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1. Here are the new features in macOS Tahoe 26

   Thu, 18 Sep 2025 15:30:38 -0000

   Apple released macOS Tahoe 26 a couple of days ago. We take a closer look at that's new in it. macOS 26 shares a lot of features with iOS 26 and iPadOS […]

   Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Here are the new features in macOS Tahoe 26 appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

   <p>Apple released macOS Tahoe 26 a couple of days ago. We take a closer look at that's new in it.</p> <p>macOS 26 shares a lot of features with iOS 26 and iPadOS 26, so I'm not going to repeat the common features, I'll just focus on the Mac-specific features. Please refer to my previous article to learn about <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/16/apple-releases-ios-26-and-here-are-its-best-features/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">what's new in iOS 26</a>. Also, here's my coverage of the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/06/10/macos-tahoe-26-announced-with-improved-spotlight-continiuity-features/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">macOS Tahoe announcement</a>.</p> <p>Liquid Glass is everywhere, whether you like it or hate it. Just like iOS 26 you can change the color of your icons on macOS 26. Head to the System Settings &gt; Appearance, and select between Default, Dark, Clear or Automatic. Clear has its own light and dark versions, and applies the Liquid Glass effect for app icons.</p> <p><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209744" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Change-System-Settings-macOS-Tahoe-26-scaled.jpg" alt="Change System Settings macOS Tahoe 26" width="1200" height="750" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Change-System-Settings-macOS-Tahoe-26-scaled.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Change-System-Settings-macOS-Tahoe-26-768x480.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>Reducing the transparency may help with the glass effect.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209743" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/macOS-Tahoe-26-reduce-transparency-scaled.jpg" alt="macOS Tahoe 26 reduce transparency" width="1095" height="1200" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/macOS-Tahoe-26-reduce-transparency-scaled.jpg 1095w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/macOS-Tahoe-26-reduce-transparency-768x842.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1095px) 100vw, 1095px" /></p> <p>While on the same screen, you may want to set the default folder colors in macOS Tahoe. Click on the drop-down menu next to it (says Automatic), and choose a color of your choice. Notice that the color applies globally, including the Settings app itself. You are not limited to the colors listed in the menu, select "Choose color", and it gives two more options, to use a color picker or the theme colors. Want to change the color of a specific folder? You can do so from Finder, right-click on a folder, and select customize folder. This allows you to customize the folder's color and icon. Changing a folder's color also tags it.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209740" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/macOS-Tahoe-26-change-folder-colors-scaled.jpg" alt="macOS Tahoe 26 change folder colors" width="1200" height="750" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/macOS-Tahoe-26-change-folder-colors-scaled.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/macOS-Tahoe-26-change-folder-colors-768x480.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>You may have noticed that macOS Tahoe changes the mouse pointer, it's smoother. The hand pointer, which appears when you hover over links, no longer has the "Mickey Mouse" glove, it's a modern version that's smooth, and kind of boring.</p> <p>The menu bar at the top of the screen is transparent, if you don't like that look, you can go to the Settings &gt; Menu bar, and toggle the background to make it a solid color. Let's take a look at Control Center, yes it's transparent too. It now has sliders to adjust the brightness, and the volume level. You can customize the Control Center by clicking on Edit Controls. It allows you to rearrange the controls, and also to add/remove the ones you like or dislike.</p> <p>macOS Tahoe brings a couple of iPhone apps to Mac, these are the Journal and Phone apps. There's also the Games app, which is also available for iOS and iPadOS. Live Translation, Genmoji, Image Playground and other AI features are available for Mac too. Not much to say here, so let's keep going. macOS 26 brings support for Metal 4 with more advanced graphics and rendering technologies, like MetalFX Frame Interpolation and Denoising.</p> <p>App windows are rounder in macOS 26. macOS 26 removes the launchpad in favor of a small window-based launcher of sorts. It's called Apps, because it lists all your apps, and has various categories to organize them in. The reason why this change was made is because of the new Spotlight enhancements.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209741" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/macOS-Tahoe-26-Apps-launcher-scaled.jpg" alt="macOS Tahoe 26 Apps launcher" width="1200" height="750" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/macOS-Tahoe-26-Apps-launcher-scaled.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/macOS-Tahoe-26-Apps-launcher-768x480.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>Spotlight is different, it now displays results for files, folders, apps, messages, calendar events, etc. Press the hotkeys displayed next to a result to perform the action. You can also assign quick keys to open apps or run some system actions easily. See that magnifying glass on the menu bar? Click on it to open Spotlight. You can now access your clipboard history from Spotlight, this is optional, and requires your permission to be enabled.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209742" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Spotlight-search-in-macOS-Tahoe-26-scaled.jpg" alt="Spotlight search in macOS Tahoe 26" width="1200" height="750" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Spotlight-search-in-macOS-Tahoe-26-scaled.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Spotlight-search-in-macOS-Tahoe-26-768x480.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>Apple Safari's Advanced Fingerprinting Protection is now available in regular browsing mode. This anti-fingerprinting feature was previously limited to Private Browsing, to obscure browser and device data that can be used to create a unique fingerprint to identify/track users. Picture-in-Picture mode in Safari lets you move the video from the Page Menu, and you can control the playback directly from PiP.</p> <p>macOS Tahoe 26 is available for the following Macs.</p> <ul> <li>MacBook Air with Apple Silicon (2020 and later)</li> <li>MacBook Pro with Apple Silicon (2020 and later)</li> <li>MacBook Pro (16?inch, 2019)</li> <li>MacBook Pro (13?inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)</li> <li>iMac (2020 and later)</li> <li>Mac mini (2020 and later)</li> <li>Mac Studio (2022 and later)</li> <li>Mac Pro (2019 and later)</li> </ul> <p>If you haven't received the update on your Mac, go to Settings app &gt; General &gt; Software Update to check for it manually.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/18/here-are-the-new-features-in-macos-tahoe-26/" data-wpel-link="internal">Here are the new features in macOS Tahoe 26</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

2. Vivaldi 7.6 brings a customizable Tab Bar and a Tab button

   Thu, 18 Sep 2025 12:00:24 -0000

   Vivaldi has been updated to version 7.6. The update brings a fully customizable tab bar. Right-click on any button on the Tab bar and select Customize Toolbar to open the Toolbar Editor. […]

   Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Vivaldi 7.6 brings a customizable Tab Bar and a Tab button appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

   <p>Vivaldi has been updated to version 7.6. The update brings a fully customizable tab bar.</p> <p>Right-click on any button on the Tab bar and select Customize Toolbar to open the Toolbar Editor. You can add or remove any button from your Tab bar.</p> <p>Drag and drop the buttons where you like them to be, rearrange them on the browser's tab bar. Click on Done to save your settings. If you ever messed it up, or want to revert to the default settings, just click on "Reset Tab Bar to default".</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209727" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/vivaldi-toolbar-customize-tab-bar.jpg" alt="vivaldi toolbar customize tab bar" width="661" height="435" /></p> <p>The update adds a new icon in the top right corner of the title bar, this is the Tab button. Click on the Tab button to view a list of your open tabs, and also lets you access your recently closed tabs. You can use the search bar to find tabs quickly. It reminds me of <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2022/10/18/firefox-106-is-out-with-firefox-view-and-other-improvements/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Firefox View</a>, but the fact that this is a pop-up panel, not a tab, makes this the better implementation of the two.</p> <p>Note: Oh, I almost missed this, the Tab button removes the trash icon and cloud icon from the tab bar (seen below). To get them back, use the Toolbar editor, and add the Closed Tabs and Synced Tabs buttons back to the tab bar.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209731" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/vivaldi-closed-tabs-and-synced-tabs-buttons.jpg" alt="vivaldi closed tabs and synced tabs buttons" width="443" height="205" /></p> <p>It's not all about the Tab Bar, Vivaldi 7.6 also ships with a handful of quality of life improvements. Vivaldi's context menu has been reorganized. The address bar now supports search keywords that let you jump to tabs, bookmarks, history quickly. To find a specific tab, type @tabs followed by the name. Example: @tabs ghacks</p> <p>Similarly, you can type @bookmarks and @history. Tab search in particular is very helpful, as it filters the result as you type. And yes, it works across tab groups.</p> <p>The browser's built-in ad blocker now offer popup rules, to automatically close advertisement tabs or windows that a website may try to open. It will allow legitimate site behavior to function. These rules work alongside the built-in popup blocker.</p> <p>Vivaldi says that tabs that are sleeping take less time to wake up. You can now use trackpad gestures to navigate back and forth in web pages, it also works with touch screen input. This feature is currently available on Windows.</p> <p>For a full change log, refer to the announcement on Vivaldi's blog. It's nice to see <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/08/29/vivaldi-says-no-to-ai-features/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Vivaldi is not shoving AI features</a> hastily just because, if only other browser makers resisted the hype. You know which browser I'm talking about.</p> <p>How do you customize Vivaldi? Share your tips with us.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/18/vivaldi-7-6-brings-a-customizable-tab-bar-and-a-tab-button/" data-wpel-link="internal">Vivaldi 7.6 brings a customizable Tab Bar and a Tab button</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

3. Microsoft tests new features in Paint, Snipping Tool and Notepad

   Thu, 18 Sep 2025 07:29:49 -0000

   Microsoft is testing some new features in Paint, Snipping Tool and Notepad for Windows Insiders. Here are the changes coming to the apps. Paint now lets you save your art work as […]

   Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Microsoft tests new features in Paint, Snipping Tool and Notepad appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

   <p>Microsoft is testing some new features in Paint, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/08/15/windows-11s-snipping-tool-video-recorder-is-finally-getting-a-missing-feature-but-it-could-be-better/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Snipping Tool</a> and Notepad for Windows Insiders. Here are the changes coming to the apps.</p> <p>Paint now lets you save your art work as a project, so you can come back and pick up where you left off. You will need to select the Save as project from the File menu to preserve your work.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209717" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Paint-app-Save-as-project.jpg" alt="Paint app Save as project" width="952" height="639" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Paint-app-Save-as-project.jpg 952w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Paint-app-Save-as-project-768x515.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 952px) 100vw, 952px" /></p> <p>Paint is also getting an opacity slider to adjust the transparency level for pencil and brush strokes. Select one of the tools, and you will be able to access the opacity slider on the left edge of the screen.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209718" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Paint-app-adjust-opacity.jpg" alt="Paint app adjust opacity" width="907" height="607" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Paint-app-adjust-opacity.jpg 907w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Paint-app-adjust-opacity-768x514.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 907px) 100vw, 907px" /></p> <p>The new enhancements are available in Paint version 11.2508.361.0 or later.</p> <p>Snipping Tool is getting a Quick Markup tool, to help users annotate their screenshots, before even capturing it. To use it, you need to select the Quick Markup button from Snipping Tool's toolbar, or use the hotkey Ctrl + E.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209716" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Snipping-Tool-Quick-markup-toolbar.jpg" alt="Snipping Tool Quick markup toolbar" width="438" height="74" /></p> <p>Mark the area of the screen that you would like to capture, for example, draw a box around a part of the screen.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209720" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Snipping-Tool-Quick-markup.jpg" alt="Snipping Tool Quick markup" width="1024" height="649" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Snipping-Tool-Quick-markup.jpg 1024w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Snipping-Tool-Quick-markup-768x487.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></p> <p>Once you have made your selection, you can directly start annotating (highlight, arrows, etc.) and edit the image in the selection area before finalizing the screenshot.</p> <p>The Quick Markup tool is available in Snipping tool version 11.2508.24.0 or later. For once, these changes are good, especially since they don't use AI features, except for the changes to Notepad.</p> <p><a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/07/09/we-take-a-closer-look-at-notepads-formatting-options/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Notepad</a> can now summarize content, write (generate text from prompts), and rewrite text using local AI models. These features are free and can be used without signing in to your account, but you will need a Copilot+ PC. Users who have a subscription gain access to other cloud models, and can switch to local models based on their needs.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209719" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Copilot-in-Notepad.png" alt="Copilot in Notepad" width="897" height="790" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Copilot-in-Notepad.png 897w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Copilot-in-Notepad-768x676.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 897px) 100vw, 897px" /></p> <p>Copilot in Notepad is currently only available in English in Notepad version 11.2508.28.0 or above.</p> <p>(Images via Microsoft Blog)</p> <p><a href="https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2025/09/17/paint-snipping-tool-and-notepad-app-updates-begin-rolling-out-to-windows-insiders/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Microsoft's </a><a href="https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2025/09/17/paint-snipping-tool-and-notepad-app-updates-begin-rolling-out-to-windows-insiders/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">announcement</a> says that these features are available for Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels on Windows 11.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/18/microsoft-tests-new-features-in-paint-snipping-tool-and-notepad/" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft tests new features in Paint, Snipping Tool and Notepad</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

4. YouTube's controversial auto-dubbing feature will use AI for lip syncing

   Wed, 17 Sep 2025 20:31:52 -0000

   One of the most annoying features that Google rolled out in recent time on YouTube is auto-dubbing and auto-translations of content. A video that is uploaded in English by its producer may […]

   Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post YouTube's controversial auto-dubbing feature will use AI for lip syncing appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

   <p>One of the most annoying features that Google rolled out in recent time on YouTube is auto-dubbing and auto-translations of content. A video that is uploaded in English by its producer may be translated automatically by YouTube so that its title and its audio are provided in a different language.</p> <p>Google says that this is extending the reach of the video, which means more clicks and eyes on ads. Critics argue that they want to view the original video, not an AI generated version that offers subpar quality more often than not. Especially multi-lingua users are annoyed by the feature, as YouTube does not provide options to block the feature for languages. Extensions like <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/06/27/youtube-anti-translate-deals-with-automatic-text-and-audio-translations-on-youtube/" data-wpel-link="internal">YouTube Anti-Translate deal with that</a>.</p> <p>Google announced an addition to the feature today on its Made on YouTube event. Called auto-dubbing with lip sync, it aims to make auto translated videos more believable by matching the translation to the lip movement of the speaker.</p> <p>Currently, YouTube's auto-translate and auto-dub feature does not take this into account. Means, the movement of the lips of a speaker do not match the spoken works and sounds that come out of the mouth.</p> <p>The feature is rolling out in the coming months. It supports 20 different languages, including English, German, French, and Spanish initially, with more languages coming in the future.</p> <p>Google writes: "We're making auto dubbing more realistic than ever. With upcoming lip sync technology, translated videos will now visually match the speaker's lips with the newly dubbed language, making your content more accessible and engaging for global audiences. We support dubbing across 20 different languages, and we’ll begin testing this new lip sync feature in the coming months."</p> <p>A short video demonstrates the new functionality on YouTube:</p> <p><iframe loading="lazy" title="Made On YouTube 2025: Auto-Dubbing" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8W3noE2Uxag?start=2&feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p> <h3>Closing Words</h3> <p>Automatically dubbed videos will look more realistically once the feature becomes available. It seems that creators may need to enable the feature for now for their videos. Google could use it automatically in the future to make its auto-translated videos more attractive and less disliked.</p> <p><strong>Now You:</strong> What is your take on auto-translated and auto-dubbed videos? Good move to expand the reach of videos, or annoying?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/17/youtubes-controversial-auto-dubbing-feature-will-use-ai-for-lip-syncing/" data-wpel-link="internal">YouTube&#039;s controversial auto-dubbing feature will use AI for lip syncing</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

5. Apple patches a zero-day threat in older iPhones, iPads

   Wed, 17 Sep 2025 14:39:52 -0000

   Apple has released a security update for many older iPhone and iPad models. This update includes a critical security fix, for a zero-day threat. This security update completely went under my radar […]

   Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Apple patches a zero-day threat in older iPhones, iPads appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

   <p>Apple has released a security update for many older iPhone and iPad models. This update includes a critical security fix, for a zero-day threat.</p> <p>This security update completely went under my radar because I was focusing on iOS 26 and didn't check Apple's security releases page. Speaking of which iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26 all ship with <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/125108" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">a bunch of new security fixes</a>.</p> <p>Anyway, let's get back to the update for older devices, the vulnerability in question is tracked under CVE-2025-43300. What's interesting about this is that it is the same as <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/08/21/apple-releases-fix-for-a-zero-day-threat-in-ios-ipados-and-macos/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">the one I wrote about last month.</a> Apple patched a zero-day threat in iOS, iPadOS and macOS on August 20, with the release of iOS 18.6.2, iPadOS 18.6.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.6.1, macOS Sonoma 14.7.8 and macOS Ventura 13.7.8.</p> <p><a href="https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/apple-backports-zero-day-patches-to-older-iphones-and-ipads/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Bleeping Computer</a> spotted some security advisories on Apple's website that highlighted the release of iOS 15.8.5, iPadOS 15.8.5, iOS 16.7.12 and iPadOS 16.7.12 to patch the vulnerability. Here's a brief description of the issue, processing a malicious image file may result in memory corruption. For instance, a photo with spyware code could lead to a targeted attack. Apple says it patched an out-of-bounds write issue with improved bounds checking. The release notes mentions that "Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals." As I said, that is a sophisticated mercenary spyware attack targeting individuals like journalists, activists, etc.</p> <p>The<a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/125141" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external"> iOS 16.7.12 update</a> is available for the Phone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X, while the <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/125142" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">iOS 15.8.5 update</a> is available for iPhone 6s (all models), iPhone 7 (all models), iPhone SE (1st generation), and iPod touch (7th generation). iPadOS 16.7.12 is available for the iPad 5th generation, iPad Pro 9.7-inch, and iPad Pro 12.9-inch 1st generation, while iPadOS 15.8.5 is available for the iPad Air 2, iPad Mini (4th generation).</p> <p>It's good to see Apple patching security issues on devices that are nearly ten years old, the iPhone 7 was launched in 2016. Earlier this month, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/01/whatsapp-fixes-zero-click-vulnerability-in-ios-and-macos-which-was-used-in-targeted-spyware-attacks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">WhatsApp fixed a zero-click vulnerability</a> in iOS and macOS that was used in similar attacks.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/17/apple-patches-zero-day-threats-in-older-iphones-ipads/" data-wpel-link="internal">Apple patches a zero-day threat in older iPhones, iPads</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

6. Spotify free users can now search and play tracks

   Wed, 17 Sep 2025 11:47:18 -0000

   Spotify has announced some quality of life improvements for free users. You can now search for songs and play them. Believe it or not, this basic feature was a behind a paywall. […]

   Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Spotify free users can now search and play tracks appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

   <p>Spotify has announced some quality of life improvements for free users. You can now search for songs and play them.</p> <p>Believe it or not, this basic feature was a behind a paywall. You may know Spotify lets users access it for free, but they have to listen to ads. Plain and simple. Don't like ads? Pay for Spotify Premium, which does home some cool benefits. You get access to ad-free music, downloads, lyrics, and recently <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/11/spotify-is-rolling-out-lossless-audio-streaming-for-premium-subscribers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">lossless streaming</a>, Mix, etc.</p> <p>So, anyway, let me provide some context on how Spotify free's search worked prior to this change. When you searched for a specific track or an artist, and clicked on the result, it wouldn't play the actual track. Instead, it would play something else from the artist randomly, it would shuffle the music. This was basically Spotify's way of getting people to subscribe to Premium. It's bizarre, but here is something else that might surprise you. <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/11/youtube-music-google-trying-to-make-lyrics-a-premium-plan-exclusive/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">YouTube Music</a> is the only other streaming service that lets you listen to music for free. Apple Music doesn't, and as far as I know, all the others have some sort of restrictions or the other.</p> <p>Now, when you search for a track on Spotify, you can play it for free. This experience is being called "Search &amp; Play". When you click on play on any Spotify track, it's "Pick &amp; Play". Users can also share tracks with their friends, and this is, you guessed it, "Share &amp; Play". The names are rather silly, but these are welcome improvements.</p> <p><a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/08/26/spotify-now-lets-you-send-messages-share-music-podcasts-audiobooks-with-your-friends/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Messages</a> and personalized playlists daylist (not kidding, that's what it's called) are available for free users. Share &amp; Play might actually be a direct result of Messages being introduced, so users can share playlists, tracks via DMs easily.</p> <p>But, there are some restrictions. <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/15/spotify-will-now-let-free-users-pick-and-play-tracks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">TechCrunch</a> reports that Spotify told the blog that free users on mobile have an allocated "on-demand time", this is a daily limit. When you exhaust it, Spotify will offer a limited number of skips per hour. What are skips? Users can listen to any song they like, and if they don't it, you can skip the song and continue listening. According to <a href="https://www.theverge.com/news/778176/spotify-free-user-upgrade-play-specific-songs" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">The Verge,</a> Spotify offers six-skips per hour for free. Here's the <a href="https://newsroom.spotify.com/2025-09-15/free-experience-updates-features-tips/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">announcement on Spotify's blog</a>.</p> <p>Spotify Premium costs $11.99 per month, and has no such restrictions. Free users make up for the majority of Spotify's user base. 433 million out of 696 million monthly active users access the music streaming service for free. That's a lot of users, which translates to a lot of ads and revenue.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/17/spotify-free-users-can-now-search-and-play-tracks/" data-wpel-link="internal">Spotify free users can now search and play tracks</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

7. Fedora Linux 43 beta released, drops X11 support to go Wayland only

   Wed, 17 Sep 2025 09:34:49 -0000

   Fedora Linux 43 beta has been announced. The distro does not support X11 session, it is Wayland-only. This is because GNOME decided to end support for Xorg. Back in 2023, when GNOME […]

   Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Fedora Linux 43 beta released, drops X11 support to go Wayland only appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

   <p>Fedora Linux 43 beta has been announced. The distro does not support X11 session, it is Wayland-only.</p> <p>This is because GNOME decided to end support for Xorg. Back in 2023, when GNOME 45 was released, developers began planning the removal of X11.</p> <p>Since GNOME was dropping the old compositor, Fedora decided it was about time for it to do the same. In April 2025, Fedora said that it was planning to end support for X11 packages, and this decision was finalized in May. However, in a twist a few weeks ago, it was revealed that GNOME 49 release candidate re-enabled X11 support due to some technical issues related to the GNOME Desktop Manager (GDM).</p> <p>But, this is a temporary change, GNOME does plan to disable X11 in a future version, and it could happen as soon as v50. Despite the reversal, Fedora 43 won't support Xorg, the distro's developers are sticking to the original plan. All GNOME X11 session users will be migrated to the Wayland session.</p> <p><a href="https://fedoramagazine.org/announcing-fedora-linux-43-beta/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Fedora 43</a> will ship with Python 3.14, Linux Kernel 6.17, KDE 6.4, and RPM 6.0. It will come with Mesa 25.1.4 graphics drivers. Beta builds of Fedora 43 Workstation, KDE Plasma Desktop, Server, IoT, and Cloud are available for download on the <a href="https://fedoraproject.org/workstation/download?beta" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">distro's website</a>. For a full list of technical changes in Fedora 43, please refer to the <a href="https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Releases/43/ChangeSet#Wayland-only_GNOME" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">official wiki</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.phoronix.com/news/Fedora-43-Beta-Released" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Phoronix</a> reports that the final version of Fedora 43 could be released in late October or early November. X11 is barely maintained, if at all, and it lacks many features that modern hardware supports like multiple monitors with variable refresh rate, fractional scaling, HDR. Wayland on the other hand is superior in almost all aspects, and support for it has been improving for both AMD and NVIDIA GPUs steadily.</p> <p>Hopefully, Mint will get proper Wayland support soon. As a reminder, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/04/linux-mint-22-2-zara-update-released/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Linux Mint 22.2</a> was released at the start of September. <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/08/kde-linux-distros-first-alpha-version-has-been-released/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">KDE Linux</a>'s first alpha was also released recently.  The first beta of Linux Mint Debian Edition 7 is expected to drop this month.</p> <p>Do you use X11 or Wayland?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/17/fedora-linux-43-beta-released-drops-x11-support-to-go-wayland-only/" data-wpel-link="internal">Fedora Linux 43 beta released, drops X11 support to go Wayland only</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

8. Google launches App for Windows to search online, local files and Google Drive

   Tue, 16 Sep 2025 21:31:08 -0000

   Google announced the release of a the new Google app for Microsoft's Windows operating system. The new experimental search app streamlines web searches and file searches. Windows users who install the new […]

   Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Google launches App for Windows to search online, local files and Google Drive appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

   <p>Google announced the release of a the new Google app for Microsoft's Windows operating system. The new experimental search app streamlines web searches and file searches.</p> <p>Windows users who install the new app on their device may use the keyboard shortcut Alt-Space to bring up the search interface. The search finds content on the Internet as well as local files, installed programs, and Google Drive files according to Google's announcement.</p> <p>Another key feature of the app is the integration of Google Lens. It can be used to interact with any text or visual element that is displayed on the screen. Google says that users may use the feature to translate images or text, get "help with homework problems" and more.</p> <p>Google baked AI into the Windows app as well. AI Mode enables "deeper AI-powered responses" and supports asking follow-up questions. The mode may provide users with additional helpful links, according to the announcement.</p> <p>The new app has been launched as part of Google's Search Labs experience and it is limited to users from the United States currently who have set their language to English.  Users who match the requirements can opt-in on the <a href="https://labs.google.com/search" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">official Google Search Labs website</a>.</p> <h3>Closing Words</h3> <p>The experiment brings a universal Google Search app to Windows that combines web searches with file searches and AI functions. Users heavily invested into Google's ecosystem may find it useful, as it gives them quick access to searches and AI from their Windows desktop.</p> <p>Privacy-aware users may object to giving Google access to local files, but this option can be turned off in the app permissions. Still, the app itself will run on the Windows PC to provide its functionality</p> <p>The main question is whether Google will maintain the app for years and promote it out of the experimental category, or whether it will be one of those Google projects that are short-lived because they do not meet the company's expectations and projections.</p> <p><strong>Now You:</strong> Would you use the Google app for Windows for searches, Google Lens and AI functionality?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/16/google-launches-app-for-windows-to-search-online-local-files-and-google-drive/" data-wpel-link="internal">Google launches App for Windows to search online, local files and Google Drive</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

9. Mozilla Firefox 143.0 adds support for Progressive Web Apps, Copilot on sidebar, Important dates in the address bar

   Tue, 16 Sep 2025 14:34:44 -0000

   Mozilla has released Firefox 143.0. The update lets users pin web apps to the taskbar, but only on Windows. About a month, I reported that progressive web apps (PWAs) are available via […]

   Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Mozilla Firefox 143.0 adds support for Progressive Web Apps, Copilot on sidebar, Important dates in the address bar appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

   <p>Mozilla has released Firefox 143.0. The update lets users pin web apps to the taskbar, but only on Windows.</p> <p>About a month, I reported that <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/08/22/experimental-firefox-now-supports-progressive-web-apps-on-windows/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">progressive web apps (PWAs) are available via Firefox's Labs</a>. Now, the feature is available for everyone on Windows. This allows you to pin your favorite sites to the taskbar, and launch them quickly without having to open Firefox first, and typing the URL. It's worth noting that the Firefox version that is distributed via the Microsoft Store, does not support pinning web apps. Why isn't this available for Mac or Linux remains a mystery.</p> <p>You can now pin tabs in Firefox by dragging them to the start of the tab strip. I'm not sure why this is a feature, you can just right-click on a tab to pin it. The drag-and-pin works, I tested it. When you drag a tab, a pin icon appears near the left edge of the tab bar. I suppose this is easier than dragging a tab all the way to the first tab.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209541" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-Copilot-AI-in-Firefox-sidebar.jpg" alt="Microsoft Copilot AI in Firefox sidebar" width="1200" height="650" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-Copilot-AI-in-Firefox-sidebar.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-Copilot-AI-in-Firefox-sidebar-768x416.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p><a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/05/firefox-nightly-now-lets-you-access-microsoft-copilot-from-the-sidebar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft Copilot is now available in Firefox's sidebar</a> for all users, I already wrote an article about this feature being tested in Firefox Nightly. It's optional, use it or disable it. It's your choice.</p> <p>Firefox will now display a preview of your camera, when a site asks for camera access. The preview is available inside the permission dialog, and Mozilla says this is  helpful when switching between multiple cameras.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209695" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Firefox-camera-access-preview.jpg" alt="Firefox camera access preview" width="562" height="530" /></p> <p>(Image via Mozilla)</p> <p>Downloading a file while in Private Browsing mode will trigger a pop-up offering the user with a choice to save a file or delete it automatically. You can configure this behavior from the Settings &gt; General &gt; Files and Applications section. Toggle the option that says "Delete files downloaded in private browsing when all private windows are closed".  The option is disabled by default.</p> <div class="release-note-content"> <p>Firefox's address bar will now show you important dates and events such as (e.g. “Mother’s Day”). This feature is available for users in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209693" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Firefox-important-dates-suggest-remove.jpg" alt="Firefox important dates suggest remove" width="1200" height="271" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Firefox-important-dates-suggest-remove.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Firefox-important-dates-suggest-remove-768x173.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>Note: I could not test it, but I found a flag in about:config called browser.<wbr />urlbar.<wbr />suggest.<wbr />importantDates. It is set to true by default. Setting it to false should disable the feature. There is another flag: browser.<wbr />urlbar.<wbr />importantDates.<wbr />featureGate which is set to False.</p> </div> <p>Mozilla's release notes for Firefox 143.0 says that the release ships with some security fixes, but it's unclear what they are, the link for the security advisory just gives me a 404 error. Firefox's Fingerprinting Protection has been enhanced, it now reports constant values for more attributes of user's computers. <a href="https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-protection-against-fingerprinting#w_suspected-fingerprinters" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">More details are available here</a>. Windows UI Automation is rolling out to Firefox users, this feature improves support for accessibility tools such as Windows Voice Access, Text Cursor Indicator and Narrator. Firefox now supports xHE-AAC audio playback on Windows 11 22H2+, macOS, and Android 9+.</p> <p>Firefox 143.0 for Android now supports DNS over HTTPS. It also has a new feature called "Smarter downloads" which is described as follows, "allows you to manage files easily with real-time tracking and quick controls". Firefox 143.0 now has the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/12/firefox-for-ios-will-summarize-web-pages-using-ai-when-you-shake-your-iphone/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Shake to Summarize</a> feature that displays a summary of the web page you are on, when you shake your iPhone. It requires iOS 26 or above. The iOS browser's UI has been redesigned.</p> <p><a href="https://www.firefox.com/en-US/firefox/143.0/releasenotes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Download Firefox 143.0</a> from the official website. <a href="https://www.firefox.com/en-US/firefox/115.28.0/releasenotes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Firefox ESR 115.28.0</a> and <a href="https://www.firefox.com/en-US/firefox/140.3.0/releasenotes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Firefox ESR 140.3.0</a> are also available for download.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/16/mozilla-firefox-143-0-adds-support-for-progressive-web-apps-copilot-on-sidebar-important-dates-in-the-address-bar/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mozilla Firefox 143.0 adds support for Progressive Web Apps, Copilot on sidebar, Important dates in the address bar</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

10. Apple releases iOS 26 and here are its best features

    Tue, 16 Sep 2025 10:59:30 -0000

    iOS 26 is now available for iPhones. Let's take a quick look at what's new in it. Apple had announced the new iteration of iOS in June, before releasing it in beta. […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Apple releases iOS 26 and here are its best features appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>iOS 26 is now available for iPhones. Let's take a quick look at what's new in it.</p> <p>Apple had<a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/06/10/apple-announces-ios-26-with-liquid-glass-design/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal"> announced the new iteration</a> of iOS in June, before releasing it in beta. Now, it's available for everyone.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209680" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/iOS-26-whats-new.jpg" alt="iOS 26 what's new" width="323" height="700" /></p> <p>The main highlight of iOS 26 is Liquid Glass, a transparent design for apps, icons, menus, widgets, navigation, etc. It is everywhere from the Home Screen to the Lock screen, the notifications, Control Center, and in the interface of apps. Some people like it, some people don't.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209678" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/iOS-26-design.jpg" alt="iOS 26 design" width="696" height="450" /></p> <p>To set up your Home Screen for Liquid Glass, long press anywhere on the home page, and select edit in the top-left corner. Tap on customize, and you will be able to select the icon colors, including Light/Dark/Clear themes.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209682" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/iOS26-Liquid-Glass.jpg" alt="iOS26 Liquid Glass" width="646" height="700" /></p> <p>Select Clear, it also has its own Light or Dark options which you can choose. One thing that surprised me is the home bar (the white bar) at the bottom of the screen, it's gone. Liquid Glass also brings a new magnifier loupe that appears when you try to move the cursor. The tab bar (address bar) in apps like Safari, Apple Music, Podcasts, News, etc., shrinks automatically as you scroll, for a more immersive experience. You may notice that many app icons have been redesigned.</p> <p>Moving to the Lock Screen, iOS 26 introduces a 3D effect for your photos. You'll need to toggle the Spatial scene option when setting up the wallpaper. This feature is available on iPhone 12 and later.</p> <p>Apple has revamped the Camera app in iOS 26, it has a streamlined design. It displays 2 options at the bottom, Video and Photo. Swipe your finger on these options, to the left or right, to access more options. Users can now customize the controls displayed by the Camera app. If the lens is dirty,  the camera app will prompt you asking to clean it for the best possible photo.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209683" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/iOS-26-camera-app-design.jpg" alt="iOS 26 camera app design" width="323" height="700" /></p> <p>The Photos app also has a new design featuring tabs for Library and Collections. Messages now supports typing indicators in groups, polls, backgrounds, etc. iOS 26's Phone app has a simplified design with three tabs for calls, Contacts and Keypad. The Calls tab acts as a unified layout for Favorites, Recents. Missed and Voicemails. You can switch to the old layout from the menu in the top right corner of the screen. The Phone app supports call screening, which will ask unknown callers to say why they are calling you, and you can choose to pick up the call.</p> <p>Apple has shipped some new features for Apple Intelligence in iOS 26. Visual Intelligence can be accessed in any app by pressing the same buttons you use to take a screenshot on your iPhone. It allows you to search for things on your screen using Google or other services. Or you can ask ChatGPT about what's currently on your iPhone screen such as an object, or to quickly identify plants, animals, etc.</p> <p>iOS 26's Live Translations can automatically translate incoming texts in all chats. All you need to do is type your message in your preferred language, and it will be sent to your contact in original and translated versions. It also works real-time in FaceTime calls, translated captions appear on your screen as the person speaks. Live Translation is also supported in Phone calls too, the words are translated and spoken out loud in real time. If you have AirPods when speaking with someone in a different language, you can use them to hear the translated version of what they are saying.</p> <p>Note: Live Translations supports English (UK, US), French (France), German, Portuguese (Brazil) and Spanish (Spain), and requires Apple Intelligence to be enabled on a compatible iPhone, iPad or Mac.</p> <h3><strong>Some tips for iOS 26:</strong></h3> <p>Don't like the Liquid Glass design? You can reduce the transparency effect. To do so, go to the Settings &gt; Accessibility &gt; Display &amp; Text Size &gt; Reduce Transparency.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209681" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/iOS26-Liquid-Glass-reduced-transparency.jpg" alt="iOS26 Liquid Glass reduced transparency" width="323" height="700" /></p> <p>It is very noticeable in some apps. You may have to restart apps to apply the setting.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209684" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/iOS26-Reduced-Transparency.jpg" alt="iOS26 Reduced Transparency" width="646" height="700" /></p> <p>Apple Safari in iOS 26 removes the tab switcher button, and it now requires two taps to access your list of tabs. There's a simpler way to switch tabs. Just swipe up from the address bar.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209687" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/iOS26-Tab-switcher.jpg" alt="iOS26 Tab switcher" width="646" height="700" /></p> <p>If you want a tab switcher button, go to Settings &gt; Apps &gt; Safari, and keep scrolling until you see the Tabs section. It is set to use the "Compact" layout as default. Select bottom to get the tab switcher button back.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209686" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/iOS26-enable-Tab-switcher.jpg" alt="iOS26 enable Tab switcher" width="323" height="700" /></p> <p>A search bar is now available at the bottom in many Apple apps including Messages, Mail, Notes, etc. You can now set a snooze duration for alarms, the options let you choose between 1 and 15 minutes.</p> <p>My iPhone 13 was very warm to the touch when I was testing iOS 26, a couple of hours after installing the update. A support page on Apple's website says that "you might notice a temporary impact on battery life and thermal performance.", and that this is normal after installing an update.</p> <p>Refer to the <a href="https://www.apple.com/in/os/ios/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">official support page</a> for more details about what's new in iOS 26.</p> <p>If you haven't gotten the notification for the update, go to Settings &gt; General &gt; Software Update to check for it manually. iOS 26 is compatible with iPhone 11 and later. Here is a full list of devices that are eligible to receive the OS update.</p> <ul> <li>iPhone 17</li> <li>iPhone 17 Pro</li> <li>iPhone 17 Pro Max</li> <li>iPhone Air</li> <li>iPhone 16e</li> <li>iPhone 16</li> <li>iPhone 16 Plus</li> <li>iPhone 16 Pro</li> <li>iPhone 16 Pro Max</li> <li>iPhone 15</li> <li>iPhone 15 Plus</li> <li>iPhone 15 Pro</li> <li>iPhone 15 Pro Max</li> <li>iPhone 14</li> <li>iPhone 14 Plus</li> <li>iPhone 14 Pro</li> <li>iPhone 14 Pro Max</li> <li>iPhone 13</li> <li>iPhone 13 mini</li> <li>iPhone 13 Pro</li> <li>iPhone 13 Pro Max</li> <li>iPhone 12</li> <li>iPhone 12 mini</li> <li>iPhone 12 Pro</li> <li>iPhone 12 Pro Max</li> <li>iPhone 11</li> <li>iPhone 11 Pro</li> <li>iPhone 11 Pro Max</li> <li>iPhone SE (2nd generation and later)</li> </ul> <p>Apple announced the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/11/apple-announces-the-iphone-17-iphone-17-air-and-iphone-17-pro/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">iPhone 17 series last week,</a> the devices will start shipping on September 19th.</p> <p>Have you tried iOS 26?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/16/apple-releases-ios-26-and-here-are-its-best-features/" data-wpel-link="internal">Apple releases iOS 26 and here are its best features</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

11. Windows 11 is getting a system tray shortcut to run a network speed test

    Mon, 15 Sep 2025 13:20:35 -0000

    Microsoft is testing a new option in the Windows 11 system tray. It will allow you to quickly run a network speed test. The feature was spotted by reliable Windows Insider, Phantomofearth, […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Windows 11 is getting a system tray shortcut to run a network speed test appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Microsoft is testing a new option in the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/13/windows-11-may-nag-you-now-when-your-microsoft-365-subscription-expires/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Windows 11</a> system tray. It will allow you to quickly run a network speed test.</p> <p>The feature was spotted by reliable Windows Insider, <a href="https://x.com/phantomofearth/status/1966975772033511751" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Phantomofearth</a>, who says that Microsoft is testing it in the Windows Insider Program. According to screenshots that the leaker posted on X, the option is available via the Windows 11's network and internet icon, or in this case, the Wi-Fi icon. Right-clicking on the button will display a pop-up menu with a new option.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209673" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Windows-11-is-getting-a-system-tray-shortcut-to-run-a-network-speed-test.jpg" alt="Windows 11 is getting a system tray shortcut to run a network speed test" width="638" height="404" /></p> <p>It's simply called "Perform Speed Test", and has a speedometer icon. A second screenshot shared by the leaker shows a "Test internet speed" button in the bottom right corner of the network/Wi-Fi selection panel in the quick settings page.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209672" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Windows-11network-speed-test.jpg" alt="Windows 11network speed test" width="703" height="851" /></p> <p><a href="https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/windows-11-is-getting-a-built-in-internet-speed-test-feature-that-will-take-you-to-bing-along-with-multiple-revamped-settings-pages-latest-insider-channel-builds-reveal-prominent-changes-coming-soon-to-the-os" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Tom's Hardware</a> says both of these options are functionally similar. As for the test itself, clicking on either of the 2 options opens Bing in your web browser to run the speed test. Of course, it does. This is essentially a web shortcut to run the speed test, not a built-in app. You could do the same yourself, just open Bing and type speed test, and you should see a speed test widget that you can use to check how fast your internet connection's performance is.</p> <p>I typically use https://fast.com/ (Netflix's speed test) because it is easy to remember, it's just four letters and Ctrl + Enter. And it initiates a speed test directly without needing any further input. I'm assuming <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/12/microsoft-avoids-eu-fine-in-antitrust-case-after-unbundling-teams-from-office-365/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft</a> wants to offer a similar, faster experience with its shortcut. I suppose it might be useful for people who don't know how to check their internet's speed.</p> <p>Windows 11's speed test shortcut is currently available for testers running the Canary, Dev and Beta channels of the Windows Insider Program. It might be more useful to have an actual app that does the speed test without opening the browser.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/15/windows-11-is-getting-a-system-tray-shortcut-to-run-a-network-speed-test/" data-wpel-link="internal">Windows 11 is getting a system tray shortcut to run a network speed test</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

12. Copilot App will install automatically on Windows for many users, but there are exceptions

    Mon, 15 Sep 2025 12:41:06 -0000

    Microsoft's Copilot AI push continued in the past couple of months. Just last month, it started to roll out Copilot in Excel and told users that they should not be using the […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Copilot App will install automatically on Windows for many users, but there are exceptions appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Microsoft's Copilot AI push continued in the past couple of months. Just last month, it started to roll out <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/08/26/copilot-launches-in-excel-but-microsoft-warns-against-using-it-for-any-task-requiring-accuracy/" data-wpel-link="internal">Copilot in Excel</a> and told users that they should not be using the AI for any serious tasks just yet.</p> <p>The next step in Microsoft's plans for world domination is the rollout of the Copilot app for many Windows users. Microsoft confirmed plans to start the rollout this Fall, which means in the coming months.</p> <p>According to Microsoft, the application will install itself in the background autoamatically, if another Microsoft 365 app is installed on the system. In other words, if you have installed a Microsoft 365 version of Word, Excel, or any of the other Office apps on a Windows machine, you will get the Copilot app installed automatically.</p> <p>However, if you are from the European Economic Area, then you won't have the application installed automatically according to Microsoft.</p> <p><a href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/microsoft-365/deploy-microsoft-365-copilot-app" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Microsoft writes</a>: "Windows devices with the Microsoft 365 desktop client apps will automatically install the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. This app installation takes place in the background and would not disrupt the user. This app installation will start in Fall 2025."</p> <p>The company published instructions to prevent the automatic installation of the Copilot app on Windows PCs that meet the requirements.</p> <p>Here they are:</p> <ol> <li>Sign in to the <a href="https://config.office.com/deploymentsettings" data-linktype="external" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Microsoft 365 Apps admin center</a> with an admin account.</li> <li>Go to <strong>Customization</strong> &gt; <strong>Device Configuration</strong> &gt; <strong>Modern App Settings</strong>.</li> <li>Select <strong>Microsoft 365 Copilot app</strong>, then clear the <strong>Enable automatic installation of Microsoft 365 Copilot app</strong> check box.</li> </ol> <p>REgular users may disable Copilot via the Group Policy Editor or the Registry</p> <p><strong>Note</strong>: the following options disable Copilot on the Windows system. It needs to be seen whether these will also prevent the installation of the app.</p> <p>Windows 11 home users who run the Pro edition of the operating system may also block the installation via the Group Policy Editor:</p> <ul data-hveid="CC8QAQ" data-ved="2ahUKEwjJgpuV3dqPAxWzs1YBHShTAfkQm_YKegQILxAB"> <li><span data-huuid="2137827347248884028">Open the Group Policy Editor (<code class="mv6bHd">gpedit.msc</code>).<span class="pjBG2e" data-cid="e9c7a47c-a23a-4fd6-b763-bac4d84a03ae"><span class="UV3uM"> </span></span></span></li> <li><span data-huuid="2137827347248884858">Navigate to: <code class="mv6bHd">Computer Configuration &gt; Administrative Templates &gt; Windows Components &gt; Windows Copilot</code>.<span class="pjBG2e" data-cid="0464b8e2-1bb9-4077-91db-7f16b53ff806"><span class="UV3uM"> </span></span></span></li> <li><span data-huuid="2137827347248885688">Enable the "Turn off Windows Copilot" policy</span></li> </ul> <p>All Windows users may add the following option to the Registry</p> <ul data-hveid="CDIQAQ" data-ved="2ahUKEwjJgpuV3dqPAxWzs1YBHShTAfkQm_YKegQIMhAB"> <li><span data-huuid="2137827347248885715">Open the Registry Editor and navigate to: <code class="mv6bHd">HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsCopilot</code>.<span class="pjBG2e" data-cid="d0927468-bac4-45c1-bc31-109972f7ef1c"><span class="UV3uM"> </span></span></span></li> <li><span data-huuid="2137827347248882449">Create a new <code class="mv6bHd">DWORD (32-bit) Value</code> and name it <code class="mv6bHd">TurnOffWindowsCopilot</code>.<span class="pjBG2e" data-cid="c609c80c-5522-448a-8abd-0e68048cf608"><span class="UV3uM"> </span></span></span></li> <li><span data-huuid="2137827347248883279">Set its value data to <code class="mv6bHd">1</code></span></li> </ul> <p>In any event, you may uninstall the Copilot application if it was installed automatically on your system via the Apps section of the Settings app.</p> <p>Now you: what is your take on the auto-installation? Good move by Microsoft or yet another overreach?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/15/copilot-app-will-install-automatically-on-windows-for-many-users-but-there-are-exceptions/" data-wpel-link="internal">Copilot App will install automatically on Windows for many users, but there are exceptions</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

13. Linux Mint Debian Edition 7 to drop support for 32-bit

    Mon, 15 Sep 2025 07:04:47 -0000

    Linux Mint Debian Edition 7 will not support 32-bit computers. That's not surprising. Last week, I reported that Mozilla is ending support for Firefox on 32-bit Linux in 2026. In that article, […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Linux Mint Debian Edition 7 to drop support for 32-bit appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Linux Mint Debian Edition 7 will not support 32-bit computers. That's not surprising.</p> <p>Last week, I reported that Mozilla is <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/10/firefox-to-end-support-for-32-bit-linux-in-2026/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">ending support for Firefox on 32-bit Linux</a> in 2026. In that article, I briefly explained how 32-bit distros are becoming rarer these days.</p> <p>So why is Linux Mint Debian Edition ditching 32-bit? Well, it's very simple. LMDE is based on Debian. And Debian 13 dropped support for i386, aka 32-bit. It is now amd64, which is the 64-bit architecture. Naturally, since it is based on Debian's source code, LMDE has no choice but to follow suit, hence becoming a 64-bit distro.  You can still run 32-bit apps, but the distribution will not have 32-bit build ISOs. Debian 12 Bookworm Long Term Support (LTS) end on June 30, 2028. So it is likely that LMDE 6 will be supported until then. So, there is no need to panic just yet.</p> <p>LMDE 7, which is codenamed Gigi, will be based on Debian 13 Trixie. The <a href="https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=4879" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">official announcement</a> says that the upcoming iteration will include the improvements that were introduced in Linux Mint 22.2. Also, LMDE 7 <a href="https://blog.linuxmint.com/?m=202504" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">will support OEM installations</a>, which will allow manufacturers to pre-install the distro on their computers. The first beta of LMDE 7 will be released in September.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209662" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/LMDE-7-OEM-installation.jpg" alt="LMDE 7 OEM installation" width="640" height="480" /></p> <p>In case you missed it, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/04/linux-mint-22-2-zara-update-released/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Linux Mint 22.2 was released</a> earlier this month. Linux Mint 22 was released in July 2024, followed by 22.1 in January 2025, and 22.2 in September this year. However, the next release is very close. Linux Mint 22.3 is targeting a December 2025 release. It will focus a new version of Cinnamon, and bring a new menu.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209661" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Linux-Mint-menu.jpg" alt="Linux Mint menu" width="610" height="589" /></p> <p>This is what it looks like right now (except for the custom menu icon that I use).</p> <p>Here's a preview of the new menu. So the layout's changing, the buttons at the bottom are being moved to the right panel. I don't know why but it reminds me of macOS' System Settings.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209663" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Linux-Mint-22.3-new-app-menu-preview.jpg" alt="Linux Mint 22.3 new app menu preview" width="744" height="760" /></p> <p>The names of the icons in the sidebar are expanded, while the right panel has descriptions for each app. That might be useful for people who are moving to LMDE 7, because a certain OS is reaching end of life support soon.</p> <p>Mint 22.3 will also have a status applet, and Wayland-compatible handling for keyboard layouts and input methods. While on the topic of Linux, you should check out <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/08/kde-linux-distros-first-alpha-version-has-been-released/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">KDE Linux</a>. It's very much real, albeit in an early phase.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/15/linux-mint-debian-edition-7-to-drop-support-for-32-bit/" data-wpel-link="internal">Linux Mint Debian Edition 7 to drop support for 32-bit</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

14. Overview of Windows Security Updates September 2025

    Mon, 15 Sep 2025 06:01:54 -0000

    Usually, we post Windows Security Updates once they are out. This time it's a little delayed, but here it is nonetheless. Microsoft Windows Security Updates: September 2025 Executive Summary Microsoft has released […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Overview of Windows Security Updates September 2025 appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Usually, we post Windows Security Updates once they are out. This time it's a little delayed, but here it is nonetheless.</p> <h3><strong>Microsoft Windows Security Updates: September 2025</strong></h3> <p><strong>Executive Summary</strong></p> <p>Microsoft has released 86 security updates for Microsoft products (9 critical and 72 important), and 5 patches for non-Microsoft issues (like Chromium).</p> <p>For those of you who want all the details of the patches from the released updates, head to this page: <a href="https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Windows Security Updates September 2025</a>.</p> <p><strong>Windows clients with known issues</strong></p> <ul> <li>Windows 10: None</li> <li>Windows 11: Windows 11, version 24H2 (PowerShell Direct (PSDirect) connections failing in hotpatched devices)</li> <li>Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2025.</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/september-9-2025-kb5065429-os-builds-19044-6332-and-19045-6332-b343e907-4f50-41d9-80f8-519490551b91" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">KB5065429</a></li> <li>Security fixes and improvements</li> <li>This update fixes an issue that caused non-admin users to run into UAC prompts when MSI installers/repairs perform certain actions. It affected Office Professional Plus 2010 and multiple applications from Autodesk including AutoCAD. An issue related to WinSock was fixed.</li> <li>Refer to this <a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/august-26-2025-kb5063842-os-build-19045-6282-preview-0ee815c6-a742-4cae-b669-6978e0bfd425" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">optional update</a> page for more changes in this update.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Windows 11 version 22H2 / 23H2</strong></p> <ul> <li>Support Page: <a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/september-9-2025-kb5065431-os-builds-22621-5909-and-22631-5909-c428cf71-e28d-490f-b0d7-a587ebab0667" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">KB5065431</a></li> <li>Security fixes and improvements</li> <li>This update fixes an issue that caused non-admin users to run into UAC prompts when MSI installers/repairs perform certain actions. It affected Office Professional Plus 2010 and multiple applications from Autodesk including AutoCAD. An issue related to WinSock was fixed.</li> <li><a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/august-26-2025-kb5064080-os-build-22621-5840-preview-7288cbfb-aa6a-4143-b9b8-47ef4b895f78" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Optional update page</a> with more changes included in this update.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Windows 11 version 24H2</strong></p> <ul> <li>Support page: <a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/september-9-2025-kb5065426-os-build-26100-6584-77a41d9b-1b7c-4198-b9a5-3c4b6706dea9" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">KB5065426</a></li> <li>Security fixes and improvements</li> <li>An input issue that caused certain apps to stop responding was resolved. A bug that caused Internet Information Services (IIS) modules to disappear from IIS Manager was addressed in this update. A Network Device Interface (NDI) issue that affected audio in apps was fixed.</li> <li>Refer to the <a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/august-29-2025-kb5064081-os-build-26100-5074-preview-3f9eb9e1-72ca-4b42-af97-39aace788d93" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">optional update page</a> for additional information.</li> </ul> <p>Known Issue: Installing the KB5063878 can cause audio stutter when Display Capture is on in OBS Studio.</p> <h3><strong>List of important security vulnerabilities that were patched</strong></h3> <h3>Security advisories and updates</h3> <p><a href="https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/advisory/ADV253991" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">ADV 253991</a> - Guidance for secure Entra ID application authorization validation</p> <p><strong>Microsoft Office Updates</strong></p> <div id="td-incontent-569239061664" class="rvloader-container mb--10"> <div class="rv-ad"> <div id="td-incontent-569239061664__ad">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>.</div> </div> </div> <h3><strong>How to download and install the September 2025 security updates</strong></h3> <p>Here is how you install the update immediately on a system:</p> <ol> <li>Open the Start menu, type Windows Update, and select the result.</li> <li>Activate the "check for updates" button. This runs a manual check for updates.</li> <li>Activate the "download &amp; install all" button, if the update is not downloaded automatically.</li> </ol> <h3>Direct update downloads</h3> <p>Want to download the updates from the Microsoft Update Catalog? These links will help you.</p> <p><strong>Windows 10 version 22H2</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB5065429" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">KB5065429</a> 2025-09 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 22H2</p> <p><strong>Windows 11 version 23H2</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB5065431" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">KB5065431</a> 2025-09 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 Version 22H2</p> <p><strong>Windows 11 version 23H2</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB5065431" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">KB5065431</a> 2025-09 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 Version 23H2</p> <p><strong>Windows 11 version 24H2</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB5065426" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">KB5065426</a> 2025-09 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 Version 24H2</p> <h4 class="entry"><strong>Additional resources</strong></h4> <section class="entry"> <ul> <li><a href="https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/releaseNote/2025-Aug" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">August 2025 Security Updates release notes</a></li> <li><a class="ext-link" title="" href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/topic/description-of-software-update-services-and-windows-server-update-services-changes-in-content-for-2025-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-version-24h2-update-history-0929c747-1815-4543-8461-0160d16f15e5" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer nofollow" data-wpel-link="external" data-mrf-link="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/windows-11-version-24h2-update-history-0929c747-1815-4543-8461-0160d16f15e5">Windows 11 24H2 Update History</a></li> <li><a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/windows-11-version-23h2-update-history-59875222-b990-4bd9-932f-91a5954de434" 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 23H2 Update History</a></li> <li><a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/windows-10-update-history-8127c2c6-6edf-4fdf-8b9f-0f7be1ef3562" 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>As a reminder, Windows 10 reaches its end of life in exactly 30 days: October 14, 2025. You can <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/07/24/how-to-extend-windows-10-support-by-a-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">follow this guide to extend security updates</a> for a year.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/15/overview-of-windows-security-updates-september-2025/" data-wpel-link="internal">Overview of Windows Security Updates September 2025</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

15. Windows 11 may nag you now when your Microsoft 365 subscription expires

    Sat, 13 Sep 2025 09:37:08 -0000

    Microsoft continues its push towards making its Windows 11 operating system a driver for subscription-based sales. The company launched a new SCOOBE screen (Second Chance Out of Box Experience) in the latest […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Windows 11 may nag you now when your Microsoft 365 subscription expires appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Microsoft continues its push towards making its Windows 11 operating system a driver for subscription-based sales. The company launched a new <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2019/08/09/how-to-disable-get-even-more-out-of-windows-on-windows-10/" data-wpel-link="internal">SCOOBE screen</a> (Second Chance Out of Box Experience) in the latest Windows 11 development builds that is nagging users when their Microsoft 365 subscription expired.</p> <p>A fullscreen page may be displayed when the Microsoft 365 subscription needs attention <a href="https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2025/09/12/announcing-windows-11-insider-preview-build-26220-6682-dev-channel/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">writes Microsoft</a> in the release notes of the update. The screen may be displayed when the payment did not go through, according to Microsoft. That is just one example, and others may include nudging users into renewing a subscription if they have paused payments or even cancelled the subscription.</p> <p>Microsoft writes: "In just a few clicks, you can review and update your payment method and keep your subscription benefits uninterrupted."</p> <p>The new screen is part of another "experience" that Microsoft baked into its Windows 11 operating system. Users may be aware of the Out of box experience already, which Windows 11 displays on the first start after installation or turning on a PC with Windows 11 for the first time.</p> <p>This second experience also launches after the operating system is started. It may show different information or calls to action to the user. All have in common that they show up after starting the system in fullscreen and before the actual desktop is displayed. In other words, users have to react to the message before they may even get to the desktop and start using their system.</p> <p>The new Microsoft 365 subscription screen shows usage information. It lists the amount of data that the user has stored in the cloud and the number of users a family account was shared with. The screen displays highlights next to that, including the number of devices the subscription can be used on and which premium apps may be accessed. Clearly, the message is useful to some, especially if cloud data exceeds the free quota, but it can also be seen as a subtle reminder that others may be impacted, if the subscription is not renewed.</p> <h3>Closing Words</h3> <p>While information like this can be useful to users, for instance when a payment failed without the user realizing it, it has all the traits of a feature that is going to annoy some users also, especially if Micrsoft uses it as a way to lure users who cancelled their subscription back in.</p> <p>Microsoft does not say how often the screen is displayed to users. Just once? Or regularly, until the subscription is renewed? Only time will tell, but judging from past experiences, it is likely that users will see the nag screens multiple times a year.</p> <p><em>Now You: what is your take on this? Good move by Microsoft and a friendly reminder, or an attempt to make the life of ex-subscribers miserable?</em></p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/13/windows-11-may-nag-you-now-when-your-microsoft-365-subscription-expires/" data-wpel-link="internal">Windows 11 may nag you now when your Microsoft 365 subscription expires</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

16. Gmail is getting a Purchases tab to help track your deliveries

    Fri, 12 Sep 2025 13:42:41 -0000

    Google is adding a Purchases tab to Gmail's sidebar. This might be useful if you do a lot of online shopping. Gmail already supports order tracking since 2022. When you place an […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Gmail is getting a Purchases tab to help track your deliveries appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Google is adding a Purchases tab to Gmail's sidebar. This might be useful if you do a lot of online shopping.</p> <p>Gmail already supports order tracking since 2022. When you place an order and get a mail about it, Gmail would display a banner with some information about it at the top of your inbox. This isn't changing, it will display summary cards for packages that will arrive within 24 hours.</p> <p>The new Purchases tab is designed to help you keep track of all your purchases, and delivery updates, in one place. It's not just a list that filters emails that contain order information. Gmail's Purchases View displays multiple summary cards for upcoming deliveries, if you have multiple active orders, each of those displays a thumbnail of the item, and has buttons that you can click on. Purchases are listed below the "arriving soon" cards.</p> <p>If these work like the existing shortcuts, clicking the buttons should open the corresponding page on the shopping website, without opening the mail.  E.g. If you tap/click on track order in an email from Amazon, it would open the tracking page on Amazon's site/app.</p> <p>This purchase tracking feature actually reminded me of <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2019/05/18/gmail-tracks-all-your-purchases-and-it-is-difficult-to-delete-them-and-impossible-to-stop/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">an old article that Martin wrote</a> about how Google is tracking your purchases, and that's bad for privacy. Now it's a feature. You should be able to turn off the Purchases tab from Gmail's Settings &gt; Inbox type &gt; Customize. That's what <a href="https://support.google.com/mail/answer/3094499?hl=en&amp;co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&amp;oco=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Google's support page</a> for Inbox categories seems to suggest, I can't verify that until I can test the feature.</p> <p><a href="https://blog.google/products/gmail/one-stop-purchase-tracking-in-gmail/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Google's announcement says</a> that the Purchases tab is rolling out to all Google personal account users on mobile and web. I don't have it yet, but you can refer to the above image, courtesy of Google's blog.</p> <p>Gmail is also getting a more relevant Promotions tab. As seen in the image below, you will be able to sort the mails in the tab by “most relevant” promotional emails. It is based on the mails that you click on, i.e. the ones that remain unread or sent straight to the bin, aren't considered important.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209648" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/More-relevant-Promotions-tab-in-Gmail.jpg" alt="More relevant Promotions tab in Gmail" width="1000" height="911" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/More-relevant-Promotions-tab-in-Gmail.jpg 1000w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/More-relevant-Promotions-tab-in-Gmail-768x700.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></p> <p>Google says Gmail will add helpful nudges, to alert users about upcoming deals and offers that are expiring, so they don't miss them. How do you turn this off? Well, you can disable the Promotions tab.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/12/gmail-is-getting-a-purchases-tab-to-help-track-your-deliveries/" data-wpel-link="internal">Gmail is getting a Purchases tab to help track your deliveries</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

17. Microsoft avoids EU fine in antitrust case after unbundling Teams from Office 365

    Fri, 12 Sep 2025 11:08:07 -0000

    A couple of months ago, we reported that Microsoft may dodge a fine in an antitrust case in the European Union. Well, the Redmond company has indeed avoided the fine. In 2020, […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Microsoft avoids EU fine in antitrust case after unbundling Teams from Office 365 appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>A couple of months ago, we reported that <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/05/16/microsoft-may-avoid-eu-antitrust-fine-after-unbundling-teams-from-office/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft may dodge a fine in an antitrust case</a> in the European Union. Well, the Redmond company has indeed avoided the fine.</p> <p>In 2020, Slack had filed a complaint that claimed Microsoft's bundling of Teams in its Office productivity suite was anti-competitive. It said Microsoft was forcibly installing Teams on Windows, prevented it from being uninstalled. The complaint also mentioned that Microsoft did not reveal the true cost to its customers. The EU opened a formal <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/microsoft-is-in-trouble-again-slack" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">antitrust investigation against Microsoft in 2023</a>, based on the complaint. Soon after that, Microsoft announced that it would unbundle Teams from Office in Europe. It even unbundled Teams from its productivity software suite globally in 2024. Microsoft launched Teams as a separate app.</p> <p>But things didn't go its way. In June last year, the European Commission charged Microsoft for violating antitrust laws for bundling Teams illegally. In a bid to avoid a hefty fine, Microsoft told the European Commission that it would make some changes, such as offering interoperability with other software in its Office apps.</p> <p>The European Commission has accepted Microsoft's proposal, which includes some important commitments that the company has to follow for 7 years. You can <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_2048" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">read the official statement here</a>.</p> <p>Microsoft has to offer consumers in the EU, versions of its Office 365 and Microsoft 365 suites without Teams. It has to price them at a lower price than suites that include Teams. Microsoft is not allowed to offer a better discount for Office 365 with Teams or other tiers with Teams.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209643" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-365-plans-without-teams.jpg" alt="Microsoft 365 plans without teams" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-365-plans-without-teams.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-365-plans-without-teams-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>The Commission says that Microsoft has to allow recurrent purchases to switch to suites without Teams, and these suites have to be deployed in datacenters worldwide. As for interoperability, it has to allow third parties access to functions in Microsoft products and services. Third-parties should be allowed to embed Office web apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint in their own products. Likewise, their own products should be allowed to be integrated in Microsoft's core productivity apps. Customers in the EU should be allowed to export their Teams messaging data, and import them into a competing app. The commitments related to interoperability and data portability will remain in force for ten years.</p> <p>Well, this is a win for consumers, and for services like Slack, Zoom, etc. who can now compete with Teams fairly.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/12/microsoft-avoids-eu-fine-in-antitrust-case-after-unbundling-teams-from-office-365/" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft avoids EU fine in antitrust case after unbundling Teams from Office 365</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

