Having issues with macOS Sequoia pop-ups? Apple is working on it but there’s a fix now

Apple’s latest OS, macOS Sequoia, has been out for about a month now, and users are already complaining about a certain feature that has become a persistent nuisance for users.

In order to protect users' privacy, the OS has been displaying popups about app permissions. While this is a great way to inform and then remind users of their rights, the problem arises when these popups are constantly and excessively appearing on screen.

There have been complaints concerning this issue, including one from Vercel CEO Guillermo Rauch, posted to his X (formerly Twitter) account.

Just ran software update. Got this.Steve would have had an aneurysm. pic.twitter.com/TjXdrVYFQTOctober 16, 2024

There’s also a Reddit thread about the issue with the original post stating: “It's only been a day and I'm feeling completely overloaded by the number of pop-ups in macOS Sequoia. Seriously it's starting to feel like using Windows all over again with the amount of ‘Are you sure you want to allow application access to your local network? It might be dangerous!’”

It seems that Apple is planning on addressing this issue soon with update macOS Sequoia 15.1, using both Apple Intelligence and making the notifications less intrusive by marking apps as ‘trusted.’

However, if you can’t wait for this update and need a fix now, there’s currently another workaround. The recently created app called Amnesia lets you turn off the monthly reminders for Screen Capture Access on an app-by-app basis. And instead of paying a fixed price or subscription, you can simply donate what you want.

macOS Sequoia has plenty of problems

This isn’t the first time users have run into issues with macOS Sequoia either. Just recently, there was a feature-breaking security bug that created trouble with multiple security products including enterprise solutions like CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, and Microsoft Defender. And this issue is still affecting Mac VPNs like ExpressVPN.

Some Sequoia users also experienced USB connectivity issues. When plugging USB sticks or chargers into the Mac’s ports, the system doesn’t detect them right away. Sometimes they’re taking a considerable time to connect, and sometimes the OS isn’t finding them at all. However, the issue doesn’t seem to be too widespread which is most likely why Apple hasn’t commented on the matter as of now.

In fact, we even created a guide on how to fix the most common issues that users have been encountering like installing the OS in the first place, Bluetooth bugs, Touch Bar not working, and buggy browsers.

With the multitude of issues being found in such a short timeframe, it seems that the best option is simply to hold off on installing Sequoia until the issue is addressed. After all, that’s what Windows users have learned to do thanks to the OS suffering similar issues after every new OS version.

You might also like

• How to install macOS 15 Sequoia on your Mac or MacBook
• macOS 15 Sequoia: launch date, latest news and everything we know
• Apple claims to have found a balance between user privacy and convenience

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NYT Connections today — hints and answers for Friday, October 18 (game #495)

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 Wordle hints and answers, Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too.

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 #495) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• FLOP
• CHARGE
• PLASTIC
• TURN
• TIME
• RIVER
• CHANCE
• CARD
• MISS
• PRIME
• BUST
• SHOT
• RAINFOREST
• CREDIT
• DUD
• KINDLE

NYT Connections today (game #495) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• Yellow: This is bad
• Green: This could be great
• Blue: No coins required
• Purple: Is there an Echo here?

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 #495) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: CLUNKER
• GREEN: OPPORTUNITY
• BLUE: NON-CASH WAY TO PAY
• PURPLE: AMAZON ___

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

NYT Connections today (game #495) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #495, are…

• YELLOW: CLUNKER BUST, DUD, FLOP, MISS
• GREEN: OPPORTUNITY CHANCE, SHOT, TIME, TURN
• BLUE: NON-CASH WAY TO PAY CARD, CHARGE, CREDIT, PLASTIC
• PURPLE: AMAZON ___ KINDLE, PRIME, RAINFOREST, RIVER

---

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

---

I did it! Yes, I managed the 'Reverse rainbow' as the NYT refers to it, by which I solved the puzzles in order from hardest (purple) to easiest (yellow). What's more, it was a perfect reverse rainbow, without any mistakes.

What does this mean? Well, it means this was an easy Connections game, because trust me, I'm no genius. For instance, AMAZON ___, featuring KINDLE, PRIME, RAINFOREST and RIVER, was one of the easiest purples we've ever had, I think. Or maybe it's only easy for me, coming off the back of two days last week writing about Amazon Big Deal Days. Maybe, but the other three were all pretty straightforward too, and I solved this in about five minutes flat.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

---

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, 17 October, game #494)

• YELLOW: GRASSY AREA GREEN, LAWN, PARK, YARD
• GREEN: DEAL WITH ADDRESS, ANSWER, FIELD, HANDLE
• BLUE: MOVIES WITH “S” REMOVED CAR, GOODFELLA, JAW, SWINGER
• PURPLE: ___ LAW CRIMINAL, HARVARD, LEMON, NATURAL

---

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.

