Pipes Feed Preview: gHacks Technology News

1. Windows 10: Sign in to your Microsoft account messages roll out

   2024-04-19 08:05:34 UTC

   Windows 10 users who sign in using local accounts may see Sign in to your Microsoft account nags when they open the Settings app. The functionality is rolling out in release preview […]

   Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Windows 10: Sign in to your Microsoft account messages roll out appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

   <p>Windows 10 users who sign in using local accounts may see <strong>Sign in to your Microsoft account</strong> nags when they open the Settings app. The functionality is rolling out in release preview builds of Windows 10. Soon, it will be released as part of a stable update, likely the May 2024 security update for the operating system.</p> <p>Microsoft <a href="https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2024/04/15/releasing-windows-10-build-19045-4353-to-release-preview-channel/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">announced</a> the feature on the Windows Insider blog. There, Microsoft writes: "This update starts the rolls out of account-related notifications for Microsoft accounts in Settings &gt; Home".</p> <figure id="attachment_205424" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-205424" style="width: 907px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="wp-image-205424 size-full" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/sign-in-to-your-microsoft-account.jpg" alt="Sign in to your Microsoft account" width="907" height="907" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/sign-in-to-your-microsoft-account.jpg 907w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/sign-in-to-your-microsoft-account-300x300.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 907px) 100vw, 907px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-205424" class="wp-caption-text">via <a href="https://twitter.com/thebookisclosed/status/1780205879209406686/photo/2" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Albacore</a></figcaption></figure> <p>The message is displayed to users who sign in using local accounts. Microsoft says that signing in to a Microsoft account allows users to back up their device and keep it more secure.</p> <p>The backup functionality is powered by the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/08/14/microsofts-new-windows-backup-app-is-coming-to-windows-10-as-well/" data-wpel-link="internal">Windows Backup app</a>. It is not a full backup app that allows you to back up the entire system. Instead, it supports pushing files from specific folders, Store apps, and some settings to OneDrive.</p> <h2>Focus on Microsoft Account</h2> <p>Microsoft has made it difficult to set up Windows 11 using a local account. There is no obvious way to set up Windows 11 using a local account. While there are ways to <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/03/11/how-to-set-up-windows-11-without-a-microsoft-account/" data-wpel-link="internal">bypass the Microsoft account requirement</a>, it may require running commands from the command prompt.</p> <p>Windows 10 does not have the same restrictions as Windows 11 in this regard, but Microsoft is clearly favoring Microsoft accounts over local accounts.</p> <p>The option to create local accounts after the initial setup is still available in both operating systems.</p> <p>The new system is not the first that Microsoft introduced on Windows 10. Back in August 2023, Microsoft rolled out a <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/08/12/next-month-windows-10s-start-menu-will-highlight-the-advantages-of-microsoft-accounts-to-users/" data-wpel-link="internal">similar change in the Start Men</a>u. The profile icon of local users shows an error badge that highlights the advantages of a Microsoft account.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-192148" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/MSA-attach-WIP-blog-1024x541-1.webp" alt="" width="1024" height="541" /></p> <p>The new message in Settings has a close button, but that just closes it for the time being.  Microsoft notes that users may manage these notifications under Settings &gt; Privacy &amp; Security &gt; General.</p> <h3>Closing Words</h3> <p>Microsoft has a vetted interest in pushing Microsoft accounts. Main reasons for this are:</p> <ul> <li>Upsell of subscriptions and other products, which all require a Microsoft account.</li> <li>Collect more data about users who use a Microsoft account.</li> </ul> <p>Using a Microsoft account does have benefits. Users get some online storage and the ability to sync some data using that storage. Privacy is one downside to using one.</p> <p><em>What about you? Do you use local accounts or a Microsoft account?</em></p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/19/windows-10-sign-in-to-your-microsoft-account-messages-roll-out/" data-wpel-link="internal">Windows 10: Sign in to your Microsoft account messages roll out</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

2. Brave Search: Answer with AI takes over, but you can turn it off

   2024-04-18 06:14:00 UTC

   Brave Search's new Answer with AI feature is now available. The feature replaces AI Summarizer, which was used on Brave Search previously to provide summaries based on user queries. In a nutshell: […]

   Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Brave Search: Answer with AI takes over, but you can turn it off appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

   <p><a href="https://search.brave.com/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Brave Search's</a> new Answer with AI feature is now available. The feature replaces AI Summarizer, which was used on Brave Search previously to provide summaries based on user queries.</p> <p><strong>In a nutshell</strong>: Answer with AI works like an instant answers feature. It returns information to the user using multiple sources, including Brave Search's index.</p> <p>A search for "how difficult is Japanese to learn" returns a large paragraph of AI generated content at the top of the search results. Context is provided, including links.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205418" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/brave-search-answer-with-ai.png" alt="Brave Search Answer with AI" width="2560" height="1493" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/brave-search-answer-with-ai.png 2560w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/brave-search-answer-with-ai-1536x896.png 1536w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/brave-search-answer-with-ai-2048x1194.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p> <p>The AI feature is not limited to text-only responses. It supports rich media as well and may return it in its answer to the user's query.</p> <p>Brave Software notes that Answers with AIs responds to informational queries automatically. Users may, however, activate the AI button in the search field to get a response to other queries as well.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205419" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/answer-with-ai.png" alt="Answer with AI" width="1683" height="462" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/answer-with-ai.png 1683w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/answer-with-ai-1536x422.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1683px) 100vw, 1683px" /></p> <p>Brave Software sees Answers with AI as a significant upgrade of its <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/03/03/how-good-are-brave-search-summarizers-ai-powered-quick-results/" data-wpel-link="internal">AI Summarizer</a>. Released in 2023, it returned direct answers to user queries based on web search results.</p> <h2>What you need to know about Answers with AI</h2> <p>Brave Software claims that the feature is unique in several ways:</p> <ul> <li>Privacy-preserving, according to Brave.</li> <li>Near-instant answers.</li> <li>AI uses Brave's search index as its source.</li> </ul> <p>Answer with AI is available for free to all users. It supports multiple languages. Full support is offered for searches in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Brave Software says that other languages work as well, but that some responses may be in English.</p> <p>Answers with AI uses "up-to-date, reliable data" according to Brave Software. The provided answers take multiple intents into consideration.</p> <p>Company engineers have divided intents into several categories, for example, navigational, informational, and commercial.</p> <p>Queries like "how to get from Athens airport to the acropolis", "what are the top PS5 games of 2024", and "how to bypass ads on YouTube" are all answered by Answers with AI.</p> <p><strong>Word of warning</strong>: Each AI-generated response has a disclaimer that asks users to "verify critical facts".</p> <h3>How to disable Brave Search's Answer with AI</h3> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205420" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/brave-search-turn-off-answer-with-ai.png" alt="Brave Search disable Answer with AI" width="2560" height="1493" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/brave-search-turn-off-answer-with-ai.png 2560w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/brave-search-turn-off-answer-with-ai-1536x896.png 1536w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/brave-search-turn-off-answer-with-ai-2048x1194.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p> <p>Brave Search users who do not want Answer with AI responses to their queries may turn the feature off in the settings.</p> <p>Here is how that is done:</p> <ol> <li>Load https://search.brave.com/settings in the browser's address bar.</li> <li>Scroll down to Answer with AI.</li> <li>Toggle the feature to off.</li> </ol> <p><strong>Bonus tip</strong>: there you may also disable anonymous usage metrics while you are at it.</p> <h3><strong>Closing Words</strong></h3> <p>Answers with AI worked surprisingly well during tests. While it is necessary to verify the output, as it is not guaranteed that the information is accurate, the same can be said for any third-party source of information on the Internet.</p> <p>Granted, information published on trustworthy websites are usually correct, whereas the same cannot be said for the output of generative AI tools.</p> <p>Webmasters may want to take note that the feature will likely reduce traffic coming from search engines in the long run. Then again, AI depends on human created information to function at all.</p> <p><em>Do you use Brave Search? What is your take on AI responses to user queries in search engines?</em></p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/18/brave-search-answer-with-ai-takes-over-but-you-can-turn-it-off/" data-wpel-link="internal">Brave Search: Answer with AI takes over, but you can turn it off</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

3. Delta emulator is now available on the iOS App Store, but not for EU users

   2024-04-18 04:51:59 UTC

   The popular retro-Nintendo emulator, Delta, is now officially available on the App Store. In case you missed it, Apple recently announced that the App Store now allows game emulators for retro game […]

   Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Delta emulator is now available on the iOS App Store, but not for EU users appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

   <p>The popular retro-Nintendo emulator, Delta, is now officially available on the App Store. In case you missed it, Apple recently announced that the App Store now allows game emulators for retro game consoles.</p> <p>The emulators have to follow certain rules, such as not distributing games directly. The news was followed by a couple of emulators launching on the App Store, but they disappeared for different reasons, one app was found to be using stolen code and had many trackers, while the other one, an emulator called Bimmy, was pulled by the developer out of fear. That's not surprising, because emulators are often targeted by lawsuits, R.I.P. Yuzu and Citra. Remember, emulation itself is not illegal, piracy, i.e. distribution of games is. Some emulator devs use screenshots, names of popular games to entice users. Sometimes they also distribute copyrighted content like BIOS files, which paints a bullseye on the app for lawsuits.</p> <h3><strong> Delta emulator officially releases on the iOS App Store</strong></h3> <p>Delta emulator supports the following game systems: Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Nintendo 64 (N64), Game Boy Color (GBC), Game Boy Advance (GBA), and Nintendo DS (NDS). The app's description says that there are plenty more to come.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-205413" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Delta-emulator-officially-releases-on-the-iOS-App-Store.jpg" alt="Delta emulator officially releases on the iOS App Store" width="1095" height="850" /></p> <p>Delta supports various game pads including: Nintendo Switch Pro controllers and Joy-Cons, Nintendo Switch Online controllers (NES, SNES, N64), PS4 (DualShock), PS5 (DualSense), Xbox One S, Xbox Series X, MFi game controllers, and Bluetooth &amp; wired keyboards.</p> <p>The emulator supports various features such as Save States, automatic backup of save states, Quick Saves, Cheats, Fast Forward, 3D/Haptic Touch, Game Artwork, Custom Controller Skins, etc. It also supports Delta Sync (to sync games, saves, cheats, etc.) between devices, and works with Google Drive and Dropbox.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-205415" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Play-retro-games-on-iOS-with-Delta-emulator.jpg" alt="Play retro games on iOS with Delta emulator" width="1200" height="865" /></p> <h3><strong>Delta emulator is not available in the App Store for EU users</strong></h3> <p>Surprisingly, Delta emulator is not available in the App Store for users in the European Union's region. You would have imagined it would be the other way around with the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2022/11/02/eu-passes-new-digital-markets-act-will-force-apple-to-allow-third-party-stores-and-sideloading-apps-on-ios/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Digital Markets Act</a>, i.e. EU gets to enjoy sideloading, emulators, etc., and the rest of the world would be jealous. But it's kind of funny how things have turned out to be the opposite. But, there is another way to get it, via the new AltStore app marketplace. Read on!</p> <h3><strong>AltStore PAL for iOS launched in EU</strong></h3> <p>Riley Testut, the developer of the Delta emulator, has <a href="https://rileytestut.com/blog/2024/04/17/introducing-altstore-pal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">announced</a> the launch of the <a href="https://altstore.io/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">AltStore PAL</a> in the European Union region. The third-party app marketplace will host two apps: Delta and Clip (a clipboard app). Testut says that the AltStore PAL will host apps from third-party developers in the future. You can access the new store on devices running iOS 17.4 or above.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-205416" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AltStore-PAL-for-iOS-launched-in-EU.jpg" alt="AltStore PAL for iOS launched in EU" width="863" height="849" /></p> <p>The bad news is that the AltStore PAL is not free to access. The good news is it only costs €1.50 + tax, for an annual subscription. The developer says that this was the only option they had, because of Apple's <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/01/29/apples-rules-to-allow-third-party-app-stores-in-the-eu-are-not-beneficial-for-users-or-developers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Core Technology Fee</a>, which would require them to pay the Cupertino company €0.50 every time a user downloads Delta via the AltStore. The additional cost for the subscription is likely to cover the server fees. It's also worth noting that while Delta emulator is free for AltStore users, the clipboard app, Clip, is locked behind a donation of €1 (or more). This is a one-time fee.</p> <p>If you don't want to pay for the subscription, you can use the old AltStore method i.e., the AltServer, to sideload the app manually on your iPhone. But you will need to connect it with a computer and refresh the app once every week to continue using it. It's a tedious process, which you can read about on the<a href="https://old.reddit.com/r/Delta_Emulator/wiki/guide" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external"> official wiki</a>. Some users have suggested an alternative workaround where you could create an Apple ID in the U.S., get the app, add it to your family and share it with yourself. I'm not sure if this would work, I've not tried it.</p> <p>The best part is that Delta emulator is completely free, there are no ads or in-app purchases in the app. <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/delta-game-emulator/id1048524688" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Download</a> the emulator from the app store. As for playing the games, you will need to obtain the ROMs and BIOS files on your own, we can't help you with that. I will suggest looking around the internet for fan-made games, aka ROM Hacks and Patches for your favorite games, they may offer an entirely new experience.</p> <p>The app is compatible with iOS 14.0 or later, macOS 11.0 or above (Apple Silicon Macs), and also supports Apple Vision. One thing to note here is that the emulator while iPad compatibility is not listed, it does work on the tablets, though it uses the iOS version, so it doesn't a full screen experience.</p> <p>Having emulators on iPhones is a big win for iOS gamers, and it might convince some people to jump ship from Android to iPhone. And of course, having emulators on iPads is fantastic. Hopefully, we will see more emulators like Retroarch, PPSSPP next on iOS.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/18/delta-emulator-is-now-available-on-the-ios-app-store-but-not-for-eu-users/" data-wpel-link="internal">Delta emulator is now available on the iOS App Store, but not for EU users</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

4. Dear Microsoft, why cannot I uninstall Microsoft Edge on Windows?

   2024-04-17 05:38:05 UTC

   It is April 2024. The deadline for compliance with the Digital Markets Act was in March 2024. Still, even with all the latest updates installed, I cannot uninstall Microsoft Edge from any […]

   Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Dear Microsoft, why cannot I uninstall Microsoft Edge on Windows? appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

   <p>It is April 2024. The deadline for compliance with the Digital Markets Act was in March 2024. Still, even with all the latest updates installed, I cannot <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/11/17/breaking-windows-users-in-the-eea-will-soon-be-able-to-remove-bing-and-edge/" data-wpel-link="internal">uninstall Microsoft Edge</a> from any of my devices.</p> <p>I tried on one Windows 10 system and three Windows 11 PCs. I even fired up a virtual machine just to see if it would make a difference. Nada.</p> <p><a href="https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2023/11/16/previewing-changes-in-windows-to-comply-with-the-digital-markets-act-in-the-european-economic-area/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">According</a> to Microsoft, customers from the European Economic Area should be able to do so. Whenever I check Microsoft Edge in the Settings app on Windows 10 or Windows 11 devices, I get a grayed out uninstall button. I double-checked to make sure that the latest Windows updates are installed.</p> <figure id="attachment_205410" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-205410" style="width: 2094px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-205410 size-full" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/microsoft-edge-uninstall-grayed-out.png" alt="Microsoft Edge no uninstall option" width="2094" height="1007" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/microsoft-edge-uninstall-grayed-out.png 2094w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/microsoft-edge-uninstall-grayed-out-1536x739.png 1536w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/microsoft-edge-uninstall-grayed-out-2048x985.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2094px) 100vw, 2094px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-205410" class="wp-caption-text">Windows 10: latest updates installed</figcaption></figure> <figure id="attachment_205411" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-205411" style="width: 1131px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-205411 size-full" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/edge-uninstall-windows-11.png" alt="Edge _Uninstall Windows 11" width="1131" height="655" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-205411" class="wp-caption-text">Windows 11 no Edge uninstall</figcaption></figure> <p>How can this be? Last time I checked, Germany is a member state of the European Union. Microsoft even confirms that it planned to roll out the changes to all customers in the European Economic Area by early April".</p> <p>It wrote: "Throughout March we will increase the number of PCs in the rollout, while closely monitoring for any quality issues. Our plan is to deliver and enable our DMA changes for all PCs in the EEA by early April. After the update is applied, a restart is required to fully enable the changes."</p> <p>Microsoft has not updated the post on its website. The most likely explanation is that the rollout is still not complete and that it is controlled on the server side. Since there is no official update, it is unclear if that is the case. It could also be a bug affecting some systems.</p> <p><a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2020/07/07/how-to-remove-the-new-microsoft-edge-if-uninstallation-is-blocked/" data-wpel-link="internal">There are ways to remove Microsoft Edge</a>. This requires running a command from an elevated PowerShell terminal window. Users who really want Edge gone can resort to these options.</p> <p>Microsoft did promise, however, that Edge could be uninstalled just like any other regular app on the system.</p> <h3>Closing Words</h3> <p>Most Windows users in the EU and EEC will probably remain unaware of the option that Edge can be uninstalled (eventually). The uninstallation can lead to a cul-de-sac situation. If Edge is the only browser, there is no apparent option to install another browser. With Edge gone, there is seemingly no option to install a different browser.</p> <p>Windows users who run into the issue may want to fire up the command prompt and use winget to install a different browser. The command <strong>winget install Mozilla Firefox</strong> installs Mozilla's Firefox web browser on the device. You can also use it to install other browsers, e.g., chrome.</p> <p><em>What about you? Can you remove Microsoft Edge or have done so already?</em></p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/17/dear-microsoft-why-cannot-i-uninstall-microsoft-edge-on-windows/" data-wpel-link="internal">Dear Microsoft, why cannot I uninstall Microsoft Edge on Windows?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

5. Mozilla Firefox 125 brings text highlighting in PDFs, URL Paste Suggestion

   2024-04-16 10:09:46 UTC

   Mozilla is set to release Firefox 125 to the stable channel today. The update brings a handful of improvements, including support for text highlighting in PDFs, Tab Indicators in Firefox View. Update: […]

   Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Mozilla Firefox 125 brings text highlighting in PDFs, URL Paste Suggestion appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

   <p>Mozilla is set to release Firefox 125 to the stable channel today. The update brings a handful of improvements, including support for text highlighting in PDFs, Tab Indicators in Firefox View.</p> <p><strong>Update</strong>: Mozilla skipped Firefox 125.0 and has released Firefox 125.0.1 instead. The new browser version is now available. <strong>End</strong></p> <h3><strong>Highlight Text in PDFs</strong></h3> <p>Firefox's built-in PDF viewer allows users to highlight text in documents. It lets you set the highlight color, though it is limited to five options: Yellow, Green, Blue, Pink and Red. The other option in the tool can be used to adjust the thickness of the highlighter. To use it, simply select the Highlight tool, and then select some text in a PDF. You can change the color of the highlight even after you have marked the text. Want to delete a highlighted section? Just hit the bin icon to remove the marker. This can be useful for annotating content in PDFs.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-205406" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Highlight-Text-in-PDFs-in-Firefox.jpg" alt="Highlight Text in PDFs in Firefox" width="1200" height="737" /></p> <p>Mozilla says that this feature is being rolled out progressively to users, so it may not be available for everyone just yet. If you want to try it, you can download Firefox Nightly.</p> <h3><strong>Pinned Tabs, Tab Indicators in Firefox View</strong></h3> <p>Version 125 enhances the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2022/09/22/mozilla-is-testing-a-new-feature-called-firefox-view/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Firefox View</a> feature, which can now display pinned tabs. Tabs that you have pinned will be listed under the Open tabs section.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-205407" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Pinned-Tabs-and-Tab-Indicators-in-Firefox-View.jpg" alt="Pinned Tabs and Tab Indicators in Firefox View" width="1199" height="733" /></p> <p>Firefox View gains another improvement, it now supports Tab indicators for Open Tabs. So, tabs that have a media playing on it will have a speaker icon on it, using which you can quickly mute or unmute the tabs, even if they are in different windows. Tab Indicators are also available for bookmarks, and tabs with notifications.</p> <h3><strong>Address Bar improvements</strong></h3> <p>The Address Bar's search function can is now compatible with tab-specific Container add-ons, and list tabs that are open in different containers.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-205408" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/URL-Paste-Suggestion-in-Mozilla-Firefox.jpg" alt="URL Paste Suggestion in Mozilla Firefox" width="995" height="292" /></p> <p>Firefox has a new feature called URL Paste Suggestion. When you focus on the address bar, and the clipboard contains a URL, the browser detects it automatically, and displays an autocomplete result automatically. You can click on the suggestion that is labeled "Visit From Clipboard" to go to the URL in a single-click. It's an alternative version of the Paste and Go feature, except you don't have to right-click and select the option from the menu.</p> <h3><strong>Save Addresses</strong></h3> <p>When you submit an address form on a website, Firefox 125 will prompt you to save the data, which will then be available to autofill the next time you have to fill up another address form.</p> <p>Note: This feature is available for users in the U.S., Canada for en-US (English US) language users with a U.S. or Canadian address.</p> <h3><strong>Security</strong></h3> <p>Firefox 125 will block potentially untrustworthy downloads more proactively, this is based on the URLs where the downloads originate from.  The latest version of the browser has an option to enable Web Proxy Auto-Discovery (WPAD), when Firefox is set to use the system's proxy settings.</p> <h3><strong>Radio Buttons</strong></h3> <p>When you go to a web page that contains radio buttons and have not selected one of those, using the Tab key will only jump to the first option. It will no longer cycle through the options, instead, you will need to use the arrow keys to switch between the options.</p> <p>Mozilla will launch Firefox 125 today, you can download it from the <a href="https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/#product-desktop-release" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">official website</a>. The browser maker recently released a test version of Firefox with <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/02/mozilla-released-a-firefox-nightly-test-build-with-vertical-tabs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Vertical Tabs</a> in the Larch branch, but it is not available publicly anymore. Hopefully, it will make its way into the Nightly version soon.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/16/mozilla-firefox-125-brings-text-highlighting-in-pdfs-url-paste-suggestion/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mozilla Firefox 125 brings text highlighting in PDFs, URL Paste Suggestion</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

6. Google intensifies fight against YouTube adblockers

   2024-04-16 05:02:36 UTC

   Google just announced that it is intensifying its fight against adblockers on YouTube. The message was posted to the official YouTube support website. The writing was on the wall. Reports about changes […]

   Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Google intensifies fight against YouTube adblockers appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

   <p>Google just <a href="https://support.google.com/youtube/thread/269521462/enforcement-on-third-party-apps" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">announced</a> that it is intensifying its fight against adblockers on YouTube. The message was posted to the official YouTube support website.</p> <p>The writing was on the wall. Reports about changes on YouTube designed to prevent users from using adblockers started in early 2023.  Users with adblockers saw <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/05/12/how-to-bypass-youtubes-anti-ad-blocker-prompt/" data-wpel-link="internal">anti-adblocking prompts</a> and Google ran several <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/08/13/youtube-tightens-thumbscrew-to-crack-down-on-ad-blockers/" data-wpel-link="internal">tests on YouTube to fight adblocking</a>.</p> <p>Google confirmed the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/11/01/youtube-confirms-it-has-launched-a-global-effort-to-crack-down-on-ad-blockers/" data-wpel-link="internal">crackdown on adblockers</a> in November 2023. Affected users were given two options: turn off the adblocker on YouTube or pay for YouTube Premium.</p> <p>New ways of making ads more endurable were discovered. <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/12/03/ad-speedup-mute-skip-and-fast-forward-ads-on-youtube/" data-wpel-link="internal">Extensions that skip or fast forward ads</a> appeared in extension stores.</p> <p>Google did not only fight adblocking in browsers. It also is fighting against YouTube frontends, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/06/10/google-is-threating-privacy-friendly-youtube-frontend-invidious/" data-wpel-link="internal">such as Invidious</a>, and third-party YouTube apps.  Google had some success in this regard in the past. In 2022, its actions caused <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2022/03/14/youtube-vanced-alternatives-for-android/" data-wpel-link="internal">YouTube Vanced to be discontinued</a>.</p> <h2>Google's fight against third-party apps</h2> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-201561" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/youtube-showing-ads-with-adblocker.png" alt="youtube showing ads with adblocker" width="1556" height="741" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/youtube-showing-ads-with-adblocker.png 1556w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/youtube-showing-ads-with-adblocker-1536x731.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1556px) 100vw, 1556px" /></p> <p>Today's announcement puts Google's focus on third-party apps that "violate YouTube's Terms of Service". Here, Google is focusing on apps that include ad-blocking capabilities. The company mentions none in the announcement, but it clearly took a swing at Invidious last week already.</p> <p>Google warns users of these apps that their experience may deteriorate soon. They may "experience buffering issues" or see errors such as "the following content is not available on this app" when trying to watch videos.</p> <p>The terms on YouTube disallow apps to "turn off ads". Turning off ads "prevents the creator from being rewarded for viewership" according to Google. It fails to mention that it is keeping a big chunk of the revenue as the maintainer of the platform.</p> <p>Google suggests that YouTube users who do not want to see ads subscribe to YouTube Premium.</p> <p>The company will "take appropriate action" when it finds third-party apps that violate YouTube's terms.</p> <h2>Closing Words</h2> <p>Similar to Google Search, ads have become insufferable for many users of the service. There are too many of them, they may break the viewing experience, and they may show inappropriate content.</p> <p>YouTube Premium is expensive. What weights more for some users is that its functionality is severely limited when compared to third-party apps.</p> <p>The cat and mouse game continues.</p> <p><em>Do you use YouTube? Would you use it if you couldn't block ads? (via <a href="https://9to5google.com/2024/04/15/youtube-app-block-ads/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">9to5 Google</a>)</em></p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/16/google-intensifies-fight-against-youtube-adblockers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Google intensifies fight against YouTube adblockers</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

7. Microsoft publishes new Registry security mitigation for Intel processors (Spectre)

   2024-04-15 05:20:56 UTC

   About six years ago, vulnerabilities were discovered that affected most Intel and AMD processors. The vulnerabilities, Spectre and Meltdown, can be exploited to read sensitive data from attacked computer systems. Intel released […]

   Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Microsoft publishes new Registry security mitigation for Intel processors (Spectre) appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

   <p>About six years ago, vulnerabilities were discovered that affected most Intel and AMD processors. The vulnerabilities, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2018/01/05/find-out-if-your-windows-pc-is-affected-by-meltdown-spectre-vulnerabilities/" data-wpel-link="internal">Spectre and Meltdown</a>, can be exploited to read sensitive data from attacked computer systems.</p> <p>Intel released an update for one of the Spectre variants, disclosed officially on March 8, 2022. Microsoft implemented mitigations in client and server versions of Windows as a response to this.</p> <p>These are disabled by default. The main reason for this seems to be potential performance impacts that comes with the implementation.</p> <p>This guide walks you through the steps of configuring Windows to enable the mitigations and finding out if your processor is affected.</p> <h2>Is your processor affected?</h2> <p>The very first thing you may want to do is check if your processor is on Intel's list of affected CPUs.</p> <ul> <li>If it is on the list, you may enable the mitigation to protect the system against potential attacks.</li> <li>If it is not on the list, you can skip the remainder of the article.</li> </ul> <p>Here is how you find out:</p> <ol> <li>Open Start &gt; Settings &gt; System &gt; About and check the listed processor.</li> <li>Load the following two resource websites: <a href="https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-0001#vulnConfigurationsArea" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Nist.gov</a> and Intel's <a href="https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/topic-technology/software-security-guidance/processors-affected-consolidated-product-cpu-model.html" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Affected Processors</a> website.</li> </ol> <p>Check to see if the installed processor is listed on these websites. You may want to use the browser's search to find the information quickly.</p> <h2>Microsoft's Registry tweak to protect against the vulnerability</h2> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205398" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/intel-processor-spectre-mitigation.png" alt="Intel Spectre Mitigation" width="1370" height="622" /></p> <p>If your processor is on the list, you may change the Registry keys to enable the mitigations.</p> <p><strong>Note</strong>: implementation may affect performance. While I cannot recommend not enabling these mitigations, the risk of attacks against home PCs is most of the time neglectable.</p> <p><strong>Backup</strong>: it is highly recommended to back up the system drive before implementing the mitigation. Not with <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/05/25/heres-a-look-at-microsofts-new-windows-backup-app/" data-wpel-link="internal">Windows' Backup App</a>, which is useless for the purpose, but with a full backup program like <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2018/07/05/a-look-at-paragon-backup-recovery-free-for-windows/" data-wpel-link="internal">Paragon Backup &amp; Recovery Free</a>.</p> <p>Here is what you need to do on Windows devices and clients to mitigate <a href="https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2022-0001" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">CVE-2022-0001</a>:</p> <ol> <li>Open Start, type CMD, and select Run as administrator. This launches an elevated command prompt window.</li> <li>Confirm the UAC prompt by selecting yes.</li> <li>Execute the following two commands by pasting them and pressing the Enter-key after each: <ol> <li>reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management" /v FeatureSettingsOverride /t REG_DWORD /d 0x00800000 /f</li> <li>reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management" /v FeatureSettingsOverrideMask /t REG_DWORD /d 0x00000003 /f</li> </ol> </li> <li>Restart the computer after both Registry keys have been added.</li> </ol> <p><strong>Tip</strong>: you may want to monitor performance to make sure that day-to-day operations are not severely impacted by the mitigation.</p> <p>Interestingly enough, Microsoft has also revealed how Linux users may mitigate the vulnerability: "Specify spectre_bhi=on on the kernel command line".</p> <p><strong>Closing Words</strong></p> <p>While it may be critical for organizations to implement the mitigation, risks of attacks are relatively low for home users.</p> <p><em>What about you? Have you implemented Spectre / Meltdown mitigations on your PCs? (via <a href="https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-shares-official-windows-registry-tweak-as-the-spectre-still-haunts-intel-in-2024/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Neowin</a>)</em></p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/15/microsoft-publishes-new-registry-mitigation-for-intel-processors-spectre/" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft publishes new Registry security mitigation for Intel processors (Spectre)</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

8. A new journey with Windows: Microsoft's "end of support" notice for Windows 10 users

   2024-04-12 04:13:02 UTC

   Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system has about 18 months of official support left. Customers may further extend support by up to three years, but this comes at a cost. Now, Microsoft is […]

   Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post A new journey with Windows: Microsoft's "end of support" notice for Windows 10 users appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

   <p>Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system has about 18 months of official support left. Customers may further extend support by up to three years, but this comes at a cost.</p> <p>Now, Microsoft is pushing another message on to Windows 10 devices. A new journey with Windows is a fullscreen prompt that appeared on the screen of some Windows 10 users.</p> <p>This prompt, first spotted by users on <a href="https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2F79ng4d837rtc1.png" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Reddit</a>, informs Windows 10 users about the end of support of the operating system in 2025.</p> <p>It says:</p> <blockquote><p>A new journey with Windows.</p> <p>We want to thank you for your loyalty as a Windows 10 customer. As end of support for Windows 10 approaches, we're here to support you on your PC journey.</p> <p>Your PC is not eligible to upgrade to Windows 11, but it will continue to receive Windows 10 fixes and security updates until support ends on October 14, 2025.</p></blockquote> <p>While it is good that Microsoft is informing customers about the end of support, it comes with the typical mix of deceptive design patterns.</p> <p>First, you may notice that there is no option to decline and exit the prompt. While you can click on "remind me later", this only means that the prompt will be shown at a later stage again.</p> <p>Second, this particular version seems aimed at users who run devices that are not compatible with Windows 11. These devices cannot be upgraded to Windows 11 officially.</p> <p>The solution that Microsoft has is simple: buy a new PC with Windows 11 and migrate your data to that new PC to continue using a supported version of Windows 11.</p> <p>In other words, this is a big reminder that Windows 10 is running out of support and that the customer cannot really do anything about it other than buying a new PC.</p> <p>Again, Microsoft does not reveal the option that <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/12/05/breaking-consumers-will-be-able-to-extend-windows-10-support/" data-wpel-link="internal">Extended Security Updates for Windows 10</a> allow customers to extend support by up to three years. Granted, this comes at a cost. <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/03/microsoft-reveals-windows-10-esu-pricing-starts-at-61/" data-wpel-link="internal">Enterprise customers may pay up to $427</a> for extending support by three years.</p> <p>Microsoft has yet to announce the price for consumers.</p> <h3>Closing Words</h3> <p>Microsoft should inform customers about the end of support. Most Windows users would agree to that statement. Microsoft's "how" is probably not the way most Windows customers would like to be informed.</p> <p>The company omits information and does not give users an easy opt-out so that the message is never shown again.</p> <p>Expect more informational screens in the coming months. Systems compatible with Windows 11 will eventually be upgraded automatically to the new version. Microsoft has <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2022/12/10/windows-7-and-8-1-support-ends-next-month/" data-wpel-link="internal">done so in the past</a> when previous operating systems ran out of support.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/12/a-new-journey-with-windows-microsofts-end-of-support-notice-for-windows-10-users/" data-wpel-link="internal">A new journey with Windows: Microsoft&#039;s &quot;end of support&quot; notice for Windows 10 users</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

9. Google is releasing previously Pixel-exclusive AI tools to all Google Photos users

   2024-04-11 12:51:46 UTC

   Soon, all users of the photo viewing and editing app Google Photos may use a number of AI tools to edit their photos. Google announced yesterday that the three AI tools Magic […]

   Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Google is releasing previously Pixel-exclusive AI tools to all Google Photos users appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

   <p>Soon, all users of the photo viewing and editing app Google Photos may use a number of AI tools to edit their photos. Google <a href="https://blog.google/products/photos/google-photos-editing-features-availability/#footnote-2" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">announced</a> yesterday that the three AI tools Magic Editor, Photo Unblur, and Magic Eraser will roll out to all Google Photos users starting next month.</p> <p>The AI-powered editing features were limited to Google Pixel device owners and Google One subscribers previously.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205390" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/google-photos-ai-tools.webp" alt="Google Photos AI Tools" width="600" height="338" /></p> <p>Here is what these tools do:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Photo Unblur</strong> -- the AI tool improves blurry photos. In the best case, it is removing the blurriness entirely from photos.</li> <li><strong>Portrait Light</strong> -- allows you to adjust the brightness and position of light in portraits.</li> <li><strong>Magic Eraser</strong> -- you may remove objects from images using this tool. This includes photobombing people, fences, or anything else seen on photos.</li> <li><strong>Magic Editor</strong> -- this tool, previously exclusive on Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro devices, allows users to manipulate certain elements. Google gives the example of moving elements on the screen or "turning the sky from gray to blue" using AI.</li> </ul> <p>Magic Editor uses are unlimited on all Pixel devices. Google notes that everyone else is getting 10 saves per month. Google customers who need more edits need a Google One Premium subscription (2 TB and above).</p> <p>This Google help page <a href="https://support.google.com/photos/thread/268658175?hl=en" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">lists</a> additional AI features that Google did not mention in the blog post. They are:</p> <ul> <li>Sky suggestions</li> <li>Color pop</li> <li>HDR effect for photos &amp; videos</li> <li>Portrait blur.</li> <li>Cinematic photos.</li> <li>Styles in collage editor.</li> <li>Video effects.</li> </ul> <h2>When are these tools launching?</h2> <p>Google plans to launch these tools to all of its customers starting May 15, 2024. A remark on the Google Photos help website provides additional information: "Beginning May 15, 2024 and rolling out over the coming months, you can get more features at no cost. " The rollout will take months to complete.</p> <p>These tools will only roll out to devices that meet the minimum hardware requirements. These are Android 8.0 or newer, or iOS 15 or newer on mobile. Some photo editing features do require at least 3 gigabytes of RAM on Android or iOS as well. Magic Editor requires 4 GB of RAM and a 64-bit chipset.</p> <p>Not all editing features are available on the web. Google notes that some features are exclusive to the mobile Google Photos apps for Android or iOS.</p> <h3>Closing Words</h3> <p>Photo editing tools can be helpful to improve photos you've taken in the past. These AI tools do the heavy lifting, and while they may not come reach professional edits, they may be sufficient for many users.</p> <p>Google does not say if the processing happens on the local device. At least some of the tools, including Magic Editor, require an active Internet connection to work at all.</p> <p>Lots of <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/12/09/how-to-try-metas-ai-image-generator-imagine-right-now/" data-wpel-link="internal">AI image creators</a> <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/11/30/paints-ai-image-creator-is-now-available-for-everyone/" data-wpel-link="internal">and</a> editing tools have been <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/10/02/how-to-use-dall-e-3-bing-ai/" data-wpel-link="internal">announced</a> or launched in recent time, some even <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2019/08/29/ai-image-enlarger-convert-images-from-low-to-high-definition/" data-wpel-link="internal">before</a> the whole AI craze began.</p> <p><em>Now You: Have you used AI to edit or create images? </em></p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/11/google-is-unlocking-previously-pixel-exclusive-ai-tools-to-all-google-photos-users/" data-wpel-link="internal">Google is releasing previously Pixel-exclusive AI tools to all Google Photos users</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

10. Proton acquires encrypted note-taking app Standard Notes

    2024-04-11 12:44:51 UTC

    Proton has announced that it has completed the acquisition of the encrypted note-taking app, Standard Notes. The company says that the privacy-focused Proton has been expanding its portfolio steadily overtime, evolving from […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Proton acquires encrypted note-taking app Standard Notes appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Proton has announced that it has completed the acquisition of the encrypted note-taking app, Standard Notes. The company says that the privacy-focused</p> <p>Proton has been expanding its portfolio steadily overtime, evolving from an <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2017/11/24/getting-started-with-protonmail/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">email service</a>. It has a VPN service called <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2017/06/20/protonvpn-swiss-based-vpn-launches/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">ProtonVPN</a>, a cloud storage service in the form of Proton Drive, and <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2022/04/14/proton-calendar-app-for-android-features/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Proton Calendar</a> which as the name indicates can be used for organizing your schedule. Proton launched its own password manager service, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/04/20/proton-pass-new-password-manager-announced/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Proton Pass</a>, last year. All of these services have a free tier with limited features and storage space, which is pretty cool, and if you like them, you may want to take a look at the premium subscriptions.</p> <h3><strong>Proton acquires Standard Notes</strong></h3> <p>Proton's <a href="https://proton.me/blog/proton-standard-notes-join-forces" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">acquisition</a> of Standard Notes isn't surprising, after all, privacy-focused tools have been the company's forte. Some users had even been requesting for a Proton Notes app, I guess their wish has now been granted. The company acquired the email alias service, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2022/04/09/proton-ag-acquires-simplelogin-email-alias-service/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">SimpleLogin</a>, in 2022, and has continued to support it as a standalone service.</p> <p>I remember when Proton introduced its cloud storage and calendar, many users were complaining about the apps. They were pointing out that it lacks some features that were available on other services. Another issue that users had was the lack of proper apps for desktop platforms, which the company addressed by <a href="https://proton.me/blog/proton-mail-desktop-app" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">releasing</a> the Proton Mail app for Windows, macOS, and Linux (beta). That's not going to be a problem this time around, because Proton does not have to start from scratch.</p> <p>Standard Notes debuted in 2017, and has over 300,000 users. It has polished apps with lots of features, albeit some of them are locked behind a paywall. The note-taking service also has dedicated apps for Windows, Linux, macOS, Android and iOS. And, if you prefer using it from your browser, you can just access the service's <a href="https://app.standardnotes.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">web app</a>. You can even self-host it on your own server.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-205386" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Standard-Notes-use-without-account-and-encrypt-your-data.jpg" alt="Standard Notes use without account and encrypt your data" width="1100" height="800" /></p> <p>The desktop app <a href="https://standardnotes.com/help/59/can-i-use-standard-notes-totally-offline" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">can be used offline</a> without an account, and you should set up a passcode lock from the app's Menu &gt; Security to encrypt the data locally on your device. If you want your data to sync across devices, you will need to sign up for a free account, it supports end-to-end encryption, although it is limited to plain text notes and a measly 100MB of note storage.</p> <p>Standard Notes' apps are <a href="https://github.com/standardnotes" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">open source,</a> the company has been <a href="https://standardnotes.com/help/2/has-standard-notes-completed-a-third-party-security-audit" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">audited</a> by third-parties 4 times, the last one dating to 2022. There is one thing that I don't like about it, the <a href="https://standardnotes.com/plans" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">premium subscriptions</a> of Standard Notes are not wallet-friendly, and it's going to stay that way. $90 for a year's plan is rather expensive, wouldn't you agree?</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-205387" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Standard-Notes-plan-prices-yearly-subscription.jpg" alt="Standard Notes plan prices yearly subscription" width="1133" height="893" /></p> <p>Proton's announcement confirms that the prices are not changing, and that all current subscriptions will be honored. I expect Standard Notes will be bundled into Proton Unlimited, which I think is probably the reason why the company acquired the note-taking app. Proton also says that Standard Notes will remain open source, freely available and fully supported. I mean, they did the same thing after acquiring SimpleLogin, it is available via its own website, so this is a good thing.</p> <p>There aren't any proper alternatives for Standard Notes, aside from <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2019/06/24/joplin-open-source-note-taking-app/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Joplin</a>, which I reviewed 5 years ago.</p> <p><em>Which note-taking app do you use?</em></p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/11/proton-acquires-encrypted-note-taking-app-standard-notes/" data-wpel-link="internal">Proton acquires encrypted note-taking app Standard Notes</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

11. Microsoft continues push to turn Windows into an advertising space

    2024-04-10 11:55:50 UTC

    A fundamental shift happened in the development of the Windows operating system in recent years. Some say it started during the development of Windows 11, Microsoft's newest operating system. Others suggest that […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Microsoft continues push to turn Windows into an advertising space appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>A fundamental shift happened in the development of the Windows operating system in recent years. Some say it started during the development of Windows 11, Microsoft's newest operating system. Others suggest that it started with Windows 10 already, which Microsoft released in 2015.</p> <p>This shift, which was likely encouraged by the higher ups at Microsoft, changed how Microsoft perceives Windows. In particular, about increasingly using the operating system as a driver for ads and revenue.  What's wrong with that you might say. Microsoft has every right to change the operating system in any way it pleases.</p> <p>I'd like to point out that these intrusions are more often than not a nuisance. Some cannot be hidden or removed permanently, others may pop up in the worst possible moment. In other words, this trend may impact your productivity.</p> <p>It would go too far to list all of Microsoft's recent transgressions, but to name a few: <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2022/11/07/some-windows-users-see-onedrive-ads-in-the-user-session-menu/" data-wpel-link="internal">user session menu ads</a>, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/06/02/windows-11s-get-help-support-app-is-showing-ads-as-well-now/" data-wpel-link="internal">Get Help app with ads</a>, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/10/03/windows-copilots-is-showing-third-party-ads-to-windows-users/" data-wpel-link="internal">Copilot showing third-party ads</a>, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/10/14/how-to-disable-lock-screen-ads-on-windows-11/" data-wpel-link="internal">lock screen ads</a>, or the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/10/22/how-to-block-windows-11-from-using-diagnostic-data-to-show-ads/" data-wpel-link="internal">use of diagnostic data for ads</a>. There are plenty of examples not mentioned here.</p> <h2>More ads and promotions are on their way</h2> <figure id="attachment_205381" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-205381" style="width: 966px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-205381" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/windows-11-recommended-app-promos.jpg" alt="Windows 11 recommended section with promotions" width="966" height="496" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-205381" class="wp-caption-text">image source: PhantomOfEarth</figcaption></figure> <p>Microsoft is constantly testing changes and some of them may introduce new ads or promotions. Eagle-eyed Windows connoisseur PhantomOfEarth discovered that Microsoft is working on improving the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/07/25/microsoft-still-desperately-trying-to-make-windows-11-start-menu-recommendations-more-useful/" data-wpel-link="internal">usefulness of the Recommended section of the Start Menu</a>. How? By adding promotions for apps of course!</p> <p>I'm not a huge fan of the recommended section and always wondered why Microsoft has not added an option to hide it entirely. This may be the answer: to get eyes on ads. Users who turn the section off cannot see ads or promotions in the Start Menu, and that would be a shame.</p> <p>Microsoft adjusted the preference that powers this functionality to highlight that it may also show app promotions. You find it under Personalization &gt; Start &gt; <strong>Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more</strong>.</p> <p>You may remember that this is not Microsoft's first attempt at introducing ads to the recommended section. Some time ago, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/01/06/windows-11-microsoft-removes-website-recommendations-and-another-annoying-feature/" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft launched website recommendations</a> in development builds, but it removed these before launch in stable versions thankfully.</p> <p>This, however, is not the only place where you may soon see ads on Windows 11. <a href="https://twitter.com/thebookisclosed/status/1777595991606124858" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Albacore's</a> latest deep dive found information about a new taskbar button Microsoft is working on. This button is called "Recommended". While it is currently unclear what kind of recommendations it might show, it would not come as a total surprise if these recommendations might also include ads for apps or services.</p> <p><strong>Closing Words</strong></p> <p>Granted, these features have been found in development builds of Windows 11 and not stable versions. There is a chance that the features get removed during development. There is, however, a good chance that you will see promotions in one form or another in the Start Menu or taskbar very soon.</p> <p><em>What is your take on this? Do you mind the increase in ads in Windows?</em></p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/10/microsoft-continues-push-to-turn-windows-into-an-advertising-space/" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft continues push to turn Windows into an advertising space</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

12. Microsoft releases the April 2024 Security Updates for Windows

    2024-04-09 17:25:06 UTC

    The April 2024 security updates for Windows are now available. Microsoft released the security updates for all supported Windows versions and also other company products on today's Patch Day. Our overview helps […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Microsoft releases the April 2024 Security Updates for Windows appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>The April 2024 security updates for Windows are now available. Microsoft released the security updates for all supported Windows versions and also other company products on today's Patch Day.</p> <p>Our overview helps home users and system administrators. It offers information on the released patches and links to official Microsoft resources to look up additional information. It highlights known issues, new and fixed, links to download options, and also reveals important changes in Windows client releases.</p> <p>Check out the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/12/overview-of-the-march-2024-windows-security-updates/" data-wpel-link="internal">March 2024 Security update overview here</a>.</p> <h2>Microsoft Windows Security Updates: April 2024</h2> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205374" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/windows-security-updates-april-2024.png" alt="Windows Security Updates April 2024" width="2094" height="904" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/windows-security-updates-april-2024.png 2094w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/windows-security-updates-april-2024-1536x663.png 1536w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/windows-security-updates-april-2024-2048x884.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2094px) 100vw, 2094px" /></p> <p>The following Excel spreadsheet lists the security updates that Microsoft released on the April 2024 Patch Tuesday. Download the zip archive to your local computer and extract it. You can view it Excel or any compatible spreadsheet application: <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/windows-security-updates-april-2024.zip" data-wpel-link="internal">Windows Security Updates April 2024</a></p> <h3>Executive Summary</h3> <ul> <li>Microsoft released security patches for 149 unique  vulnerabilities.</li> <li>Windows clients with issues are: Windows 10 version 21H2 and 22H2</li> <li>Windows 11 has no known issues according to Microsoft.</li> <li>Windows Server clients with issues: Windows Server 2008</li> <li>The latest Windows releases include a <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/08/new-sneaky-windows-driver-ucdp-stops-non-microsoft-software-from-setting-defaults/" data-wpel-link="internal">new filter driver</a> that prevents non-Microsoft software from setting defaults on Windows.</li> </ul> <h2>Product overview</h2> <p>Each supported version of Windows and their critical vulnerabilities are listed below.</p> <ul> <li><strong>Windows 10 version 22H2: </strong>68 vulnerabilities, 0 critical and 68 important.</li> <li><strong>Windows 11 version 22H2</strong>:  69 vulnerabilities, 0 critical and 69 important</li> <li><strong>Windows 11 version 23H2</strong>:  69 vulnerabilities, 0 critical and 69 important</li> </ul> <p><strong>Windows Server products</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Windows Server 2008 R2 (extended support only):</strong> 32 vulnerabilities: 0 critical and 27 important</li> <li><strong>Windows Server 2012 R2 (extended support only)</strong>:  vulnerabilities:  critical and  important <ul> <li>unknown</li> </ul> </li> <li><strong>Win</strong><strong>dows Server 2016</strong>: 70 vulnerabilities: 0 critical and 70 important</li> <li><strong>Windows Server 2019</strong>: 80 vulnerabilities: 0 critical and 80 important</li> <li><strong> Windows Server 2022:</strong> 83 vulnerabilities: 0 critical and 83 important</li> </ul> <h2>Windows Security Updates</h2> <p><strong>Windows 10 version 22H2</strong></p> <ul> <li>Support Page: <a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/april-9-2024-kb5036892-os-builds-19044-4291-and-19045-4291-cb5d2d42-6b10-48f7-829a-be7d416a811b" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036892</a></li> </ul> <p>Updates and improvements:</p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none;"> <ul> <li>Security updates.</li> <li>Adds Windows Spotlight support for desktop backgrounds. You may enable this under Settings &gt; Personalization &gt; Background &gt; Personalize your background &gt; Windows spotlight. Rolls out gradually.</li> <li>Adds widgets to the lock screen. You may turn the feature on or off under Settings &gt; Personalization &gt; Lockscreen.</li> <li>Plus all other changes of the <a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/march-26-2024-kb5035941-os-build-19045-4239-preview-a170797c-503e-4372-b3b6-89f290b4f2cb" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">March 26, 2024</a> preview update for Windows 10.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p><strong>Windows 11 version 22H2 and 23H2</strong></p> <ul> <li>Support Page: <a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/april-9-2024-kb5036893-os-builds-22621-3447-and-22631-3447-a674a67b-85f5-4a40-8d74-5f8af8ead5bb" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036893 </a></li> </ul> <p>Updates and improvements:</p> <ul> <li>Security Updates.</li> <li>The <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/27/windows-11s-moment-update-5-is-finally-here-how-to-download/" data-wpel-link="internal">Moment Update 5 changes</a> are included in this update and will roll out to users who install it.</li> <li>Search highlights are enabled on the taskbar search box for users in the European Economic Area. This rolls out gradually, it may not be available on all systems immediately.</li> <li>Clipboard Redirection policy for Remote Desktop Session Host can now be set to from the local PC to the remote computer only.</li> <li>IT administrators may use mobile device management to "turn off the prompt that appears when users sign in to an Entra-joined machine". This is done by turning the DisablePostLogonProvisioning policy setting on.</li> <li>Plus all other changes of the preview update released on <a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/march-26-2024-kb5035942-os-builds-22621-3374-and-22631-3374-preview-3ad9affc-1a91-4fcb-8f98-1fe3be91d8df" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">March 26, 2024</a>.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Windows Security updates</strong></p> <ul> <li>2024-04 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 1507 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036925" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036925</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Dynamic Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 22H2 and Windows 10 Version 21H2 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036892" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036892</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Dynamic Cumulative Update for Windows 11 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036894" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036894</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Cumulative Update for Microsoft server operating system version 21H2 for x64-based Systems (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036909" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036909</a>)</li> </ul> <p>Server</p> <ul> <li>2024-04 Security Only Quality Update for Windows Embedded Standard 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036922" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036922</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security Monthly Quality Rollup for Windows Embedded Standard 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036967" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036967</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security Monthly Quality Rollup for Windows Server 2008 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036932" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036932</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security Only Quality Update for Windows Server 2008 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036950" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036950</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security Monthly Quality Rollup for Windows Server 2012 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036969" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036969</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security Monthly Quality Rollup for Windows Server 2012 R2 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036960" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036960</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Cumulative Update for Windows Server 2019 and Windows 10 Version 1809 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036896" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036896</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Cumulative Update for Windows Server 2016 and Windows 10 Version 1607 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036899" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036899</a>)</li> </ul> <p>.NET Framework</p> <ul> <li>2024-04 Security and Quality Rollup for .NET Framework 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2 for Windows Server 2012 for x64 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036605" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036605</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security and Quality Rollup for .NET Framework 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2 for Windows Server 2012 R2 for x64 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036606" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036606</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security and Quality Rollup for .NET Framework 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2 for Windows Embedded Standard 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Windows Server 2008 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036607" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036607</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security and Quality Rollup for .NET Framework 4.8 for Windows Server 2012 for x64 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036612" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036612</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security and Quality Rollup for .NET Framework 4.8 for Windows Server 2012 R2 for x64 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036614" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036614</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security and Quality Rollup for .NET Framework 4.8 for Windows Embedded Standard 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036615" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036615</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security and Quality Rollup for .NET Framework 3.5 for Windows Server 2012 for x64 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036624" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036624</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security and Quality Rollup for .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0 for Windows Server 2008 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036625" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036625</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security and Quality Rollup for .NET Framework 3.5.1 for Windows Embedded Standard 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036626" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036626</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security and Quality Rollup for .NET Framework 3.5 for Windows Server 2012 R2 for x64 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036627" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036627</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security Only Update for .NET Framework 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2 for Windows Embedded Standard 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Windows Server 2008 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036631" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036631</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security Only Update for .NET Framework 4.8 for Windows Embedded Standard 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036632" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036632</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security Only Update for .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0 for Windows Server 2008 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036633" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036633</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security Only Update for .NET Framework 3.5.1 for Windows Embedded Standard 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036634" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036634</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security Only Update for .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 for Windows Server 2008 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036636" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036636</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security and Quality Rollup for .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 for Windows Server 2008 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036637" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036637</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security and Quality Rollup for .NET Framework 3.5.1, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, 4.8 for Windows Embedded Standard 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5037038" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5037038</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security and Quality Rollup for .NET Framework 3.5, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, 4.8 for Windows Server 2012 for x64 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5037039" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5037039</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security and Quality Rollup for .NET Framework 3.5, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, 4.8 for Windows Server 2012 R2 for x64 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5037040" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5037040</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security and Quality Rollup for .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0, 3.5 SP1, 4.6.2 for Windows Server 2008 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5037041" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5037041</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security Only Update for .NET Framework 3.5.1, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, 4.8 for Windows Embedded Standard 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5037127" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5037127</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Security Only Update for .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0, 3.5 SP1, 4.6.2 for Windows Server 2008 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5037128" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5037128</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.7.2 for Windows Server 2019 and Windows 10 Version 1809 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036604" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036604</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8 for Windows 10 Version 22H2 and Windows 10 Version 21H2 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036608" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036608</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 4.8 for Windows Server 2016 and Windows 10 Version 1607 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036609" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036609</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8 for Windows Server 2019 and Windows 10 Version 1809 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036610" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036610</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8 for Windows 11 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036611" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036611</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8 for Microsoft server operating system, version 22H2 for x64 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036613" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036613</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8.1 for Microsoft server operating system, version 23H2 for x64 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036617" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036617</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8.1 for Windows 10 Version 22H2 and Windows 10 Version 21H2 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036618" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036618</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8.1 for Windows 11 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036619" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036619</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8.1 for Windows 11 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036620" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036620</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8.1 for Microsoft server operating system, version 22H2 for x64 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5036621" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036621</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5, 4.8 and 4.8.1 for Microsoft server operating system version 21H2 for x64 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5037033" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5037033</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5, 4.7.2 and 4.8 for Windows Server 2019 and Windows 10 Version 1809 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5037034" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5037034</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8 for Windows 10 Version 21H2 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5037035" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5037035</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5, 4.8 and 4.8.1 for Windows 10 Version 22H2 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5037036" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5037036</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5, 4.8 and 4.8.1 for Windows 11 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5037037" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5037037</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5, 4.8 and 4.8.1 for Microsoft server operating system, version 22H2 for x64 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5037087" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5037087</a>)</li> </ul> <p>Servicing Stack Updates</p> <ul> <li>2024-04 Servicing Stack Update for Windows 10 Version 1507 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5037019" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5037019</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Servicing Stack Update for Windows Server 2016 and Windows 10 Version 1607 (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5037016" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5037016</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Servicing Stack Update for Windows Server 2012 for x64-based Systems (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5037022" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5037022</a>)</li> <li>2024-04 Servicing Stack Update for Windows Server 2012 R2 for x64-based Systems (<a href="https://support.microsoft.com/help/5037021" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5037021</a>)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Non-Security updates</strong></p> <h3>Known Issues</h3> <p><strong>Windows 10 version 22H2</strong></p> <p><strong>(OLD) Description: </strong>Desktop icons may be moved around unexpectedly between monitors when using Copilot on more than one monitor. Users may also experience "other alignment issues" according to Microsoft.</p> <p>Workaround: none. Microsoft may disable Copilot on multimonitor devices.</p> <p><strong>(OLD) Description:</strong> Copilot in Windows is not supported if the taskbar is located vertically on the right or left side of the screen.</p> <p>Workaround: align the taskbar horizontally, either at the top or bottom of the screen.</p> <p><strong>Windows 11 version 22H2 and 23H2</strong></p> <p>Microsoft lists no known issues.</p> <h3>Security advisories and updates</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-us/vulnerability/ADV990001" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external" data-mrf-link="https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-us/vulnerability/ADV990001">ADV 990001</a> -- Latest Servicing Stack Updates</li> </ul> <p><strong>Microsoft Office Updates</strong></p> <p>You find Office update information <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdates/office-updates-msi" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external" data-mrf-link="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdates/office-updates-msi">here</a>.</p> <h3>How to download and install the April 2024 security updates</h3> <p>Security updates are downloaded and installed automatically on non-managed Windows devices by default. Windows users who do not want to wait for this to happen can speed up the process by searching for updates manually in Windows Update or by downloading the updates manually to install them.</p> <p>Here is how that is done using Windows Update.</p> <ol> <li>Select Start, type Windows Update and load the Windows Update item that is displayed.</li> <li>Select check for updates to run a manual check for updates.</li> </ol> <p>As always, make sure to <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2018/07/05/a-look-at-paragon-backup-recovery-free-for-windows/" data-wpel-link="internal">back up the system</a> before installing any updates. It is a good safety precaution. While Windows does include recovery options, this may fail and it is always a good idea to have a second option available in that case.</p> <h4>Direct update downloads</h4> <p>Below are resource pages with direct download links, if you prefer to download the updates to install them manually.</p> <p><strong>Windows 10 version 22H2</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB5036892" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036892</a> -- 2024-4 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 21H2</li> </ul> <p><strong>Windows 11 version 22H2</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB5036893" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036893</a> -- 2024-4 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 version 22H2</li> </ul> <section class="entry"><strong>Windows 11 version 23H2</strong></section> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB5036893" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5036893</a> -- 2024-4 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 version 23H2</li> </ul> <h4 class="entry"><strong>Additional resources</strong></h4> <section class="entry"> <ul> <li><a href="https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/releaseNote/2024-Apr" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external" data-mrf-link="https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/releaseNote/2023-Jul">April 2024 Security Updates release notes</a></li> <li><a class="ext-link" title="" href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/description-of-software-update-services-and-windows-server-update-services-changes-in-content-for-2021-kb894199-0c540f4f-60c8-7dc2-23c9-48153749966d" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external" data-mrf-link="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/description-of-software-update-services-and-windows-server-update-services-changes-in-content-for-2021-kb894199-0c540f4f-60c8-7dc2-23c9-48153749966d">List of software updates for Microsoft products</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2017/01/16/latest-windows-updates-and-service-packs-overview/" data-wpel-link="internal" data-mrf-link="https://www.ghacks.net/2017/01/16/latest-windows-updates-and-service-packs-overview/">List of the latest Windows Updates and Services Packs</a></li> <li><a href="https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-us/security-guidance" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external" data-mrf-link="https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-us/security-guidance">Security Updates Guide</a></li> <li><a href="https://catalog.update.microsoft.com/" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external" data-mrf-link="https://catalog.update.microsoft.com/">Microsoft Update Catalog site</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2010/12/20/microsoft-windows-update-overview-all-you-need-to-know/" data-wpel-link="internal" data-mrf-link="https://www.ghacks.net/2010/12/20/microsoft-windows-update-overview-all-you-need-to-know/">Our in-depth Windows update guide</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2018/02/15/how-to-install-optional-updates-on-windows-10/" data-wpel-link="internal" data-mrf-link="https://www.ghacks.net/2018/02/15/how-to-install-optional-updates-on-windows-10/">How to install optional updates on Windows 10</a></li> <li><a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/windows-11-update-history-a19cd327-b57f-44b9-84e0-26ced7109ba9" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external" data-mrf-link="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/windows-11-update-history-a19cd327-b57f-44b9-84e0-26ced7109ba9">Windows 11 Update History</a></li> <li><a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/windows-10-update-history-857b8ccb-71e4-49e5-b3f6-7073197d98fb" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external" data-mrf-link="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/windows-10-update-history-857b8ccb-71e4-49e5-b3f6-7073197d98fb">Windows 10 Update History</a></li> </ul> </section> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/09/microsoft-releases-the-april-2024-security-updates-for-windows/" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft releases the April 2024 Security Updates for Windows</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

13. Winxvideo AI: Your One-Stop Video and Image Solution for upgrading your Media

    2024-04-09 14:10:50 UTC

    Forget grainy footage and shaky home videos, the Online world is currently craving for crisp and high-quality visuals! That's where Winxvideo AI comes in, wielding the power of artificial intelligence to transform […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Winxvideo AI: Your One-Stop Video and Image Solution for upgrading your Media appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Forget grainy footage and shaky home videos, the Online world is currently craving for crisp and high-quality visuals! That's where <a href="https://www.winxdvd.com/winxvideo-ai/?ttref=2403-oa-brand-wxv-ghacks-sp-wmy" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Winxvideo AI</a> comes in, wielding the power of artificial intelligence to transform all your videos from forgettable recordings to fantastic visual experiences. Developed by the innovative minds at Digiarty, Winxvideo AI is an easy-to-use software that employs cutting-edge AI to breathe new life into all your visual creations.</p> <p>This nifty tool boasts a collection of impressive features, including the ability to upscale resolution, banish pesky video noise, and smooth out shaky footage. But that’s not all. Winxvideo AI can enhance your video and improve its playback with just a few clicks. Would you like to know more? you can <a href="https://www.winxdvd.com/winxvideo-ai/enhance-video.htm?ttref=2403-oa-brand-wxv-ghacks-sp-wmy" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">get a free license of Winxvideo AI</a> (a time-limited offer) or <a href="https://www.winxdvd.com/winxvideo-ai/special-deal.htm?ttref=2403-oa-brand-wxv-ghacks-sp-wmy" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">upgrade to a lifetime full version with a special discount</a>.</p> <p>Let's delve deeper and see how Digiarty’s state of the art tool can turn your video editing woes into editing wows!</p> <h2>The AI Revolution in Video and Image Enhancement</h2> <p>A <a href="https://cloudinary.com/blog/new_global_study_strengthens_case_for_brands_to_support_user_generated_content#:~:text=70%20percent%20of%20Gen%20Z%20and%2078%20percent%20of%20Millennials%20find%20photos%20and%20videos%20especially%20helpful%20in%20making%20purchasing%20decisions" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">2020 study by Cloudinary</a> found that 70% of Gen Z and 78% of Millenials use videos and photos making purchasing decisions. Visual content is currently king and the clamor for high-definition video and crisp images spans not just the business landscape, but also our personal lives. This collective yearning for quality sets the stage for an unprecedented revolution: the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in multimedia enhancement. AI employs deep learning algorithms to analyze and transform video content with a precision that was once unimaginable. For example, it is capable of upscaling resolution, stabilizing shaky footage, and breathing life into dull visuals.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205372" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/winx-upscaling-1024x608-1.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="608" /></p> <h2>Winxvideo AI Video Enhancement encompasses transformative features</h2> <p>Winxvideo AI has 4 standout features that form the backbone of its AI-powered video enhancement capabilities. Each is engineered to address specific challenges in video production, from elevating resolution to smoothing motion and ensuring steadiness.</p> <h3>AI Video Upscaling</h3> <p>Low-resolution videos can be a major drawback in today's world of high-definition content. Winxvideo AI's AI Video Upscaling technology addresses this challenge by intelligently analyzing and enhancing video resolution. This sophisticated process results in sharper details, crisper lines, and a noticeably improved viewing experience.</p> <p>The program offers a range of upscaling options, allowing you to transform standard definition (SD) footage to high definition (HD) quality in just a few clicks. For even greater impact, you can upscale HD videos to 4K resolution. This empowers you to breathe new life into older videos and ensure your latest creations meet the demands of modern audiences.</p> <h3>AI Noise Reduction</h3> <p>Video noise and grain can significantly detract from the overall quality of a video. Winxvideo AI's AI Noise Reduction feature tackles this issue head-on. Its algorithms analyze each frame, distinguishing between the true video content and all the unwanted noise spoiling the image quality. This precise analysis allows for the targeted removal of noise, resulting in cleaner and sharper visuals. This functionality is particularly beneficial for restoring older videos or footage captured in low-light conditions.</p> <h3>Frame interpolation</h3> <p>For those seeking even smoother video playback, Winxvideo AI offers AI Frame Interpolation. This innovative technology analyzes existing video frames and generates new intermediate frames. This effectively increases the video's frame rate (fps), resulting in a more fluid and natural viewing experience, particularly for fast-moving action sequences.</p> <h3>AI Video stabilization</h3> <p>Shaky camera movements can make even the most engaging video feel like an amateur recording. Winxvideo AI's AI Video Stabilization effectively counters camera shake and delivers a smooth, polished final product. Whether you have shaky hands or captured footage on the go, Winxvideo AI's AI Video Stabilization ensures a stable and professional-looking video. This empowers you to confidently share your video creations and push your boundaries of creativity and presentation.</p> <h2>Image Enhancement with AI</h2> <p>Winxvideo AI isn't just a video powerhouse, it’s also a powerful image editing tool that will breathe new life into your stills! Leveraging AI technology, Winxvideo AI offers a range of image enhancement features that benefit creators and professionals across various fields:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Resolution Improvement (Up to 4x)</strong>: Say goodbye to blurry images! Winxvideo AI's AI technology can significantly enhance their resolution, bringing out finer details and restoring clarity.</li> <li><strong>Sharper Details &amp; Richer Colors</strong>: Winxvideo AI goes beyond basic upscaling. It also intelligently analyzes and refines textures and colors, resulting in a more vibrant and visually appealing image.</li> <li><strong>Perfect for Photographers</strong>: Capture stunning moments in even greater detail. Winxvideo AI helps photographers elevate their work by revealing hidden details and enriching the overall visual impact of every still.</li> <li><strong>E-commerce Boost</strong>: Winxvideo AI enhances product images, ensuring clear and attractive listings that grab customer attention.<br /> Social Media Standout: Create captivating social media content. Winxvideo AI helps your visuals shine, leading to better engagement and attracting a wider audience.</li> </ul> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205376" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/feature-image-denoise.png" alt="" width="1367" height="908" /></p> <h2>Beyond AI Enhancements: Comprehensive Editing Capabilities</h2> <p>Winxvideo AI isn't just about making your videos look amazing; it helps you tell your story with ease. Its comprehensive suite of editing tools like trimming, merging, and cropping, allows you to precisely sculpt your video narrative. Need to cut out a few awkward seconds? Done. Merge multiple clips into a seamless sequence? As easy as a couple of clicks. Want to adjust the frame for a tighter focus? Winxvideo AI has you covered.</p> <ul> <li><strong>Trimming</strong>: Eliminate unnecessary footage and tighten up the pacing. The trimming feature allows you to cut videos to your desired length with just a few clicks.</li> <li><strong>Merging</strong>: Have multiple video clips you want to weave together? No problem! With Winxvideo AI you can seamlessly merge them into a single, cohesive video for a smooth viewing experience.</li> <li><strong>Cropping</strong>: Sometimes, a tighter focus can elevate your video's impact. The cropping tool lets you adjust the frame to put the spotlight on your subject matter.</li> <li><strong>Format Conversion</strong>: Compatibility shouldn't be a hurdle. Winxvideo AI's format conversion feature ensures your videos play flawlessly across a wide range of devices and platforms, from smartphones and tablets to desktops.</li> </ul> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-205377 size-full" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/feature-video-stabilize.png" alt="" width="1368" height="907" /></p> <h2>Screen and Webcam Recording</h2> <p>Winxvideo AI empowers content creators with a robust and comprehensive suite of screen and webcam recording features. Among these we can find:</p> <ul> <li><strong>High-Quality Recording</strong>: Capture stunning visuals with crystal-clear clarity. Whether you're a vlogger, educator, or gamer, Winxvideo AI ensures your recordings hold your audience's attention with full details.</li> <li><strong>Perfect for Vloggers &amp; Educators</strong>: Create polished and informative content with ease. High-definition recordings make every detail pop, enhancing the engagement and learning experience for your viewers.</li> <li><strong>A Must-Have for Gamers</strong> Showcase your skills, previews or let’s play videos in stunning detail. Winxvideo AI's high-quality recording capabilities allow you to capture gameplay footage with exceptional clarity, perfect for sharing your victories (or hilarious fails) with the rest of the world.</li> <li><strong>Chroma Key Magic</strong>: Take your productions to the next level. Winxvideo AI's chroma key effects allow you to replace your background with any image or video, unlocking a world of creative possibilities.</li> </ul> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-205378 size-full" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/feature-video-upscale-anime.png" alt="" width="1367" height="908" /></p> <h2>Ready to Unleash Your Video's True Potential?</h2> <p>Winxvideo AI empowers you to transform your videos from grainy to glorious, from shaky to stunning. With its intuitive interface, powerful AI features, and comprehensive editing tools, it's the perfect solution for creators of all levels. What are you waiting for to try it out?</p> <p><strong>Here's how you can get started</strong>:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.winxdvd.com/winxvideo-ai/?ttref=2403-oa-brand-wxv-ghacks-sp-wmy" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer"><strong>Download the free trial</strong></a>: Experience the magic of Winxvideo AI firsthand with no obligation to buy. The free trial allows you to explore its functionalities and test-drive its AI features on your own videos. Remember that you have the opportunity to win a free license for free only for visiting the site</li> <li><strong>Unleash your creativity</strong>: Edit, enhance, and convert your videos with ease. The free trial provides a taste of what Winxvideo AI can do, but the full version unlocks its true potential.</li> <li><strong>Upgrade and elevate</strong>: Looking to unlock the full power of Winxvideo AI? Take advantage of special offers and limited-time deals! Visit the <a href="https://www.winxdvd.com/winxvideo-ai/special-deal.htm?ttref=2403-oa-brand-wxv-ghacks" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Winxvideo AI website</a> to get discount lifetime license for Winxvideo AI.</li> </ul> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-205379 size-full" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/feature-video-upscale-reality.png" alt="" width="1366" height="905" /></p> <h2>Join the giveaway for Winxvideo AI and Unlock the Magic for free</h2> <p>Winxvideo AI empowers you to transform your videos from ordinary to extraordinary. Its intuitive interface and powerful features make it an ideal solution for a wide range of users, from aspiring YouTubers to seasoned professionals.</p> <p>Leveraging cutting-edge AI technology, Winxvideo AI gives a new life to your videos with features like upscaling, noise reduction, and stabilization. Additionally, it boasts a comprehensive suite of editing tools and format conversion capabilities, streamlining your workflow and ensuring seamless compatibility across devices.</p> <p>Whether you're looking to enhance the quality of your social media content, revitalize cherished home videos, or elevate the impact of your marketing materials, Winxvideo AI equips you with the tools to achieve professional-looking results. Don't wait to unlock the potential within your videos! <a href="https://www.winxdvd.com/winxvideo-ai/enhance-video.htm?ttref=2403-oa-brand-wxv-ghacks-sp-wmy" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Explore the free giveaway version today</a> or take advantage of <a href="https://www.winxdvd.com/winxvideo-ai/special-deal.htm?ttref=2403-oa-brand-wxv-ghacks-sp-wmy" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">current deals</a> to experience the magic of Winxvideo AI firsthand.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/09/winxvideo-ai-your-one-stop-video-and-image-solution-for-upgrading-your-media/" data-wpel-link="internal">Winxvideo AI: Your One-Stop Video and Image Solution for upgrading your Media</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

14. Maximize Your Online Security with Avast Secure Browser

    2024-04-09 10:31:58 UTC

    As the Internet becomes a stage for sophisticated threats and unwelcome surveillance, online privacy and security have become a priority for Internet users everywhere. With every click, search, or visited website, your […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Maximize Your Online Security with Avast Secure Browser appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>As the Internet becomes a stage for sophisticated threats and unwelcome surveillance, online privacy and security have become a priority for Internet users everywhere. With every click, search, or visited website, your digital footprint increases in value—to both legitimate entities and those with malicious intent. The quest for a safer browsing experience is more critical now than ever, not just for the tech-savvy but for anyone who ventures online.</p> <p>This is where <a href="https://www.avast.com/en-ww/secure-browser?brcmpgid=6335" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer"><strong>Avast Secure Browser</strong></a> enters the scene. It's crafted specifically to fortify your online activities against the prying eyes and hidden dangers that roam the web. Unlike the usual browsers that treat security just as a casual add-on, Avast Secure Browser is built from the ground up with your privacy and security as its core mandate. It brings to the table a robust set of features aimed at blocking trackers, cutting down on intrusive ads, and keeping your personal information private. With Avast Secure Browser, you’re able to browse the Internet ensuring that what you do online stays your business. Would you like to know more?</p> <div class="affiliate-link"> <div class="affiliate-link_image"> <a href="https://www.avast.com/en-ww/secure-browser?brcmpgid=6335" rel="sponsored nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/avastsecurebrowsericon.png" alt="Avast Secure Browser"></a> </div> <div class="affiliate-link_text"> <div class="affiliate-link_text_content"> <div class="affiliate-link_text_content_title"> <a href="https://www.avast.com/en-ww/secure-browser?brcmpgid=6335" rel="sponsored nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank">Avast Secure Browser</a> </div> <div class="affiliate-link_text_content_subtitle"> <a href="https://www.avast.com/en-ww/secure-browser?brcmpgid=6335" rel="sponsored nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank"> The browser that protects everything</a> </div> <div class="affiliate-link_text_content_cta"> <a href="https://www.avast.com/en-ww/secure-browser?brcmpgid=6335" rel="sponsored nofollow external noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank">Download</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2>Safeguarding Your Online Journey: The Power of Avast Secure Browser</h2> <p>Avast Secure Browser builds itself upon a fundamental principle: a commitment to privacy. In an era where digital footprints are closely monitored, the call for a more private browsing has become an absolute necessity. Users need a tangible and robust solution that can endure the ever-evolving online threats trying to get your information. And while some browsers give us the illusion of privacy, most of them sacrifice privacy in exchange for convenience and functionality.</p> <p><a href="https://www.avast.com/en-ww/secure-browser?brcmpgid=6335" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer"><strong>Avast Secure Browser</strong> </a>is engineered to meet these demands head-on, having privacy as the core of its foundation. This isn't just a browser; it's a statement and a promise that privacy and security are priorities that will be swiftly delivered to you. It's designed from the ground up to protect users from the multitude of trackers and data miners that infest the web, ensuring that one's digital life remains private.</p> <p>But what makes Avast Secure Browser stand out against its competitors? Proving that a browser can offer ironclad security without dimming the dynamic nature of surfing the Net, Avast Secure Browser ensures that users don't have to choose between privacy and a rich online experience. This dedication to seamless integration of security and usability is what defines Avast Secure Browser's core philosophy, making it a herald of a new era in web browsing where privacy doesn't come at the expense of convenience.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205363" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/screenshot_2_Avast-Secure.png" alt="" width="1093" height="733" /></p> <h2>Key Features That Set Avast Secure Browser Apart</h2> <p>Navigating the web securely and privately is a growing concern for users worldwide and brings to the fore a suite of features uniquely designed to address the dual challenges of security and usability head-on. These key features distinguish Avast Secure Browser in a crowded market, offering users a blend of speed, privacy, and peace of mind. Here’s some of its most relevant ones:</p> <h3>Block Online Tracking</h3> <p>Websites monitor and record your browsing habits and preferences through online tracking. This data is often used to build a detailed profile of you, which can be used for targeted advertising or even sold to third parties. The implications for privacy are significant; it means that what you do online is no longer just your business but becomes accessible to a host of unknown entities, potentially without your consent.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://www.avast.com/en-ww/secure-browser?brcmpgid=6335" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Avast Secure Browser</a></strong> tackles this issue by blocking these trackers at their source. It checks websites for tracking scripts and neutralizes them before they can start monitoring your activities. This ensures that your browsing habits remain private, turning your Internet surfing experience into a safe space free of trackers.</p> <h3>Browse Faster Without Ads</h3> <p>Ads are not just visual clutter; they're a significant drag on browsing speed. Every ad loaded on a webpage consumes data and processing power, slowing down your browsing experience and making websites less responsive. In a world where speed and efficiency are valued, being bogged down by ads is not just a nuisance but also a hindrance to productivity.</p> <p>Avast Secure Browser incorporates cutting-edge ad-blocking technology that strips away ads from websites, resulting in a cleaner, faster browsing experience. By eliminating these unwanted elements, webpages load faster, and you can enjoy smoother navigation without unwanted interruptions.</p> <h3>Keeping Your Personal Data Personal</h3> <p>It’s no secret that websites and advertisers employ countless techniques to extract personal information. From tracking cookies to fingerprinting, your data is constantly reviewed to tailor ads or to be sold to third parties. This relentless pursuit of your data poses a significant threat to privacy, leaving your digital identity exposed. Avast Secure Browser challenges these websites with multiple layers of privacy protection designed to keep your personal data secure. It employs technologies that mask your digital footprint, making it harder for websites to collect data about you. Encryption enhances security further, ensuring that your sensitive information, such as passwords remains encrypted and out of reach from prying eyes. By prioritizing your privacy at every level, Avast Secure Browser acts as a guardian of your digital identity, ensuring that what belongs to you stays only with you.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205362" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/screenshot_1_Avast-Secure.png" alt="" width="1200" height="688" /></p> <h2>The Future of Safe Browsing: Innovations from Avast Secure Browser</h2> <p><a href="https://www.avast.com/en-ww/secure-browser?brcmpgid=6335" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer"><strong>Avast Secure Browser</strong> </a>is not just about the basic pillars of privacy and speed; it delves deeper into the realm of security with advanced features designed to protect users from sophisticated online threats. These features, including anti-phishing, and anti-fingerprinting technologies, fortify the browser against a wide array of digital dangers. Here’s how they can protect your privacy while you safely browse online.</p> <h3>Anti-Phishing</h3> <p>Phishing attempts are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with malicious emails and websites that mimic legitimate sources to an alarming degree of accuracy. Avast Secure Browser's anti-phishing technology inspects websites for signs of phishing without reading your emails and alerting users of potential threats and blocking access to known malicious sites. This proactive approach ensures users are shielded from any attempt to steal their personal information, operating quietly in the background while providing a layer of protection.</p> <h3>Anti-Fingerprinting</h3> <p>In the world of online tracking, fingerprinting is a technique used to track users by collecting information about their devices and browsing habits. This can be done without the use of traditional tracking cookies, making it harder to detect. Avast Secure Browser's anti-fingerprinting technology disrupts these attempts, making it harder for websites to gather a unique fingerprint of the user's browser. By generalizing the data that websites can collect, it ensures users leave a much less distinct trail online, enhancing privacy without the user needing to adjust their browsing habits.</p> <h2>Seamless Integration for a User-Friendly Experience</h2> <p>What sets Avast Secure Browser apart from its competitors is how it integrates advanced security features into a seamless browsing experience. This integration ensures users benefit from a top-tier protection without needing any kind of technical expertise. The browser operates on a plug-and-play basis, where sophisticated security measures activate as needed, operating quietly in the background. This design choice keeps the browsing smooth and uninterrupted, allowing users to navigate the web with ease and confidence.</p> <p>Building on this foundation, the browser's interface reflects a deep commitment to simplicity and user engagement. Every element, from the layout to the menus, is designed for clarity and ease of use, ensuring that all users can access and customize security settings without diving into complex configurations. This approach extends to migrating from other browsers, managing bookmarks, and adjusting settings, making Avast Secure Browser a powerful secure browser that is not just easy but intuitive to use.</p> <h2>Avast Secure Browser: Where Privacy Meets Efficiency</h2> <p><strong><a href="https://www.avast.com/en-ww/secure-browser?brcmpgid=6335" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Avast Secure Browser</a></strong> is the go-to choice for any user looking to enhance their online privacy and security while they surf the Net. This powerful suite has been designed for the modern Internet user, effectively blocking online tracking, removing ads, and encrypting personal data, ensuring a private and streamlined browsing experience. Advanced tools like anti-phishing defenses, and anti-fingerprinting technology further solidify its position as a robust shield against online threats. These features are seamlessly integrated, making advanced security accessible to everyone, without compromising on speed or ease of use. If you value and prioritize your digital safety, with Avast Secure Browser you’ll enjoy a secure online experience that does not forgo convenience or functionality.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/09/maximize-your-online-security-with-avast-secure-browser/" data-wpel-link="internal">Maximize Your Online Security with Avast Secure Browser</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

15. Google announces improved Find My Device network for Android devices

    2024-04-09 04:21:24 UTC

    Google has launched its improved Find My Device network in the U.S. and Canada. The technology is quite similar to Apple's Find My service. Android's Find My Network is a crowdsourced network, […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Google announces improved Find My Device network for Android devices appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Google has launched its improved Find My Device network in the U.S. and Canada. The technology is quite similar to Apple's <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/11/06/apple-find-my-network-keylogger-attacks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Find My</a> service.</p> <p>Android's Find My Network is a crowdsourced network, i.e. it is powered by billions of Android devices. The service was originally announced last year during the Google I/O 2023 event.</p> <h3><strong>Find My Network can locate offline devices</strong></h3> <p>Google says that the new Find My Network will allow users to locate their lost Android phone or tablet by ringing them, or view their location on a map in the app. This works even when the devices are offline. Well, if you're wondering how it works, it uses Bluetooth instead of Wi-Fi and Mobile Data.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-205353" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Find-My-Network-can-locate-offline-devices.jpg" alt="Find My Network can locate offline devices" width="720" height="720" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Find-My-Network-can-locate-offline-devices.jpg 720w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Find-My-Network-can-locate-offline-devices-300x300.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <h3><strong>Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro can be located even if they are powered off</strong></h3> <p>Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro users can use the Find My Network to track their phone even if the phone's battery is dead, or if the device has been powered off. What sorcery is this? According to a statement given by Google spokesperson Natalie Johnson to <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/8/24123909/google-pixel-8-pro-offline-dead-battery-location-finding" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">The Verge</a>, the phones have some reserve power, which is used for the Bluetooth chip. Apple and Samsung devices also have a similar feature.</p> <h3><strong>Use Bluetooth Trackers to find your accessories</strong></h3> <p>The new Find My Network service for Android will allow users to keep track of accessories such as keys, wallets, luggage, etc., if they have a Bluetooth tracker. You can use the Find My app by tapping on the "Find Nearby" button to locate an item on your map.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-205352" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Use-Bluetooth-Trackers-to-find-your-accessories.jpg" alt="Use Bluetooth Trackers to find your accessories" width="687" height="682" /></p> <p>Google says that the feature will begin rolling out from May, and will support tracker tags from Chipolo and Pebblebee. The service will be expanded later this year to add support for Bluetooth tags from eufy, Jio, Motorola, etc. The Find My Network also lets you pinpoint devices that are located in your home with Google Nest.</p> <h3><strong>Share accessories with family and friends</strong></h3> <p data-block-key="cr9v">The Find My Network can be used to share your accessories with your friends and family members. So you can use it to share your house key, TV Remote, Luggage, etc., and everyone in the group can use the app to track a lost item easily.</p> <p data-block-key="cr9v"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-205351" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Share-accessories-with-family-and-friends.jpg" alt="Share accessories with family and friends" width="720" height="720" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Share-accessories-with-family-and-friends.jpg 720w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Share-accessories-with-family-and-friends-300x300.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p>The <a href="https://blog.google/products/android/android-find-my-device/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">announcement</a> also mentions that Find My Device network will soon add support for headphones made by JBL and Sony. The new Find My Device network is compatible with all devices that are running on Android 9 and above.</p> <p>(Images via Google)</p> <h3><strong>Google: "Find My Device is Private and Secure"</strong></h3> <p>The Mountain View company says that the Find My Device network has been designed to be secure and private by default, with multi-layered protections to keep your personal information private, and allows you to control the devices that are connected to the network. It uses end-to-end encryption of location data, as well as aggregated device location reporting, to prevent unwanted tracking.</p> <p>Google has published an <a href="https://security.googleblog.com/2024/04/find-my-device-network-security-privacy-protections.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">article</a> to outline how the location crowdsourcing works on the Find My Device network. It states that users will have an option to use the default setting and contribute to aggregated location reporting, or opt into contributing non-aggregated locations. You can also turn the network off completely.</p> <p>You may be aware that Bluetooth tags are being <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/02/21/the-wrong-way-to-use-an-airtag/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">misused</a> by some people, i.e. to track and stalk other people, such issues have plagued Apple's AirTag trackers and are expected to be fixed in the upcoming iOS 17.5 update. Google has a way to prevent such abuse. Dave Kleidermacher, Android’s VP of security and privacy, told The Verge that Google will apply rate limiting and throttling to reduce how often the location of a device is updated. This will help lost items to be found, while mitigating the risk of real-time tracking.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-205354" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/How-I-used-Find-My-Device-to-track-a-stolen-phone.jpg" alt="How I used Find My Device to track a stolen phone" width="616" height="372" /></p> <p>On a side note, I was able to use Google's Find My Device network (the old implementation) in January to track my mother's phone and handbag, which had been stolen on a train. I rang the phone remotely from home, and my family, along with the help of the local police, used the sound to locate the bag and recover it.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-205356" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/I-used-Find-My-Device-to-track-a-stolen-phone.jpg" alt="I used Find My Device to track a stolen phone" width="1200" height="723" /></p> <p>The thief had stolen some cash and ditched the bag, but I think recovering the phone and the data on it was more important. Hopefully, the new Find My Device network will be even better, that is, if it is made available to the rest of the world.</p> <p>To use it, make sure that you have installed the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.adm" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Find My Device app</a> on your phone. You can log on to https://www.google.com/android/find/ to find your device. Here's a <a href="https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/6160491#zippy=%2Cuse-the-find-my-device-app" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">help article</a> on Google's website that has more information about using the service.</p> <p>Have you used Find My Device to track a lost phone?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/09/google-announces-improved-find-my-device-network-for-android-devices/" data-wpel-link="internal">Google announces improved Find My Device network for Android devices</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

16. New sneaky Windows driver UCPD stops non-Microsoft software from setting defaults

    2024-04-08 05:40:18 UTC

    Microsoft has integrated the driver userChoice Protection Driver, short UCPD, into Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems recently. This driver has just one purpose: to block access to UserChoice Registry keys. These […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post New sneaky Windows driver UCPD stops non-Microsoft software from setting defaults appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Microsoft has integrated the driver userChoice Protection Driver, short UCPD, into Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems recently. This driver has just one purpose: to block access to UserChoice Registry keys.</p> <p>These Registry keys define the default programs on the system. There are keys for the default web browser, PDF Viewer, or image editor. Keys exist for file extensions and protocols as well.</p> <p>Microsoft introduced a new convoluted way of <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2021/10/27/how-to-change-default-programs-on-windows-11/" data-wpel-link="internal">changing default apps and file extension associations in Windows 11</a> for users. You can check out our guide on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/03/23/how-to-set-default-apps-in-windows-11/" data-wpel-link="internal">setting default apps on Windows 11 here</a>.</p> <p>Up until recently, programs could make changes to the UserChoice Registry keys to change default parameters. A web browser could set itself as the default program for all supported file types. Provided that the user wanted this, it make things a lot easier thanks to the automated way of changing defaults.</p> <p>Specialized programs, such as <a href="https://kolbi.cz/blog/2017/10/25/setuserfta-userchoice-hash-defeated-set-file-type-associations-per-user/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">SetUserFTA</a> or <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2021/06/06/windows-10-tweaker-sophia-script-is-turned-into-an-application/" data-wpel-link="internal">Sophia Script</a>, included the functionality as well. They made it easier for home users and administrators to change defaults on Windows machines.</p> <h2>Find out if UCPD is installed</h2> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205344" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ucdp-windows-filter-driver.png" alt="UCDP Windows Filter Driver" width="1856" height="797" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ucdp-windows-filter-driver.png 1856w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ucdp-windows-filter-driver-1536x660.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1856px) 100vw, 1856px" /></p> <p>You are probably wondering if the filter driver is installed and running on your Windows system. Here is how you can determine that:</p> <ul> <li>Open Start, type cmd and select Command Prompt from the results.</li> <li>Type sc query UCPD.</li> </ul> <h2>How UCPD works</h2> <p>Gunnar Haslinger <a href="https://hitco.at/blog/windows-userchoice-protection-driver-ucpd/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">published</a> an analysis on his blog. The filter driver blocks access to certain UserChoice Registry keys by returning access denied.</p> <p>Microsoft still allows access, but only for processes that pass the following verification:</p> <ol> <li>Is the process signed by Microsoft?</li> <li>Is the process on the deny list?</li> </ol> <p>In other words: any third-party program that tries to make changes to default apps, file extension handline or protocols on Windows is blocked from doing so.</p> <p>The deny list includes Windows tools, likely to prevent third-party developers from using them as a workaround. Tools like regedit.exe, reg.exe, or powershell.exe are on the deny list.</p> <h2>Can you stop UCPD?</h2> <p>It takes two steps to put an end to UCPD.</p> <ol> <li>Set the startup type of UserChoice Protection Driver to disabled.</li> <li>Deactivate the UCPD Velocity task in the Task Scheduler.</li> </ol> <p><strong>Step 1: Change the startup type of UCPD to disabled</strong></p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205346" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/disable-ucdp.png" alt="Disable UCDP" width="1487" height="425" /></p> <p>It is necessary to block the filter driver from starting with Windows. Here is how that is done:</p> <ol> <li>Open Start, type cmd, and select run as administrator.</li> <li>Execute the following command: <strong>sc config UCPD start= disabled</strong></li> </ol> <p><strong>Step 2: Deactivate UCPD Velocity in the Task Scheduler</strong></p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205345" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ucpd-velocity.png" alt="UCDP Velocity Task" width="2560" height="1490" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ucpd-velocity.png 2560w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ucpd-velocity-1536x894.png 1536w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ucpd-velocity-2048x1192.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p> <p>The UCPD Velocity task has a single purpose: make sure that the filter driver runs. It does so after each user sign. If its validation fails, it will reset the startup type of the UCD service to system start to make sure that it starts with the system. It will furthermore start the service to make sure the filter runs on the device.</p> <p>While starting is possible at any time, disabling is not. Disabling works only if the startup type is set to disabled and the system is restarted.</p> <p>The task checks the value of FeatureV2 in HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UCPD as well. If not set to the value 2, it will set the value to it.</p> <p>Here is how you disable the task:</p> <ol> <li>Open Start.</li> <li>Type Task Scheduler.</li> <li>Select "Run as administrator" from the list of options.</li> <li>Use the sidebar to go to Task Scheduler Library &gt; Microsoft &gt; Windows &gt; AppxDeploymentClient.</li> <li>Right-click on the task and select "disable".</li> </ol> <p>You may also run this from an elevated command prompt: schtasks.exe /change /Disable /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\AppxDeploymentClient\UCPD velocity"</p> <p>A restart of the system is required to complete the process.</p> <h2>Closing Words</h2> <p>Microsoft did not announced the new filter driver on any of its sites or blogs to the best of my knowledge. It is therefore unclear why it was introduced.</p> <p>When you look at the filters functionality, you will notice that it blocks third-party programs from making changes to the defaults. Microsoft's filter makes no distinction here; legitimate programs such as web browsers are blocked, even if the user wants the changes to the defaults to be made.</p> <p>Similarly, specialized programs, such as the aforementioned SetUserFTA are also blocked. These are usually run by users and administrators to make "wanted" changes to the system.</p> <p>Clearly, Microsoft is reducing user choice and abilities with the new filter driver. Even if it is designed to protect against certain types of malicious software, it has the side effect of removing options from users. It is also clear that Microsoft is the benefactor here, as it is now more difficult to change defaults on Windows machines.</p> <p>There will be workarounds and likely a cat and mouse game between Microsoft adding workarounds to the deny list and developers finding new ways to make the changes.</p> <p>We asked Microsoft for comment on the matter, but have not heard back yet.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/08/new-sneaky-windows-driver-ucdp-stops-non-microsoft-software-from-setting-defaults/" data-wpel-link="internal">New sneaky Windows driver UCPD stops non-Microsoft software from setting defaults</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

17. Disney Plus' password-sharing crackdown begins in June

    2024-04-05 05:34:00 UTC

    Disney CEO Bob Iger has confirmed that the company will start implementing new rules to prevent users from sharing their accounts with other people. Disney Plus' password-sharing crackdown will begin in June. […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Disney Plus' password-sharing crackdown begins in June appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Disney CEO Bob Iger has confirmed that the company will start implementing new rules to prevent users from sharing their accounts with other people. Disney Plus' password-sharing crackdown will begin in June.</p> <p>This is not a surprise move, the company has been <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/09/28/disneys-password-sharing-crackdown-begins/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">planning this</a> since last year. Disney Plus subscribers in Canada were the first to be impacted by the change, which was announced in November. Earlier in January this year, Disney Plus users in the U.S. were also informed about some changes to its terms of service. This included rules about not sharing log-in credentials with other users outside their households. While the change initially applied to new users, the rules came into effect in March for all users.</p> <h3><strong>Disney Plus' password-sharing crackdown will start in June</strong></h3> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/4/24121189/disney-plus-paid-password-sharing-crackdown-june" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">The Verge</a> reports that Hugh Johnston, Disney’s chief financial officer, had revealed during an earnings call in February that users who were sharing an account would be asked to sign up for their own subscription. He had also mentioned that subscribers would have an option to add other members for an additional fee.</p> <p>And now, more information has surfaced about Disney Plus' password-sharing restrictions. Iger told <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/04/cnbc-exclusive-cnbc-transcript-disney-ceo-bob-iger-speaks-with-cnbcs-david-faber-on-squawk-on-the-street-today.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">CNBC</a> in an interview that the initial password-sharing crackdown would begin in June 2024. It is expected to grow significantly before the full rollout for all users, which is targeted for September.</p> <h3><strong>Disney Plus Plans</strong></h3> <p>Let's take a look at Disney's streaming plans. Disney Plus has two primary plans. The cheapest one is called Disney+ Basic, it is an ad-supported subscription that costs $7.99 per month. The other plan, Disney+ Premium costs $13.99/month, and offers an ad-free experience, along with unlimited downloads on up to 10 devices.</p> <p>Disney recently started offering Hulu in its Bundle Plans to attract more users to the service. The Disney Bundle Duo Basic plan with ads is available for $9.99 per month, while the ad-free Disney Bundle Duo Premium costs $19.99/month. Sports fans have another option, which is the Disney Bundle Trio Basic bundle that costs $14.99/month, and includes ESPN+ along with Disney+ and Hulu, with advertisements. Users will need to shell out $24.99/month to get rid of ads in the Disney Bundle Trio Premium bundle.</p> <p>Streaming services have become costlier over the past year or so, with multiple price hikes. The emergence of ads in services is also quite problematic. Netflix was the first streaming service to crackdown on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/05/24/netflix-password-sharing-in-the-united-states-extra-member-slot-costs-more-than-the-cheapest-plan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">password sharing</a> among its users. While the move was expected by analysts to backfire, to everyone's surprise it proved to be remarkably successful. As of January 2024, Netflix's ad-supported plan has amassed over 23 Million Monthly Users. Is it really surprising that Disney wants a taste of that success? It's not good for consumer's wallets, but was probably an inevitable change from a business' perspective. Iger acknowledged that Netflix was the gold standard in streaming, and that Disney's position of No.2 was not really a problem.</p> <p>I think it is safe to expect Disney to offer an extra member fee similar to what Netflix does, which costs $7.99 per month for the Standard and Premium plans, while keeping the Disney+ Basic plan's price the same to ask users to sign up for their own account.</p> <p>Do you use Disney+?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/05/disney-plus-password-sharing-crackdown-begins-in-june/" data-wpel-link="internal">Disney Plus&#039; password-sharing crackdown begins in June</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

18. Google considers charging you extra for AI-powered Google Search features

    2024-04-05 05:31:58 UTC

    A report by the Financial Times (via Neowin) suggests that Google is considering charging search users for use of AI-powered search features. The push towards an AI powered future has reached search […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Google considers charging you extra for AI-powered Google Search features appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>A report by the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/2f4bfeb4-6579-4819-9f5f-b3a46ff59ed1" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Financial Times</a> (via <a href="https://www.neowin.net/news/google-considers-charging-for-ai-powered-search/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Neowin</a>) suggests that Google is considering charging search users for use of AI-powered search features.</p> <p>The push towards an AI powered future has reached search engines. Microsoft and Google, arguably the two companies that own the world's largest search engines, have both added AI functionality to their search engines.</p> <p>Microsoft has taken the lead, as several AI search features are already integrated into Bing, Microsoft's search engine. Google rolled out several experiments and options for users to use.</p> <p>Now, it appears that Google is considering changing the very fundamentals of its search offering. Up until now, users of Google search paid with their data when they use the search engine. The core experience is financed by advertisement, which Google pushed more and more into its search engine.</p> <p>While Google won't touch free search, it is considering charging users for access to certain search features. Some AI-powered search features are in testing already, courtesy of <a href="https://labs.google.com/search/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Google Search Labs</a>.</p> <p>The feature, which is limited to certain regions at the time, allows users to enable add-ons for search. Common examples include getting code tips, summaries, or additional information while browsing webpages.</p> <p>According to the Financial Time's report, Google considers adding search-related AI features to "its premium subscription services".</p> <p>In other words: Google Search remains free for users. Those who do not need AI-powered features can continue to use it without paying Google a subscription fee. They continue to pay with their data.</p> <p>Those who want access to AI-powered search features would need to pay Google a subscription fee to do so. In addition, they would still pay with their data, as advertisement continues to be shown to them.</p> <h2>Google Search shift</h2> <p>The introduction of a paid add-on for Google Search marks a fundamental shift. Google never charged for Search, its core business. Google Search &amp; other contributed more than 50% to Google's earnings in 2023 and the preceding years.</p> <p>In the last quarter, Google Search &amp; other brought in $48 billion of Google's total revenue of $86 billion. To put this into perspective, YouTube, second in revenue, contributed $9 billion in that quarter. Google Search is Google's main revenue driver.</p> <p>The change would not impact search revenue, but it could propel it to new heights.</p> <h2>Why Google is considering charging for AI-powered Search features</h2> <p>The Financial Times report suggests that the main reason is computing costs. AI computations are expensive; they consume more resources and Google is looking into options to reduce costs or increase revenue.</p> <p>Since the cost of AI computations won't go down anytime soon, Google considers charging for access to AI in search to counter increased operating costs.</p> <p><strong>Closing Words</strong></p> <p>Google has yet to decide whether to go forward with the plans or abandon them. It is unclear how Google would charge customers. It recently introduced a new tier to Google One, which gives customers access to its Gemini AI. Gemini is also available in the core Google products Gmail and Docs.</p> <p>It would be a natural extension to link AI-powered search features to the very same subscription. Existing users would gain access to it automatically, and new users could subscribe to unlock these and other AI-powered tools.</p> <p>The AI Premium plan is <a href="https://one.google.com/about/plans?g1_landing_page=0" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">available</a> for €21.99 per month currently. It includes access to Gemini Advanced, Gemini in Gmail, Docs, and other products, 2 TB of storage, and access to other Google One benefits.</p> <p><em>Is AI going to improve search? Would you pay for AI tools, and if you would, which tools would you like to have access to?</em></p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/05/google-considers-charging-you-extra-for-ai-powered-google-search-features/" data-wpel-link="internal">Google considers charging you extra for AI-powered Google Search features</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

19. Another Google Chrome 0-day vulnerability fixed: update asap

    2024-04-04 05:21:16 UTC

    Google released a security update for its Chrome web browser to address another 0-day security vulnerability. This is the second 0-day vulnerability that Google fixed in Chrome in recent time and the […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Another Google Chrome 0-day vulnerability fixed: update asap appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Google released a security update for its Chrome web browser to address another 0-day security vulnerability. This is the second 0-day vulnerability that Google fixed in Chrome in recent time and the third security update since the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/20/google-chrome-123-launches-with-security-fixes-and-google-update-changes-on-windows/" data-wpel-link="internal">release of Chrome 123</a> on March 20, 2024.</p> <p>Chrome users may want to update the browser immediately to protect it against potential attacks.</p> <p>Load chrome://settings/help on the desktop to find out if Chrome is up to date. Chrome is up to date if you see one of the following versions: 123.0.6312.105, 123.0.6312.106, or 123.0.6312.107.</p> <p>The browser should pick up the newest security update if an older version is installed. Note that this works only on desktop systems. Chrome for Android updates are managed by Google Play.</p> <h2>0-day JavaScript vulnerability</h2> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205337" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/chrome-security-update.png" alt="Chrome Security Update" width="1460" height="775" /></p> <p>The vulnerability was <a href="https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/blog/2024/3/21/pwn2own-vancouver-2024-day-two-results" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">shown</a> to the public during the Pwn2Own hacking contest in March 2024 for the first time. Demoed by security researchers Edouard Bochin and Tao Yan, the researchers managed to exploit Chrome and also Microsoft Edge during the competition using the exploit.</p> <p>This earned them $42500 in price money during the competition. According to the official announcement, the exploit used an out of bounds read "plus a novel technique" to defeat V8 hardening and execute arbitrary code in the renderer.</p> <p>Other Chromium-based web browsers are also affected by the issue, as it affects a shared component. Some of the browsers may have been updated already as a reaction to the reported security issue.</p> <p><strong>Closing Words</strong></p> <p>The Pwn2Own competition is notorious for finding and exploiting vulnerabilities in all kinds of products. Browsers have been a high priority target ever since the hacking competition opened its doors.</p> <p>Browsers are a lucrative target as successful exploits open up lots of opportunities. This ranges from data extractions and manipulations of content in browsers to cookie or password stealing.</p> <p><a href="https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/124.0.1/releasenotes/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Mozilla</a> and <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/29/microsoft-edge-fixes-0-day-vulnerability-confirms-all-chromium-based-browsers-vulnerable/" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft</a> addressed 0-day vulnerabilities in Firefox and Edge as well, as the browsers were also exploited during the competition.</p> <p>Google announced a new project this week in an attempt to <a href="https://chipp.in/security-privacy/cookie-stealing-may-soon-be-a-thing-of-the-past/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">prevent cookie stealing</a>. The company hopes that this project will become a new web standard. At its core, it is binding cookies to the system they were created on.</p> <p><em>Do you keep your browsers up to date?</em></p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/04/another-google-chrome-0-day-vulnerability-fixed-update-asap/" data-wpel-link="internal">Another Google Chrome 0-day vulnerability fixed: update asap</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

20. Microsoft reveals Windows 10 ESU pricing: starts at $61

    2024-04-03 04:39:08 UTC

    Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system is nearing the end of its life. Come October 2025, support for the operating system ends officially. Microsoft announced that it is going to offer ESU, Extended […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Microsoft reveals Windows 10 ESU pricing: starts at $61 appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system is nearing the end of its life. Come October 2025, support for the operating system ends officially. Microsoft announced that it is going to offer ESU, Extended Security Updates, for at least three years.</p> <p>This means that organizations and also home users may extend the life of their systems by three years. ESU requires a subscription, and Microsoft has just revealed information about that subscription. Some information is still missing though.</p> <p><a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2018/09/06/extended-security-updates-for-windows-7-and-longer-windows-10-servicing/" data-wpel-link="internal">Extended Security Updates were introduced</a> for Windows 7 when the operating system neared its end of life. Microsoft offered the service to organizations only at the time. <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2019/02/06/would-you-pay-microsoft-for-continued-windows-7-support/" data-wpel-link="internal">Organizations paid</a> $50 in the first year, $100 in the second, and $200 in the third to receive these updates. Some clever folks discovered ways to <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2019/12/07/someone-found-a-way-to-bypass-windows-7-extended-security-updates-checks/" data-wpel-link="internal">get these updates</a> on their home machines.</p> <p>The popularity of Windows 7 forced Microsoft's hand. Windows 8, not nearly as popular as Windows 7, died without any ESU offer from Microsoft.</p> <h2>Windows 10: ESU pricing</h2> <p>Windows 10 is equally popular. It is still the most used version of Windows, even though its successor, Windows 11, has been on the market for three years. Not all Windows 10 devices can be upgraded to Windows 11. Experts estimate that the number of incompatible Windows 10 devices is in the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/12/24/canalys-research-at-least-240-million-windows-10-pcs-cant-be-upgraded/" data-wpel-link="internal">hundreds of millions</a>.</p> <p>Microsoft announced some time ago that it would offer <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/12/05/breaking-consumers-will-be-able-to-extend-windows-10-support/" data-wpel-link="internal">Extended Security Updates for Windows 10</a>. This time, it did not exclude home users from the offer. In other words: anyone running Windows 10 can extend support by three years.</p> <p>This comes at a price, which Microsoft <a href="https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/windows-it-pro-blog/when-to-use-windows-10-extended-security-updates/ba-p/4102628#09" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">revealed</a> this week. Unfortunately, only for businesses and organizations.</p> <p>Organizations have three options to extend update support for Windows 10: 5-by-5 activation key, cloud-based activation, or Windows 365 subscription-based activation.</p> <p>For a 5-by-5 subscription key: It is available for $61 per device for the first year. This price doubles each year, meaning that organizations have to pay $122 in the second year and $244 in the third to continue receiving extended security updates.</p> <p>The second option is only available for Windows 10 PCs accessed via Windows 11 Cloud PCs. These PCs are automatically included in ESU at no additional cost to the organization.</p> <p>The third and final option is available for organizations that use Microsoft cloud-based update management solutions such as Microsoft Intune. These may get a 25% discount on ESU licensing. This drops the price in the first year to $45 per user (up to five devices). The price is still doubling each year.</p> <h2>What about home users?</h2> <p>Microsoft did not reveal any information on the ESU pricing for home users. It is still more than a year before the official end of support for the operating system. Clearly, Microsoft wants organizations and home users to upgrade to Windows 11 instead. This is the first recommendation of the article. The second is to purchase a new PC with Windows 11.</p> <p>Home users who cannot upgrade to Windows 11 officially and do not want to (or can) buy a new PC face a tough decision. ESU would give them three extra years of updates.</p> <p>Another option to extend support is to use the services of <a href="https://0patch.com/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">0Patch</a>. The third-party micro-patching business creates security patches for various Microsoft products that are no longer supported by Microsoft. It will do the same for Windows 10 once it runs out. This does require a subscription as well, but it is available for about $25 per year.</p> <h3>Closing Words</h3> <p>Extended Security updates are not cheap. A three year subscription is available for $427 ($315 for the cloud-based option). If the pricing is similar for home users, it would make the extension quite expensive.</p> <p><em>What about you? Do you run Windows 10 and plan to extend its life through ESU?</em></p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/03/microsoft-reveals-windows-10-esu-pricing-starts-at-61/" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft reveals Windows 10 ESU pricing: starts at $61</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

21. Mozilla released a Firefox Nightly test build with vertical tabs

    2024-04-02 09:18:00 UTC

    Mozilla released a Firefox Nightly test build recently that includes support for vertical tabs. This new functionality is not available in regular Firefox Nightly builds, but there is a way to get […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Mozilla released a Firefox Nightly test build with vertical tabs appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Mozilla released a Firefox Nightly test build recently that includes support for vertical tabs. This new functionality is not available in regular Firefox Nightly builds, but there is a way to get that build and test it for yourself.</p> <p>Native vertical tabs support is a highly requested feature. It is placed third currently on Mozilla's Connect website, just behind native tab grouping, and the restoration of PWA support in Firefox.</p> <p>Vertical tabs move tabs from a horizontal bar at the top of the browser to the side. It enables better drag &amp; drop support, sorting, hierarchical views, and better use of space on widescreen monitors or sites that limit their width.</p> <p>Firefox would not be the first browser to support vertical tabs. Several browsers, including <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2020/10/29/vertical-tabs-are-now-available-to-all-microsoft-edge-canary-and-dev-users/" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft Edge</a>, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/06/01/brave-browser-1-52-adds-vertical-tabs-support/" data-wpel-link="internal">Brave</a>, or <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/06/08/vivaldi-web-browser-review/" data-wpel-link="internal">Vivaldi</a>, support vertical tabs already (with Vivaldi taking the cake when it comes to customization options).</p> <p>There has always been talk about introducing vertical tabs in Firefox. The last time <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2022/02/23/mozilla-is-looking-into-bringing-vertical-tabs-for-firefox/" data-wpel-link="internal">was in February 2022</a>, when Mozilla looked into the matter.</p> <h2>Vertical tabs in Firefox Nightly</h2> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205331" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/firefox-nightly-vertical-tabs.png" alt="Firefox Vertical Tabs" width="2175" height="1239" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/firefox-nightly-vertical-tabs.png 2175w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/firefox-nightly-vertical-tabs-1536x875.png 1536w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/firefox-nightly-vertical-tabs-2048x1167.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2175px) 100vw, 2175px" /></p> <p>The test build shows the horizontal tab bar and the sidebar at the same time by default. A click on the new "hide tab strip" button hides the horizontal tab bar so that only the vertical sidebar remains.</p> <p>It shows icons only by default in its collapsed state. A click on the expand icon displays labels next to the icons. A lot is going on here, as Mozilla put open tabs next to other actions and options in the sidebar.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205332" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/firefox-nightly-vertical-tabs-expanded.png" alt="Firefox Vertical Tabs expanded" width="2175" height="1239" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/firefox-nightly-vertical-tabs-expanded.png 2175w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/firefox-nightly-vertical-tabs-expanded-1536x875.png 1536w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/firefox-nightly-vertical-tabs-expanded-2048x1167.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2175px) 100vw, 2175px" /></p> <p>The first two options are AI integrations, the third a link to the Side View extensions. This adds a mobile view of a webpage to the sidebar, similarly to how Vivaldi handles this natively. There is also an option to add a new shortcut. This pins the active page to the position on the sidebar.</p> <p>Open webpages are listed in the next section. You can switch between open tabs, right-click on tabs to display the full tabs menu, or open new tabs with a click on the button.</p> <p>A third section with additional links is attached to the bottom of the sidebar. Many items cannot be modified or removed at this point. It is okay for a test build, considering that Mozilla's main focus was probably the core implementation and not customization options.</p> <p>Some keyboard shortcuts work. You can press Ctrl-T to open a new tab or Ctrl-W to close the active tab. Ctrl-R reloads the active page.</p> <p>The implementation needs polishing, but that is to be expected at this stage. It worked really well during tests. If you want to test it yourself, <a href="https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/nightly/latest-larch/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">head over</a> to the Mozilla FTP site and download the version to your system.</p> <h2>Still unclear if Mozilla is going forward</h2> <p>Bad news is that it is not clear at this point whether Mozilla is going to go forward with the implementation. A <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/1bpywre/firefox_nightly_w_vertical_tabs_build/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">post</a> on Reddit by one of the project members suggests that the build is a "rough proof-of-concept". Some features tested in the build "did not survive". It is unclear which did not, as they are not mentioned.</p> <p>Mozilla is, however, implementing those that survived the cut into Firefox. Again, the poster does not mention which those are. It is also not verified that the poster is actually a member of the project team, so take this with a grain of salt as well.</p> <p><strong>Closing Words</strong></p> <p>Is Firefox going to get vertical tabs support in the near future? It is possible, but expect tab groups to make an appearance in stable Firefox first before that is potentially going to happen. Still, it is good to see that Mozilla is finally adding requested features to the browser.</p> <p><em>How do you like your tabs? Vertical or horizontal?</em></p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/02/mozilla-released-a-firefox-nightly-test-build-with-vertical-tabs/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mozilla released a Firefox Nightly test build with vertical tabs</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

22. ChatGPT no longer requires an account to use, but there are some limitations

    2024-04-02 08:08:51 UTC

    OpenAI has announced a major change to its AI-based chat service. ChatGPT is now available for use without signing up for an account. Technically, this isn't the first AI-powered service to go […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post ChatGPT no longer requires an account to use, but there are some limitations appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>OpenAI has announced a major change to its AI-based chat service. ChatGPT is now available for use without signing up for an account.</p> <p>Technically, this isn't the first AI-powered service to go down this route, Microsoft made <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/05/17/microsoft-is-rolling-out-anonymous-bing-chat-access/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Copilot</a> (formerly Bing Chat) free for all users without an account in May 2023.</p> <p><a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/09/21/openai-introduces-chatgpt-integrated-dall-e-3/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">ChatGPT</a> debuted in late 2022, has amassed 100 Million users in over 185 Countries. It's not surprising that the service is now available without an account, as the move will likely attract more people to try the bot, which in turn will help the company to train its AI models based on the data from the conversations.</p> <h3><strong>You can now use ChatGPT without signing up for an account</strong></h3> <p>The login experience is still there, it has been made optional. While creating an account is free, you will need to provide your email address to sign up for the service. In addition to this, you will also have to give your phone number, which is used to verify your account. These requirements may be annoying for those who value their privacy, so it is good that we can now use ChatGPT without an account.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-205328" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ChatGPT-no-longer-requires-an-account-to-use.jpg" alt="ChatGPT no longer requires an account to use" width="1200" height="615" /></p> <p>Speaking of privacy, it is not a complete incognito experience, because OpenAI says that ChatGPT will use the data from your chats to improve its models for everyone. But, don't worry, there is an official way to disable this data collection.</p> <h3><strong>How to opt out of ChatGPT using your data to train its AI?</strong></h3> <p>Just click on the question mark button in the bottom right corner of the web page, and select Settings. Toggle the option that says "Improve the model for everyone". That's it, you have opted out of training ChatGPT.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-205327" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/How-to-opt-out-of-ChatGPT-using-your-data-to-train-its-AI.jpg" alt="How to opt out of ChatGPT using your data to train its AI" width="705" height="307" /></p> <p>Ready to try ChatGPT without signing up? All you need to do is visit https://chat.openai.com/ and start chatting with the bot. You can create an account for free at any time and gain access to the additional features that it provides. The experience uses the GPT-3 model.</p> <h3><strong>What are the limitations of using ChatGPT without an account?</strong></h3> <p>You will not be able to save your chats without logging in to your account, which means you cannot view your chat history either. The accountless experience also lacks an option to share chats with other users. It cannot generate images either. You are limited to text-based interactions, i.e. you cannot have voice conversations with the AI, or use custom instructions in your queries to generate replies. Signing up for an account removes these restrictions. If you need additional features, you may want to take a look at <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/02/02/chatgpt-plus-subscription-is-now-available/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">ChatGPT Plus</a>.</p> <p>OpenAI's <a href="https://openai.com/blog/start-using-chatgpt-instantly" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">announcement</a> also mentions that there are some additional content safeguards for the accountless experience, to block prompts and generations in a wider range of categories. According to a statement sent by an OpenAI spokesperson to <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/01/chatgpt-no-longer-requires-an-account-but-theres-a-catch/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">TechCrunch</a>, these restrictions are in place to prevent generation of inappropriate or harmful content. That doesn't really clarify as to what qualifies as harmful content, and TechCrunch speculates that even OpenAI may not know how people may use the free service.</p> <p>I was able to use ChatGPT without an account already, but the new experience is being rolled out gradually, so it may take a while for it to become available to you.</p> <p>Now that you don't have to sign up for using it, will you use ChatGPT?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/02/chatgpt-no-longer-requires-an-account-to-use-but-there-are-some-limitations/" data-wpel-link="internal">ChatGPT no longer requires an account to use, but there are some limitations</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

23. Android on Windows: the best emulators for gaming

    2024-04-01 08:38:38 UTC

    Would you like to play your favorite Android games on your PC? Run Android apps on PC to use them even without your Android device? It is easier than you may think […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Android on Windows: the best emulators for gaming appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Would you like to <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/how-to-play-android-games-on-windows-11/" data-wpel-link="internal">play your favorite Android games on your PC</a>? Run Android apps on PC to use them even without your Android device? It is easier than you may think thanks to Android emulators.</p> <p>Microsoft recently announced the end of built-in Android emulation on Windows. The company announced the deprecation of the Windows Subsystem for Android, which offered a comfortable option to run Android games and apps on Windows.</p> <p>With it gone, users must look at other options to run Android apps and games on their devices.</p> <p><strong>The best Android emulator for gaming</strong></p> <p>Windows users have a good selection of Android emulators, especially when it comes to gaming. From Google’s official Google Play Games for PC to established emulators. Some offer extensive features and options, while others are clearly lacking in some areas.</p> <h3><a href="https://www.bluestacks.com" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer"><strong>BlueStacks</strong></a></h3> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205320" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/bluestacks-interface-scaled.jpg" alt="Bluestacks interface" width="1200" height="892" /></p> <p><strong>Minimum System Requirements:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Operating System: Windows 7 and newer</li> <li>RAM: 4 GB</li> <li>Hard Drive: 5 GB</li> <li>Processor: Intel or AMD</li> <li>Other: Windows admin account</li> </ul> <p>BlueStacks is an Android emulator for Windows PCs. It offers a real emulation of Android on your PC.</p> <p>You can log in to Google Play with a Google account to install Google Play games. Google Play support gives you access to all games of the marketplace.</p> <p>You also have access to games in the BlueStacks Store. You find a number of exclusive games here. All games are free and some include free access access to paid content.</p> <p>In addition to these options, BlueStacks also offers to install local Android files in APK format. The last two options do not require a Google account.</p> <p>After installation, it is not the emulator that opens, but the BlueStacks user interface. It provides access to the BlueStacks Store, Google Play games, a marketplace with offers and your installed games.</p> <p>The emulator is loaded from here, for example when you start a game from your library or install a new game.</p> <p><strong>Tip: </strong>Advertising is automatically displayed on the side. However, you can deactivate this in the settings.</p> <p>Games are played with a mouse and keyboard, or with gamepads such as a PS4, PS5 or Xbox One controller. The emulator supports a resolution of up to Full HD.</p> <p>BlueStacks supports a variety of options that can improve your gaming experience. For example, you can activate the shooting mode in shooters by pressing F1 to aim with your mouse.</p> <p>You can also customize the game controls, create macros for recurring tasks to automate them, or activate real-time translation to translate games into other languages. If you want to play several games at the same time, you can also do this.</p> <p><strong>Pro:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Access all Google Play content, some exclusive content, and local Android files</li> <li>Comfortable features such as macros, control customizations, real-time translations, or multi-instances supported.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Cons: </strong></p> <ul> <li>A bit on the heavy side.</li> <li>Supports up to Full HD.</li> </ul> <h3><a href="https://play.google.com/googleplaygames" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Google Play Games</a></h3> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205322" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/google-play-games-windows-android-games-scaled.jpg" alt="Google Play Games Windows" width="1200" height="675" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/google-play-games-windows-android-games-scaled.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/google-play-games-windows-android-games-1536x864.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <h3><strong style="font-size: 16px;">Minimum System Requirements</strong></h3> <ul> <li>Operating System: Windows 10 and newer</li> <li>RAM: 8 GB</li> <li>Hard Drive: 10 GB Solid State Drive</li> <li>Graphics: Intel UHD 630 or better</li> <li>Processor: 4 cores</li> <li>Other: Windows admin account and hardware virtualization</li> </ul> <p>Google Play Games on PC allows you to play a number of popular games for Android on your Windows PC. The number of games is manageable. In October 2023, the 3000 games mark was broken.</p> <p>Popular Android games such as Clash of Clans, Fallout Shelter, or Angry Birds 2 are available. However, you won't find a single game from the current Android games top 10 here. You can view the list of games <a href="https://play.google.com/googleplaygames/exploregames" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">here</a>.</p> <p>Google Play Games on PC is currently available as a beta for Windows PCs. The installation checks your PC's settings and informs you of any changes you need to make.</p> <p>A Google account is mandatory. We like the fact that your progress in some of the games is synchronized between all platforms. If you have a smartphone or tablet with Android, you can continue playing at any time.</p> <p>One advantage of Google Play games on the PC is that you can also play with a mouse and keyboard. Controllers have been supported since the October 2023 update.</p> <p>Optimized games also start in full-screen mode, which further improves convenience. According to Google, resolutions up to 4K are now supported.</p> <p><strong>Beware</strong>: games can contain advertising and in-game purchases. In the case of advertising, games may be advertised that you cannot play on your PC.</p> <p>Pro:</p> <ul> <li>Part of the games are optimized for PC.</li> <li>Synchronization between PC and Android devices.</li> <li>Supports mouse, keyboard, and controllers.</li> <li>Up to 4K support.</li> </ul> <p>Con:</p> <ul> <li>Not that many games. Many popular titles missing.</li> <li>No support for local Android games.</li> </ul> <h3><a href="https://en.ldplayer.net/?from=en" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer"><strong>LDPlayer</strong></a></h3> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205321" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ldplayer-scaled.jpg" alt="LDPlayer" width="1200" height="683" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ldplayer-scaled.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ldplayer-1536x875.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p><strong>Minimum system requirements:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Processor: Intel or AMD processor.</li> <li>Operating System: Windows XP or newer.</li> <li>RAM: 2 GB</li> <li>Hard Drive: 36 GB</li> <li>Other: hardware virtualization enabled.</li> </ul> <p>LDPlayer is a popular choice when it comes to emulating Android on Windows devices. Note that LDPlayer includes advertisement. You may purchase a premium subscription to get rid of it.</p> <p><strong>Attention</strong>: The installer included an optional offer to install McAfee WebAdvisor. Make sure you decline the installation.</p> <p>Installation is straightforward otherwise. The interface loads quickly, and you see a list of game suggestions on start. A Google account is required to install games here. The player does support installing Android APK files, which is a great alternative for users who prefer not to sign in using their Google account.</p> <p>The player is not as cumbersome as some of the others, but much of it depends on the system you run the emulator on.</p> <p>LDPlayer comes with an impressive list of extra features. These include recording games, the ability to run multiple instances, or support for mapping the keyboard.</p> <p>Pro:</p> <ul> <li>Good performance.</li> <li>Install apps and games locally and via Google Play.</li> <li>Supports mouse, keyboard, and controller input.</li> <li>Plenty of configuration options to tune the emulator.</li> </ul> <p>Cons:</p> <ul> <li>Installer includes adware.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Closing Words</strong></p> <p>Windows users have plenty of options when it comes to playing Android games on PC. All three of the emulators mentioned above worked well during tests. If you have a fairly modern machine, you may want to try BlueStacks first. If your machine is older, LDPlayer may be your first pick.</p> <p>Google Play Games suffers from weak game support. This may change in the future, but for now, it is only an option if you want to play a game that it supports.</p> <p>You can check out this <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/7-best-android-emulators-for-windows-11/" data-wpel-link="internal">list of 7 Android emulators for Windows 11</a> for additional suggestions.</p> <p><em>Do you prefer another Android emulator or have something to add? Let us know in the comments below.</em></p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/01/android-on-windows-the-best-emulator-for-gaming/" data-wpel-link="internal">Android on Windows: the best emulators for gaming</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

24. Microsoft Edge fixes 0-day vulnerability: confirms all Chromium-based browsers vulnerable

    2024-03-29 09:31:24 UTC

    Microsoft released a security update for its Edge web browser that address several security issues, including one that is exploited in the wild. Google released security updates for its Chrome web browser […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Microsoft Edge fixes 0-day vulnerability: confirms all Chromium-based browsers vulnerable appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Microsoft released a security update for its Edge web browser that address several security issues, including one that is exploited in the wild.</p> <p>Google released security updates for its Chrome web browser on March 26, 2024. The official release announcement on the Chrome Releases Blog <a href="https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2024/03/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_26.html" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">did not reveal</a> that Google was aware that one of the issues was exploited in the wild.</p> <p>The critical security issue CVE-2024-2883 -- Use after free in ANGLE -- was fixed in Chrome Stable and Chrome Extended Stable on March 26, 2024.</p> <p>Microsoft pulled an earlier release of Microsoft Edge 123. The company has now released 123.0.2420.65, which addresses eight unique security issues in the browser.</p> <p>One of them is CVE-2024-2883, which affects all Chromium-based browsers. The official CVE page on Microsoft's website <a href="https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2024-2883" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">reveals</a> that the issue is already attacked in the wild.</p> <p>Microsoft writes: "Google is aware that an exploit for CVE-2024-2883 exists in the wild."</p> <p>The Microsoft Edge release notes page confirms this as well: "This update to Stable channel contains a fix for CVE-2024-2883, which has been reported by the Chromium team as having an exploit in the wild."</p> <p>This confirms that all Chromium-based browsers, including Google Chrome, are affected by the issue. ANGLE or the ANGLE Project, stands for Almost Native Graphics Layer Engine.</p> <p>Google announced ANGLE in 2010 and described its goal in the following way: "The goal of ANGLE is to layer WebGL's subset of the OpenGL ES 2.0 API over DirectX 9.0c API calls. [..] it will enable browsers like Google Chrome to run WebGL content on Windows computers without having to rely on OpenGL drivers."</p> <h2>Update immediately</h2> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205313" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/microsoft-edge-123-critical-update.png" alt="Microsoft Edge 123 critical security update" width="1484" height="708" /></p> <p>Chromium-based browser users may want to update the browser immediately, provided that an update is available.</p> <p>Most may load chrome://settings/help in the browser's address bar to open the about page. The "chrome" protocol is usually redirected to the browser's specific protocol. This is edge:// for Microsoft Edge, or vivaldi:// for Vivaldi.</p> <p>It lists the current version that is installed on the system. The browser checks for updates when the page is opened. Any update that is found is downloaded and installed at this point. Note that you need to restart the browser to complete the installation of the update.</p> <p>Microsoft Edge should list version 123.0.2420.65 after installation of the update.</p> <p>Load the page in any Chromium-based browser installed to make sure that it is up to date. Not all browser makers may push out updates immediately. If that is the case, check back at a later point in time.</p> <p><strong>Closing Words</strong></p> <p><a href="https://chipp.in/security-privacy/firefox-124-0-1-fixes-two-critical-security-issues/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Mozilla patched two 0-day vulnerabilities in its Firefox web browser</a> as well this week. The patch was released days after the release of <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/19/firefox-124-0-launches-with-new-features-and-security-fixes/" data-wpel-link="internal">Firefox 124.0</a>.</p> <p>It is important to keep an eye on browser updates that companies release. This allows you to react quickly to major issues that could potentially put your data and systems at risk.</p> <p><strong>Now You:</strong> when do you update your browsers?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/29/microsoft-edge-fixes-0-day-vulnerability-confirms-all-chromium-based-browsers-vulnerable/" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft Edge fixes 0-day vulnerability: confirms all Chromium-based browsers vulnerable</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

25. Intel: Microsoft AI PCs need a Copilot Key

    2024-03-28 05:43:34 UTC

    Microsoft hopes that 2024 will be the year that so-called AI PCs will take off. Tidbits and rumors about this new breed of PCs are found everywhere, but Microsoft itself has been […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Intel: Microsoft AI PCs need a Copilot Key appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Microsoft hopes that 2024 will be the year that <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/12/30/microsofts-surface-laptop-6-and-pro-10-devices-could-be-its-first-ai-pcs/" data-wpel-link="internal">so-called AI PCs</a> will take off. Tidbits and rumors about this new breed of PCs are found everywhere, but Microsoft itself has been tight lipped when it comes to requirements.</p> <p>Intel has now published Microsoft's requirements for an AI PC. It was clear from the start that AI PCs require a neural processing unit (NPU) and modern CPU and GPU silicon. Intel says that for a PC to be called AI PC, it needs to meet two additional requirements: it needs Copilot and also the Copilot key.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205310" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Intel-AI-PCs-requirements.jpg" alt="Intel AI PCs requirements" width="1200" height="674" /></p> <p>While it was clear that Copilot plays a role on AI PCs, as it is makes the core of Microsoft's artificial intelligence strategy, it may come as a surprise that the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/01/04/your-next-pc-may-have-a-windows-copilot-key-on-the-keyboard/" data-wpel-link="internal">dedicated Copilot key</a> on the keyboard is also a requirement.</p> <p>Microsoft announced the Copilot key in early 2024. It is a dedicated key on the keyboard that activates Copilot functionality when used. The key's full functionality is unknown at this point, but it seems likely that it is going to bring Copilot's interface to the front when activated. The introduction of the key is the first major change to Windows keyboards in almost 30 years. The last addition was the Windows key.</p> <p>Back then, Microsoft said that the Copilot key was optional. That manufacturers could select a position for it on the keyboard or skip it altogether. Now, it appears, that AI PCs at the least require this key, at least according to Intel.</p> <p>These requirements mean that some laptops and PCs cannot be called AI PCs even though they come with a dedicated NPU and Intel's latest Core Ultra silicon. One example of such a laptop is <a href="https://rog.asus.com/laptops/rog-zephyrus/rog-zephyrus-g16-2024/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">ASUS' new ROG Zephyrus</a>, which has a dedicated NPU but no Copilot key on the keyboard.</p> <p>It is unclear at this point whether non-AI PCs will be at a disadvantage when Microsoft launches the next version of Windows 11. It is expected to turn regular Windows 11 systems into AI PCs. How much of that is marketing remains to be seen. It is possible that manufacturers may not advertise their products as AI PCs, if they lack one of the requirements. Functionality-wise, it is possible that Windows provides full AI functionality if the PC has a NPU and modern silicon.</p> <p>The NPU requirement could hint at local processing. Currently, all interactions with Copilot require an Internet connection. User data, e.g., the text that you type, is submitted to Microsoft servers. It is processed there and then returned. That's costly and also bad for performance, as it may take a couple of seconds before replies appear on the user's screen. Local processing could finally make the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/02/21/windows-11-copilot-is-gaining-more-windows-management-options-with-a-catch/" data-wpel-link="internal">Windows-specific Copilot options useful</a>, as they would speed up these significantly.</p> <p>Most manufacturers will likely jump on the AI PC bandwagon eventually. This means that most PCs that will be released will have the dedicated Copilot key on the keyboard.</p> <p>Microsoft pushed a <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/25/microsoft-copilot-app-getting-installed-on-windows-devices/" data-wpel-link="internal">dedicated Copilot app</a> recently on Windows devices. The purpose of the app is unclear, as it is a placeholder app for the moment.</p> <p><strong>Now You:</strong> have you tried Copilot? What's your take on it? (via <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/26/24112500/microsoft-ai-pc-intel-windows-copilot-key-requirements" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">The Verge</a>)</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/28/intel-microsoft-ai-pcs-need-a-copilot-key/" data-wpel-link="internal">Intel: Microsoft AI PCs need a Copilot Key</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

26. Apple releases macOS 14.4.1 Sonoma update to fix USB Hub and Java issues

    2024-03-27 13:37:51 UTC

    Apple has released the macOS 14.4.1 Sonoma update. It fixes some problems that users were facing with USB Hubs, and Java apps. Apple fixes USB Hub and Java issues in macOS 14.4.1 […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Apple releases macOS 14.4.1 Sonoma update to fix USB Hub and Java issues appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Apple has released the macOS 14.4.1 Sonoma update. It fixes some problems that users were facing with USB Hubs, and Java apps.</p> <h3><strong>Apple fixes USB Hub and Java issues in macOS 14.4.1</strong></h3> <p>The changelog for the update is rather compact, and does not come with any new features, that's not surprising as it is a minor version bump, but it contains some very important fixes. When <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/08/apple-releases-macos-sonoma-14-4-update-with-over-50-security-fixes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">macOS 14.4</a> was released earlier this month, it surprised many users, as it had shipped with over 50 security fixes. However, it also introduced a few problems of its own. Several users had claimed that the update had caused their USB Hubs to malfunction, i.e. keep disconnecting automatically, or stop working entirely. The problem was widely reported to affect Ethernet connections, monitors, external hard drives, etc.</p> <p>Apple says that it has addressed the problem in the latest software update. The release notes mention that macOS 14.4.1 fixes a problem with external displays that are connected via USB hubs not working properly. You may want to power cycle the accessories that are plugged in to your Mac, if they are not working after installing the update.</p> <p>Users had previously reported that their Java apps were crashing after installing macOS 14.4. Apple has fixed this problem in the macOS 14.4.1 update. Now, users say that apps like JetBrain are working correctly after they updated their machine, so that is good news.</p> <p>Another major issue that had plagued users in macOS 14.4 was that it broke audio plugins, they were failing to open or validate, which meant that users could not use professional music software on their Macs. This frustrated users who had complained to the developers such as Kilohearts, MixWave, who in turn not only confirmed the problem, but also had to warn their users about Audio Unit (AU) issues in macOS 14.4, and asked them to not update to the latest version until a solution was available. Apple says that it has solved the issue with copy protected Audio Unit plugins in macOS 14.4.1, and that the music apps will now work correctly.</p> <p><strong>Security fixes in macOS 14.4.1 Sonoma</strong></p> <p>The build number for macOS 14.4.1 Sonoma is 23E224. The update for the operating system comes with patches for 2 security vulnerabilities. The first issue, which is tracked as CVE-2024-1580, is related to the CoreMedia framework that is used with audio/video devices. The second vulnerability is related to WebRTC, and is identified as CVE-2024-1580.</p> <p>Both bugs are similar in nature in that they have allowed processing an image to lead to arbitrary code execution. The exploits were patched by addressing an out-of-bounds write issue with improved input validation. Nick Galloway of Google Project Zero has been credited for discovering and reporting both vulnerabilities to Apple.</p> <p>Apple has also released macOS Ventura 13.6.6 and the update contains the same security fixes as above. Safari 17.4.1 is available via an update for macOS Monterey and macOS Ventura, with the patch for the WebRTC vulnerability. Apple released <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/06/apple-releases-ios-17-4-to-add-support-for-third-party-app-stores-in-the-eu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">iOS 17.4.</a>1 last week, and it already patched the above-mentioned security issues.</p> <p>On a sidenote, the US Government has sued Apple for monopolizing the smartphone industry, read our <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/25/us-sues-apple-in-iphone-monopoly-lawsuit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">previous coverage</a> to learn more about it.</p> <p>Are your USB Hubs and accessories working fine after the update?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/27/apple-releases-macos-14-4-1-sonoma-update-to-fix-usb-hub-and-java-issues/" data-wpel-link="internal">Apple releases macOS 14.4.1 Sonoma update to fix USB Hub and Java issues</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

27. Windows 11's Moment Update 5 is finally here: how to download

    2024-03-27 06:27:58 UTC

    Microsoft released the fifth Moment Update for Windows 11 in February 2024. This release did not reach many user systems, as Microsoft limited its availability artificially. While Microsoft did state that the […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Windows 11's Moment Update 5 is finally here: how to download appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Microsoft released the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/02/19/windows-11s-final-moment-update-has-these-new-features/" data-wpel-link="internal">fifth Moment Update</a> for Windows 11 in February 2024. This release did not reach many user systems, as Microsoft limited its availability artificially.</p> <p>While Microsoft did state that the update was available to "seekers", users who check for updates manually and enable <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/05/28/windows-11s-get-updates-as-soon-as-theyre-available-feature-explained/" data-wpel-link="internal">get the latest updates as soon as they're available</a>, it was not the case for many.</p> <p>Now is the time, however. Microsoft released <a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/march-26-2024-kb5035942-os-builds-22621-3374-and-22631-3374-preview-3ad9affc-1a91-4fcb-8f98-1fe3be91d8df" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">KB5035942</a> as an optional update for Windows 11 version 23H2. Optional updates are available for seekers. The update itself appears identical to the February 2024 release.</p> <p>You can check out the Moment Update link at the top for a detailed overview of the update and the changes that it makes.</p> <p>As far as highlights are concerned, there are not that many. EU and EEA users can finally uninstall Microsoft Edge and Bing Web Search. AI plays a role as well: <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/02/15/windows-11-microsoft-replaces-show-desktop-with-copilot-on-taskbar/" data-wpel-link="internal">Copilot's icon is now on the right side of the taskbar</a>, and the handy Snap Assist feature uses AI to suggest other programs that you may want to display when you pick a layout.</p> <p>The Widgets Board include an option to get rid of the news feed entirely, and some apps have new features. Notepad, for instance, has a new "explain with Copilot" option.</p> <h2>Getting the KB5035942 is difficult</h2> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205304" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/windows-update-standalone-installer-KB5035942.png" alt="Windows Update Install KB5035942 " width="710" height="429" /></p> <p>While KB5035942 is now available as an optional update for Windows 11, it still appears limited. I tried to download it via Windows Updates on two test systems and Windows Update did not return it on both.</p> <p>It is simply not offered. Both systems run Windows 11 version 23H2 with all other updates installed. The "get the latest updates" box was also checked on both devices.</p> <p>This leaves downloading the update manually from the Microsoft Update Catalog website to install it.</p> <p><strong>Note</strong>: KB5035942 is a preview update. Unless you really want to try some of the new features, you may also wait until the April 2024 Patch Day. The Moment Update 5 is included in the cumulative update that Microsoft releases on April 9, 2024.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205305" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/update-install-KB5035942.png" alt="update install KB5035942 " width="1093" height="748" /></p> <p>Here is how you get the Moment Update 5 right now, if you cannot get it via Windows Update:</p> <ol> <li>Open <a href="https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB5035942" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">this download page</a> on the Microsoft Update Catalog website.</li> <li>Locate the right version of the update for your system.</li> <li>Pick 2024-03 Cumulative Update Preview for Windows 11 Version 23H2 for x64-based Systems (KB5035942) if you run Windows 11 version 23H2 and do not have an ARM device.</li> <li>Activate the download button next to it.</li> <li>On the page that opens, activate the link to start the download. It has a size of over 670 megabytes.</li> <li>Double-click on the downloaded file on the local system.</li> <li>Select "Yes" when asked if you want to install the update on your device.</li> <li>The installation may take a while to complete. Select "restart now" to restart the PC right away and complete the update installation, or "close" to postpone the restart.</li> </ol> <p>The update is installed afterwards. You can check Settings &gt; Windows Update &gt; Update History to make sure it is installed on the device.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205306" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kb5035942.png" alt="kb5035942 installed" width="2462" height="1168" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kb5035942.png 2462w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kb5035942-1536x729.png 1536w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kb5035942-2048x972.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2462px) 100vw, 2462px" /></p> <h3>Closing Words</h3> <p>Most Windows 11 users may want to skip optional update installations. While this update is likely the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2022/09/28/an-analysis-of-microsofts-new-approach-to-windows-11-updates/" data-wpel-link="internal">last Moment Update</a> that Microsoft will release, it will be included in about two weeks as part of the April 2024 cumulative update for the operating system. It also needs to be noted that some features may not be unlocked even after installation of the update.</p> <p><strong>Now You</strong>: do you install optional Windows updates?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/27/windows-11s-moment-update-5-is-finally-here-how-to-download/" data-wpel-link="internal">Windows 11&#039;s Moment Update 5 is finally here: how to download</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

28. How to launch the old Task Manager in Windows 11

    2024-03-26 09:42:03 UTC

    Microsoft launched a redesign of Windows 11's Task Manager some time ago. The new task manager has a different design but also functional differences. Microsoft removed the -- rather useless -- basic […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post How to launch the old Task Manager in Windows 11 appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Microsoft launched a <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2022/08/31/windows-11-version-22h2-task-manager-changes/" data-wpel-link="internal">redesign of Windows 11's Task Manager</a> some time ago. The new task manager has a different design but also functional differences. Microsoft removed the -- rather useless -- basic mode, added dark mode support, and removed the classic menu bar.</p> <p>Regardless of the method that you use to <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/how-to-open-the-task-manager-windows-11/" data-wpel-link="internal">open the Windows Task Manager</a>, the new Task Manager opens after Windows 11 version 22H2 is installed on the device.</p> <p>If you prefer the classic Windows Task Manager, you may be surprised to hear that you can still launch it on recent versions of Windows 11. X user Albacore revealed this recently on the social messaging site.</p> <h2>How to launch the classic Task Manager in Windows 11</h2> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205295" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/windows-11-classic-task-manager.png" alt="Windows 11 Classic Task Manager" width="2098" height="789" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/windows-11-classic-task-manager.png 2098w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/windows-11-classic-task-manager-1536x578.png 1536w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/windows-11-classic-task-manager-2048x770.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2098px) 100vw, 2098px" /></p> <p>Microsoft never removed the classic Task Manager from Windows 11. It is still available. All that is required is to run the Task Manager with a special command to launch the classic one.</p> <p>Here is how you do that:</p> <ol> <li>Use the keyboard shortcut Windows-R to launch the run box.</li> <li>Type taskmgr -d and press the Enter-key.</li> </ol> <p>Windows launches the classic Task Manager. Note that the current Task Manager needs to be closed for the classic one to launch. This is the only requirement though.</p> <p>Tip: you can create a shortcut that launches the classic Task Manager.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205296" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/classic-task-manager-shortcut.png" alt="Classic Task Manager shortcut" width="1148" height="944" /></p> <p>Here is how that is done:</p> <ol> <li>Right-click on a blank spot on the desktop and select New &gt; Shortcut.</li> <li>Type taskmgr.exe -d in the location field of the Create Shortcut window.</li> <li>Select Next.</li> <li>Pick a name for the shortcut, e.g. Task Manager.</li> </ol> <p>You can now launch the classic Task Manager using the shortcut.</p> <p>The classic Task Manager features the menu bar at the top. It uses tabs instead of a sidebar for the sections. If you have used the new Task Manager, you may notice that some features are missing.</p> <p>The recently added <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2022/11/02/microsoft-is-working-on-adding-search-to-the-windows-task-manager/" data-wpel-link="internal">search functionality</a> is missing. It lacks Dark Mode support and the new keyboard shortcuts are also not supported.</p> <p><strong>Closing Words</strong></p> <p>It comes down to personal preferences. If you prefer the classic Task Manager, you may load it using the -d parameter. Add it as a shortcut on the desktop and you can launch it with a double-click on the shortcut.</p> <p>There is no guarantee that this method will work in the future. Microsoft might remove code that could prevent the launching of the classic Task Manager on Windows devices.</p> <p><strong>Now You</strong>: do you use the Windows Task Manager?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/26/how-to-launch-the-old-task-manager-in-windows-11/" data-wpel-link="internal">How to launch the old Task Manager in Windows 11</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

29. US sues Apple in iPhone monopoly lawsuit

    2024-03-25 07:58:39 UTC

    The US Government has filed an antitrust case against Apple. The lawsuit alleges that the Cupertino company has monopolized the smartphone industry. The case was jointly filed by the Justice Department, 16 […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post US sues Apple in iPhone monopoly lawsuit appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>The US Government has filed an antitrust case against Apple. The lawsuit alleges that the Cupertino company has monopolized the smartphone industry.</p> <p>The case was jointly filed by the Justice Department, 16 States, and the District of Columbia, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.</p> <p>This isn't something <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/01/03/apple-faces-tough-challenges-against-antitrust-regulators-in-the-u-s-and-eu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">out of the blue</a>, as we have <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/01/06/more-details-emerge-about-the-justice-departments-sweeping-antitrust-case-against-apple/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">previously reported</a>, the U.S. Department of Justice has been preparing an antitrust case against the Electronics giant over the past few months. It had held discussions with the company before finalizing the lawsuit.</p> <p>Apple ran into legal trouble at the end of 2023, when the U.S. International Trade Commission banned the company from importing and selling the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/12/22/apple-stops-selling-the-watch-series-9-and-ultra-2-in-the-u-s-due-to-an-import-ban/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Apple Watch Series 9</a> and Ultra 2 in the U.S. The Commission found Apple guilty of violating patents related to the SpO2 sensor (pulse oximeter), which belonged to Masimo. The ban however was short-lived, as Apple was allowed to sell the wearables once again, with a catch, it had to disable the SpO2 sensor's functionality, so you couldn't use it to measure blood oxygen levels, even though the hardware for the feature existed.</p> <p>The tech mogul's troubles were just beginning, as it had to open up the iOS ecosystem to third-party app marketplaces in the European Union region. However, the company's compliance with the Digital Markets Act has come under scrutiny due to several limitations that it has imposed for app developers, and third-party app stores.</p> <h3><strong>US Justice Department sues Apple in antitrust case</strong></h3> <p>Now, the US Govt has claimed that Apple has selectively imposed restrictions that prevent users from switching from its devices. It also says that there are limitations for the functionality of third-party apps, which gives Apple's own apps an unfair advantage over the competition. The complaint alleges that Apple has undermined messaging across operating systems by excluding its own apps from rival platforms, and that this makes it less secure and less innovative for users.<br /> This is seen as one of the reasons that the company has made it hard for users to leave iPhone, as many iOS apps are not available on Android. The lawsuit alleges that Apple is in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act, and users its monopoly power to extract high prices from consumers, developers, etc.</p> <p>The antitrust case also points out that Apple blocks cloud-streaming apps that allow users to stream apps and games. To be fair to Apple, it did open up the market recently to allow cloud-gaming platforms, so services like Xbox's Game Pass Ultimate and Nvidia's GeForce Now can be used on iPhone and iPad.</p> <p>Apple's failure to provide tap-to-pay (Apple Pay) functionality for third-party digital wallets is also being scrutinized. The lawsuit points out that Apple's restrictions also affect web browsers, video communication, location services, advertising and other services.</p> <p>Another argument made by the Justice department targets Apple's restrictions for third-party smartwatches. Apple does not allow other OEMs to access the APIs required for a watch to read/write fitness data like the Apple Watch can, third-parties have limited access to the data. This is an unfair restriction that stifles the competition.</p> <p>The company has reportedly claimed that it tried to make the Apple Watch compatible with Android phones, but failed to find a way to do so. I don't buy this argument. Apple has an Android app for Apple Music, which as you know is a subscription-based service. It shows that the company can, and will provide an app for Android devices, if there is an incentive for it. So, why didn't Apple create Android apps for Apple Watch and Health? Well, you could argue that if it had done so, Android users would buy the wearable, but they won't buy an iPhone. By keeping the Watch exclusively compatible with iPhones, it has created an artificial market for the wearable and the iPhone, which is a monopoly.</p> <p>You can read about the 88-page lawsuit on the US Justice Department's <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-apple-monopolizing-smartphone-markets" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">website</a>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/25/us-sues-apple-in-iphone-monopoly-lawsuit/" data-wpel-link="internal">US sues Apple in iPhone monopoly lawsuit</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

30. Microsoft Copilot app getting installed on Windows devices

    2024-03-25 06:01:43 UTC

    Last week, Microsoft revealed that it started to push its AI Microsoft Copilot to more Windows 10 and 11 devices. The feature, still in preview at the time of writing, shows up […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Microsoft Copilot app getting installed on Windows devices appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Last week, Microsoft <a href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/windows-message-center#3270" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">revealed</a> that it started to push its AI Microsoft Copilot to more Windows 10 and 11 devices. The feature, still in preview at the time of writing, shows up as an icon on the Windows taskbar.</p> <p>The tool is enabled on Windows 11 version 23H2 devices by default and disabled on Windows 11 version 22H2 devices.</p> <p>Eagle-eyed users over at <a href="https://www.deskmodder.de/blog/2024/03/24/copilot-app-wurde-still-und-heimlich-installiert-hinweis-auf-windows-12/#comments" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Deskmodder</a> discovered that Microsoft is also pushing the Microsoft Copilot application on Windows 11 devices. This new app does not power the actual Copilot functionality at this point, apparently.</p> <p>A quick check on a test system did not reveal the app initially. It did appear, however, after Microsoft Edge was updated to the latest version on the system.</p> <h2>Microsoft Copilot app</h2> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205290" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/microsoft-copilot-app.png" alt="Microsoft Copilot app" width="2560" height="1013" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/microsoft-copilot-app.png 2560w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/microsoft-copilot-app-1536x608.png 1536w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/microsoft-copilot-app-2048x810.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p> <p>The best way to check if the app is installed is the following one:</p> <ol> <li>Go to Settings &gt; Apps &gt; Installed Apps.</li> <li>Change the sort order to "Date installed" or type Copilot into the search field.</li> <li>If you see Microsoft Copilot listed, it is installed.</li> </ol> <p>Note that you may use the uninstall option to remove it again from the system.  A click on "advanced options" reveals some details. The app's version is 1.0.3.0 and the site is 0 bytes at the time.</p> <p>This suggests that it is a placeholder app that has no functionality of its own at the time. Deskmodder dug even deeper and discovered that a few files were associated with the app, including app icons. It is unclear if the state depends on the user's region or if Microsoft is rolling out the placeholder app to all devices to update it at a later point in time.</p> <p>Deskmodder also discovered that the application's AppxManifest.xml included another interesting tidbit. The manifest sets compatibility for the app among other things. The minimum version is listed Windows 10, but the maximum version is Windows 12.0.0.0.</p> <p>Whether that is another indicator that Microsoft continues to work on Windows 12, or a leftover from a time when it considered releasing Windows 12, or something else entirely, is up for debate.</p> <h2>Closing Words</h2> <p>Microsoft did not announce the release of the Microsoft Copilot app. It made no mention of it. This means that we do not know anything about its functionality at the time.</p> <p>It appears linked to Microsoft Edge, but this has not been confirmed either. This is not the first time that Microsoft is pushing new apps onto user devices without prior information.</p> <p>The company <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/07/07/madness-this-is-microsoft-installs-google-docs-offline-extension-in-edge-automatically/" data-wpel-link="internal">installed the Google Docs Offline extension in Edge</a> automatically in July 2023.</p> <p>In September 2023, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/09/25/microsoft-pushes-backup-app-to-windows-10-enterprise-devices-and-admins-are-not-happy/" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft installed the Backup app</a> on Windows 10 Enterprise devices. In November of the same year, Microsoft installed the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/11/30/microsoft-is-reportedly-auto-installing-the-hp-smart-app-on-windows-10-and-11-pcs/" data-wpel-link="internal">HP Smart app</a> erroneously on user devices.</p> <p>Meanwhile, work on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/02/21/windows-11-copilot-is-gaining-more-windows-management-options-with-a-catch/" data-wpel-link="internal">improving Copilot's Windows management functionality</a> continues. These allow users to interact with the AI to change or control certain Windows features. Problem is that this functionality does not run local. All requests go through Microsoft servers, where they are processed, before the answer is pushed to the user's device.</p> <p><strong>Now you</strong>: do you have the Microsoft Copilot app installed on your device?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/25/microsoft-copilot-app-getting-installed-on-windows-devices/" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft Copilot app getting installed on Windows devices</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

31. Brave no longer installs VPN Services on Windows for everyone

    2024-03-22 05:42:55 UTC

    Brave Software released a new stable version of the company's web browser this week. Besides more AI and several improvements, it is also introducing a change regarding the installation of VPN services […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Brave no longer installs VPN Services on Windows for everyone appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Brave Software released a <a href="https://chipp.in/news/brave-1-64-browser-update-brings-more-ai-and-blocks-vpn-services-from-installing-by-default/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">new stable version</a> of the company's web browser this week. Besides more AI and several improvements, it is also introducing a change regarding the installation of VPN services on Windows machines.</p> <p>Back in October, we reported that <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/10/18/brave-is-installing-vpn-services-without-user-consent/" data-wpel-link="internal">Brave was installing VPN services</a> for all users on Windows. Most Brave browser users do not use Brave Software's VPN service, but they still got the VPN service installed on their machines without consent or any intention of using the VPN.</p> <p>Brave Software responded to the allegations. It confirmed that the VPN services were installed on user devices on Windows. These were set to manual, which meant that they would not start unless started by the user. Furthermore, the VPN services would not submit any data to Brave Software.</p> <p>The company promised to change the behavior in the future. Fast forward six months and the release of <a href="https://brave.com/latest/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Brave 1.64</a>. The latest release of the browser does not install the VPN service anymore on Windows.</p> <p>Brave notes in the changelog: "Fixed Brave VPN to not install VPN services until VPN is purchased or enabled."</p> <p>I confirmed the new behavior on two test systems. Both were upgraded to Brave 1.64 from earlier versions. A check of the Services manager in Windows confirmed that the two VPN services Brave VPN Service and Brave VPN Wireguard Service were not installed on the devices.</p> <p>These services will only get installed when a user purchases the VPN from Brave Software or enables it on the device from now on. They will also get removed on systems, provided that the VPN is not used.</p> <p>Brave Software confirms the change and new behavior on GitHub. There it states that the services do get removed for users if they have not purchased a VPN subscription or enabled it in the settings of the browser.</p> <h2><strong>Other changes in Brave 1.64</strong></h2> <p>Brave 1.64 includes several interesting changes. There is a new "bring all tabs to this window" option to move all tabs from all other windows to the active one.</p> <p>Brave Leo, the integrated AI component, has a new text right-click context menu. Highlight text on a webpage and select Brave AI Tools to get several options, including getting a summary of the text or using rewrite options courtesy of the integrated large language model.</p> <p>Brave Software highlights two security and privacy improvements. The first improves Tor functionality in Brave by reaching feature parity with Tor browser regarding stream isolation for third-party subresources. The second improves the storage partitioning feature of Chromium by "making it compatible with Brave's ephemeral storage implementation".</p> <p><strong>Now You:</strong> have you tried Brave 1.64 already? What is your impression of the new release?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/22/brave-no-longer-installs-vpn-services-on-windows-for-everyone/" data-wpel-link="internal">Brave no longer installs VPN Services on Windows for everyone</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

32. You can now zoom images easier in Microsoft Edge thanks to new Magnify feature

    2024-03-21 06:06:14 UTC

    Microsoft added a new feature to its Edge browser recently that improves how you zoom images in the browser. Most websites restrict the width of content and this impacts images as well. […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post You can now zoom images easier in Microsoft Edge thanks to new Magnify feature appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Microsoft added a new feature to its Edge browser recently that improves how you zoom images in the browser. Most websites restrict the width of content and this impacts images as well. Some images may look tiny as a consequence. It happens that high resolution images show up in a tiny frame on a webpage so that it becomes difficult to appreciate the image or check out its details.</p> <p>Internet users have helped themselves in those cases in the past. Some launched the image in a new tab in the browser to move it out of its restrictive environment. A right-click on the image and selecting to open it in a new tab does that. Without the constraints, page zoom options may be used to zoom in or out. Some preferred to save the image to the local system to use a local image viewer, e.g. <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2022/03/19/image-viewer-irfanview-4-60-with-new-image-compare-option-out/" data-wpel-link="internal">IrfanView</a> or <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2022/04/04/faststone-image-viewer-7-6-improved-performance-and-new-rating-system/" data-wpel-link="internal">FastStone Image Viewer</a>, for that.</p> <h2>Magnify Image in Edge</h2> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205283" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/edge-magnify-image.png" alt="Magnify Image" width="1657" height="984" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/edge-magnify-image.png 1657w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/edge-magnify-image-1536x912.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1657px) 100vw, 1657px" /></p> <p>Microsoft Edge's new Magnify Image feature adds another option. This one comes without AI label, which is refreshing. The main idea behind the feature is to display the selected image in an overlay. There, it is also free of any restraints and can be zoomed by the user.</p> <p>The feature is integrated in Edge Stable already, and thus also in any development version of the web browser. You right-click on an image and select the new option from the context menu to launch it. If you prefer to use the keyboard, tap on the Ctrl-key twice after making sure the image is selected with a left-click.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205285" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/microsoft-edge-zoom-image.png" alt="Microsoft Edge zoomed image" width="1200" height="691" /></p> <p>Double-click on any part of the image to zoom in. You may also use the controls in the bottom left corner to zoom in, zoom out, or reset the zoom level. One option that is missing is the ability to zoom out using the mouse.</p> <p>Another limitation is that you cannot use the feature to zoom in indefinitely. Edge resets the zoom level automatically after a few zoom ins. These steps seem to be the same regardless of image quality. An option to adjust them could improve the magnify image feature.</p> <p><strong>Closing Words</strong></p> <p>Magnify Image is a useful feature addition. It improves image zooming in Microsoft Edge without taking anything away or using remote server processing. Users of other browsers may use browser extensions such as <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/zoom-image/?utm_source=addons.mozilla.org&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=search" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Zoom Image for Firefox</a>  or <a href="https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/in-zoom/oppcghdbglmbhhobfoodedhokbadlenh" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">In Zoom</a> for Chromium-based browsers such as Google Chrome.</p> <p>Direct hover zooming is still my preferred zooming option on the Internet. The aforementioned In Zoom offers this for instance. Just hold down the Shift-key, hover over any image and use the mouse wheel to zoom in our out.</p> <p><strong>Now You</strong>: how do you zoom images in your browser?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/21/you-can-now-zoom-images-easier-in-microsoft-edge-thanks-to-new-magnify-feature/" data-wpel-link="internal">You can now zoom images easier in Microsoft Edge thanks to new Magnify feature</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

33. The Epic Games Store is coming to iOS and Android

    2024-03-21 05:12:50 UTC

    The Epic Games Store is coming to iOS and Android devices. The announcement was made at the company's State of Unreal 2024 event. Steve Allison, the General Manager of the Epic Games […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post The Epic Games Store is coming to iOS and Android appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>The Epic Games Store is coming to iOS and Android devices. The announcement was made at the company's State of Unreal 2024 event.</p> <p>Steve Allison, the General Manager of the Epic Games Store, <a href="https://twitter.com/EpicGames/status/1770500825166545305" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">announced</a> that the mobile app store will be available by the end of this year on Android and iOS, along with Fortnite for iPhone. You can watch the event on <a href="https://youtu.be/Z_DssjLeGa0?t=3773" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">YouTube</a>, from the 1:03:00 mark, to learn more about the mobile app store.</p> <p>Allison took a jab at Apple and Google, saying that Epic had fought the good fight on behalf of all app developers. The company has had a rough past with both platforms, and took on both the Silicon Valley moguls in antitrust lawsuits. Epic emerged the victor in its <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/12/12/google-has-illegal-app-store-monopoly-says-jury-in-epic-case/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">feud against Google</a>, after the latter's requirement of forcing developers to use the Play Store and its billing service was found to be monopolistic, and thus breached anticompetitive laws. However, Epic lost its long antitrust battle against Apple.</p> <p>But, things turned out better, at least for users in the European Union, as Apple was forced to <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/06/apple-releases-ios-17-4-to-add-support-for-third-party-app-stores-in-the-eu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">open up its ecosystem</a> to allow users to sideload apps and third-party app marketplaces, in order to comply with the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2022/11/02/eu-passes-new-digital-markets-act-will-force-apple-to-allow-third-party-stores-and-sideloading-apps-on-ios/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Digital Markets Act</a>. The Cupertino company's new rules are restrictive, Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, criticized Apple, saying that the company wasn't complying with the DMA. This led to Apple banning Epic's recently reinstated account, but hastily reversed the decision, fearing a backlash from antitrust regulators in the EU. This allowed epic to go ahead with its plans to launch its mobile app store for iOS and Android.</p> <h3><strong>Epic Games Store app for iOS and Android to launch this year</strong></h3> <p>Allison said that Epic wants to create a true multi-platform store focused on games, for PC, Mac Android, and iOS. Epic shared a screenshot of its upcoming mobile app store, and the concept art looks nice. It will allow users to browse games that are available on the platform, and purchase them directly using a phone.</p> <p>What's interesting here is that the app will not be a launcher that is exclusive to Fortnite. Allison said that the Epic Games Store on mobile will host content from third-party partners, which means that users will be able to download games that were created by other developers, though it is not clear who its partners are.</p> <p>Speaking of which, Epic is extending its 88/12 revenue share that is currently available for PC developers, making it available to mobile app developers. In case you didn't know, the majority of gaming platforms take a 30% cut from app developers, including Steam. Google reduced the fee from 30% to 15% for the first $1M of the earnings of apps that are distributed via its Play Store. Apple recently announced that it will allow <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/01/17/apple-reforms-app-store-rules-to-allow-third-party-payment-methods-in-the-u-s-but-will-still-charge-a-commission-fee/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">third-party payment methods</a> in the U.S., but will still charge a commission fee from developers. As for apps distributed via third-party stores in the EU, developers will need to pay a <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/01/29/apples-rules-to-allow-third-party-app-stores-in-the-eu-are-not-beneficial-for-users-or-developers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Core Technology Fee</a> of 50 Euro cents per install on an annual basis. Compared to these options, Epic's 12% fee seems more enticing for developers.</p> <p>The Epic Games Store debuted in 2018 on PC, and has amassed a large user base, largely aided by its Free Games program. Epic's Store ended 2023 with over 270 Million users on PC, and has over 75 Million monthly active users.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/21/epic-games-store-is-coming-to-ios-and-android/" data-wpel-link="internal">The Epic Games Store is coming to iOS and Android</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

34. Google Chrome 123 launches with security fixes and Google Update changes on Windows

    2024-03-20 06:03:47 UTC

    Google released a new stable version of its Chrome web browser for desktop operating systems and Android today. This new version of Chrome, Google Chrome 123.0,  is a feature and security update. […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Google Chrome 123 launches with security fixes and Google Update changes on Windows appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Google released a new stable version of its Chrome web browser for desktop operating systems and Android today. This new version of Chrome, Google Chrome 123.0,  is a feature and security update.</p> <p>To get the security part out of the way: Google patched 12 security issues in Chrome Stable. The company lists seven of the twelve security issues <a href="https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2024/03/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_19.html" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">on the</a> Chrome Releases website. The highest severity is high and Google makes no mention of exploits in the wild.</p> <p>The new Chrome 123.0 release is available already. It should be pushed to most non-managed systems and installations of Chrome automatically. Desktop users may speed up the installation by loading chrome://settings/help or by selecting Menu &gt; Help &gt; About Google Chrome.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205275" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/google-chrome-123.0.png" alt="Google Chrome 123.0" width="2083" height="775" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/google-chrome-123.0.png 2083w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/google-chrome-123.0-1536x571.png 1536w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/google-chrome-123.0-2048x762.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2083px) 100vw, 2083px" /></p> <p>The browser checks for updates when the page is opened. Any new update is downloaded and installed automatically at that point. A restart of the browser is required to complete the upgrade.</p> <p>Android users need to wait until Google unlocks the update for their devices. There is no way to speed up the installation of the update.</p> <h2>Chrome 123.0: new features and changes</h2> <p>Google Chrome 123 ships with a number of important changes. One of the main changes affects Windows users only. Google is changing the name and file path of the Google Update executable for Windows.</p> <p>Previously named GoogleUpdate.exe and found under C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Update\GoogleUpdate.exe, it is now named updater.exe and found under C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\GoogleUpdater\VERSION\updater.exe. In other words, the location is dynamic now. This may make it difficult for users to block the updater from running automatically, for instance by changing its rights.</p> <p>This change is rolling out over time. If you don't see the new directory and name yet, you have to wait until it rolls out to the system you manage.</p> <p><strong>Generative AI features</strong></p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205276" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/chrome-tab-organizer.png" alt="Chrome Tab Organizer" width="2591" height="952" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/chrome-tab-organizer.png 2591w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/chrome-tab-organizer-1536x564.png 1536w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/chrome-tab-organizer-2048x752.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2591px) 100vw, 2591px" /></p> <p>Google introduced generative AI features such as Tab Organizer or Create Themes in Chrome 122. These features were limited to adult users from the United States only at the time and needed to be enabled manually. While the features are still limited to adult Chrome users in the United States, some users have these features enabled by default in Chrome 123.</p> <p><a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/10/09/would-you-trust-your-browsers-tab-organizing-skills/" data-wpel-link="internal">I reviewed Tab Organizer</a> back when it launched. It analyzes all open tabs and suggests groups for matching tabs automatically. Tab Groups are an excellent feature of <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2021/07/02/tab-groups-in-microsoft-edge-work-better-thanks-to-vertical-tabs/" data-wpel-link="internal">many</a> browsers. Since Tab Organizer is an AI feature, its processing happens remotely. In other words, <a href="https://chipp.in/security-privacy/this-chrome-ai-tool-submits-all-urls-and-titles-of-open-tabs-to-google/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Chrome submits information about all open tabs to Google servers</a>. If you do not want that, avoid the feature and group the tabs manually instead.</p> <h2>Smaller changes in Chrome 123</h2> <p>Here is a list of smaller changes that you find in the release. As always, some of these may roll out gradually to all users.</p> <ul> <li><strong>Resume Tabs</strong> -- The new tab page features a new card to open tabs from other devices. This works only if Chrome Sync is enabled. Chrome on iOS gets another resume option. It displays a quick shortcut pointing to the URL of the last open tab on any device "within the last 24 hours".</li> <li><strong>Chrome Sync</strong> -- does not support Chrome 81 or earlier versions of the browser anymore. Solution is to upgrade Chrome to a newer version.</li> <li><strong>Enhanced password re-use detection</strong> -- Chrome detected password re-use of corporate credentials when using a corporate profile in the past. This is extended to non-corporate profiles in Chrome 123.</li> <li><strong>Safe Browsing Telemetry</strong> -- With Enhanced Protection turned on, Chrome may sent additional telemetry to Google. This happens on pages on which a user accepts notification permissions.</li> <li><strong>Private network access warnings</strong> -- Google Chrome's private network access checks are designed to protect the private network from malicious requests. The feature runs in warning mode and warnings are shown in the browser's Developer Tools. Google will switch to protected mode in Chrome 130 at the earliest.</li> </ul> <p>Chrome developers may want to check out the <a href="https://chromestatus.com/roadmap" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Chrome Status website</a>. It lists development related changes in the new browser version.</p> <p><strong>Now You:</strong> what is your take on these changes?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/20/google-chrome-123-launches-with-security-fixes-and-google-update-changes-on-windows/" data-wpel-link="internal">Google Chrome 123 launches with security fixes and Google Update changes on Windows</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

35. Firefox 124.0 launches with new features and security fixes

    2024-03-19 11:40:54 UTC

    Mozilla has released Firefox 124.0 Stable and Firefox 115.9 ESR. The new stable version of the organization's Firefox web browser fixes security issues and introduces some new features and improvements as well. […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Firefox 124.0 launches with new features and security fixes appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Mozilla has released Firefox 124.0 Stable and Firefox 115.9 ESR. The new stable version of the organization's Firefox web browser fixes security issues and introduces some new features and improvements as well.</p> <p>Notable features include caret browsing support in the integrated PDF reader, expanded availability of the search engines Qwant and Ecosia, and a new tab order view mode in Firefox View.</p> <p>All development editions of Firefox are updated at around the same time. Firefox Beta and Development editions move to Firefox 125 and Firefox Nightly to version. The Android version follows the desktop version, which means that it is updated to version 124 as well.</p> <p><strong>Executive Summary</strong></p> <ul> <li>Firefox 124 is a security update first and foremost.</li> <li>Only a few new features or improvements are found in this release, including caret browsing mode support in the PDF viewer.</li> <li>Mozilla appears to have fixed the "all black" thumbnails issue on older AMD systems, as it is not listed anymore as an issue.</li> </ul> <h2>Firefox 124.0 download and update</h2> <p>Firefox installs updates automatically by default. The new Firefox 124.0 update will also be installed automatically on most non-managed systems. This updating does not happen in real time though.</p> <p><strong>Note</strong>: our review is published before the official release. The updates will become later on the day of publication.</p> <p>Once released officially, Firefox users may speed up the installation of the update in the following way:</p> <p>Select Firefox Menu &gt; Help &gt; About Firefox to run a manual update check. Firefox should pick up the update and install it on the device.</p> <div id="td-incontent-675159046840" class="rvloader-container mb--10"> <p>Here are the official download locations:</p> <ul> <li><a class="ext-link" title="" href="https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/new/" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external" data-mrf-link="https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/new/">Firefox Stable download</a></li> <li><a class="ext-link" title="" href="https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/channel/" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external" data-mrf-link="https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/channel/">Firefox Beta download</a></li> <li><a class="ext-link" title="" href="https://nightly.mozilla.org/" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external" data-mrf-link="https://nightly.mozilla.org/">Nightly download</a></li> <li><a class="ext-link" title="" href="https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external" data-mrf-link="https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/">Firefox ESR download</a></li> <li><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mozilla.firefox" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external" data-mrf-link="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mozilla.firefox">Firefox for Android on Google Play</a></li> </ul> <h2>Firefox 124.0 changes</h2> <p><strong>Firefox View: new tab sort order</strong></p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205273" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/firefox-view-tab-order.png" alt="Firefox Tab Order" width="2109" height="1243" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/firefox-view-tab-order.png 2109w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/firefox-view-tab-order-1536x905.png 1536w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/firefox-view-tab-order-2048x1207.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2109px) 100vw, 2109px" /></p> <p>Firefox View is a tab and activity management feature of the Firefox web browser. It can be activated with a click on the Firefox View button in the main Firefox toolbar to display open and recently closed tabs, as well as tabs from other devices and the browsing history.</p> <p>Everything is searchable. The open tabs view sorted activity by freshness up until now. Mozilla added the option to sort the listed open tabs by tab order instead in that view. Tab order lists open tabs in the order that they are displayed on Firefox's tab bar.</p> <h3>Other changes and fixes</h3> <ul> <li>The search engine Qwant is now also available "in the France region" as well as in Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland.</li> <li>The search engine Ecosia is now also available "in the Germany region" as well as Austria, Belgium, Italiy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.</li> <li>Caret browsing mode is now supported by Firefox's native PDF viewer.</li> <li>Mozilla says that it has improved the population of the jump list of Firefox on the Windows taskbar.  It should "allow for a smoother overall browsing experience". Let me know if you notice any difference.</li> <li>Firefox uses the macOS fullscreen API now for all fullscreen windows. This should improve the user experience on macOS.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Developer changes</strong></p> <ul> <li>Support for AbortSignal.any(), which can be used to abort an operation from multiple signal sources.</li> <li>The ::first-letter and ::first-line CSS pseudo-elements can now be applied to the &lt;text&gt; SVG element.</li> <li>The runtime.onPerformanceWarning event reveals to extension developers if an extension has runtime performance issues.</li> <li>Support for SharedArrayBuffer growable (enable via javascript.options.experimental.sharedarraybuffer_growable).</li> <li>Support for resizing ArrayBuffer (enable via javascript.options.experimental.arraybuffer_resizable)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Enterprise changes</strong></p> <p>Mozilla has added one policy and updated another in Firefox 124.0:</p> <ul> <li>The AllowFileSelectionDialogs is new. It may be used to control file selection dialogs in Firefox.</li> <li>The DNSOverHTTPS policy supports setting a fallback value now to prevent Firefox falling back to the default DNS provider.</li> </ul> <div id="td-incontent-1645294135373" class="rvloader-container mb--10"> <p><strong>Security updates / fixes</strong></p> <p>The aggregated security rating is high. Mozilla <a href="https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/security/advisories/mfsa2024-12/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">patched</a> 12 security issues and potential security issues in Firefox. This includes one potential memory safety issue with a critical rating. No exploits in the wild.</p> </div> <p><strong>Outlook</strong></p> <p>Firefox 125 and Firefox ESR 115.10 will be released on April 16, 2024.</p> <p><strong>Recent Firefox news and tips</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/02/22/how-to-enable-tab-previews-in-firefox/" data-wpel-link="internal">How to enable Tab Previews in Firefox</a></p> <p><strong>Additional information / resources</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/124.0/releasenotes/" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external">Firefox 124 release notes</a></li> <li><a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Firefox/Releases/124" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external">Firefox 124 for Developers</a></li> <li><a href="https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-enterprise-124-release-notes" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external">Firefox 124 for Enterprise</a></li> <li><a class="ext-link" title="" href="https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/security/advisories/" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external" data-mrf-link="https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/security/advisories/">Firefox Security Advisories</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2012/08/16/mozilla-firefox-release-schedule/" data-wpel-link="internal" data-mrf-link="https://www.ghacks.net/2012/08/16/mozilla-firefox-release-schedule/">Firefox Release Schedule</a></li> </ul> <p><strong>Closing Words</strong></p> <p>Firefox 124 is a smaller release. Since it fixes security issues, it is still important to update to the new version as soon as possible.</p> <p><strong>Now You</strong>: have you tried Firefox recently?</p> </div> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/19/firefox-124-0-launches-with-new-features-and-security-fixes/" data-wpel-link="internal">Firefox 124.0 launches with new features and security fixes</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

36. Valve introduces Steam Families to allow members to share their libraries simultaneously

    2024-03-19 05:13:53 UTC

    Valve has announced a new feature for its gaming platform, it's called Steam Families. It finally lets you play games from other family members' libraries while they are playing another game. How […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Valve introduces Steam Families to allow members to share their libraries simultaneously appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Valve has announced a new feature for its gaming platform, it's called Steam Families. It finally lets you play games from other family members' libraries while they are playing another game.</p> <h3><strong>How does Steam Families work?</strong></h3> <p>A Steam Family can have up to 6 family members. It allows members to share all games owned by the family. Once you create a Steam Family, a new collection will appear in the games list section. The ownership of the games that are being shared remains with the purchaser. But, new purchases will automatically appear in the collection.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-205270" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Steam-Families.jpg" alt="Steam Families" width="1200" height="392" /></p> <p>(Image Courtesy: Valve/Steam)</p> <h3><strong>How is Steam Family different from Steam Family Sharing</strong></h3> <p><a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2014/03/01/need-know-steam-family-sharing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Steam Family Sharing</a> has been available for a long time, since 2013. While it allowed family members to play games from each other's libraries, it had one major flaw. If a family member was playing a game from your library, you couldn't play any game.</p> <p>That changes now, Steam Families removes this restriction. You can now play a family member's game while they are playing something else. For example, let's say you want to play Baldur's Gate 3, while your kid wants to play Palworld, both of you can play the games even if the games belong to the same account.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-205271" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Steam-Family-Sharing.jpg" alt="Steam Family Sharing" width="1184" height="647" /></p> <p>(Image Courtesy: Valve/Steam)</p> <p>The new feature also allows members to create their own saved games, earn Steam achievements individually. This also applies to the Steam Workshop if you like to use mods. And, you don't even have to be online to share the library anymore, as long as the game supports Family Sharing. If your family owns multiple copies of a game, multiple members will be able to play the game simultaneously. Games that require an additional third-party key, account, or subscription in order to play cannot be shared between accounts. You can find more details about games that are not eligible for Steam Family <a href="https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/57A7-503C-991F-E9A8" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">here</a>.</p> <h4><strong>Does this work anywhere?</strong></h4> <p>You are probably wondering whether you can share your games with users that don't live in the same house? Steam says that while Family Sharing can work for users that are not accessing Steam from the same location, due to technical limitations, the new feature may encounter issues that Steam cannot support. This might sound confusing, but according to reports from users, Steam Family only allows adding members who are in the same Country, so if you and your relatives are living in different regions, you will not be able to share games with each other.</p> <h3><strong>How to create a Steam Family and add/remove members</strong></h3> <p>Steam Families is available today in the Steam Beta Client. You can create and manage Steam Families from the Steam Client on your PC, web browser or the mobile app on your phone. Head to the Settings &gt; Interface &gt; Client Beta Participation &gt; Steam Family Beta to opt-in to the beta program.</p> <p>To create a Steam Family, head to the Account Details (under your profile name) &gt; Family Management section &gt; Create a Family. Give your family a name, select "Invite a Member", and add the members you want. You will be prompted to choose whether members should be added as an adult or a child.</p> <p>Adult members have rights to manage invites and apply account restrictions, whereas children have to follow rules set by the parental controls. These controls include playtime limits, game access, etc. You can find the "Enable Parental controls" option under the Account Settings &gt; Family Management &gt; Manage.</p> <p>Adults can leave a Steam Family whenever they want, but children cannot, they must be removed by an adult in the group, or submit a request to Steam Support. Each slot in a Steam Family (6 members) has a cooldown of 1 year, before you can add a new member. Let's say you accidentally removed a member from your family, or they left by mistake, they can rejoin the Steam Family without waiting for the cooldown.</p> <p>Adult members can remove, i.e. kick any member out of the Steam Family.</p> <h4><strong>Steam Family Parental Controls and Child Purchase Requests</strong></h4> <p>Adult members can use the Parental Controls to manage access to games, and monitor their children's gaming activities from anywhere. They can allow/disallow access to specific features such as the Steam Store, Community, Chat, set playtime limits, view playtime reports, approve requests for additional playtime or access to a feature, as well as manage the account recovery options for the children's accounts.</p> <p>Adult members can set limitations on which games each child in the family can access, so you can use this to set age-appropriate access to games, and hide games that you feel are not suitable for kids.</p> <p>Children can request an adult in the family to pay for their shopping cart. Once the request is sent, an adult member can approve it, and pay for the purchase using their mobile device or email. The approved games will be added directly to the child's account.</p> <h4><strong>Bans apply across family</strong></h4> <p>Steam's FAQ says that if a family member gets banned for cheating while they were playing a game that you own, you will also be banned in that game. I have to say, that is a funny way to address that question, Valve knows that people would claim "hey it wasn't me, it was my kid brother".</p> <p>This is an excellent move by Steam, I've bought multiple copies of games for my family several times just because I wanted to play games in my library while they were gaming. Now, I don't have to do that, buy a game once and share it with the family. It does make me wonder whether this would affect game sales, but it's probably not going to have a significant impact for developers. I mean, let's say you own a console or two, you may buy 1 physical copy of a game and share it with your roommate or between members of the household. Steam Families is kind of similar to it. And if two members want to play the same game simultaneously, well, you will need to buy it twice. It is worth noting that Developers can opt out of Steam Family Sharing, if they don't want their game to be shared by families.</p> <p>You can find games that support Family Sharing on <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/search/?category1=998&amp;category2=62&amp;supportedlang=english&amp;ndl=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">this page</a>. Steam Families is more of a wallet-friendly solution for consumers, which is a rare thing in today's market.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/19/valve-introduces-steam-families-to-allow-members-to-share-their-libraries-simultaneously/" data-wpel-link="internal">Valve introduces Steam Families to allow members to share their libraries simultaneously</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

37. Microsoft shows another Bing popup advertisement to Windows users

    2024-03-18 06:29:46 UTC

    Microsoft has done it again. This time, the company displayed a popup advertising its Bing search service to Chrome users on Windows devices. The popup appeared for users who launched Chrome on […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Microsoft shows another Bing popup advertisement to Windows users appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Microsoft has done it again. This time, the company displayed a popup advertising its Bing search service to Chrome users on Windows devices.</p> <p>The popup appeared for users who launched Chrome on the Windows device. It read "Chat with GPT-4 for free on Chrome! Get hundreds of daily chat turns with Bing AI".</p> <p>To do that, users just had to click on the yes button. It would make Bing the default search engine in Google Chrome and install the Bing Service for improving the chat experience.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205265" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/microsoft-bing-popup-windows.webp" alt="Microsoft Bing popup Windows" width="482" height="584" /></p> <p>A click on the yes button makes Bing the default search engine in Google Chrome on the device. It will also install the Bing Chrome extension.</p> <p>Google notifies users about the attempt to change settings and displays an option to undo the change.</p> <p>In a statement to various news outlets, Microsoft said: "this is a one-time notification giving people the choice to set Bing as their default search engine on Chrome". Microsoft furthermore stated" we value providing our customers with choice, so there is an option to dismiss the notification".</p> <p>While Microsoft spins it to look like it is doing its customers a favor, the response has been mostly negative on the Internet. Reactions range from abusing its control of the Windows operating system to malware-like behavior.</p> <p>Microsoft clearly uses these popups and others to push its services. Since it has done so several times in the recent past, it seems to work out well for the company, even taking the backlash into account that happens each time.</p> <p>This is not the first time that Microsoft is using Windows to advertise its service. Back in 2017, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2017/01/19/microsoft-advertises-one-of-its-chrome-extension-in-windows-10-now/" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft advertised one of its Chrome extensions</a> as a popup over Chrome's taskbar icon.</p> <p>The last popup ad that Microsoft showed on Windows desktops targeted Chrome users as well.</p> <p>Back in August 2023, Microsoft <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/30/23851902/microsoft-bing-popups-windows-11-malware" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">showed</a> a very similar looking popup ad to users of Chrome. This one also asked users to switch the default search engine to Microsoft Bing in Chrome, promising access to Microsoft Rewards and AI. The Bing extension was also listed and would be installed when users activated the yes button.</p> <p>There was also the recent issue that <a href="https://chipp.in/security-privacy/bug-or-intentional-edge-reportedly-importing-chrome-tabs-automatically/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Edge imported data from Chrome automatically</a>. Microsoft said that this was caused by a bug. The browser offers an option to <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/10/13/how-to-stop-microsoft-edge-from-importing-google-chrome-browsing-data-at-launch/" data-wpel-link="internal">import Chrome browser data on launch</a>, but this needs to be enabled by the user manually first.</p> <h2>This is not about choice</h2> <p>Displaying popup ads to users to switch to Bing or another product is patronizing. Users have their own setup and services that they use. Yes, this is likely Google Search in Google Chrome.</p> <p>The popups give users minimal choice. Say yes and Bing Search is made the default in Chrome and you get the Bing extension on top of that. Decline, and there is a good chance that Microsoft will display another popup in the future.</p> <p>It is almost as if Microsoft is trying to wear users down until they give in and make Bing the default just to get rid of the popups. It is a clear abuse of power on Microsoft's part, especially because there is no "never again" option.</p> <p>Windows offers no clear controls to turn of advertising and advertising popups. You can check out my <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/09/21/how-to-turn-off-advertising-popups-in-windows-11/" data-wpel-link="internal">guide on turning of advertising popups in Windows 11 here</a> to take care of major offenders.</p> <p><strong>Closing Words</strong></p> <p>Microsoft is not the only company that is using its dominance to push its own products. Google has used the power of its websites to <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2021/08/31/hide-google-recommends-using-chrome-advertisement-on-google-websites/" data-wpel-link="internal">push its Chrome web browser</a> as well.</p> <p>This does not make Microsoft's behavior any better, but underlines that this is widespread behavior.</p> <p><strong>Now You</strong>: what is your take on this?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/18/microsoft-shows-another-bing-popup-advertisement-to-windows-users/" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft shows another Bing popup advertisement to Windows users</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

38. Next Windows 10 update brings Windows Spotlight, Lock screen content, and another Windows 11 upgrade offer

    2024-03-15 05:56:43 UTC

    Microsoft released a new update to the Windows 10 Release Preview channel. The update KB5035941 is in testing and will be released soon to the general Windows 10 device population. While most Windows […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Next Windows 10 update brings Windows Spotlight, Lock screen content, and another Windows 11 upgrade offer appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Microsoft released a new update to the Windows 10 Release Preview channel. The update <strong>KB5035941 </strong>is in testing and will be released soon to the general Windows 10 device population.</p> <p>While most Windows 10 updates focus on security patches and the fixing of bugs, this one is different. It introduces several new features and changes to the Windows 10 operating system, including another push to get users to upgrade their devices to Windows 11.</p> <p>Microsoft announced the release <a href="https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2024/03/14/releasing-windows-10-build-19045-4233-to-release-preview-channel/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">on the</a> official Windows Insider blog.</p> <h2><strong>Windows Spotlight and Lock screen content</strong></h2> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205260" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/windows-10-lock-screen.png" alt="Windows 10 lock screen" width="1458" height="812" /></p> <p>One of the main changes of the update brings content to the desktop and Lock screen. The first introduces support for Windows Spotlight for desktop backgrounds. Windows 10 users may select to display picture, solid color, or slideshow backgrounds currently as the desktop background.</p> <p>Windows Spotlight adds a dynamic component to it. Once selected, Windows 10 will switch wallpapers regularly using images provided by Microsoft. This brings Windows 10's capabilities up to par with those of Microsoft's Windows 11 operating system.</p> <p>Windows 10 users may enable the new feature under Settings &gt; Personalization &gt; Background &gt; Personalize your background &gt; Windows Spotlight. A right-click on the desktop and the selection of personalize from the menu takes you to the preference directly.</p> <p>The operating system's lock screen is also getting a content infusion. Microsoft notes that the update is introducing "weather, sports, traffic, and finance content" on the lock screen. It looks as if users need to enable the feature explicitly first before the content becomes available. This is done under Settings &gt; Personalization &gt; Lock screen.</p> <p>If you check the current status quo, you will find options to change the background, pick one app that is allowed to show detailed information on the lockscreen, and several apps to show a quick status only.</p> <h2>Another Windows 11 upgrade offer</h2> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205064" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Microsoft-is-resorting-to-pop-ups-again-to-tell-Windows-10-users-to-upgrade.jpg" alt="Microsoft is resorting to pop-ups again to tell Windows 10 users to upgrade" width="1200" height="675" /></p> <p>Microsoft continues to increase the number of upgrade prompts for users of its Windows 10 operating system. With Windows 10 end of support looming on the horizon, it is in Microsoft's interest to get as many devices as possible on its Windows 11 platform.</p> <p>While hundreds of million devices are left without that option, thanks to <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2021/08/28/microsoft-changed-the-windows-11-system-requirements-and-released-an-updated-pc-health-check-tool/" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft changing the system requirements</a> of Windows 11, there is an even greater number of PCs that pass the requirements, but have not been upgraded yet.</p> <p>Microsoft does not reveal how this offer is shown to users. It merely states that "you might see a message that invites you to upgrade to Windows 11" when you sign in. This could be another round for the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/02/06/microsoft-is-pestering-windows-10-users-with-full-screen-pop-ups-to-upgrade-to-windows-11/" data-wpel-link="internal">fullscreen Windows 11 upgrade popup</a> that Microsoft showed in February 2024, or something different.</p> <p>Windows 10 has seen numerous iterations of the upgrade offer. <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/07/microsofts-sneaky-kb5001716-windows-10-update-pushes-windows-11/" data-wpel-link="internal">Recent ones</a> <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/02/29/microsoft-showing-windows-11-upgrade-prompts-on-more-windows-10-devices/" data-wpel-link="internal">used a dark design pattern</a> as it puts the focus on getting the operating system.</p> <p><a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/12/05/breaking-consumers-will-be-able-to-extend-windows-10-support/" data-wpel-link="internal">Windows 10 users may extend support in 2025 by up to three years</a>. Microsoft has yet to reveal specifics, but it is almost certain that this will come at a price.</p> <p><strong>Closing Words</strong></p> <p>As is the case with all changes that Microsoft introduces, these will roll out to the device population gradually. It may take weeks or even months before they land on some user systems.</p> <p><strong>Now You:</strong> Windows 10, Windows 11, or something else? Which operating system do you favor?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/15/next-windows-10-update-brings-windows-spotlight-lock-screen-content-and-another-windows-11-upgrade-offer/" data-wpel-link="internal">Next Windows 10 update brings Windows Spotlight, Lock screen content, and another Windows 11 upgrade offer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

39. Tor launches WebTunnel Bridge as another way to bypass censorship

    2024-03-14 10:23:42 UTC

    The Tor Project announced the immediate release of WebTunnel Bridge, a new way for Tor users to bypass censorship. Not all Tor users may fire up the official client to connect to […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Tor launches WebTunnel Bridge as another way to bypass censorship appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>The Tor Project announced the immediate release of WebTunnel Bridge, a new way for Tor users to bypass censorship. Not all Tor users may fire up the official client to connect to the network and access content on the Internet that would otherwise be blocked.</p> <p>Depending on the environment, default Tor browser and network connections may not work. This is a problem that so-called bridges attempt to solve. Think of a bridge as a way to access Tor indirectly. There are several options available, and the latest one is WebTunnel Bridge.</p> <p>The main idea behind WebTunnel Bridge is to obfuscate anything that has to do with Tor. It is designed to look like regular encrypted web traffic using HTTPS. In other words, automated systems that monitor network connections for certain traits or patterns cannot link WebTunnel Bridge traffic to Tor.</p> <p>Another positive feature of WebTunnel Bridge is that it can be configured to be on the same network endpoint as websites. Anyone checking the connection manually, by loading the address in a web browser or other tool, will notice that the website is being loaded. There is no indication that the same connection may also be used to fuel Tor.</p> <p>The Tor Project <a href="https://blog.torproject.org/introducing-webtunnel-evading-censorship-by-hiding-in-plain-sight/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">says</a> that this new way of circumventing censorship is ideal for environments that use protocol allow-lists and "a deny-by-default network environment".</p> <h2>Using WebTunnel Bridge</h2> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-205257" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/tor-browser-add-bridge.png" alt="Tor Browser add Bridge" width="2100" height="1290" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/tor-browser-add-bridge.png 2100w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/tor-browser-add-bridge-1536x944.png 1536w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/tor-browser-add-bridge-2048x1258.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2100px) 100vw, 2100px" /></p> <p>Using the WebTunnel Bridge is slightly more complicated than using Tor directly. Here are the required steps:</p> <ol> <li>Visit <a href="https://bridges.torproject.org/options" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">this special</a> Tor Project website. It is the Get Bridges page on the website, which allows you to gain access to bridges.</li> <li>Select webtunnel from the menu on the page.</li> <li>Activate the "Get Bridges" button.</li> <li>Solve the captcha that is displayed.</li> <li>Copy the bridge line.</li> </ol> <p>Now switch to the Tor Browser application on the system. If you do not have Tor Browser installed, you may download it from the <a href="https://www.torproject.org/download/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">official download page</a>.</p> <p>It is available for desktop systems and for Android. Open the connection preferences with a click on "configure connection".  There you need to activate the "add a Bridge manually" button and paste the bridge line into the form field. Select connect to start the connection process. The process is similar on Android.</p> <p><strong>Closing Words</strong></p> <p>The Tor Project is constantly looking for bridge operators. A <a href="https://community.torproject.org/relay/setup/webtunnel/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">support page</a> is available that provides technical information on creating webtunnel bridges.</p> <p>The new webtunnel option should help Tor users from around the world, especially in restrictive environments that block regular Tor use.</p> <p><strong>Now You</strong>: have you tried Tor or Bridges recently?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/14/tor-launches-webtunnel-bridge-as-another-way-to-bypass-censorship/" data-wpel-link="internal">Tor launches WebTunnel Bridge as another way to bypass censorship</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

40. Apple introduces new rule to allow users to download apps from developers websites in the EU

    2024-03-14 09:35:47 UTC

    Apple released iOS 17.4 last week to comply with the European Union's Digital Markets Act, to add support for third-party app marketplaces. Now, the Cupertino company has introduced more options for developers […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Apple introduces new rule to allow users to download apps from developers websites in the EU appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Apple released iOS 17.4 last week to comply with the European Union's Digital Markets Act, to add support for third-party app marketplaces. Now, the Cupertino company has introduced more options for developers to distribute their apps to users.</p> <h3><strong>Alternative app marketplaces</strong></h3> <p>Apple had previously required developers to submit their apps to operators of app marketplaces. This is changing, developers of marketplaces can offer a catalog of apps that are solely created by the marketplace's developer, i.e. an exclusive catalog for their own apps.</p> <h3><strong>Linking to external payment options</strong></h3> <p>Developers had criticized Apple's restrictive rules and templates regarding third-party payment methods, such as the warning screen that was displayed to notify users when they were being redirected to other sites. <a href="https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=8c1m8hqt" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Apple says</a> that developers have new options for linking out to purchases, including how to design promotions, discounts, and other deals, when directing users to complete in-app purchases on an external web-page. Apple's default templates for promotions and purchases are now optional.</p> <h3><strong>Developers can distribute iOS apps from their websites</strong></h3> <p>App developers who don't want to host their apps on a marketplace or the App Store have another option to distribute their apps. They can allow users to download the apps directly from their websites, which is quite similar to how Android users sideload apps on their phone. Apple <a href="https://developer.apple.com/support/web-distribution-eu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">terms this</a> option as Web Distribution, and sadly, this option too has some restrictions. Developers will need to enroll into the Apple Developer Program which has an annual membership fee, and they will be required to get their apps notarized by Apple. This is not new per se, as these rules are already in place for other iOS apps that are available on the App Store.</p> <p>An important point to note is that developers will only be eligible for Web Distribution if they meet the following conditions. The developers must be enrolled in the App Developer Program as an organization incorporated, domiciled, and or registered in the EU, or have a subsidiary legal entity that operates in the EU.</p> <p>In addition to the above rules, the app developers need to be a member of good standing in the Apple Developer Program for two continuous years or more. They will also need to have an app that had over 1 million first installations over a year in the prior calendar year. This effectively means that small app developers will not be eligible for the program.</p> <p>Web Distribution will also restrict developers to only offer apps that are available through their developer account, i.e. they will not be allowed to distribute apps from other developers through their website.</p> <p>Apple says that it will provide APIs to allow developers to distribute apps from their websites. The APIs can be used to provide apps with system functionality, back up and restore users’ apps, etc. They will also need to agree to the new business terms for the Core Technology Fee, i.e. app developers will have to pay a €0.50 fee for each first annual installation over one million in the past 12 months.</p> <h3><strong>Fee waiver for Nonprofit organizations</strong></h3> <p>The new rules have some exceptions for Nonprofit organizations, accredited educational institutions, and government entities. As long as they are based in the European Union's region, and have been approved for a fee waiver, these organizations will be exempt from all fees including the Apple Developer Program annual membership fee and the Core Technology Fee. This might be beneficial for open source app developers.</p> <p>I feel that the new rules are still pretty restrictive. None of these restrictions apply to Android, which has allowed users to install third-party apps without any strings for several years. Even macOS doesn't have such constraints. Apple is desperately trying to protect the revenue it earns via the App Store, Developer Program, and of course the Core Technology Fee. I wouldn't be surprised if the EU finds Apple guilty of not complying with the DMA.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/14/apple-introduces-new-rule-to-allow-users-to-download-apps-from-developers-websites-in-the-eu/" data-wpel-link="internal">Apple introduces new rule to allow users to download apps from developers websites in the EU</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>