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Apple Music Classical release date, price, and everything you need to know
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Apple Music Classical has made its long-awaited debut in the App Store – and for Apple Music subscribers, the app is an exciting new way to explore the world's biggest classical music catalog.

Right now, Apple Music Classical is exclusive to the iPhone, but the company says an Android app is “coming soon”. If you're an Apple Music subscriber ($ 10.99 / £10.99 / AU$ 12.99 a month). you can download the app right now for free from the App Store.

But should you download Apple Music Classical and how good use it? And why on earth has Apple made a separate app, rather than bundling all of this classical goodness into its existing Apple Music app?

We've answered all of these questions and more in this guide to Apple's unique app, which gives Apple Music a unique advantage in its battle with Spotify and the best music streaming services.

Apple Music Classical release date and price

Apple Music Classical is available to download now in any country where Apple Music is available. That includes the USA, UK and Australia, though countries including China, Japan and South Korea currently miss out.

You need an Apple Music subscription to listen to Apple Music Classical and there's currently no separate subscription available. Right now, that costs $ 10.99 / £10.99 / AU$ 12.99 a month.

Two iPhones on a red background showing the Apple Music Classical app

(Image credit: Apple)

Considering Apple Music has over 100 million songs and Apple Musical Classical adds another 5 million tracks to that, that's pretty good value – particularly if you have wide-ranging taste from stretches from classical to college rock.

Apple Music Classical: how to download it

There are a few boxes to tick before you can start streaming Apple Music Classical. First, you need an individual, student, or family subscription to Apple Music – unfortunately, the cheaper Apple Voice ($ 4.99 / £4.99 / AU$ 5.99) plan doesn't include the new classical streaming service.

You also may need to update your iPhone's software. While you don't need to be running the absolute latest version of iOS 16, you will need a phone with iOS 15.4 or higher. That means any iPhone from the iPhone 6S onwards, including the iPhone SE. 

An iPhone on a red background showing the download screen for Apple Music Classical

(Image credit: Future)

Got both an Apple Music subscription and a relatively recent iPhone? You can download Apple Music Classical from the App Store right now. Just sign in with the same ID you use for your Apple Music subscription and you're off.

Unfortunately, there is currently no iPad app or Mac app for Apple Music Classical, which is a shame. But Apple has said that an Android app “is coming soon”. We'll update this page as soon as we know more about a date.

Apple Music Classical: what is it?

Apple Music Classical sounds like a straightforward concept – a spin-off from Apple Music where you can stream around five million orchestral tracks by all kinds of composers, from Bach to Mozart. But its surprising depth, which is built on Apple's purchase of the classical music app Primephonic in 2021, makes it suitable for all experience levels and shows why Apple decided to make it separate app.

Apple's calls the service “the world’s largest classical music catalogue” but its real appeal is the power of its search function. Because classical pieces have hundreds of recordings by different orchestras and conductors, traditional streaming apps can be difficult to navigate.

Three phone screens on a red background showing the Apple Music Classical app

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple Music Classical promises to be an improvement thanks to the nuance of its Browse section, which lets you search by composer, period, genre, conductor, orchestra, soloist, ensemble, choir, instrument or even the work's opus number or nickname. That makes it easier to surface, for example, that particular movement by Massenet.

The app is also a pretty beginner-friendly introduction to the slightly intimidating world of classical music. Apple's created over 700 playlists along with some handy guides, like The Story of Classical, which combine commentary with works and breakdowns of classical terminology. We'd love Apple to do more of this for all genres of music in its own Music app, but it's definitely a nice feature here.

With some exclusive artwork, including high-resolution portraits of composers from Bach to Vivaldi, Apple Music Classical clearly wants to be as much a digital home for classical music fans (or fledgling fans) as it is a place to stream music. But Apple fortunately hasn't forgotten about sound quality either.

Apple Music Classical: features and design

As you'd hope for an app that's attempting to recreate the sound of a live orchestra at home – even if that isn't really possible – Apple Music Classical does promise impressive sound quality for a streaming service.

The app features lossless audio quality up to 24 bit/192 kHz throughout its catalog, which is a boon considering there's still no sign of equivalents like Spotify HiFi (its lossless, CD-quality offering). The quality you ultimately get, though, will depend on whether or not you're listening with wired or wireless headphones.

Some of the Apple Music Classical catalog is also available in Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, which gets a bit closer to that 360-degree immersive live experience. You can find these pieces in its 'Now in Spatial Audio' section, which currently contains just over fifty works.

Two iPhones on a red background showing the Apple Music Classical app

(Image credit: Apple)

You'll again need headphones or speakers that can handle Spatial Audio to benefit from this. And it's also worth bearing in mind that on Apple's wireless Bluetooth headphones (like the AirPods Max) you'll still only be able to stream Apple Music Classical in lossy quality, as lossless audio isn't currently possible over Bluetooth on Apple headphones.

Got some wired headphones or listening on some speakers? You can turn on lossless audio quality by going into your iPhone Settings menu and finding the Music app. From there, go to Audio Quality and tap 'Lossless Audio' to turn it on. Bear in mind that this will use a lot more data than usual, which means you may also want to turn off Cellular Data for the Music app (which also controls the settings for Apple Music Classical).

The overall design of Apple Music Classical is, as you'd expect, clean and simple, much like the Apple Music app. There's a refreshing lack of clutter compared to other music streaming apps like Spotify and the Browse section is particularly powerful for classical music.

You can add albums or playlists to your Library section by tapping the '+' symbol in the top right of either. But strangely, you can't download these tracks in Apple Music Classical for offline listening – instead, you need to go to the standard Apple Music app, find them there and then download them to your device.

Apple Music Classical: the downsides

Apple Music Classical certainly isn't perfect. For a start, there currently aren't any dedicated apps for iPad, Mac, Apple TV or CarPlay, which is strange. There also isn't an Android app yet, even though one is “coming soon”.

It's possible that this will change in the future, as Apple has stated that the current version of Apple Music Classical is “just the beginning”. But that does make it slightly more limited than it could have been, even if the likes of AirPlay are a workaround for Apple TV owners.

An iPhone on a red background showing the Apple Music Classical app

(Image credit: Future)

There are a few other limitations, too. There's no 'shuffle' option available for those who want to have more of a radio-style experience like the one offered by the standard Apple Music app. And in general, the design is set up for those who already know what piece of classical music they're looking for.

It also isn't possible to download tracks in Apple Music Classical for offline listening. But while Apple did previously confirm to us that there would be no offline listening option in the app, there is an unexpected workaround – you can find tracks saved to your Apple Music Classical library in the Apple Music app and download them from there. Not ideal, but better than nothing.

Apple Music Classical: early verdict

We're pretty impressed with Apple Music Classical so far. The streaming quality is good (particularly when you use wired headphones) and the catalog has depth and variety. The key benefit, though, is its powerful search function, which makes it far easier to browse classical music than, say, on Spotify.

Two phone screens on a red background showing the Apple Music Classical app

(Image credit: Apple)

It's a shame there aren't more apps available, particularly for iPad and Mac. We hope that changes soon,, as it will for Android fans. And the offline listening setup, which you have to do via the Apple Music app, is a bit convoluted. 

But for a first-gen offering, Apple Music Classical is a polished new experience for fans of the genre – and a unique differentiator for Apple Music when compared to the likes of Tidal, Amazon Music, and Spotify.

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Android 14: latest news, rumors and everything we know so far
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With each new year we get a new version of Android, and this year it’s Android 14’s turn. So you can expect a major upgrade to your phone, with new features and potentially a new look, once Android 14 – or Android Upside Down Cake as it’s codenamed – rolls out.

We’ve probably got a while to wait until it does formally arrive, but the operating system update has already been announced, and a Developer Preview of it is now available. We’re expecting that public betas will likely launch soon too, and with them, we'll likely learn a lot more about what’s in store.

Below, you’ll find details of when Android 14 might launch in both beta and finished forms, along with all the other information we have about Android 14 so far; both rumored and confirmed. As soon as we hear anything new we’ll also add it to this article, so check back soon for updates.

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? The next version of Android
  • When is it out? Probably August or September
  • How much will it cost? It will be a free upgrade

Android 14 release date

Android 14 was announced by Google on February 8, 2023, and the first Developer Preview launched on the same day, with the second Developer Preview also now here, having landed in early March. These are early – and likely unstable – betas designed specifically for developers, but public betas are on the way too.

Google has revealed a timeline for the roll out of Android 14 versions, with the first public beta expected to land sometime in April, so that’s the earliest we’d suggest trying it out, and even then you should be prepared for bugs and unfinished features.

The final beta is planned for July, with the actual finished release not being given a month yet in the timeline, but August or September seems likely, as there’s unlikely to be a huge gap between the final beta and the finished release.

Plus, August and September have been the most common release months for new Android versions in recent years – though Android 12 didn’t launch until October of its release year.

Google's Android 14 timeline

The current state of the Android 14 timeline (Image credit: Google)

Another important date to note is May 10, as that’s when the Google IO 2023 developer conference is scheduled to take place. We’ll likely see one of the betas roll out there, with new features possibly also set to be announced at this event.

Android 14 supported phones

If you’ve used Android for a while then you’ll know it isn’t like iOS, where every phone made in the last five years or so gets the new version on day one. With Android, support is a lot more volatile, and many phones are left waiting months to receive their tailored update.

That said, if you have a recent Google Pixel phone, then you will definitely be getting the update, and probably on day one.

The Pixel 7 series, Pixel 6 series (including Pixel 6a), Pixel 5 series, and Pixel 4a 5G all support the Android 14 developer preview, so you can pretty much count on them all getting the finished version too. Older Pixels won’t though.

Beyond that, most other phones that came out in the last year or so will get it, and many phones that are a couple of years old will too, as will some older handsets.

Many Samsung phones qualify for four years of operating system upgrades, but that policy only applies to recent handsets, which would have gotten Android 14 anyway; devices like the Samsung Galaxy S23 series, the Samsung Galaxy S22 series, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4.

Other recent big-name phones like the OnePlus 11, OnePlus 10 Pro, Sony Xperia 1 IV, and the Xiaomi 12 will, of course, get Android 14 too. But so will most niche smartphones, just as long as they’re recent models. Again though, many of these phones won’t get the update on day one.

OnePlus 11 in green on wicker basket top with screen on

The OnePlus 11 is one of many phones that will definitely get Android 14 (Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

Android 14 beta

There aren’t any Android 14 public betas yet, which means that unless you’re a developer you should really wait.

However, there is a Developer Preview, so if you are a developer – or are comfortable putting really early software on your phone – then you can try Android 14 out now, just as long as you have a Google Pixel phone from the Pixel 4a 5G onwards.

This isn’t just a simple download and again, we wouldn’t recommend doing it. But if you’re set on trying Android 14 now, you can head to the Android developer site to get it.

Android 14 features

The Android 14 logo

(Image credit: Google)

We don’t know everything about Android 14 yet, as the initial Developer Preview doesn’t have every feature included, but based on that preview, along with some leaks, we are aware of some key things. You’ll find the most significant expected features below.

Satellite communication

The iPhone 14 series sports emergency satellite communication for when there’s no cell signal, and Google is building support for this feature directly into Android 14, so soon it might be common on Android phones too.

Of course, Android phone makers will still need to choose to support this feature and equip their handsets with the necessary hardware, but native software support may make them more keen to do so.

Sideload securely

In an effort to save people from downloading malicious apps, Android 14 will stop users from sideloading apps aimed at ancient versions of Android.

Apps on the Google Play Store already have to be aimed at fairly recent versions of Android, but currently there’s nothing to stop users from going to third-party stores or websites and getting apps built for even the very earliest Android versions.

That’s not secure, as hackers can create apps that target flaws in these earlier operating system versions, so with Android 14, wherever you get your apps from you should be a little safer from these vulnerabilities.

Proper passkey support

Android 14 seems to be bringing in full support for passkeys, which could mean the days of passwords are numbered.

Passkeys are a more secure alternative to passwords, and they work via sets of encryption keys. While passkey support already exists in Android, currently the keys have to be stored within Google’s own password manager system, whereas with Android 14, third-party password managers like Dashlane and LastPass will be able to store the keys, so you don’t have to be tied to Google’s own security.

Regional preferences

Screenshots showing Android 14's regional preferences feature

(Image credit: Google / XDA Developers / @MishaalRahman)

One other feature being tested for Android 14 – as spotted by XDA Developers – is the ability to set your preferred temperature units, first day of the week, calendar type, and number system, which will then be applied across apps.

Health Connect

Screenshots showing Health Connect on Android 14

(Image credit: Google / XDA Developers)

Health Connect lets you sync data between your health and fitness apps and devices, so that you can potentially see all of this data in one place. It’s not a new app, but – as spotted by XDA Developers – with Android 14 it’s seemingly being integrated into the platform, rather than being a separate app that you have to download.

App cloning

Screenshots showing the cloned apps feature on Android 14

(Image credit: Google / XDA Developers)

One feature Google is testing for Android 14 – via XDA Developers – is known as ‘cloned apps’, and allows you to create a second instance of an app, so you can be logged in with two different accounts at the same time, for apps that don’t natively support multiple accounts.

We’ve seen this sort of feature before from some phone makers, but this is the first time it’s been a part of stock Android.

Font scaling

The first Developer Preview of Android 14 includes font scaling up to 200% to help low-vision users. It’s cleverly designed too, as it uses a non-linear scaling curve, which means that while the smallest elements might grow by 200%, already large text won’t increase by the same amount, so that it won’t get impractically large.

View apps installed in the background

Screenshots showing the apps installed in background display on Android 14

(Image credit: Google / XDA Developers)

Your phone likely won’t just include the apps you installed on it. There will also be pre-installed apps, much of which could be considered bloatware.

Worse, manufacturers and carriers will sometimes add apps to your phone at a later date, without your permission or knowledge, and of course viruses and the like could also add apps to your phone without your knowledge.

These are described as apps that were installed in the background, and with Android 14, XDA Developers has found that you’ll be able to view a list of all of these, so you can keep on top of them.

Emoji wallpaper

Screenshots showing the emoji wallpaper on Android 14

(Image credit: Google / XDA Developers)

If you're a Pixel user then it looks like Android 14 will let you create a wallpaper for your phone, using a combination of up to 14 different emojis of your choice, along with a choice of patterns and colors. You can see some examples of this from XDA Developers above.

Auto-confirm PINs

A small feature spotted like so many others by XDA Developers, this time in the second Developer Preview of Android 14, is the ability to have correct PINs automatically confirmed.

What that means is that when you enter the final digit of a PIN, it would automatically accept it, rather than you having to press 'OK' or 'Confirm' or the like. This feature will only work for PINs of at least six digits.

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Web hosting can come in three common types, but do you know what they mean?
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There’s no shortage of challenges you’re going to face once you decide to create a website. Whether you want to boost your business with a beautiful site or kick off that blog you’ve always wanted to create – one is sure. You’re going to need a solid web hosting service – it’ll be your site’s forever home, hopefully.  

The good news is that there’s a perfect web hosting solution somewhere out there, regardless of your level of technical know-how and available budget. However, finding the right one for you and your business can take some time and careful consideration. 

It’s not all about the cost, you know? A solution fit for a fabulous WordPress blog probably won’t fulfil the needs of an online store with an ever-growing number of visitors. 

Before being able to pick out the perfect solution for your online project, you should make sure that it provides the right amount of resources, as well as an ability to scale up/down. A seemingly small thing like this can set your site for success right at the start.  

So, to make things simpler for you, we’ll go through the three most common types of web hosting and tell you everything you should know before opting for any of them. 

The three common types of web hosting 

Whether you’re starting out or wish to switch your web hosting solution for a superior one, you’ll want to catch wind of the most common web hosting types and tackle their meaning. After that, you can be sure you’ve made the best decision for the future of your website.   

Most people start their journey into cyberspace with shared hosting. It’s not only simple to start with but also considerably cheaper than other solutions out there. Consequently, it’s also the least powerful one. This is because with this type of solution a single server is shared among several users. Thereby, the resources are also shared – storage space, bandwidth, CPUs, and RAM included.   

Once your site begins to grow and outgrow your shared hosting solution, you’ll probably want to upgrade to a virtual private server (VPS) hosting solution. Without breaking the bank, it will let you get rid of the primary drawback of shared hosting – shared resources. So, with a VPS solution, you’ll still share a physical server with other sites, but you will get a set of resources that are dedicated to your site, and your site only. 

If you want to step up your game from a VPS solution and don't mind paying a pretty penny for it – you should consider dedicated server hosting. As the name suggests, you’ll get your dedicated physical server with your dedicated resources and you won’t have to share them with anyone else.  

Apart from these three, other popular web hosting solutions include cloud hosting, WordPress hosting, reseller hosting, and colocation hosting.

Why are these three the most common types? 

It’s no secret that shared hosting is popular for its cost-effectiveness and ease of use. It’s the cheapest out of these three options, so if you can spare a mere $ 5 per month – you can afford it. Also, shared hosting is exceedingly easy to use, so even if you’ve never made or managed a site before, you’ll catch up with everything in no time. So, there’s no need for technical know-how – the technical team will walk you through every step of the journey. 

Acting as a bridge between shared hosting and dedicated server hosting, VPS offers powerful performance, high uptime, superb long-term scalability, enhanced security, customizability, and control over your server space. However, the ease of use will vary depending on whether you’re using a managed or unmanaged service. 

While dedicated server hosting will cost you a big buck, it can get you everything a VPS provides plus complete control over your solution. With full root access, you can perform direct server customizations without any restrictions – alter your hardware specifications, add advanced security tools, install applications across your server, and much more. Also, a dedicated solution comes with a dedicated, round-the-clock support staff. 

Web hosting

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Who should use each type of web hosting? 

Being the simplest solution out of the three, shared hosting is the best choice for small sites and blogs that don’t get too many visitors. It’s also a solid solution for young entrepreneurs that lack a big budget and technical know-how but don’t mind starting small. 

A VPS solution offers a fine balance between resources and budget, and it’s aimed at those who have outgrown shared hosting. It’s perfect for those running high-traffic sites for small to mid-sized businesses including ecommerce platforms, SaaS providers, software engineers, and so forth. 

Dedicated servers are “state-of-the-art” web hosting solutions geared towards mid-sized to big businesses that employ over 500 people that are processing massive amounts of data every day. For instance, if you’re running a booming ecommerce store with hundreds of transactions per hour, you’ll want to consider this type of solution.  

The benefits of each type of web hosting 

The three primary advantages of choosing a shared hosting solution are its budget-friendliness (the pricing starts at $ 5 per month), a beginner-friendly approach (simple setup, built-in control panel, and site-building tools), and solid customer support (expect to get live chat support and access to well-supplied knowledgebase). 

In comparison with shared hosting, VPS will get you more powerful performance, higher reliability, and the ability to scale up/down your server with ease. It also gives you more control over your server and a superb level of customizability. 

The main benefit of utilizing a dedicated server solution is having dedicated resources that can keep up and promote the growth of your business. Also, your business site/sites should benefit from increased speed, improved SEO, and superior security. 

While fully managed dedicated servers are pretty popular with large enterprises, you can also opt for a partially managed or unmanaged server and save up some money.  

Things to avoid when choosing a web hosting service 

Since we’ve already shared our tips and trick on how to choose a web hosting service, now we’re going to uncover what mistakes you should avoid making when searching for your solution.

If you want to go with shared hosting, don’t settle for a free hosting service just to save up some money at the start. It will cripple your site with seriously slow speed, unreliable uptime, and non-existent customer support. Before you know it, most of your potential customers will lose trust in your brand and your business will go bust. 

Likewise, don’t purchase a shared or VPS hosting solution before trying it out with a free trial – if one is provided. If not, check whether there is a money-back guarantee. Plus, don’t forget to see what the small print says – this is true for all three types of hosting.  

If you thinking about purchasing a self-managed VPS solution even if you aren’t particularly tech-savvy – don’t do it.  It’s harder than you think and it’ll take plenty of time before you get the hang of it. 

Also, don’t fail to check the company behind the solution including their track record and history of security incidents – if there are any. Take some time to read out reviews about your potential web hosting provider, professional reviews and customer testimonials alike. And if a provider has a bad track record, avoid it like the plague. 

This is particularly important when picking out a dedicated server solution as with this type of hosting one should never make compromises in terms of security. 

On the end note, don’t forget to consider the needs of your online project before picking out a web hosting package for it. What type of site do you wish to create? Will you be creating a single site or more of them? How do you plan to build your site? What amount of traffic do you expect to receive each month? What additional features do you want to receive? And how much money are you willing to give up each month?

Once you’ve answered all these questions, you’ll be a couple of steps closer to choosing the best web hosting solution for your business. 

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ChatGPT explained: everything you need to know about the AI chatbot
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ChatGPT has quickly become one of the most significant tech launches since the original Apple iPhone in 2007. The chatbot is now the fastest-growing consumer app in history, hitting 100 million users in only two months – but it's also a rapidly-changing AI shapeshifter, which can make it confusing and overwhelming.

That's why we've put together this regularly-updated explainer to answer all your burning ChatGPT questions. What exactly can you use it for? What does ChatGPT stand for? And when will it move to the next-gen GPT-4 model? We've answered all of these questions and more below. And no, ChatGPT wasn't willing to comment on all of them either.

In this guide, we'll mainly be covering OpenAI's own ChatGPT model, launched in November 2022. Since then, ChatGPT has sparked an AI arms race, with Microsoft using a form of the chatbot in its new Bing search engine and Microsoft Edge browser. Google has also quickly responded by announcing a chatbot, tentatively described as an “experimental conversational AI service”, called Google Bard.

These will be just the start of the ChatGPT rivals and offshoots, as OpenAI is offering an API (or application programming interface) for developers to build its skills into other programs. In fact, Snapchat has recently announced a chatbot 'called My AI' that runs on the latest version of OpenAI's tech.

For now, though, here are all of the ChatGPT basics explained – along with our thoughts on where the AI chatbot is heading in the near future.

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is an AI chatbot that's built on a family of large language models (LLMs) that are collectively called GPT-3. These models can understand and generate human-like answers to text prompts, because they've been trained on huge amounts of data.

For example, ChatGPT's most recent GPT-3.5 model was trained on 570GB of text data from the internet, which OpenAI says included books, articles, websites, and even social media. Because it's been trained on hundreds of billions of words, ChatGPT can create responses that make it seem like, in its own words, “a friendly and intelligent robot”.

A laptop on a green background showing ChatGPT

(Image credit: ChatGPT)

This ability to produce human-like, and frequently accurate, responses to a vast range of questions is why ChatGPT became the fastest-growing app of all time, reaching 100 million users in only two months. The fact that it can also generate essays, articles, and poetry has only added to its appeal (and controversy, in areas like education).

But early users have also revealed some of ChatGPT's limitations. OpenAI says that its responses “may be inaccurate, untruthful, and otherwise misleading at times”. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also admitted in December 2022 that the AI chatbot is “incredibly limited” and that “it's a mistake to be relying on it for anything important right now”. But the world is currently having a ball exploring ChatGPT and, despite the arrival of a paid ChatGPT Plus version, you can still use it for free. 

What does ChatGPT stand for?

ChatGPT stands for “Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer”. Let's take a look at each of those words in turn. 

The 'chat' naturally refers to the chatbot front-end that OpenAI has built for its GPT language model. The second and third words show that this model was created using 'generative pre-training', which means it's been trained on huge amounts of text data to predict the next word in a given sequence.

A laptop screen showing a word illustration from Google's Transformer research paper

An illustration from Google’s 2017 research paper for the Transformer architecture, which ChatGPT is based on. (Image credit: Google)

Lastly, there's the 'transformer' architecture, the type of neural network ChatGPT is based on. Interestingly, this transformer architecture was actually developed by Google researchers in 2017 and is particularly well-suited to natural language processing tasks, like answering questions or generating text. 

Google was only too keen to point out its role in developing the technology during its announcement of Google Bard. But ChatGPT was the AI chatbot that took the concept mainstream, earning it another multi-billion investment from Microsoft, which said that it was as important as the invention of the PC and the internet.

When was ChatGPT released?

ChatGPT was released as a “research preview” on November 30, 2022. A blog post casually introduced the AI chatbot to the world, with OpenAI stating that “we’ve trained a model called ChatGPT which interacts in a conversational way”.

The interface was, as it is now, a simple text box that allowed users to answer follow-up questions. OpenAI said that the dialogue format, which you can now see in the new Bing search engine, allows ChatGPT to “admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests”.

A laptop screen showing the ChatGPT Plus welcome screen

(Image credit: OpenAI)

ChatGPT is based on a language model from the GPT-3.5 series, which OpenAI says finished its training in early 2022. But OpenAI did also previously release earlier GPT models in limited form – its GPT-2 language model, for example, was announced in February 2019, but the company said it wouldn't release the fully-trained model “due to our concerns about malicious applications of the technology”.

OpenAI also released a larger and more capable model, called GPT-3, in June 2020. But it was the full arrival of ChatGPT in November 2022 that saw the technology burst into the mainstream.

How much does ChatGPT cost?

ChatGPT is still available to use for free, but now also has a paid tier. After growing rumors of a ChatGPT Professional tier, OpenAI said in February that it was introducing a “pilot subscription plan” called ChatGPT Plus in the US. A week later, it made the subscription tier available to the rest of the world.

ChatGPT Plus costs $ 20 p/month (around £17 / AU$ 30) and brings a few benefits over the free tier. It promises to give you full access to ChatGPT even during peak times, which is when you'll otherwise frequently see “ChatGPT is at capacity right now” messages during down times.

A laptop screen on a green background showing the pricing for ChatGPT Plus

(Image credit: OpenAI)

OpenAI says the ChatGPT Plus subscribers also get “faster response times”, which means you should get answers around three times quicker than the free version (although this is no slouch). And the final benefit is “priority access to new features and improvements”, like the experimental 'Turbo' mode that boosts response times even further. 

It isn't clear how long OpenAI will keep its free ChatGPT tier, but the current signs are promising. The company says “we love our free users and will continue to offer free access to ChatGPT”. Right now, the subscription is apparently helping to support free access to ChatGPT. Whether that's something that continues long-term is another matter.

How does ChatGPT work?

ChatGPT has been created with one main objective – to predict the next word in a sentence, based on what's typically happened in the gigabytes of text data that it's been trained on.

Once you give ChatGPT a question or prompt, it passes through the AI model and the chatbot produces a response based on the information you've given and how that fits into its vast amount of training data. It's during this training that ChatGPT has learned what word, or sequence of words, typically follows the last one in a given context.

For a long deep dive into this process, we recommend setting aside a few hours to read this blog post from Stephen Wolfram (creator of the Wolfram Alpha search engine), which goes under the bonnet of 'large language models' like ChatGPT to take a peek at their inner workings.

But the short answer? ChatGPT works thanks to a combination of deep learning algorithms, a dash of natural language processing, and a generous dollop of generative pre-training, which all combine to help it produce disarmingly human-like responses to text questions. Even if all it's ultimately been trained to do is fill in the next word, based on its experience of being the world's most voracious reader.

What can you use ChatGPT for?

ChatGPT has been trained on a vast amount of text covering a huge range of subjects, so its possibilities are nearly endless. But in its early days, users have discovered several particularly useful ways to use the AI helper.

Broadly speaking, these can be divided into natural language tasks and coding assistance. In our guide to six exciting ways to use ChatGPT, we showed how you can use it for drafting letters, writing poetry, and creating (or adapting) fiction. That said, it does still have its limitations, as we found when ChatGPT showed us just how far it is from writing a blockbuster movie. 

That hasn't stopped self-publishing authors from embracing the tech, though. With YouTube and Reddit forums packed with tutorials on how to write a novel using the AI tech, the Amazon Kindle store is already on the cusp of being overrun with ChatGPT-authored books.

A laptop screen showing the MagicSlides Chrome extension for Google Slides

(Image credit: MagicSlides)

Other language-based tasks that ChatGPT enjoys are translations, helping you learn new languages (watch out, Duolingo), generating job descriptions, and creating meal plans. Just tell it the ingredients you have and the number of people you need to serve, and it'll rustle up some impressive ideas. 

But ChatGPT is also equally talented at coding and productivity tasks. For the former, its ability to create code from natural speech makes it a powerful ally for both new and experienced coders who either aren't familiar with a particular language or want to troubleshoot existing code. Unfortunately, there is also the potential for it to be misused to create malicious emails and malware. 

We're also particularly looking forward to seeing it integrated with some of our favorite cloud software and the best productivity tools. There are several ways that ChatGPT could transform Microsoft Office, and someone has already made a nifty ChatGPT plug-in for Google Slides. Microsoft has also announced that the AI tech will be baked into Skype, where it'll be able to produce meeting summaries or make suggestions based on questions that pop up in your group chat.

Does ChatGPT have an app?

ChatGPT doesn't currently have an official app, but that doesn't mean that you can't use the AI tech on your smartphone. Microsoft released new Bing and Edge apps for Android and iOS that give you access to their new ChatGPT-powered modes – and they even support voice search.

The AI helper has landed on social media, too. Snapchat announced a new ChatGPT sidekick called 'My AI', which is designed to help you with everything from designing dinner recipes to writing haikus. It's based on OpenAI's latest GPT-3.5 model and is an “experimental feature” that's currently restricted to Snapchat Plus subscribers (which costs $ 3.99 / £3.99 / AU$ 5.99 a month).

A phone screen showing Snapchat's My AI chatbot

(Image credit: Snap)

The arrival of a new ChatGPT API for businesses means we'll soon see an explosion of apps that are built around the AI chatbot. In the pipeline are ChatGPT-powered app features from the likes of Shopify (and its Shop app) and Instacart. The dating app OKCupid has also started dabbling with in-app questions that have been created by OpenAI's chatbot.

What is ChatGPT 4?

OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman has confirmed that it's working on a successor to the GPT-3.5 language model used to create ChatGPT, and according to the New York Times this is GPT-4.

Despite the huge number of rumors swirling around GPT-4, there is very little confirmed information describing its potential powers or release date. Some early rumors suggested GPT-4 might even arrive in the first few months of 2023, but more recent quotes from Sam Altman suggest that could be optimistic.

For example, in an interview with StrictlyVC in February the OpenAI CEO said in response to a question about GPT-4 that “in general we are going to release technology much more slowly than people would like”.

He also added that “people are begging to be disappointed and they will be. The hype is just like… We don’t have an actual AGI and that’s sort of what’s expected of us.” That said, rumors from the likes of the New York Times have suggested that Microsoft's new Bing search engine is actually based on a version of GPT-4.

While GPT-4 is unlikely to bring anything as drastic as graphics or visuals to the text-only chatbot, it is expected to improve on the current ChatGPT's already impressive skills in areas like coding. We'll update this article as soon as we hear any more official news on the next-gen ChatGPT technology.

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9 hidden iOS tricks that every iPhone user should know
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Apple’s iOS has come a long way from its iPhoneOS starting point, and all of the best iPhones have built on the operating system’s initial promise. Steve Jobs demonstrated the power of the iPhone in 2007 with a huge on-stage Starbucks order, and the platform has grown year after year with each update adding new features.

Multitasking, the notification and Control Center, and even the App Store, were all added to the iPhone after its first iteration, and that rapid pace of innovation can make it hard to keep up with new features.

With that in mind, we’ve put together this list of useful features you may have missed. Some are accessibility options, some need to be enabled, and others are just waiting to be used. All of them, though, will make your iPhone experience better.

1. Use a cursor to select text

iOS tips and tricks

(Image credit: Apple / TechRadar)

Texting is a way of life, but it’s still surprisingly cumbersome even at the best of times. If you’ve ever had an errant word added by autocorrect but not spotted it until you’ve written a few dozen words more, this tip is for you.

Sure, you can hold your finger to the text to jump to it, but this can occasionally lead to highlighting an entire word or sentence. For more granular control, we’d recommend the following:

  • Hold your finger or thumb at the bottom of your screen, underneath the keyboard.
  • This will grey out the keyboard, and turn it into a trackpad until you raise your finger or thumb.

Hey presto, easy text selection!

2. Create text snippets

iOS tips and tricks

(Image credit: Apple / TechRadar)

Text snippets are popular for macOS power users, but you can achieve the same result with your iPhone. Better yet, it doesn’t require any third-party software.

Text snippets are ideal shortcuts for copying in certain phrases you’ve pre-registered. If you’re dealing with a client via iMessage, for example, you may want to send a standardized response. With text replacement, you can create a block of text to be posted whenever you type a phrase.

  • Open Settings, then head to General, then Keyboard.
  • Pick Text Replacement and you’ll be able to create new replacements, and the words required to trigger them.

In our example, you can see that typing 'omw' brings up 'On my way!', but there are plenty of places where this would be useful. You can also set emoji to appear when you type, which feels pleasantly nostalgic in a way you just don’t get from the emoji picker.

3. Enable the scientific calculator

iOS tips and tricks

(Image credit: Apple / TechRadar)

The iPad may not feature a calculator, but the iPhone does. The trouble is, it can feel a tad limiting outside of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division – at least until you find a new perspective.

Turning your iPhone to the side with the calculator app open will enable the scientific calculator. This adds brackets, square roots, cos/sin/tan options, and the ever-handy π command, among plenty of others.

4. Enable an additional ‘button’

iOS tips and tricks

(Image credit: Apple / TechRadar)

While intended as an accessibility feature, the iPhone’s ‘back tap’ button is handy for power users looking for additional input for their device.

  • Go to Settings, then Accessibility, then Touch.
  • Select Back Tap and you’ll be presented with plenty of options.

You can use this in a number of ways, such as triggering the App Switcher, snapping a quick screenshot, or opening Spotlight search from anywhere on your device. There are also double and triple tap options, meaning you can set multiple functions for it.

5. Use your camera’s 'Burst Mode'

iOS tips and tricks

(Image credit: Apple / TechRadar)

Your iPhone’s camera is plenty powerful enough, but there’s one trick you may have missed: Burst Mode. Burst mode, as the name suggests, takes a series of rapid-fire images in one press which means your iPhone can capture a series of action shots.

It’s ideal for pets and excitable toddlers, letting you go back and look at your pictures after the event and pick out the best ones. It’s easy to access, too. Just slide the Shutter button (the one you use to take photos) to the left when you’re in the Camera app.

You can also head into Settings, then Camera, and toggle Use Volume Up for Burst to allow your volume rocker to trigger Burst mode – just hold it when you’re taking an image.

6. Scan documents using the camera

Your iPhone’s camera can double as a very respectable document scanner, and while Live Text means you can extract text from images, it’s entirely possible to digitize an entire document. Because it’s buried in the Notes app, though, you may not have spotted how to do it.

  • Open Notes, then tap the camera icon, then Scan Documents.
  • Highlight your document and it should automatically save. You can also manually take a scan with the shutter button.

Once the scan is saved, you can sign it, too, or just share it via any email or messaging app. It’s not got the same level of quality as a bespoke scanner, but it’s not far off, and will certainly do in a pinch.

Not convinced? Be sure to check our list of the best document scanning apps.

7. Use your camera flash as a notification

iOS tips and tricks

(Image credit: Apple / TechRadar)

One final camera trick, which is a little different. As an accessibility feature, you can trigger your iPhone’s camera flash to go off when you receive a notification, providing a more visual way of knowing someone is calling or messaging.

  • Head into Settings, then Accessibility.
  • In the Audio/Visual section there’s an option for ‘LED Flash for Alerts’.

You can also trigger it to only work when your phone is on silent, which is ideal if you’d prefer your phone not to vibrate on a desk.

8. Master Control Center

iOS tips and tricks

(Image credit: Apple / TechRadar)

Introduced as part of iOS 7 all the way back in 2013, Control Center has moved from the bottom of the screen to the top as the years have gone by, and it has a lot more utility than you may be aware of.

