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Apple Released iOS 18.5, and It Includes a Few Small iPhone Changes

Apple’s latest iPhone update doesn’t include many new features, but you should still download it for bug fixes and security patches.

Apple released iOS 18.5 on May 12, more than a month after the company released iOS 18.4. While that update brought more emoji to all iPhones, the latest update adds just a few small changes and a new Pride wallpaper to your iPhone. The update also includes some bug fixes and security patches everyone should download to help keep their device secure.

Read more: An Expert’s Guide to iOS 18

You can download the update by going to Settings > General > Software Update, tapping Update Now and following the prompts on your screen.

Here’s what iOS 18.5 brings to your iPhone. Just a reminder, only people with an iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max or the iPhone 16 lineup can access Apple Intelligence for now. If you have any other iPhone, you won’t have access to those features.

New Pride wallpaper

Apple releases a new Pride wallpaper ahead of Pride Month every year, and this year is no different. iOS 18.5 includes the latest iteration of the wallpaper, «Pride Harmony,» which features bold stripes that shift and change position as you move. 

iOS 18.5 tweaks Mail options

Apple introduced a few Mail app updates in iOS 18.5. One of those updates makes it easier to adjust the app’s settings by showing or hiding contact photos in Mail. Contact photos are the images to the left of emails that help identify senders. 

Mail will show Contact Posters by default, but you can turn them off from within the app with iOS 18.5. To do so, open Mail, tap the three dots () in the top-right corner of your screen, and then tap Show Contact Photos. Now, all your emails will just show the subject line and a preview of the message, similar to how Mail looked before iOS 18.

This option is in iOS 18.4, but it’s buried in Settings and not easy to locate. 

Another update concerns Categories. If the mode is enabled, you can see a small tab on the right side of your screen near the other categories. Swipe the categories bar near the top of Mail to the left, and this small tab will expand to reveal the category All Mail. When you swipe left to view All Mail, it will automatically be selected, and you’ll need to tap one of the other Categories to unselect All Mail.

This category isn’t new; you could find it in iOS 18.4. But, there was no small tab on the right side of your screen to signal it was present off-screen. Therefore, All Mail flew under the radar — I didn’t even know the option was there until beta versions of iOS 18.5.

This category appears to be a way to simultaneously enable Categories and List View — the pre-Categories view of Mail. When you use All Mail, you’re viewing your messages without any categorization, like in List View.

Satellite features for all iPhone 13 models

Apple’s iOS 18.5 also brings certain satellite features, like messaging, to the iPhone 13 lineup. That means if you go off the grid, you could still text people to let them know where you are. However, these features on iPhone 13 models are carrier dependent, and currently only T-Mobile offers them in the US via Starlink

T-Mobile Starlink is in beta, and the beta is free and open to anyone until July, including people on other carrier plans. After July, it will be part of the T-Mobile Experience Beyond and Go5G Next plans. People with other carriers, like Verizon and AT&T, will then be able to access the system for $10 a month. 

Back Tap banner

The iOS 18.5 update also introduces the option to display a banner using the Back Tap function. Back Tap turns the Apple logo on the back of your iPhone into a usable button that can open your camera, take a screenshot and more when you double- or triple-tap it. And with iOS 18.5, you can make your iPhone display a banner whenever you use Back Tap.

To enable the banner, go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap and tap the toggle next to Show Banner. If you enable the banner and use Back Tap, the banner will appear across the top of your screen and read, «Back Tap Double/Triple Tap detected.»

iOS 18.5 release notes

Here are the full release notes for iOS 18.5.

This update also includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:

  • A new Pride Harmony wallpaper.
  • Parents now receive a notification when the Screen Time passcode is used on a child’s device.
  • Buy with iPhone is available when purchasing content within the Apple TV app on a third-party device.
  • Fixes an issue where the Apple Vision Pro app may display a black screen.
  • Support for carrier-provided satellite features is available on iPhone 13 (all models). For more information, visit: 
    https://support.apple.com/122339.

Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit: 
https://support.apple.com/100100

For more iOS news, here’s what features were included in iOS 18.4 and iOS 18.3. You can also check out our iOS 18 cheat sheet and what we hope to see in iOS 19.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, Jan. 8

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Jan. 8.

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? I found 6-Across to be especially tricky. Read on for all the answers. 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: Donate
Answer: GIVE

5A clue: Piece of equipment in curling or Quidditch
Answer: BROOM

6A clue: Tidbit of information
Answer: DATUM

7A clue: Prone to daydreaming
Answer: SPACY

8A clue: Athletic shorts fabric
Answer: MESH

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Flavor of a purple lollipop
Answer: GRAPE

2D clue: Greek letter I’s
Answer: IOTAS

3D clue: Go to bat (for)
Answer: VOUCH

4D clue: Award with Daytime and Primetime categories
Answer: EMMY

5D clue: Erotic practice in «Fifty Shades of Grey,» for short
Answer: BDSM


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Technologies

New Foldable Phones Are Already Shaking Up the 2026 Smartphone Market

Commentary: Company announcements, analyst data and rumors of a foldable iPhone all point to an ambitious year for this still-young category.

What used to be a niche phone design is starting to flex its way into the mainstream. Foldable phones, which incorporate two or three panels that open into tablet configurations or condense down into compact sizes, are finding their audience. At CES 2026, for instance, Motorola announced its entry into with the book-style Razr Fold and Samsung showed off its Galaxy Z TriFold. Just as important, overall the category is seeing double-digit growth forecasts in 2026.

According to a December report from market research company IDC, global foldable phone shipments were expected to grow 10% in 2025 compared to 2024. And that number will continue to grow in 2026, with an expected 30% year-on-year jump, thanks to rumors of an upcoming foldable iPhone from Apple. And even though Samsung’s Flip and Fold phones have been around for years, the company’s newer TriFold and rumored «Wide Fold» have me hyped for what’s to come in 2026.

On the other hand, Huawei has led the way with innovative products, including its own trifold that beat Samsung to the category — the Huawei Mate XT — as well as a one-of-a-kind wide-screen flip phone, the Huawei Pura X. It dominated China’s foldable phones market with a massive 68.9% market share in the third quarter of 2025, according to a report from IDC (via MyDrivers). This is huge for a single brand in any market, especially when a niche category like foldables has several competitors (Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi and more).

These new foldable phone styles, along with the rumored iPhone Fold from Apple — which is said to have a passport-size design — could mean we’ll see four different types of foldable phones by 2026, giving people more options for compact devices that unfold into larger screens.

The four kinds of foldable phones to expect in 2026

So far, the most popular foldable phones have been book-style (like the Galaxy Z Fold 7) and flip phones (like the Motorola Razr). While the former is a phone that unfolds into a mini-tablet, the latter folds into a more pocketable design. Both designs have their benefits, but if rumors are true, there are more ways to build a folding phone.

2026 will see two new designs in the category, and one of them has already been launched in several markets. Here’s why I think all these new foldable phones will have an audience.

Flip phones

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Motorola Razr lineups are built for those who want a compact phone without compromising on screen size. Not everyone has massive pockets in their jeans but that doesn’t mean they need to settle for a smaller screen. These flip phones are designed to be more pocketable while also offering the same 6.9-inch display as a regular slab phone.

Book-style foldables

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Oppo Find N5 and Honor Magic V5 are all book-style foldables, which unfold to a mini-tablet. I like this design because I love browsing the web and reading on my phone and the squarish aspect ratio when unfolded makes it an excellent e-reader.

Recent developments in battery tech (silicon-carbon anode batteries) and hinge design have allowed manufacturers to shrink the crease depth and overall thickness to make them almost as slim as regular slab phones. These phones typically have big screens that aren’t ideal for videos, due to thick letterboxing. But they can be propped up by themselves, so you don’t need an external kickstand to watch 21:9 or 16:9 videos.

Book-style foldable phones are made for those of us who want to be more productive on a phone without needing a separate device.

The trifolds

This is the most versatile foldable phone design as of now and its best examples include the recently launched Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold and the Huawei Mate XT. However, not all trifolds are designed the same.

The Huawei trifold is the most versatile phone I’ve ever used, allowing me to use it as a phone, a mini tablet and a wide-screen 16:11 tablet for productivity and media consumption. It’s a true all-in-one device that delivers everything in a portable design.

By comparison, the Galaxy Z Trifold gives you a wide-screen 10-inch tablet that fits in your pocket and can also be used as a phone. It doesn’t offer a mini-tablet mode — you can use it either folded as a phone or fully unfolded — but Samsung’s trifold is designed as a productivity and media powerhouse. It’s essentially a flagship Galaxy Tab S-style device that fits inside your pocket.

