Apple releases public betas of its new software updates with Liquid Glass
The biggest thing you'll notice about the software updates is that they have a new design language Apple is calling 'Liquid Glass.' The design language is inspired by visionOS and, as the name implies, features a lot of transparency. I felt it was a wild change to my iPhone when I tried the first developer beta, and Apple has already tweaked some of the translucency and changed how Control Center looks and in subsequent betas.
The new operating systems also have an updated numbering scheme: they now all end with 26, taking cues from how the car industry names its cars after the following year. It's a simpler and better system, if you ask me, and it should make it easier to know if you're on the newest software or not.
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Tom's Guide
27 minutes ago
- Tom's Guide
I tested the new lock screen customization with iOS 26 vs. Android 16 — and there's a clear winner
Apple spent a great deal of time taking the best parts of Android, like its rich home and lock screen customizations, and integrating them slowly into its phone software. Remember how Android offered widgets way before iOS? Well, it looks like Apple's catching up with its competition. For my latest matchup, I'm putting the new lock screen customizations with iOS 26 and Android 16 to the test to see which one does it better. I've always preferred Android's incredible customization, but I've been very impressed by what Apple has done with iOS 26. The lock screen is important for a number of reasons, but it's also a way to express yourself. For example, you can often tell an animal lover from a car enthusiast just by what their phone shows. In this lock screen customization comparison, I'll explore the features on both with the iOS 26 beta (using an iPhone 16 Pro Max) and Android 16 (using a Pixel 9 Pro XL). I will then grade each of them in the categories below to ultimately determine which one does it better. Before you customize anything else with your lock screen, locking down your wallpaper should be the first thing you do. With Android 16, you can customize the lock screen by long pressing anywhere on the lock screen until the option for 'Customize Lock Screen' pops up — or through the general Android settings menu and selecting 'Wallpaper & Style.' There's a curated list of images I can choose from that are already preloaded, or I can choose one from my gallery — so nothing terribly out of the ordinary here. There are two additional options to select, emoji workshop and AI wallpaper, that further lets me customize the wallpaper. Between them, I prefer AI wallpaper just for the sheer unlimited possibilities it offers by selecting keywords that the mage generator would use. Apple used to be barebones, but I'm shocked by the sheer amount of wallpaper options that iOS 26 offers. Similarly, I can choose my own photos or one that uses emojis just like Android 16, but it offers so much more. What's really impressive here is that many of these wallpapers are dynamic, in the sense that they'll change — like the astronomy and weather wallpapers. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. I also love the Photo Shuffle option with iOS 26, since it'll automatically aggregate the photos based on the categories I choose. That's less work for me having to go through all my photos, but I'm equally impressed by its selections. Honestly, I'm surprised by the depth of customization that iOS 26 offers with its wallpapers. Winner: iOS 26 Shortcuts are key with the lock screen because it gives us quicker access to apps or actions without having to unlock our phones — and thankfully Android 16 and iOS 26 offers excellent customization. Although, you only get a maximum of two shortcuts to add to the lock screen, so choose wisely. They're also positioned on the bottom left and right corners of the lock screen, with no other placement options. What really surprises me most here is that Android 16's lock screen has fewer options to choose from. You get the basic stuff, like the camera, flashlight, and mute, but it's really limited. In fact, there's a total of nine things to choose from — and there's no option to make a custom shortcut. I'm honestly puzzled because of Android's history of giving users control over the interface. Not only is it surprising that Apple offers more shortcut options with the iOS 26 lock screen, but it goes overboard in such a way it feels almost unlike Apple. Really, you can create just about any shortcut, including the ability to launch specific apps and other controls within those apps. For example, I can add a shortcut to lock/unlock the Rivian R1S I tested not too long ago — or turn on an accessibility feature like live speech. Winner: iOS 26 Android's had a long storied history with widgets. That's exactly what set it apart at the beginning from iOS, with the very first version of Android giving users access to a slew of widgets. With Android 16 and iOS 26, it's shocking which one does a better job of offering them in the lock screen. I cannot believe that there's more customization with iOS 26. It's a startling revelation given how widgets on the lock screen were an Android mainstay for a long time. All of the wallpaper options in iOS 26 allow you to select up to two widgets in the lock screen. Similar to shortcuts, there's an extensive set of widgets to choose