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My iOS 17 Wishlist: Every New Feature I Want to See at WWDC

Apple’s annual developers conference is today. Hopefully these iPhone features make an appearance.

Today is the day. Apple is set to hold its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote presentation on Monday, in which CEO Tim Cook and gang are expected to announce the next major version of iPhone software, iOS 17. Though rumors point to the software update being overshadowed by new Mac hardware and a long-rumored and yet-to-be-announced AR/VR headset, the next version of iOS should still boast significant improvements.

It could include a feature that lets you view more items on your lock screen, according to a Bloomberg report. The lock screen would reportedly show calendar appointments, weather and notifications, similar to Android devices circa 2019 and smart displays like the Amazon Echo Show. This would follow on the heels of iOS 16, which brought a major overhaul of the iPhone’s lock screen that made it more customizable.

With iOS 17, iPhone owners could also gain the ability to sideload apps, according to a different Bloomberg report. Sideloading means you can download an app on your iPhone without using Apple’s App Store. The potential inclusion is likely meant to ensure compliance with new European regulations due to kick in next year.

wwdc wwdc
Watch this: iOS 17 Features Apple Needs to Add for the iPhone

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While I find those rumors fun to ponder, they can also be a distraction from the many other things I think Apple needs to add or improve in iOS. The additions I want range from significant changes, like adding support for the Apple Pencil for Pro Max and Plus models, to smaller, quality-of-life improvements, like adding a volume button to the iPhone’s virtual Apple TV remote. We have to wait until WWDC kicks off later today to see what actually unfolds, but here’s my iOS 17 wish list.

Bring ‘Visual Look Up’ to the Camera app

Using iOS 16's Visual Lookup to cut out a cat in an image Using iOS 16's Visual Lookup to cut out a cat in an image

In iOS 16, Visual Look Up got a nifty shortcut that lets you cut out the subject of a photo just by tapping and holding on the image.

Celso Bulgatti/CNET

Visual Look Up launched with iOS 15 in 2021 and can recognize objects in your photos such as plants, food, landmarks and pets. In iOS 16, Visual Look Up expanded to let you lift an object out of a photo or PDF by tapping and holding, essentially creating a sticker you can share with others.

But there’s a catch. Visual Look Up works only after you take a photo. I hope iOS 17 lets you do the same thing straight from the camera viewfinder. For example, if the camera were open and pointed at flowers, I could tap the Visual Look Up icon to see what kind of flowers they were without taking a photo of them. You can do that with Live Text, and Google Lens does something similar on Android phones. I realize this isn’t a radical change, but it would streamline things a bit.

Add a volume button to the iPhone’s Apple TV remote

The Apple TV 4K's new Siri remote close-up The Apple TV 4K's new Siri remote close-up

Sometimes you lose this little guy and need to use your iPhone to control your Apple TV.

Apple

If you own an Apple TV, you’ve no doubt misplaced the tiny minimalist aluminum remote control at some point. Fortunately, you can use a virtual remote on your iPhone to do nearly everything the physical Siri remote does, except change the volume. Apple, please add a volume button to the iPhone’s Apple TV remote.

Technically, when you use the Apple TV remote on your iPhone, you can press the physical volume buttons to control the TV volume. But this doesn’t work on every TV’s audio receiver, such as mine. I’d guess there are many people who, like me, just want the virtual remote on the iPhone’s screen to mimic the physical remote’s button layout; most importantly including the button for volume.

Bring fitness tracking to the iPhone

Apple Watch Ultra Apple Watch Ultra

You can start workouts from your Apple Watch, but not from your iPhone (without a third-party app).

James Martin/CNET

If you’re an Apple Watch user, you understand the convenience of recording a workout. But if you aren’t wearing your watch or don’t own one, there isn’t a way to record basic exercises like walking, running or cycling without a third-party app. I’d like to see Apple expand the Fitness app so you can record workouts even without a Fitness Plus membership.

Add a pro camera app

The Photo Pro app interface on the Sony Xperia 1 III The Photo Pro app interface on the Sony Xperia 1 III

The Photo Pro app on Sony Xperia 1 and 5 series phones gives you an interface that looks identical to a professional mirrorless camera.

Sarah Tew/CNET

It’s time for Apple to revisit the iPhone’s Camera app. For years, it was the gold standard of simplicity, offering a «see what you get» preview for photos, videos and effects with minimal, easy-to-navigate controls and modes. But as Apple has added more functionality, especially for ProRaw photos and ProRes video recording on iPhone Pro models, the Camera app has started to feel cramped. It tries to remain a one-size-fits-all app at the expense of higher-end features like manual camera controls.

