The iPhone 16 series, especially the vanilla and “Plus” models, are the most repairable iPhones in years. Probably the EU’s pressures to enhance repairability in tech devices have a lot to do with this. One of the biggest internal changes is a new adhesive that makes battery replacement much easier. A new teardown from iFixit reveals just how simple it is to remove the battery on an iPhone 16.

The new iPhone 16’s battery glue releases the cell when you “electrocute” it

If you’re not aware, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus use a new, neat method of battery removal. While glue is still there, it is now responsive to low-voltage electrical currents thanks to new special properties. Basically, the adhesive “releases” the cell when you infuse it with a small current of around 9V. You can do this with a simple battery that is available in many places and some alligator clips (or another conductive tool).

The teardown shows that the change is pretty impactful, especially considering the risks of removing the battery in previous models. Until now, all iPhones used traditional glue and the classic removal tabs for the battery. However, if for some reason you were unable to remove the cell by pulling the tabs, you had to resort to pressure tools. This entailed a potential risk of damage to the device or even fires.

For unknown reasons, the new “voltage-sensitive” glue is not present in the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. These models keep the battery removal system from previous generations. However, they also got some tweaks in favor of repairability. There is now a new metal enclosure for the battery, and the LiDAR scanner and TrueDepth camera are more easily accessible to technicians. Apple will likely implement the new battery glue in all future iPhone models.

More internal changes across the series

The iFixit teardown shows more than just the iPhone 16’s battery glue. It also provides a closer look at the new Camera Control button that’s present across the lineup. You can check out the full teardown video below.

If events in the last few years have felt like a higher power playing Mad Libs with our lives, then it looks as if it’s running out of options. “SpaceX,” you imagine it pulling out “gets sued by…” and then the sounds of paper rustling until it says, “Cards Against Humanity.” Turns out the silly game jokesters own an acre of land near to SpaceX’s facility in Texas, which the latter has been using for its own purposes.

. The lawsuit says the previously pristine land has been turned into an ersatz staging ground and parking lot for nearby construction work. It asks for $15 million compensation for the trespass and damage. If successful, it says it’ll share the win with the crowdfunding backers who coughed up to buy the land.

If the higher power in question wants some help with some suggestions, it could do worse than suggesting Engadget’s humble newsletter writers win a billion pounds each on the same day in completely different competitions.

— Dan Cooper

The biggest tech stories you missed

Don’t worry, it’s not using that power for anything good!

Microsoft is . Those with short memories may not know it was the site of a 1979 meltdown that helped halt the development of nuclear energy in the US.

Now, I’m not mad the plant is being reactivated, since nuclear offers safe, clean and abundant energy. TMI reactor one remained in operation from 1985 until 2019, so it’s got a healthy track record too. But I am mad at the reason Microsoft’s cutting the check: to power its AI data centers!

Anyone for pickleball?

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of reasons I rarely visit movie theaters:

1. The cost

2. Not being able to pause the movie to visit the restroom

3. People talking during the movie

4. People checking Facebook on their phone during the movie

5. People making phone calls during the movie

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of things movie chains will do to lure me back:

.

OpenAI is reportedly ditching its increasingly recognizable hexagonal flower logo in favor of something a bit more sinister. . At the same time, a new profile of Sir Jonathan Ive reveals the long-rumored partnership between him and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is real. . Let’s hope it does better than the Humane Pin, the last AI hardware tool cooked up by a storied designer with Apple on their resume.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a nasally-administered influenza immunization treatment that can be taken at home. FluMist — a nasal spray vaccine that AstraZeneca initially developed as an in-office treatment two decades ago — will still require a prescription to obtain and is expected to be made available via a new online pharmacy next year, according to The New York Times.

The treatment will require people to fill out a questionnaire on the upcoming FlueMist Home website. Once approved by a pharmacist, the nasal spray will be shipped directly to the customer’s door. The current out-of-pocket cost is around $35 to $45 per dose according to the NYT, but that may drop depending on insurance coverage.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that FluMist has a similar efficacy to the traditional shot. It has been available through healthcare providers ever since it was first approved by the FDA back in 2003. It’s suitable for people aged between 2 to 49 years old — though the FDA recommends that the nasal spray be administered by a parent/caregiver to anyone under 18. The spray could be an alternative for people who are averse to getting injections, or otherwise find it difficult or inconvenient to travel for flu immunization treatments.

“Today’s approval of the first influenza vaccine for self- or caregiver-administration provides a new option for receiving a safe and effective seasonal influenza vaccine potentially with greater convenience, flexibility and accessibility for individuals and families,” said the FDA’s vaccine center director, Dr. Peter Marks. The World Health Organization reports that there are around a billion annual cases of seasonal influenza, resulting in 290,000 to 650,000 respiratory deaths each year.

Last week, Bose unveiled a new version of its Smart Soundbar – and it has a really interesting idea about surround sound. If you have a pair of Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, you can use them as your surround speakers. 

If you’re thinking “ach, Apple does that with AirPods already” or “don’t those Sonos Ace headphones do that with the Arc?” this is something very different. With Sonos and Apple’s approach, the listening apparatus strapped to your head make up all of the speakers: they’re the entire audio system and there’s no sound coming from the connected ‘bar. But with Bose, your earbuds are only being used as surround sound speakers; the rear channel speakers in a traditional setup. The soundbar still does all the heavy lifting for dialog, low-end thump and all the dynamic stuff. And your earbuds take care of the placement and ambience.

An artificial intelligence can solve the CAPTCHA puzzles used by websites to distinguish whether browsers are humans or bots 100 per cent of the time.

Andreas Plesner at ETH Zurich in Switzerland and his colleagues fine-tuned an AI model nicknamed YOLO (You Only Look Once) to become an expert at solving the image-based challenges used to verify identities on websites. The particular type of CAPTCHA it tackled – reCAPTCHAv2, which was developed by Google – asks users to identify certain types of…