Never mind a foldable iPhone, what about a foldable Apple Watch?

There have been a number of rumours surrounding a foldable iPhone of late, and in fact, there have been a couple of suggestions of a foldable iPad too with a screen that extends to 18.8-inches, making it a couple of inches larger than the biggest MacBook.
Despite Apple having not entered the foldable market as yet though, it's possible that it won't just be a foldable iPhone or iPad on the cards when it does. A recent patent, spotted by Apple Insider, has indicated that a foldable Apple Watch could be a possibility at some point in the future. We know, we know, sounds very farfetched, doesn't it?
The patent is for a 'Wearable Electronic Device', and it talks about this device including a display that can be folded or extended. The 'wearable electronic device, such as a smartwatch, can include a display with an extendable screen size,' the patent application suggests, before adding 'in particular, the display can be folded to be compact, and the display can be extended when increased screen size is desired'.
It also talks about various use cases you might want a foldable Apple Watch for, or a foldable wearable electronic device we should say. The patent reads: 'A user may want the display to be extended when using certain applications, making phone/ video calls, playing games, browsing the web, etc.'
It appreciates that an Apple Watch folding out into an iPhone-like device won't work for everyday activities however, adding: 'On the other hand, the user may want the display to be folded for convenience and portability, such as when the user is going about their day-to-day activities, outdoor activities, etc.'
When the Apple Watch first launched it was reliant on the iPhone, and that's still true to some extent, though you can now get models with cellular connection, and the Apple Watch has its own App Store too.
If this patent ever resulted in an actual device however, the folding Apple Watch would surely be independent of the iPhone given it would seemingly have its own camera and smarts to allow you to do most of what you would do on your iPhone on your wrist.
It's worth pointing out that Apple – and others – file hundreds of patents every year and not all result in an actual product so we may never see a folding Apple Watch. It's interesting that it's a consideration though.

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'I recommend changing passwords immediately before the threat actors start poking around in your accounts. You need to act fast because platforms like Google, Apple, or Facebook are the gateways to your entire digital life, especially if you store passwords in browsers and don't use multi-factor authentication (MFA) or passkeys. 'If hackers manage to get their hands on your password for Google, Apple, or Facebook, stealing your money and identity may be easier than taking candy from a three-year-old." While not part of the 16 million passwords leaked in the data breach we're covering, BleepingComputer reported on another confirmed data breach, this time from Krispy Kreme. According to the report, over 160,000 individuals were impacted by a November 2024 cyberattack, with attackers (apparently claimed by the Play ransomware gang) stealing personal information. The U.S. chain sent notifications to the people who were affected. Data breaches are on the rise, and the recent massive leak of login credentials across multiple platforms shows that now's the time to stay safe online. Make sure you're using one of the best VPNs and best antivirus software to keep your accounts secure. Though it can be scary to know that your data is out there on the web, circulating amongst hackers, there are steps you can take to protect yourself. First, as we've mentioned below, make sure you're changing the passwords to your accounts and using unique, strong passwords for each account. When possible, use passkeys instead. Always use two-factor or multi-factor authentication when an account has it available. As with all data breaches, the biggest threat will be phishing attacks and online fraud. Avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown senders as hackers often set up fake pages to steal your credentials, credit card data and other sensitive info. Never click on any unexpected links, attachments, files or QR codes from people you don't know. You also want to be wary of people on social media who may reach out to you with offers or those who want you to download or click on files or attachments. If you receive something that appears to be from someone you do know, confirm it with them in an independent manner like calling them on the phone, or texting them. If you haven't signed up for one of the best identity theft protection services, now might be a good time to look into them. You can also consider putting fraud alerts on your files with the Big Three credit-reporting agencies Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, and even instituting a credit freeze (although doing so can complicate getting a loan or opening new payment accounts). When going online, make sure you have one of the best antivirus software programs installed and up to date since these programs often include a have VPN, password manager, secure browser and other extra security tools to help keep you safe online. As more and more companies realize how easy it is to breach passwords, how frequently users reuse them – or use weak passwords – they have begun moving to a stronger method: passkeys. Microsoft recently announced that the Authenticator app will shut off the password autofill feature in July, a move that the company is likely making as it moves towards a passwordless future. And Google recently issued a security warning encouraging users to enable two-factor authentication or risk an account lock down; Google's VP of privacy Evan Kotsovinos was quoted as saying another good step to make your account even more secure is to replace your password entirely. 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If, like our own James Frew, you have also committed the security sin of reusing passwords or have used an unsecure Wi-Fi, or some other less-than-safe computer behavior, and wound up getting hacked, you might wonder what you should be doing next. Here's everything James did to re-establish a safe, secure computing environment for himself and make sure he was practicing safe computer habits. 1. Don't reuse passwords 2. Enable Two-Factor Authentication 3. Delete unused accounts 4. Sign up to Have I Been Pwned 5. Start fresh Checking your phone and seeing that 16 billion passwords have been leaked online is enough to give anyone a proper scare. However, when you're dealing with a data breach or data leak as massive as this one, it's important to put things in context before you Spadafora here and I've been covering cybersecurity news for over a decade. During that time, I've seen a lot of massive security incidents like this one. However, there's one thing a lot of them have in that no brand or company is mentioned outright in our coverage here at Tom's Guide and at other news outlets across the web, this is an easy giveaway that this isn't a new breach or leak but instead a collection-style one. In this case, it's likely not brand new data being exposed online but passwords and other personal info from previous security incidents. This data is then repacked in a way that's easier to search through and simpler for other cybercriminals to use in their attacks. For instance, similar collections like the RockYou2024 leak with 9 billion records and Collection #1 with more than 22 million unique passwords were distributed this way in the this doesn't mean you shouldn't swap out your simple passwords with strong and complex ones or take a hard look at your online security habits. It just means that you shouldn't worry too much as there's a high chance that a lot of these 16 billion credentials were already exposed online and likely for sale on the dark web. So instead of being scared, let this be the powerful catalyst you need to transform your online security – by changing your passwords (or better yet switching to passkeys), locking down your online accounts with 2FA, deleting unused accounts and apps, and sharpening your ability to spot a phishing scam. With billions of passwords floating around online, you may be wondering what steps you can take to improve your online security. If that's the case, chances are you might be considering investing in antivirus software or even identity theft protection. They're both designed to help keep you safe online but there are some key differences between the two that will help you decide which is right for best antivirus software (or the best Mac antivirus software for your Apple computer or the best Android antivirus apps for your Android smartphone) is designed to protect you from malware and other threats before they can infect your devices. By using a database of known threats, your antivirus software is able to scan and flag any potentially harmful files or software. It's worth noting that while paid antivirus software is updated more regularly and comes with plenty of extras like a VPN or a password manager, you likely already have access to built-in antivirus software in the form of Windows Defender on PC, XProtect on Mac and Google Play Protect on Android. Now the best identity theft protection services often come with an antivirus solution but that's not their main purpose. Instead, they're designed to proactively monitor your banking and other online accounts for signs of fraud or suspicious activity. They also keep an eye on your Social Security number and other sensitive personal information. The big difference with identity theft protection is that these services include identity theft insurance to help you recover funds lost to fraud in addition to helping you recover your identity. At the same time, you also get access to experts that can walk you through the process of freezing your credit and dealing with the fallout from identity theft. They can help you get new documents big thing to keep in mind with identity theft protection is that it only works if you sign up before a major security incident takes up for both antivirus software and identity theft protection is the best way to protect yourself and your data online. However, this can get expensive fast. If you're on a tight budget, I'd start with antivirus software first and then sign up for identity theft protection once you have more to lose. One way to make things more affordable is to look for antivirus and identity theft protection providers that offer family plans. That way, you can spread the cost between multiple people and rest easy knowing that your grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, your children and yourself are all protected. Likewise, you want to stay up to date on the latest online scams and make sure that you share this knowledge with both your older and younger family members. Besides having your personal data and passwords exposed online, you also need to be on the lookout for new or upgraded malware. Case in point, the Godfather malware, which was first spotted back in 2021, recently got an upgrade that makes it even more is a banking malware that targets popular banking and financial apps by using overlay attacks. While you might think you're logging into your banking app once infected, you're actually inputting your username and password onto an overlay that appears over the legitimate app. Hackers study the look and design of popular banking apps to create these overlays which they use to harvest account credentials. With these in hand, they can log into and drain your financial accounts. Now though, the Godfather malware is using a new trick to evade detection and steal money from unsuspecting users. Instead of overlays, the malware is now using virtual versions of legitimate apps to commit fraud in real avoid falling victim to this and other malware strains, you want to avoid sideloading apps, opening attachments or links from unknown senders and it's always a good idea to limit the number of apps on your phone overall as even good apps can go bad when they're injected with malicious code. Though this breach may be the biggest in terms of numbers it has similarities to a few other recent breaches – for example, like three other recent breaches, this latest massive breach includes older data that has been around for a while and repackages it, then leaves it exposed it an open database making it easily accessible for any threat actor to grab. When it's discovered, it is quickly removed which makes it difficult to determine who owned the database and therefore, who was responsible for breaching the collected information. The data leak of AT&T data that we reported about earlier this month is similar and involved more than 86 million records that tied AT&T user data to sensitive personal information like Social Security numbers and birth dates. And again, a day earlier in China, more than 4 billion records were compiled that included everything from WeChat transcripts and phone numbers to gambling history. In May of this year, 184 million passwords from companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and more were compiled and stored in a plaintext database. The trend towards larger and larger breaches is clear. At this point it seems inevitable that your passwords and data can, and will, be compromised at some point and it is up to the consumer to protect themselves by using every tool available to protect themselves. When a large number of passwords or a collection of sensitive personal information is exposed online, people often get hung up on whether it's a data breach or a data leak. Here's the difference between the a data breach to occur, hackers or other cybercriminals need to gain unauthorized access to a company or even a government's systems. Once inside, they then steal or exfiltrate as much data as they can with the intention to use this info for blackmail, phishing or other cyberattacks. Now with a data leak, the same types of personal and even financial information from a data breach may be exposed. However, how that data ended up online is the main difference. Data leaks often occur due to human error. For instance, maybe someone forgot to password protect a database and left it open online for anyone to access it. This might sound hard to believe but this happens way more often than you'd way that a data leak can occur is through scraping. Just like marketing firms do, hackers often scrape public databases for personal details and other info. All of this data is then put together in a database and if not secured correctly, it too can leak out onto the open web. Regardless of if you're dealing with a data breach or a data leak, the end result for you as the user is the same. Your information is available online and could be used against you. One way to limit your exposure is by using a data removal tool. There are standalone ones like Incogni or you might find one available as an extra feature with your antivirus software or VPN, like with ExpressVPN's Personal Data Removal this security incident has made you rethink your cyber hygiene, a data removal service is another tool you should add to your security arsenal along with antivirus software and identity theft protection. Now that billions of passwords have been exposed online, hackers and other cybercriminals are probably already thinking about how they'll use this data to their advantage in future attacks. Here are the ways this leaked data will likely be used first:If a password was leaked alongside a username, then hackers are definitely going to try and see if they can use these credentials to log in. They will likely try the account the password is associated with first and then after that, they might try to log into other popular online services. What they're hoping for is that the person this username and password belongs to was foolish enough to reuse the same credentials across multiple online accounts. Password reuse is one of the easiest ways you can set yourself up to get hacked, so if you use the same password on multiple sites and services, stop what you're doing and go create a unique and complex password for each of them. If the leaked username and password work, they'll then take over the account and use it as their own. They could use it in other attacks or even to send out phishing messages to any contacts associated with that account. The next big thing that we'll likely see are targeted phishing attacks. Unlike your standard phishing attack, these ones go after specific people by using public or stolen info to build trust with potential victims. If a hacker impersonates someone you know or claims to know them too, you're more likely to respond to their messages and you could potentially be swayed by their if a username and password combo was leaked for a banking or financial account that contains loads of sensitive personal data, hackers could try to steal your identity. These are all the main potential threats you're going to want to be on the lookout for but there could be more. My advice, keep your head on a swivel and keep tabs on all of your online accounts just to be safe. Likewise, consider investing in identity theft protection for additional peace of mind. CNBC is reporting that Aflac has "identified suspicious activity" in its network. This activity could impact Social Security numbers and other information. 'We continue to serve our customers as we respond to this incident and can underwrite policies, review claims, and otherwise service our customers as usual,' Aflac said in a statement. According to CNBC, the investigation is in its early stages and Aflac does not yet have the total number for potentially affected customers. Impacted information may include claims information, health info, Social Security numbers and other personal information related to everyone from customers andbeneficiaries to employees, agents and "other individuals." The insurance company has said that it will offer free credit monitoring and identity theft protection and Medicaid shield for up to 2 years for anyone that reaches out to its call center. Google will reportedly require you to activate 2-step verification to access your Gmail account. Especially as Gmail was one of the affected databases in the big breach. It's meant to help curb phishing and spam emails that have been on the rise lately. As part of that you should replace your password with a passkey. You can activate 2SV now if you haven't already to get ahead of it. With this massive data breach on the mind, now is as good a time as any to do some security home work. We've put together guide to the seven things you should do now to make sure your accounts and devices are safe. We have more details in the guide but here's a brief rundown what you need to secure. Passwords Browsers Two-factor and Multi-factor authentication Update social media settings Delete, remove and unsubscribe Update software and enable automate updates Check and update settings This record-breaking data breach included URLs, usernames, and, most importantly, passwords, which means you should seriously consider updating yours for Google and Facebook. But creating strong, complex passwords is a tall order, and remembering them is even harder, especially when you should ideally have one for every site you log into. You could try to keep them all in your head if you have Rain Man-level recall. If you don't, why not offload that process by getting a password manager and free up all that precious memory for more important things? Password managers make it easy to securely store all of your passwords in one place, and most will even autofill them into a website or app when you log in. We dive into the best picks for iPhone, Android, privacy, and more in our guide to the best password managers.