from. While I wish they could be resized, their placement on the lock screen isn't overwhelming. Conversely, the most recent Android 16 update I installed on my Pixel 9 Pro XL doesn't give me the option to add any widgets at all — which is surprising. According to its own blog post, Google is planning to release an update later this summer to bring this option. Interestingly, my Galaxy Z Flip 7 running Android 16 does offer it. Not only are the selections similar to iOS 26, but it does give me the ability to select up to three icon-sized widgets. Otherwise, it's similar with iOS 26 when I select two. Winner: Android 16 This is where iOS 26 really shows its depth over Android 16 because there are still more lock screen features to tap into. Other lock screen features in Android 16 include the option to select color combinations for icons and text, a dynamic clock that will adjust depending on what's shown on the lock screen, and an option to add users. None of them are actually that exciting in my opinion. iOS 26 has other customization features, like the ability to create a spatial scene with your wallpaper, different filter effects, and the ability to link the lock screen to a specific focus. For example, I could have one lock screen set to my work focus mode — and another for when I sleep. With the spatial scenes, I love how my photos have that 3D-like effect to them. Lastly, iOS 26 lets you create multiple lock screens that you can customize and edit at any time. Winner: iOS 26 I've been reviewing iPhones and Android phones for a long time and this one's a surprising result, which almost feels like a reversal of sorts. That's because Android for a long time took pride in its deep customization, while Apple went for a more minimalist approach. I'm hopeful that subsequent updates will add more features to the lock screen with Android 16, but it's a far cry compared to what Apple offers with iOS 26. From the allure of seeing my wallpaper jumping out at me with its depth effect, to the amount of shortcuts to choose from, the iOS 26 lock screen has proven to me it's better than Android 16. Plus, I cannot tell you how helpful it is being able to create multiple lock screens that I can switch between at any time.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
As electric bills rise, evidence mounts that data centers share blame. States feel pressure to act
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Amid rising electric bills, states are under pressure to insulate regular household and business ratepayers from the costs of feeding Big Tech's energy-hungry data centers. It's not clear that any state has a solution and the actual effect of data centers on electricity bills is difficult to pin down. Some critics question whether states have the spine to take a hard line against tech behemoths like Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta. But more than a dozen states have begun taking steps as data centers drive a rapid build-out of power plants and transmission lines. That has meant pressuring the nation's biggest power grid operator to clamp down on price increases, studying the effect of data centers on electricity bills or pushing data center owners to pay a larger share of local transmission costs. Rising power bills are 'something legislators have been hearing a lot about. It's something we've been hearing a lot about. More people are speaking out at the public utility commission in the past year than I've ever seen before,' said Charlotte Shuff of the Oregon Citizens' Utility Board, a consumer advocacy group. 'There's a massive outcry.' Not the typical electric customer Some data centers could require more electricity than cities the size of Pittsburgh, Cleveland or New Orleans, and make huge factories look tiny by comparison. That's pushing policymakers to rethink a system that, historically, has spread transmission costs among classes of consumers that are proportional to electricity use. 'A lot of this infrastructure, billions of dollars of it, is being built just for a few customers and a few facilities and these happen to be the wealthiest companies in the world,' said Ari Peskoe, who directs the Electricity Law Initiative at Harvard University. 'I think some of the fundamental assumptions behind all this just kind of breaks down.' A fix, Peskoe said, is a 'can of worms" that pits ratepayer classes against one another. Some officials downplay the role of data centers in pushing up electric bills. Tricia Pridemore, who sits on Georgia's Public Service Commission and is president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, pointed to an already tightened electricity supply and increasing costs for power lines, utility poles, transformers and generators as utilities replace aging equipment or harden it against extreme weather. The data centers needed to accommodate the artificial intelligence boom are still in the regulatory planning stages, Pridemore said, and the Data Center Coalition, which represents Big Tech firms and data center developers, has said its members are committed to paying their fair share. But growing evidence suggests that the electricity bills of some Americans are rising to subsidize the massive energy needs of Big Tech as the U.S. competes in a race against China for artificial intelligence superiority. Data and analytics firm Wood Mackenzie published a report in recent weeks that suggested 20 proposed or effective specialized rates for data centers in 16 states it studied aren't nearly enough to cover the cost of a new natural gas power plant. In other words, unless utilities negotiate higher specialized rates, other ratepayer classes — residential, commercial and industrial — are likely paying for data center power needs. Meanwhile, Monitoring Analytics, the independent market watchdog for the mid-Atlantic grid, produced research in June showing that 70% — or $9.3 billion — of last year's increased electricity cost was the result of data center demand. States are responding Last year, five governors led by Pennsylvania's Josh Shapiro began pushing back against power prices set by the mid-Atlantic grid operator, PJM Interconnection, after that amount spiked nearly sevenfold. They warned of customers 'paying billions more than is necessary.' PJM has yet to propose ways to guarantee that data centers pay their freight, but Monitoring Analytics is floating the idea that data centers should be required to procure their own power. In a filing last month, it said that would avoid a "massive wealth transfer' from average people to tech companies. At least a dozen states are eyeing ways to make data centers pay higher local transmission costs. In Oregon, a data center hot spot, lawmakers passed legislation in June ordering state utility regulators to develop new — presumably higher — power rates for data centers. The Oregon Citizens' Utility Board says there is clear evidence that costs to serve data centers are being spread across all customers — at a time when some electric bills there are up 50% over the past four years and utilities are disconnecting more people than ever. New Jersey's governor signed legislation last month commissioning state utility regulators to study whether ratepayers are being hit with 'unreasonable rate increases' to connect data centers and to develop a specialized rate to charge data centers. In some other states, like Texas and Utah, governors and lawmakers are trying to avoid a supply-and-demand crisis that leaves ratepayers on the hook — or in the dark. Doubts about states protecting ratepayers In Indiana, state utility regulators approved a settlement between Indiana Michigan Power Co., Amazon, Google, Microsoft and consumer advocates that set parameters for data center payments for service. Kerwin Olsen, of the Citizens Action Council of Indiana, a consumer advocacy group, signed the settlement and called it a 'pretty good deal' that contained more consumer protections than what state lawmakers passed. But, he said, state law doesn't force large power users like data centers to publicly reveal their electric usage, so pinning down whether they're paying their fair share of transmission costs "will be a challenge.' In a March report, the Environmental and Energy Law Program at Harvard University questioned the motivation of utilities and regulators to shield ratepayers from footing the cost of electricity for data centers. Both utilities and states have incentives to attract big customers like data centers, it said. To do it, utilities — which must get their rates approved by regulators — can offer 'special deals to favored customers' like a data center and effectively shift the costs of those discounts to regular ratepayers, the authors wrote. Many state laws can shield disclosure of those rates, they said. In Pennsylvania, an emerging data center hot spot, the state utility commission is drafting a model rate structure for utilities to consider adopting. An overarching goal is to get data center developers to put their money where their mouth is. 'We're talking about real transmission upgrades, potentially hundreds of millions of dollars,' commission chairman Stephen DeFrank said. 'And that's what you don't want the ratepayer to get stuck paying for." ___ Follow Marc Levy on X at Solve the daily Crossword
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
As electric bills rise, evidence mounts that data centers share blame. States feel pressure to act
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Amid rising electric bills, states are under pressure to insulate regular household and business ratepayers from the costs of feeding Big Tech's energy-hungry data centers. It's not clear that any state has a solution and the actual effect of data centers on electricity bills is difficult to pin down. Some critics question whether states have the spine to take a hard line against tech behemoths like Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta. But more than a dozen states have begun taking steps as data centers drive a rapid build-out of power plants and transmission lines. That has meant pressuring the nation's biggest power grid operator to clamp down on price increases, studying the effect of data centers on electricity bills or pushing data center owners to pay a larger share of local transmission costs. Rising power bills are 'something legislators have been hearing a lot about. It's something we've been hearing a lot about. More people are speaking out at the public utility commission in the past year than I've ever seen before,' said Charlotte Shuff of the Oregon Citizens' Utility Board, a consumer advocacy group. 'There's a massive outcry.' Some data centers could require more electricity than cities the size of Pittsburgh, Cleveland or New Orleans, and make huge factories look tiny by comparison. That's pushing policymakers to rethink a system that, historically, has spread transmission costs among classes of consumers that are proportional to electricity use. 'A lot of this infrastructure, billions of dollars of it, is being built just for a few customers and a few facilities and these happen to be the wealthiest companies in the world,' said Ari Peskoe, who directs the Electricity Law Initiative at Harvard University. 'I think some of the fundamental assumptions behind all this just kind of breaks down.' A fix, Peskoe said, is a 'can of worms' that pits ratepayer classes against one another. Some officials downplay the role of data centers in pushing up electric bills. Tricia Pridemore, who sits on Georgia's Public Service Commission and is president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, pointed to an already tightened electricity supply and increasing costs for power lines, utility poles, transformers and generators as utilities replace aging equipment or harden it against extreme weather. The data centers needed to accommodate the artificial intelligence boom are still in the regulatory planning stages, Pridemore said, and the Data Center Coalition, which represents Big Tech firms and data center developers, has said its members are committed to paying their fair share. But growing evidence suggests that the electricity bills of some Americans are rising to subsidize the massive energy needs of Big Tech as the U.S. competes in a race against China for artificial intelligence superiority . Data and analytics firm Wood Mackenzie published a report in recent weeks that suggested 20 proposed or effective specialized rates for data centers in 16 states it studied aren't nearly enough to cover the cost of a new natural gas power plant. In other words, unless utilities negotiate higher specialized rates, other ratepayer classes — residential, commercial and industrial — are likely paying for data center power needs. Meanwhile, Monitoring Analytics, the independent market watchdog for the mid-Atlantic grid, produced research in June showing that 70% — or $9.3 billion — of last year's increased electricity cost was the result of data center demand. Last year, five governors led by Pennsylvania's Josh Shapiro began pushing back against power prices set by the mid-Atlantic grid operator, PJM Interconnection, after that amount spiked nearly sevenfold. They warned of customers 'paying billions more than is necessary.' PJM has yet to propose ways to guarantee that data centers pay their freight, but Monitoring Analytics is floating the idea that data centers should be required to procure their own power. In a filing last month, it said that would avoid a 'massive wealth transfer' from average people to tech companies. At least a dozen states are eyeing ways to make data centers pay higher local transmission costs. In Oregon, a data center hot spot , lawmakers passed legislation in June ordering state utility regulators to develop new — presumably higher — power rates for data centers. The Oregon Citizens' Utility Board says there is clear evidence that costs to serve data centers are being spread across all customers — at a time when some electric bills there are up 50% over the past four years and utilities are disconnecting more people than ever. New Jersey's governor signed legislation last month commissioning state utility regulators to study whether ratepayers are being hit with 'unreasonable rate increases' to connect data centers and to develop a specialized rate to charge data centers. In some other states, like Texas and Utah, governors and lawmakers are trying to avoid a supply-and-demand crisis that leaves ratepayers on the hook — or in the dark. In Indiana, state utility regulators approved a settlement between Indiana Michigan Power Co., Amazon , Google , Microsoft and consumer advocates that set parameters for data center payments for service. Kerwin Olsen, of the Citizens Action Council of Indiana, a consumer advocacy group, signed the settlement and called it a 'pretty good deal' that contained more consumer protections than what state lawmakers passed. But, he said, state law doesn't force large power users like data centers to publicly reveal their electric usage, so pinning down whether they're paying their fair share of transmission costs 'will be a challenge.' In a March report, the Environmental and Energy Law Program at Harvard University questioned the motivation of utilities and regulators to shield ratepayers from footing the cost of electricity for data centers. Both utilities and states have incentives to attract big customers like data centers, it said. To do it, utilities — which must get their rates approved by regulators — can offer 'special deals to favored customers' like a data center and effectively shift the costs of those discounts to regular ratepayers, the authors wrote. Many state laws can shield disclosure of those rates, they said. In Pennsylvania, an emerging data center hot spot , the state utility commission is drafting a model rate structure for utilities to consider adopting. An overarching goal is to get data center developers to put their money where their mouth is. 'We're talking about real transmission upgrades, potentially hundreds of millions of dollars,' commission chairman Stephen DeFrank said. 'And that's what you don't want the ratepayer to get stuck paying for.' ___ Follow Marc Levy on X at .
