Technologies

You Can Fix the Most Annoying iOS 17 Features on Your iPhone

You’re not going to love everything about iOS 17 — and that’s OK.

iOS 17 brings several new major features to the iPhone, like StandBy mode, interactive widgets, full-screen contact posters for phone calls and the Journal app. And while most of these features are welcome additions and changes, if you’re like me, you might not love every new offering.

Read more: iOS 17.2: Check Out These New Features on Your iPhone

I get used to a particular way of doing certain things. For instance, I wasn’t a fan of the new search button at the bottom of each home page when I upgraded to iOS 16, because I’d accidentally trigger it all the time. It isn’t necessarily a bad feature, I just personally didn’t like it.

With iOS 17, there are a few features I’m not a huge fan of, as well. If you want to find out about some of the iOS 17 settings I sometimes find annoying, keep reading. Even better, there’s a «fix» for all of them, so you can either get rid of them or never have to deal with them again.

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features and Settings on Your iPhone

Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

Text message verification codes on iPhone

+15 more

See all photos

While you’re here, check out the iOS 17 settings you need to change ASAP and the best hidden features in iOS 17.

Stop NameDrop from automatically sharing your contact info

The new NameDrop feature on iOS 17 allows you to quickly swap contact information via AirDrop simply by bringing your iPhone near another iPhone or Apple Watch. Your name and Contact Poster (also new with iOS 17) are shared with NameDrop, along with your phone number, email address and other information.

Some people have had issues with NameDrop sharing info when they don’t want to. For example, if you place your iPhone near another iPhone in general, NameDrop may attempt to transfer your contact information. If you carry two iPhones in your bag — one personal and the other for work — NameDrop could attempt to share contact info between the two, which can be annoying when you’re not trying to use the feature on purpose.

Fortunately, there’s an easy way to disable NameDrop completely. In the Settings application, go to General > AirDrop and toggle off Bringing Devices Together. Once the feature is off, you won’t be able to swap numbers and information via NameDrop.

Hide notifications in StandBy

The StandBy feature is arguably one of the biggest new iOS 17 features to the iPhone, turning your phone into a smart display when it’s charging horizontally and showcasing information, like the time, your calendar, photos and notifications, in large blocks that are easy to see. StandBy is a great way to quickly absorb information by glancing at your phone, but if people are around and you want to keep some of your information private, you may not want StandBy to show notifications.

In Settings > StandBy, toggle off Show Notifications. Now when you’re in StandBy mode, you won’t see all of your notifications displayed. Critical notifications, like weather emergencies, will still be shown in StandBy mode.

Alternatively, you can hide notification previews instead of the entire notification. That way, you can still see what notifications you’re getting, you just can’t check out the exact details unless you tap on the notification. For this to work, you’ll need to enable Show Notifications, as well as the Show Preview on Top Only setting underneath.

Stop Siri from activating so easily

Siri received a few major changes in iOS 17, including the ability to activate the voice assistant by only saying «Siri» — no more «hey» needed. It’s an easier way to quickly open an application or run a shortcut with just your voice, but at the same time, you might accidentally trigger Siri more often, since the new trigger is just a single word now.

If you want to go back to only having Siri activated when you say «Hey Siri» and not just «Siri,» go into Settings > Siri & Search > Listen for and choose the solo «Hey Siri» option. Your iPhone will no longer activate Siri simply when you say «Siri.»

For more on iOS 17, learn how to automatically delete multifactor authentication messages in texts and email and how to create Live Stickers.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for March 10, #1003

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for March 10, No. 1,003

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 NYT Connections puzzle is a fun and diverse mix. If you know your US states, you’ll surely solve the blue category early. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times 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 the 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: Think Julia Child.

Green group hint: Also, Bro and Sis.

Blue group hint: Minn. and Ore. are two others.

Purple group hint: Hit with your fist.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Cook with dry heat.

Green group: Familial nicknames.

Blue group: US state abbreviations.

Purple group: Punch

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 cook with dry heat. The four answers are brown, roast, sear and toast.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is familial nicknames. The four answers are Cuz, Gram, Pop and Unc.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is US state abbreviations. The four answers are Mass, Miss, Penn and Wash.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is punch. The four answers are box, duke, slug and sock.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for March 10, #1725

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for March 10, No. 1,725.

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 is a tough one. It’s a word I don’t think many people use often, and some might not know it at all. 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.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

Today’s Wordle answer has two vowels.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with S.

Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter

Today’s Wordle answer ends with L.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to a sandbank or sandbar that makes water shallow.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is SHOAL.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, March 9, No. 1,724, was HASTY.

Recent Wordle answers

March 5, No. 1,720: SHEEP

March 6, No. 1,721: GUNKY

March 7, No. 1,722: VOGUE

March 8, No. 1,723: LOBBY

Technologies

Apple’s iPhone 17E vs. iPhone 17, Air, Pro, Pro Max: Comparing the Full Lineup

How Apple’s lower-cost iPhone 17E matches up with its more-expensive sibling phones.

Apple’s latest addition to its iPhone 17 lineup is the lower-cost iPhone 17E. Just like last year’s iPhone 16E, the iPhone 17E is priced at $599 and is meant to be Apple’s entry-level offering for the year. But the 17E has a number of upgrades over its predecessor, such as double the starting storage space at 256GB, MagSafe compatibility and a faster A19 chip.

It’s still fairly basic compared with the Air and the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup, though. The 17E only has one camera, no Dynamic Island and no Camera Control button. Also, even though it has a 12-megapixel selfie camera, the 17E lacks the Center Stage feature — which automatically switches between portrait and landscape — that’s on the Air and the rest of the iPhone 17 series.

Here’s how the iPhone 17E compares with the Air and the iPhone 17 lineup.

Design and display

With a 6.1-inch OLED display, the iPhone 17E has the smallest display compared with the rest of its siblings. Both the iPhone 17 and the 17 Pro have a slightly larger 6.3-inch display, while the iPhone Air has a 6.5-inch screen, and the 17 Pro Max has the biggest screen of them all with a 6.9-inch OLED display.

While the Air and the rest of the iPhone 17 models have a 120Hz variable refresh rate, the iPhone 17E is the only one with just a 60Hz refresh rate. That means the animations won’t be quite as smooth, and you won’t get an always-on display. However, if you’re upgrading from an older iPhone like the iPhone 16, you might not notice as big a difference.

Design-wise, the iPhone 17E lacks the Dynamic Island that’s on the Air and the rest of the iPhone 17 series. It doesn’t have a physical Camera Control button either.

It does, however, come in an aluminum frame and is protected by the Ceramic Shield 2, which is on par with the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup. The exception is the iPhone Air, which has a titanium frame. At 0.31-inch thick, the iPhone 17E is just as slender as the iPhone 17 — definitely not as skinny as the 0.22-inch thick iPhone Air. It is quite light, though, at 169 grams (5.96 ounces), which is just a bit heavier than the Air’s weight of 165 grams.

Cameras

Like the 16E, the iPhone 17E only has a single 48-megapixel rear camera. It does have sensor cropping, which offers 2x magnification. The iPhone Air also has only a single 48-megapixel rear camera. The iPhone 17 has two: a 48-megapixel wide and a 48-megapixel ultrawide. Both the 17 Pro and the 17 Pro Max have three: a 48-megapixel wide, a 48-megapixel ultrawide and a 48-megapixel telephoto that has 4x optical zoom but can double up to 8x at 12 megapixels.

The 17E has a 12-megapixel front-facing camera, while the Air, the 17, the 17 Pro and the 17 Pro Max all have an 18-megapixel selfie shooter. Additionally, the 17E lacks the Center Stage feature that automatically switches between portrait and landscape orientations.

Storage, processors and battery

The iPhone 17E starts with a base storage of 256GB, which is double that of the 16E and brings it up to par with the Air and the rest of the iPhone 17 series. All the phones are also available with 512GB, while the Pro and Pro Max are the only ones available in a 1TB configuration.

The 17E is powered by Apple’s latest A19 chip, which is the same as on the iPhone 17, except the 17E has a quad-core GPU while the 17 has five cores. The iPhone Air, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max are all powered by Apple’s A19 Pro.

