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Outlander filled a void no one suspected existed (probably). Based on the bestselling book series by Diana Gabaldon, this epic love story about a time-traveling woman who plunges into the messiest extramarital affair ever known was one of the most popular shows on TV screens, and inspired some intense fandom. If you were one of the show’s superfans and you’re not quite sure how to fill your time now that Claire and Jamie’s story is done, there’s some good news: The best movie for Outlander fans to watch was released decades ago, in 1980.

Somewhere in Time is the best movie for fans of Outlander

Based on the 1975 novel Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson, Somewhere in Time is one of those movies that people still talk about almost fifty years after its release—and it’s a spookily perfect companion to Outlander.

Christopher Reeve, fresh off his star turn in Superman, plays playwright Richard Collier. While on a road trip, he stops at the Grand Hotel and sees a photo of Elise McKenna (Jane Seymour), who was a famous actress in the early 20th century. He realizes that an elderly Elise had given him an antique pocket watch years earlier, and comes to believe that time travel is possible and begins planning for a trip back to 1912—succeeding after several tries.

In the past, he meets Elise, and they fall madly in love—but her manager sees Richard as a threat to her career, and does everything he can to thwart them. It’s a story that parallels Outlander’s in many ways, especially when Claire decides to return to the 18th century to seek Jamie after she learns that he’s still alive. Richard’s determination to stay with Elise no matter what ends up in tragedy (something else fans of Outlander are familiar with), but the story asks a simple question: Isn’t suffering worth it if it leads you to true love?

Somewhere in Time doesn’t get to dig as deeply into Richard and Elise’s love story as Outlander does with Jamie and Claire, of course—the series was able to linger on their story over more than 100 episodes. But the film captures the same powerful moment of connection as two people overcome the most fundamental obstacle in the universe—time—in order to be together. Fans of the show will love it. Stream Somewhere in Time on The Roku Channel, Tubi, or Plex, or rent it on Prime Video.

More movies for fans of Outlander

Iif you still need more timeless time-travel romance in your life, there are more movies to check out.

Kate & Leopold (2001)

Frothier, funnier, and sillier than Outlander or Somewhere in Time, Kate & Leopold is the story of Leopold, the impoverished Duke of Albany (Hugh Jackman). Living in New York City in 1876, he is on the verge of inventing the Otis elevator when he chases a man through a time portal and finds himself in 2001. There’s a lot of plot about elevators and temporal paradoxes, but Outlander fans will come for the romance Leopold falls into with the man’s ex, Kate McKay (Meg Ryan). The thoroughly modern Kate is wooed by Leopold’s old-fashioned charm and intelligence, and it leads to one of those classic romcom moments where someone has to race to be with their soulmate, except instead of a plane they’re racing toward a time portal, as one does. Rent Kate & Leopold on Prime Video.

The Two Worlds of Jennie Logan (1979)

Another film adapted from a novel (Second Sight by David L. Williams), The Two Worlds of Jennie Logan stars Lindsay Wagner as Jennie, a woman who moves into an old Victorian house with her estranged husband, who has confessed to an affair. Legends about the house center on a previous owner, David (Marc Singer), who claimed to see the ghost of his dead wife and supposedly died in a duel. When Jennie finds an old dress hanging in a closet and tries it on, she finds herself transported to 1899 several times. When she finally meets David, she realizes she was the “ghost” he spoke of. They fall in love, but a jealous rival threatens everything in this surprisingly twisty movie that Outlander fans will appreciate. Stream The Two Worlds of Jennie Logan on The Roku Channel or YouTube.

Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)

One of the most effective aspects of Outlander is how it explores the necessity of leaving something behind in order to truly appreciate it. In Peggy Sue Got Married, Peggy Sue (Kathleen Turner) is recently separated from her philandering husband, Charlie (Nicholas Cage). When she’s transported from 1986 back to her senior year of high school in 1960 and given a chance to change the entire course of her life, she has to wrestle with what could have been versus what she still might have in the “real” present. It’s got plenty of funny moments, but Peggy Sue Got Married is, at its core, a love story. Stream Peggy Sue Got Married on Tubi or rent it on Prime Video.

