Technologies

iOS 17 Proves Apple Doesn’t Need a Foldable Phone… Yet

Commentary: Apple’s iOS 17 update is the latest sign that the company is evolving the way it thinks about the iPhone’s screen.

Smartphones have more or less looked identical to one another for the past decade, but companies like Samsung, Motorola and Google are changing that with screens that bend and fold. Almost every major smartphone maker has released a foldable phone or is planning to, with Apple being the main exception.

Android phone makers clearly see the future of the smartphone as devices that can fold in half to more easily fit in your pocket or fold open to double as a tablet. But Apple is taking a decidedly different approach. Rather than using new hardware designs to expand the way we use our mobile devices, the iPhone maker is using its software to bring new use cases to its devices. Instead of physically changing the shape of the iPhone’s screen to fit more apps or provide a bigger display for watching shows, it’s morphing the software in ways that let you use your phone differently.

Apple’s iOS 17 update, which launched in beta on Wednesday and officially arrives this fall, is the latest example of the company’s efforts in this regard. The software introduces a feature called StandBy mode, which essentially turns your mobile device into a miniature smart display like the Echo Show or Google Nest Hub.

Though Apple’s StandBy mode and foldable phones may seem unrelated, they do share an important connection. They both represent efforts to evolve the way our phones present information, aligning with the bigger role mobile devices have come to play in our lives over the past 15 years.

StandBy mode works by providing a full-screen view of apps like the clock, your music player or your calendar when your iPhone is charging and positioned in landscape mode. It makes your iPhone function more like a smart display by providing the option to dedicate the entire screen to a specific app or feature, making it easier to see from a distance. By doing this, StandBy mode gives your iPhone a new role, enabling it to function as a bedside clock or a miniature Amazon Echo Show type of device.

Siri is optimized for StandBy view, which makes sense given that voice control will likely be a big part of the experience since your phone will be resting on a table or propped up on a stand rather than in your hand. Apple’s Live Activities feature also works in this mode, so you should be able to see tidbits like your Uber ETA without reaching for your phone.

Your iPhone can also surface contextual information by rotating a collection of widgets based on factors such as the time or your location, a feature Apple calls Smart Stacks. Though it isn’t specific to StandBy, it’s easy to see how Smart Stacks can be especially helpful in this mode. Instead of having your phone turn into a black slab when you aren’t using it, you can have it pull up things like the weather or your next meeting as needed.

Companies like Samsung, Motorola, Google, Oppo and Huawei have been using foldable designs rather than software alone to give our phones new roles. While Apple’s StandBy mode lets your phone function as a smart display, phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Oppo Find N2 can double as a tablet when opened. Motorola’s new Razr Plus flip phone can also serve as a tiny smart display thanks to its bendable design and useful cover screen. When I reviewed that device, I propped the Razr Plus open like a tent with the cover screen facing outward, enabling me to see the time and which song was playing without reaching for my phone.

The new Razr Plus closed with the time shown on its front screen

StandBy may be the most prominent example of how Apple is changing the way we use our phones in iOS 17, but it isn’t the only one. The update will also bring interactive widgets to your iPhone, meaning you’ll be able to perform tasks like checking off reminders and controlling your smart lights with just a tap from the home screen. The current version of the iPhone’s widgets launch the corresponding app when tapped rather than allowing you to take an action.

Older features like the Dynamic Island and always-on display, both of which debuted on the iPhone 14 Pro series last year, are also part of Apple’s efforts to upgrade the way we use our phones by changing the way software is presented on screen. The Dynamic Island, for example, lets you multitask more easily by showing sports scores or music that’s currently playing near the top of the screen, preventing you from jumping between apps as often. The always-on display lets you view the time and other information without reaching for your phone.

Features like StandBy and the Dynamic Island won’t make your phone feel as radically different as a foldable screen would. But they still show that Apple is trying to make your iPhone feel more useful by updating the way apps and other features behave on screen. That could be particularly important for Apple, considering it’ll likely be quite some time before we see a foldable iPhone.

Some analysts predict that a foldable iPhone may not arrive until at least 2025. That’s according to estimates from Ross Young, analyst and CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (via 9to5Mac), and Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst for TF International Securities who’s known for his Apple product predictions. Samsung, meanwhile, is about to launch the fifth generation of its Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip devices.

Apple’s absence from the foldable phone space comes as no surprise. The company typically waits until technology matures so it can release a more compelling product before entering a new device category. This approach has been effective with smartwatches and tablets, so it seems plausible that Apple would pursue a similar strategy with foldables. (That’s if Apple is indeed working on a foldable phone, of course).

Though foldable phones have progressed tremendously and grown more popular in the past four years since the first Galaxy Fold arrived, they still face important challenges. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Google Pixel Fold each cost roughly $1,800, making them a luxury purchase for many consumers. Early reports of broken screens on the Pixel Fold also show that durability is still a concern with foldable phones. Perhaps Apple is investigating ways to solve issues like durability and high prices behind the scenes before introducing its own foldable, but there’s no way to know for sure until Apple makes an announcement.

In the meantime, Apple will likely keep finding new ways to make the iPhone feel fresh and relevant through software updates like these. The company usually releases new iPhone models every fall, which bring upgrades to everything from the camera to the processor to the display. But it’s the software that makes those hardware leaps feel useful and innovative.

In fact, makers of foldable phones may be able to learn a thing or two from Apple’s approach. While having a giant screen that can fold down to the size of a phone can be useful, companies like Samsung and Google still have some work to do when it comes to finding interesting new ways to put those flexible screens to use with fresh software.