Widescreen foldables

The Huawei Pura X is the best example of a wide-screen foldable so far. While some might argue that the first-generation Oppo Find N and Google Pixel Fold could fit under this category, their inner screens were also squarish (8.4:9 on the Oppo phone and 5:6 on the Pixel Fold); they were smaller book-style foldables.

In contrast, the Pura X has a 6.3-inch display with a wider 16:10 aspect ratio, which makes it an ideal screen for reading and watching videos. I used the phone recently for a few days and it’s the best combination of pockatability and versatility. You can watch videos with minimal letterboxing (thick black borders on top and bottom) on its 16:10 screen or use it like an e-reader in vertical orientation. And for the times when you need to snap some selfies using the rear cameras, you get a decent viewfinder in the form of a big cover screen — without making the phone unwieldy like book-style foldables.

Apple is rumored to adopt this approach with its upcoming iPhone Fold, but with a bigger cover screen. And Samsung is said to be developing a similar «Wide Fold» that’ll give you a 4:3 inner screen, too. According to a report from ETnews, this new Samsung foldable could have a 5.4-inch cover screen and support 25-watt wireless charging.

If the Korean company launches it alongside a presumed Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Flip 8, potentially in July 2026, it would launch ahead of Apple’s rumored foldable, which is presumed to launch in the fall. 

While these foldable phones will likely be expensive — especially the newer trifold and wide fold shapes — they’re bringing a lot of new competition to a phone market that’s otherwise dominated by the candy bar shape. As we move into 2026, I’m looking forward to having multiple size, design and functionality options, much like we do with traditional phones.

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Technologies

Speediance Unveils New Compact Resistance Trainer and Wearable

Speediance is aiming to make strength training more portable with a wearable unveiled at CES.

Speediance unveiled its new Gym Nano and Speediance Strap products this week at CES 2026. The smart fitness equipment manufacturer, which previously developed its own smart home gym, the Gym Monster 2, designed the Gym Nano and Speediance Strap to complement its current equipment ecosystem. 

«Rather than developing products in isolation, we’re building a comprehensive training and health ecosystem that adapts to users’ real lives and empowers better decision-making over time,» Speediance founder and CEO Liu Tao said in a statement.

Speediance used the consumer tech expo in Las Vegas to demonstrate the Gym Nano, a portable, motor-driven cable resistance training system designed to occupy minimal space for those who prefer to work out at home. The strap is a prototype wearable device designed to read your health data and provide training recommendations based on this insight.

CNET previously tested Speediance’s VeloNix AI Smart Bike and named it the best AI-powered exercise bike


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Gym Nano

The Gym Nano is a compact digital cable resistance machine trainer that fits any space and delivers full-body workouts. It’s meant to make strength training at home easier if you have limited space and can’t commit to larger home gym equipment. 

The Gym Nano offers up to 220 pounds of resistance through adjustable 1-pound increments. It also has five dynamic weight modes: Eccentric, Chain, Standard, Fixed Speed and Sled.

Speediance Strap

The Speediance Strap is a screen-free wearable that collects data related to your sleep, training and core body temperature. It then uploads and shares this data to the Speediance Wellness Plus app, where it makes suggestions for your daily training and recovery based on this information. 

The strap can be used for both endurance and strength training activities and recognizes various types of exercises, movement patterns, training volume and other insights that can help you learn how well your body is responding to your training. 

The Speediance Strap is a screen-free wearable that collects data related to your sleep, training and core body temperature. It then uploads and shares this data to the Speediance Wellness Plus app, where it makes suggestions for your daily training and recovery based on this information. Similar to other wearables, the Speediance Strap assesses your readiness each day and can detect stress factors to determine if you should focus more on recovery on that day. 

«With Speediance Strap, we are exploring how wearable data can function as part of a decision-support layer within a connected fitness system, rather than existing as isolated metrics,» Tao said in a statement.

Additionally, everyday insights (like core and recovery data) will be free to you unless you want to upgrade to the Wellness Plus access, which will come at an additional cost to receive long-term insights and AI planning.

It’s unclear when the Gym Nano will be available for purchase, but the Speediance Strap is expected to launch through a Kickstarter campaign in spring 2026.

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