The Fountain (2006)

Whether there is any actual time travel or immortality in this complex, symbolically rich film is debatable—writer/director Darren Aronofsky left much of the story open to interpretation. But it’s 100% a love story that spans centuries in one sense or another, as Hugh Jackman plays three versions of a man named Tom (or Tomás, as he is called when he is a Spanish Conquistador in the 16th century). In the present day, Dr. Tom Creo searches for a cure for death as his beloved wife, Izzi, dies of a brain tumor. And in the far future, Tom travels through space with what may be the Tree of Life, seeking to be reunited with Izzi in some way. It’s lushly romantic whether you choose to believe that all the Toms are real or that some of them are imaginary, and a deeply affecting story fans of the show will love. Rent The Fountain on Prime Video.

Timeline (2003)

Timeline, based on the book by Michael Crichton, isn’t a love story—but if your favorite part of Outlander is the fish-out-of-water aspect of a person from the future finding their way in the past, this is the perfect choice. When a group of archaeology grad students is sent back to 1357 to discover the fate of their professor, everything that can go wrong quickly does, stranding them in the midst of The Hundred Years’ War between the English and the French. The film presents the challenges of adapting to the past in a relatively realistic way, and the twists and turns of its fast-paced plot are a lot of fun. There’s a romance in there, too, though it’s far from the focus—but if you’re looking for more grand adventure via the magic of time travel, this movie is a treat. Rent Timeline on Prime Video.


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When you think about browsers, Vivaldi is probably not the first name that comes to mind—but it should be. This is a Chromium-based browser that focuses on adding so many features that you don't need to install multiple apps to get things done. Vivaldi has been around for over a decade now, and has become a pretty complete product, though it continues to improve. I've been using the browser for while, and these are the best Vivaldi hacks I've found in my time.

Use Chrome extensions to enhance privacy in Vivaldi for Android

Vivaldi for Android, one of the best non-Chrome browsers on Android, recently added support for Chrome extensions—even though Chrome for Android still doesn't support extensions. You can use it to enhance your privacy by installing uBlock Origin Lite to block ads and tracking. You should also consider using Decentraleyes to evade tracking through centralized content delivery networks, and SponsorBlock to skip sponsored segments in YouTube videos. That said, all your favorite extensions should work here, and they're pretty easy to install on Vivaldi for Android. Just tap the puzzle piece icon in the address bar, and you'll see a menu that allows you to open the Chrome Web Store.

Create Vivaldi workspaces to separate work from life

"Workspaces" allow you to separate tabs by project, like folders for your browser tabs. For instance, if you have a few sites open for work, you can group them under a separate workspace. I've created a workspace called "Research" to group all the tabs I use to compile my articles, and similarly, I have workspaces to group my long reads, distractions, and social media. To get started, click the Workspaces button in the tab bar, and select New Workspace. Give it a name, and start adding tabs to the workspace. You can right-click any open tab, and select Move > Workspace.

Use tiled "Follower Tabs" to follow links without closing the original page

Vivaldi's Tiled Follower Tabs.
Credit: Pranay Parab

"Follower Tabs" allow you to go down rabbit holes without losing track of the original page. I often get lost when clicking different links on articles and websites. Vivaldi's Follower Tabs allow me to keep the original page open in a split-screen view while I read the context links, and I can quickly return to reading the original page. To use this feature, open any webpage, right-click a link, and select Open Link in > Open Link as Tiled Follower Tab. You can also open any link in split-screen view by right-clicking the link, and selecting Open Link in > Open Link as Tiled Tab.

Use Quick Commands to look for tabs, features, and search

Vivaldi's "Quick Commands" feature is a lot like Mac's Spotlight Search. Both allow you to make calculations, find settings, and execute automation commands. In Vivaldi, you can open the Quick Commands popover by pressing F2 or Ctrl-E (Command-E on Mac). You'll see a long list of commands here: The search box at the top allows you to look for specific commands, but you can get started by performing basic math, toggling the status bar, or even running a niche command like "Copy all links," which copies the URLs of all of your open tabs.

Set up Command Chains to automate repetitive actions

Vivaldi also supports some degree of automation through Command Chains. You can find this feature by clicking the Vivaldi button in the top-left corner of the browser (the exact position may vary depending on your layout), and selecting Settings > Quick Commands. Under "Command Chains," you'll be able to see a few examples of these automations, and you can click the + button to create your own. I like the simple "Toggle Fullscreen and Reader View" Command Chain for quick distraction-free reading. Once set up, you can run Command Chains by using the Quick Commands feature described above. Press F2, and search for the name of the Command Chain.

Customize Vivaldi's right-click menu to remove clutter

Vivaldi settings, showing the right-click customization menu.
Credit: Pranay Parab

Vivaldi also allows you to customize most menus in the browser, including the right-click menu. I never use the Back/Forward buttons in these menus, and I find a few other options redundant, so I like adding features I'll actually use, such as "Find in Page." To do this, go to Vivaldi Settings > Appearance, and scroll down to the "Menu Customization" section. Use the drop-down menu to select Page, where you can add commands from the right pane. Right-click any command in the left pane, and select "Delete" to remove it. You can also reorder options, add a separator, subfolders, and so on. If you accidentally change things too much, you can always use the Restore Default Menu button on this page for a reset.

Use "caret browsing" to navigate webpages with your keyboard

Vivaldi has a mode called "caret browsing," which shows a blinking cursor on any webpage, and allows you to use the arrow keys to browse the page, copy text, links, and images. This lets you use the browser without touching the mouse, similar to how keyboard navigation works in apps like Google Docs or Microsoft Word. You can toggle this feature on any page in Vivaldi by pressing Shift-F7.

Create mouse gestures for faster navigation

Similarly, you can also create mouse gestures in Vivaldi to replace keyboard navigation. Go to Vivaldi Settings > Mouse, and check out the gestures under "Gesture Mapping." You can hit the + button to create your own gesture and link it to a browser command of your choice. To perform a gesture, just hold the right-mouse button, then move the cursor in the pattern you've recorded.

Use these Vivaldi settings to prolong battery life on your laptop

Vivaldi allows you to prolong battery life by using its Energy Saver and Memory Saver features. Go to Vivaldi Settings > Performance to view your options. Under "Energy Saver," you can enable Turn On at 20% Battery or Lower. I also recommend using Balanced Savings in "Memory Saver," which frees up RAM by unloading inactive tabs. This prevents the browser from slowing down, and as a result, enhances your battery life.

Use "Periodic Reload" to automatically refresh your social media feed

If you're constantly refreshing news websites or your social media feeds, you can automate that action with Vivaldi. Just right-click any open tab, select Periodic Reload, and choose a time interval. The browser allows you to refresh the page once every minute, two minutes, all the way up to once every 90 minutes.


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Tech is often expensive, and the ongoing memory crisis isn't helping. If you're looking to pick up a new device or gadget, you might be bracing for what that purchase will do to your wallet. But the good news is, while many of the most-hyped products out there are pricey, there exist plenty of high-quality options that are quite reasonably priced.

There are some things you simply aren't going to find in decent quality at ultra-low prices—laptops, tablets, game consoles: these things might not need to cost you as much as some companies want you to believe, but you will need to spend a bit more than $50 if you want something that will last. Still, plenty of other inexpensive tech products are worth what they cost, and then some. These are my picks for the best tech under $50.

The JBL Go 4 is a powerful portable speaker

You don't need to spend hundreds of dollars to get a capable speaker for on-the-go use. The JBL Go 4 is plenty powerful for its small size, with up to seven hours of playtime between charges. This speaker is also both IP67-rated against dust and water, which makes it suited for trips to locations that would otherwise be treacherous for audio equipment.

While this JBL speaker is excellent for individual use, my favorite feature isn't necessarily exclusive to this speaker. JBL makes it easy to pair its speakers together with a single button on each unit. If your friends also have their own JBL speakers—among JBL's many different offerings—you can connect them to establish a quick multi-speaker setup. (Note that you can find the Go 5 on sale under $50 at times, so keep an eye out if you'd prefer the newer model.)

The Anker Soundcore 2 offers great audio for the price

If you're looking for a JBL alternative, the Anker Soundcore 2 could be the move. Anker is known for making good "budget" speakers, and while the Soundcore 2 is cheaper than, say, the Soundcore Boom 2, it still offers great sound quality for the price. It has a much larger battery than the JBL Go 4 (24 hours versus seven), and while it's as waterproof as the JBL, it isn't as well protected against dust and debris, so while it should be fine when stacked against your pool, watch out when using it around sand. If your friend happens to have another Soundcore 2, you can also pair them together.

Apple AirTags are as cheap as they are useful

If you're in the Apple ecosystem and need a device tracker, you can't really do better than the AirTag. Apple's tracker communicates with other Find My-enabled devices, like iPhones, to update its location on the map. If you lose your AirTag, or the device it's attached to, you'll be able to see its last-known location through Find My.

Depending on your iPhone or Apple Watch, you may even be guided directly toward your AirTag, through Apple's "Precision Finding," which provides step-by-step directions toward the AirTag. AirTags have a battery lifespan of one year, so you only have to replace the batteries annually. These trackers retail for $30 each, well below $50, and are often on sale for less—and you can pay as little as $20 each if you buy a four-pack on sale.

The Life360 Tile tracker is a good non-Apple alternative

If you're not all-in on the Apple ecosystem, AirTags might not be the best choice for you. Instead, look to something like the Tile tracker. These trackers work similarly to AirTags, but they don't operate on Find My. As such, they're better for users who aren't tied to Apple. There are a number of versions too—and they can be used with or without a paid subscription. There's the standard Tile tracker, Tile Pro for added features, and Tile Slim to fit in your wallet, each of which retails under $50.

The Anker Soundcore P31i are a solid choice for inexpensive earbuds

Wireless earbuds can get expensive, but Anker makes a solid pair often sold for well under $50. The Soundcore P31i come with Active Noise Cancellation, high-quality sound, and 10 hours of playback on one charge. (Anker says you get up to 50 hours when you take the case into consideration.) A 10-minute top-off can bring you up to 3.5 hours of playback.

Anker also advertises that these earbuds are capable of live translation for up to 100 languages. While other earbuds have that ability as well, they typically cost much more. In addition, these buds are IP55-rated against dust and water, which means they won't be waterproof, but they should do fine for exercise and for use in rain.

Beats Flex Wireless are cheaper than ever right now

If you're an Apple user, you might want to consider the Beats Flex over the Anker buds. That's because Apple includes its W1 chip in the earbuds, which gives you some benefits found in other Beats and AirPods models, like easy device switching. These earbuds also have up to 12 hours of battery life, auto-play and pause when you take an earbud out, and the ability to share audio with another Beats or AirPods model.

Typically, these earbuds wouldn't make this list because they retail for $65.95. But according to Keepa, the Beats Flex have been $49 or lower for the past three months. Assuming that doesn't change, these earbuds are effectively under $50 in my book.

The Sennheiser CX 80U USB-C earbuds are a steal if you don't want to go wireless

Wireless earbuds have taken the world by storm, but wired earbuds still have their place. Take these earbuds from Sennheiser, known for their audio products: They never run out of battery (because there is no battery), and because they connect directly, there's no compression. If you have access to lossless music, you might be able to hear more detail with these earbuds compared to Bluetooth alternatives.

These earbuds are available in both USB-C and 3.5mm audio options. For most of us, USB-C will be the move, to avoid needing to pick up an adapter for our smartphones (and, potentially, tablets) that lack a headphone jack. But if you're buying these primarily to use in a device with a headphone jack, 3.5mm might be a good option.

Go old school aughts with classic Apple EarPods

If you don't care for the in-ear design of something like the CX 80U, you might prefer Apple's original EarPods. While these buds no longer come standard with every iPhone purchase, they're reasonably priced at $19. You can even find them cheaper by opting for the 3.5mm option. Apple hasn't changed much about these buds over the years, minus USB-C connectivity, but that's not a bad thing: They have decent sound quality, come with a mic, and, because they're wired, there's no need to charge them.

Fire TV Stick 4K Plus is a great budget streaming option

You don't need to spend a fortune on a streaming device just to improve the experience of your smart TV. While there are plenty of options out there under $50, Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K Plus is among the best. It supports 4K streaming and multiple HDR formats, including Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG. It supports picture-in-picture, Alexa Home Theater, and Wi-Fi 6, as well as Amazon Luna, Xbox Game Pass, NVIDIA Geforce NOW.

You can save by opting for one of Amazon's other Fire Sticks, like Fire Stick HD or Fire Stick 4K, but the Plus model gives you the most features while still keeping the price reasonable. By comparison, Roku's 4K options are typically listed above $50, though they can be found under that price when on sale.

The 8BitDo Ultimate 2C controller can improve your gaming without a big investment

Game controllers like the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller are famously pricey, but third-party options aren't always reliable substitutes. 8BitDo, however, is known for its suite of controllers and accessories. And while the company makes a wide variety of controllers that suit many different consoles and play styles, the Ultimate 2C is an excellent choice for Switch and Switch 2 players alike. This controller replicates the setup of Nintendo's Pro Controllers, with an added set of trigger buttons if you need them. These work with both consoles over Bluetooth and USB.

This Iniu 10,000mAh portable charger is an afforadable backup

There are a lot of portable chargers out there, but your main requirements should be quite simple: It should be portable, of course, meaning small and light, and it should have a relatively large capacity, so it can charge your devices for extended periods without needing to be charged itself.

Iniu's 10,000mAh portable charger checks those boxes. This is a small, light portable charger with a lot of juice. It also supports 45W charging, so you quick charge compatible smartphones like the iPhone 17 Pro and Galaxy S26 Ultra. It comes with a detachable and braided USB-C cable, so if anything happens to it, you can swap it out. (Compare that to chargers that come with preattached cables that are useless once they die.)

Charge wirelessly for less with this Anker 622 magnetic charging stand

If you want to charge your iPhone on the go, but you're going to be stationary for a while, Anker's magnetic power bank stand could be the way to go. This 5,000 mAh portable charger lets you stand your iPhone up while using it. This is a MagSafe product, so your MagSafe-compatible iPhone will connect to it and stay put—assuming you don't knock it off the stand by accident. Note: This item isn't compatible with Android phones.

Speed up your charging with the Anker 65W Max 3-Port USB-C charger block

If you have access to an outlet, this Anker charger block can help you charge your devices quickly. The block supports 65W charging when connecting one device over USB-C, but it supports charging up to three devices at once. It has two USB-C ports and one USB-A, which comes in handy when you have a mix of products. For me, this would work well when charging my iPhone (USB-C), MacBook (USB-C), and AirPods Max (Lightning to USB-A).

WiZ smart light bulbs help you automate your home without a big investment

Smart lights don't have to be prohibitively expensive. WiZ has excellent smart lights available at a reasonable price. You can pick up individual bulbs for around $10, but multi-packs bring down that individual price. My recommendation is to either go for the four-pack ($37.99), or buy two of the three-packs ($24.99), which will get you six bulbs for $50.

This Daant TV Antenna is way cheaper than cable

Did you know you can watch TV for free, 100% legally? At least, you can watch for free once you buy an antenna. Even in 2026, there are free channels broadcast through the air, accessible from your TV via an antenna like this one from Daant. Your results may vary depending on your location, as well as the location of the antenna, but you can pick up all kinds of channels. That includes networks you've definitely heard of (NBC, CBS Fox, etc.), as well as many you might not know. It's no true replacement for cable, but if you're sick of paying for TV, it might fill some of the gaps of cutting the cord.


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Apple is revamping its Health app, which I've previously written is a huge deal. Most wearables come with dashboards to help you understand your data and advice on what to do about it, but Apple hasn't provided anything like that for the Apple Watch or for the data it collects from other devices or apps you might use. The Health app has always contained a wealth of information and well-hidden power tools, so it's nice that the app is finally getting a better interface to make it easier to actually use. I installed a beta version, and here's what I'm learning.

Apple's Health app doesn’t come with iOS 27 or with the new Apple Watches

I was using the public beta for iOS 27 and didn’t have the new Health app. Then iOS 27 officially came out, I updated, and I still didn’t have the new Health app. That was a disappointment—it turns out the update is coming “later this year.” 

Fortunately, there is a way I was able to get it. It’s in the Developer Beta of iOS 27.2. To get access to that, you have to sign up as a developer, which is free. (There is a higher tier of developer membership that costs $99, but the free registration is all you need to download developer betas.) Once you’re signed up, go to Settings on your phone, then General, Software Updates, and then tap Beta Updates to get the options for public and developer betas. 

Step count is at the top of the screen on the Health app

Apple announced that the Series 12 and Ultra 4 watches will be getting step counts on watch face complications and in the Smart Stack. Unfortunately, WatchOS 27 does not bring step counts to older Apple Watches. But the Health app has its little “insights” cards at the top of the home screen, and right on the Fitness one, I can see my step count for the day. 

You can see your Fitness rings from the Health app

Fitness rings in the Health app!
Credit: Beth Skwarecki

"Closing your rings" is an Apple Watch-based thing: Do enough activity throughout the day, and you'll complete each of three counters, represented as rings. Until now, those rings were only viewable from the Watch or from the Fitness app. But the new Health app has a card for your rings right at the top of the screen (the same card as your step count), and when you tap on it, you'll see your rings and their status.

The Fitness app is still available and seems to give the same information it always did, so it seems rings will be available in both places for now. Still, I wonder if Apple is thinking about doing away with the Fitness app in the future since you'll be able to get that data right in the Health app.

You need to give Apple a lot of new data to get your full “longevity” report

Longevity tab screenshots. I'm 4.8 years younger than I am.
Credit: Beth Skwarecki

After installing the new beta, I checked the Longevity tab to see how it thinks my long-term health is doing—and found that only four of the petals of the longevity graphic were active. It’s not entirely clear what data is needed to fill in each one. You can tap each petal and see a list of factors for that area, some of which have a “classification” like good or excellent. You don’t need to fill everything in, though. For example, my heart health is classed as excellent even though I don’t have recent blood pressure data or cardiac, cholesterol, or glucose labs, or heart rhythm. I do have data for my resting heart rate and my cardio fitness, and that seems to be enough. Here’s a list of the areas in the longevity graphic and what data I added to be able to see the results. 

  • Mental well-being: Uses screening questionnaires for anxiety and depression.

  • Nutrition: Uses a nutrition assessment questionnaire. You can also track your food. 

  • Daily movement: Uses steps and stand hours.

  • Heart health: Uses cardio fitness and resting heart rate, with other factors available, as I mentioned above.

  • Metabolic health: Uses body composition, which includes a waist and hip measurement assessment. Height and weight alone didn’t fill this out for me, but the measurements did. This section invites you to add labs, but that isn’t necessary to get this area to show up on the graphic.

  • Sleep: Uses sleep data from your Apple Watch or possibly other wearables. There is also a sleep assessment questionnaire that asks whether you typically wake up rested; I didn’t need this to get a sleep petal on the graphic, but that may be because I already had sleep data. 

  • Hearing health: Uses environmental sound exposure (measured by Apple Watch) and headphone audio exposure.

I don’t love that Apple asks for so much data, and I especially don’t love that it doesn’t tell you what is the minimum amount of data that will let you fill in the graphic. People are going to want to get the full graphic, and for a moment, I thought I was going to need to upload results from medical labs. Even though I didn’t need those labs in the end, I felt a little uncomfortable having to measure my body just to make my phone happy.

There are so many assessments on the Health app

As a regular user of health features (and an occasional user of the Apple Watch), my phone tells me that I’ve only completed three of 16 assessments—and that includes the depression and anxiety screenings that I last took a few years ago. This information on my missing assessments appears directly below my half-filled-in longevity overview graphic. I feel like I’m being graded, and I have homework.

The body composition assessment asks you to measure your waist and hips. The anxiety assessment asks how many days in the past two weeks you’ve felt certain things (for example, being unable to relax, or feeling like your worrying is out of control. The nutrition assessment asks how often you eat various types of food, like vegetables or red meat. 

Fortunately, you don’t need to take every test to fill out the longevity tab. I did three assessments to fill in my three missing petals: a nutrition questionnaire, a body composition assessment that required body measurements, and an updated anxiety screening. There are plenty more I could take, if I like. It’s like when a receptionist hands you a clipboard in the doctor’s waiting room, except there are an infinite number of clipboards and the doctor will never call you back. 

Health age is recalculated every Monday

I had to click through a “get started” screen to enable my Health Age, but then it was available instantly. The screen said that my Health Age will be recalculated every Monday. For now, I’m trending about five years younger than I actually am. 

To be totally clear, every app’s health age is nonsense. Getting regular exercise, or good sleep, or maintaining the weight that makes the app happy, has nothing to do with your age. We just place some cultural value on youth, which means it sounds good to be young. So the apps subtract years off your age as a sort of vanity reward for good habits. 

As much as I get frustrated with the “age” and “longevity” lenses for this data, I have to admit I like what the app does with it: When you scroll down on the Health Age screen, you’ll get recommendations for how to improve your health age—which really means, how to focus on healthier habits. 

To find the Health Age, you’ll have to tap on the Longevity tab, and then you’ll find Health Age at the top of the screen. (Visually, it looks like one of the Insights cards on the main screen, but you won’t find it there.)

My Health Age screen tells me that the one thing “raising” my health age (aka, bad) is my sleep score, and I “could benefit from more restorative rest to support healthy aging.” Lowering my health age (that is, good things) are my cardio fitness, exercise minutes, HRV, resting heart rate, and steps. There’s a number associated with each of these, and presumably I could work harder at each of these—get more steps each day, for example—to improve my score. I’m invited to add or order labs for glucose (actually hemoglobin A1c) and LDL cholesterol, which could contribute to the Health Age but currently have no data.

There are four camera-based fitness assessments, not just one

Assessment screenshots, including me in my garage on my camera screen
Credit: Beth Skwarecki

After dipping my toes into the infinite stream of waiting room clipboards, I decided to get up and do some of the slightly more fun stuff: the fitness assessments. I’ve tested camera-based fitness assessments before, when I tried out three flexibility apps to see how each of them would diagnose me. 

Unfortunately, the fitness assessments in the beta aren’t ready for testing. Every time I tried one, I’d lean my phone against the wall, step back, and a video would play that tells me what I’m supposed to do. As soon as I was supposed to do it, the app would crash. That’s what I get for testing a developer beta, so I’m looking forward to trying this again on a more stable version of the app in the future. 

What I did notice, though: There are actually four camera-based assessments, not just the single VO2max assessment hinted at in the Apple event. Some have options or modifications, and you can skip components that you’re not able to do. These are the available assessments, and what they include: 

  • Flexibility (5 minutes): arm raise, elbow bend, calf stretch, hamstring stretch, hip and knee bend. 

  • Balance (5 minutes): single leg stand

  • VO2max (5 minutes): step test (on the floor, stepping in time with an accelerating beat)

  • Strength (5 minutes): pushup (either on knees or not, which you choose before beginning the assessment), overhead squat, and repeated sit-to-stand. If you opt for the knee pushup, you’ll also do a forearm plank. 

For the VO2max test, you’ll need a device that can measure heart rate (your Apple Watch can do the job). For the strength test, you’ll need a chair for the sit-to-stand. I’ll reserve my judgement on these tests until I’m able to do them myself. They do seem to be geared toward people of all abilities, and especially older people who may not be very strong or active. I’m not sure that I would bother with a sit-to-stand test for my own sake, but I could see it being useful for someone my parents’ age. 


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Friends wasn't just the quintessential '90s sitcom; it remains one of the most popular TV shows of all time, even as it has evolved into a hermetically sealed vision of the Before Times (before 9/11, before smartphones, before it was considered weird to just show up at your friend's house unannounced). Not every aspect of the show has aged well, but the sharp writing and stellar comic timing of its talented cast are what keep it at the top of people’s comfort-watch lists.

If you’re looking for a movie that also celebrates friendship, being young in a big city, and navigating the brackish waters of singlehood, forget the 1990s—look no further than 2024’s Players.

Like Friends, 2024's Players is a fun riff on young adults finding love in the city

Led by an effervescent Gina Rodriguez, Players is a modern riff on a group of bright young things making their way in New York City. Rodriguez plays Mack, a sports writer who approaches hookups like a sweet science, developing “plays” for herself and her friends designed to break ice and engineer meet-cutes. Just like on Friends, Mack’s life is balanced and sustained by her support group—best friends Adam (Damon Wayans Jr.), Brannagan (Augustus Prew), and Little (Joel Courtney). The four of them have the same sibling energy as the gang on Friends, especially in the early seasons, before the characters all began incestuously dating one another.

Naturally, romantic shenanigans ensue—Mack longs for a serious relationship, and when a new reporter, Nick (Tom Ellis), joins her paper, she targets him with the same laser focus that Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) used on Joshua (Tate Donovan) in season four. She recruits her buddies to help her run one of her plays on him, and things go hilariously awry. And yep, just like Ross and Rachel, there’s a slow-burn realization that maybe everything Mack is looking for was already right there in front of her.

Players offers a lot of the same pleasures as the show: A breezy storyline, sharp jokes, and well-sketched characters you can root for, with a Big City setting and a narrative that captures the particular energy of being young, single, and totally reliant on a small group of close friends who would walk through fire for you (or, in this case, Scooby Doo a romantic longing for you). If you’ve been looking for the one with a movie that feels like Friends, this is The One. You can stream Players on Netflix.

More movies like Friends

There were ten seasons of Friends, so maybe one movie isn’t enough to sate your craving for comedies featuring good-looking people hanging out. No worries—here are a few more movies fans of the show will love.

When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

Why not go to the classic film about single people in New York? Written by the legendary Nora Ephron and directed by the late Rob Reiner, the story follows the cynical, sarcastic Harry (Billy Crystal) and the sweet, straight-laced Sally (Meg Ryan). They meet fresh out of college and drive cross-country together, and appear to have little in common. Sally is happy to say goodbye to Harry, but over the years, life keeps pulling them back together, and they eventually become best friends—which works just fine; until it doesn’t. It’s one of the funniest romcoms of all time; New York City is a main character, and the friend dynamics are spot on for fans of the show (as the famous four-way call scene proves). Rent When Harry Met Sally... on Apple TV.

Sleeping With Other People (2015)

Was your favorite part of Friends the epic will-they-won’t-they between Ross and Rachel? You’ll love Sleeping With Other People. Lainey (Alison Brie) and Jake (Jason Sudeikis) hook up in college—each other’s first time. Years later, they meet again when they each find themselves at self-help group meetings for their sexual and romantic hangups, and they decide to just be friends. As they support each other through relationships and life drama, they find they increasingly can’t deny how they really feel about one another. It’s funny but heartfelt, and zeroes in on the same friends-to-lovers vibe that gave Friends so much energy. Rent Sleeping with Other People on Prime Video.

The Wood (1999)

If you loved the flashback episodes of Friends that showed how the group came together and what they were like before we met them, you’ll love The Wood. Just before Roland (Taye Diggs) is about to get married, he goes missing, so his lifelong best friends Mike (Omar Epps) and Slim (Richard T. Jones) go looking for him. The three reminisce about their teenage years in Inglewood, California, tracing their friendship and various other relationships along the way. It’s a sweet comedy about friends, and the flashbacks are reliably funny even as they flesh out the characters, making them into people you care about. Stream The Wood on Hoopla, or rent it on Prime Video.

Set It Up (2018)

If you just want a romantic romp about young people making it in the Big City, Set It Up has charm for days. Harper (Zoey Deutch) and Charlie (Glen Powell) are assistants to high-powered bosses who leave them no time for relationships or anything else. They hatch a plan to get their bosses (Lucy Liu’s high-powered editor and Tay Diggs’ venture capitalist) dating in order to lessen their workload. It initially works, and then goes wrong in a lot of funny ways. If you suspect there’s a romantic subplot between Charlie and Harper, you may have seen a romcom before—but the story has the same “young folks figuring life out” vibe as the show, and Deutch and Powell are both powerfully charismatic in their roles. Stream Set It Up on Netflix.

Singles (1992)

Kind of a proto-Friends, Cameron Crowe’s love letter to 1990s Seattle grunge rock scene remains funny, relevant, and scarily accurate when it comes to the foibles of folks in their 20s and 30s trying to figure out love and everything else. The story follows a group of friends and neighbors renting “single” apartments in the same building as they navigate their messy love lives, frustrating careers, and clubs so loud they can barely hear each other after a night out. Along the way, they discuss everything with an easy shared affection—and a love of coffee—that will definitely remind you of the six kids at Central Perk. Stream Singles on The Roku Channel or Kanopy, or rent it on Prime Video.


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