Technologies

Pope Francis’ Funeral: How to Stream Live or Watch the Replay

Here’s how to stream the pope’s funeral very early Saturday, and what you can expect to see during the service.

After a week of global mourning for Pope Francis, who died on Monday at age 88, the pope’s funeral will be celebrated on Saturday . Francis’ funeral will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. local time at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City (which is very, very early if you’re tuning in from the US or Canada), and he will be laid to rest at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.

The Vatican will be livestreaming the papal funeral and procession, though not the burial, on its YouTube channel as it happens. The funeral will also be televised live on CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox, as well as on streaming services like Disney Plus, Hulu, Peacock and Paramount Plus. Due to the time difference, it seems likely that many interested North American viewers will catch it when it’s replayed later on Saturday. Numerous networks will rebroadcast the service later that day.

If you choose to stay up, or get up early, here’s when the live broadcast of the pope’s funeral will air in your time zone in the continental US on April 26:

ET: 4 a.m.
CT: 3 a.m.
MT: 2 a.m.
PT: 1 a.m.

The papacy of Pope Francis was notable for the progressive reforms he brought to the Roman Catholic Church. He appointed more than half of the current College of Cardinals and attempted to foster more positive attitudes toward members of the LGBT community and migrants worldwide.

What to expect from the funeral

The funeral will follow many rituals, though not all traditional protocols will be followed. Most popes are buried in St. Peter’s Basilica or its grottoes, but the AP reports Francis chose the St. Mary Major Basilica to reflect his veneration of an icon of the Virgin Mary that is located there, the Salus Populi Romani (Salvation of the People of Rome).

His funeral will be less elaborate than those of other popes per his own wishes. Francis simplified papal funeral rites last year, permitting his burial outside the Vatican, and emphasizing his role as a bishop rather than as pope (the pope is also the Bishop of Rome).

Previous popes were buried in three coffins: one of cypress, one of lead and one of oak. Francis requested to be buried in a single wooden, zinc-lined coffin and not to be placed in an elevated bier as other popes were.

The coffin will be taken from St Peter’s Basilica and placed on a dais in St Peter’s Square, where Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re will lead the service. After the service, the coffin will return to St Peter’s Basilica before it is carried across the River Tiber and to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major for burial. The ceremony is estimated to end around 2 p.m. local time, or four hours after it begins.

Pope Francis’ funeral Mass will be the first of nine Masses held daily at St. Peter’s until May 4. This is an ancient tradition of the Catholic Church that observes nine days of consecutive mourning. According to Vatican News, a different group of mourners will participate each day, though the Eucharistic celebrations are open to everyone.

Who will attend Pope Francis’ funeral?

Hundreds of people, including world leaders and royals, are expected to attend Pope Francis’ funeral.

US president Donald Trump confirmed on his Truth Social Platform that he and first lady Melania Trump will be at the funeral. This will be Trump’s first foreign trip in his second term. He is expected to have a seat in the third row, though the Vatican has yet to release an official seating chart. It is tradition for the first row of seats to go to Catholic royalty, and the second row to non-Catholic royals.

Prince William, who is attending on behalf of King Charles, will sit in the second row, which is reserved for non-Catholic royals. Former president Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, devout Catholics, will also attend the funeral.

Conclave: What happens next to choose the new pope

After Pope Francis’ funeral, the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church will vote on his successor in an assembly of cardinals known as a conclave.

There are many matters for the cardinals to settle before the conclave begins, but once it does, it can take days or even weeks to conclude. Two-thirds of the cardinals’ votes are required to elect the next pope. The conclave occurs behind closed doors and the vote tally is never made public.

Read more: Where to Watch Conclave, the Vatican Thriller About Electing a New Pope

Look for the white smoke

The ballots are burned after each round, and chemicals are added to the flames to produce black smoke if there’s no majority. When a new pope has been selected, the chemicals will be added to the flames so they produce white smoke. Crowds gather in St. Peter’s Square to watch for the results.

If you’re fascinated by the process, you can watch a dramatized version of the events in 2024 film Conclave.

In the movie, Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, who spearheads the election of the next pope while investigating rumors about potential candidates. The film is based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris and is completely fictional — though it does represent some of the events of how actual papal conclaves take place. In March, the film won the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay.

You can stream Conclave on Amazon Prime Video, or rent it for $6 on Apple TV, Fandango at Home, YouTube or Google Play Movies.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for April 26, #685

Hints and answers for Connections for April 26, #685.

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.

Today’s Connections puzzle features a lot of short words, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. That purple category requires a lot of thinking — probably most people will solve it only by solving the other three and having four words left over. 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: Rainbow.

Green group hint: San Fernando ____.

Blue group hint: Think Robert.

Purple group hint: Mixed-up hue words.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Tint.

Green group: Valley.

Blue group: Bobs.

Purple group: Color anagrams.

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 tint. The four answers are color, hue, shade and tone.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is valley. The four answers are dale, dell, glen and hollow.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Bobs. The four answers are Dole, Hope, Marley and Ross.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is color anagrams. The four answers are Dre (red), Gary (gray), genre (green) and lube (blue).

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 26, #215

Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 215, for Saturday, April 26.

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.

Connections: Sports Edition is tough today. The purple category theme threw me because of one phrase I didn’t know. And let’s hope you’re familiar with college coach surnames. Read on for hints and 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: Try to achieve.

Green group hint: Move through it.

Blue group hint: Sideline bosses.

Purple group hint: Like a carton.