Latest news with #iOS26
CNET
4 hours ago
- CNET
It's Easy to Add Your Driver's License to Your iPhone or Apple Watch If You Live in These 9 States
While some phone makers are working overtime to squeeze AI into every single feature, Apple is taking a more fundamental step to simplify travel by digitizing your driver's license. You can now add your state ID to your iPhone or Apple Watch using Apple Wallet, allowing you to breeze through airport security checkpoints card-free. Living in California, I was interested in giving it a shot and see if it was as easy as it looks to be. And it is, as long as you have the right iPhone and OS version. Older iPhones, depending on the state you live in, may create some problems -- Apple says digitized driver's licenses will work on iPhone 8 and later, but it's a little more complicated than that. Right now, digital IDs are primarily used to go through TSA checkpoints in certain airports when flying domestically, but that'll likely change in the future. Want to use your digital ID at your favorite bar or nightclub? We're not there yet. Below, I describe my experience, the hiccups I encountered on the way and things that you should know if you plan on adding your driver's license to Apple Wallet. I'll also break down how you can add your ID to your iPhone, step by step. For more, don't miss these low-key iOS 26 features we're excited for. The Small but Mighty Features of iOS 26 The Small but Mighty Features of iOS 26 Click to unmute Video Player is loading. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Next playlist item Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 4:23 Loaded : 2.13% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 4:23 Share Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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The Small but Mighty Features of iOS 26 These states support digital IDs on iPhones right now Only a handful of states support digital IDs in Apple Wallet. One key factor is how each state implements its Mobile Driver's License system. For instance, Louisiana, New York, Utah and Virginia all support mobile driver's licenses but require separate apps for digital IDs. States and regions that support digital IDs in Apple Wallet: Arizona California Colorado Georgia Hawaii Iowa Maryland New Mexico Ohio Puerto Rico Some states originally announced to support Apple's digital ID haven't quite gotten there yet. The number of states supported in Apple Wallet is about half of what the TSA currently allows. Collectively, it accepts digital IDs across Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet and state-based mobile apps in 15 states. What are the iPhone requirements to add your driver's license to Apple Wallet? Where you live is just the start. You also have to have the right iPhone model and the right software setup. Here are the minimum requirements that Apple lists: An iPhone 8 or later with the latest version of iOS Have Face or Touch ID enabled on your device Have two-factor authentication enabled on your Apple account A license or ID from a participating state or territory Your device's region set to the United States I'll have more to say in a bit about that iPhone 8 and iOS requirement and a catch I ran into. My experience adding my ID to my iPhone was easy For testing purposes, I used the iPhone 16E. The process of adding the ID was simple. I scanned the front and the back of my ID and the next step was to verify my identity. This wasn't nearly as nerve-wracking as I thought it would be. Instead, it took a live photo of my face for 2.5 seconds. After that, more verification was required. This came in a series of different photos, with prompts directing me to close my eyes, open my mouth, smile and tip my head down. This verification process took about three minutes. (Or longer in my case, aa I got distracted writing notes about the process and then found I had to restart the whole process.) Then, after I submitted those photos, there was another verification step, presumably with the photos relayed to the California DMV. A screen message told me that I would receive a notification when there was an update. I expected this to take a long time, but not even 10 minutes later, a notification telling me that my ID was ready to use popped up. That was easy. What about older iPhones? So, not every phone you think might work will actually do so. The first time I tested adding my ID, I was using an iPhone 8 Plus. But when I arrived at the setup page within Apple Wallet, I was given eight states to choose from, and California wasn't one of them. That surprised me. I'd found a helpful Apple support article that explained the requirements for adding a driver's license or state-issued ID to Apple Wallet and it seemed like I shouldn't have any trouble. At first, I thought the roadblock was that I hadn't set up Touch ID yet. But no, California was still not on my list of eight states. (Equally confusing, a colleague of mine also tried this with an iPhone 8 and Apple Wallet only listed four states.) I went back to the Apple support article and looked for fine print, and sure enough, there it was. I'd ignored the asterisk in the requirements, because California has had its Mobile Driver's License program set up for some time now. The fine print at the very bottom of the page states, "For California, ID in Apple Wallet requires iPhone XS or later with iOS 17.5 or later." (For Puerto Rico, if you want to add your driver's license or ID to Apple Wallet, you'll need to have an iPhone XS or later with iOS 18.1.) So if you're holding onto an iPhone 8 or iPhone X and live in California, you won't be able to add your driver's license to your iPhone because of the lack of software support. iOS 16 is the last supported version of the operating system for iPhone 8 and X models. How to add your ID or driver's license to Apple Wallet If you live in a state that supports digital IDs for Apple Wallet, it's easy to add one. After it's added, you'll need to verify your identity, which can take a little longer but it's still a straightforward process. Open Apple Wallet . . Tap the Add button. button. Tap Driver's License or ID and select your location. If applicable, choose whether you want to add your ID to your iPhone only or your iPhone and your Apple Watch. Follow the steps to scan your license or ID. (Make sure you scan your ID in a well-lit environment and that the image is in focus.) Once it's scanned, you'll be prompted to confirm your identity with a selfie photo. According to Apple, you may be asked to complete a number of facial or head movements for identification purposes. To ensure an easier verification process, Apple suggests that you: Stand in front of a plain background with neutral, light paint. Be in a well-lit area, ideally indoors. Take off sunglasses, masks, hats or other accessories that could block your face. Hold your iPhone steady. When you're finished, submit your information by confirming with Touch or Face ID. Your biometrics will be bound to the ID, so only you can use it. How to transfer your digital ID to another iPhone If you upgrade your iPhone, you'll need to transfer your ID or driver's license to it. During initial setup, tap Wallet . . Select your ID. Follow the steps. Tap to confirm you want to move your driver's license or ID to the new device. So, now what? Your digital ID isn't just a photo of your ID that you can pull up within Apple Wallet. In fact, you don't even see a full image of your physical ID. In order to actually view your information from your digital ID, you'll need to tap on your ID "card" in Apple Wallet, tap the "i" at the top-right of the screen, and then tap State ID info or Card Information (the wording may be different depending on what version of iOS your iPhone is running). From there, it will show your ID photo as well as essential pieces of information from your physical ID. TSA checkpoints that support digital IDs require a dedicated scanner, so the process may not necessarily feel like it's faster than showing your physical ID to the agent. Here's a video of the process via the Maryland Department of Transportation: The idea of a digital ID is pretty convenient but overall, it probably won't save you a meaningful amount of time. Couple that fact with its incredibly limited use cases right now and the fact that merchant or event adoption will require investment in proper hardware and it's pretty easy to see just how far off we are from ditching physical IDs. Selling or trading in your iPhone? Do this first. When you move on from a phone that has your ID on it, you'll want to do the same thing you do with other sensitive info like credit or debit cards and passwords: Remove it. So before you wipe your iPhone to sell or trade it in, you should manually remove your ID first. Here's how to do it. Go to Apple Wallet and tap your ID in the list in the list Tap the " i " button at the top right of the screen at the top right of the screen Tap Remove State ID (or Driver's License) (or Driver's License) Read the warning that pops up and tap Remove Digital passports are coming to Apple Wallet with iOS 26 Creating a digital ID from your physical passport is coming to your iPhone this year. Apple/Screenshot by CNET While states are taking time to implement digital ID systems, Apple announced a feature coming in iOS 26 this year: You can add a digital passport to Apple Wallet. When that feature is available, iPhone users will be able to scan their passports to create a digital version for identity verification during domestic travel. You won't be able to use it for international travel and it's not a full replacement for a physical passport (so keep your physical one on you) but it should work at the 250-plus supported TSA checkpoints. During its WWDC keynote in June, Apple said that the digital ID made from your passport can also be used "in apps and in person" but it didn't give any specifics. This is essentially what can be done on Android through Google Wallet. Verify with Wallet ID verification could make ordering alcohol easier Also headed to iPhones this fall is an easier way for you to prove your age using your digital ID. Say you want to have a bottle of wine sent to your place via Uber Eats. Typically, when the driver arrives, you'll need to present your ID and have it scanned to complete the transaction but with the new Verify with Wallet, your stored digital ID will be used to verify your age. (I do wonder if things might get more complicated when the delivery arrives if you're not the one receiving it.) Verify with Wallet will be supported by Chime, Turo, Uber Eats and U.S. Bank. For more, don't miss what you should know about flying domestically without a Real ID in 2025.
CNET
7 hours ago
- CNET
11 Hidden iOS 18.5 Features I Love
Apple announced all of the new features for its next iPhone at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference. With iOS 26 (yes, iOS 26, not iOS 19) the tech giant is adding a gaming app and redesigning the interface. This doesn't mean that iOS 18.5 isn't worth exploring. If you're feeling brave and are experienced enough to try out iOS 26 now, you can download the developer beta, but most iPhone owners will want to wait for Apple to release the fully baked version of iOS later this year. Until then, there's a whole host of cool features for the current version of iOS -- 18.5. From the revamped Control Center and adjustable flashlight beam to customizable battery charging, I've chosen a few of my favorite hidden iOS 18.5 features you should know about now. Restart your iPhone from the new control center If you're running iOS 18, you don't have to press any physical buttons to restart your iPhone. The redesigned control center features all the classic controls you're used to, like brightness, volume, orientation, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, but there are several new controls, including one to restart your iPhone. All you need to do is swipe down from the top-right of your iPhone and press and hold down on the new power button in the top-right of the control center. You can't just tap it; you have to hold it down for a second or so, and then the slider to power off your iPhone will appear. To turn your iPhone back on, you'll still need to press and hold the physical side button. On iOS 17 and earlier, the only way to restart your iPhone is to press and hold either volume button and the side button. Nelson Aguilar/CNET Use a QR code to share your Wi-Fi password There are a few ways you can share a Wi-Fi network and password with people via your iPhone, and there's a new way to do it on iOS 18. Using a QR code fills in a few gaps for ways to quickly share your Wi-Fi information: Share with several people at once . Instead of individually sending out your Wi-Fi password, you can have everyone scan the QR code from your phone. . Instead of individually sending out your Wi-Fi password, you can have everyone scan the QR code from your phone. Share with someone not saved as your contact . Nearby share for Wi-Fi doesn't work unless that person is in your contacts. . Nearby share for Wi-Fi doesn't work unless that person is in your contacts. Share with someone who has Android. Nearby share and AirDrop don't work with Android devices. Now Playing: Introducing iOS 26 at WWDC25 04:37 If you encounter any of those scenarios and don't want to text the Wi-Fi password to them, you can use the QR code. Go to the new Passwords app, go to the Wi-Fi section, tap on the network you want to share and then hit Show Network QR Code. If the other person scans the QR code with their camera, they'll be connected to the Wi-Fi network. This only works for Wi-Fi passwords, not regular passwords. Nelson Aguilar/CNET Adjust the beam width of your flashlight The flashlight on the iPhone is getting a big upgrade. You've long been able to change the intensity of the flashlight, but on iOS 18 you can now also adjust the beam width of the light, as long as you have a compatible model. You can go wide, to cover more area with less light, or go narrow, to use more intense light over less area, and everywhere in between. It's a fun feature to play around with for lighting people for photos. To use the new feature, turn on your flashlight (use the lock screen or control center), and a new user interface will appear on the dynamic island. You can change the light intensity by swiping up and down, but to change the beam width, you'll need to swipe left and right. If you tap anywhere in the dynamic island, you can turn the flashlight off and on. A wide flashlight beam (left) and a narrow beam. Nelson Aguilar/CNET Note: This feature only works on iPhone models with the dynamic island, including the iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15 series and iPhone 16 series. Quickly turn off AI notification summaries for certain apps from your lock screen In iOS 18.1, Apple introduced notification summaries -- Apple Intelligence-powered notifications that summarize your notifications from a single app. If you have multiple unread notifications from an app like Gmail or Amazon, you'll see an italicized summary appear on your lock screen, condensing them all into a few sentences you can quickly digest. However, notification summaries don't always work very well, especially for text messages and news apps. In fact, as of iOS 18.3, notification summaries are disabled for all news apps across your device, like the Apple News and CNET app. But if you want to disable the feature for other apps, you can easily do so without even unlocking your phone. From your lock screen, find a notification summary for an app you want the feature disabled for and swipe left on the notification. Tap on Options and then hit Turn Off "App Name" Summaries to stop notification summaries for that app. You'll continue to receive notifications, they'll just be individual, like you're used to. You can see that notification summaries are italicized on iOS 18.3 Nelson Aguilar/CNET Share your AirTag with other people An AirTag allows you to easily track your luggage when you're traveling or your keys when they're lost, but sometimes you might want other people to also be able to track your AirTag, especially if you're on a family vacation or weekend getaway with your partner. With iOS 18, you can now share any AirTag you have with up to six people. Don't miss: 5 Clever Hiding Spots for Your Apple AirTags To do this, go into the Find My app and find the AirTag you want to share. Go into the AirTag, hit Add Person under Share AirTag and choose a contact, or several. Finally tap Share in the top-right and that person will then have to accept your invitation. Once they do, they'll be able to track your AirTag from their Apple device. Anyone that is tracking the AirTag won't be notified when it's near them. Nelson Aguilar/CNET Customize your iPhone's charging limit to improve the battery's lifespan Your iPhone already has a feature that's designed to improve your battery's lifespan. Optimized Battery Charging learns your daily charging routine to reduce the time your phone is fully charged, delaying charging past 80% while you sleep and then charging to 100% only when you need it. However, if you want to prolong your iPhone's battery lifespan even more, you can manually change your charging option to anywhere from 80% to 100%, so that your iPhone never fully charges. Go to Settings > Battery > Charging and choose an option. Optimized Battery Charging disables whenever you choose an option under 100%, which just means that your phone won't automatically wait to finish charging to 100%, because it can't. Nelson Aguilar/CNET If you choose anything lower than 100%, that's the highest percentage your battery will charge to. The benefit of that is that lithium-ion batteries, like the one in your iPhone, degrade faster when consistently charged to 100%, so keeping the charge lower reduces stress on the battery. Transcribe Voice Memos and make them searchable The Voice Memos app is incredibly convenient for capturing ideas or song snippets, but they've always been obfuscated. You can give them a descriptive title, but that doesn't help when you want to find that one memo you recorded that contains the word "porcupine." In iOS 18, the app can create transcriptions of your voice memos and search for words that were previously available only as audio waveforms. In the Voice Memos app, tap one of your memos to reveal its controls and then tap the Edit Recording button, which looks like a waveform. Or, tap the three-dots button to the right of a memo and choose Edit Recording. Next, tap the Transcribe button to create the transcription (or view the text if it's already been transcribed). Tap Done. Take an existing voice memo (left) and create a transcript of the recording (right). Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET Now, when you use the Search field, the app looks through the transcripts in addition to the titles for results. The text is also available throughout iOS. When you perform a search from the home screen, you'll see Voice Memos as a category with the memos that include the search term (you may need to tap Show More Results to reveal it). With transcripts made, voice memos are more easily searchable. Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET Hide app labels for a cleaner home screen Is your home screen feeling a little too cluttered? If so, this new feature could help. Now with iOS 18, you can get rid of app labels or the names of the apps that you see underneath each app icon on your home screen. If you can recognize an app from just the icon, who needs the label? On your home screen, press and hold down on any blank space, until you enter jiggle mode, and then hit Edit > Customize. A menu will appear at the bottom of the screen; choose the Large option, which will make your app icons slightly larger and remove the app labels. This will also remove the app labels from the folders in the App Library. Nelson Aguilar/CNET Use AI to get priority notifications on your lock screen As long as you have an Apple Intelligence-supported phone, you can enable a new feature to get notifications that AI thinks may be important in a separate section on your lock screen. The prioritized notifications appear at the top of your notification stack, glowing in color. To enable Priority Notifications, go to Settings > Notifications > Prioritize Notifications and toggle the feature on. Notifications like missed calls, text messages and important emails will fill up this section, as well as notifications from third-party apps that you use frequently. You'll see missed calls, text messages and notifications from your most used apps in this new Priority Notifications section at the top of your lock screen. Nelson Aguilar/CNET Change an app to a widget without leaving the home screen Not every iOS app has a widget for your home screen, but if it does, you don't need to dig through the widget edit page to find it. If you're running iOS 18, and there's an app that you want to turn into a widget, you can do so very quickly right from your home screen. On a supported app, press and hold down on the icon on your home screen to bring up the quick actions menu. If the app has a widget, you'll see an app icon next to a variety of widget icons (up to three). Tap on any of the widget icons to change the app to a widget. If you want to go back from the widget to the app, go to the quick action menu and hit the app icon on the left. This only works for apps that have widgets on iOS. Nelson Aguilar/CNET Secretly identify songs using the Action Button No lie, it's satisfying when someone asks, "What song is this?" to be able to activate Music Recognition on the iPhone and get an answer quickly. To get the answer means very noticeably asking Siri to run Shazam or activate Music Recognition in the control center. Wouldn't it be fun to let your friends think you've been blessed with an encyclopedic knowledge of pop music? In iOS 18, you can come close using the Action Button. Go to Settings > Action Button and swipe through the options until Recognize Music is selected. Assign the Recognize Music feature to the Action Button and then identify songs by just holding the button. Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET To make it work, just press and hold the Action Button for a couple of seconds. Shazam appears on the dynamic island to listen to what's playing and identify the song. If you're sneaky about activating Shazam and peeking at your phone, no one needs to know you got some help from a supercomputer in the cloud. Find images with handwriting and illustrations in the Photos app A lot is changing in the Photos app in iOS 18, from the way things are organized to the ability to use generative AI to remove objects in images. Apple has also tucked a few surprises into the app to help you sort through your library. Scroll down past the main library itself to view categories such as People and Pets and Memories until you reach Utilities. Tap it to view the full list -- but note that a new feature of this interface is the ability to swipe left to view additional panels. Prior to iOS 18, Utilities included options to view hidden, recently deleted and duplicate photos. Now, it includes many more options. Tap Handwriting to view images with handwriting in them. Looking for images that are illustrations and not photographs? Tap Illustrations (although in our testing this seems to grab a lot of screenshots too). View images that contain handwriting in your Photos library in iOS 18. Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET Share a specific section of a podcast Did the hosts of your favorite podcast say something especially funny or thoughtful that you want to share with someone? In the Podcasts app in iOS 18, you can send an episode to a friend with the playback advanced to that moment -- but the capability isn't easy to find. Tap the Now Playing bar in the app at the bottom of the screen to view the playback controls and pause the episode. Use the progress bar to go back to the start of the section you want to share. Next, tap the More (…) button and choose Share Episode. In the sharing options that appear, tap From Start below the episode title, and then select From [the current time]. Tap Done. Start by sharing the episode itself. Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET Lastly, choose the method of sharing, such as via Messages or Mail. When the recipient receives the shared episode and opens it in the Podcasts app, they'll see the option to Play from [the time].
Tom's Guide
11 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
iOS 26's Liquid Glass design brings big changes to your iPhone — here's everything coming in the public beta
A lot has been said about Apple's new design language for iOS 26, the much vaunted (or maligned) Liquid Glass. Apple's latest design, which is based somewhat on Apple's Vision OS, offers something very different from what we've seen before. However, while Apple did show off a lot of the new look during the last WWDC, there's nothing quite like a hands-on experience to understand if you like something. While you can access the developer beta for iOS 26, we wouldn't recommend it due to how it can negatively affect your device and apps. Thankfully, the public beta is rumored for release on July 23, according to Mark Gurman, meaning interested users could test it more easily soon. With that in mind, let's break down all the changes we've seen for Liquid Glass, compared to iOS 18, that could be coming to you soon. When it comes to the home screen, the most noticeable change occurs when you activate the 'All Clear' mode. This will make your icons and widgets appear much more translucent. However, we've heard a lot of reports that, at least in the developer mode, this can affect readability. You can solve this with the Reduce Transparency option in the settings, or by turning it off completely. If you do turn All Clear off, then the difference between the iOS 26 home screen and the one seen on iOS 18 is pretty minimal. For the most part, the only real evidence you'll see of Liquid Glass is on the dock at the bottom of the screen, which is more transparent. Overall, the icons on the iOS 26 homescreen are slightly bigger than on iOS 18. It's also noticeable that some of Apple's app icons have changed, with some, like Settings, offering slightly different shading, while others, like the Camera app, have been fully redesigned. For the most part, the Control Center remains relatively similar in both iOS 18 and iOS 26, aside from the transparency brought about by Liquid Glass. If you look at the above screenshots, you'll notice that you can fairly clearly see your iPhone's home or lock screen in the background in iOS 26. Meanwhile, the iOS 18 version's transparency has more of a grey tint. Again, this can lead to some issues making out the writing in the iOS 26 version compared to the current one, but you can turn it down a fair amount with the Reduce Transparency setting. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Arguably, the iPhone's lock screen offers the biggest difference between the two operating systems. The new version offers a more stylized clock that adjusts its size dynamically depending on the image you use, as well as the number of notifications you have. Meanwhile, the icons and notifications also feature the most noticeable translucency on the lock screen, alongside a new white text. The shortcut buttons for the torch and camera also have a slight specular highlight effect that makes them seem more 3D than the iOS 18 version. There's also a new unlock effect that makes it seem as though you're moving a pane of glass, rather than the simple slide-over animation seen in iOS 18's lock screen. One of the newest additions with iOS 26 is the introduction of dynamic tab bars in apps. This new bar will change depending on whether you're scrolling through an app or trying to perform a specific action. The new bar aims to free up the space that would usually be taken up by a static bar, while also aiming to be more intuitive. On top of that, iOS 26 will allow the on-screen buttons and menus to adapt to the color of the background. Now, this feature is available in iOS 18, but the current version is very muted, with it only changing from grey to white. Meanwhile, the iOS 26 version will be able to adapt to whatever is behind it, even as you scroll through your gallery. One thing to note is that, when the public beta eventually releases, it will likely be quite different from everything we've seen before. So far, we've seen this across the different developer beta releases. For instance, the second iOS 26 beta offered new transparency options, moved the Safari new tab button, and made changes to some of the apps and widgets. Meanwhile, the third iOS 26 beta added more changes to Liquid Glass to make it more readable, new wallpapers and several other fixes. As such, we'd expect the first public beta to take all the recommendations and fixes from the developer beta. This also goes for the full public release, which could look very different. On that note, if you plan on waiting for the official launch of the update, we're expecting it to happen around mid-September, which would match the release dates of both iOS 18 and iOS 17. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
CNET
16 hours ago
- CNET
IPhone 16E vs. iPhone 15 Pro: Affordable Alternatives to the iPhone 16
The iPhone 16 is an excellent handset for Apple aficionados, but $799 can be pretty pricey for a lot of people. But there are a couple of good options that are both cheaper and have Apple Intelligence: the iPhone 16E and the iPhone 15 Pro. Both have 6.1-inch displays, but the Pro has a few more perks. The 16E starts at $599, but Apple no longer sells the 15 Pro. However, you can snag a used version of the 15 Pro for anywhere between $538 and $684 or get a refurbished one from Apple for $759. On top of that, both phones will get iOS 26 when it's available this fall. This guide will help you understand which one is worth it for you. However, we should add that July is typically a bad time to buy a new iPhone, as there will likely be a new model in September, and older models might get an additional price drop. One of the biggest selling points of the iPhone 16E is that it offers a decent bang for the buck. It is Apple's most affordable iPhone, but it still has many of the same features as the regular iPhone 16, such as the latest A18 chip and Apple Intelligence, which introduces generative emoji, smarter notifications and, eventually, an improved Siri. Yet, it might be worth looking at the company's older iPhones, such as the iPhone 15 Pro. A new iPhone 15 Pro isn't as cheap as the iPhone 16E, but it has much better features, such as a nicer camera, a higher-resolution screen, a titanium body and better charging capabilities. You can get the 15 Pro at a lower price than if you buy it used or refurbished. How do these phones compare? We've outlined a few features for you to find out which one is the best iPhone for you. Watch this: iPhone 16E Review 07:20 The iPhone 16E and the iPhone 15 Pro both have 6.1-inch displays, but the Pro has a few more perks. Celso Bulgatti/CNET Display The iPhone 16E and the iPhone 15 Pro feature the same 6.1-inch screen size at a similar display resolution, but there are still a few differences. The iPhone 16E runs at a 60Hz refresh rate -- similar to all of the non-Pro iPhone models -- and it can reach a 1,200-nit peak brightness. It also has a similar display notch to the iPhone 14, and doesn't support the Dynamic Island that serves up contextual information on other iPhone 15 and 16 models. It's functional and should work fine whether you're using the phone indoors or outdoors, but the Pro's screen has several additional perks. The iPhone 15 Pro (right, seen here with the 15 Pro Max), includes the Dynamic Island around its display cutout. James Martin/CNET The iPhone 15 Pro's display can run at a variable refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz, changing based on what activity you're doing. You can expect to see the smoother 120Hz refresh rate when scrolling through websites, playing games and other applications that benefit from smoother animations. According to Apple, it will hit the lower end of that range to conserve battery life when you aren't using the phone. The display also hits a higher 2,000 nits of peak brightness (outdoors) and includes the Dynamic Island that shows information like the music player or countdowns around the space of the front-facing camera's display cutout. Both the iPhone 16E (seen here) and the iPhone 15 Pro can play more graphically-intense games such as Resident Evil 4 Remake. Celso Bulgatti/CNET Processor The iPhone 15 Pro has the A17 Pro chip, which is a six-core CPU with two performance and four efficiency cores that makes it great for graphics and gaming. The iPhone 16E, on the other hand, ships with the latest A18 chip, which gives it a touch more power and speed. In practice, the A17 Pro is still a very capable chip that will serve you well for years to come. The A18 chip, however, will likely receive software and new feature updates for a slightly longer period of time. Both processors are capable of running Apple Intelligence and more advanced iPhone games like Resident Evil 4 Remake and Death Stranding. The iPhone 16 has a Clean Up tool that can remove unwanted elements from photos. Numi Prasarn/CNET Apple Intelligence One of the iPhone 16E's biggest highlights is that it supports Apple Intelligence, which was previously only available in Apple's high-end offerings like the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 16. Apple Intelligence offers plenty of benefits, such as smart writing tools, a Clean Up tool that removes unwanted elements from photos and a potentially smarter Siri in a future update. The iPhone 15 Pro, as mentioned, has had this from the start, so the two are fairly equal in this department. The iPhone 16E has a single 48-megapixel main camera. Celso Bulgatti/CNET Camera The biggest visual difference between the iPhone 16E and the iPhone 15 Pro is that the latter has three cameras instead of one. The iPhone 15 Pro has a 48-megapixel wide lens, a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. It also has a large 48-megapixel sensor that helps immensely in low light. The iPhone 16E, on the other hand, only has a single 48-megapixel rear camera. It has to rely on sensor-cropping for improved zoomed-in shots. Both have 12-megapixel front-facing cameras. The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max have three cameras on the back. James Martin/CNET Charging Another downside to the iPhone 16E is that it lacks support for MagSafe wireless charging and is only compatible with Qi charging capped at 7.5 watts. The iPhone 15 Pro, on the other hand, supports 15-watt MagSafe charging. Not only can it wireless charge at twice the speed, it also supports a whole range of magnetic accessories that the iPhone 16E won't be able to use unless it has a third-party MagSafe-compatible case. Both phones use USB-C for wired charging, with Apple citing that both can recharge their battery to 50% in 30 minutes when connected to a 20-watt adapter. In CNET's review testing for the iPhone 16E and iPhone 15 Pro, both phones tested slightly better than this. The iPhone 16E recharged from 0% to 59% in 30 minutes, and the 15 Pro recharged from 0% to 62% after being updated to iOS 17.0.3. Both the iPhone 16E and the 15 Pro charge over USB-C. Celso Bulgatti/CNET Pricing (and a note on buying refurbished) Obviously, the iPhone 16E offers a lower price as it retails for just $599. Apple, however, is now officially selling a refurbished version of the 15 Pro for just $759, which is cheaper than the $799 iPhone 16. Sure, that's more expensive than the 16E, but the Pro's extra features might be worth a higher price for you. Additionally, while buying phones in a secondary market has its issues (the phone might not always be in great shape), Apple's official refurbished program has an excellent reputation that is akin to buying the product new. Check out the following chart to see how the iPhone 16E and the iPhone 15 Pro stack up in other aspects.
CNET
16 hours ago
- CNET
iOS 26 Will Finally Let Us Get Rid of the Dreadful 9-Minute Snooze
In 2007, Apple launched the iPhone, a monumental device that became synonymous with the advancement of mobile technology. At the time, the iPhone included the 9-minute snooze, a dreadful and outdated alarm feature. While the latest iPhones are bezel-free, can shoot 4K videos in slow-motion and have face recognition, the 9-minute snooze persists -- until iOS 26. The tech giant announced the next iPhone update at its Worldwide Developers Conference 2025, and the software upgrade will bring a lot of new features to your iPhone when Apple releases it later this year, like new tools in Messages and a new Games app. But the company could also loosen its grip on your alarm's snooze duration in your Clock app in the software. In the iOS 26 developer beta, you can set your default snooze duration to anywhere between 1 and 15 minutes. After messing around in the developer beta, this is one of my favorite tweaks. I should note that the developer beta of iOS 26 is an early version of the software that is specifically aimed at software developers. This means that part of it could change over the coming months, including this new snooze feature. But first, why does snooze last 9 minutes? According to CNET's sister site Mashable, the snooze button was introduced to alarm clocks in the mid-1950s, and the snooze duration was -- that's right -- 9 minutes. It was supposedly easier on the hardware to set the snooze duration to a single digit as opposed to a double digit. Thus, the wretched 9-minute snooze was born. The 9-minute snooze also has some scientific backing. Science says 9 minutes might be an ideal snooze time before we fall back into a deep slumber. This is an early version of iOS 26 aimed at developers. The Snooze Duration menu could look different in the final version of iOS 26. Apple/Screenshot by CNET "In terms of sleep, 9 minutes is just enough time for a brief rest," Holly Schiff, a licensed clinical psychologist, told Reader's Digest. "Once you get past the 10-minute mark, your body can start to fall back into a deep sleep, which will make waking up again difficult and more unpleasant." However, it's 2025: My iPhone can stream videos from Netflix, play games from Xbox Game Pass and Android devices can set snooze for 10 minutes, so we know we can leave those 9 minutes in the past. As for health science, it would probably say I should do a lot of things, like eat more vegetables and less cheese. My doctor hasn't mentioned my cheese intake at my annual checkup, so will one more minute of snooze really be that detrimental? I don't think so. But at the end of the day, my true reason for loving this change is not nearly as nuanced: This tweak makes my brain happy because in my mind, 9 is an uncomfortable number for me. For starters, nine is an odd number, and everyone knows that even numbers are superior to odd numbers. The only exception to this rule is any odd increment of five, which are honorary even numbers, as everyone also knows. Is nine divisible by five? No. Strike one. Next, despite nine being an odd number, it isn't even a prime number. In fact, it's the only single-digit odd number that isn't also a prime number, so it's even weirder. That's strike two. And why would you pick nine when 10 is right there? There's a reason people say, "On a scale from 1 to 10," and not, "On a scale from 1 to 9." See how weird that sounds? So now whenever I make an alarm in the iOS 26 developer beta, I'm changing my alarm's snooze duration to 10 minutes. It's an even number, and in my head it's a nice, smooth number that makes my brain happy. And isn't that really what snoozing is all about? Think of it like this: If you had to manually set a snooze timer, how long would you set it for? I'd bet almost everyone would pick some increment of five. Absolutely no one would pick 9 minutes, except maybe some clock enthusiasts and whatever mad scientist at Apple made it the default for all these years. Is 10 minutes a scientifically better snooze time than 9 minutes? Probably not. Will it leave me in the same trap of just barely falling back asleep only to be abruptly woken up once more? Most likely. Am I relieved at the thought of snoozing for a number of minutes that is comfier for my brain? Absolutely. It's also nice to have the option to set it for a shorter time, like five minutes, so if you want a couple more minutes to wake up, you don't risk actually falling asleep again. Since this is a developer beta, I recommend downloading it only on something other than your primary device. Because this isn't the final version of iOS 26, the update might be buggy and battery life may be short, so it's best to keep those troubles on a secondary device. Note that the beta is not the final version of iOS 26, so there could be more features to land on your iPhone when iOS 26 is released. Apple wrote on its site that iOS 26 will be released to the general public this fall, but there's no word on an exact date. Until then, iOS 18 users are stuck with the horrid 9-minute snooze. For more on Apple, here's what you need to know about iOS 26 and everything the company announced at WWDC 2025.