I’d like Apple to make a separate pro camera app, along the lines of how it created a standalone app for classical music. Apple Music Classical tackles the special challenge of categorizing, searching for, and discovering classical music, something the default Apple Music app isn’t geared toward. Similarly, the pro camera app could be a place for creative types to access camera controls, settings and features beyond those in the basic camera app. Sony has been quite successful with this sort of approach in its Xperia 1 and 5 series phones, and Samsung has a separate Expert Raw app to complement its main one. Now it’s Apple’s turn.

Let me customize the Dynamic Island

The iPhone's Dynamic Island showing a phone call The iPhone's Dynamic Island showing a phone call

The Dynamic Island was a great addition to the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max.

Celso Bulgatti/CNET

The Dynamic Island works well. It’s like having a shortcut at the top of your screen no matter what you’re doing on your iPhone. Glancing at my Uber ride status from my lock screen or in the Dynamic Island just makes sense. But I want more from the Dynamic Island, especially if iPhone 15 rumors are right and non-Pro iPhone models get it too. I’d like to see Apple let people customize their own Dynamic Island in a curated way.

In 2016, with iOS 10, Apple rolled out the iMessage app store for stickers and games. I don’t think we need a Dynamic Island app store, but something like the ability to pin a Memoji sticker as a Dynamic Island icon would be great. Admittedly, as creative-minded as I am, I don’t have a brilliant example of exactly what I want. I just think the Dynamic Island is another way people could make their iPhone feel more personal. Customization was a big theme with Android this year at Google I/O, with the introduction of AI and cinematic wallpapers. Of course, Apple could view the Dynamic Island like it does Apple Watch faces and want to control how it’s changed, instead of letting people go hog wild.

Add Apple Card functionality to other credit cards

The Apple Card screen in the iPhone's Wallet app. The Apple Card screen in the iPhone's Wallet app.

The Apple Card lives on your iPhone. 

Sarah Tew/CNET

If you have an Apple Card, you get to experience one of the best mobile financial experiences on any phone today. Apple’s signature credit card lives virtually in the Wallet app. At first glance, it appears like any other Apple Pay card. But when you tap its digital avatar, you see the card’s balance, rewards, upcoming payment info, and transactions. I’d like Apple to open that functionality to non-Apple credit cards.

If your Bank of America credit card is in Apple Pay and you have the Bank of America app on your phone, wouldn’t it be great to access similar functionality in the Wallet app? Expanding access would be convenient for iPhone owners and could bolster Apple Pay and the iPhone’s Wallet as serious financial tools.

Make widgets interactive

Widgets can be pinned to your home screen and resized to your liking.

Apple

Widgets on the lock screen and home screen can do two things: show information (like the weather) and launch the corresponding app when tapped (e.g., the weather app). Widgets haven’t changed much since Apple introduced them with iOS 14. It’s time for a refresh.

What if you could use the podcast widget like a mini-podcast player, or order your favorite burrito bowl straight from Chipotle’s widget? Adding more functionality to widgets could make it easier to multitask on the iPhone.

Add Apple Pencil support

An iPhone with and Apple Pencil on the back An iPhone with and Apple Pencil on the back

What if you could use an Apple Pencil on the iPhone?

Patrick Holland/CNET

I’ve been writing iPhone and iOS wish lists for years, and one addition that’s made my roundup every time is adding Apple Pencil support to the iPhone, specifically for Pro Max and Plus models. The 6.7-inch screen isn’t that much smaller than the 8.3-inch screen on the iPad Mini. But one supports Apple Pencil functionality and the other doesn’t.

Also, if iOS 17 did include Pencil support, Apple could make a smaller version of its stylus and call it the Apple Pencil Mini. Maybe it could attach to the back of the iPhone Pro Max or Plus using MagSafe?

Bring the iPad’s split-screen view to iPhone Pro Max models

Two iPads with multiple app windows open Two iPads with multiple app windows open

The multiple windows on the iPad and iPad Pro.

Scott Stein/CNET

The iPhone Pro Max has been part of Apple’s lineup since 2019. The 11 Pro Max has a 6.5-inch screen, while the 12 Pro Max, 13 Pro Max and 14 Pro Max all have a 6.7-inch display. Last year, Apple introduced the iPhone 14 Plus, which also has a 6.7-inch screen. Those large screens feel wasted when it comes to software. Some iOS apps like Mail and Messages can take advantage of the extra space in landscape orientation to show a column of message previews next to the currently opened message. But otherwise, there isn’t much else in iOS that’s optimized for big iPhone screens.

I’d like Apple to bring some iPadOS features to iOS 17 just for Pro Max and Plus models, especially its split screen multitasking view. It would be wonderful to have Safari open on one side of the phone and launch Messages on the other.

Revisit ease of use vs. security

iPhone lock screen with temperature, AQI, Air Pods and Activity rings widgets iPhone lock screen with temperature, AQI, Air Pods and Activity rings widgets

Some iPhone owners are being targeted for an unusual crime.

Apple

Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern and Nicole Nguyen ran a series of stories about how a thief who steals your iPhone and knows its passcode can lock you out of the most important parts of your digital life. This crime isn’t widespread, but Stern and Nguyen showed that it’s more common than you might think.

At the core of the issue is the balance between security and ease of access. The same tools Apple put in place to help people who get locked out of their devices and accounts are being used by savvy criminals to lock people out of their phone and accounts while gaining access to their money and services. There’s been a bunch of coverage on the topic in recent months, and it sounds like these tools help far more people than the criminals who take advantage of them.

I don’t think there’s an easy way for Apple to «fix» the issue, but I hope with iOS 17, the company takes a moment to reconsider the impact these tools can have on people and even offer other security features to foil the thieves behind these crimes, like Apple did with AirTags.

At the end of the day, I’m excited for WWDC this year. And while I do hope there’s a fancy, cool AR/VR headset, my heart is holding out for iOS 17 and all its new features.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for April 16, #409

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 409 for April 16. Fore!

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.


Todays NYT Strands puzzle has a pretty clear theme, but unless you are into this activity, you may not know all the hidden words. One of them—spoiler—starts with a U—really stumped me. 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: Fore!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Caddyshack.

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:

  • DIVE, DIVER, CHIT, CHIPPY, HIPPY, RODE, RULE, PUTT, FLOUT, EDGE, CHIP, DRIVE, TILT

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’ve got 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:

  • PUTTER, IRON, WEDGE, DRIVER, WOOD, CHIPPER, UTILITY

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is GOLFCLUBS.To find it, start with the G that’s four letters to the right on the bottom row, and wind over and up.

Quick tips for Strands

#1: To get more clue words, see if you can tweak the words you’ve already found, by adding an «S» or other variants. And if you find a word like WILL, see if other letters are close enough to help you make SILL, or BILL.

#2: Once you get one theme word, look at the puzzle to see if you can spot other related words.

#3: If you’ve been given the letters for a theme word, but can’t figure it out, guess three more clue words, and the puzzle will light up each letter in order, revealing the word.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 16, #205

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 205, for April 16.

Looking for the most recent regular 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 and Strands puzzles.


Connections: Sports Edition was pretty easy for me today. The yellow group comes together quite easily once you think of the same action that can be done with a few of the words. If you’re familiar with the teams of a certain midwestern state, you’ve got the blue group covered too. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. You can also continue to play it free online.  

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Toss it!

Green group hint: Let’s play.

Blue group hint: The Buckeye State.

Purple group hint:  Put the same letter before them.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Throwing events.

Green group: Often found in a game room.

Blue group: Ohio sports teams.

Purple group: Words that can be preceded by T-.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is throwing events. The four answers are discus, hammer, javelin and shot put.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is often found in a game room. The four answers are air hockey, foosball, ping pong and pool.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Ohio sports teams. The four answers are Bearcats, Bengals, Cavaliers and Reds.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is words that can be preceded by T-. The four answers are ball, Mac, shirt and Wolves.

Quick tips for Connections: Sports Edition

#1: Don’t grab for the easiest group. For each word, think about other sports categories it might fit in – is this a word that can be used in football, or to describe scoring options?

#2: Second meanings are important. The puzzle loves to use last names and even college names that mean other things, to fool you into thinking they are words, not names.

#3: And the opposite is also true. Words like HURTS might seem like a regular word, but it’s also the last name of at least one pro athlete.

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Technologies

Display Your Photography at Home With These Beautiful Wall Art Ideas

Don’t let your photos languish on an old hard drive. These ideas for dramatic wall art can give your images new life.

Whether you’re snapping away on your iPhone 16 Pro or Galaxy S25 Ultra, or if you’re using a great mirrorless camera, it’s never been easier to take stunning photos wherever you are. But all too often those images sit on our devices for years, cluttering up our camera roll and never being given the attention they deserve. Using those pictures to create beautiful wall art pulls them from the depths of your hard drive and shows off those stunning moments all around your home, providing a wonderful reminder of the good times you had and the beautiful places you’ve seen. 

As a photographer myself, I know how it feels having countless photos I’m really proud of that just sit on my computer never to be looked at again. I also know how amazing it can feel to see my work printed out nice and big, so I’ve put together some of my favorite ways that I display photos in my own home. 

Read more: Best Cameras to Buy in 2025 

Go big with a canvas

I’ve had small canvas prints before and they’ve looked OK, but this gigantic canvas makes a real statement. At 47 by 47 inches, it’s a real beast of a print and I had it hung over my stairwell to really show it off and add some color in an otherwise plain space. 

While any image will work for a canvas print, I specifically wanted to go with something a little more abstract, opting for a square print of this coastal scene, that brings great seaside vibes into my house. 

Buy canvas prints from Cewe UK here

Read more: Best Camera Phone in 2025

Create a stark monochrome aluminum print

I love black-and-white photography and was especially pleased when I took some moody monochrome images using my converted infrared camera while on holiday on the beautiful Isle of Skye in Scotland. Printed onto aluminum, these prints have a smooth, matte finish that’s free of any reflections and lends itself well to high contrast black-and-white images. 

I had a print made in a whopping 55 by 41 inches and it’s a stunning addition to my home studio space, standing out nicely against the gray wall. My aluminum print came with hanging rails mounted on the back, although you can also use other wall fixings, as long as they’re strong enough. These large prints are heavy! 

Buy aluminum prints from Cewe UK here

Split your image into an eye-catching triptych

A triptych refers to any image that is displayed in three parts, whether it’s three different images designed to be displayed together, or one image broken up into sections. I went for the latter option, splitting a wide, cinematic view over a wintery Edinburgh into three foam board panels, each measuring 23 by 15 inches. 

Hanging them in perfect alignment took a bit of doing, but I love the look of the three of them together. It takes what would be an otherwise regular print and gives it a slightly more modern, interesting twist by breaking it up, while still maintaining the visual impact of the original image. 

Try creating triptychs using wide landscape scenes, cityscapes or other panoramic images. Or try it using three different images either from the same occasion (a wedding or holiday) or grouped by theme (black-and-white images, or three locations in different seasons).

Buy triptych prints from Cewe UK here

Splash some color with an acrylic print

Acrylic prints are great options for vibrant images, as the way that light passes through the thick material allows colors to really pop with a satisfying contrast that almost gives the print a 3D effect.  

I went with a print of an image I shot of the Northern Lights, shimmering over a bay in Iceland. It’s an incredibly colorful image, with vivid greens and yellows from the aurora, mixed in with deep blue tones in the night sky and I absolutely love how it looks in the 55-by-41-inch print. 

Hanging it involved screwing mounting points into my wall, which is a bit fiddly for a DIY novice like myself to get right, but I love how the image looks against the deep blue of my room. 

Buy acrylic prints from Cewe UK here

Create a modern, hexagonal display

Hexxas tiles allow you to print your images on hexagons that you can then build up into an interesting honeycomb pattern on your wall. The seven tiles I received were enough to create a neat circular pattern, but you can order loads more and create much more interesting shapes that spread across your wall. 

They’re a great way of showing lots of images as part of one set, so consider how you can theme your tiles so they work in harmony. I opted for a selection of my natural macro images, grouping shots of mushrooms and leaves that work well together. But these tiles would work really well to show off your images from various vacations, adding to them as you travel each year, resulting in an ever-expanding display of beautiful, modern-looking prints. 

Buy Hexxas hexagonal tile prints from Cewe UK here

Frame a hero print for a classic look

Going with a classic frame for your print may not feel like the most exciting, modern way to show off your photos, but sometimes the classics really work and will allow your prints to stand the test of time. But if you still want your framed art to make a statement on your wall then you need to go big. 

I went for the largest 20-by-30-inch framed print Cewe offered, filling the black frame with an iconic view of the Old Man of Storr on the Isle of Skye. I love how timeless this piece of art looks on my wall and how well it fits against the other, smaller framed prints from other parts of Scotland. 

Buy large framed prints from Cewe UK here

Pack your memories into a stunning photo book

Not all your photographic artwork has to live on your walls. A photo book can be an amazing way to show off a whole selection of images that really tell the story of an occasion. Wedding albums are of course the most obvious ones to go for as you can include all of your images from the happy day into one book that you — and your family and friends — will enjoy flicking through for years to come. 

But I’ve also loved creating photo books with sets of images from specific holidays around the world. I often keep photo books in mind when I’m away, ensuring I shoot lots of images that really tell the story of a location — architecture, shop fronts, food, street art — that will then fill the pages of my book like it’s a luxury travel magazine. 

Good photo book makers (including Cewe) will allow you to fully customize the layout of your images, along with the paper type and choice of outer finishes. Cewe also offers books made with 100% recycled paper. 

Buy photo books from Cewe UK here

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