News

• iPadOS’s Stage Manager feature is coming to more iPads
• That could improve multitasking capabilities for iPad users
• But iPadOS 26 brings even better features to iPad than Stage Manager

If you’re a fan of multitasking on any of the best iPads, you were probably heartened to see all the new features Apple brought to iPadOS 26 at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). But while those additions are sure to make a splash for productivity power users, the company is also extending the existing Stage Manager feature to even more iPads.

In case you missed it, Stage Manager lets you group apps into sets and then switch between those sets as needed. It’s designed to help you focus on one task and all the windows you need to complete it, then change to a different task and group of apps after. It’s available on both iPadOS and macOS.

With iPadOS 26, Stage Manager will be available on more iPads than before. Previously, it only worked on the 13-inch iPad Pro with M4 chip, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (third generation or later), the 11-inch iPad Pro (first generation or later), and the iPad Air (fifth generation or later).

As noted on Reddit, in addition to those tablets, Stage Manager now also works with the third-generation iPad Air or later (not just the fifth-generation model), the iPad mini (fifth generation or later), and the entry-level iPad (eighth-generation or later). In essence, Stage Manager works with any iPad that can run iPadOS 26.

Stage Manager has proven to be a somewhat divisive feature since it was released – not helped by a buggy launch – and it’s struggled to establish itself as a must-have element of iPadOS. Although I was intrigued by it at first, I quickly found Stage Manager to be a little half-baked, and it never became a regular part of my setup on either my iPad or my Mac.

What looks to be far more interesting is the range of productivity tools Apple has added to iPadOS 26. That includes a Mac-like menu bar, full overlapping app support, window resizing, and even the “traffic light” buttons used to close, minimize or maximize app windows. Window tiling in particular is an excellent addition to the iPad, as you get a lot more window position options than just using an older feature like Split View.

Being able to use an iPad like a Mac offers much more appeal to me than Stage Manager. That’s partly because the Mac-like interface is just much more familiar to anyone who has used a computer before – there’s no new system to learn, as there is with Stage Manager. And gaining these new tools now makes it much more comfortable to work on the go with my iPad, as I no longer need to sacrifice capability in the name of portability.

Still, with Stage Manager coming to more iPads than before, it could still find an audience among Apple fans who have never had access to it. In any case, combined with iPadOS 26’s new multitasking features, it’s clear that Apple is taking productivity and user interface management a little more seriously.

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• Footage purportedly showing the campaign of the next Battlefield game has leaked
• It shows a firefight on a massive dam and some dramatic destruction
• The video was allegedly found in the Battlefield Labs client

A reliable dataminer has leaked footage that purportedly shows part of a mission from the upcoming Battlefield 6 campaign.

In an earnings call bac in February this year, we learned that the next Battlefield title will be released before March 31, 2026. Judging by this timeframe, a reveal is likely set for this summer, and testing is currently underway as part of the ongoing Battlefield Labs initiative.

Described by publisher Electronic Arts (EA) as the “most ambitious community development collaboration ever,” the program allows select players to try parts of the next game and influence its development through feedback.

As you might expect, this means that there has been a steady stream of leaks from those either playing these early builds or combing through them for data.

The latest snippet of info comes from X / Twitter user 'temporyal', who has a strong track record as a leaker, and concerns the game's campaign. It takes the form of a short video file, purportedly found in the Battlefield Labs client.

Here's a short clip from the Battlefield 6 singleplayer campaign in the latest BF Labs update.This work-in-progress footage shows the explosive finale of a mission to destroy a dam in Tajikistan. pic.twitter.com/n9ikBpUrmQJune 19, 2025

In it, we see what appears to be a brief segment from the campaign in which the player boards a military truck in the shadow of a huge dam. Fire is exchanged briefly with some oncoming enemies before the scene reaches a climax as the dam dramatically explodes while the player flees in the back of the truck.

It's the kind of showstopping destruction that you would want from a Battlefield and reminds me of some of the classic set-piece moments from older titles like Battlefield 4. Considering the fact that the latest entry in the series, Battlefield 2042, didn't even come with a single-player campaign component, this already seems like a massive improvement, and I can't wait to see more.

The footage is obviously from a very early build of the game, though, as textures, lighting, and character animation are clearly unfinished. Still, it's easy to imagine how the scene might look in the finished product.

Of course, you should bear in mind that there is no guarantee that anything shown in this leak will appear in the final game - or that it's even from the campaign in the first place. Games can change a lot throughout development, so we'll have to wait for some official details from EA for more concrete information.

The leaker does go on to share some interesting titbits, though, including the fact that the campaign may comprise of a prologue and eight separate missions. These will allegedly take place in a range of global locations, including Egypt, Tajikistan, the US, and Gibraltar.

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Believe it or not, there’s been a massive reduction in scam robocalls over the past few years. According to according to stats we gathered across millions of data points, scam calls are down roughly 75% since the Fall of 2021-- from more than 2 billion every month to roughly 500 million every month currently. That’s a massive decline, and it appears to be great news.

So why does it feel like we’re in more danger, not less?

Because we are.

In 2021, the Federal Trade Commission reported the total losses from scams starting with a phone call were approximately $692 million, with a median loss of about $1,200 per victim. By 2024, those numbers had risen to $948 million, and a median loss of $1,500. Simple back-of-the-envelope math shows 25% of the calls led to 37% higher losses. In other words, the scammers have become roughly five to six times more efficient in their scamming ability from phone calls. They are making more money, with fewer calls and taking more from every victim.

That’s not great.

How do scammers do this? The answer is surprisingly simple: they became very efficient marketers.

Scammers used to simply “dial for dollars,” calling one number after another, hoping to find vulnerable targets. That approach meant making calls to a lot of people who were irrelevant to the scam. Now, they are much smarter and more strategic.

They often use curated lists of potential victims. If they want to run a banking scam, they can call everyone hoping to find customers of the bank, or scammers can obtain that bank’s customer list and launch a call campaign in which they impersonate that particular bank.

And that’s exactly what they’re doing.

Where do scammers get this information? They can simply go to the dark web, to find the results of data breaches that have exposed the personal details of millions. Breaches provide scammers with names, phone numbers, email addresses and even account details—everything they need to convincingly impersonate a trusted entity such as a bank. If scammers want to target an enterprise, they can easily get a list of employees, and call their personal cell phones.

The sheer volume of data breaches in recent years means much of our personal information is essentially public. Phone numbers, e-mail addresses, Social Security numbers, credit card details, account numbers, medical records—the list goes on. With all that data in hand, it’s not hard to find the right targets with the right information to sound legitimate. After that, scammers can follow their script and pressure victims to transfer funds quickly or take some other problematic action.

So what to do?

The short answer for individuals is that you must assume your identity is already out there. The genie is out of the bottle, and pretending otherwise only puts you at greater risk. The real question isn’t how to hide your identity-- it’s how to operate safely in a world where your personal and professional information is already exposed.

Assume attackers know more than they should. They’re using publicly available data to impersonate company leaders, target employees, and launch social engineering campaigns that feel alarmingly real. Add in voice cloning and A.I.-generated deepfakes, and the risk multiplies quickly.

That means you need to be skeptical, not scared. Focus less on chasing privacy and focus more on proactive protection. Assume that all unexpected inbound calls are potential fraud. Use technology like smart call blockers that can help filter out scams.

And always validate the caller by hanging up and calling their institution on a number provided to you by a legitimate source. If they say they’re a bank, call the bank directly. If a caller says they’re from your company, make a call to a number provided by your employer.

While individuals must take those actions to protect themselves, business also play a major role in reducing the risks of scams. That should start with programs educating employees on how to recognize suspicious calls and impersonation tactics. Encourage employees to verify any unexpected requests, especially anything related to financial transactions and sensitive data. A quick phone call to a supervisor can prevent a costly mistake.

The bad guys are only going to get better at their jobs. Your private information is only going to become more public. But if you stay vigilant and take the right precautions, you can protect yourself and avoid becoming the next victim.

We list the best identity theft protection.

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