Technologies

Best Black Friday iPhone Deals: Trade-In Savings, Prepaid Discounts and More

Whether you’re looking to snag the high-end iPhone 15 Pro Max or the affordable iPhone SE, there are plenty of ways to get your hands on one for less.

Apple makes some of our absolute favorite devices on the market, claiming more than a few spots on our list of the best phones for 2023. And while these sleek Apple devices can get pricey, Black Friday is just around the corner, so there are plenty of ways to get your hands on one for less right now.

Apple probably won’t be offering any discounts directly, but there are tons of offers at carriers and other retailers that can knock hundreds off the starting price or even help you snag one for free. You can trade in your old phone for savings on unlocked iPhone models, or score savings via monthly bill credits when you sign up with a major carrier. And some retailers like Walmart are even offering prepaid discounts, so you don’t have to worry about being locked into a multi-year contract. To help you make the most of these savings, we’ve rounded up the best deals out there on both current and previous-gen iPhones below.

iPhone 15 Black Friday deals

More iPhone 15 deals:

Amazon: Free with Boost Mobile Infinite plan
T-Mobile: Up to $1,000 off with trade-in on select plans
Verizon: Up to $1,000 off with trade-in and new line
AT&T: Free iPhone 15 or 15 Pro with trade-in

iPhone SE (2022) Black Friday deals

More iPhone SE (2022) deals:

T-Mobile: Free with trade-in, 50% off with new line
AT&T: From $5/month with installment plan
Verizon: Free with new line
Metro: $100 off with new line, $330 off with transfer of existing number

Previous-gen iPhone Black Friday deals

More previous-gen iPhone deals:

AT&T (iPhone 14): From $11/month with installment plan
Verizon (iPhone 14): Free with new line
T-Mobile (iPhone 14): Free with new line and trade-in
Verizon (iPhone 13): Free with new line
T-Mobile (iPhone 13): Free with new line and trade-in or when you transfer existing number
Walmart (iPhone 12): From $399 with prepaid Straight Talk plan
T-Mobile (iPhone 12): 50% off with new line

Which iPhone is best?

There are quite a few different iPhones on the shelf right now, which can make choosing the right one a little overwhelming. The iPhone 15 is one of the latest models, and our top pick for most people. Though if you need something with some serious hardware, you’ll probably want to upgrade to the iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max.

Those on a budget will probably want to grab the third-gen iPhone SE, which starts at just $429. Though if you have specific priorities like a big screen or advanced camera system, you may want to opt for a high-end model from an older generation, like the iPhone 14 Pro Max which will help you save some cash over going for the latest model without sacrificing too much by way of performance.

Where is the best place to buy an iPhone on Black Friday?

Deciding whether you should purchase your new Apple phone through a retailer or directly from your carrier will depend on your situation. If you’re creating a new line or account, you’ll probably want to purchase your iPhone through a major carrier like AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile, where you can score hundreds in savings — though you’ll be locked in to a multi-year contract.

If you’d rather not get locked into a service plan, you’ll probably want to opt for a prepaid deal from a retailer like Walmart. You’ll have to pay for everything upfront, but will also be free to cancel service at any time. And if you’d rather skip the headache of choosing a service plan altogether, you can pick up an unlocked model from Apple or places like Best Buy, which are both offering some solid Apple Black Friday deals right now.

Technologies

Tinder Users Must Start Logging In With Their Faces, Starting Nationwide

The social app now has new US requirements including face identification to help quell longstanding problems with catfishing and more.

US Tinder users will find a new feature when they open up the dating app starting Wednesday: A mandatory Face Check on their phones will be required before they can log into their profiles.

The Face Check step will begin with a new request to record a video of your face, a more casual version of setting up Apple’s Face ID login. Tinder will then run checks comparing your face data to your current profile pics and automatically create a small face badge for your profile. We already know how it works, because Tinder has already launched the feature in Canada and California before the full US rollout.

The technology, powered by FaceTec, will keep biometric data of the user’s face in encrypted form but discard the scanning video for privacy. Tinder will be able to use the face data to detect duplicate accounts, in an effort to cut down on fake profiles and identity theft.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Tinder’s facial recognition rollout is also made to prevent catfishing, or people pretending to be someone else on Tinder to scam or blackmail them. But that also points to a deeper problem on the rise in dating apps — a growing number of bots, many controlled by AI, are designed to glean personal information or fool users into scammy subscriptions, among other problems.

Tinder’s working against these bots on several fronts, including this Face Check push as well as ID Check, which requires a government-issued ID and other types of photo verification.

The dating app also recently released a feature in June to enable double-dating with your friends, which Tinder reports is especially popular with Gen Z users. If you’re worried about the latest hazards on Tinder, we have guide to safety practices.

A representative for Tinder did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, Oct. 23

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 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? Read on. 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: Like some weather, memories and I.P.A.s
Answer: HAZY

5A clue: Statement that’s self-evidently true
Answer: AXIOM

7A clue: Civic automaker
Answer: HONDA

8A clue: What fear leads to, as Yoda told a young Anakin
Answer: ANGER

9A clue: Foxlike
Answer: SLY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Verbal «lol»
Answer: HAHA

2D clue: Brain signal transmitter
Answer: AXON

3D clue: Hits with a witty comeback
Answer: ZINGS

4D clue: Sing at the top of a mountain, maybe
Answer: YODEL

6D clue: Name of the famous «Queen of Scots»
Answer: MARY

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 23 #599

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 599.

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

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle might be Halloween-themed, as the answers are all rather dangerous. Some of them are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Please don’t eat me!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Remember Mr. Yuk?

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

POND, NOON, NODE, BALE, SOCK, LOVE, LOCK, MOCK, LEER, REEL, GLOVE, DAIS, LEAN, LEAD, REEL

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers: