Articles and competitions.

How to Make Your iPhone More Secure Our phones carry more personal data the more we use them. It’s not just contacts, messages, and WhatsApp. They also store account passwords, financial data, location data, the websites we browse and the searches we make online. As you’ll have seen in our April Newsletter email, your phone privacy, safety, and security are important to us. We want you to have the best experience possible, whether it’s ultra-secure account sign-ins or being pickier with app permissions. Luckily, iPhones make security and privacy a front and centre feature, so keeping your personal info personal couldn’t be easier. Apple’s privacy policy: Of all the big phone brands out there, Apple probably leads the way for user privacy. Every Apple-made app has been built to make your user experience uniquely yours, and not store your data, or worse, sell it to third parties. For example, the Maps app doesn’t link your data to your Apple ID, and it doesn’t record your location history, either. Siri does what it needs to, when you need it, without learning all about you. Apple Pay hides all your credit and debit card details from Apple, and they don’t store your transaction data. Then there’s the Safari browser and its Intelligent Tracking Prevention skills (more on that later). Furthermore, Apple blocks all cookies and tracking on your online activity, you can disable this feature in settings or continuously give your consent when landing on each new website. Overall, iPhones are naturally a lot more secure than many other smartphones. However, there are always extra things you can do to keep your phone and data safe. Here are a few things you can do to make your iPhone much more secure: Downloading apps? Check what permissions you give: Apps need permission to use a few of your phone’s features to work properly. A photo editing app will most likely need access to your camera and photos folder. A food delivery app will need to have access to your location to know where you are to deliver to you. But not every app needs to have access to these features all the time, and there are other features they don’t need access to at all. Here’s how to check what permissions your apps have: Here’s how: Tap Settings, then Privacy. Once you’re there, go through each of the permissions to see which apps have access and simply use the toggle to choose yes or no. With location data, you can give each app permission to use your location all the time, only when the app is open, or not at all. Enable Two Factor Authentication wherever possible: What about passwords? It’s not just your Apple ID that makes your iPhone experience uniquely yours. There are also all your linked accounts for social media, music and movie streaming, news, banking and more. Of course, it’s always worth having a strong, unique password for each of those accounts to minimise the chance of your account being hacked. However, if there’s a Two Factor Authentication option, always opt in. With this, you’ll require your password (as always) and a temporary code to access your accounts. This code is sent to you either by SMS or by an app like Google Authenticator. And with Apple’s security code autofill feature, you don’t even have to manually enter your code when you receive it. Your iPhone automatically inputs the code to give you safe, secure, and exclusive access to your account. Use Keychain: As we mentioned before, iOS puts your security at the forefront of your experience. It’s all down to you to take control of your data, passwords, and info. Take Keychain, for example. This handy encrypted password manager stores all your login info for the accounts you use on your iPhone. But it can also help you assign strong passwords to new accounts. Next time you create an account within an app or online, when you tap the ‘create password’ field, you’ll see that a password has been created for you. Tap Use Strong Password to confirm you want to use it and your iPhone will automatically store it in Keychain. Keychain can even point out where you’ve used the same password for several accounts, so you can create unique passwords and make every account more secure. Try a different search engine: On the whole, Safari is a more private browser platform than Chrome. It features Intelligent Tracking Prevention, which identifies trackers on the websites you visit and stops them from creating that digital profile of you that results in targeted ads. However, Google is still the default search engine on Safari, which is, of course, the default browser for iPhone. That means your search data is still collected. You can change this, though. Just go to Settings > Safari > Search Engine, and you’ll see a host of options. We Recommend DuckDuckGo. It offers a very similar user experience to the trusty Google one, but without any tracking or storage of data. Give it a go! Those are just a few things you can do to make your iPhone a lot more secure. Have we missed any out? What tips do you have to keep your accounts and data safe on your iPhone? Let us know below! Have an Android device and want to know how to keep your data safe? Read:

How to Make Your Android Phone More Secure Our smartphones carry an entire library of personal data to be as useful and versatile as they are. It’s not just contacts, messages, files, and photos. Think about all the account passwords, banking info, location data, websites you’ve visited and searches you’ve made. It’s a lot! As you’ll have seen in our April Newsletter email, your phone privacy, safety, and security are important to us. Your Android experience should always be as good as it can be, and a few quick security provisions can help make it so. Android offers plenty of customisation options, letting you tailor your own phone experience. When you delve into the settings, it’s easy to take control of your data, passwords, and activity. Here are a few things you can do to make your Android phone more secure: Routinely scan your apps: Did you know Google can scan an app to check if it’s safe before you’ve even downloaded it? With ‘Google Play Protect’, your phone can see if apps are suspicious or misbehaving. Once you’ve got it switched on, it’ll periodically scan all your apps to make sure they’re all working as they should. The good news is that Google Play Protect should automatically be switched on, but it’s definitely worth checking to make sure. Just go to Settings > Security > Google Play Protect. Then, tap the cog at the top right of your screen and check that the toggle settings are on. If they’re not, switch them to ‘on’ and your app downloads will instantly be a lot safer and risk-free. Downloading apps? Check what permissions you give: Some apps require permission to use a few of your phone’s features to work properly. For example, Uber needs your location info so you can hire a cab, Instagram needs to access your camera and photos to allow uploads. But not every app needs to have access to these features all the time, and there are other features they don’t need access to at all. Every time you download a new app, double-check the permissions. Here’s how: Go to Settings > Apps > Permissions. You’ll then be taken to the ‘Permission Manager’ where you can see all the apps that have permission to use certain features. These features include your camera, calendar, messages, contacts, files, and location. Just tap on a feature to see which app uses it, then tap on the app to remove permission. With location data, you can choose to give each app permission to use your location all the time, only when you’re using the app, or deny permission entirely. It’s that easy. Set up Two Factor Authentication: Apps and data aren’t the only things your phone stores. There’s also all your account information for things like Facebook, Spotify, Netflix, banking – the list goes on. Of course, it’s always worth having a strong password to minimise the chance of your account being hacked. However, if there’s a ‘Two Factor Authentication’ option, always opt in. With two factor authentications, you’ll need your password (as always) and a temporary code that’s sent to your phone to access your accounts. This means that would-be hackers would not only need your account password, they’d also need your phone to get the code that grants access to your accounts. In other words, you’re doubling your safety measures by adding an extra layer of security. Just head to Settings > Google > Manage your Google Account. Once you’re there, scroll to the Security tab and look for ‘2-Step Verification’. Then, follow the on-screen steps to get it set up. Two factor authentications may add an extra step to the sign-in process, but the extra security it gives, far outweighs the extra login time. Try it out! Got a Samsung? Meet Knox: Samsung phones are built with security in mind from the foundation. As the trend shifted from browsing on PCs to using phones, Samsung saw that phones need increased protection against mobile security threats. That’s why they launched Samsung Knox, a defence-grade security platform that incorporates both hardware and software. With Knox, your Samsung phone can isolate data, placing it in a secure location on your device. It also encrypts your data, so your data remains secure in the event your phone is stolen. As well as privacy, it fends off malicious threats, malware, and all other unauthorised access to your phone. It really is impressive. Top tip: make the most of Samsung Secure Folder. This is a place where you can store private your private documents, photos, files and apps under the protection of the Knox platform. Once you add it all there, you can lock it away and access it all with a PIN, password, pattern or with your fingerprint. To get there, tap Settings > Biometrics and security > Secure Folder, then sign into your Samsung account. Try a different browser: There’s no doubt about it, Google Chrome is an excellent browser. The layout feels natural, intuitive, and easy to use, and the browser has a ton of features. Unfortunately though, those features include online tracking and storage of search history data. Ever wondered how the ads you see online got so accurate? It’s because cross-site trackers follow your activity online and make educated predictions on what you’ll do next. For example, if you visit multiple sites looking for a new TV, online trackers assume that you’re in the market for a new TV. You’re then likely to see targeted ads for TVs from relevant retailers. It is clever, but it’s not the way it has to be. There are plenty of other browsers to choose from. Many of them model their layout on the trusty Chrome interface we’ve all come to love, but they don’t rely on using and storing your data. Try one that puts the focus on your online security and privacy, like DuckDuckGo. Of course, Google apps are naturally the default option on Android devices. So, once you download your new browser, you’ll have to set it as the new default for opening links and surfing the web. Once you’ve done that though, you’ve taken a big leap to make your browsing more private. There you have it – a few easy tips to make security a priority on your Android phone. What apps or tips do you have or use to keep your accounts and data safe? Let us know! Have an Apple device and want to know how to keep your data safe? Read:

Mind Over Matter: Top Apps to Help You Find Your Calm It’s been nearly a year since the first national lockdown was imposed and since then, none of us have been strangers to staying at home, away from our peers and in our own company. While some relish the chance to spend quality time developing skills, honing creativity, or simply basking in the relative peace and quiet, for others it’s not so easy. Of course, in the times we’re all currently going through, it’s only natural to occasionally feel overwhelmed, miss our friends and family, and struggle to complete tasks as efficiently as we might. The trick is to take a step back and work on our mental health, not to fully eliminate challenging emotions, but to effectively work past them when they do pop up. Just as you might exercise three times a week to get in better shape physically, practising mindfulness and meditation are great for building mental strength and resilience. Here are our favourite apps to help you achieve peace of mind: Headspace - iOS/Android In 2020, Headspace grew to 2 million paid subscribers, and it’s easy to see why. It’s designed to give you the tools handle thoughts and emotions constructively, whenever they come around. The app likens these moments to passing cars on a busy road. You simply have to let them go by without getting too focused on a single car. Headspace eases you into the basics of meditation with a free 10-minute basic course. Every session is either three, five or 10 minutes long, so you can pick one that fits perfectly into your day. They’re all easy to follow, and the app even offers meditation for kids, with themes including sleep, focus and kindness. Once you’ve completed the free trial you’ll need to pay for more sessions if you want to continue, but at £9.99, we think it’s worth every penny. Calm - iOS/Android Calm is another brilliant meditation app. When you open it you’re met with the relaxing sound of chirping crickets or a crackling fireplace Once you’re in, take a minute to tell the app how you’re feeling, and you’ll see a personalised choice of guided meditations, sleep stories, calming music and loads more – the choice is huge. We love the ambient music mixes by Sam Smith, Diplo and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, as they’re perfect for drifting into restful sleep. But there loads more big names and guest features available, from Sleep Stories told by Idris Elba to motivational meditations delivered by NBA legend LeBron James. Calm also offers a free trial, after which a subscription costs only £28.99 for the year – that’s less than £2.50 a month! Give it a go. Shine - iOS/Android If you’re new to mindfulness and don’t like the idea of starting at the deep end, you’ll love Shine. This app encourages you to take time out of each day to learn one new self-care strategy each day. Build a new daily ritual with quick meditations that are relevant to you and the world around you. You can also connect with other Shine users, strike up a conversation and get support from a really great community. There are two premium options here. You can go for a rolling monthly option for £14.49, or pay for the year at a discounted price of £52.99 (just over £1 a week). Once you go premium, you can explore the full audio library of meditations and find the right one for the right moment, whenever you need calmness, clarity and motivation. Breethe - iOS/Android Combat stress, anxiety and sleepless nights with a single handy app. Breethe offers masterclasses on meditation, mindfulness and much more. You’ll find relaxation music and sleep sounds to help you drift into sleep peacefully, bedtime stories and visualisations to keep you feeling positive at the end of a long day, breathing exercises and inspirational talks. This app has the lot. Whatever you’re looking to get out of meditation, Breethe has plenty to offer. The app has quite a few free meditations to help you get started. And if you’re really getting into it, you can go premium for £12.99 a month. It’s available on your phone, tablet and laptop, so your progress is synced across all your devices. Relax, unwind and develop the mental tools you need to take on each day. The iD team have put together some responses as to what they have done or used to help them during tough times. Find out below: Sophia – Digital Product Manager I used the ‘Balance’ app which has really helped me learn how to meditate and sleep better. It’s encouraged me to take a little time out to clear my head and understand what I need to do, for me, each day. Kieran - Senior Digital and Customer Experience Manager I’ve been using the Calm app for the past few months and it’s been fantastic. I’d definitely recommend giving it a shot and taking 10 minutes out of your day to relax. These are just a few of our favourite lifestyle apps on the Google Play Store and App Store right now. Competition Time! Competition closes 10th March 2021. Click the link for March’s T&Cs for this competition. The lockdown has impacted all of us in different ways. For a chance to win a £50 Google Play Store or App Store voucher, tell us how you’ve worked on and tried to improve your mental wellbeing during lockdown. Did you use any apps? What techniques did you use that you can share with us and the Community? Let us know in the comments below. There were some really good responses on this topic and some great ways of keeping your mind healthy during the lockdown. So, thank you all for entering and sharing your tips and thoughts on this. The winner for this competition is@Nigelwarnes - Congratulations, we have sent you a private message :) Again, thank you all for sharing!

iPhone: What’s new? Every year brings a new iPhone and with it, new innovations that make the experience that much better. Whether it’s ground-breaking smartphone camera tech, ever-smarter AI or an all-new, intuitive iOS operating system, the latest iPhones can do things that simply weren’t possible even just a few years ago. So, how does iD Mobile’s current iPhone line up compare to previous generations? iPhone SE The 2020 iPhone SE is a more entry level offering from Apple among the current range, but nonetheless a great way to get the best of the iPhone experience. At 4.7-inches in size, it’s by no means a big-screen phone, but that does mean it’s super-comfy whether you’re using it single handed or storing it in your jacket pocket. The HD Retina display makes for sharp, detailed entertainment too. The difference between the SE and the iPhone 6, for example, is night and day. It’ll offer 5 hours longer battery life and has a higher 12MP camera that captures 4K 60 fps footage. But the biggest development is power. The A13 Bionic chip that powers the iPhone SE performs tasks 4 times faster than the iPhone 6’s A8. That’s a big plus for things like web browsing and opening apps. And when you do need a little more power, fast charging will get you up and running again in no time. Amongst all the hardware advancements, the iPhone SE is compatible with Apple’s latest version of its operating system, iOS 14. Get set for Widgets on your home screen, handy features like picture-in-picture mode and incredible privacy protection. Take a look at iPhone SE plans with iD Mobile. iPhone 11 Love gaming and watching movies on the go? The iPhone 11 is perfect for both. At 6.1-inches, it was pretty much the first iPhone to offer what we consider a ‘big’ screen in today’s smartphone landscape, and it runs edge-to-edge. Inside is a great battery that delivers a whopping 17 hours of video playback on a full charge – long enough for an entire season on Netflix. Compared to the iPhone 8, released 2 years before, the camera system is on another level. The iPhone 8 has a 12MP wide angle lens, while the 11 adds another 12MP Ultra-Wide to the back. Between the two lenses and Apple’s clever AI, the iPhone 11 boasts 2x optical zoom and 5x digital, gorgeous colours with next-gen Smart HDR and a bunch of pro-looking portrait effects. The iPhone 11 also comes packed with up to 256 GB of onboard storage - that’s double the iPhone 8! What will you do with all that extra space? Find an iPhone 11 in a colour you love with iD Mobile. iPhone 12 After the latest and arguably greatest iPhone? That’d be the iPhone 12. Just like the iPhone 11, it has a 6.1-inch display, but this time it’s a Super Retina XDR. That means brighter colours, sharper detail and a much, much greater contrast ratio. Put simply, all your content comes to life. With the power of 5G behind it, iPhone 12 can download movies and apps in a matter of seconds and open them almost instantly. Stream shows without any buffering, chat to your mates on FaceTime without any lag – these are things that even the brilliant iPhone XS couldn’t do. But it’s not just about 5G. The iPhone 12’s A14 Bionic chip makes for a lightning fast processor. It can do a bunch of operations at the same time, so multitasking simply isn’t an issue. That’s also great news for things like shutter speed when you shoot photos on the epic dual 12MP camera. Capture the moment, exactly when it happens. Or, if you fancy yourself a budding videographer, shoot it in Dolby Vision HDR and give it a cinematic touch. Find the perfect iPhone 12 plan for you at iD Mobile. Looking to upgrade? Ready to upgrade to a brand-new iPhone? If you’re coming to the end of your contract, you could be eligible for a great value deal on a range of the latest handsets? Find out more about upgrades and get a great value deal with iD Mobile.

Do you miss the mobile quizzing excitement of HQ Trivia? Are you looking for a new quiz game that pits your wits against your family and friends? Then make Quiz Planet your next destination. Who remembers HQ Trivia? It was our favourite quizzing app for oh, almost a year or so. The chance of winning real cash prizes really had us hooked. Then, after a few months, we realised that the chance of winning real cash prizes was almost non-existent. So we lost interest. The fact that HQ Trivia’s quizzes were only held at set times each day was another drawback. It meant we couldn’t just pick up and play the game when we wanted to. Very annoying. And so it came to pass, that HQ Trivia died a death in the UK. On 5 Dec 2018, a message on its Twitter feed said goodbye. Luckily for us mobile quiz fans, we soon found something else to take its place. Quiz Planet is an awesome Facebook Messenger game, and if you haven’t played it yet, you’re in for a treat. Here’s everything you need to know about it. How do you find Quiz Planet on Facebook Messenger? Quiz Planet is one of the many games you can play on Facebook Messenger. To find it, start a conversation and click the ‘games’ icon at the bottom of your screen. You’ll then see a list of available games. Choose to play Quiz Planet, tap ‘Start new game’ and invite your friends to play. Let the quizzing begin! How do you play Quiz Planet on Facebook Messenger? Each game of Quiz Planet is fifteen questions long, with five rounds of three multiple-choice questions. You take it in turns with your opponent to choose a category. Then, do your best at answering the three questions in a round, and wait for them to do the same. At the end of round five, the answers are totted up and the winner declared. The questions in Quiz Planet are a nice mix, and range from the laughably easy to the horrendously hard. Some questions are created by players themselves, which is a nice touch, because it helps built up the number of available questions and avoids any repetition. We’ve been playing Quiz Planet pretty regularly (okay then, almost constantly) for months now and repeat questions are pretty rare. So, any major drawbacks? Not really. It can take a while for your opponent to finish their round of questions - but if you’ve got four or five games on the go at the same time, you won’t have to wait too long for your next round to pop up. What do you win on Quiz Planet? There are no cash prizes in Quiz Planet, but there’s something much better – rockets. When you first start playing Quiz Planet, you get a handful of rockets. If you lose a game, then some of your precious rockets lift off to the winner’s pile. But, when you win a game, you get some of the loser’s rockets. The sight of rockets going from your mate’s pile to yours is oh-so satisfying. It’s the kind of feeling that money just can’t buy. And, there’s a ‘rocket leaderboard’ that you can try and climb to the top of, for even more bragging rights. Do you play Quiz Planet? Have you got an impressive stockpile of rockets or are you running dangerously low? Is there another Facebook Messenger game you’d like to recommend? If so, post a reply below.

Does your phone feel like it’s getting slower performing basic tasks? Is it struggling to get through the day on a full charge? These could be signs that your once reliable and efficient handset is on its last legs. But these aren’t the only indicators. There are other, more subtle signs that, if ignored, could mean reduced functionality or worse performance further down the line. So, we’ve put together a list of a few of those warning signs. If any of these apply to you, it might be time to consider how long you’ve had your phone and if it’s still up to the task! Failing battery and random shutdowns A sure fire sign your phone’s on the way out is when the battery life starts to fail. Smartphone batteries are made with lithium-ion and can go through 300-500 full charge cycles before they start to deteriorate. After that, they tend to only hold between 70-80 % of their original capacity, eventually losing ability to recharge altogether. An indication your battery’s on the way out is when your phone randomly starts shutting down and then slowly stuttering back to life. Or refuses to turn back on. And it’s sure to be at the most inconvenient moment. Argh! ‘New phone time’ we think. You can’t upgrade or update your operating system If you’ve had your phone a long time, your manufacturer may eventually stop supporting your device. This means you won’t be able to upgrade to the latest operating system or install security patches, which may expose your sensitive data to hackers. With every OS update, your smartphone experience should become smoother and more intuitive. When you lose that support, you miss out on a ton of new features. Plus, you may not be compatible with the faster 4G and new 5G networks. Time to move on. Touchscreen slow to respond Is your touchscreen slowing down or has it even stopped responding to your commands? If you’re jabbing and poking at your screen with no response, it’s time to upgrade to a phone that does what you want, when you want it done (throwing it to the floor in frustration is a sure sign too.). After all, if your touchscreen phone isn’t responding to touch, there isn’t very much it can do. Busted screen or damaged phone Let’s face it – we’ve all dropped our phones at some point, and many of us are sporting a cracked screen even now. But there comes a point when it’s had one mishap too many. A cracked screen’s not a good look and all those knocks may eventually affect the smooth running of your device, or the touchscreen’s responsiveness. Imagine the delight of a pristine screen with no cracks or scratches? Go on treat yourself because, well … you’re worth it Poor quality photos and footage An old phone means outdated camera tech. If your photos and videos appear grainy and low-res, or there’s a lag between snapping the photo and seeing the end product, then you could be overdue an upgrade. You’ll be amazed what smartphone cameras can do now. Many feature main lenses with over 48 megapixels backed by another wide-angle lens. These phones can shoot seamless, shake-free Ultra HD footage even as you move. And as for the front facing selfie camera, well, your friends and family will finally be able to see you in Full HD detail on that catch-up video call. Take the plunge. No more storage space You’ve had your phone for years. All those precious photos, videos and apps mean that eventually you run out of storage. If larger apps keep crashing on your device whilst they seemingly work fine with those around you, you probably need more RAM. Look for a phone with upwards of 64GB of storage to store all your photos, videos and other data and plenty of RAM for smooth running of the latest apps. Many new phones feature upwards of 6 GB RAM, for laptop-like responsiveness. Don’t forget to look out for expandable storage, too. That allows you to add a memory card and boost storage space for all your files. If any of that sounds familiar and you’re thinking of taking the plunge, just click the ‘Shop’ button at the top to head straight to our brilliant phone deals. Don’t just chuck your old phone away, though. There are plenty of ways that you can still get use out of your old phone whilst doing your bit to reduce harmful landfill waste. Check out our 14 uses for your old phone and give it a new lease of life! OR Trade-in: Why not consider trading in your old device? If you’re phone is relatively new or was purchased within the last 5 years, you may be able to get a decent amount of money for trading it in, you can then use that money to put it towards an incredible new device. The amount of money we will value your device at will be dependent on it’s market value and it’s physical and internal condition. Our trade-in service is powered by Carphone Warehouse. To see how much we would offer you for your mobile device, click here.

There’s a new flagship phone in town. Get set for next-gen photography, share-ready footage and bundles of power… We love seeing new innovations in the smartphone world, and Samsung have kicked things off early in 2021 with the launch of three new flagship handsets – The Galaxy S21 5G, S21+ 5G and S21 Ultra 5G. From budding photographers to box set bingers, the S21 range has something for everyone to love. Let’s take a closer look: Samsung Galaxy S21 5G The Galaxy S21 5G is compact but packs a serious punch. With a Dynamic AMOLED 2X 6.2-inch display, every movie, game and web page looks bright, bold and beautiful. The screen refreshes all the way up to 120 Hz too, making in-game motion feel buttery smooth. And if you ever run low on juice, you can reduce the refresh rate to save energy. That’s smart. Powered by the new Exynos 2100 processor, 8 GB RAM and superfast 5G, the S21 offers ‘never miss a moment’ connectivity. It has the power to download apps and movies in seconds, deliver buffer-free streaming and switch instantly between your favourite apps. Then there’s the awesome camera. This triple lens can shoot in gorgeous 8K, and for the first time ever, you can use all the rear lenses to record footage simultaneously. And because that share-ready footage includes a ton of great photo ops, you can pull out high res stills and share them separately. Nice. Can’t choose what style of shot to go for? Go for Single Take mode. It captures 14 different creative versions of the same image, so you can pick the best one to share without the usual trial and error. Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G Looking for a bigger screen? The Galaxy S21+ 5G takes things up a gear, with a large 6.7-inch display and FHD+ resolution. The gorgeous Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen means you can watch epic battle scenes and season finales, and never feel like you’re compromising. A big screen needs more power, and the S21+ features a 20% bigger battery to keep your browsing, chats, movie watching and gaming going for as long as you need. In fact, there’s so much battery to go around, you can share it with your other compatible devices when they run low. Under the hood, the S21+ has the same processor as the S21, as well as the same cracking camera setup fronted by that brilliant 64 MP lens. And the Night Mode is a serious contender, too. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G Make no mistake, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra takes things to the max. A 6.8-inch display with a Quad HD resolution, and that brilliant 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate. With both 12 GB and 16 GB RAM options, this phone is a powerhouse. Internal storage goes all the way up to 512 GB too, so you’ll never run out of space. The real star feature here though is the quad camera. Dual 10 MP tele lenses, a 12 MP Ultra Wide and a massive 108 MP wide angle lens make up one of the most capable phone cameras we’ve ever seen. That huge wide lens takes incredible photos, even at night, while the dual telephoto lenses can do both 3x and 10x optical zoom. You can capture cinematic footage, go ultra high res with 8K shooting, or take the perfect selfie first time with studio lighting. It’s a content creator’s dream. Framed with the toughest Gorilla Glass yet, the S21 Ultra 5G matches its power with durability. Security is practically vault-like, with an in-screen fingerprint reader offering instant secure access to all your apps and content. And for the first time in the history of the S series, you can add a Samsung S Pen and use the S21 Ultra notebook-style. Got your eye on a new Samsung S21 5G? Order now and get a great deal with iD Mobile! *5G connectivity is not currently available on iD Mobile Order now - Here are just a few of our offers: Samsung S21 5G, 128 GB – from £34.99 monthly, unlimited minutes, 20 GB data, £99.99 upfront Samsung S21 5G, 256 GB – from £37.99 monthly, unlimited minutes, 20 GB data, £99.99 upfront Samsung S21+ 5G, 128 GB – from £41.99 monthly, unlimited minutes, 20 GB data, £99.99 upfront Samsung S21+ 5G, 256 GB – from £44.99 monthly, unlimited minutes, 20 GB data, £99.99 upfront Samsung S21 Ultra 5G, 128 GB – from £52.99 monthly, unlimited minutes, 20 GB data, £99.99 upfront Samsung S21 Ultra 5G, 256 GB – from £54.99 monthly, unlimited minutes, 20 GB data, £99.99 upfront

Happy new year! Think you’ve missed the chance to treat yourself to a great phone deal now that Christmas is over? Think again! At iD Mobile, we’re all about great offers all year round. And this month, we’ve got some pretty epic deals on Google’s Pixel range. With the best elements of the Android experience combined with 5G connectivity, a powerful chip, a crystal-clear OLED screen and incredible cameras, Google Pixel phones can handle it all. Both the Google Pixel 4a 5G and the Google Pixel 5 launched in October, and they’re up there with the best smartphones of 2020. The first Google phones packed with 5G compatibility, both the Pixel 4a and Pixel 5 offer incredible download speeds and a stripped-back, clean looking interface that’ll please even the most devoted Apple fans. We love the cameras on both phones. While they have the same dual 12MP and 16MP Ultra-Wide lens setup, it’s the brilliant AI that’s the star of the show. The Night Sight feature allows you to capture stunning photography in low light without the need to use the flash. And it’s smart enough to detect when the scene you’re shooting is dark, letting you select Night Sight mode with a quick tap. That AI brings the best out of both phones’ batteries, too. Adaptive Battery learns which apps you rely on the most and gives them priority when it comes to power. The battery can last up to 48 hours with the help of Extreme Battery Saver, so you can leave the charger at home. Next-Gen Google Assistant With the help of next-gen Google Assistant, the Google Pixel 4a and Pixel 5G can do practically whatever you ask. Dictate a catch-up message to a mate to send a text without typing, or request that song you can’t wait to hear. Connect up your smart devices and control your tech at home using your voice, or simply set a reminder to turn the oven on at the right time – Google Assistant makes it all possible. Both phones are available from iD mobile right now, starting from £24.99 a month for the Pixel 4a 5G and £27.99 a month for the Pixel 5. Just tap our handy new Shop button at the top of the Community page to find out more! Competition Time: Speaking of Community, we want to get every iD member’s 2021 off to a great start, and you can help! Simply tell us below what we can do to improve your iD Community experience, what new functions or updates would you like to see to the Community? Let us know below and you could be in with a chance of winning a brand-new Google Pixel 4a 5G. There can only be one winner, but every suggestion is welcome, whether you’re new to the Community or an iD Superhero. The competition closes on Wednesday 13th January 2020, and we’ll announce the winner shortly after. Our standard T&Cs apply. And if you can’t wait till then, you can always check out our fantastic Google Pixel deals. When purchasing a Google Pixel 4, 4a or 5 you will receive a Currys PC World Voucher worth £50-£100. Best of luck, and happy new year! This competition has now closed. Thank you to everyone who entered and shared their ideas. Congratulations to@DaveH you have won the brilliant ‘Google Pixel 4a 5G’

Thinking about treating yourself to a brand-new phone? We’re here to make it easier for you. New smartphones get released all the time and each one promises to top the last, making it tricky to find the phone that truly stands out and suits you. So, we’ve shortlisted what we think are among the best smartphones around right now. These 5 phones do it all and look great doing it – and they’re all available right now with iD Mobile. Let’s take a look: iPhone 12 Pro Make no mistake, the iPhone 12 Pro is a powerhouse. While its screen may be notably smaller than the iPhone 12 Pro Max, they both share the same incredible Super Retina XDR OLED display and A14 Bionic chip. Elsewhere, 5G compatibility and a pro-style camera system take the Apple experience to new heights. And with a choice of Pacific Blue, Gold, Silver and Graphite, this thing offers as much style as substance. It looks awesome. Check out our iPhone 12 Pro deals . Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G Love gaming on the go? This might just be the phone for you. The Galaxy S20 FE has an ample 6.5” Full HD+ display with a 120 Hz refresh rate. That’s smooth enough for precision shooting in battle royales to following the perfect line in a rally game. It even makes scrolling through menus look better. Under the hood, the Galaxy S20 FE has the same reliable Exynos 990 processor as the original S20, paired with an even bigger 4,500 mAh battery. That makes it seriously reliable when you’re out. And for those picture-perfect moments, the triple 12 MP lens is ideal for any scene. Not a fan of simple black and silver options? No problem. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G comes in six colours – lavender, mint, navy, orange, red and white. Take your pick with our S20 FE deals. Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus Want the best of Samsung with added power? The Galaxy S20 Plus is a solid choice. That Exynos 990 makes another feature here, this time matched with a massive 8 GB RAM – that’s enough to rival a laptop or PC. This pocket-sized machine can flick between apps and web pages like a pro. At 6.7-inches, it’s slightly bigger than the S20 FE and features a higher res display that’ll still push all the way up to 120 Hz. And that stunning screen means watching shows on busy trains and buses never feels like a compromise. The Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus oozes style, both in looks and performance. Its glass back looks elegant and is comfy to hold, while the 64 MP triple camera really doesn’t hold back. This thing can record in 8K. That’s impressive. Take a look at iD Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus Deals. Google Pixel 5 Google’s stripped back take on Android has always been a major draw, and the Pixel 5 brings it to new levels. It’s seamless, from the minimalist design to the super-accessible interface. Powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 765G processor and 8 GB RAM combo, this phone can handle any tasks you throw its way. We love the efficiency of Google Assistant, too. You can control a ton of smart devices from the Google Pixel 5 using your voice, set reminders, play songs and loads more. With 5G, it’s capable of downloading movies in seconds, while the dual rear 16/12 MP cameras do an amazing job of shooting photos at night. Get the best of Google with our Google Pixel 5 deals. OPPO Reno4 Pro 5G Never run out of battery again. The OPPO Reno4 Pro makes it almost impossible. It’ll fully charge in just over 30 minutes or give you 49% power in only 10. Incredible. Backed up by 12 GB RAM, you can juggle multiple apps and pages and it doesn’t break a sweat. The Reno4 Pro’s display makes TV shows and games pop, too. It’s a 6.5-inch AMOLED with curved edges that help maximise screen space. There’s a high gloss black design with a subtle pattern on the back, or you can go for Galactic Blue with its gorgeous gradient-style colouring that stands out when it catches the light Speaking of light, that triple camera is led by a 48 MP lens that lets in plenty of light to capture all the subtle details in your photos. And for those moments that need recording, Ultra Steady Video 3.0 takes the shakiness out of your footage. Take a peek at our OPPO Reno4 Pro 5G deals. There you have it – just 5 of the phones we think tick both style and performance boxes in a big way. There are of course, plenty more to choose from, and you’ll find a great deal on many of them with iD Mobile. Think we’ve missed a phone that deserves an honourable mention? What phone do you like the look of this year? Let us know below!

We love Christmas, who doesn’t? It’s a time to take a step back from the daily stresses of life, share memories with those closest to us, exchange gifts and gorge on fantastic food. Can you tell we’re excited? It’s also the perfect time to bag yourself a winning deal on a new phone or SIM only plan with iD Mobile. We’ve got some unmissable offers lined up. Hunting for a top deal on a powerful handset? Look no further. We’ve got amazing offers on a range of phones to suit everyone. With our exclusive Christmas event, you’ll get a Currys PC World gift card worth up to £100. So, you can treat yourself to some top of the line tech, view all our great offers here. Among the great range of smartphones on offer, we have fantastic handsets from OPPO. Get superfast downloads and eye-popping night-time footage with the Reno4 Z 5G. Go pro with the incredible OPPO Reno4 Pro or give yourself the gift of all-day battery life and lightning-fast charging with the OPPO A53. Also, switch to any 12-month SIM only deal and get up to £50 to spend at Currys; as always, you’ll have unlimited calls and texts no matter which plan you go for. Competition: But of course, Christmas is a time of giving. And this month, we’ve got a great competition to get your festive season off to the ultimate start. We’ve teamed up with OPPO to give one lucky winner a brand-new OPPO Reno4 Z 5G. It has a ton of great features to love, including super-fast connectivity, a brilliant 120 Hz 6.57-inch screen, dual-lens front camera and 48MP quad rear camera. Capture that perfect in-motion clip with Ultra Steady Video and share it with your mates online in a flash. For a chance to win, tell us what you love most about the festive season. Whether it’s the family vibe, the food, or the movie marathons, let us know in the comments below. Competition ends on Monday 14th December, winner announced shortly after. If you can’t wait to get your hands on a new phone, you can check out all our fantastic OPPO deals here. Best of luck, and have a wonderful Christmas from all of us at iD Mobile! This competition is now closed. Congratulations to@Krabople you have one our December competition and will be receiving this amazing OPPO smartphone!

Stay Safe Shopping Online this Christmas Planning to buy your Christmas presents online this year? You’re not the only one. Roughly £6 billion is projected to be spent over Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2020, with two thirds of shoppers opting to get it all done on the net. However, if you’re not too careful when you shop online, that bargain you find may not be quite what you bargained for. Scammers are always devising new ways to cheat deal-hunting customers out of their cash, and unfortunately, the festive period is their big season. But don’t worry - here are a few things you can do to keep safe online while bagging a gift to make them smile. Don’t use public Wi-Fi Rule Number 1: don’t buy stuff online when you’re on a public Wi-Fi network. Your connection is nowhere near as secure as it is when you use your iD data or home broadband. Determined fraudsters that happen to be sharing the public network can access the data you provide and potentially wreak havoc. So, either stick with data if you want to make a quick purchase or wait until you’re home. After all, that’s the beauty of shopping online. Be Dubious In the world of online bargains, if it’s too good to be true, in most cases it is. Plenty of fake retailers set up shop online this time of year, claiming to sell big ticket tech at unbeatable prices. And especially with two new games consoles launching this festive season, you can expect the odd bogus email to land in your inbox, purporting to be a legitimate retailer with an unmissable pre-order deal. Of course, we wouldn’t want you to miss the chance to bag a great present at a great price. Many genuine businesses send out festive emails with deals, price reductions and coupon codes. Just be sure to check the email address is feasible. Retailers will usually have an email address where the company name follows the ‘@’. So, if you click on who it’s from and it ends with a Gmail or Outlook, it’s probably a scam. Quick Tip: Don’t assume that just because the email address checks out and the site seems professional, that you’re guaranteed to get what you pay for. You can always check out the retailer’s Trustpilot score to see what other customers have to say about the service they’ve received. That way, you know what to expect when you buy from the company, or even to steer clear if many others have had a bad experience shopping there. Paying Securely Finding the right place to buy your Christmas presents is just the first bit. The second is making sure your payment details stay personal. We can’t stress this enough: always check for HTTPS at the start of the URL or the padlock icon on the HTML bar when buy online. It means that the website you’re buying from has SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption installed, and no potential third-parties or would-be cyber criminals can read or change the data you send to the retailer when you complete your transaction. If you use Google Chrome, the browser flags any page that doesn’t have SSL encryption to make sure you’re always aware. Because without it, your payment data isn’t safe. Even if you’re shopping with a well-known retailer, don’t bother giving personal data that’s not needed. Many websites have been hacked in recent years, compromising the security of customers’ data. Unnecessary personal info like date of birth gives scammers the contextual info they need to use your identity or finances. Make sure to only give the bare essentials required to complete the payment and have the gift delivered to the right place. Better yet, use a third-party payment system like PayPal. With PayPal, you don’t need to enter your card details on the sites you buy from. It’ll take you directly to the PayPal site, where you can securely log into your account and make that payment without sharing personal info. You can even set up 2-factor authentication, giving you a 6-digit code via text message to get into your account once you’ve entered your password. Always useful. Use or Buy an Anti-virus Finally, it’s worth buying good antivirus software to keep your PC, phone and tablet on guard against any security threats, but particularly to keep your financial info secure. Many antivirus programs like McAfee and AVG come with a website checker that let you know if a site is safe to browse and do business with, before you even get to the homepage. That way, you can shop with total peace of mind. Just be sure to keep the program fully up to date to always stay one step ahead of any potential harm online. Those are our tips to keep safe online this Christmas. What deals have you got your eye on this festive season? Got any stocking filler ideas to share? Let us know below!

iD Mobile’s Black Friday Event is Here! To celebrate we’re giving away a £100 Currys PC World voucher – more about that below. Planning to treat yourself or a loved one to a brand-new phone this winter season? We’ve got you covered. Whether you’re after the all-new iPhone 12 or a powerful Android such as the Samsung S20E to call, play, stream, and of course, chat in the Community, you’ll find what you’re looking for with iD Mobile. Amongst all the great deals we have on offer over Black Friday, you can save up to £120 on the iPhone 12 or iPhone 11. If you’re more of an Android lover, get cashback when you go for a snappy new Samsung handset, or even save up to a massive £362 on a cracking Android phone. And if you’re looking for a winning SIM only deal with unlimited data, you’ll find it right here at iD Mobile. Here’s some of the great Pay Monthly Phone deals you can get in iD Mobile’s Black Friday Event: Phone Up Front Cost Monthly Cost Allowances Save Up To iPhone SE 64GB £9.99 £23.99 20GB Data, Unlimited Texts & Mins £192 iPhone 11 128GB £49.99 £31.99 20GB Data, Unlimited Texts & Mins £298 iPhone 7 32GB £0.00 £19.99 5GB Data, Unlimited Texts & Mins £168 Samsung A71 £19.99 £24.99 20GB Data, Unlimited Texts & Mins £144 Samsung A21s £0.00 £14.99 10GB Data, Unlimited Texts & Mins £96 Samsung A41 £0.00 £19.99 10GB Data, Unlimited Texts & Mins £120 Samsung A20e £0.00 £14.99 10GB Data, Unlimited Texts & Mins £48 iPhone SE 128GB £9.99 £25.99 20GB Data, Unlimited Texts & Mins £240 iPhone 11 256GB £49.99 £34.99 20GB Data, Unlimited Texts & Mins £298 iPhone SE 256GB £9.99 £29.99 20GB Data, Unlimited Texts & Mins £212 Huawei P30 Lite New Edition £0.00 £17.99 20GB Data, Unlimited Texts & Mins £96 Huawei P30 Pro New Edition £29.99 £27.99 20GB Data, Unlimited Texts & Mins £298 Huawei P30 Lite £0.00 £16.99 20GB Data, Unlimited Texts & Mins £192 Huawei P40 Lite £0.00 £17.99 10GB Data, Unlimited Texts & Mins £288 Huawei P40 £29.99 £26.99 20GB Data, Unlimited Texts & Mins £260 But of course, Black Friday isn’t just for smartphones. Plenty of us have our eyes on bargains this time of year, from big screen TVs to big flavour coffee machines. Competition Time: To get your festive season off to a winning start, we’re giving away a £100 Currys PC World voucher to one lucky Community member! To enter, all you have to do is answer the following question in the comments below: What’s your favourite thing you’ve bought during Black Friday? The competition ends on Wednesday 11th November and we’ll announce the winner the following day. Best of luck! Winner: Firstly, thank you to you all for entering the competition, an absolutely amazing prize to be won, just in time to spend on those Black Friday and Christmas deals! Some great entries and some unusual buys . We have selected a winner… So, without further ado… Congratulations @Cocosmum86

iOS 14 & Android 11 at a glance (Includes a competition) Looking for a new smartphone? Whichever brand or device you choose, the chances are that it’ll all come down to a single question – iPhone or Android? Here, we’ll explain what both can do to help you make the choice. And if you fancy sprucing up that new handset with some fantastic games and apps, read on to find out how to get your hands on a £50 app store gift card! Let’s start with the basics. iOS and Android are the operating systems that most smartphones use. All iPhones use iOS and the majority of other brands run on Android. Both have been around for quite a while now and have been refined again and again over the past decade, making them better, smoother and more intuitive with age. However, there are a few things you should know when making your mind up. iOS (iPhone, iPad) If you’ve already got a Mac or iPad, you’re probably familiar with Apple’s operating system. While every Apple phone, tablet and computer works brilliantly on its own, once you have one, iOS means that new Apple devices fit into your ecosystem right away. With that, you can carry data between your iPhone and Mac, copy text on one device and paste it on another, or even scan photos using your iPhone camera and edit them on your laptop. It really is seamless. When we say the operating system looks and feels clean, we mean it. When you unlock the home screen for the first time, you won’t find any niche, pre-installed apps (or ‘bloatware’) that you can’t remove. This is often the case with some Android phones, especially since Android is so customisable (but more on that later). So, you only start with the absolute essentials, and you can always download the apps you need to make it your own. Apps can be found in the App Store, and there are nearly 2 million to choose from. Speaking of downloads, you’ll always get regular software and security updates to keep your iPhone ticking over, the moment they’re available. And it couldn’t be easier. Just go to Settings > General > Software Update, then tap Download and Install. Simple as that. With regular updates, your iPhone stays current and feels fresh well into the future. Already an iPhone user? Go to your settings to get the latest iOS 14 now! It’s got a bunch of great new features, including custom icons that make your home screen pop, and widgets that give you weather and news updates, show the song you’re playing and more. You’ll also be able to find your apps in an instant. Pin your most used apps to the home screen and scroll through the rest of them alphabetically, or group them into categories like ‘social media’ and ‘finance’. Perfect. Android (Samsung, Google Pixel, Huawei, Honor, Motorola, Sony, OPPO and more) The Android system is used across a massive range of smartphones and tablets, from entry level handsets to flagship phones that do it all. So, it’s easy to find an Android device to suit your budget. Different Android phone manufacturers have their own interface, or ‘skin’, that runs with Android as its base. There’s Samsung’s One UI, OPPO Color OS, and Google’s ‘stock’ Android offering, among many others. While these are each unique in their own way, the main navigation and feel remain very similar. We mentioned that Android is popular because of its customisation options. If you want a system that you can really personalise, this is it. You can put apps wherever you like on the home screen, group them into categories, add widgets and loads more. If you prefer a single home screen with only the essentials, you can do just that and access the rest of them from the app drawer. Don’t have an app drawer? No problem, just download one from the Google Play Store! Every Android device has access to the Google Play Store and its library of over 2 million apps. And the beauty of Android is, even if you don’t like the apps that come with your phone, they can be changed. Take your default browser, for example. If it feels tricky to use or you’re struggling with button locations, just choose another from the Play Store and set it as your new default, like Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. You’ll feel right at home. Android gets better over time, too. Most new Android phones come with two years of regular security updates, and it’s easy to download the latest version of the operating system. Go to Settings > System > Advanced > System update. There, you’ll see if there’s a new update and you can follow the steps to get it. The latest version of Android, Android 11, is starting to roll out now and it’s bringing some exciting new updates to the system. You can open and minimise messages from friends and family in chat bubbles and move them across the screen out of the way. You can change the phone’s theme to Dark Mode and put it on a timer so you’re not straining your eyes when you browse at night. And you can even control your smart lighting, heating and speakers from the notification drop-down menu. Wow. As for phone security, Android has you covered. Whichever manufacturer you choose, you’ll find handsets with fingerprint scanners, facial recognition and passcodes to give you secure access. And in the Google Play Store, you can find anti-virus apps and clean-up software that remove unnecessary, clunky files from your storage and scan apps for harmful files. That way you can browse for new apps with peace of mind. Competition time: Want to get stuck in and find some cracking new apps to use and games to play? We’re giving away a £50 Google Play Store voucher and a £50 App Store voucher, entering the competition is easy. All you have to do is tell us below whether you prefer Android devices or Apple and why. We’ll pick 2 lucky winners from the iD Community. The competition ends on Monday 12th October. Standard Ts&Cs apply. Good luck! Winners: Congratulations @Richiewyn and @Caiti you have won this competition. Please check your direct messages where we will contact you now. Thank you to everyone who entered the competition!

Looking to upgrade to a shiny new iPhone? iD Mobile have got you covered. We’ve got the latest and greatest iPhones around with everything that makes the Apple experience so good – all new iOS 14 software, incredible cameras and effortless style. And you’re bound to find a top deal that works for you, right here. Let’s take a closer look at the line-up: iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini There’s loads to love about the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini. Both handsets feature a gorgeous Super Retina XDR OLED display with all the colour precision and sharpness to make your movies and games pop. It’s one of the best smartphone screens around. At 6.1 and 5.4 inches respectively, you can go for big screen entertainment or compact, ergonomic comfort on the go. Backed by the A14 Bionic processor with its 5G compatibility, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini multitask like a dream. They can handle big downloads as you flick from app to app at exactly the same time. Feel free to crank up the settings on your games, or move straight onto the next episode of your show without any waiting around. That snappy responsiveness is great news for both the front and rear cameras, too. You can get that perfect action shot the moment it happens with minimal shutter lag, or go Ultra HD at a beautifully smooth 60 fps when you record. Find your perfect iPhone 12 deal with iD Mobile Take a look at iD Mobile’s iPhone 12 Mini deals iPhone 11 This 2019 flagship is a seriously great phone. It’s 6.1-inches, so slightly smaller than the XS Max but still ideal for big screen action sequences and gaming on the go. The screen runs edge-to-edge with virtually no bezels, so it really does make use of every millimetre of space. You can forget taking your charger everywhere with you, too. The iPhone 11 can continuously play videos for up to 17 hours on a full charge, making it the ultimate long-haul flight companion. On the back, the cameras double up with a Wide and Ultra-Wide lens. It’s a versatile setup and able to shoot stunning images both close up and at a distance, with 2x optical and 5x digital zoom. Combined with Apple’s smart AI, you don’t have to be a professional photography to nail that postcard-worthy photo. Check out iD Mobile’s iPhone 11 plans iPhone SE The SE delivers the best of the iPhone experience to suit any budget. A powerful chip that far outperforms flagship iPhones from only a few years ago, and a more-than-capable 12MP camera that’ll shoot instantly shareable 4K footage. That’s impressive. With a 4.7-inch screen, it’s the smallest iPhone available right now. But with a Retina HD display, the iPhone SE still delivers bundles of clarity and colour, and the handset feels super comfy and natural to use single-handed. Elsewhere, the SE can run the latest AR apps and offers 13 hours of video playback time. And with up to 256 GB storage, you can download as much as you like without ever running out of space. Discover the iPhone SE with iD Mobile

The new iOS 12 update is here, and it’s jam-packed with features designed to make iPhones (5s and above) perform better than ever. Here are 9 new features we’re most excited about. 1. Faster performance iOS 12 makes everything faster and more responsive - like launching the camera app, which Apple says will now be up to 70% faster. Typing with the keyboard will also be up to 50% quicker, and apps will launch twice as speedy as before. Good stuff. 2. Neater notifications Notifications let you know when someone’s got in touch at a glance, so in theory, they’re very handy. We all know the reality though - they can be a distraction. That’s why iOS 12 is giving you more control over the notifications you see, with a new ‘Manage’ button. You can use this to have annoying notifications delivered quietly, rather than making a noise or flashing up on your lock-screen (they’ll just go straight to your Notification Centre instead). iOS 12 also brings a more discreet way of displaying notifications. For example, texts from the same person will now be collapsed into a short preview until you open the message. 3. Memoji yourself Memoji is a new way of creating animated caricatures of yourself, and sharing the results. This feature is available on newer iPhones only. So if you’ve got an iPhone X or above, you’ll be able to create your very own cartoon self, then send it in messages and show it off during FaceTime video calls. 4. Group FaceTime Speaking of video calls, you can now FaceTime up to 32 people at once thanks to the new Group FaceTime feature. The tile of the person speaking gets larger automatically, so you won’t ever get lost in a big group chat. Group FaceTime can be started straight from a group thread in Messages, or you can join an active chat at any time. 5. Photo sharing is caring One of the coolest new iOS 12 features is the For You tab. It shows you special moments from your photo library, and suggests sharing photos with the people in them. If you do share them, the recipient will also get a suggestion to share their own photos back. It’s seriously clever, and great for helping you remember to share memories of days and nights out with your friends or family. 6. More awesome AR Augmented Reality games are extremely popular, even though the technology itself is still in its infancy. The great news is that iOS 12 is making AR better than ever, so expect to see apps with better object tracking for increased reliability, and less glitches. It’s not all about AR games, either. The new AR Measure app, for example, lets you measure lines using just your iPhone’s rear camera. Very handy if you haven’t got a measuring tape on you. 7. Control your screen time Responsible phone usage is a big thing these days, and Apple is doing its bit to look after your digital health with Screen Time. This new feature will tell you how long you’re spending on your iPhone, and can break your usage habits down by category (games, social media etc.) and even individual apps. You’ll be able to set time limits for each app, and you’ll be notified when you’re about to run out of time. 8. More emojis than ever before Can’t get enough of emojis? Then you’ll soon be in luck, as iOS 12.1 (due late October) will introduce 70 completely brilliant new ones. You'll be able to choose people with red, grey and curly hair, and lots more besides. Our only question is, how did we ever cope without a llama emoji before? 9. Siri’s making suggestions Siri’s getting smarter all the time, and with the new Siri Suggestions feature, she’ll be giving you super handy suggestions based on certain scenarios. For example, if she’s spotted that you’ve booked a trip to the cinema, she’ll recommend that you turn on ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode before the film starts. And that rounds up our favourite new iOS 12 features. Have you got the update on your iPhone yet? Any suggestions or questions? If so, let’s hear them below.

Is your smartphone secure when you’re out and about? Mobile security attacks are on the increase. So help you out, here are nine mobile security tips to keep your handset safe from harm. Our smartphones are mobile digital assistants that carry a huge amount of data about us. Unfortunately, criminals have cottoned on to this and are targeting them more than ever before. According to a recent MEF (Mobile Ecosystem Forum) report, 66% of smartphone users have experienced some sort of data-related attack. Thankfully, we’re here with some top mobile security tips. 1. Keep your phone locked when not in use An unlocked phone is an easy target for a criminal. So if you haven’t got at least a basic passcode on your lock screen, do it now. Go into your phone’s settings, look under the security heading, and you should see a number of options to lock your phone. Pattern unlocks and PIN numbers are tried and tested ways of locking your phone down. But if you do use one of these methods, we recommend that you change them regularly - just in case someone’s been watching you as you type. Fingerprint scanners and facial recognition are on a lot of good smartphones these days, and they’re a great option if you struggle to remember patterns and codes. 2. Beware of public Wi-Fi Don’t be tempted to use public Wi-Fi for things like online banking. Free Wi-Fi can be a welcome sign if you’re low on data. But these open networks aren’t secure, so your privacy is at risk. If you’re in a hotel or coffee shop with free Wi-Fi, ask them how secure it is before you access it. And if you really must use free Wi-Fi, avoid accessing your personal accounts or sensitive data. Switch over to your mobile data if you’re buying anything, as it’s much more secure – and if you’re about to run out, don’t forget that our data add-ons start at just £1.50. 3. Update your operating systems Whether you’re running iOS or Android, it's a good idea to make sure that you always have the latest version of their respective operating systems installed. These usually close any security loopholes that have become evident, and are an important part of your regular security regime. Checking for updates is easy. Go into your phone’s settings, type ‘update’ in the search bar and if you need to do an update, just follow the onscreen instructions. Most manufacturers let you set your phone to check for updates automatically - so if you see that option, tick the box. 4. Be careful what apps you download When you see an app you fancy, it can be tempting to click that download button straight away. But stop for a moment before you download any app on your phone. If it comes from a pop-up source, for example, or comes from a strange email address, then forget about it – it's just not worth the risk. Even if it’s from Google Play or the App Store, check the reviews and ratings to see what others are saying about it. 5. Update passwords regularly You should regularly change all your passwords, especially if you’re planning on travelling. Coming up with strong passwords is tough, so a lot of us revert to using simple phrases and words - but unfortunately these are easier to hack. The best passwords are a seemingly random mix of letters, numbers and symbols, but obviously these are tough to remember. So why not use a password manager? The Sticky Password app (free on iOS and Android) is a good one. It uses the world’s leading encryption standard and generates new strong, unique passwords whenever you need them. Sticky Password also makes your online life easier by typing your data for you in online forms and login pages. 6. Disable Bluetooth connectivity If your Bluetooth is left on, nearby criminals could potentially connect to your phone and hack into it. So our advice is to keep your Bluetooth disabled as much as possible – especially if you’re travelling abroad. You should also set your Bluetooth to ‘non discoverable’, so that anyone searching for a nearby device won’t be able to see it. 7. Clean up your apps Phone apps are prone to infection, with hackers particularly targeting older ones with out of date security measures. So channel your inner Marie Kondo, and give your apps a spring clean. Get rid of any that you’re not using regularly. It’s also a good idea to make sure your phone automatically updates your remaining apps, as most updates include security fixes. To do this on iPhone, go into Settings, iTunes & App Store,” and tick ‘Updates’ for Automatic Downloads. If you’ve got an Android phone, open the Google Play store, go into settings, and tick ‘Auto-update apps’. 8. Don’t fall for smishing Smishing is when someone tries to trick you into giving them private information via a text message. So don’t text your personal details to anyone. Confirm with a phone call first. Avoid clicking links in messages, tweets, posts, and online advertising. They could link to a virus, or get you to unwittingly sign up for a paid service. So please be careful! 9. Wipe clean your lost or stolen phone If your phone’ s been lost or stolen, you need to tell us right away so we can protect your account from misuse. You can do this using the iD Mobile app or My Account online. Check out our Lost or stolen phone webpage for more details. You can also use remote tracking if you lose your phone. The feature’s called 'Find my Device' on Android, and 'Find my iPhone' on iOS. This lets you wipe clean your lost phone, and permanently delete all the data from it, to stop it falling into the wrong hands. If you choose this option, check that you’ve got all the information you need backed up somewhere else, like iCloud or on your desktop computer. Any questions on the above? Got a top security tip of your own? Post a reply below, and share it with the Community.

Bring the great outdoors home during the heatwave with our top gardening apps. We’ve never spent more time at home than we are right now, so there’s never been a better time to make our homes a much brighter, happier and more relaxing place to be. While it might be tricky to get away this year or go exploring, a peaceful, colourful garden makes the perfect place to chill out at home. And your phone can help you. There are plenty of apps out there that’ll help design your outdoor space, identify the plants in your garden and work out which plants are likely to grow tall and strong. Here are our favourites: SmartPlant Free on iOS & Android This app is the ultimate companion on that garden centre plant-buying spree. Just use the SmartPlant app to scan the code on new plants when you buy them, and it’ll tell you exactly what they are and how best to look after them. It’s not just for starting from scratch. The SmartPlant app lets you chat with experts who can help identify the plants in your garden. From there, the app will give you reminders to water them at the right time, and even help you identify pests and diseases to keep them looking vibrant and healthy. PlantSnap Free with in-app purchases on iOS & Android If you’re looking to find out a little more about the plants that are already in your garden, PlantSnap is the app for you. Just hover your phone’s camera over your plants, and the app will automatically detect them and tell you everything you want to know. It’s a great way to engage with the beautiful nature around you, and makes a long country walk educational and fun. With over 35 million users all over the globe, there’s no better tool to learn learn about rare species of plants and flowers. It’s also a great place to share and receive handy gardening tips from green-fingered experts that know their stuff. GardenTags Free with in-app purchases on iOS & Android GardenTags is an all-in-one Insta-style app that can do more than just identify your plants. Set up your profile, upload your plants to your photographic journal and connect with other gardeners. You can receive plant care notifications for up to 10 plants, which is handy if you’re a little forgetful with the watering can! The app is super easy to use, and a great way to get the inspiration you need to transform your outdoor space into the perfect relaxation zone. iScape Free on iOS Looking to completely transform your garden? There’s no need to fork out loads on home improvement, only to realise you don’t like the end result. With iScape, you can design your outdoor space and see how it’ll look before you’ve spent a penny. With clever augmented reality, the app lets you choose from thousands of plants and features and add them to your garden in real time to see how it all looks. Whether you’re planning a colourful new flowerbed or sharing your vision with a landscape gardener, this app makes it much easier to plan and visualise your new outdoor space. Have you given your garden an upgrade this summer? If so, have you turned to an app to help achieve your vision? Let us know below!

June 20th marks the longest day of the year in the calendar, also known as Summer Solstice, when the Earth is tilted at its maximum towards the sun! Why not celebrate the longest day of the year with these five fun activities. Stargaze Say goodbye to the Venus moon and welcome Mercury to the night sky! Take this time to look at the stars, and if you want to know exactly what you’re looking at, or if you can’t see any stars where you are, try an augmented reality app like Star Walk 2. Use it night or day to show you the constellations, Milky Way, planets, and the position of the Sun and Moon. App: Star Walk 2 Available on: Android & iOS Get outdoors (safely) and watch the sunrise or sunset Fancy taking full advantage of the longest day by watching the sun rise and sun set ? Find out the exact times it’ll happen, and see if the weather will hold up with impressive accuracy using the Dark Sky app. App: Dark Sky Available on: Android & iOS Virtual Stonehenge visit The prehistoric monument was said to have been built specifically for solstices. Visit Stonehenge without leaving your home this year with English Heritage's Facebook and YouTube live streaming, all the way through to the early morning of Sunday 21st June. Google or YouTube search 'English Heritage' to find out more. Go on a hike Explore the outdoors near you on the longest day of the year, whether it’s a walk around a National Trust area of natural beauty, exploring some new fields or just your local park. Keep a track of every step and location visited. App: Nike/Running app to help you plan your journey. Available on: Android & iOS Get gardening! As Summer Solstice is traditionally a time to celebrate a potentially good harvest, what better way than getting out into the garden and planting something new, or giving it a good tidy? If you don’t have a garden, window-boxes are an easy, compact way to cultivate some new life! App: GrowIt! – join an enthusiastic community of gardeners, find inspiration, gather information and find out what plants grow well in your local area. Available on: Android & iOS App: Garden Tags – keep a photo journal of your progress, get pruning reminders and plant recognition features. Just point GardenTags at a flower or leaf and the app will find the plant name. Available on: Android & iOS

You probably know Valentine’s Day is on the 14th February, but did you know there was a whole week devoted to romance? So, whether you’re looking to spoil your significant other for a whole week, or you just need to know how long you need to go to ground for, here are all seven days broken down. There’s plenty of opportunities to spoil the people you care about – whether they’re a soul mate or a best mate. 7th Feb, Rose Day On this day you can give different coloured roses to different people depending on how you feel about them. Red roses - give these to the love of your life. Yellow roses – give these to friends. White roses – give these to someone you’re fighting with. With services like eflorist, you can use your phone to order them and get them delivered. Make sure you give the right flowers to the right people. Mixed messages are never a good idea! 8th Feb, Propose Day Don’t panic! This doesn’t mean you have to get down on one knee – though you can if you feel it’s time. Instead, this is the day you tell someone how you feel about them – whether that’s someone you’ve fancied for ages or just sending a mate a text to tell them how much they mean to you. As friends. Just friends. 9th Feb, Chocolate Day As if you need an excuse! Spread a little happiness by giving chocolate to your nearest and dearest. Show them you really care with a personalised chocolate from Moonpig or say “this is about what you’re worth” with a classic bar of Twirl. 10th Feb, Teddy Day Teddies are always a winner. When you give someone a teddy, they’ll be reminded of you when they curl up with them or used as a punching bag when they’re annoyed with you. Plus, you can get them in all shapes and sizes from funkypigeon. 11th Feb, Promise Day If you bypassed Propose Day, Promise Day might be the one for you. This is where you can either reaffirm your commitment to a relationship or pledge to be friends forever. Matching wrist bands optional. Of course, you might want to make a slightly less romantic promise. And maybe just to yourself. Check out our list of apps that will help you stick to your goals. 12th Feb, Hug Day Hugs are scientifically proven to make us happier – as a good hug will lower our blood pressure and release stress-busting oxytocin. It doesn’t have to be with your special someone either. This is something for friends, family or even strangers – but only if they’re okay with it! 13th Feb, Kiss Day Kisses are an expression of affection and love. Go on. Give your partner, friend or parent a peck on the cheek and make their day! 14th Feb, Valentine’s Day Saint Valentine was a 3rd-century Roman saint associated with courtly love. But these days, the day is marked with romantic meals, flowers and chocolates. But however you spend it, make someone feel very special. Looking for gift ideas? Why not give Redletterdays a go for something a bit more impressive than wilted daffs! So, now you’re ready for Valentine’s week, why not let us know down below which is your favourite day and what you have planned for the 14th.

How to stop nuisance calls and texts There’s nothing quite like an annoying text or call to take you away from that Netflix episode, platform game or group chat. Whether it’s a call about an ‘accident’ that you never had, a bogus text from the bank or even a legitimate company trying to sell you stuff you’re not interested in, there are a few things you can do to stop it. Here’s what we recommend: Be careful what you’re ticking To prevent nuisance calls, be careful of any online forms that ask you to fill tick-boxes that say something like “I give permission for third parties to contact me by phone” or “I give you permission to contact me by phone”. Don’t tick them if you don’t want to be contacted! The same thing goes for all kinds of communications, be they email or text. For example, some comparison sites make you enter your personal details when you look for an insurance quote, and it’s easy to end up finding yourself on a mailing list. Whenever you buy or subscribe to something online, be sure to check about the type of communications you consent to. Register with the Telephone Preference Service The best way to prevent nuisance calls is to register your number with the Telephone Preference Service . They’ll add you to their list of numbers that don’t want to receive sales and marketing calls. It’s illegal for companies to call numbers registered with the Telephone Preference Service, so it should scare companies away and stop them bothering you. You’ll need your phone number, postcode and an email address to sign up on the Telephone Preference Service website. You can also sign up from your mobile by texting ‘TPS’ and your email address to 85095. Or you can call them to register on 0345 070 0707. It’s free to register with the Telephone Preference Service. If anyone asks you for money to sign up, it’s a scam - you should report it to the Consumer Service . If you get nuisance calls after you’ve registered with the Telephone Preference Service, it may be because you gave the caller your number. Go ahead and tell the individual caller you don’t wish to be contacted again, and hopefully they should stop calling you. If they don’t, see ‘Report a nuisance call or text’ below. You might also still get calls from companies that don't follow the regulations. You can get advice about companies that ignore the law from the Telephone Preference Service website . Block nuisance calls You can block numbers using your handset. It varies between handsets, but usually involves going into your call list and selecting you want to block (usually by pressing an info button next to the number - be careful not to call it). Then you should be shown an option to block that number. Alternatively, some smartphones are clever enough to detect that the number coming through is a scam call and let you know as it happens, giving you the option to block the number right then and there. What to do if you think it’s a scam call Scams usually involve people being tricked into giving money. If you think a caller is trying to scam you, report it to Actionfraud straight away. Stop getting nuisance texts If you’ve given your number to a company in the past, they may send you texts. You can usually tell them to stop sending you texts by replying ‘STOP’ to the text message. Only reply with ‘STOP’ if the sender tells you who they are in the text, or they’re identified in the sent-from number. If you don’t recognise the sender of a nuisance text, or it’s from an unknown number, don’t reply. If you do, it lets the sender know your phone number is active and they might hassle you even more! Report a nuisance call or text Registering with the Telephone Preference Service should stop you getting nuisance calls, but if someone’s still bothering you 28 days after registering, then you can report them. Registering with the Telephone Preference Service won’t stop you getting nuisance texts. When you do get a nuisance text, forward it to 7726 - this spells ‘SPAM’ on your phone keypad. Doing this reports the sender to iD Mobile and you won’t get charged for the text. You can also report nuisance calls or texts to the Information Commissioner's Office online , who can take action against whoever made the call. You’ll need to know the number the nuisance called from, and the date and time they called. You should be able to find both in your call history. Those are a few of the best things you can do to stop annoying calls and texts from coming through. Give them a go and see how you get on! Let us know in the comments below.

Introducing the iPhone 12 After much rumour and speculation, Apple have finally confirmed the launch of the brand-new iPhone 12 series. And we’re excited. With four different handsets to choose from, the iPhone 12 series caters for everyone, from those who love big-screen entertainment on the move to those who miss that comfy handheld feeling of their old phone. Whichever handset you choose, however, there’s one thing you will get, and that’s 5G power. The smallest iPhone this generation offers is the iPhone 12 Mini. At 5.4-inches, it takes a big turn away from the current smartphone trend of ever-bigger screens, but there’s no doubt it’ll be the most powerful small phone out there. The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro both come in at 6.1-inches, while the giant iPhone 12 Pro Max is more of a ‘phablet’ at 6.7-inches. All the screens are made from a type of glass Apple call Ceramic Shield, which they say is the toughest smartphone glass around. That’s handy if you tend to rely on screen protectors to give your phone that ‘extra life’. Flawless photos With the addition of the same LiDAR technology first seen on 2020’s iPad Pro, photography takes a big leap on the latest iPhone generation. Autofocus is up to six times faster in low-light, and now you can even take that profile picture worthy Portrait shot in low-light too. That’s ideal for those late nights. The wide lens lets in 27% more light than the previous generation, so city skylines and vibrant sunsets look every bit as majestic as they are. In terms of lenses, both the iPhone 12 and 12 Mini go for a dual 12MP camera setup with Wide and Ultrawide lenses. You’ll have no problem getting the whole family in that group photo. However, it’s the video recording that really impresses here. With the ability to shoot HDR Dolby Vision footage, you can make every moment look cinematic and instantly ready to share. The iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max add a third lens into the mix, in the form of a 12MP telephoto, so, you can zoom right in without losing detail or colour. Whether you like to snap nature, architecture or the odd candid portrait, this camera can do it all. Store it all With the amount of onboard storage available here, you shouldn’t ever have to delete old apps to make room for new. iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini offer 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB options, so if you’ve got a massive library of music and movies you want right there in the palm of your hand you can add everything and still have room left over. The Pro and Pro Max take a step up with their storage options. Starting from 128 GB, you can double it to 256 GB or double it again to a whopping 512 GB – that’s enough to rival your laptop. Pick your colour! The new iPhone line-up offers a bold choice of colours that you rarely see among the most elite handsets these days. Both the iPhone 12 and Mini feature black, white, green, red and blue colourways, while the Pro and Pro Max go for silver, graphite, gold and Pacific blue. We think they all look awesome. Apple goes 5G The iPhone 12 series are the first iPhone models to come packed with 5G compatibility. While iD Mobile doesn’t offer 5G coverage just yet, you’ll be ready for lightning fast downloads speeds and super-smooth streaming the moment it’s available. Combined with the A14 Bionic Chip, the most powerful iPhone processor yet, you’ll be able to flick between apps, pages, and functions like a pro. And with the all new iOS 14 operating system right out of the box, you can really make your iPhone your own. Add widgets to your home screen, choose a new theme and organise your apps just the way you like them. Handy. When are they available? Can’t wait to get your hands on the latest iPhone? Don’t panic? Pre-order for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro is live right now, and both handsets will be available on October 23rd. If you’re after the iPhone 12 Mini or iPhone 12 Pro Max, pre-order starts on November 6th and handsets will be available on November 13th. Get ready! Go for iD Of course, we’re offering great value deals on the latest iPhone line-up, combined with all the flexibility and control you need over your phone experience. Roll over your unused data, cap your out-of-plan charges and stay fully on top of your expenses from the iD app, right there from your gorgeous new handset. iPhone 12 starts from £39.99 a month for 20 GB data, while the iPhone 12 Pro starts from £49.99 a month for 20 GB, both with an upfront cost of £99.99. Take a peek!

Build your smart home with this top tech With everyone spending more time at home, there’s never been a better moment to make your living space work better for you. From your security to your central heating, the right smart tech puts everything that makes your house your home in the palm of your hand. You can even get your smart tech to team up with ‘routines’. For example, if you’ve got a smart front door lock and smart lights, you can automatically lock the door and shut off the lights just by saying ‘goodnight’ to your smart speaker. Amazing. Here’s some of the best tech you can add to make your home smarter: 1. Smart lights Smart lights can be programmed to turn on to make your house seem occupied when you’re out or away on holiday. Some lights use your phone’s location to switch on lights to welcome you home. Look out for smart lights you can sync with movies and music from your smartphone and colour changing bulbs that can create different moods. Philips Hue is one of the most popular ranges out there, with both dimmable white and colour bulbs to suit all kinds of light fixtures and fittings. It works with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant too, so it fits effortlessly into your smart home ecosystem. 2. Smart doorbell Using Wi-Fi to notify you via your smartphone when there’s someone at your door, a smart doorbell allows you to see, hear and speak to callers even when you’re not at home. You can save and review front door footage to help keep your home secure when you’re away, and when you’re in, you can see who’s outside before you open your door. The Ring Video Doorbell lets you see what’s going on on your doorstep in Full HD, and it’ll even let you set up motion zones so it’ll let you know when someone’s on your property. Of course, it’s also perfect for taking parcel deliveries when you’re not in (no more trips to the post office)! 3. Smart security system Having a security system that stays connected to your Wi-Fi gives that reassuring peace of mind when you’re not home. Smart cameras give you a live camera feed of your home right there on your smartphone, and can send messages to you when you’re away to let you know if it’s picked up on motion or unusual sounds, like glass smashing. There’s also outdoor cameras that feature night vision and motion detection, so you can sleep soundly while your garden stays secure. Then there’s full security systems like the Ring Alarm Security Kit. The keypad can be activated and disarmed with a security code, but you can do it from the Ring app on your smartphone too. There’s also a contact sensor that you can place on your window or door frame. If it detects the door or window has been breached, it’ll send you an alert to keep you one step ahead of intruders. Of course, the Ring Doorbell fits perfectly into the Ring Alarm Security system, always letting you know when there’s somebody at the door. So, you can take deliveries when you’re out and keep your home safe, all from your phone. 4. Smart heating Many people find their thermostats and central heating timers tricky to use, so they settle for a heating schedule they don’t need and pay whatever energy bill comes through the door. But that doesn’t need to be the case. With a smart thermostat, its easy-to-use controls mean you can program your heating to come on the moment you get home, and switch off the moment you leave. Thermostats like the Google Nest learn your preferences and adjust the heating automatically after just a short time. Because they’re connected to the Wi-Fi, they are programmed to know what the weather’s like outside and use that data to figure out what temperature to go for indoors. The app shows you how much energy you’re using, and gives a detailed breakdown at the end of each month - so you always know what to expect when your energy bill arrives. And don’t forget, with the Currys Point and Place app (free on iOS and Android) you can use your smartphone camera and clever AI to see how that new doorbell, thermostat, or lighting will look in your home. Get inspired! That’s it, those are our top bits of tech to help get your smart home up and running. What smart tech do you use at home? Let us know below.

Everything you need to know about the PS5 and Xbox Series X & S Whether you’re into your games or have friends or family that are gamers, you’ve almost definitely heard that Sony and Microsoft have new consoles on the way. We’ve been gearing up for next-gen gaming for a while, and we can’t wait to discover new journeys in better detail and team up with friends in immersive, virtual worlds. Now that we know much more about both consoles, and with Christmas and Black Friday on the horizon, we’re breaking down the key features to help you make that big decision: PS5 or Xbox? Sony PlayStation 5 True to form, the Sony PS5 is a very stylish console. A new white and black design (with matching controller of course) set to make any gamer’s spine tingle. Sony has confirmed that the PS5 will be available in the UK on 19th November 2020. It’s got a Blu Ray disc drive for all your 4K movies and games, making it a great all-round entertainment device. It’ll be priced at £449, and there will also be a Digital Edition (with no disc drive) available for £359. That’s cheaper, but it means that you won’t be able to take advantage of deals on disc-based games. So it’s worth considering whether you’re ready to ditch the disc drive just yet. Both can be stood upright or horizontally. A nice touch that’ll make it easy to fit in with your home entertainment set up. As expected, the new PS5 will be super-fast and powerful. Load times will be lightning-fast thanks to its 825 GB solid state drive. So, no more waiting around to play, even on the biggest games. You’ll also be able to play games in 8K graphics. Incredible landscapes, bloody battles, beautiful story arc set pieces- all of it rendered in the most mind-bending detail. But the PS5 is a treat for the ears as well as the eyes. 3D audio technology will make sound feel like it’s all around you. This should be the most immersive PlayStation console experience yet. Perhaps the biggest and best to mention here – the new PS5 controller. Enhanced haptic feedback means that you can actually feel what’s going on in your game. So, for example, Sony have said if you were playing a driving game, you’d feel the "slow grittiness of driving a car through mud". Adding to that ‘as-if-you’re-there’ feeling are the in-built mic and new adaptive triggers. Game developers can adjust the resistance of the triggers on your controller. So, if you’re pushing something heavy in-game, it could actually feel that way to you in real life. And of course, there are the usual accessories too. A pulse 3D wireless headset to block out the outside world. An HD camera to record your streams (oh and did we mention the create button on the controller that lets you share game content almost instantly?). And a media remote and charging dock for your controllers. Sony has revealed a lot of big titles from some of the greatest game developers out there, and there’s wonderful news for people still running through the PS4 back catalogue too. The PS5 is backwards compatible. So, you’ll be able to play all your favourite PS4 games on there too. And did you know, if your kids are always hogging the TV while playing their PS4, they can still carry on playing once you’ve seized control of the remote? Just download Remote Play on your iPad or Android tablet and follow the steps on-screen to link it to your console over WiFi. That way, you can get into Bake Off or MasterChef while they’re engrossed in Fortnite. It’s a brilliant way to avoid TV wars, and we’re expecting it to be available for next-gen too. Check out the Sony PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition which are both available at Currys PC World. Xbox Series X Sony aren’t the only ones to go back to the drawing board with their latest console design. The new Microsoft Xbox Series X sports a minimalist black cuboid design, which won’t look out of place in any home entertainment or gaming centre. Microsoft has confirmed that Xbox will be available in the UK on 10th November 2020, just over a week before the PS5. Like its rival, it’ll also have a Blu-Ray 4K disc drive, so don’t box up that old movie library just yet. At £449, it’ll cost the same as the PS5 with a disc drive, but there will also be a cheaper, digital only version (more on that later). Whether you’re all about the games or love to stream movies and box sets, the new Xbox is a powerful machine. With 1 TB of storage space, it’s got a notably larger SSD drive than the PS5. In real terms, that’s space for one, or maybe two extra games. And of course, because it’s a solid state drive, you can expect games and streaming services to load in no time. If you do run out of space, Microsoft have added space for another storage drive, so you shouldn’t ever need to delete games and apps. As for the graphics…well, they’ve taken a major leap forward. It’ll run in true 4K resolution at 120 fps and has ray tracing technology. That means everything looks and feels realistically smooth, with the power to display accurate shadows and reflections. Put simply, it makes the worlds that every game casts you into seem that much more real. We love Xbox’s Game Pass on the current generation, so it’s great to see it being carried over to the Series X. With this, you’ll get access to over 100 high quality games without needing to use up any storage. It’s a great investment for the kids too, as it means you won’t need to fork out per game. Xbox Series S At £449, the Series X offers similar specs to gaming PCs double the price, or even more. However, you don’t need to spend that much to get into next-gen games. The Xbox Series S will play all the latest games, and only costs £249. It’s a conventional shaped console, packing impressive specs into a compact frame. You may not be able to play in 4K resolution, but you’ll still get better-than-Full HD graphics at a buttery smooth 120 fps. With a 512 GB SSD drive, loading is still snappy and there’s enough storage to help you get started. But just like the Series X, it’s got an expansion slot to add more when you need. And if the kids already have loads of games downloaded on their current Xbox, don’t worry, they won’t lose them. The Series S can play a catalogue of games throughout Xbox’s history, in better detail than ever. Take a look the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S at Currys PC World.

Capture the perfect autumn scene with these top phone camera apps and tips Autumn is upon us, and that means long country walks, hearty meals and colourful scenery all around. It might be getting a little cooler, but there’s nothing like a wander through nature to cure those post-summer blues. Whether it’s the natural light shining through tree branches, or multicoloured leaves laying on the ground, who could blame you for stopping to capture it all on your phone camera? Don’t just go for the default settings and hope for the best, though. When it comes to shooting nature on your smartphone, the chances are it’s got some neat tricks to nail photos and videos. Here are a few things you can do to get that instantly Instragamable photo: The Rule of Thirds If you’re new to photography, there’s a foundational rule that’s helpful for keeping every scenic photo interesting, and that’s the Rule of Thirds. In your phone’s camera app, you should be able to place a grid over your display in the settings. This will help you get the composition of your photo just right. You’ll want to make sure that objects of interest in your photo are either on the lines, or where two lines meet. If it’s a landscape shot, make sure that the horizon is on or near a horizontal line. You’ll be amazed what this simple tweak to the composition will do for your autumn photos. Try HDR mode If your phone’s camera app has an HDR mode, make the most of it! If you’re not a photography whizz, it can be tricky to get the lighting spot on in your photos. With HDR mode, you don’t have to worry about tweaking the settings. Your camera will shoot three photos with different exposure levels, and combine them to create a single photo that highlights all the colours and detail that make up that striking autumn scene. Because HDR mode shoots three photos, the shutter speed takes a little longer, so you’ll have to hold the phone steady. Or for seriously pro-looking shots, add a smartphone tripod to your kit bag. Pick a lens Many smartphones have more than one camera, but how many times have you manually switched between them? Some lenses are better at capturing certain shots than others, but for expansive landscapes, if you’ve got a wide-angle camera on the back of your phone, that’s the one to go for. Your wide-angle lens lets you capture a wider field of view. That means you can fit more of the scenery around you into the frame, so no need to keep taking steps back. The wide-angle does a good job of showing depth and keeping the distance between objects realistic, like trees, for example. If you’ve got an Ultra-Wide lens as well, try that out too. You’ll be able to get some truly stunning autumn shots, but keep in mind the ultra-wide angle means you’re more likely to lose that perception of distance between objects in the picture. No flash photography It’s the natural colours that make autumn such a photogenic season. Using the flash causes those colours to look a little washed out, so try it without and see how you get on. If you need more light in your photos, try increasing the exposure in your camera app’s setting. This lets in more natural light and should offer much better results. If you’re feeling confident, switch to Pro mode and take a few photos with different exposure levels and shutter speeds to see what works best for your scene. Check out these apps to get that winning shot For autumn photography that really stands out, there are a few apps you can try. A big part of getting great nature shots is being ready at the right moment. With apps like LightTrac (iOS) and Sun Position (Android), you’ll know when’s best to catch that gorgeous autumn scene wherever you are. Not only will they give accurate sunrise and sunset times, but they’ll also show you the solar and lunar paths pretty accurately, too. So, you can find the perfect spot and capture the perfect interplay of natural light and shadows. Or, if you get more than one outstanding photo on your walk and can’t decide which one to share, add them to a collage and share them all! Collage Maker (iOS, Android) lets you add up to 18 images to a single frame, letting you showcase all your stunning autumn photos in one. There are over 100 layouts to choose from, so you’re able to get really creative with it. Those are just a few of the things your phone can do to take your autumn photography up a notch. What works for you? Let us know below.

We’re excited to announce that we’ve recently reached a big milestone, we now have over 25,000 iD Community members. We’re proud to have an active Community with people getting involved by helping each other, entering competitions and reading interesting articles. Since its inception, the iD Community has always been about giving our customers direct help and empowering all of you to help each other. And you’ve all been brilliant. Our Community wouldn’t be the handy, helpful, friendly forum it is without our wonderful members. Over 6,000 questions have been asked on this platform, with an average of over 3 responses per question. That shows you guys have done an awesome job helping each other get the most out of your iD Mobile plans and smartphones. We must mention a few of our iD Superheroes, here. These are the iD Community members that are the most active, that answer a huge number of Community questions and have solved queries on everything from switching SIM cards to Wi-Fi calling. Our Top 3 iD Superheroes are @Gregor, @terrywebbs and @Adzdalton - Thank you for assisting our community members and making the Community an epic place to be! There’s no time to rest on our laurels, though. We want the iD Community to be even bigger and better, and we can’t do that without your help. Get chatting with fellow iD’ers and answering questions, and you could be well on your way to earning that Superhero tag! The more you engage and help answer questions etc on the community, the more likely you are to hit the criteria needed to rank up. As you rank up and get to the higher tier ranks, we may reward you with perks like; extra Data Add-Ons, vouchers and gift cards to your favourite stores, and more. If you’re unsure on how to get started, find out how to use the iD Community right here. Competition Time! Finally, to celebrate the Community’s achievement, we’re running a competition. All you have to do is tell us below, ‘what’s your favourite thing about the iD Mobile Community?’ We’ll pick one lucky winner who’ll get their hands on a £250 Currys PC World voucher! The deadline is midnight Monday 14th September, so make sure you get your answer in before the close. Best of luck!