The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 launched in 2023 with top-notch specs and features, with its main rival being the Pixel Watch 2 for Android users. Fast-forward to 2025, both of these smartwatches have held strong as good options for people in those ecosystems, Samsung and Google, respectively. If you’re a Samsung user (or just Android) and are looking for a deal on a solid smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is just $180.99 (originally $449.99) after a nearly 60% discount from Best Buy. For reference, this model is $329.99 on Amazon right now.

The Galaxy Watch 6 has a 1.3-inch, 2,000-nit bright AMOLED display with a digital bezel for quick scrolling through menus. If you’re looking for the bigger 47mm screen with LTE, that option is also available on Best Buy for $240.99 ( originally $479.99).

With an Android smartwatch, you’ll be getting all the latest Wear OS features. Some features specific to the Galaxy Watch 6 include an accelerometer to measure your speed, GPS tracking, a heart rate monitor, a blood oxygen monitor, a temperature sensor, and others. The Galaxy Watch 6 also allows you to make or receive phone calls from your Android phone, regardless of being Bluetooth distance or not.

PCMag thinks the Galaxy Watch 6 is “excellent,” and called it the best Android-compatible smartwatch of 2023. Yes, that’s almost two years ago, but for the price, it’s still a solid option for Samsung users. The biggest downside will be the limited battery life of about 22 hours, depending on your use.

If you like to track your body composition, calendar, daily activity, heart rate, sleep, stress, weather, or workouts, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic will do that for you on a budget. If you want the latest option, the Galaxy Watch 8 is also currently discounted despite just being released this month. But if you’re not attached to the Samsung ecosystem, I highly recommend the Nothing CMF Watch 3 Pro.

Since WWDC 2025 in early June, the tech community has had its attention fixed on iOS 26. It makes sense: Like all major software updates, the new OS will ship with big new features and changes, but this year’s changes are bigger than most, including Apple’s “Liquid Glass” redesign. But despite the hoopla, iOS 26 isn’t the next update coming to your iPhone (unless you install the beta, of course).

But even as Apple has been finalizing its big fall upgrade, it has subsequently been working on a much smaller update that is, as of today, now available to download: iOS 18.6.

Unlike iOS 26, iOS 18.6 doesn’t change much about your overall iPhone experience. That’s to be expected: This is the sixth major update to iOS 18, so there aren’t many features left for Apple to add. In fact, the only new feature to ship with iOS 18.6 applies exclusively to users in the EU. Those users will find an updated experience when downloading apps and app marketplaces from the web. (EU law forced Apple to allow for this app “sideloading” process, while those of us outside Europe are still locked in to Apple’s App Store.)

Instead of big swings, iOS 18.6 seems to be all about stability. You might not know that from the release notes, though. When you hit up the Software Update screen on your iPhone, you’ll see the following note: “This update provides important bug fixes and security updates, and fixes an issue in Photos that could prevent memory movies from being shared.” It’s always good to squash any bugs within iOS, but I’m not sure how many of us were devastated to run into issues sharing memories out of Photos.

iOS 18.6 is a security update

Instead, you need look just below this bug fix to see the key focus of iOS 18.6. Here, Apple shares a link to its security releases website, a page where the company hosts all of the release notes for its security patches. For some reason, Apple does not disclose these security fixes in the general release notes you see on your iPhone. Unless you visit this website, you’ll only see the new features and bug fixes the company discloses in the Software Update page.

If you visit the security notes for iOS 18.6, you’ll see Apple has 24 patches for various issues across the entire OS. The good news is, none of these flaws appear to be zero-days. Those are the most dangerous types of security vulnerabilities: If a flaw is publicly disclosed or actively exploited before Apple has a chance to issue a patch, it invites hackers to use it to target users.

Still, there are some concerning vulnerabilities in this list. There’s an Accessibility flaw that could exploit VoiceOver to read your iPhone’s passcode out loud; a CoreMedia Playback flaw that could allow an app to access your sensitive data; a flaw with Mail that might load remote content even when “Load Remote Images” is disabled, which could let trackers or malicious files work when they’re not supposed to; and a WebKit flaw that could allow a malicious website to “spoof” a URL in your address bar, or, in other words, make you think you’re visiting a legitimate site when you’re really visiting something else entirely.

You can see all 24 flaws listed below, each with what iOS service it affects, its CVE (the identifier used to track the vulnerability), the impact of the flaw, and how it was resolved:

• Accessibility (CVE-2025-31229): Passcode may be read aloud by VoiceOver. A logic issue was addressed with improved checks.

• Accessibility (CVE-2025-43217): Privacy Indicators for microphone or camera access may not be correctly displayed. The issue was addressed by adding additional logic.

• afclip (CVE-2025-43186): Parsing a file may lead to an unexpected app termination. The issue was addressed with improved memory handling.

• CFNetwork (CVE-2025-43223): A non-privileged user may be able to modify restricted network settings. A denial-of-service issue was addressed with improved input validation.

• CoreAudio (CVE-2025-43277): Processing a maliciously crafted audio file may lead to memory corruption. The issue was addressed with improved memory handling.

• CoreMedia (CVE-2025-43210): Processing a maliciously crafted media file may lead to unexpected app termination or corrupt process memory. An out-of-bounds access issue was addressed with improved bounds checking.

• CoreMedia Playback (CVE-2025-43230): An app may be able to access user-sensitive data. The issue was addressed with additional permissions checks.

• ICU (CVE-2025-43209): Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected Safari crash. An out-of-bounds access issue was addressed with improved bounds checking.

• ImageIO (CVE-2025-43209): Processing a maliciously crafted image may result in disclosure of process memory. An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input validation.

• libnetcore (CVE-2025-43202): Processing a file may lead to memory corruption. This issue was addressed with improved memory handling.

• libxml2 (CVE-2025-7425): Processing a file may lead to memory corruption. This is a vulnerability in open source code and Apple Software is among the affected projects.

• libxslt (CVE-2025-7424): Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to memory corruption. This is a vulnerability in open source code and Apple Software is among the affected projects. The CVE-ID was assigned by a third party. Learn more about the issue and CVE-ID at cve.org.

• Mail Drafts (CVE-2025-31276): Remote content may be loaded even when the ‘Load Remote Images’ setting is turned off. This issue was addressed through improved state management.

• Metal (CVE-2025-43234): Processing a maliciously crafted texture may lead to unexpected app termination. Multiple memory corruption issues were addressed with improved input validation.

• Model I/O (CVE-2025-43224/CVE-2025-43221): Processing a maliciously crafted media file may lead to unexpected app termination or corrupt process memory. An out-of-bounds access issue was addressed with improved bounds checking.

• Model I/O (CVE-2025-31281): Processing a maliciously crafted file may lead to unexpected app termination. An input validation issue was addressed with improved memory handling.

• WebKit (CVE-2025-43228: Visiting a malicious website may lead to address bar spoofing. The issue was addressed with improved UI.

• WebKit (CVE-2025-43227): Processing maliciously crafted web content may disclose sensitive user information. This issue was addressed through improved state management.

• WebKit (CVE-2025-31278/CVE-2025-31277/CVE-2025-31273): Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to memory corruption. The issue was addressed with improved memory handling.

• WebKit (CVE-2025-43214/CVE-2025-43213CVE-2025-43212): Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected Safari crash. The issue was addressed with improved memory handling.

• WebKit (CVE-2025-43211): Processing web content may lead to a denial-of-service. The issue was addressed with improved memory handling.

• WebKit (CVE-2025-43265): Processing maliciously crafted web content may disclose internal states of the app. An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input validation.

• WebKit (CVE-2025-43216): Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected Safari crash. A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management.

• WebKit (CVE-2025-6558): Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected Safari crash. This is a vulnerability in open source code and Apple Software is among the affected projects.

How to install iOS 18.6

If you have an iPhone that is compatible with iOS 18, just open Settings and head to General > Software Update. Let this page load for a moment, then follow the on-screen instructions to download and install iOS 18.6.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is out and available at most big retailers, surprisingly with enough stock despite the high demand and tariffs in place. Even more impressive, you can already buy Nintendo Switch 2 games at a discounted price during Woot’s Nintendo sale. Right now, both The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Mario Kart World are $71.99 (originally $79.99). But before you jump into buying them, there might be a better option for you.

If you weren’t aware, you can upgrade some Nintendo Switch games into Nintendo Switch 2 games for about $9.99 for most of them. For some games, doing this makes more sense than buying the Switch 2 game flat out. For example, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for the Nintendo Switch is $47.99 (originally $59.99) right now. With the $9.99 upgrade, you’d just be $56.98 out of pocket, saving you about $15 compared to the Switch 2 version. Keep in mind it’s better to wait to receive the game from Woot first before buying the extension, since there is a small chance the game could be an international version (you need to buy the international version digital code if this is the case). Although this is unlikely since Woot normally is very clear when a product is international, it doesn’t hurt to play it safe.

If you bought the Pokemon Bundle with the Switch 2, this is a good time to snatch Mario Kart World at a discount. But if you don’t have a Switch 2 at all, definitely take advantage of the Mario Kart World Bundle, which offers the best value. It’s unlikely that Nintendo will be discounting their flagship games anytime soon, so take advantage of the building up your Nintendo game library while you can save some bucks.

You can read our review of the Nintendo Switch 2 if you want to decide whether it’s worth getting one or upgrading from the original Switch.

If you have been paying attention to your social feeds of late, you may have heard the recent chatter about Tea, an app that functions like Yelp—but instead of rating and reviewing restaurants and stores, women are passing judgment on men they know. The app has been around since 2023, but for reasons I can’t identify, it rocketed to the top of Apple’s App Store chart this week. It was the first I’d heard of it, and I thought it sounded like an awful idea. And today, my instincts have already been proven right—though not in the way I expected.

It seems 4chan and Reddit users have successfully engineered a data breach, obtaining and disseminating user verification images—including photos of driver’s licenses—that were submitted when women signed up for the service. A spokesperson for the app confirmed to me that, “Tea identified unauthorized access to one of [its] systems and immediately launched a full investigation to assess the scope and impact.” The initial results of this effort suggest “the incident involved a legacy data storage system containing information from over two years ago. Approximately 72,000 images—including approximately 13,000 images of selfies and photo identification submitted during account verification and 59,000 images publicly viewable in the app from posts, comments, and direct messages—were accessed without authorization.”

Basically, things escalated very quickly, going from from viral popularity to a hack within days. Regrettably, I already submitted my own verification image, as I’d intended to write about the suddenly everywhere app. While I am technically still writing about it now, I’m annoyed about my possible inclusion in the breach, though it appears more recently-created accounts may be safe (for now).

If this is all news to you, allow me to, as they say, spill the tea.

What is the Tea app?

Tea is an app that was launched two years ago and which went viral this week, becoming the most-downloaded free app on the Apple App Store. Its tagline is “Dating safely for women” and it advertises that users can “run background checks,” “identify potential catfish,” and “verify he’s not a sex offender,” among other things. A notable feature is the ability to assign a given man a red or green flag, the same way you might append a like or laughing emoji to someone’s Facebook status. Per Tea, you should be able to “find verified green flag men” this way, and avoid a red-flag man.

In practice, it works like this: Women log in with anonymous usernames to rate and review men they have interacted with. You can search for a man to see what other women said about their purported experiences with him. The idea is that women can use the service to vet someone before a first date, dig deeper on a man’s background before getting serious, or find out if a boyfriend is cheating. Men are not allowed to register for accounts on the app at all, so they have no input on what is said about themselves or others.

It functions similarly to “Are We Dating the Same Guy?” Facebook groups and forums that have popped up in major cities in recent years, providing another outlet when women can discuss men they’ve dated with some degree of anonymity. I’ve never liked these groups myself, because while I recognize the value in being able to identify abusers, cheaters, and general fraudsters—and personally know women who have used the groups to do just that, including one who received a tip that helped her uncover legal documentation of prior domestic violence accusations against her now-ex—I worry that the lack of anything resembling due process will leave innocent people open to major reputational damage.

I’m not telling victims to remain silent about abuse they’ve suffered, but it’s not hard to imagine a post about an abusive or narcissistic man might have actually been written by a jealous friend, a competitive co-worker, or a jilted (but otherwise unharmed) ex. A disinterest in inadvertently joining a misinformed mob has generally kept me away from those groups, but when I saw people lodging these same complaints about Tea on social media last night, my interested was piqued, which is when I downloaded it to see what the buzz was about.

The data collected, and what we know about the breach

When I tried to create an account, I was first greeted with a screen that let me know the app was totally anonymous and screenshots were impossible. I screenshotted that message to test it out and it appeared blank in my camera roll. (You know all the old wisdom about how if you have to do something in secret, you maybe shouldn’t be doing it? Yeah.)

Next, Tea asked me to prove I was a woman. Ignoring the rigidity of that framing (and the potential implications for LGBTQ+ people) for the moment, I snapped a selfie with the in-app camera. The picture was hideous—I had just finished my weekly at-home facial peel—but that’s what I get for involving myself in this mess. But I digress. (Actually, I don’t: The fact that I’m upset someone may see something unflattering and private about me without my consent kind of underscores the problem with the app’s basic premise.)

As noted, Tea issued a statement to me and our friends over at CNET saying the hacked photos are from a “legacy data system” containing information that is over two years old, and there is “no evidence” to suggest more recent images or information have been leaked. Honestly, that doesn’t make me feel better. The worst-case scenario for me is that the information is wrong and recent verification photos are out there. The best-case scenario is still one where 13,000 other users have had their data exposed. Still, the Tea rep says the app’s developer has “engaged third-party cybersecurity experts” and is working to secure the system.

“Protecting our users’ privacy and data is our highest priority. Tea is taking every necessary step to ensure the security of our platform and prevent further exposure,” she says. “We are committed to transparency and will provide updates as more information becomes available.”

Eventually, after I took my picture, the app told me I could earn free lifetime access by inviting three other women. I sent one invitation to my own phone number and two to friends, following up with a message that said, “Testing for work, disregard.” One of them was curious and downloaded the app. Now she’s worried about the breach, too, and that’s my fault. When you lie down with dogs…

I still haven’t gotten to try Tea myself

After sending in my selfie, I was put on a waitlist while, supposedly, someone on the Tea staff verified my photo was, I guess, womanly enough. I remained on that waitlist from 7 p.m. last night until this afternoon, but where there once was a message in my app about waiting for verification, I now just see a spinning loading icon. Though the app is still available for download, my own onboarding seems to have stalled, though I can’t say for certain whether that has anything to do with the data breach. (I’ve asked for clarification and will update this story when I hear back.)

For what it’s worth, at no point was I asked to submit a photo of my government ID, though I’m not sure if that would have been the next step after getting off the selfie waitlist or that level of verification has been phased out in favor of the in-app selfie,. From what I’ve seen on social media, though, there are plenty of Tea users’ ID pictures floating around.

At some point, I may still be able to actually access the app, at which point I will provide an update on what it’s like in there.

I saw disaster coming

While I didn’t necessarily expect a vengeance-fueled data breach by internet reactionaries who took issue with Tea’s raison d’etre, I did anticipate things would not turn out well the minute I saw some viral posts about the app. That’s because, at the risk of outing myself as an elder millennial, I’ve seen this all before. In late 2013, I tried an app called Lulu that served almost the same function. It also initially barred men from access, and actually gave women the opportunity to link a man’s personal Facebook details to his Lulu page without his consent. Where Lulu was a bit girlier and took more delight in gossip, Tea claims to be more focused on safety, but they general gist is similar.

Lulu is offline after a 2016 acquisition that saw the removal of the man-rating feature, followed by its quiet exit from the app store, but the app spent some years undergoing massive retooling in response to the initial criticisms leveled against it. It ultimately granted men access and gave them the ability to opt out of being featured. (Other rate-a-man services have also drawn criticisms: At least one man has sued over his inclusion in an “Are We Dating the Same Guy?” group.)

I think I am so put off by Tea because I actually used Lulu when I was in college. It revealed unsavory and disappointing things about some men in my life—but realistically, I wouldn’t have even downloaded the app if I didn’t already harbor suspicions, so what was the point of invading their privacy just to confirm what I already felt, if not knew? Lulu didn’t allow for detailed comment, but it gave users a variety of coy hashtags to apply to a man, ranging from #GlobeTrotter to #TotalF—ingDickhead. It was unnecessarily vindictive, and what’s worse, I didn’t just use it to assess potential romantic partners; out of curiosity and selfishness, I even invaded the privacy of my platonic male friends, who were horrified to learn (from me) that they had nonconsensual profiles on an app they’d never even heard of. After seeing how violated they felt, I deleted it out of guilt.

Don’t rate people

Any “Yelp for People” concept is always going to be a terrible idea, especially when it’s hamfistedly tied to the archaic idea that dating is nothing more than a confrontational battle of the sexes instead of a good-faith effort to get to know potential partners who could enrich your life while delicately sidestepping those who can’t.

But even as I anticipated disaster, I did not anticipate was how fast Tea would crumble, nor how poetically—though certainly I disagree as (or more) vehemently with the release of women’s driver’s license and verification photos as I do with the anonymous rating of men’s personalities. You could say Tea users got a taste of their own medicine, but it’s medicine no one should have been taking in the first place.

Coros, maker of some excellent running watches that rival Garmins in features and accuracy, announced a set of updates that include voice alerts, in-app training plans, and the ability to (finally!) change the number of reps in a strength workout directly from your watch. Here are the highlights: 

Libraries of training plans and workouts in the app

Coros offers pre-built training plans for a variety of goals, like running your first marathon or beating 25 minutes in a 5K race. But until recently, you couldn’t browse and select these from the app. 

Now, you can go into Profile on the Coros app, and select Training Plan Library or Workout Library to see all your options. There are separate tabs for the official offerings from Coros, and for “My Workouts” to show just the ones you’ve created or saved for yourself.

Correcting reps directly from the watch

When you’re doing a strength workout, a Coros watch can attempt to count reps, but it doesn’t always get things right. With the new update, you can now edit the rep count on your watch immediately after the set.

The strength training feature also adds animations for each exercise, but I found that to enable this, I had to go to the Profile tab in the app and tap “Download now” to get the animation files onto my device. The watch helpfully told me how to do this, but it couldn’t download the files during a workout, so I had to end the workout, download the files, and restart.

Voice alerts while you’re running

Previously, a Coros watch could beep to let you know when a turn was coming up on a route you’re following, but unlike a Garmin, it wouldn’t actually speak to you to say “turn left.” Now, voice alerts are available for pace, distance, and upcoming turns, as well as nutrition alerts (reminding you to eat during a run), if you’ve enabled those.

Voice alerts, like exercise animations, also require a file download. Go to Profile, your device, and File Downloads to make sure they’ve been added before your run.

The update also adds more workout modes, including yoga and pilates; an AI chatbot for help; alerts when you’re running a route backwards (and the ability to run it backwards on purpose); and more, including redesigned controls that are intended to be more touchscreen-friendly on touchscreen watches like the Pace Pro. 

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 8 starts shipping today, and I just got my hands on a Watch8 Classic model to start reviewing. You’ll have to wait a bit for the full report, but here’s what I’m enjoying (and questioning) so far. 

I’m new to Galaxy Watches in general, but I’ve reviewed Pixel and Apple watches, not to mention plenty of Garmins and other fitness watches. Here are my first impressions, including the things I like, and the things I’m most excited to test out in the coming days. 

As promised, the Watch 8 Classic comes with a bezel that rotates, and this rotation is tied to scrolling behavior on whatever screen you’re looking at. On the main watch face, it takes you to the notifications or your tiles, which otherwise you would swipe sideways to see. 

The rotating bezel feels really nice to turn: it has a smooth motion with subtle, soft clicks. I showed it to my teenage son, who agreed it felt nice, but then he burst out laughing when I said “and it does the same thing as swiping like this.” 

The bezel isn’t really adding anything to your experience of the watch. I suppose that’s because the same OS is on all the Watch 8 models, but only the Classic has the rotating bezel. It still seems like a waste of effort, though. On watches with buttons and a crown, like a Coros or Suunto running watch, the scroll wheel gives you a way to easily scroll without taking your fingers off the buttons at the right. On the Galaxy, scrolling with the bezel is less convenient than just swiping over the screen. The watch even has a crown-shaped button on the side, which I kept being tempted to scroll. It’s surrounded by bumpers that keep you from getting your thumb and finger around it, which I have to speculate may be an attempt to control that temptation.

I also found the direction of scrolling felt backwards. Scrolling left (counterclockwise) is equivalent to swiping right. At least vertical scrolling makes more sense: clockwise takes you down the page.

Running dynamics actually kinda make sense

Plenty of watches these days will measure your running dynamics: how much time your foot spends on the ground, how much bounce you have in your stride, and so on. (Are they doing this accurately? I’m not so sure, but that’s a different question.) The Pixel watch and many Garmin watches do this as a matter of course.

The Galaxy Watch 8 is the first watch I’ve seen that displays this data in a clear enough way that you can tell what the heck it’s supposed to mean. Check out this result I got in my post-run summary after a trail run this morning: 

Orange metrics need improvement, green are good, and blue are great.
Credit: Beth Skwarecki

There was even a screen during the run that would show my stride’s symmetry in real time. (It was good, apparently.) I do wish they’d call it “symmetry” rather than “asymmetry,” though. I’m curious to see how different these metrics will be when I take it out for a fast road run on flat ground. 

Heart rate zones are transparent and adapt to you

Most devices display your heart rate zones without really telling you how they’re calculated. And, worse, most devices calculate your zones from an age-based formula that is wrong for many people. 

On the Watch 8, when I saw my zones for the first time, there was a little note at the top that they were based on my max heart rate, and the note also gave the number it assumed my max heart rate to be. 

After my run this morning, I got a notification that my max heart rate estimate had increased, based on the fact that the watch had recorded a higher heart rate during my run. Now, I know this isn’t my true max, since I didn’t do an all-out run, but it was nice to see the watch being proactive about keeping its zones up to date and letting me know. 

The watch faces are pretty cool

The watch face at right is the running-specific one it suggested. I like it!
Credit: Beth Skwarecki

I’m a sucker for good aesthetics, so of course one of the first few things I did was to check out the watch face gallery. There were plenty of good ones, including several celestial-themed analog faces. I prefer digital, though, so I chose something with a clearly readable time and plenty of room for data complications. 

The best part, though, is that after my run I got a notification asking if I’d like to try a run-focused watch face. I tapped “Change” and instantly had a watch face that was similar to the one I had picked, but that featured my VO2max estimate, the length of my most recent run, and a button that I could tap to start a run. 

Of course I tried the antioxidant index

Credit: Beth Skwarecki

I think this is clever, but I truly don’t know how accurate it is. To find out how healthy your diet is (in terms of vegetables and their antioxidants) you take off the watch, turn it away from you, and hold your thumb over the heart rate sensor. You can monitor the progress of the test, which only takes a few seconds, from your phone.

The watch is basically looking for an orange tone to your skin. The more orange, the more beta-carotene you’ve probably eaten lately. The more beta-carotene (which is an antioxidant), the more vegetables in general you’ve probably eaten. It’s a bit of a leap of logic. Victoria Song, over at the Verge, fooled this sensor with a Cheez-It.

The watch told me my antioxidant index is “very low.” So my watch thinks I should eat more carrots.

What I’m excited for as I work on my review

I can’t wait to try the running coach. I’ll need to do a 12-minute run (basically, a Cooper test) for the app to understand my fitness level and start prescribing workouts. 

I’m also looking forward to trying out the treadmill feature. It’s always frustrated me how running watches, like Garmins, can’t pull data from treadmills to know how fast you’re going. The Apple Watch has GymKit, which can, but it only works with the native Workout app. I know the treadmills at my gym can sync with Samsung Galaxy watches, so I’m looking forward to seeing whether Samsung can beat Apple on making this data more accessible to more apps.

I’m also curious about (and a bit skeptical of) some of the other metrics, like the vascular load index that Samsung announced. A strange thing about the wearables market is that companies can announce new health metrics that reviewers have no way of easily validating. I can tell you whether a watch measures heart rate as well as a chest strap, and with some effort I can tell you whether it estimates my VO2max as well as a lab test. But what is my antioxidant index really? That’s something you and I may have to give up on really knowing.

Sony’s WH-1000XM6 are my pick for the best premium headphones of 2025. When I reviewed them, I found they excelled in almost every category. But one way I think Sony could improve even these fantastic cans (other than lowering the price), is by making them more user-friendly. When I was testing them, I couldn’t figure out how to use their version of spatial audio, the immersive movie mode that makes it sound like the audio is coming from all around you. So I reached out to Sony to figure it out.

Sony has its own name for spatial audio

Sony calls its spatial audio feature “360 Reality Audio Upmix,” but it’s essentially the same thing: The headphones upmix the audio you’re listening to and process it to create a 3D-like (or spatial audio) effect. This means you can listen to things that are not meant to be immersive and the headphones will do their best to make them sound like they are. And they do a very good job of it.

How to turn on Spatial Audio on WH-1000XM6

To turn on the 360 Reality Audio Upmix feature, open the Sony app and head to “My Device” in the main menu. Under listening mode, select “Cinema.” That’s it. There is no indication within the app that you’re now using the 360 Reality Audio Upmix feature, but you’ll be able to hear the difference right away. It’s more obvious when you pull up a movie with Dolby from a streaming channel like Netflix (or in YouTube audio tests like this one, which will sound pretty cool on your phone).

While the 360 Reality Audio Upmix feature will never match true surround sound, it does a very good job at upmixing non-immersive sound. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how well it works—I just wish Sony would make its app more user-friendly so it was easier to find.

Whether it’s the WAP, the Wednesday, or The Box, TikTok has always been known for its dances, and there are three new steps taking off on the platform: dwerking, pwerking, and bwerking.

As you may have surmised, these new moves are variations of twerking. According to Merriam-Webster, twerking is “sexually suggestive dancing characterized by rapid, repeated hip thrusts and shaking of the buttocks especially while squatting.” Dwerking seems to have been invented by @mojothewzzrd. It’s a male-centric variation of twerking, so it is “sexually suggestive dancing characterized by rapid, repeated hip thrusts and shaking of the (SLANG FOR MALE GENITALIA).” Here’s his video as illustration:

Pwerking soon followed, ie “shaking of the P” and is performed as follows:

Finally, the “B” in “bwerking” stands for “boobs.”

The words may be new, but the trend is part of the long tradition of young people thinking they invented everything. Older folks know that freaky dancing has always been a thing. The pelvic thrust, no matter what you call it, has been a dance move forever (and will drive you in-sa-ay-ay-ayn), and people have been bwerking for at least 100 years, but they used to call it “The Shimmy.”

Some applications just naturally go well together. For me, it’s usually whatever app I’m using to read, and whatever app I’m using to take notes. If you’re the kind of person who always has multiple windows open, however, it can be hard to keep these sorts of program sets together.

This is where Glue, a free and open source application from Ukraine-based developer Andriy Konstantynov, really shines: This application lets you connect any two desktop windows so they remain side by side even as you move them around. If you vertically resize one, the other one will grow or shrink to match it.

The results is that the two windows basically act like one. How useful this is depends entirely on your workflow, but I can imagine all sorts of handy pairings. You could glue your to do list app to your email app, so you can keep your daily tasks top of mind. You could paste your AI application of choice to your browser, or the document you’re working on. Or you could pin a Terminal to your Finder window. The point is, you can connect any two applications in a way that visually suggests they’re part of the same workflow.

How to use Glue on Mac

The gluing process starts by clicking the menu bar icon and clicking “Add Glue,” or by using the keyboard shortcut (F9 by default). After doing this, you can connect any two windows by dragging one into the other—you’ll see a blue glow as one window approaches the other, allowing you to see make sure the connection happens correctly. You can unglue windows either from the menu bar, or by simply shaking one of the two windows with the cursor.

The settings allow you to decide whether the applications will both open when your Mac does, whether to allow the shaking to unglue feature, determine the pixel gap before gluing starts, and set keyboard shortcuts for both gluing and ungluing.

Glue probably isn’t necessary for everyone, but it’s a killer app for people whose brains work a very particular way. If you’re one of them, you’ll wonder how you lived before you could glue two desktop windows together.

First, let me be clear: I am not wishing summer away. I see my friends post absolute nonsense every day, wishing for “sweater weather” and “cozy season,” but I do not support them in any way. I’m only telling you about smart summer clothing storage now, as July winds down, when we have weeks left of warmth and happiness, because it may take you some time to accumulate the necessary organizing items. For now, wear your shorts, your tank tops, and your open-toed shoes with abandon and don’t dwell on the inevitable chill that will come to steal our hot dogs, lobster rolls, and tans. Just be prepared, is all I’m saying. Here’s how to stash away your summertime finery if you live in a smaller spot (or even in a bigger place where you just don’t want the clutter).

Vacuum-sealed bags are excellent

If you’re short on space but don’t want to rent a storage locker, you’re going to need to make your summer clothes as small as possible. What’s nice about that is that summer clothes are already smaller than the larger winter garments you have to creatively store during the warmer months. You can fit a bunch of summer attire into vacuum-sealed bags, which is what my mom always did when I was growing up. Granted, she just stuck our stuff into actual garbage bags and used her vacuum hose to suck the air out, but that wasn’t the sturdiest option—though it was certainly innovative and economical. You’re better off getting bags designed for this kind of thing, like these:

I like these because you get a variety of sizes. A jumbo bag is better for, say, beach blankets, while a small one can keep swimsuits organized. As with any kind of organization, you should opt to keep similar items together in the same container, so the variety here is helpful. These bags get unbelievably small when you suck the air out of them; you can stack them on a shelf and take up much less room than if you were stacking the clothes there on their own.

Small hanging shelves are an overlooked option

There are a few different ways I organize my closet. I always do it by color, but I also do it by necessity, with the things I need access to during a certain season or event up front. There’s no reason to dig around in the back of the closet and create a mess for myself when I’m getting ready, so I swap things around every once in a while. Something that’s been helpful for me has been getting a small hanging shoe organizer and keeping it at the back of the closet for holding things that don’t need to be out at a given time. It looks like this:

This doesn’t take up much space, but gives you a several shelves and compartments on which to pile smaller-sized items, like shorts and sandals. It’s an especially good option if you are going to take any warm vacations over the winter and don’t want to wrangle the appropriate clothing out of a vacuum-sealed bag. The items are within reach, but still contained in a small section of the closet. For reference, I keep all my sandals and flats in one of these year-round. It’s just so much smarter than trying to find space for them on my main shoe rack and it takes up so little space.

Storage furniture is always my favorite choice

I’m a huge fan of storage furniture, which is well-documented at this point, but where I find it shines the most is when I need to stash away something I won’t look at for months. I recommend picking up a simple storage ottoman—which can be small like a footstool or long like a bench, depending on your needs—and rotating your seasonal clothes in and out of it. Some things just don’t need to be in the closet all year long, but it’s hard to figure out where else to put them. Why not hide them away inside something that provides a secondary use? Try something like this:

Personally, my space is so small that I don’t have the larger, bench-sized version, but I get excellent use out of my smaller ottoman. I have one just like this. It’s just right for t-shirts, tank tops, and shorts, but up until recently, I stored a lot of my at-home workout equipment (like dumbbells and yoga blocks) in there. This week, I moved all of that to a new shelf behind my Peloton, freeing up the ottoman for its inevitable use as a summer clothing repository.

Don’t overlook your luggage

This is a go-to hack of mine that I’ve mentioned before and I stand by still: When you have out-of-season clothing, why not store it inside your luggage? Your suitcases and duffel bags are already taking up space and they’re one of those necessary evils that you can’t really condense, but also can’t get rid of. Put them to work. If and when you take a trip, just remove whatever is inside, but during the colder months when you’re more likely to head somewhere warm, sometimes you don’t even have to take everything out. You’re just packing (well) in advance of your trip. How smart of you!

Or consider downsizing

While you’re packing all of that up, take a few minutes to consider whether you really need it. End-of-season clothing clear-outs are a staple for me. First of all—especially in summer—so many clothes are trend-based. You can’t guarantee that the stuff you’re putting all this energy into storing for the winter is even going to be worth wearing nine months from now. You also can’t guarantee you’ll maintain your same measurements or even like some of these garments then. You know what you can guarantee? That they go to a good home, potentially earning you money and, crucially, decluttering your space.

I am a dedicated reseller, meaning I’m constantly going through my things to determine what I can sell online. There are all kinds of apps you can use for this and all you have to do is snap a few pictures, fill in a few details, set a price, and ship out whatever sells. My favorite app is Poshmark, but you have options here. As you’re storing things away, take a few nice photos and list what you don’t think you’ll need next year. Cycling your clothing at the end of every season is an excellent opportunity to downsize. If you’re struggling to decide whether you should keep something or get rid of it, I have a few tips. First, ask yourself some questions like, “When was the last time I wore this?” and “Do I want the responsibility of managing this item?” Building the habit of routinely severing your emotional attachment to possessions and decluttering can only serve your best interests—especially if you live in a tight space. My second tip is to just go ahead and list it on a resale app, but price it a little high. That’s what I do when I still like, say, a pair of shoes but they’re taking up a little too much space and I’m not wearing them that often. I’ll still wear them while they’re listed on my Poshmark (though I update the listing if they sustain any scuffs or damage), I feel a relative sense of safety with their high price, and eventually, I get over whatever lingering attachment I have and just mark them down to a normal price. Even just having them listed helps move the process of getting over them along. Sometimes, they’ll sell at the high price, which I personally choose to interpret as a sign I was meant to get rid of them all along—the extra money helps ease the pain.