iOS 16.2, which Apple released Tuesday, brings many new features that make it a must-have update for all iPhone owners. From security advancements and productivity boosters to cosmetic tweaks and other fun stuff, it’s positively loaded with upgrades.

Here are the top new iOS 16.2 features you should try right now. (Note: Many of these features also appear in iPadOS 16.2, which Apple also released today.)

Daily practicality is often at odd ends with whimsy. A Nissan Pao will not carry your lumber back from Home Depot. A big, wacky phone case will not fit in your pocket or purse. No matter how much I desperately want one, I know that a plastic trumpet will sound terrible (even if it’s in gorgeous white). But you can have both practicality and whimsy with Nyloon’s Stark Apple Watch band.

Each one of these ballistic-grade nylon bands comes with a unique black-and-white pattern (with seemingly random splashes of red). And they feel soft enough for comfort, but rugged enough to take some abuse.

Need ideas for practical stocking stuffers that friends and family will actually use? The SwitchEasy Flash Sale in the Cult of Mac Store is on through 11:59 p.m. PST on December 13.

You can pick any of three compact wall chargers with USB-C and USB-A ports. There’s a potent 30W version, another 30W with cable storage and a tiny 20W version. Check them out.

It’s no longer possible to order a new top-tier iPhone from Apple and have it delivered this year. The iPhone Pro and iPhone Pro Max are both backordered until early January 2023.

The delay is the result of strong demand for these handsets coupled with production problems in China.

Don’t spend more money than you need to on a charging essential for an Apple Watch. For a limited time, you can pick up a wireless charger keychain compatible with all Apple Watches for less than $20.

These make great stocking stuffers for any Apple Watch owner — and you can pick up two-packs and four-packs to save even more!

Apple is expanding iPhone 14’s Emergency SOS via satellite feature to more countries. The feature is now available to iPhone 14 owners in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Ireland starting today.

Emergency SOS was only available in the United States and Canada so far. Apple previously confirmed the feature would expand to more countries in December.

If you’re looking for outside-the-box, last-minute gift ideas this holiday season, a surefire way to reach people’s hearts is through their stomachs.

If you’d like to send your favorite couple out for an overdue date night, help a friend with a few meals, or even plan to do all the eating yourself, we’re offering a limited-time deal through Restaurant.com that’s worth checking out. You can pick up a $100 electronic gift card that works at thousands of establishments across America for only $14.

The holiday season is fast-unfolding, and Christmas will be here before Hermey the elf from the classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer can say “Well, sir, someday I’d like to be a dentist.”

So it’s time to act fast if you want to get a gadget-y gift for the techie or geek in your life in time for deliveries by December 25. Check out some cool ideas below.

They’re all small enough to fit in a stocking; prices range from a cheap $20 to a few hundred bucks (for those very special stockings). And there’s plenty more good stuff in the Cult of Mac Store.

Apple TV+ earned Golden Globe nominations in five important categories, including Best Drama. The creepy, very popular series Severance earned two of the nominations, and the prison thriller Black Bird got the rest.

Winners will be named in early 2023.

A number of devices across Eve Systems’ product lineup are receiving support for the home automation networking standard Matter with a new, optional firmware update, the company said Monday.

Matter support — which lets devices from different makers work together over the same network — will come to Thread-enabled devices in the company’s Eve Door and Window, Eve Motion and Eve Energy lineups.

Ahoy there, would-be video streamers — today’s featured computer setup comes from an airtight and seaworthy pro streaming operation you might want to emulate.

The folks behind Sailing Illustrated streams shared their rig, based on a Mac Studio, an M1 Mac mini, an M1 MacBook Pro, a Rode RodeCaster Pro production studio and a slew of related gear and software.

After recent problems in China, Apple is ramping up iPhone assembly in India. The number of iOS handsets assembled in that country will reportedly triple in the coming years.

Previous reports have also indicated that Apple is putting a much greater emphasis on making iPhones in India.

If you’re still using one phone number for everything, it’s time to upgrade your cell. Forget giving out your personal number to companies, private sellers and strangers. With a private phone line, you can keep different callers totally separate from your personal life.

For one week only, you can get a second phone number with Hushed for just $19 (regularly $150) with coupon code HUSHED.

Considering the shift toward work-from-home models and online academic options, there’s never been a greater need to maximize your home office. An external monitor from Desklab can help you accomplish more, and it’s on sale for less than half of its standard cost.

For a limited time, you can pick one up for only $289.99 (regularly $700) — the best price you’ll find online.

There’s a man down this week on Slow Horses, the Apple TV+ show about underdog British spies and their disheveled bureau chief. The horses say goodbye to one of their own, but they don’t get much time to grieve.

Peter Judd’s giving everyone grief again, the Russians are in town doing damage, Lamb’s off the radar conducting his own investigation, and River’s in deep cover … though not that deep.

The episode, entitled “Drinking Games,” is a rough and engaging chapter of the saga. Everyone plays their part beautifully, and the stakes continue to climb.

Our toys may become more complex as we grow up, but nobody ever quite lets their preadolescent fantasies go. And now, you can relive that childlike fascination with your own young ones with the Toybox, a kid-friendly 3D printer.

And thanks to our December Deal of the Day event, you can purchase the Toybox 3D Printer Deluxe Bundle for $299.99 (regularly $349.99) until December 13, with guaranteed delivery by Christmas.

Our outlaw hero Lin is running out of road this week on Shantaram, and everyone wants him dead or simply out of the way. Karla is neck-deep in a desperate attempt to clear Lin’s name — and makes Bombay a war zone in the process.

Also in this week’s episode, entitled “Banquet of Consequences“: Lisa and Modena’s great escape turns into no such thing. Prabhu makes a promise he can’t keep. Wally Nightingale closes in on his prey. And Ravi decides he’d rather not change after all.

It’s a thrilling penultimate episode, as the Apple TV+ limited series finds all its bloody pieces falling into place.

This week on Echo 3, showrunner, writer and director Mark Boal — known for The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty — gets lost upriver trying to graft some semblance of a worldview onto his hollow, sadistic Apple TV+ jungle adventure.

The kidnapped Amber’s captivity is explored, as is her captors’ thin psychology and political motivation. She tries to escape and everyone else suffers for it. It’s a boring and grim edition of Boal’s G.I. Joe fantasy.

Bilingual Apple TV+ comedy Acapulco goes to the edge of misfortune this week before pulling back. Maximo should be happy with his new life with Isabelle, but can’t help but feel like he’s missing out on something. And Julia and Chad must think about their futures now that they know neither of them will be a part of the other’s.

Meanwhile, Memo misses Maximo, Hector’s confused, Chad is lost, and Diane needs Don Pablo back in a hurry. All told, “The Power of Love” is a very convenient episode of the lightweight series.

Writing a script is a ton of work, and that doesn’t even account for reading it live. If you want to avoid spending hours recording voiceovers for your podcasts, YouTube videos or training materials, you may want to give Micmonster a try.

This AI-based voiceover tool provides hundreds of lifelike voices, in 129 languages, to create custom voiceovers. And lifetime subscriptions are on sale now for $59 — the best price on the web.

Apple TV+ thriller The Mosquito Coast picks up its cliffhanger and heads into ever darker territory this week. Allie is caught between a rock and a harder place than usual. Dina takes her anger out on Margot, but Charlie would rather take it out on Richard.

Margot’s stuck between trying to win back her family’s approval and not caring enough to get it back. The Foxes may still be in hot water with the U.S. government after all, which means there’s a clock ticking faster than they imagined.

It all adds up to a white-knuckle episode of the drama about a family of terrorists on the lam in Central America.

After a muti-year argument, Apple and Ericsson agreed to cross license each others patents on cellular standard-essential technologies. And they’ll drop their lawsuits, too.

What’s really happening though is that the two companies have negotiated how much money Apple will pay to license Ericsson patents for use in the iPhone.

It’s a car made of jelly! It’s JellyCar Worlds, which challenges players to drive a squishy vehicle through a variety of convoluted levels.

The game, which hit Apple Arcade on Friday, marks the return of a classic game from the original creator.

Apple TV+ comedy Mythic Quest rings in the holiday season with a very special Christmas episode this week. The Mythic Quest offices are full of misery as David makes everyone stay and work through Christmas Eve. His attempts to cheer them up come to naught. And when Poppy and Ian try to salvage things at their old company, they go too far.

Meanwhile, Poppy and Rachel must learn what Jo’s definition of friendship is, and Rachel has her first brush with success. All in all, “The 12 Hours of Christmas” stands tall as a stellar episode of Apple TV+’s funniest show.

Just in time for the holidays, DJI released a tiny, more affordable version of its DJI Mini 3 Pro drone. Just subtract the world “Pro” from the name.

The new DJI Mini 3 weighs in at a svelte 249 grams (8.78 ounces) or less and shoots detail-rich, 4K HDR video, the company said.