While Apple doesn’t offer Force Touch these days, you can long-press on Control Center icons to get additional options.

Through this, you can enable Spatial Audio with compatible earphones, pick a Focus mode, get a better look at what’s playing on your audio app, or even go two layers deep – the quadrant with Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mobile signal can be expanded to allow you to easily select a Wi-Fi access point, for example.

9. Recognize any song with Shazam in the Control Center

iOS tips and tricks

(Image credit: Apple / TechRadar)

Remember Shazam? The music recognition service was purchased by Apple in 2018 and remains a great way to identify whatever song is playing – whether you’re in a store, at a party, or just missed the name on the radio.

While Shazam has an app, you can also add it to your iPhone’s Control Center for easy access.

  • Open Settings, then enter Control Center and tap the Plus button next to Music Recognition to add it.

Now, whenever you hear a great song playing, you can pull down from Control Center and hit the Shazam icon to find out what’s playing. If you’re on Apple Music, it’ll even give you the option to add the track to your library.

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iOS 15.4: here’s everything we know so far
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After the truly tiny update that was iOS 15.3, we're now learning about iOS 15.4, and thankfully this already looks to be a much, much bigger update for Apple's operating system.

The first four betas are out now for developers, and with them comes news of several big included features, such as the long-awaited Universal Control, Face ID functionality with a mask, and more.

With rumors of a March event by Apple, it was finally confirmed, with a March 8 date with the title 'Peak Performance', perhaps hinting to new Macs, but it wouldn't be a stretch to consider 15.4 releasing on the same day as the event.

Below we've detailed everything we know about iOS 15.4, including when it's likely to launch, and we'll be updating this article when we hear more, so check back soon.

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? The latest iOS release
  • When is it out? The beta is out now, we expect the finished version on March 8
  • How much will it cost? It’s free

iOS 15.4 release date and compatibility

iOS 15.4 is already available, but only in beta form, and only for developers. While you don't technically have to be a developer to grab this version, we'd recommend at least waiting for the public beta, and if you want it to be bug-free then you should wait for the finished release.

We're generally seeing roughly a four to six-week gap between new iOS versions, which means that given iOS 15.3 landed on January 26, we'll probably see the finished version of iOS 15.4 sometime around the confirmed March 8 event.

As for compatibility, it's exactly the same as every other version of iOS 15, meaning that if you're on iOS 15 or above you'll be able to get iOS 15.4 as well. Specifically, that's all handsets from the iPhone 6S onwards, including the iPhone SE (2020) and the original iPhone SE, plus the iPod touch (7th gen).

A selection of iOS 15 screenshots showing how the software works

(Image credit: Apple)

iOS 15.4 features

Thanks to the betas we know many of the features that will probably arrive in iOS 15.4. However, it's possible that there might be other features too, or that some of these won't ultimately make the cut.

Face ID with a mask

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The Covid-19 pandemic presented a problem for iPhones, as with the whole world suddenly wearing masks, Face ID wasn't always viable. Apple addressed this problem a while back by allowing your iPhone to unlock if you were wearing an Apple Watch, but with iOS 15.4 it seems to have properly fixed the issue.

The iOS 15.4 beta allows you to set Face ID to work even when you're wearing a mask, by having it just scan the visible parts of your face, such as your eyes. The second beta has also improved this feature slightly, by instructing users how to position their eyes when unlocking the phone.

Apple warns that this is less accurate, and we'd assume also less secure, but it's a way to properly use Face ID with a mask on. It's also optional, so if you'd rather keep doing things the current way, you can disable this feature.

Universal Control

WWDC 2021 screenshot

(Image credit: Apple)

Universal Control is technically more of an iPadOS 15.4 feature than an iPhone one, as it allows users to connect an iPad to a Mac and use a single mouse and keyboard across both devices, with the iPad’s display being like an extension of the Mac’s.

This feature has been a long time coming, as we first heard about it back at WWDC 2021, but it's finally arrived in the iPadOS 15.4 beta.

New emoji

A selection of the new emoji added with iOS 15.4

(Image credit: Emojipedia / Apple)

If, somehow, you feel that there just aren't enough emoji yet, then iOS 15.4 could help, as the beta includes 37 new ones, along with 75 skin tone variations for better inclusivity.

New emoji, some of which you can see above, include a biting lip, a melting face, heart hands, and many more.

Anti-stalking measures for AirTag

Apple AirTags

(Image credit: TechRadar)

Apple has a whole range of measures planned to prevent unwanted AirTag tracking, and the first of those have arrived in an iOS 15.4 beta. These include a warning when setting up AirTag that using one to track someone unknowingly is illegal, and that AirTag is designed to be detectable and for law enforcement to be able to link it to the owner.

It also includes clearer identification of devices, so you shouldn't get any ‘Unknown Accessory Alerts’.

A new Siri voice

One of the iOS 15.4 betas includes a new voice for Siri. This is a fifth option under the 'American' category. So it's an English language voice, and specifically in a US accent. This is a female voice, and you can hear a sample of it below.

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Tap to Pay

Apple recently announced plans for a Tap to Pay feature, which would turn your iPhone into a contactless payments terminal, and the second iOS 15.4 beta adds frameworks for developers to enable this service in their apps.

Notes in iCloud Keychain

If you use iCloud Keychain then you'll now be able to add notes alongside any password. This is a fairly standard feature of password managers, so it's been a long time coming and is good to see.

Apple Card widget

If you use Apple Card, then with iOS 15.4 you'll be able to add a widget for it to the Today view. This will display your balance, your available funds, and your daily spending across various categories.

Digital IDs in the Wallet app

Apple Wallet state ID

(Image credit: Apple)

Before we move on to smaller features, here's a big feature that there’s not actually any sign of in iOS 15.4 yet, but which might be included, since we know it’s being worked on.

This feature would allow US users to add their driver’s license or state ID to the Wallet app, and it would then be accepted at TSA checkpoints in select airports, with retailers, events and venues eventually expected to add support for these digital IDs too.

However, even once this feature is added, the roll out looks likely to be slow. It’s going to land on a state-by-state basis in the US (with Arizona, Georgia, Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah looking to be first in line), and there’s no word on exactly if or when the feature will expand to other countries.

