Technologies

iOS 16.5 Beta 1: What Might Be Coming to Your iPhone Soon

Beta testers can try these features now.

Less than a week after Apple released iOS 16.4 to the public, the company has rolled out the first beta version of iOS 16.5. Bug fixes, security updates and new features, like new emoji and Voice Isolation in calls, were released with iOS 16.4. The first iOS 16.5 beta, which came out Thursday, has some patches and a few features as well.

New iOS features can be fun, but we recommend downloading a beta only on something other than your primary phone, just in case the new software causes issues. Apple also provides beta testers with an app called Feedback, which they can use to notify the company about any issues in the new software. That way, problems can be addressed before general release.

Here are the new features beta testers can try now with iOS 16.5 beta 1.

Apple News gets a Sports tab

The Apple News app launched in 2015, and the first iOS 16.5 beta brings a Sports tab to the app for the first time. The tab can be found in the toolbar across the bottom of your screen when you open the app. Before, the toolbar displayed tabs for Today, News Plus, Audio, Following and Search. The iOS 16.5 beta 1 gets rid of the Search tab to make room for the Sports tab.

Ask Siri to start a screen recording

With iOS 16.5 beta 1, you can ask Siri to start a screen recording for you. Prior to this beta, you had to go to add the screen recording tool to your Control Center, then turn on the tool manually. Now you can ask Siri. This could save you time, since you won’t have to edit out the beginning and end of your videos where you turn the recording on and off.

There’s no word on when iOS 16.5 will be released to the general public. There’s also no guarantee these beta features will be released with iOS 16.5, or that these will be the only features to come out with the update.

For more, check out what’s new on your iPhone with iOS 16.4 and how to become an Apple beta tester so you can try out new iOS features before others.

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.