Technology

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Jan. 28.

• Meta AI has added a Memory Boost feature.
• Meta AI will remember key details you share in one-on-one chats for more personalized responses.
• The AI will also use your profiles on Meta platforms to respond based on your location.

Meta AI wants to be more like your good friend who remembers all the important details about you and less like an impersonal AI chatbot. Meta is rolling out updates to its AI assistant across Messenger, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram in the U.S. and Canada to do just that.

Those engaging with Meta AI may find it remembers much more about you between conversations, including some details culled from your profiles on the various connected platforms that can personalize its recommendations.

The new Memory Boost feature is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Meta AI can now remember key details you share in one-on-one chats. Maybe you casually mention that you love hiking or that you’re fluent in Italian. Meta AI will store that tidbit in its digital brain and use it to inform future responses. A friend who remembers how you like your coffee is a good friend. Whether that same is true about an AI pal is debatable. Especially as, in this case, it’s a friend who is also keeping track of your brunch preferences, weekend plans, and which country artists you’ve been streaming.

The system is also context-sensitive, which means Meta AI doesn’t need you to spoon-feed it all the details. If you tell it you’re vegan while asking for breakfast ideas, it’ll note that for the future and stop recommending omelets or fancy frittatas. This memory feature only applies to one-on-one chats, not group conversations; you can also delete its memory whenever you want.

Personal geography

Meta AI won't just remember your personality quirks. AI is becoming more personalized by tapping the data you share via Meta's platforms. For instance, if you’re looking for family activities this weekend, Meta AI might suggest a local concert based on your location, your recent browsing habits, and its memory of you mentioning that you have two kids.

Of course, this level of personalization isn’t entirely new. Meta has been perfecting the art of AI-driven recommendations for years. What makes this different is the assistant’s ability to combine information from multiple sources, including your chat history, profile, and viewing habits, to deliver something relevant.

Trying to stand out by offering this much personalization makes sense as Meta tries to break through the clamor around AI assistants like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and others. Meta’s strategy seems to be doing what it can to embed Meta AI within its existing ecosystem of platforms used by millions of people every day. After all, why would you open a separate AI app when you can just ask Meta AI directly on WhatsApp or Facebook?

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• Ayaneo's latest Windows-based portable is the Ayaneo 3
• Ayaneo comes with modular controls, a first in the market
• Its cheapest price point is $700, and most expensive is $1,800

Ayaneo has been putting out a wide range of high-quality handheld gaming devices. While the Chinese hardware company mainly focused on Android-based portables in 2024, it’s returning to form with the new Windows-based flagship handheld first revealed in November.

The Ayaneo 3 is a direct sequel to its Ayaneo 2, which launched in February 2023 and was released as a rival to the Steam Deck. Not only does the Ayaneo 3 upgrade the specs, but it also adds new features to enhance the gaming experience.

In terms of specs, there are two models to choose from. The first comes equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 8840U CPU with eight cores and 16 threads, 3.3GHz clock speed, and an NPU of 16 TOPS.

The second model features the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU with 12 cores and 24 threads, a base clock speed of 2GHz, and an NPU at 50TOPS. The former will be available in every configuration except the 4TB RAM one, while the latter starts at 32GB instead of 16GB and goes from there.

You can also choose between 7-inch LCD and OED displays for any model with different displays. The LCD screen has a refresh rate of 120Hz/60Hz and maxes out at 500 nits. The OLED has a 144Hz/120Hz/90Hz/60Hz refresh and maxes out at 800 nits.

Why its modular controls matter

What really sets the Ayaneo 3 apart from the rest is its modular controls, which are unique to pretty much any other gaming handheld. Modular controls mean the directional pad, analog stick, and buttons can be physically switched around or rotated to give a more customizable experience. This lets you match controls to controllers like Playstation and Xbox or create your own fighting stick for titles like Street Fighter 6.

The controls themselves are also decked out spec-wise. The joysticks and triggers use Hall-effect sensors with a 4ms response time. The triggers also have two modes: linear mode, which gives you 7.5mm of travel distance to enable precise analog input, and tactile mode, which reduces the travel to 3mm for the repeated button presses known in FPS games.

Right now, you can support the Ayaneo 3 in its crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. The price ranges from $700 for the 16GB/512GB model without a complete set of input modules and $1,800 for the 64GB/4TB with a full set. An extra set runs $100, while a backup storage case — in Starry Black, Sky White, and Retro Power — costs $33.

Though the upper pricing is an eye-watering amount (and the lowest amount is still nothing to sneeze at), it’s meant as a premium portable system with unique features. Its selling point is that its competition, like the Steam Deck or Lenovo Legion Go, can’t match it in that sense. And if the Ayaneo 3 finds its footing, it could carve out a whole new niche in the gaming handheld market.

• Good news Windows fans, the Ayaneo Next Lite gaming handheld will support your favorite OS
• Ayn's new gaming handheld looks like a PSP, and it might just fill the hole in your heart left by Sony's best portable
• The Steam Deck won’t be the only handheld gaming PC running SteamOS in the near future thanks to Ayaneo

• ChatGPT has upgraded Canvas to be smarter and more accessible.
• Canvas now works with the OpenAI o1 model and can visualize code directly.
• It's now available to macOS desktop users.

OpenAI has enhanced ChatGPT's collaborative editing feature, Canvas, with some major upgrades. The updates make Canvas even more flexible in helping you compose and edit content and code. The brainpower boost also comes with better visuals and some love for macOS desktop users.

The most significant upgrade is that Canvas will now work with OpenAI’s new o1 model. The more deliberative o1 model is already better than previous iterations at complex reasoning and problem-solving. With o1, Canvas is better at collaborating and explaining its logic.

Imagine it more like a human partner and less like a hyper-efficient autocorrect. You can enable the o1 model in Canvas by selecting it from the model picker or typing the command “/canvas.” Free users are out of luck for now, though, as only Pro, Plus, and Team users can access the o1 model in Canvas.

But it’s not just brains; Canvas has also received a visual boost – it also now supports rendering React and HTML code. That means you can actually see your projects come to life right in the workspace. You don't have to imagine how the code would perform in a browser or run a separate testing system. Better yet, free ChatGPT users can play with this new ability right now.

Regardless of subscription level, Mac users keen to use ChatGPT more are also getting more access to the AI chatbot feature. There's now full Canvas support on the macOS ChatGPT desktop app, allowing you to do anything Canvas can provide without leaving it.

Canvas companion

The o1 model’s more deliberate thinking aims to address criticisms that AI often feels rushed or too eager to please. With the added ability to visualize React and HTML code, OpenAI has made it clear that it wants Canvas to be a playground for developers, not just a chatroom with a few extra bells and whistles.

That fits with OpenAI's and other AI developers' keenness to make AI chatbots and tools more dynamic. Editing directly within the Canvas interface and being able to comment on and prompt changes to just part of an AI answer is a subtle but powerful improvement over the standard back-and-forth.

Just being able to drop text into Canvas and assigning the AI to advise or help edit is no small thing. Sometimes, you just want criticism without it being redone. That goes double if you share complex code or a very long text.

Ultimatley, Making ChatGPT more proactive and adaptable when it comes to carrying out very specific requests is likely to be a big part of how AI is employed in the future.

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• Report finds remote-first employees log more productive hours, fewer interruptions
• Hybrid model offers flexibility but leads to shorter work breaks
• Healthcare workers face high burnout risk despite increased productivity

ActivTrak Productivity Lab's latest report on workplace productivity trends has revealed work location significantly affects productivity, and remote-first companies, where employees work remotely most of the time, are provider greater productivity, reduce interruptions, and are the most popular.

The survey covers 958 companies and 135,098 employees, offering an overview of productivity across various sectors, such as financial services, healthcare, insurance, and professional services.

It found productivity levels across various industries vary - employees in the financial sector recorded 30 more minutes of productive time per day than their peers in other sectors, with these employees also exhibiting a 9% higher healthy utilization rate, meaning they were working efficiently without the risks of burnout or underutilization.

A matter of balance?

Similarly, employees in the healthcare industry also logged more productive time than the cross-industry average, with an additional 36 minutes of work per day. However, more than one-third of healthcare employees face a high risk of burnout or disengagement, as they fall into either the overutilized or underutilized categories.

In the insurance sector, employees spend 18 fewer minutes per day in collaborative applications than their peers, but there is a 41% lower underutilization rate, suggesting that employees are generally more engaged and working to capacity.

Most companies (55%) adopt the remote-first model where employees spend over 60% of their time working remotely, however, 25% of companies prefer the hybrid approach.

Only 18% of companies use the office-first setups where employees spend the majority of their time in the office while just 2% of companies use the remote-only models, where employees work entirely from home.

Interestingly, remote-first employees log more productive hours per day on average compared to those in other models, likely due to fewer in-person meetings and interruptions. In contrast, office-first employees exhibit the most balanced work patterns, with almost 70% of their time spent in a healthy state.

Hybrid employees take slightly shorter breaks (90 minutes on average compared to 104-120 minutes for other models), suggesting that managing work across both environments might introduce more intensity into their workdays. Despite this, the hybrid model is gaining popularity for its flexibility.

ActivTrak warns that employees who spend over 75% of their time in an overutilized state risk burnout, while those who spend more than 75% of their time in an underutilized state risk disengagement.

For remote-only employees, 31% of their time is spent in an overutilized state, which is the highest among all working models. However, they are also the most focused, spending an average of 4 hours and 24 minutes per day on single tasks without interruptions. Predictably, their collaboration time is very low meaning they have fewer opportunities for group work compared to employees who spend some time in the office.

“Our latest study reveals that workplace model and location — whether office, remote or hybrid – really does impact how we work, focus and collaborate,” said the company's Chief Customer Officer and Head of Productivity Lab, Gabriela Mauch.

“As organizations contemplate flexible workforce policies, a return to the office or other changes in organizational design, it’s critical for leaders to first understand baseline productivity data and the potential impact of location on employee engagement and performance.”

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• Casetify's latest collaboration is with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
• The collection consists of phone cases, charm bracelets, and earbuds case covers.
• Beyond the can of Campbell's soup it also celebrates the iconic banana.

Casetify’s known for some pretty epic cases thanks to impressive collaborations with the likes of sports leagues, Disney, Netflix, and countless others. As for the latest ‘Co-Lab’ you can add to the list, it goes to Andy Warhol – specifically, a partnership with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Of course, the classic can of Campbell’s Soup has been transformed into several fun case designs. However, what really caught our attention is the Co-Labs take on Andy Warhol’s banana that was featured on the album cover of The Velvet Underground's first LP. It’s a classic for sure, and Casetify’s take on this is both ultra-fun, a significant homage, and somewhat impractical.

But then again, some of the most fun phone cases are more talking points than actually protective.

(Image credit: Casetify)

The Andy Warhol Banana Collectible Phone Case is simply an oversized case that takes the shape of a banana. It still gives you access to the power buttons and volume rockers, though we aren't exactly sure about charging. Considering it’s made from silicone, though, you should be able to remove the phone easily.

It also comes with three stickers that can be removed and reattached to personalize the case a bit. While the case itself is inspired by Andy Warhol, you could also use it to live out your dream of having a banana phone or to do some monkeying around—forgive the pun.

Maybe most importantly, though, it lets you pay homage to superstars and rockstars with a really delightful case. Now, if you want something a little more practical and, say, standard-sized, Casetify does have a few more regular iPhone cases with takes of Andy Warhol’s iconic banana on the back. These include the Banana Pattern Case, which places several of the iconic works, and one called the Banana Peel, in which you can peel back the top of the banana to reveal a vibrant, hot pink look at the inside of the fruit.

As you might have guessed, these cases follow Casetify’s normal pricing strategy in that they’re not ultra-cheap. But, you get what you pay for here. The oversized Banana Collectible Phone Case is $106 for most phones, while the more standard cases land around $60 and fall within the brand's ‘Impact’ case lineup. This means it can survive up to 8.2 feet drops – at least, that’s what Casetify promises.

You can check out the full lineup of the Casetify x Andy Warhol here, but if you’re eyeing a case, we would check out soon as these ‘Co-Labs’ are known to sell out.

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Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1100) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1100) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1100) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1100) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1100) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• T

• D

• I

• P

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1100) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1100, are…

• TOKEN
• DAISY
• INANE
• PLIED

I’m trying hard not to get drawn towards the first word first in Quordle, instead looking at all four and seeing which one looks the easiest to complete. I apply the same policy in car parks – I’d rather park 400 yards away from an entrance in an easy spot than right next to it squeezed between two trucks. The path of least resistance works with Quordle, too.

Anyway, the rarely spotted letter K aside a fairly standard Quordle without too much stress – or words that haven’t been used since 1812.

Meanwhile, the Daily Sequence was an absolute stinker today, with four words all ending in the same letter and one word containing zero vowels. Congratulations if you completed it.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1100) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1100, are…

• BONEY
• SLYLY
• NANNY
• GODLY

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1099, Monday 27 January: ANGEL, GLOBE, MAYOR, BRAVE
• Quordle #1098, Sunday 26 January: WATER, ORBIT, BRIDE, TOUCH
• Quordle #1097, Saturday 25 January: GIVER, GROOM, GUSTO, MAKER
• Quordle #1096, Friday 24 January: GRIND, STOCK, SERVE, TOUCH
• Quordle #1095, Thursday 23 January: RUGBY, SASSY, WORRY, BANAL
• Quordle #1094, Wednesday 22 January: SLANT, TRUNK, WOOZY, EATEN
• Quordle #1093, Tuesday 21 January: CHART, VIGOR, PRINT, SPAWN
• Quordle #1092, Monday 20 January: SIXTY, THONG, TATTY, ROBIN
• Quordle #1091, Sunday 19 January: WREST, RINSE, SCOUR, CANNY
• Quordle #1090, Saturday 18 January: BLARE, ITCHY, BICEP, PIPER
• Quordle #1089, Friday 17 January: CATCH, WEARY, SWOON, LATHE
• Quordle #1088, Thursday 16 January: PARTY, BLUNT, TWEED, PLANT
• Quordle #1087, Wednesday 15 January: RISEN, PLATE, RURAL, ENVOY
• Quordle #1086, Tuesday 14 January: SWARM, SCRAP, ONION, BELCH
• Quordle #1085, Monday 13 January: EYING, GIDDY, CHEAP, PETAL
• Quordle #1084, Sunday 12 January: BRIEF, PETAL, WOMAN, FELON
• Quordle #1083, Saturday 11 January: ASCOT, FIBER, ROGUE, SMELL
• Quordle #1082, Friday 10 January: BIGOT, INLET, LEECH, TUNIC
• Quordle #1081, Thursday 9 January: RESET, HUMOR, TENOR, IMAGE
• Quordle #1080, Wednesday 8 January: MINCE, SADLY, RISEN, VOUCH

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #597) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• DEMON
• LAUGH
• JOKER
• AIRHEAD
• CARD
• BAND
• CHESS
• DUMBBELL
• SNICKER
• CHARACTER
• MAT
• MAR
• BUMP
• MOUND
• DIAL
• BENCH

NYT Connections today (game #597) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Ha-ha-ha
• GREEN: Home gym 
• BLUE: Sweets missing something
• PURPLE: You “need” to add this

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #597) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: FUNNY PERSON 
• GREEN: RESISTANCE TRAINING EQUIPMENT 
• BLUE: CANDY BARS MINUS "S" 
• PURPLE: SPEED ___ 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #597) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #597, are…

• YELLOW: FUNNY PERSON CARD, CHARACTER, JOKER, LAUGH
• GREEN: RESISTANCE TRAINING EQUIPMENT BAND, BENCH, DUMBBELL, MAT
• BLUE: CANDY BARS MINUS "S" AIRHEAD, MAR, MOUND, SNICKER
• PURPLE: SPEED ___ BUMP, CHESS, DEMON, DIAL

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

I really struggled today and I doubt I’m alone. JOKER, CARD and CHARACTER are fine for FUNNY PERSON, but LAUGH? I wasted two mistakes on that one. I know if someone is funny, you might say they’re a good “laugh” but it still feels like a verb in a group of nouns.

Oh well, I’ll get over it!

Meanwhile, I took ages to get the CANDY BARS MINUS “S” as both MOUND(S) and AIRHEAD(S) are not available in the UK, where I’m based, and I was instead drawn to linking MOUND with BUMP. I’m pretty sure Mounds are the same as our Bounty bars, but I’m not sure if there’s a European equivalent of Airheads.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, 27 January, game #596)

• YELLOW: SMALL AMOUNT OF FOOD TO TRY BITE, MOUTHFUL, SAMPLE, TASTE
• GREEN: PROTECTIVE COVERINGS IN NATURE BARK, SCALES, SHELL, SKIN
• BLUE: "EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL" EXTRA, OIL, OLIVE, VIRGIN
• PURPLE: SEEN IN "THE SHINING" AXE, HEDGE MAZE, TWINS, TYPEWRITER

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #331) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Stable supply

NYT Strands today (game #331) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• SHORE
• ROPE
• SOAP
• RUSH
• NEAR
• SHINE

NYT Strands today (game #331) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Ride that pony

NYT Strands today (game #331) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: right, 4th row

Last side: left, 3rd row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #331) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #331, are…

• CROP
• REINS
• SADDLE
• HARNESS
• BRIDLE
• SPURS
• SPANGRAM: HORSEBACK RIDING

• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 hint

Apart from having the longest Spangram I've ever seen – beating last September’s ROOT VEGETABLES with 15 letters – today’s Strands was a walk, or should we say ride, in the park. Let me know if you’ve seen a longer one.

Naturally, I was hoping that a nosebag would be on the list. Although it is not really something you’d need for HORSEBACK RIDING, I enjoy how it’s become slang for mindlessly eating snacks. Something I may do now and then!

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, 27 January, game #330)

• SLOTS
• CRAPS
• POKER
• BLACKJACK
• ROULETTE
• BACCARAT
• SPANGRAM: GAMBLING

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Snap players can thank TikTok for all these free goodies.

• iOS 18.3 is out now for all users, alongside a few other Apple software updates.
• For the first time, this update enables Apple Intelligence by default.
• This update rolls out a fix for Notification Summaries and improvements to Visual Intelligence.

After a few weeks of developer and public betas, Apple finally released iOS 18.3 to the public today – meaning that if you have an iPhone capable of running the software, you can install it as an over-the-air update right now.

It also delivers two significant improvements to Apple Intelligence and turns on the suite of features by default. Still, in the world of Apple Software Updates, iOS 18.3 stands as a smaller one that does more work under the hood rather than providing flashy new features.

Apple also released several updates for its other devices: iPadOS 18.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3, and watchOS 11.3. Updates for the Apple Vision Pro, the HomePod and HomePod mini, and the Apple TV 4K also dropped, so now is a good time to check for updates.

The big change, though, with Apple's most recent software updates is that Apple Intelligence is being enabled by default. So, if you don't want the ChatGPT integration for Siri, Image Playground, custom emojis, writing tools, or notification summaries, in that case, you'll need to navigate to Settings and turn off the suite of features.

(Image credit: Future)

Leading the feature pack with iOS 18.3 are new tricks for Visual Intelligence. Initially teased in September 2024 when Apple first unveiled the iPhone 16 lineup, the Camera Control could do a bit more beyond taking photos, including letting you take a picture of anything and either search for it on Google or ask ChatGPT for help.

Now, with iOS 18.3, Visual Intelligence can help you identify a pet – it worked well with my mini Bernedoodle, Rosie – and different types of plants. Further, if you scan a poster or something with a date on it, you can export that right to your calendar to create a new event.

It certainly makes Visual Intelligence more useful. Considering it’s similar to Google Lens and other apps, including ChatGPT’s iOS app, which has become more multi-modal, Apple is certainly looking to improve the experience continuously. It’s also building out Apple Intelligence features; remember, these are all still in beta.

The other Apple Intelligence feature that’s getting an update here is Notification Summaries, and this is the fix or solution that the tech giant promised after the feature caused a few very public issues. You might recall that BBC News called out the feature for summarizing a story about the accused killer of United HealthCare CEO Brian Thompson quite incorrectly.

(Image credit: Future / Apple)

With iOS 18.3, Notification Summaries for ‘News and Entertainment’ apps are off by default, and you can turn the functionality on or off per app. Turning the feature off for news entirely shows that Apple is making some more tweaks under the hood and will likely reenable this when it feels the feature is ready for prime time.

All other apps with notification summaries turned on will be presented in italics to let you know they are being generated through Apple Intelligence.

And if you’ve already been running iOS 18.1 or iOS 18.2, iOS 18.3 will automatically enable Apple Intelligence on your device, assuming it can run it. You can still go into Settings to turn it off, but this is the first time it is being enabled by default, and the same switch-on occurs with macOS Sequoia 15.3 and iPadOS 18.3.

As with most other Apple software updates, iOS 18.3 also includes bug fixes and security updates, so it’s always advisable to keep your iPhone and other Apple devices up to date.

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• Advisory delays leave systems exposed to potential exploitations

As organizations increasingly rely on third-party components and open source libraries to accelerate development processes, experts have warned addressing the security risks associated with these dependencies has become a significant priority.

Endor Labs' 2024 Dependency Management Report explores the evolving challenges in managing software dependencies and vulnerabilities, and analysis of seven programming languages (Java, Python, Rust, Go, C#, .NET, Kotlin, and Scala) found fewer than 9.5% of vulnerabilities in 2024 were considered 'real threats'.

“A lot of organizations are struggling with managing dependency risks," noted Darren Meyer, staff research engineer at Endor Labs. "They're drowning in vulnerability alerts, many of which don't represent relevant risk; researching the alerts is expensive for security teams (and software teams), and trying to fix everything is even more expensive."

Dependency management

Managing dependencies is not a simple task as most software projects rely on multiple layers of dependencies, including first-party code libraries, frameworks, and operational dependencies that support production environments, creating a web of interconnected components - and any vulnerability within this web could expose an organization to significant security risks.

The use of third-party components, particularly open source software, is a common practice in modern software development because it reduces the time developers need to spend writing foundational code, offering pre-built functionalities that accelerate development cycles - but also brings unique security challenges due to vulnerabilities in these external components.

Many security issues stem from "phantom dependencies," or hidden components that are not explicitly documented in the software’s code, and can introduce vulnerabilities that traditional tools fail to detect.

These vulnerabilities aren't helped by the fact that nearly 70% of advisories issued by vulnerability management platforms, such as NIST's NVD, are published after the corresponding security patch is released, with a median delay of 25 days.

Endor also claims that almost half of the advisories in public vulnerability databases lack code-level details, while only 2% provide function-specific vulnerability information, making it difficult for security teams to determine whether known vulnerabilities can be exploited in their applications.

In addition, Endor analysis from 1,250 updates from vulnerable to non-vulnerable versions shows that 24% of fixes require a major version update while 6% of vulnerabilities could be fixed with minor or patch-level updates.

Endor therefore argues that not all vulnerabilities pose the same level of risk, with organizations being advised to focus on the most reachable and exploitable vulnerabilities, as only about 9.5% of vulnerabilities in dependencies are exploitable at the function level.

Reachability analysis, which determines whether a vulnerable function in a dependency is called by the application’s code, emerges as one of the most effective methods for reducing the noise in vulnerability reporting. By focusing on vulnerabilities that have a clear path to being exploited, organizations can reduce their remediation efforts by nearly 90%, according to the report.

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