As for battery, the 17E has the same battery as the 16E, with a 4,005-mAh battery and roughly 26 hours of video playback, according to Apple. That’s actually slightly larger than the iPhone 17’s 3,692-mAh battery and the Air’s 3,149-mAh battery. The 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max top out the battery charts with a 4,252- and 5,088-mAh battery, respectively. Still, the iPhone 17E’s battery should hold up well thanks to the A19 processor, C1X cellular modem and the power management of iOS 26.

The 17E gets MagSafe, which was sorely missing in the 16E. This lets the iPhone 17E work with magnetic chargers and accessories. It also has up to 15 watts of Qi2 wireless charging. The iPhone Air and the rest of the 17 lineup offer fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using a 30-watt adapter or higher with MagSafe charging.

Check out the chart below to see all the ways these phones match up.

Apple iPhone 17E vs. iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max

	Apple iPhone 17E	Apple iPhone 17	Apple iPhone Air	Apple iPhone 17 Pro
Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate	6.1-inch OLED display; 2,532×1,170 pixels; 60Hz refresh rate	6.3-inch OLED; 2,622×1,206 pixels; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate	6.5-inch OLED; 2,736×1,260 pixels; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate	6.3-inch OLED; 2,622×1,206 pixels; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate
Pixel density	460 ppi	460 ppi	460 ppi	460 ppi
Dimensions (inches)	5.78×2.82×0.31	5.89×2.81×0.31	6.15×2.94×0.22	5.91×2.83×0.34
Dimensions (millimeters)	146.7×71.5×7.8	149.6×71.5×7.95	156.2×74.7×5.64	150.0×71.9×8.75
Weight (grams, ounces)	167g (5.88 oz.)	177g (6.24 oz.)	165g (5.82 oz.)	206g (7.27 oz.)
Mobile software	iOS 26	iOS 26	iOS 26	iOS 26
Camera	48-megapixel (wide)	48-megapixel (wide) 48-megapixel (ultrawide)	48-megapixel (wide)	48-megapixel (wide) 48-megapixel (ultrawide) 48-megapixel (4x, 8x telephoto)
Front-facing camera	12-megapixel	18-megapixel	18-megapixel	18-megapixel
Video capture	4K	4K	4K	4K
Processor	Apple A19	Apple A19	Apple A19 Pro	Apple A19 Pro
RAM + storage	RAM unknown + 256GB, 512GB	RAM N/A + 256GB, 512GB	RAM N/A + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB	RAM N/A + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Expandable storage	None	None	None	None
Battery	4,005 mAh	3,692 mAh	3,149 mAh	4,252 mAh
Fingerprint sensor	None, Face ID	None, Face ID	None, Face ID	None, Face ID
Connector	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C
Headphone jack	None	None	None	None
Special features	MagSafe, Qi2 charging (up to 15W), Action button, Apple C1 5G modem, Apple Intelligence, Ceramic Shield, Emergency SOS, satellite connectivity, IP68 resistance	Apple N1 wireless networking chip: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 6, Thread, Action button, Camera Control button, Dynamic Island, Apple Intelligence, Visual Intelligence, dual eSIM, 1 to 3,000 nits brightness display range, IP68 resistance; colors: black, white, mist blue, sage, lavender; fast charge up to 50% in 20 minutes using 40W adapter or higher via charging cable; fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 30W adapter or higher via MagSafe Charger	Apple N1 wireless networking chip: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 6, thread, Action button, Apple C1X cellular modem, Camera Control button, Dynamic Island, Apple Intelligence, Visual Intelligence, Dual eSIM, 1 to 3,000 nits brightness display range, IP68 resistance; colors: space black, cloud white, light gold, sky blue; fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 20W adapter or higher via charging cable; fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 30W adapter or higher via MagSafe Charger	Apple N1 wireless networking chip: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 6, Thread, Action button, Camera Control button, Dynamic Island, Apple Intelligence, Visual Intelligence, dual eSIM, ProRes Raw video recording, Genlock video support, 1 to 3,000 nits brightness display range, IP68 resistance; colors: silver, cosmic orange, deep blue; fast charge up to 50% in 20 minutes using 40W adapter or higher via charging cable; fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 30W adapter or higher via MagSafe Charger
US price starts at	$599 (256GB)	$829 (256GB)	$999 (256GB)	$1,099 (256GB)