Twitter has automatically activated extra account protection for politicians and key figures in the forthcoming US election.

A select group of election-related accounts will have to make immediate changes to improve their security.

Twitter was the victim of one of the most significant hacks of a social network in history, in June.

It said it had learned “from the experience of past security incidents” and was focused on election security.

Starting this week, those accounts will start receiving in-app notifications of immediate changes on the user’s side.

Under the new rules, they will need to use a strong password – those that do not meet Twitter’s standards will be required to change it the next time they log in.

All the accounts have had password reset protection enabled by default – a safety measure that requires the account holder to confirm the email address and password on file if they want to reset their password.

And they will also be encouraged – but not required – to enable two-factor authentication.

The June hack saw some of the world’s most notable celebrities – such as Bill Gates, Joe Biden and Kanye West – have their accounts seized by the attacker to tweet an apparently simple Bitcoin scam.

But one of Twitter’s most-followed accounts – US President Donald Trump – was unaffected. It later emerged that this was because the president’s account had extra security protections in place internally.

The change comes at a time when Twitter is locked in a battle against electoral misinformation on the platform – one that has put it at odds with President Trump.

It had previously tagged some of the tweets for breaching policies on glorifying violence and abusive behaviour.

But the wider concern about the role of the social media companies in the election stems from the 2016 presidential campaign, which saw President Trump win his first term in office.

Nintendo has discontinued its 3DS handheld after about 76 million sales over a nine-and-a-half year period.

A notice on the Japanese firm’s site says “manufacturing of the Nintendo 3DS family of systems has ended”.

The device had the ability to trick the human eye into seeing 3D images like those in some cinema screenings – but without special glasses.

However, its launch received a lukewarm reception and it only gained popularity later.

The console’s demise has long been expected. Last year, the company said it no longer planned to make any new first-party games for the system.

It means the original Nintendo DS retains the title of being the bestselling mobile console.

And the Nintendo Switch – a hybrid handheld-and-home machine – is the current focus of Nintendo’s efforts.

The unique selling point of the 3DS was its stereoscopic 3D effect coming from the screen itself, turned on with a simple slider.

The optical illusion only works when the screen is in a very specific spot in front of the face – but exactly where gamers tend to hold handheld consoles.

It was impossible to showcase on video or photo but impressed many who tried it.

The console was packed with experimental features – augmented reality games, dual 3D cameras, and the the ability to detect nearby consoles while in low-power standby, called “Streetpass” – which allowed players to connect with strangers without exchanging any information.

“The 3DS and its StreetPass functionality were driving factors for the founding of many of the groups now found in [Nintendo Players UK],” said player John Edwards. “Without the 3DS I doubt we’d have such a thriving community.”

Despite all the bells and whistles, the 3DS did not start well. A high asking price for the time of over £200, coupled with a lacklustre list of initial games, hurt sales. The fact that the key feature of 3D had to be tried in person was another obstacle.

Within six months of the launch, Nintendo announced a major price cut to between £100 and £150. Coupled with more games – including a beloved remake of the classic Ocarina of Time – the fortunes of the handheld started to change.

“It became a fantastic Nintendo machine for legacy content,” recalls games writer Nathan Ellingsworth.

“It was how I experienced Majora’s Mask, Earthbound, Minish Cap and many more for the first time and it had its own steady stream of incredible titles.”

The 3DS quickly came into its own, with dedicated Mario titles and new Pokemon games in addition to its growing back catalogue.

It was revamped and relaunched several times – on top of the “XL” models, the “New 3DS” had increased horsepower, while the 2DS dropped the standout 3D feature entirely for those who saw it as a gimmick.

By June 2020, the entire system family had sold nearly 76 million units, Nintendo says – far outclassing its home console of the same era, the WiiU, which sold less than 14 million.

But the modern Nintendo Switch, released in 2017, has already sold more than 60 million units, and can be played as a handheld.

While Nintendo initially insisted it was not a “replacement” for the 3DS, declining support and sales meant the venerable handheld’s time was limited. In the year to March 2020, only 69,000 3DS consoles were sold.

Owners of iPhones and iPads are being warned that some apps may experience glitches because Apple only gave a day’s notice of the release of a major update to its mobile operating systems.

Chief executive Tim Cook revealed on Tuesday that iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 would launch on Wednesday.

Last year, Apple announced the release date more than a week in advance.

Developers have complained they do not have enough time to check for bugs and submit their products to the App Store.

It has advised players to delay installing the new operating systems until later this month.

Apple declined to comment.

Mr Cook described the updates as being a “huge release that transforms the core experience” of using its mobile devices.

But within minutes of the announcement, developers started posting on social media that they had been blindsided by the timing,

One prominent voice in the developer community told the BBC he was “shocked” by the announcement.

Apple had failed to “give developers any notice, or final tools to submit their apps,” said Steve Troughton-Smith.

“It’s definitely possible that some apps might not work correctly.”

Even apps that do not exhibit obvious problems may still lack planned features that were supposed to have been ready in time for the upgrade.

Although developers have been able to test their software running under “beta” versions of the new operating systems for months, the final “golden master” versions have only just been released.

Some developers have also reported problems trying to rush their products through Apple’s app review process to meet the deadline.

The development threatens to worsen relations between Apple and developers.

Many in the community have already complained about the 30% cut the firm takes from sales and its sometimes “opaque” review process.

The issue overshadowed Apple’s WWDC conference earlier in the year, when it became involved in a high-profile public row with the creators of a new email app called Hey.

More recently, a clash with the games developer Epic has led to Apple device owners being unable to get the latest version of Fortnite or install the game at all from scratch.

Apple’s restrictions on third-party games platforms have also been criticised by Microsoft, and led to iPhone and iPad users being unable to play Xbox games on the devices, despite them being made available to Android.

Apple, however, justifies its actions on the grounds that its policies provide security to users and let it invest in support for the wider app economy.

Some people’s devices are set to auto-install Apple’s mobile updates.

In general, this can be a good idea to ensure that the latest cyber-security protection and features are automatically added when a device is plugged in overnight and connected to wi-fi.

However, this facility is limited to “point releases” and not the major “round-numbered” updates, like the move from iOS 13.7 to iOS 14.

In this case, the new code will still be downloaded in the background on devices running versions 13.6 and above, but will not install without first seeking the user’s express permission, which can be declined.

Owners can check if this will happen by:

Those who dare to become early adopters face a significant overhaul to Apple’s mobile operating systems.

Widgets can be added to home screens to display the weather, time, stock prices or other information at a glance, and the selection can be set to change according to the time of day.

Apps can be automatically arranged into themed folders to make it easier for users to find their favourite services.

And videos and Facetime calls can be made to appear in a small box that floats above the app in use, rather than taking up the full screen.

IPad owners also gain new features for the firm’s Pencil stylus, including the automatic conversion of handwriting into text and shape recognition.

“Users will no doubt value the substantial changes to the user experience in iOS 14, improving utility and productivity,” commented Simon Forrest from the consultancy Futuresource.

He added that developers would also benefit from the extended access Apple had given them to its processors’ “neural engines”, which should make it possible to carry out more AI tasks on-device rather than relying on remote computer servers.