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How to give your favorite pictures and videos an AI-written soundtrack

You don't need to write the perfect prompt to get Suno’s AI song creator to write your music anymore. The company has introduced a new feature called Suno Scenes that will produce songs based on photos and videos. The AI essentially writes a soundtrack to accompany the visuals, and Suno is confident that its AI grasps how to create appropriate tunes for a picture or video.

Suno Scenes leverages its AI to make custom music fitting for the visuals you upload, much like it does with text prompts, matching the music to the content provided. It's a more sophisticated version of how Apple and Google pick music to go with the random slideshows they stitch together from your photos and videos. The difference is that each musical accompaniment from Suno is brand new rather than pulled from the catalogs used by Apple and Google.

You need the Suno app on iOS to access the new feature, though the company is working on adding it to the Android app as well. After opening the Suno app, you can pull up Suno Scenes through its camera mode. Then, just take a photo or video, and Suno’s AI will complement the result with a song.

@sunomusic ♬ original sound - Suno

See the Sound

"Whether it's a stunning landscape, a candid selfie, or a quick video of your daily adventures, Suno Scenes takes your favorite photos and videos and creates a unique song," Suno explained in a blog post. "We know that every moment tells a story, and we know many of you love telling stories through your camera. Suno Scenes allows many more creators around the world to inspire new types of Suno songs through captured memories and visual content. Suno Scenes makes it more delightful than ever to create shareable content, allowing you to showcase your creativity in new, exciting ways."

Suno Scenes adds another layer to the AI music platform, possibly giving it an edge in an increasingly crowded field. As Suno faces rivals like Tad.AI, Udio, Boomy, and others, it will want to have a way to differentiate itself. That's the origin of many of its recent developments. For instance, Suno recently debuted a genre remixer called Covers that reinterprets your songs in various new musical styles. The same goes for the mobile app where these new features appear.

As short-form content continues to dominate platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, features like Suno Scenes could give users a new way to differentiate their content with custom soundtracks. That's especially true with YouTube's new tool, which can remove copyrighted music from your video without taking it down completely. Of course, this doesn't make the ongoing lawsuits Suno and other AI music platforms face from major music labels for copyright infringement any less fraught.

You might also like...

• Suno takes a 'What, me worry?' approach to legal troubles and rolls out AI music-generating mobile app
• AI music makers face recording industry legal battle of the bands that could spell trouble for your AI-generated tunes
• Microsoft Copilot's new AI tool will turn your simple prompts into songs

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4 ways you can use ChatGPT's Canvas mode to improve your daily life

ChatGPT became much more collaborative when OpenAI released Canvas mode for the AI chatbot earlier in October. Switching to Canvas mode provides a more flexible way to create and edit text. Through AI's code-writing ability, it enables more complex, long-term planning with visualization, spot-editing, and even automation.

Despite OpenAI's bragging about how practical this approach to ChatGPT can be, you might stare at that prompt and ask how to use ChatGPT's Canvas mode to enhance your daily life.

Here are some of the ways I've found ChatGPT's Canvas mode to be useful as a kind of combination of personal assistant and creative partner.

Weekly Planning

You can ask ChatGPT to make a list of tasks or appointments based on the information you supply, but it's still just a somewhat more coherent version of what you already have available. With Canvas Mode, you don't have to redo the list whenever something changes; you can rearrange and edit the plan within the same list.

You just need to ask ChatGPT to create a section for each day or task category. Then maybe details underneath. In Canvas mode, you can drag these items around, prioritize them visually, and quickly edit descriptions as plans change.

For example, if you need to move an appointment from Monday to Wednesday, simply highlight that activity and click the "ask ChatGPT" button, then ask the AI to move it to the right time and day. You can also play with how it looks visually or ask for code blocks to automate reminders from your calendar.

If you have a long list of tasks or a packed schedule, Canvas Mode can generate summaries of each day's tasks if you want a concise overview of what's coming up. Say you have multiple personal and work deadlines in a week. After outlining your tasks, you can highlight key action items with bold text and, if necessary, summarize lengthy task lists to display only the most urgent tasks. If some of these tasks are recurring, you can even use a small code block to automate reminders or set up scripts to send yourself notifications.

Event Planning

Event planning requires juggling many tasks, from managing guest lists to coordinating schedules and activities. By using Canvas mode, the event becomes visible in a single space. Input from many sources can all be uploaded and summarized by regular ChatGPT, but in Canvas mode, the AI can finesse, edit, and combine details within a single outline for an event.

For instance, if you want to plan a birthday party, you can ask ChatGPT to organize the guest list and move people around different categories depending on if you tell it they have RSVP’d.

One of the most powerful features here is the AI’s ability to write code to automate tasks. For example, you might want to invite and track guests automatically. ChatGPT can write a small script for automatically emailing invitations, tracking RSVPs, and updating the list in real-time. It will even edit the code to send reminder emails to those who haven’t responded yet.

Tracking Personal Growth

With so much on your plate, tracking personal development might need AI assistance, too. ChatGPT’s Canvas mode can help you track your fitness goals, your efforts to learn a new skill, or even keep your hobbies organized.

On the fitness front, you can describe your workouts, meal plans, and goals, and the AI will set up charts to match, applying bold font for milestones and other key data. If you need to update your routine or diet, Canvas Mode’s editing feature lets you quickly revise your plans. If you use an app to track your progress and get the raw data, the AI can summarize it, incorporate it into the overall plan, and mark where you are in your milestones.

Suppose you’re trying to learn a new language or other skill. In that case, you can similarly set up a long-term plan, create visual representations of the lessons you’ve completed, and create automated reminders for upcoming study sessions. Should you crave extra studying tools, ChatGPT’s Canvas mode can both write quizzes or practice sets and embed them within your schedule, even if it might not be a while until you get to that section.

Home Project Planning

I wanted to plan a renovation of a room in my home. That's a lot of planning and designing for anyone. While I might ask ChatGPT for help brainstorming ideas, switching to Canvas means I can arrange project elements visually and calculate measurements with embedded code.

I asked ChatGPT to set up a template, and it created sections within Canvas for each phase of the project, such as "Furniture," "Paint Colors," and "Budget." The AI took my vague visions and created detailed descriptions of different furniture options and color schemes, bolding any prospective dimensions and prices. Whenever I asked the AI to update the price or change other details, the plan was revised without being rewritten.

It even worked with images. For instance, I uploaded images of the options to compare two different sets of chairs and told the AI the prices, sizes, and other details for each. The AI then adjusted the information for the options and provided a running total of prices.

If it became overwhelming, I could ask it to summarize everything into a quick-reference section with only the most critical tasks and expenses.

You might also like...

• ChatGPT's new 'Canvas' is the AI collaborator you didn't know you needed
• ChatGPT o1-preview can solve riddles faster than me and I kind of hate it for it
• ChatGPT's 4o-mini model just got a big upgrade – here are 4 of the best new features

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Quordle today – hints and answers for Thursday, October 17 (game #997)

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now nearly 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 Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

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 #996) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* 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 #997) - 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 #997) - 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 #997) - 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 2.

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 #997) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• B

• B

• L

• S

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

Quordle today (game #997) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #997, are…

• BUILD
• BIRTH
• LURCH
• SASSY

Quordle seems to be fond of words with multiple repeated letters in right now. After EERIE and its three Es yesterday and EMCEE on Monday, here's SASSY and its three Ss.

SASSY was a very tough Wordle when it appeared in that game last November (average score: 5.0) and is likely to cause as many problems here. The other words aren't too tricky, but I needed a guess to confirm the B in BIRTH and BUILD, then spent another on SAVVY, before completing on the final attempt.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

---

Daily Sequence today (game #997) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #997, are…

• TASTY
• TRITE
• LOATH
• ERECT

---

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #996, Wednesday 16 October: EERIE, SMIRK, HUNCH, EMBED
• Quordle #995, Tuesday 15 October: UMBRA, BRIEF, GRAVY, TORUS
• Quordle #994, Monday 14 October: ROGUE, STORY, EMCEE, AUNTY
• Quordle #993, Sunday 13 October: UNFIT, NYMPH, THUMB, PUREE
• Quordle #992, Saturday 12 October: SAUCY, UNDUE, EGRET, HELLO
• Quordle #991, Friday 11 October: RINSE, ANIME, PUSHY, ZEBRA
• Quordle #990, Thursday 10 October: UNTIL, MARSH, METAL, WINDY
• Quordle #989, Wednesday 9 October: TRIAL, HUSKY, DOWNY, TRADE
• Quordle #988, Tuesday 8 October: TROUT, HATER, BARGE, DOZEN
• Quordle #987, Monday 7 October: CAULK, HALVE, APING, HEATH
• Quordle #986, Sunday 6 October: FUDGE, TENOR, BEGAT, ROUSE
• Quordle #985, Saturday 5 October: ELECT, CROAK, FRISK, JAUNT
• Quordle #984, Friday 4 October: ELFIN, GRAIL, PATIO, RECAP
• Quordle #983, Thursday 3 October: TENTH, REMIT, CURVE, TOAST
• Quordle #982, Wednesday 2 October: ARGUE, CRANE, TOKEN, PRINT
• Quordle #981, Tuesday 1 October: FRILL, MADLY, GRANT, NYLON
• Quordle #980, Monday 30 September: CRUSH, TARDY, TEACH, STUMP
• Quordle #979, Sunday 29 September: SERIF, BORNE, WRITE, SLEEK
• Quordle #978, Saturday 28 September: BUSHY, CIVIC, SNOUT, EQUIP
• Quordle #977, Friday 27 September: GUEST, CHASM, ROOST, BASAL

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NYT Connections today — hints and answers for Thursday, October 17 (game #494)

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 Wordle hints and answers, Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too.

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 #494) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• PARK
• CAR
• HARVARD
• YARD
• ADDRESS
• GREEN
• JAW
• LEMON
• NATURAL
• CRIMINAL
• FIELD
• SWINGER
• HANDLE
• GOODFELLA
• ANSWER
• LAWN

NYT Connections today (game #494) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• Yellow: Bit of vegetation
• Green: I'll take this
• Blue: Shall we watch Megalopoli tonight?
• Purple: blank [the process by which justice is administered]

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 #494) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: GRASSY AREA
• GREEN: DEAL WITH
• BLUE: MOVIES WITH “S” REMOVED
• PURPLE: ___ LAW

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

NYT Connections today (game #494) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #494, are…

• YELLOW: GRASSY AREA GREEN, LAWN, PARK, YARD
• GREEN: DEAL WITH ADDRESS, ANSWER, FIELD, HANDLE
• BLUE: MOVIES WITH “S” REMOVED CAR, GOODFELLA, JAW, SWINGER
• PURPLE: ___ LAW CRIMINAL, HARVARD, LEMON, NATURAL

---

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 2 mistakes

---

My plan to solve the hardest Connections groups first went completely off the rails today – and I'm blaming some classic NYT misdirection. I doubt I'll be the only person who would have thought to combine the wrong four of GREEN, LAWN, PARK, YARD and FIELD – but I did so twice before realizing that the last of those should instead be with ADDRESS, ANSWER and HANDLE to form the green DEAL WITH group. With that out of the way I was able to solve yellow, GRASSY AREA, which meant I had two guesses left and two to solve.

I focused on GOODFELLA, because there's only really one possible connection there – namely that if you add the letter S you get a film title. Doing the same with CAR, JAW and SWINGER gave me MOVIES WITH “S” REMOVED, meaning I didn't need to solve the purple group (and probably wouldn't have done if I had needed to).

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

---

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, 16 October, game #493)

• YELLOW: AT SOME FUTURE POINT EVENTUALLY, LATER, NEXT, SOON
• GREEN: PARTS OF A TOURNAMENT SETUP BRACKET, BYE, ROUND, SEED
• BLUE: BIT OF BREAKFAST CEREAL CHEERIO, FLAKE, PEBBLE, PUFF
• PURPLE: WHAT THE OUTSTRETCHED INDEX AND MIDDLE FINGERS CAN REPRESENT PEACE, SCISSORS, TWO, VICTORY

---

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.

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How to use the latest impressive AI video generator for free

If you're looking for another option for producing videos using AI amid the recent avalanche of AI video generators, there is yet another new one. The latest addition to your stable is Pollo AI, and you can try it out for free right now. Pollo AI's features are noticeably easy to play with, and it can turn both text prompts and still images into high-quality videos.

Pollo is a product of Hix.AI, a developer of generative AI tools for conversation and synthetic media, including the new synthetic music platform Tad.ai. As with many AI video generators, you only need a text prompt to get a short video. The text-to-video generator can turn any script into a fully realized production, including animation and transitions. You don't need a film degree; an informal description will do.

You can also add movement to still images. Uploading a picture will get the AI to animate it in a way the AI deems appropriate to the context of the image, including environmental effects like waves from the ocean on the beach. You can also use text to explain what you want to have happen or how you want to see any people or objects in the image used in a video that might not include any other facet of the picture.

The platform makes the videos from your prompts very quickly, usually taking less than a minute.

How to use Pollo for free

You can try out Pollo AI for free, getting 20 credits a month. However, the videos are all watermarked, and there are limited editing and camera movement options. Should you want more features and credits, there are three price tiers of $15, $30, and $90 a month for 300, 800, and 3,000 credits, respectively.

The apparently insatiable demand for AI video production has spurred a rash of AI video tools for the masses. Depending on your needs, you can get quite a lot of free AI videos from the range of platforms available, including Runway, Pika, Stability AI, Hotshot, and Luma Labs' Dream Machine.

The AI-generated elephant moving across the room is OpenAI's Sora model, which attracted a huge amount of interest when unveiled yet remains limited to certain approved OpenAI partners. The same goes for Meta, which recently introduced the impressive Movie Gen AI video generator but similarly restricted access to professional, approved filmmakers.

Pollo may not push out its rivals, but if the market reflects the real demand even slightly, it will probably do quite well, even with only a small slice of the potential user base.

You might also like...

• You'll want to try Meta's amazing new AI video generator
• Hotshot is heating up AI video-making – here's how you can try it for free
• ByteDance hits play on AI video creator while Sora seems paused

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NYT Connections today — hints and answers for Wednesday, October 16 (game #493)

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 Wordle hints and answers, Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too.

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 #493) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• PEACE
• PEBBLE
• LATER
• SCISSORS
• ROUND
• CHEERIO
• BYE
• FLAKE
• NEXT
• BRACKET
• SOON
• SEED
• VICTORY
• PUFF
• TWO
• EVENTUALLY

NYT Connections today (game #493) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• Yellow: In the end
• Green: Elements of a competition
• Blue: Charm could be one
• Purple: Let your fingers do the talking

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 #493) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: AT SOME FUTURE POINT
• GREEN: PARTS OF A TOURNAMENT SETUP
• BLUE: BIT OF BREAKFAST CEREAL
• PURPLE: WHAT THE OUTSTRETCHED INDEX AND MIDDLE FINGERS CAN REPRESENT

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

NYT Connections today (game #493) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #493, are…

• YELLOW: AT SOME FUTURE POINT EVENTUALLY, LATER, NEXT, SOON
• GREEN: PARTS OF A TOURNAMENT SETUP BRACKET, BYE, ROUND, SEED
• BLUE: BIT OF BREAKFAST CEREAL CHEERIO, FLAKE, PEBBLE, PUFF
• PURPLE: WHAT THE OUTSTRETCHED INDEX AND MIDDLE FINGERS CAN REPRESENT PEACE, SCISSORS, TWO, VICTORY

---

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: Perfect

---

I'm trying something new with my daily dose of Connections, namely attempting to solve the hardest groups first. It didn't entirely work today – not least because guessing which one the NYT will deem the toughest isn't a sure thing. But I did come up with green followed by purple and then blue, leaving the yellow group by default. Given that I'd already realized what that yellow group was, that meant that today was a rare day in which I genuinely solved all four.

Why am I doing this? No real reason, beyond my seemingly unending desire to make life more difficult for myself. That said, solving the harder ones earlier does make it a lot less likely that you'll fail (obviously). Admittedly, purple was a bit of a shot in the dark for me today. I spotted blue (BIT OF BREAKFAST CEREAL), so left out CHEERIO, FLAKE, PEBBLE and PUFF from my deliberations. And I'd already got green (PARTS OF A TOURNAMENT SETUP).

That left me with eight words: PEACE, SCISSORS, TWO, VICTORY, EVENTUALLY, LATER, NEXT, SOON. Clearly the final four of those would form a group, so I played the other four first and was pleased to see them change color. I then played the cereals group, and finally the AT SOME FUTURE POINT quartet, meaning I went at least some way towards the NYT's top score, the 'Reverse rainbow' where you go purple, blue, green, yellow. Maybe tomorrow will be the day.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

---

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, 15 October, game #492)

• YELLOW: FOOTBALL POSITIONS CENTER, GUARD, QUARTERBACK, SAFETY
• GREEN: CABLE CHANNELS DISCOVERY, HISTORY, NICKELODEON, OXYGEN
• BLUE: FICTIONAL CLOWNS HOMEY, JOKER, PENNYWISE, RONALD
• PURPLE: WHAT “D” MIGHT STAND FOR DEFENSE, DEMOCRAT, DIMENSIONAL, DRIVE

---

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.

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Quordle today – hints and answers for Wednesday, October 16 (game #996)

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now nearly 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 Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

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 #995) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* 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 #996) - 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 3.

Quordle today (game #996) - 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 #996) - 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 2.

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 #996) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• E

• S

• H

• E

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

Quordle today (game #996) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #996, are…

• EERIE
• SMIRK
• HUNCH
• EMBED

I'm not sure today's Quordle could have been much harder, so I'm pleased with the way I solved it with one guess to go. All of the words are to some extent difficult, a couple particularly so.

EERIE is probably one of the worst words that could ever turn up here, and I dread the day it arrives in Wordle (if indeed it does). With three Es, two of them together at the start, it has an incredibly uncommon spelling format, which will likely have made it hard even for experienced Quordlers. EMBED also has a repeated E, while HUNCH is one of the worst word-traps in the game; -UNCH has five possible solutions, PUNCH, LUNCH, HUNCH, MUNCH and BUNCH, and all are common words and so equally likely to appear.

My tactic for solving it was to play HIMBO, a word which would rule in/out three of those in one go; the other two had already been ruled out. And not only did it confirm HUNCH, but it also gave me the M and B I needed for EMBED, and the M for SMIRK. After that it was simply a case of identifying EERIE – which took me a while, but I got there in the end.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

---

Daily Sequence today (game #996) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #996, are…

• STOKE
• EDIFY
• TENET
• CIVIL

---

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #995, Tuesday 15 October: UMBRA, BRIEF, GRAVY, TORUS
• Quordle #994, Monday 14 October: ROGUE, STORY, EMCEE, AUNTY
• Quordle #993, Sunday 13 October: UNFIT, NYMPH, THUMB, PUREE
• Quordle #992, Saturday 12 October: SAUCY, UNDUE, EGRET, HELLO
• Quordle #991, Friday 11 October: RINSE, ANIME, PUSHY, ZEBRA
• Quordle #990, Thursday 10 October: UNTIL, MARSH, METAL, WINDY
• Quordle #989, Wednesday 9 October: TRIAL, HUSKY, DOWNY, TRADE
• Quordle #988, Tuesday 8 October: TROUT, HATER, BARGE, DOZEN
• Quordle #987, Monday 7 October: CAULK, HALVE, APING, HEATH
• Quordle #986, Sunday 6 October: FUDGE, TENOR, BEGAT, ROUSE
• Quordle #985, Saturday 5 October: ELECT, CROAK, FRISK, JAUNT
• Quordle #984, Friday 4 October: ELFIN, GRAIL, PATIO, RECAP
• Quordle #983, Thursday 3 October: TENTH, REMIT, CURVE, TOAST
• Quordle #982, Wednesday 2 October: ARGUE, CRANE, TOKEN, PRINT
• Quordle #981, Tuesday 1 October: FRILL, MADLY, GRANT, NYLON
• Quordle #980, Monday 30 September: CRUSH, TARDY, TEACH, STUMP
• Quordle #979, Sunday 29 September: SERIF, BORNE, WRITE, SLEEK
• Quordle #978, Saturday 28 September: BUSHY, CIVIC, SNOUT, EQUIP
• Quordle #977, Friday 27 September: GUEST, CHASM, ROOST, BASAL
• Quordle #976, Thursday 26 September: STAGE, VOGUE, CLUMP, HEATH

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NYT Connections today — hints and answers for Tuesday, October 15 (game #492)

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 Wordle hints and answers, Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too.

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 #492) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• DRIVE
• PENNYWISE
• SAFETY
• NICKELODEON
• QUARTERBACK
• HISTORY
• DIMENSIONAL
• HOMEY
• DEFENSE
• GUARD
• JOKER
• DISCOVERY
• OXYGEN
• DEMOCRAT
• CENTER
• RONALD

NYT Connections today (game #492) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• Yellow: Linebacker is another
• Green: Channel surfing
• Blue: 'Funny' people
• Purple: 4th letter

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 #492) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: FOOTBALL POSITIONS
• GREEN: CABLE CHANNELS
• BLUE: FICTIONAL CLOWNS
• PURPLE: WHAT “D” MIGHT STAND FOR

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

NYT Connections today (game #492) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #492, are…

• YELLOW: FOOTBALL POSITIONS CENTER, GUARD, QUARTERBACK, SAFETY
• GREEN: CABLE CHANNELS DISCOVERY, HISTORY, NICKELODEON, OXYGEN
• BLUE: FICTIONAL CLOWNS HOMEY, JOKER, PENNYWISE, RONALD
• PURPLE: WHAT “D” MIGHT STAND FOR DEFENSE, DEMOCRAT, DIMENSIONAL, DRIVE

---

• My rating: Hard
• My score: Fail

---

My verdict on today's Connections: too American. That's not a criticism as such – my days of ranting about the NYT's refusal to make a game that works for people worldwide are over. After all, it is a US publication, so I just have to accept that there will be days like today where it is just too difficult for a Brit like me.

For instance, talk about FOOTBALL POSITIONS and my mind goes to soccer; I'm looking for goalkeeper and winger, not CENTER, GUARD, QUARTERBACK and SAFETY. I know enough about the game that I made a couple of attempts at solving it, but though I was fairly sure about QUARTERBACK and GUARD I didn't know enough to get the other two, adding various combinations that included DEFENSE instead.

Likewise, CABLE CHANNELS cost me a guess, because I have never heard of OXYGEN, and with FICTIONAL CLOWNS I was not aware of HOMEY. It was all just too far outside of my comfort zone.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

---

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, 14 October, game #491)

• YELLOW: RUMMAGE COMB, DIG, ROOT, SIFT
• GREEN: SOUNDS OF THUNDER CLAP, PEAL, ROLL, RUMBLE
• BLUE: WAYS TO WEAR YOUR HAIR UP BRAID, BUN, PONY, TWIST
• PURPLE: THINGS THAT CAN HAVE LEAVES BOOK, SALAD, TABLE, TREE

---

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.

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Samsung Galaxy smartphones may replace the Settings menu with AI: report

Samsung is keen to incorporate AI across every facet of your life, but that could mean one major removal from Galaxy smartphones. A report from ETNews points to a future where the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE will have AI features but no Settings menu. The article says that Samsung believes the AI in its phones will be able to anticipate your needs without you having to make any adjustments, thus making Settings a redundant feature.

The concept is part of Samsung's desire for the Galaxy smartphones to be fully AI-driven. Though the exact form of a Settings-free smartphone hasn't been unveiled yet, there are already hints about how the device's AI could use a combination of conversation with the user and the way they use the device to adapt its performance without requiring the kind of menu adjustments currently common. It would encompass many aspects of the smartphone's performance. That means the basics, like notifications, brightness of the screen, and its layout.

The main focus for Samsung in using AI to replace Settings appears to be the camera and the keyboard, according to the report. That makes sense since they are used in the broadest number of ways. There are a lot of editing options for photos, but these days, your device handles a lot of the photo-quality enhancements before you do anything. Adding AI to the equation could extend that functionality in subtle but useful ways, like automatically switching to night mode or otherwise adapting to location and setting.

For keyboards, the AI could help personalize your typing. Auto-predicting words are usually about the most common phrases in general, but AI could fiddle with those elements to where they best fit your actual writing style and word preferences. Personalization and automation are Samsung's watchwords.

AI anticipation

In some ways, smartphone makers have been moving in this direction for years. When was the last time you manually adjusted battery settings beyond standard and battery-saving? Of course, the question is whether AI can predict complex and ever-changing setting preferences. When do you want your phone to brighten? Which app should have your volume set low or high?

For the average user, having AI handle your settings could mean fewer distractions and not having to sort through menus every time you want to adjust a particular aspect of the phone. Automating tasks and anticipating needs might help Samsung’s AI features and devices stand out amid an increasingly crowded field. That said, how Samsung collects and uses the data needed for the AI to make these adjustments will likely be crucial for the company to explain. It could all happen on the device without a need for sharing private information, but if not, people might not be as excited to try it out.

Don't expect your Settings menu to vanish immediately. There's no timeline yet, but it could be part of Samsung’s next major software update when the Android 15-based One UI 7 comes out for the Galaxy S series.

You might also like...

• Samsung’s AI chief predicts artificial intelligence in "every corner of life"
• Hands on: Samsung Galaxy S24 FE review: AI doesn’t come cheap … until now
• The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE and Galaxy Tab S10 series have landed, with high-end specs and a whole lot of AI

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How to use a new free AI tool for writing songs (including lyrics) for free

Do you have an idea for a song but are not sure how to write it? Maybe you just have some lyrics you want to put a tune to? A new free AI music generator called Tad AI offers you a chance to bring those ideas to life, producing royalty-free songs in seconds with minimal input. The relatively simple interface produces some pretty impressive results. Whether it can thread the needle and avoid the issues causing legal and ethical headaches for Suno, Udio, and other AI music generators remains to be seen. 

Tad AI provides various levels of assistance in writing music. It's similar to its rivals but is notably intuitive in how you produce the song. You can describe how you want the song to sound in as much detail as you choose, but Tad AI does have quite a lot of musical genres and moods you can select from that are already available. The genre options obviously relate to the genre of the tune, but the mood-based list of options can vary the tone within that genre, as a rock or rap song could be sad, romantic, or angry while still being the same genre.

Along with the music, you can also ask Tad AI to write lyrics that match a written prompt. The AI will produce the lyrics based on your intent or the theme. You can also write your own lyrics. Then, you just need a title, and the AI will do the rest. 

After playing around with it for a bit, I produced the song below. The music is all Tad AI, but I wrote the lyrics after the first few attempts by Tad AI didn't really hit the spot for me. They did inspire me though, and if Tad AI was a human, I'd co-credit them with the arrangement at least and probably have to negotiate over lyric rights. You can listen to it below and hear it at this link.

 

Royalty (and lawsuit) free?

As AI music generators become more prominent and roll out new features like Suno’s genre remixer and its mobile app, the issue of lawsuits from major music labels is only likely to get more complex. That’s why one of the major selling points for Tad AI is its ability to generate royalty-free music if you sign up for its paid plans. If Tad AI’s promise of 100% original compositions is backed up fully, the appeal to aspiring music creators, not to mention brands on a budget, is obvious. 

Songs without potential legal challenges or licensing fees are music to the ears of those looking to save on costs. It might even be helpful with existing content on platforms like YouTube, which recently launched a tool that can remove copyrighted music from your video without taking it down completely. You could instead replace it with something from Tad AI.

You can use Tad AI for free, though you only get a limited number of credits, and each song costs about five credits. If you want more, you can sign up for the basic plan at $10 a month and get 1,000 credits, about 200 songs, and three concurrent songs produced. The Pro plan for $30 a month gets you 3,000 credits, six concurrent songs produced and even faster song generation. You have to pay for the full royalty-free track access, so that’s probably where anyone looking to use the tool professionally will go. 

You might also like...

• Suno takes a 'What, me worry?' approach to legal troubles and rolls out AI music-generating mobile app
• This AI can remake a song in any genre you like
• AI music makers face recording industry legal battle of the bands that could spell trouble for your AI-generated tunes

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The Meta Quest 3S is fantastic, but there’s one big reason to choose the Quest 3 instead

I finally got my hands on the Meta Quest 3S VR headset to test it out for our in-depth Meta Quest 3S review, and using the headset has given me flashbacks of using the Oculus Quest 2 – and made me realize how rubbish its visuals were this whole time.

The Meta Quest 3S uses the same chipset and has the same RAM as the Meta Quest 3, meaning it can play all the same VR games and apps as its sibling like the upcoming Batman: Arkham Shadow (it even comes with a free copy of the game). But its most noticeable downgrade is its displays. Instead of the crisp 2064 x 2208 pixels per eye dual-display setup of the Quest 3 you have to make do with the Quest 2’s 1832 x 1920 per eye single display setup, which the Quest 3S is repurposing.

The Meta Quest 3S also relies on the Quest 2’s fresnel lens system instead of the pancake lenses used by the Quest 3. I won’t get into the weeds of how these lenses differ technically, but know that fresnel lenses are bulkier and cause blurriness at the fringes of your field of view.

The Quest 3 is worth upgrading to

Back when I was regularly using my Oculus Quest 2 – which was later rebranded as a Meta Quest 2 – I definitely noticed that the visuals weren’t as crisp as watching a show on my phone or playing a game with my PS5 on a 4K TV. But I’d also often feel that people who were overly critical of the resolution or screen door effect were being too harsh (the screen door effect is when you see black lines over the display because you can see the gaps between pixels).

I had a fantastic time using it and felt (and still feel) it was hands-down the best VR headset for most people at its peak thanks to its solid performance for its super-low price.

The Meta Quest 3 ruined the Meta Quest 2 for me (Image credit: Meta)

But back then the Oculus Quest 2 was my baseline for VR headsets; I had never used another headset before – save for the odd demo at a gaming convention or university fair. Now that my baseline is the superior Meta Quest 3 I finally understand everyone’s Quest 2 visuals criticisms.

That’s not to say the Meta Quest 3S isn’t an excellent VR headset for the price. Starting at $299.99 / £289.99 / AU$499.99 for the 128GB model and achieving what the Meta Quest 3S achieves is nothing to sniff at. If you're new to VR and haven't yet been spoiled by better VR headsets, then its issues won't be as noticeable or annoying.

However, when weighing up your options between the two Meta Quest 3 headsets, remember it’s not just a matter of picking your preferred storage size as there are some significant other differences to consider.

Top-quality visuals won’t matter to everyone, and when you’re immersed in an interactive experience the Quest 3S’ deficiencies aren’t as noticeable. Just note that if you plan to be a VR power user that hops in a couple times a week at least, and who wants to enjoy Netflix or Xbox game streaming in VR or MR, then the sharper Meta Quest 3 is the headset you should get.

So if you can still find the 128GB Meta Quest 3 before it sells out try to grab it before the discontinued model is gone for good and you have to make do with the pricier 512GB model instead.

You might also like

• And it’s gone – discontinued Meta Quest 3 model already selling out online
• Pico 4 Ultra VS Meta Quest 3: the battle of the mid-range VR headsets
• Meta plans to make connecting your Quest headset to Windows 11 easier

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