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Apple has continued its trend of giving users more creative freedom over how their iPhones look and feel, and one of the most striking new customization options in iOS 26 is the ability to stretch the clock on your lock screen. The feature, part of Apple’s refreshed design language for iPhone software, allows the time to expand across more of the screen, giving it a bold, modern appearance. Whether you prefer the minimalist look of small numerals or the dramatic impact of an oversized clock, iOS 26 makes it easy to adjust your lock screen style to suit your taste.

This new resizing option is officially referred to as “adaptive time,” and it transforms what used to be a static lock-screen element into something that feels more fluid and responsive. By dragging a simple on-screen handle, you can expand or shrink the size of the time display, creating a distinctive visual effect that gives your lock screen a fresh new personality.

How to stretch your lock-screen clock

To access the stretch option, start by waking your iPhone and remaining on the lock screen. Instead of unlocking the device, press and hold anywhere on the display to enter customization mode. This brings up a carousel of your saved lock screens, allowing you to edit the one that’s currently active. Tap “Customize,” then choose the “Lock Screen” option to enter the editor.

Once the editing screen appears, tap directly on the clock. This will bring up the familiar font and color panel introduced in earlier versions of iOS. To make the stretch feature available, the first font option (the default and leftmost style) must be selected. It should also be set to use the Arabic Western script. After confirming these settings, tap the clock again to close the font panel.

If the wallpaper supports the feature, a small circular drag handle will appear in the lower-right corner of the clock. Touch and hold this handle, then drag it downward to stretch the clock. The digits will expand in real time as you move your finger. When you’re happy with the size, release the handle. To save your changes, tap “Done” in the top-right corner of the screen. Exiting customization mode will reveal your new, enlarged clock on the lock screen.

If the stretch feature doesn’t appear, the issue is usually related to the font or wallpaper. Some wallpapers, particularly those with subjects that fill the upper portion of the frame, limit how much the clock can expand. If the image leaves little open space, iOS hides the handle to prevent the time from overlapping key parts of the photo. Switching to a simpler or more spacious wallpaper usually resolves this.

Understanding the stretched clock feature

In previous versions of iOS, the lock-screen clock was fixed in place. Regardless of the wallpaper used, its size and position remained the same. iOS 26 changes that by introducing a resize handle that appears on the bottom-right corner of the clock once the screen is in edit mode. When this handle is dragged downward, the digits expand, allowing the time to stretch dramatically toward the center of the screen. The feature works in both directions, meaning the clock can also be shrunk back to its previous size if the stretched look is too much for you.

The stretched clock effect works best with the new Liquid Glass interface design Apple introduced in iOS 26. This approach blends the clock’s font with the background, creating a subtle depth effect where the time appears to hover over the wallpaper. However, the resizing tool is not available on every setup. It only works when specific conditions are met, including the use of the default clock font and the standard Arabic Western script. If any other font or script is selected, the stretch handle will not appear.

Troubleshooting and limitations

The stretch function in iOS 26 is a visual adjustment, not a full-scale redesign of the lock screen, and there are a few limitations to be aware of. It works only with the default clock font, and changing the typeface or script will remove the resize option entirely. Users who rely on different numeral styles or custom fonts won’t see the handle appear. Similarly, widgets can interfere with resizing if they occupy too much space beneath the clock. Removing them temporarily can make it easier to adjust the clock size.

Some users have reported that the stretch handle disappears after software updates or when certain Focus modes are active. However, restarting your iPhone or disabling those modes typically restores it. As this is a relatively new feature, Apple may still be refining how it behaves across different iPhone models and lock-screen setups.

The visual impact of the stretched clock depends largely on your wallpaper. Minimal backgrounds with clean space at the top allow the time to expand without cluttering the screen. Complex or busy images tend to reduce the effect, as the clock will automatically adjust its transparency and positioning to stay readable. The stretched design looks particularly polished on wallpapers that match Apple’s new Liquid Glass aesthetic, where colors subtly blend through the numerals for a semi-transparent glow.

Making the most of your stretched clock

While the stretch feature is primarily cosmetic, it contributes to the broader trend of personalization across iOS. Apple’s lock-screen customization tools now include options for widgets, depth-aware wallpapers, color filters and dynamic animations, giving users more control than ever over their device’s appearance. The stretched clock fits naturally into this toolkit, offering an easy way to change the entire mood of your lock screen in seconds.

For users who prefer a bold, modern design, the larger clock size provides immediate impact and better visibility. Those who favor a more minimalist layout can keep it subtle by dragging the handle upward to restore the smaller, classic look. Whatever your preference, the process is reversible and quick, meaning you can experiment freely without losing your original layout.

Apple’s focus with iOS 26 is clearly on personalization and polish. The stretched clock may seem like a small detail, but it captures the overall philosophy behind this update, blending design flexibility with simple, intuitive gestures. With just a few taps and a short drag, your iPhone’s lock screen can transform into something uniquely yours, whether that’s a subtle enhancement or a bold statement across the display.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/how-to-stretch-the-clock-on-your-lock-screen-in-ios-26-130032926.html?src=rss 

Store pages on Steam are looking a lot less cramped thanks to a new update. Pages have been made wider, with support for higher resolution images and new viewing modes for trailers and screenshots. You’ll notice changes in the top carousel and in the “About the Game” section, where some new formatting options should make things look a bit more organized. The update just rolled out to the public after first being tested among beta users.

With this update, pages have been widened to 1200 pixels, which Valve says “felt like a good balance where we can show more content on screen without overwhelming the page and making it hard to navigate.” There’s now the option of a large pop-up view called theater mode in the carousel, as well as full-screen mode. In addition to games’ store pages, Valve has slightly tweaked the appearance of search results and recommendation pages to be wider, and made store hubs, Steam Charts and the News Hub look more uniform.

You may also notice some more colorful backgrounds on games’ store pages and in bundle detail pages. Where you won’t see changes yet, though, is the homepage. While Valve says it’s working on “similar adjustments” for the homepage, those aren’t rolling out with this update.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/steam-store-pages-get-a-mini-makeover-to-better-suit-wide-screens-200142506.html?src=rss 

The next major update for Halo Infinite will also be its last. Halo Studios, which is part of Microsoft’s Xbox Game Studios, has announced that it’s rolling out Operation: Infinite on November 18. It’s going to be the last major update for the first-person shooter, because the whole team will now be focusing on the “multiple Halo titles” under development.

Xbox previously announced that it’s releasing Halo: Campaign Evolved, a remake of the first game in the franchise, Halo: Combat Evolved, sometime in 2026. It will be available for the Xbox, PC and PS5. According to unverified reports, Halo Studios is also working on a new multiplayer live service project similar to Fortnite.

Operation: Infinite will double the earning rate for Career Rank and Spartan Points. The final free Operation Pass will have no expiration date and will unlock three new armor sets. Upgrading to the 100-tier Premium Pass will give players the chance to unlock “five more unique armor sets, six weapon models and over 30 exclusive Spartan customizations.” The last major update will also add a new asymmetrical map for select Ranked modes.

While Operation: Infinite is the game’s last major update, Halo Infinite will still have a rotating selection of daily and weekly challenges, as well as a new slate of Ranked Seasons for those who want to keep playing it.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/halo-infinite-will-get-its-last-major-content-update-on-november-18-130000955.html?src=rss 

Nothing brings people together in uncertain times quite like food. Get to talking and laughing and reminiscing over a meal, and suddenly things don’t seem so bleak anymore, even if only temporarily. A Pizza Delivery is all about rediscovering the spark through these little moments of human connection — just strangers bonding over a slice of pizza, and regaining a bit of hope in the process. It’s wistful and heartfelt in a kind of vague, nonspecific way, with some beautiful scenery and an atmospheric soundtrack to really hammer home the vibes. 

Still, while A Pizza Delivery feels close to achieving its goals, it could use more polishing to fully get there. It’s not a bad way to spend a couple of hours on a cozy evening in, but you’ll have to look past the parts where it’s a little broken. 

A Pizza Delivery begins with its main character, B, delivering a pizza to an apartment in a strange building in the middle of nowhere. Then a pay phone outside rings, and B’s boss tells her there’s just one last delivery she has to make. But, there’s a spare pizza pie in her scooter’s cargo box too, to share slices with anyone else she comes across during the journey.

The place B has found herself in is not normal reality, but “a space where people go when they are stuck in life, feeling empty and unfulfilled.” Each area seems its own wholly distinct little world: an empty city, a broken down factory that sits beneath dancing auroras, a prairie where a sole cottage stands among a smattering of sunflowers. You must explore the ins and outs of each area to help get B to her final destination and piece together her story, collecting items and solving some light puzzles to unlock whatever comes next. 

What this game really has going for it is the mood. There’s a kind of Wristcutters: A Love Story feeling to the whole thing that I couldn’t help but latch onto. The offbeat, crestfallen characters you encounter each have their own sad story to tell, but after a bit of conversation and a slice of pizza, they’re off to (hopefully) make a fresh start and reclaim their lives. The general sense is that B will have the same opportunity if she can push through and complete her mission.

And we did get there in the end, but there were some serious hiccups along the way. Controlling B’s scooter is a somewhat clunky experience, and if you make the mistake of dismounting while it’s still moving, B will end up stuck in a cursed, floating arabesque that won’t let up for an indeterminable amount of time. I found myself repeatedly trapped in this broken position when trying to switch from riding the scooter to walking. The alternative is to come to a full stop and wait out the subsequent animation, which involves B very slowly parking and engaging the kickstand. 

A still from A Pizza Delivery showing a blizzard scene, with the character seen trudging through low visibility toward the red light of a pay phone

Most of the puzzles were fairly easy to figure out, but one in which B has to trudge through a blizzard seemed to have no rhyme or reason behind it and almost made me rage-quit the game. Instead, I stepped away for a few hours and came back to it later, and only made it out after an extremely frustrating 45 minutes or so of wandering aimlessly, repeatedly going out of bounds and getting kicked back to the start of the area. Early in the game, you pick up a compass that would seem to be the solution to this puzzle, as the instructions are all direction-based. But, you can’t actually use the compass, and trying to navigate based on the way it’s oriented in your inventory doesn’t help. 

B’s story didn’t entirely come together for me like I hoped either. Even after collecting all of the memory items, her background felt incomplete. I found myself wishing I knew more about her and what got her to this place once she was finally on her way to leaving it. But I don’t regret sticking it out. The ending was ultimately a touching reward and pretty darn uplifting. 

A Pizza Delivery is available now for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-pizza-delivery-is-a-dreamy-indie-adventure-that-tests-your-will-to-press-on-130000842.html?src=rss 

There’s a fundamental question you can ask of both the internet and real life: “How do I enjoy my time here without taking unnecessary risks?” In grass-touching meatspace, you can cut out processed foods, carry pepper spray and avoid skydiving without a partner.

But the best methods for staying safe online aren’t as intuitive. The internet is a massive town square where people are constantly bellowing deeply personal facts about themselves. It’s no surprise that it’s become a breeding ground for scams, theft and other criminal activity.

Given the breadth of dangers, it may feel easier to throw up your hands and say that whatever happens will happen. I’m here to tell you, though, that cybersecurity doesn’t have to be complex, difficult or time-consuming. You don’t need to be a hacker to foil a hacker — you only have to take advantage of simple tips and free apps designed to make you safer online. Whether you commit to all 12 detailed here or only focus on one, you’ll be much more secure for it.

1. Install security updates immediately

One of the most important things you can do to ensure your digital security is to install all software updates as soon as they become available on your devices. When you see the notification, don’t wait — train yourself to download the update immediately.

Not all software updates are about security, but the ones that are form your best line of defense against technical hacks. When developers discover a flaw that can be exploited, they ship an update to fix it. By the time the flaw gets patched, chances are very high that hackers also know about it, so any time lost means you could be the next to get exploited.

As you go down this list, you’ll learn that cybersecurity threats are less technical than you think. To counter the ones that are, however, there’s nothing more important you can do than install security updates.

2. Use strong passwords

Weak, easily guessed passwords are one of the most frequent causes of data breaches and malware attacks. If a password is one of the ten or so most common, an attacker may be able to guess it with no other information. If it’s connected to you — your birthday, say, or mother’s maiden name — it may be guessable from information anyone can look up online.

Even if your password is a random string of characters, it might still be guessable if it’s too short. Hackers can use programs to guess all possible combinations and try each one on a target account. The longer a password is, the more exponentially difficult it is to guess.

That means you need passwords that are both long and meaningless to you. You might rightly complain that these are bastards to remember, but you’re in luck: password managers can do that for you. A password manager app or browser extension can create passwords when you need them, store them securely and fill them in automatically. All you have to remember is the one master password that unlocks all the others.

3. Set up two-factor authentication

Even the strongest password might get revealed through no fault of your own, like if it’s stored without encryption and leaked in a data breach. That’s why it helps to have two-factor authentication (2FA), also known as multi-factor authentication (MFA), as a second secure layer on every account.

You probably already know 2FA as the irritating extra step that makes you go get your phone — but that’s not the only way to do it. Many apps, including Google and Apple, now let you log in through passkeys. These not only don’t require you to enter a code or password, but use asymmetric encryption, sharing credentials between your device and the service that runs the passkeys. It’s a lot quicker for you, and leaves nothing to steal.

4. Back everything up

Ransomware and its cousins are a growth industry within the cybercrime economy. These attacks corrupt your files or lock you out of them until you pay a fee to get them back. The easiest way to foil a ransomware attack, or to clear any other kind of malware off a device, is to restore the entire system from the most recent backup.

To make sure you actually have a backup, experts recommend the 3-2-1 rule: three different backups, on two different types of storage, with at least one physically distant from the main system. For example, you could have one backup on another device in your house, one in the cloud and one on a portable hard drive. Automatic backup services can save disk images for you at set intervals so you don’t have to remember to do it yourself.

5. Learn to spot social engineering

Despite all the technobabble flying around the cybersecurity world, a great many scams and hacks are accomplished through methods a 19th-century con artist would recognize. Scammers pose as experts or authority figures to gain your trust, and use frightening language to bypass your critical thinking. Ticking clocks, emotional manipulation and fake identities are all in the toolbox.

Take phishing, in which hackers trick you into giving up your information willingly. A typical phishing email might pose as a bank, credit bureau or other authoritative service. In red letters, it may demand your bank password or social security number to immediately fix an irregularity with your account. Other common approaches include warning you about speeding tickets you never incurred or sending receipts for subscriptions you never bought.

Social engineering attacks are constantly evolving, but they often fall back on the same strategies. The best way to foil them is to take a deep breath every time you receive a frightening email or text message, then research it in detail: look up the email address, check the visual design to make sure the sender is who they claim to be, and ask yourself if there’s any way the message could be true. I highly recommend working through this phishing quiz — it’s tough, but fair, and extremely educational.

6. Always check links before clicking

This is a companion to the previous tip. Social engineering scams don’t always try to get you to give up information yourself. They also get you to click on links that put secret malware on your device — like keyloggers that watch you type your passwords or ransomware programs that corrupt your files.

If you’re ever not sure about an email attachment or a link you’re being asked to click, copy the link (without opening it) and paste it into a URL checker like this one from NordVPN. These free tools can tell you if a link is associated with any known malware domains.

You can also mouse over any link, then look at the bottom-left of your browser to see what URL it will take you to. If an email is from your bank, any links within it should go to your bank’s website. If it’s going anywhere else, especially to an unidentifiable string of characters, be suspicious.

7. Don’t overshare

Over the last two decades, lots of us have gotten into the habit of dumping all sorts of personal information on social media. This trend has supercharged the scam economy. It may seem harmless to broadcast the names of your kids or the dates you’ll be on vacation, but every piece of data you put into the world makes it easier for a stranger to get hooks into you.

For example, “grandparent scams” are on the rise right now. Grifters contact a target, usually a senior, pretending to be their grandchild. They’ll claim to be in a crisis and need money fast. The more information they have on their target, the more convincing their tale of woe will be. Social media is a prime place to study a potential victim.

Oversharing can also be a compounding problem. If you use weak passwords, your public information can be used to guess your credentials or answer your security questions. So, if you don’t have a password manager yet, think twice before you engage with that quiz post on Facebook that asks for the name of your childhood pet.

8. Use a VPN

I’m a big booster of virtual private networks (VPNs), but it’s important to be realistic about what they can and can’t do. Even the best VPNs aren’t total cybersecurity solutions — you can’t just set one and assume you’re safe forever. A VPN can’t protect you if you use easily guessed passwords, for example, or click on a malware link. It’s about hiding your identity, not making you invulnerable.

So what can a VPN do? In short, it replaces your IP address (a fingerprint that identifies you online) with another IP address, belonging to a server owned by the VPN. The VPN server does business with the internet on your behalf, while its conversations with your device are encrypted so it can’t be traced back to you.

This means no third party can connect your online actions with your real-world identity. Nobody will be harvesting data on the websites you visit to sell to advertisers, nor building a file on you that an unscrupulous government might misuse. VPNs also protect you from fake public Wi-Fi networks set up by cybercriminals — even if a hacker tricks you with a man-in-the-middle attack, they can’t do much without your real IP address.

Many top VPNs, including my top pick Proton VPN, include ad blockers that can also keep cookies and tracking pixels from latching onto you. So, even if a VPN can’t do everything, you’ll be far safer and more private with one than without one. If you don’t want to pay for a new subscription right now, I’ve also compiled a list of the best free VPNs that are actually safe to use.

9. Run regular virus scans

The most important time to look for malware is when you’re downloading a file from the internet. Not only can unwanted apps hitch rides on seemingly safe files, but links can start downloads in secret, even if you don’t think they’re meant to be downloading anything. A solid antivirus program can catch malware as it arrives on your system, and if it’s uncertain, can lock suspicious files in quarantine until it knows whether they’re safe or not.

Dedicated antivirus apps are sometimes even capable of catching malware that hasn’t been seen or used yet. AV software uses machine learning to identify the common patterns of malware, filtering out new viruses that behave like old ones.

But what about malware that’s already gotten through the perimeter? An antivirus app can also check your computer at set intervals in search of unwanted apps, including those that might be masquerading as system files. Windows computers now come pre-installed with Windows Defender, which is enough to handle most of these tasks, but I recommend at least one anti-malware program on any device.

10. Use email maskers and private search engines

If you’re concerned about your information being misused or mishandled, remember that the less you put out into the world, the less danger you’re in. Keeping your private data off social media is one important step, but there are other ways your data gets disseminated — and other options for responding.

For example, you often need an email address to sign up for an online account. If you use your real email, your contact information is now floating around online, increasing the chance of someone using it to scam you (or at least adding you to mailing lists you never signed up for). To stay safe, use an email masker. These services give you a fake email address you can use to create accounts, which automatically forwards messages to your real address.

Search engines, especially Google, are also notorious for building profiles on users by watching the terms they search for. You can dodge that by switching to a private search engine like DuckDuckGo, which doesn’t track anything you do — it’s funded by non-targeted ad sales on its search results pages, not by selling your data to brokers.

11. Use a data removal service

Speaking of data brokers: unfortunately, if you’ve been on the internet at any point in the last 10 years without taking intense precautions, your data is probably in the hands of at least one business that makes money by hoarding and selling it. These data brokers range from public-facing, people-search sites to private backend dealers.

Data brokers are poorly regulated and lax about safety. The longer one has your personal information, the more likely it is to leak. The good news is that most brokers (though not all of them) are legally required to delete your data if you ask them to.

However, there are a lot of data brokers out there, and they really want to keep your data. Each one makes opting out harder than uninstalling a Norton product — and hundreds of them may have files on you. To make the process easier, you can use a data removal service like DeleteMe or Surfshark VPN’s partner service Incogni.

12. Practice physical security

Let’s close out the list by getting a little old school. I’ve already discussed how many online scams depend on classic con artistry to work. By the same token, physical infiltration and smash-and-grab tactics still pose a threat to cybersecurity.

It doesn’t take too much imagination to see how this could work. If you leave your laptop or phone unattended in public, for example, someone might insert a flash drive that loads malware onto the system. In one illustrative case, a thief in the Minneapolis area would loiter in bars, watch people unlock their phones, then steal those phones and unlock them himself.

I’m not saying you need to be paranoid every second you’re in public. Just use the same level of caution you’d use to protect your car. Lock your phone with a biometric key so only you can open it, and make sure not to leave any device lying around if it can access your online accounts. And at work, be careful not to let anyone into a secure area if they don’t have the proper credentials.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/12-steps-you-can-take-right-now-to-be-safer-online-130008335.html?src=rss