic fish)
Answer: BASS

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Technologies

Loss-of-Pulse Detection Alerts on the Pixel Watch 3 Are Finally Here

The potentially life-saving feature that detects if your pulse stops is officially rolling out on the latest gen Pixel Watches in the US.

The US rollout for the Loss-of-Pulse detection feature on the Google Pixel 3 starts today. The feature identifies when your pulse is lost and can automatically call emergency services if you’re unresponsive. You can expect a prompt will pop up on your watch to enable it. Don’t worry if it hasn’t happened just yet — the roll-out is estimated to last a few weeks.

Google announced the Loss of Pulse Detection feature in 2024 for select EU countries and received FDA clearance in the US in February.

The watch uses an AI-based algorithm and signals from the existing multipath heart rate sensor (the flashing green light on the back of the watch) to monitor your pulse. If it suspects your pulse was lost, additional sensor signals will be activated to search for the pulse or identify movement.

When nothing is detected, the watch prompts you with an initial check-in. If you don’t respond to the message on the watch and no motion is detected, a loud alarm will play, and a countdown will appear on the screen. Then, an emergency services call is placed on your LTE smartwatch or phone. An automated message about the loss of pulse and your location will be shared with emergency operators.

While the Loss of Pulse Detection feature wasn’t made for any one specific health condition, this is another feature added to the Pixel 3’s impressive catalog of safety and health features, such as fall detection and irregular heart rhythm notifications. As a Google Pixel user, I’m happy to see another feature in the medical safety space, especially for one in which immediate intervention is necessary.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for April 9, #1390

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle No. 1,390 for Wednesday, April 9.

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

Today’s Wordle puzzle refers to a substance used in many foods. It’s also a hilarious punchline in my favorite Super Bowl commercial (outside of the Budweiser Clydesdales ads). If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.