Google Photos is giving users an easier way to leave its Gemini-powered search when a simple keyword would do. A new toggle now sits at the top of the results page, letting users switch between Ask Photos and classic search without digging through settings.

The change appears to address feedback from people who opted into Ask Photos but wanted a quicker way to return to classic search when Gemini was slower or less useful for a straightforward query.

Why did Google add the toggle?

Ask Photos is built for complicated requests. It can understand natural-language questions and search for details inside images, including prompts such as “What’s my license plate?” Classic search is quicker when you only need to find a person, place, object, date, or keyword.

Reddit users complained about irrelevant results, missing keyword matches, and the disappearance of an obvious route back to classic search. Some found that the most reliable workaround was disabling Ask Photos through the Gemini settings entirely.

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today — or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc’s Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

• Rheya combines emergency battery power with software designed to predict sewage spills
• Power failures at pumping stations can turn routine blackouts into environmental pollution
• Rheya battery will predict the underlying causes of spills before they occur

UK startup Rheya Labs has developed backup batteries designed specifically to keep sewage pumping stations running during power failures across Britain.

The company was named one of 20 finalists in Ofwat’s £7.5 million Water Discovery Challenge, run by the Water Innovation Fund.

In 2001 a green-armored soldier woke up on a mysterious ring and changed everything for console shooters. Twenty-five years later Halo Studios has torn that entire campaign down to the studs and rebuilt it in Unreal Engine 5. Campaign Evolved is not a simple polish pass. Every corridor, every beach, every Forerunner structure has been constructed again from scratch. Side-by-side footage now circulating makes the gap impossible to ignore.

When you walk into the Cryo Bay of the Pillar of Autumn, the first thing you notice is the difference. The earliest chambers were basic boxes with flat panels and a gentle, even glow. In the new version, the same space is turned into a thick tangle of machinery, cables that appear to be hanging free, frost clinging to every surface, and crew members bustling about with purpose, and the light no longer simply sorta… fills the room like it used to. No, it bounces off polished metal, catches on frost, and creates these lovely soft shadows that appear to change and move every time you turn a corner.

As players step outside onto the Silent Cartographer beach, the difference becomes even more apparent. The original shoreline was a rather uninteresting expanse of sand and rock, with a limited outlook. However, Campaign Evolved takes the same shoreline and transforms it into an actual place. The waves are now smashing in with considerable volume, and rather than being flat smooth sheets of grass and scrub, they are pushing up through the sand in small groups. And way out in the horizon, you can see the distant rocks with their evident fissures and weathering. The ring continues to curve overhead, but the sky and atmosphere now adjust to time of day and weather in ways that the 2001 engine could never have predicted.

The most significant transition in materials can be seen in forerunner architecture. Early Halo structures were basically large slabs of concrete with simple geometric designs on them. The new buildings have the same immense scale and harsh shape, but each surface has fine grooves, slight discoloration, and reflective edges that catch the light in a completely different way depending on whatever angle you look at them from. Because the team has been able to push the level of detail without sacrificing performance, distant walls remain sharp rather than blurring, and the lumen lighting inside those same halls is a game changer, filling the space with soft bounced light and proper reflections that move with you as you move.

Character models and vehicles are making the same transition. Elites used to move around with these rigid, limited joints and basic armor plates. Every plate now has a genuine thickness, every joint has adequate articulation, and the energy shields respond with clearer visual input. The Warthog has gained some weight and is now more stable on the ground. The tires leave actual tracks, and as it goes, it creates actual heavy clouds of sand and dust that linger in the air for a while. Even little items like ammo crates and computer terminals now have readable lettering on them, and you can see all these wear marks that are worth looking closely at.

Campaign Evolved will be released on July 28 for the Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. Early footage shows that the technological leap is enormous, since the geometry is denser, the materials respond to light properly, and the surroundings can bear careful examination. The original game was groundbreaking for its time, but this upgraded edition simply brings the same plot and locations to life in a way that modern hardware can now handle.
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The accessibility feature was teased back in April.

The line between your smartphone and your car continues to blur. Volvo has announced that it is rolling out an over-the-air software update that brings Apple Music directly to the infotainment systems of more than 2 million vehicles worldwide. Instead of relying on Apple CarPlay or plugging in an iPhone, eligible drivers will be able to stream music natively from their car’s built-in system, making Apple Music another integrated feature of Volvo’s software experience.

The update is arriving for a wide range of Volvo models, including the EX90, ES90, XC90, S90, V90, XC60, S60, V60, XC40, EX40 and EC40, covering model year 2020 onwards. Availability, however, may vary depending on the vehicle.

At first glance, adding another music streaming app may not sound particularly significant. But it highlights how modern cars are increasingly being treated like connected computing platforms, where new features arrive through software updates rather than requiring new hardware.

Apple Music becomes a built-in part of the driving experience

The biggest advantage of native Apple Music support is convenience. Drivers no longer need to connect an iPhone through Apple CarPlay or Bluetooth just to access their playlists. Once signed in, they can browse Apple’s catalogue of more than 100 million songs directly from the vehicle’s infotainment display, creating a more seamless experience during everyday commutes and long road trips.

To celebrate the rollout, Volvo is also offering promotional access to Apple’s streaming service. Customers who are new to Apple Music can receive up to three months free, while eligible returning subscribers who have been away from the service for at least one month can claim two months free. The offer remains available until July 6, 2027.

Some of Volvo’s premium electric vehicles also receive an audio upgrade. The EX60, EX90 and ES90 will support Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos when equipped with the optional Bowers & Wilkins sound system, allowing compatible Apple Music tracks to be played in immersive surround sound. Volvo also says the newly launched EX60 will ship with Apple Music pre-installed when deliveries begin later this year.

Cars are becoming software platforms, not just vehicles

This announcement is about far more than music streaming. Over-the-air updates have fundamentally changed how automakers deliver new features. What once required a dealership visit can now arrive overnight through a software download. Tesla popularized this approach years ago, and traditional manufacturers have steadily followed by treating vehicles more like smartphones that continue evolving after purchase.

For Apple, the partnership extends the reach of its services business beyond phones, tablets and computers. For Volvo, it strengthens its growing reputation as a software-first automaker, particularly as it continues building vehicles around Google’s Android Automotive platform.

Consumers also stand to benefit. Native apps reduce dependence on smartphones, simplify the driving experience, and make infotainment systems feel less like accessories and more like an integrated part of the vehicle.

As software becomes one of the biggest differentiators in the automotive industry, partnerships like this are likely to become increasingly common. The next major upgrade to your car may not involve a more powerful engine or a larger battery. It may simply arrive while your car is parked overnight.