Technologies

Don’t Overlook This Subtle Feature on Your iPhone 16 Pro. Your Eyes Will Thank You

Commentary: The iPhone 16’s screen can dim further than ever, making nighttime reading and social media scrolling noticeably easier.

Many of us have probably been in this situation: It’s an evening flight and someone pulls out their phone, lighting up the cabin like a Broadway show. Eyes sting, blinking ensues, annoyance grows and an internal debate begins about whether to go full Larry David on the poor sap and their phone, which seems to glow brighter than the sun.

Thankfully, those kinds of events might be in my traveling past. At last, Apple has come to the rescue by lowering the minimum brightness across all the displays on its iPhone 16 series.

It might seem odd that such a minor iPhone 16 Pro feature has had such a big impact on me, when you consider the flurry of additions Apple has made: bigger batteries, larger screens and the new Camera Control button.

Also, check out: A Billion Pixels a Second: A Rare Look Inside Apple’s Secret iPhone 16 Camera Labs

The display’s lower brightness is easily lost among all the other hubbub surrounding the iPhone. After all, there are Snoop Dogg commercials for the iPhone 16 with him touting Apple Intelligence. I’ve even gone on record to say that the iPhone 16 Pro’s updated slow-motion recording feature is my favorite thing on an iPhone in years.

But the minimum brightness on the iPhone 16 is something you can only appreciate when you see it (or don’t), even if you aren’t on a dark plane or enjoying an evening car ride. Previous iPhone models had screens that could dim down to 2 nits. The iPhone 16 can go even lower, all the way down to 1 nit.

Now, this isn’t Apple pulling a Nigel Tufnel from Spinal Tap and saying, «These go to 11» or, in the iPhone’s case, down to 1. It’s actually noticeable.

The iPhone 16 loses the glare

I hate to admit it, but I like to read on my phone in bed. I know it’s a horrible habit. But when I would read on my old iPhone 15 Pro, there were times when I had the brightness all the way down and it still had a bit of glare. That glare is gone with the iPhone 16 Pro I’ve been using. And I notice that my eyes feel less strained as a result.

Is there a chance I killed off those light-sensitive cells in my eyes from years of reading on my phone in bed? Absolutely. But the iPhone 16 Pro really is less bright when I have the screen cranked down.
Below is a photo of the iPhone 15 Pro side by side with the iPhone 16 Pro in a dark room. Both have their screen’s brightness turned all the way down. And the 15 Pro is definitely still brighter.

Why the iPhone 16 is worth considering

I won’t say that you should buy the iPhone 16 or 16 Pro simply for how dim their screens can go. But this feature is representative of the small but significant ways Apple delights its customers. If you’re coming from an iPhone 12 series or older, than the iPhone 16 is an excellent upgrade.

And if you succumb to Snoop Dogg’s charismatic pressure and get a new iPhone or buy one as a gift for a friend or family member and you happen to be sitting next to them on an overnight flight, your eyes will thank you. (Or even if you like to read late at night on your phone.) Now don’t get me started on the iPhone 16’s amazing speakers. After all, there’s a reason that the iPhone 16 tops our list for the best iPhone of 2025.

Check Out the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s Cameras, Display and Colors

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Technologies

How to Make and Share Your Very Own Wordle Puzzles

Wordle obsessives, you can now make personal inside joke puzzles to send them to friends.

Wordle’s an immensely popular word game (we post the answers daily) from The New York Times, but it’s not the most personal game in the world. Answers such as GUISE and PERIL are tricky, but generic. Now, Wordle fans who have dreamed of making their own puzzles can test their friends and family by creating their own Wordle creations up to seven letters in length.

Here’s how to do it.

