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 is a fun one. Some of the answers 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: Simply divine.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: One might top your Christmas tree.

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:

• HARE, HARES, LAME, HEAR, HEARS, DIRE, ANGEL

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:

• HERALD, ARCHANGEL, SERAPH, MESSENGER, GUARDIAN

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is HEAVENSENT. To find it, look for the H that’s three letters down on the far-left row, and wind up and over.

If you’re looking for a new smartphone with top features and want alternatives to Apple or Samsung, then a new Google Pixel 8 Pro might be for you.

This older Pixel model still offers security, class, speed and a long battery life. The Pixel 8 typically costs $999, but it’s down to $599 for the 128GB configuration thanks to Google’s Birthday sale, which saves you a massive $400. This purchase also includes a free Google Pixel Watch 2 and a free Google Pixel 8 Pro case, which gets you this entire bundle at a major discount. This particular deal is live until Oct. 13, but we suggest acting fast.

The Google Pixel 8 Pro is known for its three-camera array with up to 50 MP resolution and its selfie camera with 10.5 MP resolution. Its Pro controls allow you to choose your shutter speed, ISO and more features that let your pictures pop.

CNET’s Andrew Lanxon said in his review that, «The Pixel 8 Pro is a solid phone to consider, especially if you’re into nighttime photo taking.» 

With a battery life of up to 24 hours, the Google Pixel 8 Pro won’t let you down if you have a hard time finding an outlet. The phone also includes support for AI, Circle to search, instant translation and Call Screen so you can avoid spam or bot calls.

As for the freebies included in this deal, you’ll get a case that protects your new smartphone from any drops, mishaps or scratches.

Google is also throwing in a Google Pixel Watch 2, which was first released in 2023. It includes smooth scrolling, accurate heart tempo readings and Fitbit features that can help you get a better workout. At the time of its release, CNET’s Lisa Eadicicco said in her review, «It’s one of the best-looking smartwatches on the market, and it provides a better balance of health tracking and phone companion features than Fitbit’s Sense and Versa watches.»

Looking for more deals from Google but not sure if this one is for you? Check out our explainer article on Google’s Birthday sale, which includes several deals.

Why this deal matters

If you don’t feel the need to grab the Google Pixel 10, then the Google Pixel 8 Pro is still an excellent phone, especially for photographers and content creators.

This deal brings the phone down to $599, and scores you a free Google Pixel Watch 2 and case to boot. This is an excellent offer for anyone looking to make a few upgrades without going over their budget.

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

Did you just unbox a new iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone Air? You’re almost ready to dive into your new iPhone and everything iOS 26 offers — after moving all your existing information from the old phone, which can take time and dampen that initial excitement. But it’s not all a waiting game: I’m here to explain the four ways to easily transfer your data, even if you’re coming from an Android phone, and do it without stressing about losing any of it.

For more, explore a bunch of hidden iOS 26 features, and see just how thin the iPhone Air is.

1. The convenient method: Restore from iCloud

During the setup process, you’ll be asked if you want to directly transfer apps and information from your old iPhone to your new one using Quick Start. This feature was first rolled out with iOS 12.4, so if it’s been several years since you’ve upgraded phones, it’ll be the first time you’ve seen the option. 

The easiest and quickest method to set up your new iPhone is to restore from a recent iCloud backup. As you walk through the initial setup process, tap Restore from iCloud Backup, sign in with your Apple Account (previously called Apple ID before iOS 18) and then pick the most recent backup of your old iPhone. 

If the backup is more than a day or two old, take an extra few minutes to create a new backup. To do so, open the Settings app on your old phone, search for iCloud Backup in the Search field at the top of the screen and then click the matching result. Click Back Up Now to update the cloud backup.

Once that finishes, go back to your new iPhone and select the backup you just created as what you want to use to restore from. 

Your phone will then restore your settings and preferences, and you’ll be able to start using it in about 15 minutes. It will continue downloading your installed apps in the background. 

Once everything is restored, you’ll need to sign back into any accounts you added to your phone, as well as go through your apps and make sure you’re still signed in. 

2. The speediest method: Apple direct transfer

If you do not have a recent iCloud backup or your internet connection is slow, you can transfer everything from iPhone to iPhone, either wirelessly or via cable. When the Quick Start process asks for the source, choose the direct transfer option.

Using a cable rated for fast data speeds, the process can be surprisingly swift, and is my preferred way to upgrade to a new iPhone. Connect both phones via the cable; note that you might need an adapter if your current phone is an iPhone 14 or earlier with a Lightning port. Apple has more details on how to make a wired transfer work.

If you opt for the wireless route, make sure both phones are plugged in and charging to ensure they don’t run out of battery, and that they are connected to your Wi-Fi network (it’s part of the setup process on the new phone). And also make sure you have enough time for the process to finish — it could take over an hour.

The more information you have on your phone, like photos in your library, the longer it will take. When the transfer starts, the phones will show you a time estimate. Every time I’ve used this tool, that estimate has been accurate within a couple of minutes. It’s worth taking the time if you don’t use Apple’s iCloud service to back up your phone.

3. The longer, comprehensive method: Use a Mac or PC

A longer but safer method is to restore from an encrypted backup using a Mac or PC. Not only does this process transfer all of your apps, settings and preferences, but it also means you don’t have to sign into the countless apps you have on your phone. 

Before you can use this method, you’ll need to create an encrypted backup of your current iPhone. I know that may sound intimidating or overly complicated, but it only means you have to check an extra box and enter a password. 

On a Mac, you’ll use Finder to back up your old iPhone — and make sure you take the steps to make an archive backup. Check the Encrypt backup box and enter a password you’ll remember when prompted. Then let your Mac go to work, creating a backup file. It will let you know when it’s done. 

On a PC, you’ll need to use iTunes (it’s not completely dead) or the Apple Devices app to create a backup, as explained here. Again, you’ll need to make sure the Encrypt backup box is checked and enter a password. 

To restore your new phone, open Finder or iTunes, and connect your phone to your computer. Click Trust when prompted, and then follow the prompts, selecting the backup you just created as what you want to use to restore the phone. You will need to enter the backup’s password before the process begins, so make sure you don’t forget it. 

Once it’s done, your new phone will be an exact copy of your old phone and you won’t have to spend any time signing into apps or random accounts. 

4. For Android users: Move to iOS

Apple doesn’t have many Android apps listed in Google’s Play Store, but Move to iOS is one of them. This free app will connect your Android phone to a new iPhone and allow you to transfer the most important information from one phone to the other. 

Here’s the entire step-by-step process, as well as some caveats, like the fact that it won’t transfer any locally stored music or PDF files. 

Apple said it has redesigned Move to iOS to make it faster and easier to migrate from your Android phone to your new iPhone. The company goes on to say it has sped up Wi-Fi migration with transfer speeds up to 5GHz, and you can use Wi-Fi on your iPhone to connect to your Android phone. You can also connect your Android phone to your new iPhone with a USB-C or USB-C to Lightning cable to move everything over more quickly, Apple said.

No matter the process you used to set up your new phone, you’re in for excitement and fun as you explore what it can do.