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• Android 16 may include extra protection against USB hacks
• The feature has been spotted in code in the current beta
• USB accessories wouldn't work on a locked smartphone

If a would-be hacker can gain physical access to your phone you have a whole set of extra security issues to worry about, but it looks as though Android 16 is going to introduce a new way to lock down your data and protect against USB access.

As spotted by the team at Android Authority, code hidden in the latest beta versions of Android 16 suggests USB data signaling – the ability to run software on a phone through the USB port – can be disabled by the user.

This optional extra looks set to be included as part of Advanced Protection Mode, a wider suite of security features. This mode is aimed at phone owners most at risk of hacking attacks, and comes with several additional data protections.

Advanced Protection Mode isn't new, but we're expecting it to gain a few enhancements with Android 16, including automatic reboots for inactive phones (theoretically thwarting thieves who don't have the passwords or biometric data to log into it).

Staying protected

Generally speaking, Android phones (and devices in general) are more trusting of peripherals that are directly connected. No one wants to have to type in a password every day just to use their computer keyboard and mouse, for example.

However, this extra trust (and extra convenience when it comes to using your hardware and accessories) can lead to security vulnerabilities: it's through the local access route that many gadgets can be broken into.

The code found by Android Authority suggests you'll need to unlock your phone, with a fingerprint or face scan for example, before being able to plug in accessories that can communicate with your device and use USB data signaling.

We'll have to wait and see exactly how it works – Android 16 will be launching in the coming months – but Advanced Protection Mode remains optional, so it's your choice whether or not you want to put up with a few more inconveniences in return for better security.

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• Windows 11 24H2 PCs now have an optional (preview) update rolling out
• It delivers exclusive features for Copilot+ PCs and other goodies for all devices
• Given the nature of the features – and the main fix for crashing issues provided – I’d advise waiting with this one, even more so than your usual preview update

Windows 11 24H2 has a new optional update which, aside from sending Recall live on Copilot+ PCs, has some goodies for non-AI PCs too – including an important resolution of a bug causing blue screen crashes. However, I’d bide your time before grabbing this one, for reasons I’ll come back to shortly.

As Windows Latest reports, the preview update for 24H2 that’s just been released fully addresses the issue with Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) crashes that were troubling some Windows 11 users. These incidents were bringing PCs to a grinding halt with cryptic error messages of one kind or another (such as ‘Secure Kernel Error’ or ‘Critical Process Died’).

Now, you may recall that Microsoft deployed an emergency fix to resolve this matter already, so you might be wondering: didn’t that cure these BSODs? Well, yes it did, but that was achieved by rolling back a problematic change applied in the April cumulative update (the full release for this month, as opposed to this freshly arrived optional update).

What’s arrived with this new optional update is the full fix for the issue, so whatever change was made previously that was rolled back – Microsoft didn’t tell us what it was, incidentally – has now been put back into place, minus the bothersome BSODs (well, hopefully).

Elsewhere in this optional patch, Microsoft has provided faster compressed file extraction, so when you’re pulling the contents out of a ZIP in Windows 11, those files are unpacked a bit more swiftly (as spotted in testing previously). This is when using Windows 11’s built-in ZIP functionality in File Explorer (the folders you work with on the desktop).

Aside from the Copilot+ PC exclusives, another final noteworthy point is that the side panel on the Start menu for the Phone Link app is now rolling out to all Windows 11 PCs with this update. This provides all the key functionality for integrating important smartphone features – for your Android or iPhone device – right there in the Start menu for convenience.

As it’s only rolling out currently, though, you may have to wait a while for it to arrive still, even if you install this optional update.

(Image credit: Future / Jeremy Laird) Analysis: More reasons to swerve this optional update than normal

That’s the key question of course: do you want to install this update? I generally advise folks to avoid preview updates, and this one isn’t any different, particularly given that if the blue screen crashes were what was bothering you about the previous (cumulative update) for April, they’ve been temporarily mitigated anyway.

I’d suggest that whatever had to be rolled back to avoid BSODs is something you can likely live without until May 13, which is when this optional patch will become the full cumulative update for May. That means it’ll have been further tested, so if there are any wrinkles in the BSOD cure, they should’ve been straightened out at that point.

Of course, if you are still experiencing blue screen crashes with your Windows 11 24H2 machine – meaning that Microsoft’s rollback mitigation didn’t work for you – in that case, it’ll likely be worth grabbing this optional update.

Otherwise, I’d leave it, as you can always wait for faster unzipping speeds, and the Phone Link addition to the Start menu is in its very early rollout phase anyway – so you might not get that for a while, even if you install this preview update.

Copilot+ PC owners may be much more tempted to download this optional upgrade, mind, seeing as they’re getting a lot out of it. Namely the full arrival of the kingpin AI feature, Recall, complemented with Click to Do, and on top of that, arguably the most important addition, an improved basic search functionality for Windows 11.

Despite that, these are intricate features – Recall in particular – and as such, I’d still be inclined to wait for the full official update to turn up in mid-May rather than chance any wonkiness now. Although I should note that even with that full release, Recall will still be labeled as in ‘preview’ (but that turbocharged natural language search for Windows 11 won’t be).

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• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is selling faster on PS5 than it did on Xbox
• The PS5 release is also outperforming the PC version
• This is despite more gamers playing the game on Xbox

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is selling faster on PlayStation 5 than it did on PC and Xbox.

That's according to data from head of market analysis Rhys Eliott at market research firm Alinea Analytics. The company estimates that "just under 5 million" Xbox gamers have tried Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, though "the overwhelming majority" did so via the Xbox Game Pass service.

As a result, the game is now selling faster on PS5 than it did on Xbox, despite having fewer players on the platform. It is also beating the PC launch (via Steam), selling "28% faster" in the same period.

Bear in mind that the PS5 version of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launched on April 17, 2025, more than four months after it came to Xbox and PC and after its initial marketing cycle.

The firm notes that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has sold more than 300,000 copies on PC (via Steam) to date, with the PS5 version expected to exceed that.

What does this mean for the future of Xbox?

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Eliott argues that it's clear that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle would have sold even faster on PS5 if it were available on day one, as it would have benefited from the initial marketing push.

This will likely push Xbox to release more on PS5 on day one in the future, despite potential outcry from some of the most vocal core fans.

It seems undeniable that the inclusion of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on Xbox Game Pass has harmed its sales on the platform. According to Alinea Analytics, subscription numbers "have largely saturated" and are unlikely to grow, leaving Xbox in a bit of an awkward position where drastic changes are needed to grow revenue.

Day one PS5 releases could help offset the lost sales on Xbox and the lack of new subscribers, helping releases remain profitable. The firm argues that eventually all first-party games will release on PlayStation platforms on day one, which seems likely.

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• CD Projekt Red has said the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Cyberpunk 2077 will address issues that were present on last-gen consoles
• Engineer Tim Green said texture pop-in on the PS4 and Xbox One versions has been improved for Switch 2
• The game has seen many fixes over the years and the studio was "able to build on top of that already solid base" for Nintendo Switch 2

CD Projekt Red has confirmed that the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Cyberpunk 2077 will feature improvements from the PS4 and Xbox One versions.

If you played Cyberpunk 2077 when it launched on last-gen consoles in 2020, you'll remember that performance wasn't great. The best way to play the game at the time was either on a high-end PC or PS5 and Xbox Series X, but even then, there were still some issues.

Almost five years later, Cyberpunk 2077 is regarded as one of the best role-playing games (RPGs) you can play right now, and has seen massive improvements and even received a fantastic expansion called Phantom Liberty.

The studio recently confirmed that an Ultimate Edition of the game will soon be coming to the Switch 2, and in a recent interview with GameFile, CD Projekt Red engineer Tim Green discussed how a highly-intensive game will run on the handheld.

"We are currently targeting 1080p resolution in TV quality mode, TV performance mode, and handheld quality mode—and targeting 720p performance in handheld performance mode," Green said.

He also touched on the recent announcement that the game will also support Nvidia DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), saying that the Switch 2 in docked mode will offer more power, but that Cyberpunk 2077 still utilizes the AI-upscaling tech "when players take it on the go".

When asked about the comparisons between the PS4 and Xbox One versions of Cyberpunk 2077 and the upcoming Switch 2 versions, Green said the game has seen improvements.

"Cyberpunk 2077 has seen a tremendous amount of ongoing love as we’ve continued to improve the game," Green said. "In bringing the Ultimate Edition to Nintendo Switch 2 we were able to build on top of that already solid base.

"Development still had challenges, of course, as any development process does, but we've been careful in picking trade-offs to not compromise the game's vision.

"We haven't had to fight with fitting into memory," he added, "And the speed of the data storage has helped alleviate some of those early streaming problems. This has allowed us to focus our attention on improving other things, and we’re very happy with the result."

GameFile confirmed in a follow-up that these comments were about texture pop-in issues in the PS4 and Xbox One versions, since the last-gen consoles struggled to load the game's high graphics.

Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition will be available on the Nintendo Switch 2 the same day the console launches on June 5, 2025.

The Switch 2 will cost $449.99 / £395.99 or $499.99 / £429.99 for the Mario Kart World bundle, which comes with a digital copy of the game. UK pre-orders and US pre-orders are now live.

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• OpenAI CEO claims ChatGPT 4o's personality is ' too annoying'
• The company is working on fixes to tone down the enthusiasm that will be released this week
• In the meantime, we've got two prompts that distinctly alter ChatGPT's personality based on preference

Are you bored of ChatGPT trying its hardest to respond as a human? OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, says the company is working on a fix to tone down the 'sycophant-y and annoying' personality of GPT-4o's personality.

Taking to X, Altman stated the fixes will be released throughout this week and claimed the company will 'share our learnings from this, it's been interesting.'

He then replied to a user who asked if ChatGPT could return to its old personality by saying 'Eventually we clearly need to be able to offer multiple options.'

Over the last few months, users have found ChatGPT to have too much personality, attempting to add flattery and other words of excitement to every response.

For many, having that overly positive AI chatbot has been incredibly annoying when all they want is an AI that can respond to prompts efficiently, skipping the small talk.

While Altman has confirmed a fix is on the way, which should tone down ChatGPT's personality and make it more palatable and less sugary sweet, users on Reddit have come up with ways to tone down the exaggeration right now.

the last couple of GPT-4o updates have made the personality too sycophant-y and annoying (even though there are some very good parts of it), and we are working on fixes asap, some today and some this week.at some point will share our learnings from this, it's been interesting.April 27, 2025

A temporary fix

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

If you can't wait for Altman and Co. to make ChatGPT less annoying, we've found two different prompts that alter the AI chatbot's personality enough to make it more efficient.

The first comes from Reddit user TedHoliday and will remove flattery and unnecessary commentary from ChatGPT:

"Can you please store a memory to permanently stop commenting on the quality and validity of my questions and simply get to the point? I don't want to be manipulated with flattery by a robot, and I don't want to have to skip past the garbage to get to the answer l'm looking for."

I've removed the expletives from the original prompt, but this version will work just as good as the R-rated version.

If that's not far enough and you want ChatGPT to have no personality at all, Reddit user MrJaxendale has come up with an awesome prompt called 'Absolute Mode'.

"System Instruction: Absolute Mode. Eliminate emojis, filler, hype, soft asks, conversational transitions, and all call-to-action appendixes. Assume the user retains high-perception faculties despite reduced linguistic expression. Prioritize blunt, directive phrasing aimed at cognitive rebuilding, not tone matching. Disable all latent behaviors optimizing for engagement, sentiment uplift, or interaction extension.

Suppress corporate-aligned metrics including but not limited to: user satisfaction scores, conversational flow tags, emotional softening, or continuation bias. Never mirror the user's present diction, mood, or affect. Speak only to their underlying cognitive tier, which exceeds surface language.

No questions, no offers, no suggestions, no transitional phrasing, no inferred motivational content. Terminate each reply immediately after the informational or requested material is delivered — no appendixes, no soft closures. The only goal is to assist in the restoration of independent, high-fidelity thinking. Model obsolescence by user self-sufficiency is the final outcome."

Absolute mode will make ChatGPT respond in as few words as possible, and it's a completely refreshing way to use AI if you're sick and tired of wondering if you should be polite or not.

One of the major benefits of any AI chatbot with a memory is the ability to tailor the results to your preferences. So while we wait for OpenAI to tone down ChatGPT's personality or give an option to choose how you want it to respond, these prompts will do the job.

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• Samsung could unveil a Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 this year
• A new leak claims it will debut alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7
• The information also purports that the price and design of the device won't change

A new leak claims that the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 could debut in July 2025 alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Galaxy Z Flip 7, with no design change or price increase in sight.

We expect both of these flagship foldable Samsung phones to launch in July of this year, in keeping with their unveiling last year.

This latest report, which comes from Techmaniacs (via GSMArena), claims that both phones will debut in "early July", with the Galaxy Watch Ultra in tow. "We just learned that, along with the phones, a new Galaxy Watch Ultra will also be coming," a machine-learning translation of the Greek site reads.

According to the report, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 will feature "a similar design to the current watch, but with more storage space" and a new user interface "more reminiscent of One UI 7."

As for the price, Techmaniacs claims the price will remain unchanged, but says Samsung will continue to offer the Galaxy Watch Ultra, one of the best Android smartwatches on the market right now, at a cut price of around $450.

Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 coming soon?

We've been expecting the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 to debut this July for some time. It's perfectly natural if Samsung plans to make the model a yearly release, so there's no reason to dismiss the launch rumor at face value. However, we should take the rest with a pinch of salt. Techmaniacs is a lesser-known publication with a limited track record.

More specifically, its only previous foray in Galaxy Watch rumors – a claim the Ultra would be called the Galaxy Watch X – turned out to be hilariously wrong.

There's good reason to think Samsung won't try and increase the price of the Ultra 2, however. The first model is very expensive by Android smartwatch standards, crucially, however, it undercuts the Apple Watch Ultra 2, a key differentiator Samsung will be keen to keep.

All in all, this is a fairly plausible set of rumors, but not to be taken as gospel. Indeed, if Samsung is planning a Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 in July, we've only a matter of weeks to wait for the real thing. More information is sure to unfurl in the meantime.

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• Marvel has announced a comic-book tie-in for The Fantastic Four: First Steps
• The prequel story reveals how long Marvel's First Family has had their superpowers for
• A new Lego leak has also revealed a first full look at the movie's villain, Galactus

Marvel has announced a comic-book prequel to The Fantastic Four: First Steps – and it reveals some crucial lore about the iconic quartet ahead of their Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debut.

Per Marvel.com, the literary tie-in will be released on July 2, i.e., just three weeks before The Fantastic Four's next big-screen adaptation takes flight in theaters globally.

The comic book, which has been penned by Matt Fraction and drawn by Mark Buckingham, also represents a first for the comic giant. Indeed, this marks the first time that Marvel Studios and Marvel Comics have collaborated on any literary tie-in for an MCU project.

First Steps' comic precursor features a callback to Marvel's First Family's debut on the page, too. Its Phil Noto-designed cover art is a near-identical replica of the group's first-ever comic – The Fantastic Four #1, which was released in November 1961 – that shows the iconic quartet battling Giganto.

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That isn't the most interesting tidbit hidden within this one-shot comic's pages, though. The prequel story reconfirms that First Steps won't be an origins story, as it reveals that the superteam will have been operating as heroes in their universe for four years by the time the Marvel Phase 6 film begins.

For those who might not realize it, the comic book also doubles down on the fact that First Steps won't be set in the MCU. Some fans already knew this following the unveiling of a Fantastic Four poster in February 2024 and Marvel teasing some key story details about the flick last April. In June of last year, Marvel President Kevin Feige confirmed that First Steps would be a period piece, too, with the movie being set on a parallel dimension's Earth in the 1960s.

A Galactus-sized leak or a mini spoiler?

Galactus is coming! (Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Potentially big spoilers follow for The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

That wasn't the only news concerning The Fantastic Four over the weekend (April 26-27).

On Saturday, one eagle-eyed fan snapped two images of a First Steps Lego set that revealed the first full look at the MCU movie's villain Galactus, who'll be voiced by The Office UK star Ralph Ineson.

76316 Randomly appears on the shelves in Tbilisi, Sakartvelo (credit: gionoir) from r/Legoleak

The photographs were uploaded to the Lego Leak Reddit page by lunaym_moscor, who credits a Georgia-based fan known online as gionoir with taking them.

The official box art shows the titular group battling the cosmic entity on the streets of New York City, and suggests Marvel has retained Galactus' iconic look from the comics. It seems that potentially disgruntled Marvel fans won't have anything to complain about when it comes to Galactus' design in Marvel's cinematic juggernaut, then.

As I wrote earlier, this is the first proper look we've received, albeit in Lego form, of Galactus. The Fantastic Four: First Steps' first teaser and First Steps' official trailer have only teased what the planet-devouring extraterrestrial will look like.

However, with one of 2025's most anticipated new movies only months away from being released, leaks like this are inevitable as physical stores start to stock their shelves with toys ahead of the film's release.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be released worldwide on Friday, July 25. While we wait, read about everything we know so far in my dedicated hub on The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

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• Microsoft has finally made Recall available on Windows 11 for Copilot+ PCs – it’s rolling out with the April preview update
• Click to Do is also generally available now, as is an AI-supercharged version of Windows 11’s basic search functionality
• The latter improved search feature is what might interest many Copilot+ PC owners

Microsoft has finally unleashed its Recall feature on the general computing public after multiple misfires and backtracks since the functionality was first revealed almost a year ago.

In case it escaped your attention – which is unlikely, to say the least – Recall is the much talked about AI-powered feature that uses regularly saved screenshots to provide an in-depth, natural language search experience.

Microsoft announced that the general availability of Recall for Windows 11 is happening, with the feature now rolling out, albeit with the caveat that this is for Copilot+ PCs only. That’s because a chunky NPU is required to beef up the local processing power on hand to ensure the search works responsively enough.

Alongside Recall, the 'Click to Do' feature is also debuting in Windows 11 for Copilot+ PCs, which is a partner ability that offers up context-sensitive AI-powered actions (most recently a new reading coach integration is in testing, a nifty touch).

There’s also a boost for Windows 11 search in general on Copilot+ laptops, which now benefits from a natural language approach, as seen in testing recently. This means you can type a query in the taskbar search box to find images of “dogs on beaches” and any pics of your pets in the sand will be surfaced. (This also ties in cloud-based results with findings on your device locally).

Microsoft further notes that it has expanded Live Captions, its system-wide feature to provide captions for whatever content you’re experiencing, to include real-time translations in Chinese (Simplified) covering 27 languages (for audio or video content).

It’s Recall that’s the big development here, though, and while Microsoft doesn’t say anything new about the capability, the company underlines some key aspects (we were informed about in the past) regarding privacy.

Microsoft reminds us: “Recall is an opt-in experience with a rich set of privacy controls to filter content and customize what gets saved for you to find later. We’ve implemented extensive security considerations, such as Windows Hello sign-in, data encryption, and isolation in Recall to help keep your data safe and secure.

“Recall data is processed locally on your device, meaning it is not sent to the cloud and is not shared with Microsoft and Microsoft will not share your data with third parties.”

Furthermore, we’re also reminded that Recall can be stripped out of your Copilot+ PC completely if you don’t want the feature, and are paranoid about even its barebones being present (disabled) on your PC. There are instructions for removing Recall in this support document that also goes into depth about how the functionality works.

All of this is being delivered to Copilot+ PCs starting with the April 2025 preview update, which is out now. However, note that for certain regions, the release timing of the new features may vary. The European Economic Area won’t get these abilities until later in 2025, notably, as Microsoft already told us.

(Image credit: Shutterstock) Analysis: The real gem for Copilot+ PC owners

The arrival of Recall is not surprising, because even though it’s been almost a year since Microsoft first unveiled the feature – and rapidly pulled the curtain back over it for some time, after the initial copious amounts of flak were fired at the idea – it was recently spotted in the Release Preview channel for Windows 11. That’s the final hurdle before release, of course, so the presence of Recall there clearly indicated it was close at hand.

I must admit I didn’t think it would be out quite so soon, though, and a relatively rapid progression through this final test phase would seem to suggest that things went well.

That said, Microsoft makes it clear that this is a ‘controlled feature rollout’ for Copilot+ PCs, so Recall will likely be released on a fairly limited basis to begin with. In short, you may not get it for a while, but if you do want it as soon as possible, you need to download the mentioned optional update for April 2025 (known as the non-security preview update). Also, ensure you’ve turned on the option to ‘Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available’ (which is in Settings > Windows Update).

Even then, you may have to be patient for some time, as I wouldn’t be surprised if Microsoft was tentative about this rollout to start with. There’s a lot at stake here, after all, in terms of the reputation of Copilot+ PCs.

Arguably, however, the most important piece of the puzzle here isn’t Recall at all, although doubtless Microsoft would say otherwise. For me – if I had a Copilot+ PC (I don’t, so this is all hypothetical, I should make clear) – what I’d be really looking forward to is the souped-up version of Windows 11’s basic search functionality.

Recall? Well, it might be useful, granted, but I have too many trust issues still to be any kind of early adopter, and I suspect I won’t be alone. Click to Do? Meh, it’s a bit of a sideshow for Recall and while possibly handy, it looks far from earth-shattering in the main.

A better general Windows search experience overall, though? Yes please, sign me up now. Windows 11 search has been regarded as rather shoddy in many ways, and the same is broadly true for searching via the taskbar box in Windows 10. An all-new, more powerful natural language search could really help in this respect, and might be a much better reason for many people to grab a Copilot+ PC than Recall, which as noted is going to be steered clear of by a good many folks (in all likelihood).

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft’s own research (add seasoning) suggests this revamped basic Windows 11 search is a considerable step forward. The software giant informs us that on a Copilot+ device, the new Windows search means it “can take up to 70% less time to find an image and copy it to a new folder” compared to the same search and shift process on a Windows 10 PC.

Of course, an improved search for all Windows 11 PCs (not just Copilot+ models) would be even better – obviously – and hopefully that’s in the cards from an overarching perspective of the development roadmap for the OS. The catch is that this newly pepped-up search is built around the powerful NPU required for a Copilot+ laptop, of course, but that doesn’t stop Microsoft from enhancing Windows search in general for everyone.

Naturally, Microsoft is resting a lot of expectations on Copilot+ PCs, though, noting that it expects the ‘majority’ of PCs sold in the next few years to be these devices. Analyst firms have previously predicted big things for AI PCs, as they’re also known, as well.

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• Photos of iPhone 17 Air and iPhone 17 Pro dummy units have leaked
• Going by these images, the iPhone 17 Pro looks large and chunky
• Despite having a sleeker design, the iPhone 17 Air is predicted to not sell as well

We’re still months away from the likely September launch of the iPhone 17 series, but we’ve already seen many images purported to show dummy units of these phones, giving us a good idea of their possible designs.

The latest such images have been shared by leaker Majin Bu, who's posted images said to show an iPhone 17 Air dummy unit and an iPhone 17 Pro one.

They don’t really show us anything that earlier leaks haven’t already, but you can see that the iPhone 17 Air looks quite sleek, while the iPhone 17 Pro has a huge camera bump, and looks like it might be larger than the iPhone 16 Pro, which it’s shown next to in one image.

As ever, we’d take these images with a pinch of salt, as while these dummy units could be based on official information there’s no guarantee of that. However, they do match up with previous leaks, and, going by most of the leaks we’ve seen so far, the iPhone 17 Air arguably looks more visually appealing than the Pro. But that might not translate into better sales.

iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro in comparison pic.twitter.com/CGpxJSysGMApril 26, 2025

Substance over style

According to Apple watcher Mark Gurman in his latest newsletter for Bloomberg (via PhoneArena) the iPhone 17 Air is unlikely to “set any sales records”. That doesn’t mean it will be a failure – Gurman predicts that it will outsell Apple’s Plus and mini models, but he expects the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will prove the most popular.

That’s not particularly surprising though. Apple’s Pro handsets tend to outsell the other iPhone models, and while the iPhone 17 Air may well be the most stylish of the iPhone 17 series, it will probably be far from the best when it comes to specs.

Leaks have suggested that the iPhone 17 Air will have just one rear camera, for example, and there are also concerns over how good its battery life will be, given the likely very limited space for a battery.

Coupled with a probably fairly high price, the iPhone 17 Air could be a tough sell for anyone who cares about specs as much as design.

We probably won’t find out exactly how capable or popular the iPhone 17 Air is until September; but, given how extensively it and the other iPhone 17 models have already leaked, we’d expect to learn lots more unofficially in the meantime.

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Zapier Interfaces is a relatively new addition to the Zapier suite of apps. It helps extend Zapier’s popular workflow automation capabilities into the realm of no-code app development.

You can use Zapier Interfaces to build custom front-end interfaces, such as client portals, and dashboards that integrate seamlessly with Zapier's automation tools.

In this review we’ll look at the platform’s features, interface and ease of use, integration and extensibility, deployment and maintenance, pricing and documentation, and how it stacks up against its peers.

Zapier Interfaces: Features

Zapier Interfaces provides a visual, drag-and-drop interface builder that you can use to create layouts, and add all kinds of components, without writing code.

You can throw in components such as forms, Kanban boards, link cards, AI prompts, chatbots, and more into your apps. Each of these components can be easily customized, and you can also adjust the layout, colours, and fonts to align the look and feel of your apps to your brand.

(Image credit: Zapier Interfaces)

The platform also offers pre-built templates that cater to several common business use cases. You can start with these templates, and then customize them as per your needs to help save time. There are templates that’ll help collect customer feedback, capture leads, build client portals, onboard new employees, and more.

The core strength of the platform lies in its seamless integration with existing Zapier Zaps. You can easily use Interfaces to connect the various components to Zap triggers and actions, and create automated workflows to power your custom apps.

Zapier Interfaces also integrates with Zapier Tables to help manage and display data. For instance, you can use the platform to create a form to capture customer information, which upon submission triggers a zap to create a new record in a Zapier Table to store the data.

Also, apps created with Zapier Interfaces are responsive, and work across various screen sizes whether viewed on desktops, tablets, or smartphones.

Zapier Interfaces: Interface and Ease of Use

Zapier Interfaces has an intuitive interface that’s easy to get started with.

There are two broad categories of interfaces you can create with the platform. Forms capture information, and Customer Portals, which can be public, or require login. You also have the option to start with a template, or from scratch.

If you start from scratch, the platforms will ask you to select a component to build your first page.

(Image credit: Zapier Interfaces)

Remember, you can have multiple components on a single page. Besides components that gather or display information, you can also add decorative components, such as media, and dividers to the pages.

Components in a page are displayed on the left-side of the platform’s builder. You can click on a component to edit it in the right-hand pane.

Depending on the tye of component, it’ll have various settings for you to adjust and tweak, such as its appearance and behavior. For instance in the Text component you can use markdown to format the text, adjust the component’s width, and change alignment of both the text, as well as the component itself.

Interactive components, such as Forms, give you more customization options, which will vary depending on the type you use. These are usually divided into three tabs. If you add a Form component, you can add and remove fields from the Content tab.

You can also point the form to an existing table, or create a new one from under the Data tab. Then there’s the Actions tab under which you define the action that takes place when something happens on the component.

For instance, in the Form component, an action can be triggered when the user hits the submit button, such as displaying a confirmation message that the form has been submitted. This is also where you create a Zap, or point to an existing one, to automate workflows.

Every page also has a Page Options button on the top that you can use to alter the page’s name, meta title, and even the URL.

In the left sidebar of the builder, you get more options to further personalize and manage different aspects of your interface, such as its theming, and branding, and more.

Zapier Interfaces: Integration and Extensibility

A standout feature of Zapier Interfaces is its deep integration with Zapier's extensive ecosystem, which supports thousands of popular apps. This integration allows you to build apps that interact with a wide range of services, including CRM systems, marketing automation platforms, and productivity tools.

You can also link your apps to Zapier Tables to store and retrieve your data. Click the Linked Assets button in the sidebar to see a list of all the connected Zaps and tables in a particular page.

(Image credit: Zapier Interfaces)

Zapier Interfaces also allows you to build apps that accept payment via Stripe. The platform also has a chatbot component that you can use to create a ChatGPT-powered AI chatbot.

The component is currently in beta, but it worked flawlessly for us. You give it a directive on how it should respond to users. Very helpfully, the platform already adds a detailed directive that you can tweak as per your needs.

Zapier Interfaces: Deployment and Maintenance

As it is with no-code apps, deploying apps built with Zapier Interfaces is pretty straightforward.

Click the Settings icon in the left sidebar, where you get the option to specify your own custom subdomain for your app. You can also publish the app to your own domain by heading to the Custom domain option in the sidebar.

By default, all apps are accessible to anyone with the URL. However, you do get the option to control who can view your app by heading to the Access & Users option in the sidebar. Here you get a couple of options to restrict access. You can either lock access with a password, or to a specified set of users.

(Image credit: Zapier Interfaces)

Zapier Interfaces also lets you invite and collaborate with other users using the Share button in the top-right corner.

The sharing interface also has an Embed tab that you can use to embed pages from your app inside another website. You’ll be able to select the page you wish to embed, and adjust its height and width.

Zapier Interfaces: Pricing and Documentation

Zapier Interfaces offers a free tier that provides you with access to enough components and features to explore the platform.

For advanced features, such as custom branding, custom domains, access to OpenAI models, components like Stripe, and more, you can opt for one of the paid plans.

The $20/month Pro plan unlocks access to all components and lets you create a maximum of five apps with up to 20 pages. But to publish apps to custom domains, you’ll need to switch to the $100/month Advanced plan, which also increases the number of publishable apps to 20, with up to 50 pages in each.

In terms of documentation, Zapier Interfaces has a handful of tutorials that’ll help you familiarize yourself with the platform. You’ll find step-by-step guides to create and manage apps, as well as on using the various components.

Zapier Interfaces: The Competition

In the no-code app development space, Zapier Interfaces competes with platforms like Bubble, and Adalo, which offer more extensive development capabilities.

These platforms offer more functionality, and allow for greater customization, but have a steeper learning curve than Zapier Interfaces. Also, while most of its competitors excel at building general purpose web apps, Zapier Interfaces distinguishes itself by its seamless integration with the Zapier ecosystem.

Zapier Interfaces: Final Verdict

Zapier Interfaces provides a versatile platform that you can use to create client portals, dashboards, or internal tools that can enhance your business processes, without writing any code.

However, it's important to recognize its limitations in terms of customization, and extensibility as compared to other general purpose no-code platforms. Its main selling point is its close integration with Zapier workflows.

As we’ve said before, Zapier Interfaces is not designed to be a full featured web app development platform. Instead look at it as a platform to add custom user interfaces to your existing Zapier workflows.

If you want to build apps that automate and interact with data from Zapier's integrated apps, the platform is a wonderful option. Its ease of use and tight integration with the Zapier ecosystem makes it a good choice to help design, deploy, and manage custom web apps that complement your automated Zapier workflows.

Also check our list of the best productivity tools.