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No surprise, you have to be a New York Times Games or All Access Subscriber to use this feature. If you are, you’ll find the Create a Puzzle option available from the top menu above today’s Wordle.
Enter a word, and the site will tell you if it is available. Real Wordle limits you to five-letter words, but the puzzle-making feature lets you choose words between four and seven letters.
The usual dictionary rules apply, and so curse words, some pet names and obscure inside jokes are essentially out. If your cat is named TANGO, that’s there, but RINGO is not an option. You can drop a proposal with a single word like MARRY, but MARRYME will be rejected, since that’s two separate words.
Word chosen, you can then fill out your name and add an optional hint, and the feature will generate your puzzle with a link you can send around. Unlike standard puzzles, your puzzle doesn’t appear to reset after a day, so whoever you send it to doesn’t need to rush to solve it.

While you must be a subscriber to create your own personalized puzzle, you can share it with anyone — they only need the link, not a subscription, to complete your Wordle.

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.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, Nov. 15

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Nov. 15.

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? The Saturday puzzle is always the longest of the week, so it’s not quite as easy as the other days. Today’s wasn’t too terrible. Read on for 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: Theatrical role
Answer: PART

5A clue: Capital of Vietnam
Answer: HANOI

6A clue: Father of a «fur baby»
Answer: CATDAD

7A clue: Words often accompanied by a ring
Answer: MARRYME

8A clue: Whirling currents
Answer: EDDIES

9A clue: Put up, as a statue
Answer: ERECT

10A clue: Race that’s about half the length of a half-marathon
Answer: TENK

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: SpongeBob’s starfish friend
Answer: PATRICK

2D clue: Despite it all …»
Answer: ANDYET

3D clue: Wanders here and there
Answer: ROAMS

4D clue: Company with a «To Go» stain remover
Answer: TIDE

5D clue: Become firm
Answer: HARDEN

6D clue: Small group of soldiers
Answer: CADRE

7D clue: What parallel lines never do
Answer: MEET

Technologies

Touchdown! Disney, ESPN and Other Channels Are Back on YouTube TV

YouTube TV subscribers no longer need another streaming service — or to visit a sports bar — to watch the NFL or college football.

YouTube TV subscribers, your channels — and your football — are back. Disney and YouTube said Friday night that the two companies had reached an agreement. YouTube TV subscribers lost all of Disney’s channels, including ESPN and ESPN2, on Oct. 30. Those who wanted to watch NFL or college football on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 or Disney family-friendly hits such as Bluey, had to find other alternatives.

«We’re happy to share that we’ve reached an agreement with Disney that preserves the value of our service for our subscribers and future flexibility in our offers,» a YouTube spokesperson said. «Subscribers should see channels including ABC, ESPN and FX returning to their service over the course of the day, as well as any recordings that were previously in their Library. We apologize for the disruption and appreciate our subscribers’ patience as we negotiated on their behalf. «

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The companies said in a statement that they reached a multi-year deal and were already restoring the channels to YouTube TV.

According to YouTube, subscribers should see content and saved recordings restored over the next 24 hours. So if you don’t have them back yet, they should show up soon.

I’m a YouTube TV subscriber myself, and as of 5:30 p.m. PT on Friday, Disney, ESPN and other channels have been restored for me. As a die-hard Minnesota Vikings fan (yes, I know), I added Fubo TV temporarily, but I won’t be keeping that subscription.

According to the statement, the deal will include the restoration of the channels, plus other items. The unlimited version of ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer service will now be made available at no additional cost to YouTube TV subscribers. Subscribers will also have access to a selection of live and on-demand programming from ESPN Unlimited inside YouTube TV. Also, select networks will be included in various genre-specific packages, and there will be the ability to include the Disney Plus Hulu Bundle as part of select YouTube offerings.

«This new agreement reflects our continued commitment to delivering exceptional entertainment and evolving with how audiences choose to watch,» Disney Entertainment Co-Chairmen Alan Bergman and Dana Walden and ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in the statement. «It recognizes the tremendous value of Disney’s programming and provides YouTube TV subscribers with more flexibility and choice. We are pleased that our networks have been restored in time for fans to enjoy the many great programming options this weekend, including college football.»

Disney-owned channels were pulled on Oct. 30 when the agreement between the two companies expired.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the resulting 25-day blackout was the longest in recent memory for Disney.

Here’s a full list of the channels that were removed due to the dispute: