Category: Technology

iOS 16 was announced in June with multiple new features, including a new lock screen with widgets, revamped notifications, improved Focus mode, options to edit and unsend messages in iMessage, and more. This week the company released iOS 16 beta 5 to developers, and it came with a surprise: the battery percentage for modern iPhones. However, the once beloved feature now seems quite controversial.

The battery percentage is back

iPhone 3GS was the first iPhone to show the exact battery percentage in the status bar for users. Since then, every iPhone had the option to show the battery percentage, until 2017. Due to the new design of the iPhone X, which was the first to feature an edge-to-edge display with a notch at the top, some interface elements had to be removed from the status bar.

The battery percentage was one of these elements. Starting with the iPhone X, users had to open the Control Center to see the full battery indicator. Apple has never commented on this decision, but many users argue that seeing the battery percentage all the time made them anxious.

In the meantime, developers have created multiple solutions to bring the battery percentage back to modern iPhones using jailbreak tools. Apple never seemed to care about this, until now. The latest beta version of iOS 16 brings battery percentage back to modern iPhones. But there are a few catches.

Not everyone seems to like it

The thing is, not everyone seems to like the new implementation of the battery percentage in iOS 16. That’s because it is indeed a bit confusing. As detailed by 9to5Mac’s José Adorno, the battery icon doesn’t match the battery percentage as it drains. This can easily make users believe that the battery is still full while it’s not.

The icon only changes when the battery level drops to 20%, then it becomes red and empty. For now, Apple is making the feature optional, so you can disable it if you don’t like it. However, turning on Low Power Mode will make the system show the battery percentage. Another thing to keep in mind is that battery percentage is not available for iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 mini, and iPhone 13 mini.

Personally, the new implementation seems lazy to me. Apple could have done much better than this, especially for a feature that took five years to be introduced. Of course, we’re talking about beta software, so things might change until the official release of iOS 16 next month.

What are your thoughts on the battery percentage in iOS 16?

Now we would like to know your thoughts on this. Do you think that Apple’s implementation of battery percentage in modern iPhones is good enough? Or do you think the company could have done better? Let us know in the poll and comments section below.

Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:

Meta’s expanding end-to-end encryption on its Messenger platform. The company is now testing the privacy feature as the default setting for certain chats, as announced in a Thursday press release. E2E encryption is the gold standard for online data privacy. With E2E, messages can theoretically only be viewed by the sender and intended recipient(s) — even Meta shouldn’t be able to see the content of chats sent with this level of encryption.

Though the company first introduced E2E encryption as an option in 2016, this is the platform’s first major step towards actually making the privacy setting the default — something that’s critical for users’ true online security.

Previously, Meta has indicated that default E2E is the ultimate goal for Facebook and beyond, yet the timing of today’s announcement is hard to ignore. It comes in the immediate aftermath of news that Meta shared Messenger chats with police in a criminal case concerning a 17-year-old’s abortion.

The Nebraska teenager and her mother are facing multiple felony charges after allegedly using medication to induce an abortion after 20-weeks, which is illegal in the state. A significant part of the case against the two are Messenger chats that Meta handed over to Nebraska police in compliance with a search warrant, which seems to discuss the mother and daughters’ plans for medication abortion and disposing of evidence.

The company faced public backlash over the news, and has responded by denying it knew the case was about abortion. But if those messages had been encrypted from the start, neither the company nor the police would’ve easily been able to read them.

Meta did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment, but a company spokesperson, Alex Dziedzan told Wired that, “This is not a response to any law enforcement requests.” He further added, “we’ve had this date in the diary for months, but the short notice is because Messenger product teams have been finalizing the tests that are going live. These tests will start [Thursday]. We want people to hear about these tests from us before they see changes in the app.”

The Test Specifics

Currently, during testing, E2E is only the default “between some people”. Which means, if you’re in the test group, only some of your most frequent conversations will convert to default encryption. In their statement, Meta clarified that message histories will still be viewable, and that users will still be able to report messages to the platform if they are in violation of Meta policies.

Along with default E2E, the company announced a few other encryption-related tests and updates. Meta said it’s also testing a “secure storage feature” for backing up encrypted messages, and allowing those message histories to be transferred between devices. “As with end-to-end encrypted chats, secure storage means that we won’t have access to your messages, unless you choose to report them to us,” the company wrote.

Further changes include the end of “vanish mode” in Messenger, an encryption verification feature, and an expansion of opt-in E2E encryption on Instagram. Meta is also moving to bring more features to its encrypted messaging, and said that deleted messages will soon sync across platforms, that it will test the ability to unsend messages, and that the company is planning to make accessing E2E encrypted calls through Messenger easier.

Taken together, the changes are a big move for user security on Meta’s platforms. But remember that tech companies’ privacy promises aren’t always what they seem, and there’s the perennial risk the government could get in the way.

Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 Official Now: Price, Specifications, and Unboxing

On the evening of August 11, Lei Jun officially released a new generation of Xiaomi MIX Fold 2 foldable screen flagship at his annual speech this year, which is a folding screen product brought by Xiaomi again after more than a year.

MIX Fold 2 in the form of folding is still the use of horizontal folding, but the overall configuration and appearance have changed notably, which we will look at in detail.

First of all, the most important part of the screen, Xiaomi MIX Fold 2’s external screen is a 6.56-inch micro-curved screen, Samsung E5 light-emitting material AMOLED, 2520 × 1080 resolution, P3 color gamut, support Dolby Vision, HDR10+ , 8 million: 1 contrast ratio, 10bit color depth, support for front and rear ambient light sensor, and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection.

The inner screen unfolds to a large 8.02-inch Eco² OLED screen with second-generation LTPO and Pol-less technology support, 2160×1914 resolution, P3 color gamut, 8 million:1 contrast ratio, front and rear ambient light sensor support, UTG glass, Dolby Vision, HDR10+.

The most important thing is that this time the inner and outer screen will finally not have a cut-throat experience, both support a 120Hz high refresh rate and open and close without the slightest stutter. From all the parameters of the screen, the machine has undoubtedly reached the top level in the folding screen, which can bring a very excellent visual experience.

Camera, Xiaomi MIX Fold 2 is equipped with a rear horizontal triple camera lens combination, the three lenses are a 50-megapixel IMX766 main camera, 1/1.56 large base, 2.0um four-in-one fusion large pixel, F1.8, support SMA OIS optical stabilization, 7P lens; 13-megapixel ultra-wide angle camera, F2.4, FOV123°, 5P lens, equivalent to 15mm focal length; 8MP 2X portrait telephoto lens, F2.6, 45mm focal length equivalent. The front lens is 20MP.

It is worth mentioning that this time Xiaomi Mi MIX Fold 2 also supports Leica imaging system, including Leica Classic and Leica Vivid dual quality, as well as Leica Master lens package, classic filters, and so on, enjoying the same effect of the 12S series .

The core processor is naturally a new Snapdragon 8+ Gen1, we are all very familiar with the first model the Xiaomi 12S Series, RAM and ROM are full-fledged LPDDR5 6400Mbps, and a new generation of UFS 3.1 storage, the current flagship cell phone’s performance iron triangle.

Battery capacity, MIX Fold 2 uses a 4500mAh dual battery in parallel and supports 67W wired fast charging, the official claim that the fastest is 40 minutes to 100%, and 38 percent in 10 minutes.

Xiaomi also has a large screen adaptation of all system applications on the MIX Fold 2 and supports three fingers fast split screen, multiple small windows, sidebar fast small windows, and another large screen unique experience.

Another configuration, MIX Fold 2 also equipped with 2520mm² large area VC homogeneous plate + 3715mm² boron nitride cooling film + 9249mm² high-density graphite sheet cooling system, multi-functional NFC, infrared remote control, linear motor, Harman Kardon professional tuning, support Dolby Atoms, Hi-Res certification, Hi-Res Wireless Certification, etc.

The dimensions of the machine are 161.6 × 73.9 × 11.2mm, weight 262g, after unfolding the thickness of the phone is only 5.4mm, said to be the slimmest phone is not too much, the system is MIUI Fold 13, the color scheme has two types of moon shadow black and starburst gold.

The last is the price, Xiaomi MIX Fold 2 price for 12GB + 256GB is 8999 yuan, 12GB + 512GB is 9999 yuan, 12GB + 1TB is 11999 yuan. And there is also a package version, which includes a 1TB version of Mix Fold 2 + Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro + Xiaomi Buds 4 Pro + carrying case.

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Nintendo’s multiplayer-focused Kirby game, Dream Buffet, will release for Nintendo Switch next week, the company announced on Thursday.

Dream Buffet will release on the Nintendo eShop in Japan on Wednesday, August 17 for 1500 yen ($11.30), Nintendo announced during a 30^th anniversary concert held in Tokyo.

No international release date was confirmed, but it’s likely to share similar timing.

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Announced last month, Kirby’s Dream Buffet is a multiplayer game where players compete against each other by rolling their Kirbys around food-filled stages.

According to Nintendo, the game will consist of four levels, and the aim is to eat as much food as possible throughout.

“Kirby’s Dream Buffet finds a gang of Kirbys rolling through a smorgasbord of food-themed stages in four rounds of frantic multiplayer fun,” a Nintendo statement reads.

“Players will race each other through these delicious obstacle courses to collect strawberries as Kirby grows, bumping other players off the stage and using familiar Copy Abilities – or Copy Food Abilities, as they are called here – to thwart the competition.

Nintendo claims the game “offers accessible gameplay for players of all skill levels, but also presents a healthy challenge for those looking to satiate their craving for friendly competition.”

Kirby’s Dream Buffet follows on the heels of Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby’s critically-acclaimed 3D platforming debut.

VGC’s Kirby and the Forgotten Land review calls it “another accomplished charmer from HAL’s inhalatory hero,” adding: “The platforming won’t give Mario any restless nights, but the exuberant creativity around it makes for a bold, buoyant adventure.”

Image: Square Enix

VR modder Luke Ross brings the next popular video game to virtual reality. This time, fans of the Final Fantasy series can rejoice.

In 1997, Square Enix brought Final Fantasy to the third dimension for the first time. The 3D graphics of Final Fantasy VII on the first PlayStation have aged poorly, but the game remained one of the most popular spin-offs of the series for many years.

This unwavering popularity led developer studio Square Enix to announce a three-part remake in 2015. Part one, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergradewas released in spring 2020, and the sequel, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, is scheduled for release on PC and PlayStation 5 next winter. You can sweeten the wait now with a VR mod for the first part.

Luke Ross releases VR mod for Final Fantasy VII Remake

For fans of VR modder Luke Ross, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is now playable in virtual reality. However, Ross himself warns that the mod is the ultimate VR sickness test and could hit you pretty hard.

“The camera movements are so wild, even I am left breathless every now and then,” Ross writes on his Patreon blog. His VR mod for Elden Ring, he says, is more leisurely in comparison. So you need a strong stomach to enjoy this VR mod without motion sickness.

Publisher threatens VR modder with lawsuit

On his Patreon channel, Ross currently has over 2,000 supporters who pay $10 per month to get access to his latest VR mods. In an interview with MIXED, Ross reveals that he makes a good income thanks to his mods. However, that wouldn’t be much money for a major game maker.

However, one of those publishers, Take Two, doesn’t want Ross to make money from its games. In July, Take Two’s lawyers threatened an ultimatum and sent Ross a cease-and-desist letter. The reason: alleged copyright infringements. Among other things, the VR modder brought GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 to virtual reality, two of the biggest game hits from Take Two’s portfolio.

Ross seeks talks with Take Two

To counteract the threat of his Patreon account being suspended and his revenue stream drying up, Ross took the VR mods in question offline.

However, according to his latest blog post, the modder is trying to find a solution that makes sense for both sides. A return of the VR mods for GTA V, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Mafia Definitive Edition seems unlikely despite all efforts.

Ross writes, “I’m still trying to open a communication channel with them in order to negotiate an agreement, although I have to say that they really can’t seem to be bothered to reach a solution that doesn’t leave their own customers. hanging out to dry.”

Read more about high-quality VR mods in our guide PC VR Mods for gaming hits.

Note: Links to online stores in articles can be so-called affiliate links. If you buy through this link, MIXED receives a commission from the provider. For you the price does not change.

Guides

How long Valorant servers take to come back online.

Ranked games are at the core of the Valorant experience, and when so naturally, when they’re not available to play, everyone is wondering why the competitive Valorant queue is disabled. Here’s what we know about the issue, which is currently preventing anybody from playing the game’s competitive mode.

Why Are Competitive Valorant Queues Disabled? answered

Valorant’s competitive queues are no longer down. The issues that were plaguing the game yesterday have been resolved.

The exploit has been fixed. Competitive queues are back up and running! https://t.co/q77VWn47jT

— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) August 10, 2022

For those not up to speed, the queues were disabled yesterday due to the launch of Patch 5.03, which introduced changes to the game’s engine and therefore required extended maintenance.

However, there was then a subsequent bug/exploit following the patch deployment that caused the developers to quickly take the servers down while they work on a fix. The bug is a flash exploit that allowed players to become invulnerable to flashes by changing a setting in the menu.

We’re disabling the Competitive queue while we work to fix an exploit that bypasses the flash effect from Agent abilities. We’ll update as soon as we’re back.

— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) August 10, 2022

How Long Is Valorant Server Maintenance? answered

When it comes to server maintenance for updates, the servers will be down for just a short period of time, no longer than 10-50 minutes; the actual time of day it’s down, though, will be different depending on which region you’re playing the game. In Europe, for example, the maintenance has already ceased and servers are back online, whereas in the Asia/Pacific region the maintenance is still ongoing.

However, in the case of a bug, server maintenance can take longer. When the development team encounters unexpected issues after the launch of a new patch, such as the flash exploit that is currently plaguing the game, it could take several hours to fix.

Typically, if you look at the top-left-hand corner of the menu screen when attempting to enter a competitive lobby, you will actually see a reference to whatever the issue is at hand. Riot typically makes note of any issues such as this on its Twitter channel, too, as highlighted above.

That’s everything there is to know about why the competitive Valorant queue is disabled. For more Valorant content, why not read our latest editorial about why deathmatch is somehow worse despite recent changes? You can also check out the full list of patch notes for the game’s most recent update here.