Other features

Beyond the features above, all sorts of smaller tweaks and improvements have also been found in iOS 15.4.

These include the ability to turn off notifications for Personal Automations in Shortcuts if you don't want to be alerted about them, set up custom email domains directly from iCloud Mail on the iPhone (if you have an iCloud Plus subscription), activate SharePlay from the Share Sheet, and customize the left and right corner swipe gestures in the Notes app.

You can also choose whether to show still frames or poster art in the Up Next section of the TV app, use your iPhone to sign in to passkey-compatible websites and apps on your iPad or Mac, and make use of what Apple describes as 'new DualSense adaptive trigger firmware features' when you've paired Sony's latest controller with your phone.

Plus, those in the EU can now add their Covid vaccine cards to the Wallet app, and there's also evidence in the iOS 15.4 beta that Apple is working on a 'Cosmetic Scan' feature, which would be used to check your iPhone for damage when trading it in.

Bug fixes

New versions of iOS almost always come with bug fixes, and iOS 15.4 is no exception. One such fix is that third-party apps will now display animations at 120Hz when using the iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max, which in some cases they weren't doing previously.

The second iOS 15.4 beta also fixes a bug that caused Siri to record and store interactions from a 'small portion' of iPhone users, even if they opted out.

We'd expect other bugs have been fixed too, but we're not sure which ones.

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The new-look Gmail has landed – here’s all you need to know
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Google has given users their first proper view of the new-look Gmail as the company looks to bring a host of its top products into one place.

The company recently revealed that Gmail was set for a major makeover that would provide users with a one-stop shop for all their communication needs – whether via email, video conferencing, or instant messaging – without them having to open up extra tabs or windows.

The rollout of the new Gmail appears to have already begun, with the company saying that users with personal Google accounts and those on Rapid Release domains are able to access it now.

Gmail update

This new-look Gmail brings the likes of Google Chat, Spaces and Meet into a new, integrated view, the company revealed in a guide on its Gmail Help blog.

As well as this integrated view, the new Gmail will allow users to view specific app menus in a collapsible panel, and get alerts for new Chat and Space messages through notification bubbles. 

Gmail integrated view

(Image credit: Google)

Going forward, all Google apps in Gmail will be situated in a single menu on the left of the screen. Users can switch between them by clicking on an app's menu, or point to an icon to see a preview, with the new collapsible panel able to be hidden or displayed with a click at any time.

Google also notes that individual and group chat messages can be accessed from the Chat tab, including opening into a small pop-up window at the bottom of your screen.

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Finally, notifications will now appear on the bottom left corner as a bubble whenever you get a new chat or space message, with a preview displaying when you point at the bubble. Clicking on the bubble will allow users to open the message and reply directly from the chat or spaces tab, or open up a small pop-up window for a more concrete view.

Or if you'd rather just forget this method of communicating, notification bubbles can be turned off with a few clicks.

Google says it is now preparing a wider rollout over the next few weeks, with Scheduled Release domains next to begin receiving the new look on February 28.

Once launched, users will be able to enable the new view by navigating to Settings > Quick Settings > Try out the new Gmail view, then in the new window, clicking Reload.

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Developers want to know from Apple if an iCloud issue will finally be fixed
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If you use an Apple device, there’s a good chance that you use iCloud, its service of syncing your content across multiple devices, alongside streaming files and your tasks in certain apps that also use the service.

However, you may have experienced some issues where your content on one device, isn’t showing on another. This has begun to be known as the 503 error – where iCloud syncing isn’t working properly.

This would have been fine for users and developers if this had been an issue for a few days or a week, but it’s seemingly been since last summer that issues relating to iCloud have remained.

It’s now at the point where developers are venting their frustrations as to whether this issue will be resolved for their apps, and for users.

We speak to developers about their 503 experiences

A Twitter thread on January 25 by Becky Handsmeyer, developer of YarnBuddy and Scribblet, wanted to see if there was another way of reporting the issue to Apple. Soon after, other developers replied to her through a thread.

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We reached out to Handsmeyer to explain the issue further. “My headache with this started with a 2-star review 21 days ago where a user complained of crashes and broken syncing. Since then I’ve gotten 6 more complaints of broken syncing, some through reviews but mostly via email.” 

Handsmeyer continued “No amount of troubleshooting seems to help (reinstalling, making sure iCloud Drive is enabled, etc). I’ve seen multiple developers complaining about iCloud issues and 503 errors including James Thomson, Paul Haddad, and the developer of Streaks. One person said they had used a DTS session and Apple acknowledged the issue but have no timeline for a fix.”

Other developers such as GoodNotes recently published an article regarding the issue, due to users experiencing 503 issues. The article mentions “This issue is not apparent to us and we've escalated the case to Apple Technical Support team for investigation. It seems it's happening to other apps as well.”

But there’s no end in sight for a fix as yet, and users are becoming more frustrated that their content is not syncing properly.

James Thomson, the developer of PCalc, explained to us that it looks as though the issue may be related to the latest updates of iOS 15, macOS 12 Monterey, and others.

“I started seeing some iCloud syncing issues with PCalc with the OS betas during the late summer. It was taking several minutes to sync over settings, rather than the usual seconds, and people assumed the syncing wasn’t actually working.” Thomson explains. “That persisted into the releases, and eventually, I turned things off by default because it was causing problems where people were losing some of the changes they were making due to the long delays. Hopefully, it’s something Apple can fix soon, and I can turn it back on again then.”

Analysis: What’s taking so long?

Looking through the Twitter thread of other experiences from developers, you can place the issue back to when Apple’s software updates were heading toward their final release, just before the iPhone 13 series were announced at September’s event.

When major software releases are pushed out, you can assume services that are hidden to users, are also updated, so that they can work with the new features that have been announced and implemented.

But considering that this is four months since the release of iOS 15 and the other software updates, with no context for developers as to what the issue actually is, and when it will be fixed, is bringing unnecessary frustrations to Apple.

We’ve reached out to Apple for comment as to whether the 503 issue is in the process of being fixed.

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