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

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: