Month: April 2022

Commentary: Apple should borrow some of the iPad’s tricks to make better use of the iPhone Pro Max’s big screen.

The iPhone 13 Pro Max and 12 Pro Max are the biggest smartphones Apple has ever made. Both devices have a 6.7-inch screen, making them significantly larger than the standard 6.1-inch iPhone 13, 5.4-inch iPhone 13 Mini and 4.7-inch iPhone SE. While the hardware varies, all iPhones generally run the same software despite their size. If only there were more ways to make use of the Pro Max’s larger screen.

Luckily, there is. Apple should draw inspiration from the iPhone’s larger cousin, the iPad. Apple’s tablets are loaded with extra features that make apps easier to use on a larger screen. The company even renamed the iPad’s software “iPadOS” in 2019 to distinguish it from the iPhone’s iOS. The iPad’s interface had evolved so much by that point, it no longer made sense to lump both operating systems together.

I’m not suggesting something as drastic as a rebranding to “Pro Max OS.” But I do think both Apple and its customers could benefit from iOS 16, the next major iPhone software version, having new features that are specific to the larger-size iPhone.

Doing so wouldn’t be simple. Modifications would need to be made to bring iPad-specific features like multitasking to the iPhone Pro Max. But Apple already has a history of tailoring apps and software to specific products, as it proved with the original iPad and Apple Watch. So I’d trust it to do the same in this case.

Here are the iPad features I think would translate well to the iPhone Pro Max.

The iPhone Pro Max’s large screen is great for focusing on a single app, like reading or watching TV. But I’d love to see a version of the iPad’s multitasking capabilities on the iPhone Pro Max too. Being able to view more than one app on screen could prevent me from switching between apps so often.

Apple offers two main options for running multiple apps on the iPad’s display: Split View and Slide Over. The first is self-explanatory; it lets you divide the screen between two apps. Android phones have also offered split-screen mode for years. Slide Over is a bit different. Instead of splitting the screen, you can open an app in a floating panel that can be positioned on either side of the screen.

If Apple were to bring any of these features to the iPhone Pro Max, I think Slide Over would be the most useful. Compared to Split View mode, it’s a better way to make use of a smartphone-size screen. You’d be able to dedicate most of the screen to one app while quickly checking another. I’d love to glance at my Slack messages in a column along the side of my screen while using most of the iPhone’s display to catch up on emails.

This is an example of an iPad feature that Apple would likely have to tweak significantly for the iPhone rather than bringing over the current version. The iPhone Pro Max is big for a phone, but it’s still small compared to an iPad — even the iPad Mini.

One way Apple could make this work is by formatting Slide Over apps like interactive widgets that you can view while running another app. Widgets are already designed to display a lot of information in a space that only occupies a fraction of your phone’s screen. As such, it’s easy to imagine widget-like Slide Over apps that you can pin to any corner of the iPhone Pro Max’s display.

Still, getting the iPad’s multitasking features on the iPhone Pro Max is a long shot. Part of the iPhone’s appeal is that the software is consistent no matter which model you own, so I doubt Apple will jeopardize that. In the meantime, we are stuck with the handful of existing iPhone Pro Max-specific features that were actually introduced for the iPhone 6 Plus. For example, default apps like Mail and Messages take advantage of the iPhone Pro Max’s larger display in landscape mode to show a column of message previews alongside the currently viewed message.

Yes, I know Steve Jobs famously ridiculed the idea of using a stylus with a mobile device. But hear me out. The Apple Pencil has proven itself to be a valuable iPad companion over the last several years. Now, it’s time to bring it to the iPhone Pro Max as an optional accessory.

I’m not alone in wishing for an iPhone-compatible Apple Pencil. My colleague Patrick Holland has been begging for an Apple Pencil since he reviewed the iPhone 12 Pro Max in 2020, saying a MagSafe Apple Pencil would be “a killer accessory.”

First, consider the iPhone Pro Max’s audience. It’s for people who are willing to pay top dollar for the biggest screen and best camera available on an iPhone. The Apple Pencil seems like a natural addition to the Pro Max, both for photographers and those who just want a giant screen.

I imagine those who frequently touch up photos on their phone would benefit from editing with a stylus that’s more precise than a finger, especially since popular apps like Adobe Lightroom and Pixelmator have Apple Pencil support. An iPhone-friendly Apple Pencil could also appeal to those who often take notes or mark up documents from their phones. The rumored iPhone 14 Max, which would be a 6.7-inch version of the standard iPhone, would benefit as well from an optional pencil accessory.

The success of Samsung’s Galaxy Note line (which has now been consolidated into the Galaxy S Ultra family) also suggests there’s an audience for styluses. I have to admit I don’t find myself using the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s S Pen very often. But it has come in handy for jotting down notes during meetings or quickly capturing thoughts when I’m writing a review and happen to be away from my computer.

Again, it wouldn’t make sense to just expand the current Apple Pencil’s compatibility to the iPhone Pro Max. Instead, Apple should design a smaller version of the Pencil with a smaller tip that’s better suited for a phone-size screen.

A win for Apple and its customers

With or without these features, the iPhone Pro Max is already a hit. The iPhone 12 Pro Max was the world’s second-best-selling phone in 2021, according to data from Counterpoint Research.

There’s clearly a demand for larger-size iPhones, as evidenced by rumors that Apple will replace the iPhone Mini with another 6.7-inch iPhone this year.

But why not do more with the Pro Max? It would be a great way for Apple to further distinguish the Pro Max from its smaller and less-expensive iPhones. The additional software features would also give owners more for the price, while a Pencil would provide Apple with another opportunity to make money from current iPhone Pro Max owners. It seems like a win-win scenario.

The iPhone Pro Max’s lack of multitasking and Apple Pencil support aren’t necessarily shortcomings. But it feels like Apple is missing an opportunity.

Apple says COVID-19 disruptions and silicon shortages are hitting its business, though seemingly not as much as some other tech giants.

At nearly 15 years old, Apple’s iPhone is one of the most popular consumer products of all time. During the holidays, it helped Apple ring up record revenues and profits. And even now, with war overseas and nagging inflation at home, Apple’s fortunes are still largely tied to the iPhone.

The good news: People still keep buying them.

For its second fiscal quarter, covering the three months ending in March, Apple notched $50.6 billion in sales of iPhones, up more than 5% from the year prior. Its Mac computers, wearables and accessories continued to sell strongly as well.

But Apple warned that manufacturing and trade disruptions from COVID-19, combined with the ongoing silicon shortage, means things will likely get worse over the next few months.

“These times remind us that we cannot know what the future may hold,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said during a conference call with analysts Thursday. COVID disruptions, he noted, have been difficult to predict. He noted that disruptions from recent health lockdowns in China, among other issues, will add up to between $4 billion and $8 billion in unsold products because of lack of inventory. And that’s “substantially worse” than what happened over the past three months.

Apple’s stock closed regular trading up nearly 5% to $163.64 per share. The company’s shares have fallen about 10% so far this year.

Apple’s announcement is the latest sign of the tech giant’s staying power in a time of economic uncertainty. Major Wall Street indexes have lost value this month, with notable drops among tech stocks. Google parent Alphabet reported lower than expected sales and profit Tuesday, disappointing investors. The next day, Facebook parent Meta reported widening losses in its Reality Labs division, which makes virtual reality headsets and other associated technologies. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said he believes Reality Labs is key to the company’s future.

Other tech companies have released concerning data as well. Netflix told investors last week that it actually lost subscribers, and expected to lose 2 million more. And Amazon on Thursday said fuel prices ate into its profits.

More broadly, Russia’s invasion of and subsequent war with Ukraine has rippled across the world, rattling markets for oil, wheat and other items that both countries contribute to the world economy. Meanwhile, surging COVID-19 cases in China have prompted extended lockdowns in manufacturing facilities and at ports, disrupting food supplies and upsetting residents, leading to slowed manufacturing and trade.

Apple, though, continues to navigate those challenges enough to continue growing its business.

Non-iPhone business growing
The company reported increased sales for its Mac division, for which about half of customers were new to its computers.

Apple’s wearables business, meanwhile, grew to the size of a Fortune 100 company, the company noted, with more than two-thirds of people buying Apple Watches being new to the product.

Apple’s services, which won its first Oscar with the Apple TV Plus movie CODA, rose more than 17% to $19.8 billion. That makes services, which also include subscriptions like Apple Music streaming and Apple Arcade gaming, its second-largest division behind the iPhone. Apple said it counted 825 million accounts with paid subscriptions on its platform, an increase of 17% from the year prior.

“We’ve added a lot of new services, and we plan to add new services and new features that we believe that our customers will love,” Apple CFO Luca Maestri told analysts Thursday.

Overall, Apple said it recorded profits of $25 billion, up nearly 6% from last year. That translates to $1.52 per share in profit, off $97.28 billion in overall revenue, which itself was up 9% from the $89.58 billion reported last year. It also beat analyst estimates, which were $1.43 in profit per share on $93.9 billion in sales for the three months ended in March, according to surveys published by Yahoo Finance.

The tech giant is set to release quarterly earnings on Thursday, offering the latest sign of how COVID-19 is impacting tech.

Two years ago, Apple was one of the first companies to warn that the COVID-19 pandemic was seriously impacting its manufacturing. Now, the tech giant may offer the first signs that things are improving.

Apple will announce its earnings for its second fiscal quarter after market close Thursday. Typically, Apple executives use quarterly earnings announcements to talk about how popular its products are, while teasing the next big hit. But over the past year, they’ve also increasingly warned they’re struggling to build enough iPads and Macs to meet demand, missing out on billions of dollars in potential sales.

Though Apple isn’t providing forward-looking guidance during the pandemic, analysts on average expect the company to report $1.43 in profit per share on $93.9 billion in sales for the three months ended in March, according to surveys published by Yahoo Finance. That would amount to a 2% increase in profit per share from the same time a year ago and roughly 4% increase in sales.

Assuming Apple meets or beats those expectations, analysts say it’s likely the iPhone and its associated accessories made the biggest difference. And that’s even though demand for its Mac computers and iPad tablets has risen to record levels.

“We believe demand for the iPhone 13 held up better than expected through the end of the March quarter,” Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty wrote in a note to investors last week. “iPhone data points out of China were notably strong in the face of broader market weakness.”

Whatever Apple says will likely be seen as a bellwether for the tech industry, which has struggled with supply shortages, particularly as demand for computers, tablets and cameras and other technology jumped amid the pandemic.

The ongoing supply shortages have rippled throughout the global economy, slowing production of everything from cars to medical equipment. The constrained supplies have also pushed prices higher, contributing to inflation.

Apple and other tech companies have vowed to increase production in the US to help offset slowdowns in international shipping and manufacturing, but many of those projects are still years from completion. In the meantime, some supplies of chips have improved.

Analysts will likely be listening for any further signs from Apple on Thursday, particularly as the world struggles war started by Russia invading Ukraine. Lockdowns from another wave of rising COVID infections in China have shuttered ports In Shanghai and others cities, further contributing to shipping delays.

Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi said in a note to investors Monday that consumers appear to be slowing their spending binge that was a hallmark of the pandemic. “With slowing growth, high inflation and geopolitical uncertainty tied to the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” he wrote, “consumer sentiment appears to be waning.”

Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Plus and S22 Ultra support faster 45-watt fast charging, one of the key features that distinguishes them from the less expensive Galaxy S22. Cheaper Samsung devices like the Galaxy S22 and S21 FE only support 25-watt fast charging instead. The catch, however, is that neither of the required power adapters come in the box with your phone and must be purchased separately.

Samsung’s 45-watt fast charger sells for $50 through the company’s website and on Amazon. The 25-watt charger costs a more palatable $28 through Amazon and $20 at Best Buy. With that in mind, you might be wondering: Is Samsung’s more expensive charger really worth it?

To answer that question, I tested it on the Galaxy S22 Plus in a few different scenarios. I charged the device over 10- and 20-minute increments with each adapter starting from various battery levels, using the same cable and outlet each time. The phone was also connected to the same Wi-Fi network during both tests with no SIM card.

As you can tell by looking at the table above, the results are mixed. The 45-watt power adapter charged the phone slightly faster when starting from 0% over the course of 10- and 20-minute increments. But when plugging in at 25%, the 25-watt charger replenished a slightly higher percentage of the battery after 10 and 20 minutes. The results were essentially the same when charging from 50%.

I’m not alone in experiencing these results. Android Authority also found the charging speeds to be very similar when comparing Samsung’s 25-watt and 45-watt chargers. CNET contacted Samsung to ask why performance is similar between the two power adapters and will update this story accordingly.

Samsung is one of several phone makers looking to shorten the amount of time it takes to charge your phone. The OnePlus 10 Pro, for example, supports either 65-watt or 80-watt fast charging depending on the model available in your region.

Charging speeds can differ depending on a variety of factors, such as your phone’s settings and apps running in the background. But based on my tests, which were performed on the same device under the same circumstances, there isn’t much of a difference between Samsung’s pricier 45-watt charger and its less expensive 25-watt charger.

The iPhone 14 is rumored to be getting the new satellite functionality for emergency use too.

Apple may have some upgrades in store for the Apple Watch and the iMac. According to Mark Gurman’s Sunday newsletter for Bloomberg, an Apple Watch with satellite connectivity and an M3-based version of the company’s desktop could be in the works.

The M3-based iMacs could arrive at the end of next year at the earliest, while the Apple Watch could gain the new functionality for emergency use this year or in 2023, said Gurman, a tech reporter who has a reputable track record of uncovering details about upcoming Apple products.

Satellite connectivity, which was a rumored iPhone 13 feature that didn’t come to fruition, would allow you to send short texts to select contacts when out of cellular service range in emergency situations. The feature is also rumored to be coming to the iPhone 14 this fall.

As for the iMac, many details surrounding Apple’s M3 chip are unclear, but Apple has reportedly been actively testing its next generation of in-house chips, the M2 chips series, in several new Mac models to possibly launch later this year. These models include a MacBook Air, Mac Mini and an entry-level MacBook Pro, among others.

EU lawmakers reach a deal on the basics of major legislation meant to address the negative side of online platforms.

Lawmakers in the European Union reached an agreement Saturday on the basic points of major legislation designed to curb negative impacts from social media sites and other digital platforms.

The Digital Services Act would, among other things, compel services including Facebook, Google, Twitter and others to crack down on the spread of disinformation on their platforms and to reveal how their algorithms recommend content to users. The DSA would also prohibit certain kinds of ads on the platforms, such as targeted ads aimed at children or tailored to people’s ethnicity or sexual orientation.

“With the DSA we help create a safe and accountable online environment,” European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement. “Platforms should be transparent about their content moderation decisions, prevent dangerous disinformation from going viral and avoid unsafe products being offered on market places. With today’s agreement we ensure that platforms are held accountable for the risks their services can pose to society and citizens.”

The DSA is one of two pillars of a major tech-regulation overhaul first unveiled in draft form by the EU in December 2020. The other pillar, the Digital Markets Act, received preliminary approval last month and is designed to address issues such as anticompetitive behavior. Both acts still await a final vote, but major changes aren’t expected. The EU has also passed the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, which is designed to give people more control over the collection and sharing of their personal information.

Europe has long taken the lead in efforts to rein in big tech, and both the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act could influence efforts by governments worldwide to address problems around major technology platforms. The US so far hasn’t passed any comprehensive laws to tackle such issues.

Under the DSA, platforms that reach more than 10% of the EU’s population would be subject to independent audits of the steps they’re taking to prevent their systems from being abused, according to a rundown posted by the European Commission. Other steps the law would take include compelling online marketplaces to help identify sellers of illegal goods, and setting up ways for users to flag illegal goods, services or content and for platforms to work with “trusted flaggers.”

Companies that break the law could face fines of billions of dollars, as well as possible damage to the reputation of their brands.

Major tech companies said they support the EU’s goals but that specifics of the legislation are key.

“As the law is finalized and implemented, the details will matter,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement. “We look forward to working with policymakers to get the remaining technical details right to ensure the law works for everyone.” In addition to its massive search engine, Google owns top video site YouTube.

Twitter said it looks forward to reviewing the DSA in detail and working with the EU. “We support smart, forward thinking regulation that balances the need to tackle online harm with protecting the Open Internet — while also understanding that a one-size-fits all approach fails to consider the diversity of our online environment,” a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement.

TikTok said it’s also awaiting details on the legislation. The company supports the EU’s “aim to harmonise the approach to online content issues” and welcomes the DSA’s “focus on transparency as a means to show accountability,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement.

Amazon pointed to comments made this past June by James Waterworth, its EU public policy director. Waterworth said Amazon supports the DSA “introducing regulated obligations to ensure that services act against illegal content.” But such obligations “need to be carefully balanced to provide certainty while allowing flexibility.”

Facebook didn’t respond to a request for comment.

EU lawmakers reach a deal on the basics of major legislation meant to address the negative side of online platforms.

Lawmakers in the European Union reached an agreement Saturday on the basic points of major legislation designed to curb negative impacts from social media sites and other digital platforms.

The Digital Services Act would, among other things, compel services including Facebook, Google, Twitter and others to crack down on the spread of disinformation on their platforms and to reveal how their algorithms recommend content to users. The DSA would also prohibit certain kinds of ads on the platforms, such as targeted ads aimed at children or tailored to people’s ethnicity or sexual orientation.

“With the DSA we help create a safe and accountable online environment,” European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement. “Platforms should be transparent about their content moderation decisions, prevent dangerous disinformation from going viral and avoid unsafe products being offered on market places. With today’s agreement we ensure that platforms are held accountable for the risks their services can pose to society and citizens.”

The DSA is one of two pillars of a major tech-regulation overhaul first unveiled in draft form by the EU in December 2020. The other pillar, the Digital Markets Act, received preliminary approval last month and is designed to address issues such as anticompetitive behavior. Both acts still await a final vote, but major changes aren’t expected. The EU has also passed the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, which is designed to give people more control over the collection and sharing of their personal information.

Europe has long taken the lead in efforts to rein in big tech, and both the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act could influence efforts by governments worldwide to address problems around major technology platforms. The United States so far hasn’t passed any comprehensive laws to tackle such issues.

Under the DSA, platforms that reach more than 10% of the EU’s population would be subject to independent audits of the steps they’re taking to prevent their systems from being abused, according to a rundown posted by the European Commission. Other steps the law would take include compelling online marketplaces to help identify sellers of illegal goods, and setting up ways for users to flag illegal goods, services or content and for platforms to work with “trusted flaggers.”

Companies that break the law could face fines of billions of dollars, as well as possible damage to the reputation of their brands.

Major tech companies said they support the EU’s goals but that specifics of the legislation are key.

“As the law is finalized and implemented, the details will matter,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement. “We look forward to working with policymakers to get the remaining technical details right to ensure the law works for everyone.” In addition to its massive search engine, Google owns top video site YouTube.

Twitter said it looks forward to reviewing the DSA in detail and working with the EU. “We support smart, forward thinking regulation that balances the need to tackle online harm with protecting the Open Internet — while also understanding that a one-size-fits all approach fails to consider the diversity of our online environment,” a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement.

TikTok said it’s also awaiting details on the legislation. The company supports the EU’s “aim to harmonise the approach to online content issues” and welcomes the DSA’s “focus on transparency as a means to show accountability,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement.

Amazon pointed to comments made this past June by James Waterworth, its EU public policy director. Waterworth said Amazon supports the DSA “introducing regulated obligations to ensure that services act against illegal content.” But such obligations “need to be carefully balanced to provide certainty while allowing flexibility.”

The carrier is focused on using its C-Band spectrum for improved 5G, but it’s feeling the pressure from rivals, its earnings report shows.Verizon is feeling the competitive heat. The nation’s largest wireless carrier suffered a decline in the first quarter and warned that its earnings growth would be at the lower end of its previous expectations.

Verizon lost 292,000 consumer postpaid phone subscriptions, the metric used by the industry as an indicator of success. In a Friday press release on its earnings for the quarter, Verizon chalked the loss up to “competitive dynamics.” On Thursday, rival AT&T reported first-quarter subscriber gains.

Verizon’s losses were largely offset by 256,000 business postpaid phone net additions, but the carrier is still concerned about the consumer losses, which mostly happened in March, when the first quarter closed, and into April, suggesting additional slowdown in the second quarter.

“We will continue to take appropriate measures to be competitive in the market,” Verizon Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Matt Ellis said during the earnings call, though he didn’t offer specifics beyond comments about relying on the carrier’s network and flexible plans.

Still, overall wireless services revenue was up 11.2% over last year, thanks in part to existing customers moving to pricier plans, as well as revenue from prepaid mobile company Tracfone, which appeared on Verizon’s books for the first time after the carrier finished acquiring the company last November. Verizon reported a loss of 80,000 Tracfone net phone subscriptions over the quarter, which the carrier pegged to the sunsetting of generous pandemic mobile service subsidies that benefited the prepaid company’s customer base.

Verizon’s focus on wireless and broadband internet may take some time to attract more customers and offset losses, especially as it spends this year building out coverage of its so-called C-band range of 5G, which launched in January. The carrier is betting big on C-band radio frequencies as a lure for customers, with higher speeds and wider coverage of its 5G Ultra Wideband network. But this quarter’s losses suggest customers aren’t yet convinced.

After reaching C-band 5G coverage of 100 million people in January, Verizon has continued to activate more service and is on track to reach 175 million people by the end of 2022. At Verizon’s investor day in March, the carrier said it had reached agreements with satellite companies to access more C-band spectrum, which will speed up coverage of 40 million people in certain markets, a year ahead of Verizon’s expectations.

Verizon has continued encouraging its existing customers to upgrade their phones, and 40% of customers are now using 5G handsets. That’s not much higher than the 33% reported in January. Numbers will slowly grow over the next year, with the carrier expecting six out of 10 customers to be using 5G phones by the end of 2023.

Verizon’s Fios fixed broadband added a modest 55,000 subscribers while its fixed wireless access, called Verizon 5G Home, continues to grow, with 112,000 net new customers. The carrier credited this to the wider availability of 5G Home thanks to the continued rollout of C-band service. Under current expansion plans, the service will cover 50 million households and 14 million businesses by the end of 2025.

Verizon posted $33.6 billion in revenue in the first quarter, up 2.1% from the same period last year. With Tracfone in its portfolio, wireless revenue grew to $15.2 billion, up from $13.7 billion in the first quarter of 2021. This is partially offset by the lost revenue from Verizon Media Group, sold last year, which dropped service and other revenue by 2.5%.

The carrier reported net income of $4.7 billion, or earnings of $1.09 per share. Its adjusted earnings came in at $1.35 per share, which is in line with analyst expectations per Yahoo Finance, but down slightly from $1.36 a share a year ago.

WWDC 2022 is just weeks away. Here’s everything we want Apple to add and fix in its next big iPhone update.

The next major version of the iPhone’s software will likely be called iOS 16 and debut at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference in early June. Apple is expected to share previews of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, WatchOS 9, MacOS and other software. We’re most excited about the next version of iOS since it usually includes a few impressive changes for the iPhone.

Rumors for iOS 16 are relatively sparse, which is typical for unreleased Apple software. So it will truly be a surprise to see what new iOS features are revealed.

The last three versions of iOS have been similar. iOS 15 feels like a riff of iOS 14 which felt like a continuation of iOS 13. Any visual changes are able to be turned on-and-off instead of being forced onto your iPhone. For example, if you don’t like home screen widgets or Focus mode, you don’t have to use them. Even if you opt out of the more conspicuous changes, running iOS 15 brings a bunch of background improvements to keep your iPhone running smoothly and securely. And that will likely be the case with iOS 16.

iOS 15 has been out for seven months and the operating system has been relatively stable with very few bugs. Some features, such as Universal Control and SharePlay, took a while to roll out but everything seems to be up and running now. iOS 16 will likely continue where iOS 15 leaves off, adding new features to its existing design.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t things Apple needs to add or improve. My colleagues and I came up with a list of improvements, additions and fixes that we’d like Apple to make for iOS 16. Some are big, like adding support for the Apple Pencil, and others are small but significant, like giving home screen widgets more functionality. We’ll have to wait until June to see what Apple actually does.

iOS 16: The Photos app needs copy and paste for edits
We use iPhones to take photos and videos all the time, and editing photos is just as satisfying as taking them. Most people’s place to edit is the iPhone’s Photos app: The interface is straightforward, and there are an abundance of tools for getting the exact look you want.

But the MacOS version of the Photos app has one useful feature that would improve editing on the iPhone: the ability to copy and paste edits between photos. This is especially helpful when you take several photos at the same place, such as at a restaurant or party. Since all of the photos were taken under the same lighting and conditions, you can just edit one photo and then copy and paste those adjustments to the others.Instead, in iOS 15, you’re left making those adjustments one-by-one for each photo on the iPhone. It’s tedious.

In iOS 16, it would be great to see a similar copy and paste feature on the iPhone. We’d give iOS 16 bonus points if the edits you made in the Photos app on the Mac could be applied to the Photos app on the iPhone, and vice versa. But, one step at a time.

T-Mobile’s home internet service is growing, and is now available to 40 million homes.Just over a year after its launch, T-Mobile is sharing some updates for its 5G Home Internet service. On Wednesday the carrier revealed that it now has 1 million customers on the $50 per month internet option and has expanded the service’s availability from 30 million “eligible households” to 40 million.

T-Mobile ended 2021 with 646,000 home internet subscribers and revealed during its most recent earnings that it had added 224,000 home internet users during the fourth quarter of the year. The company has increasingly promoted the new service, including in a Super Bowl spot featuring Scrubs actors Donald Faison and Zach Braff. T-Mobile is set to report its 2022 first-quarter earnings on April 27.

Touted as an alternative to traditional cable service, T-Mobile’s option doesn’t have data caps or annual contacts and includes a modem and router in its $50 monthly price (assuming you have automatic payments enabled). The carrier has previously said it aims to have 7-8 million customers for its home internet service by 2025.

While the carrier is expanding home internet availability to another 10 million households today, it still lacks a map for quickly seeing if your home can sign up. Instead, those interested still need to enter their addresses and information into T-Mobile’s website to see if the option is available where you live.

T-Mobile isn’t the only wireless carrier using 5G to provide home internet. Verizon recently has begun rolling out an updated version of its own $50 per month, 5G broadband option and in February announced that this service is available to over 30 million households. Verizon will report its first-quarter earnings on April 22.