18. Firefox for iOS will summarize web pages when you shake your iPhone

    Fri, 12 Sep 2025 09:24:40 -0000

    Mozilla has announced a new feature for Firefox on iOS. The browser will summarize web pages when you shake your iPhone, yes it uses AI for this. The feature, which was reported […]

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    <p>Mozilla has announced a new feature for Firefox on iOS. The browser will summarize web pages when you shake your <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/11/apple-announces-the-iphone-17-iphone-17-air-and-iphone-17-pro/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">iPhone</a>, yes it uses AI for this.</p> <p>The feature, which was reported by <a href="https://www.engadget.com/ai/firefox-provides-ai-page-summaries-if-you-shake-your-iphone-145837557.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Engadget</a>, works on web pages that have fewer than 5,000 words. When you visit a web page, just shake your phone and Firefox will generate a summary about the content on the page. You can also tap on the thunderbolt icon in the address bar, or tap on the three-dot menu and select Summarize page. That's three ways to access the feature.</p> <p>According to <a href="https://blog.mozilla.org/en/firefox/shake-to-summarize/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">the announcement</a>, this summarization takes place locally on your device using Apple Intelligence on iOS 26 and above. That means it uses a local language model on iPhone 15 Pro or later, specifically the Mistral Small 3.1 model. However, if you have an earlier iOS version, or an older iPhone, Firefox's summarization feature will send the text on the page securely to Mozilla's cloud-based AI, and fetches a summary from the servers. Oh, goody! That's just what we asked for!</p> <p>Naturally, this has drawn <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/1neaudx/firefox_provides_ai_page_summaries_if_you_shake/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">criticism from the Firefox community</a>. That is understandable. Local language models are fine, cloud-based have some privacy risks. A lot of other browsers have some form of web page summarization. Not everyone is a fan of AI. Think about this. You are on a web page that contains your sensitive data (medical, financial, personal, etc.) or your family or children's data, and it gets sent to the cloud for summarization. Are you really okay with that?</p> <p>Potential privacy issues aside, there is also a chance that the summarization gesture could be triggered when you don't want it to. For example, let's say you use the double-tap gesture, where you tap twice on the back of your iPhone to take a screenshot. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't register the taps accurately. What if this makes Firefox trigger a summary instead of iOS' screenshot functionality? Something similar could happen if you're talking and gesturing with the phone in your hand. There is a way to disable the shake to summarize gesture, and leave the other ways on. (refer to the settings section below).</p> <p>Anyway, you can check out a video demo of Firefox's shake to summarize on Mozilla's blog. AI summarization in Firefox is rolling out to English language users in the U.S. Mozilla says the feature will roll out to others soon. I don't have access to it. I wanted to test it, just to see if it was enabled by default, and to tell readers how to disable it. Thankfully, there is a <a href="https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/summarize-pages-ios" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">support page</a> on Mozilla's website that describes the process.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209639" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/How-to-disable-AI-summarization-in-Firefox.png" alt="How to disable AI summarization in Firefox" width="372" height="850" /></p> <p>To disable AI summarization in Firefox, go to the Settings &gt; (General Section) Page Summaries and toggle it to off. You can also disable the shake gesture.</p> <p>I won't pretend to be unconcerned about cloud-based AI features slowly creeping into a privacy-friendly browser that I've been using for 17 years. What else am I going to do, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/08/29/vivaldi-says-no-to-ai-features/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">switch to Vivaldi because it doesn't have AI features</a>? Oh, wait. I'm just kidding. No need to hit the panic button yet.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/12/firefox-for-ios-will-summarize-web-pages-using-ai-when-you-shake-your-iphone/" data-wpel-link="internal">Firefox for iOS will summarize web pages when you shake your iPhone</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

19. PlayStation launches an app for parental controls and family management

    Thu, 11 Sep 2025 12:18:55 -0000

    Sony has announced a new app called PlayStation Family. It is designed to help parents manage their children’s game time on PS5 and PS4. While age verification is quickly becoming a menace […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post PlayStation launches an app for parental controls and family management appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Sony has announced a new app called PlayStation Family. It is designed to help parents manage their children’s game time on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/08/21/sony-increases-playstation-5-price-in-the-u-s/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">PS5</a> and PS4.</p> <p>While age verification is quickly becoming a menace for adult users in some countries, parental controls on devices are actually good, and a much better way to manage the content your kids have access to.</p> <p>Gaming can become an addiction if left unchecked, I say that as someone who has been gaming for 30 years or so. That said, gaming is a fantastic way to de-stress, and a form of entertainment. Spending too much time on a digital screen can have other adverse effects like causing eye strain. Besides, video games shouldn't cut into children's study time, outdoor play time, reading etc. It's a good idea to enjoy things in moderation.</p> <p>Sony is not the first console maker to introduce parental controls, as a matter of fact it's the last of the three major players. Microsoft and Nintendo already have a parental control app for the Xbox and Switch, respectively. Still, it's good to have one. PlayStation Family allows parents to create a child's account quickly, and customize the experience.</p> <p>You can set the playtime limits for each day of the week. Your child can request you for additional playtime from the console, and you can approve or decline the request from your phone or tablet. The PlayStation Family app also has activity reports that you can check on their daily/weekly playtime and activity. The app also displays real-time notifications to let you know what game your child is playing.</p> <p>Allowing your child to play games for an hour or two can be a good way to reward their efforts in studies, cleaning their room, helping with chores, etc. It's also a nice way to ease them into the world of gaming, and let them discover what they like. The PlayStation Family app has content filters, which can ensure they only have access to age appropriate games, and they don't accidentally run into games with violent or mature content. There are some presets that you can choose from, to automatically apply recommended settings for different age groups, but you can customize the experience. <a href="https://blog.playstation.com/2025/09/10/announcing-playstation-family-app-for-parental-controls-and-family-management/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Sony says</a> that parents can also customize privacy settings of their kids' profiles, and to configure how they connect, play, and access social features.</p> <p>We've all read about nightmares on Roblox, if this app can keep your children safe, that's great. Another bit of news that often makes the headlines is when parents allow kids to access their credit card, and end up running a massive bill thanks to in-app purchases. Sony's PlayStation Family app allows you to restrict the amount of funds your child has access to, with a monthly spending limit for purchasing content from the PlayStation Store. It also lets you add funds when required, check the balance, etc.</p> <p>Sony's PlayStation Family app is available for <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/playstation-family/id6737291521" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">iOS</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.playstation.ohana.android" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Android</a> devices around the world. (Requires iOS version 14 and Android 8 or higher.)</p> <p>Do you set up parental controls on your console?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/11/playstation-launches-an-app-for-parental-controls-and-family-management/" data-wpel-link="internal">PlayStation launches an app for parental controls and family management</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

20. Spotify is rolling out lossless audio streaming for Premium subscribers

    Thu, 11 Sep 2025 11:03:32 -0000

    Spotify has announced that it is rolling out lossless audio quality to users. The music streaming platform had originally announced CD quality music playback in February 2021. After a short period of […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Spotify is rolling out lossless audio streaming for Premium subscribers appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Spotify has announced that it is rolling out lossless audio quality to users. The music streaming platform had originally announced CD quality music playback in February 2021.</p> <p>After a short period of just four years, the feature is finally here. Did you know that <a href="https://community.spotify.com/t5/Implemented-Ideas/All-Platforms-Music-HiFi-Quality-Lossless-Streaming-16bit-44/idc-p/5324421#M238504" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">users had been requesting for lossless quality streaming</a> on Spotify for a decade? Apple Music has supported lossless for 4 years, so has Amazon Music HD (not in all countries).</p> <p>Spotify free users, you better look away now. Lossless is only for Premium subscribers. Jokes aside, you shouldn't get too excited even if you are a Premium user. <a href="https://newsroom.spotify.com/2025-09-10/lossless-listening-arrives-on-spotify-premium-with-a-richer-more-detailed-listening-experience/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Spotify's announcement says</a> that it is rolling out lossless quality gradually in 50 markets through October. Premium subscribers in the following countries have started to get access to lossless quality: Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the US, and the UK.</p> <p>Premium users will be able to stream high-fidelity music in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC. Once you get a notification that Lossless is available on your account, you will need to enable it from your profile &gt; Settings &gt; Media quality. Set the quality to Lossless, and your network preference for it, WiFi, cellular, downloads. You can start listening to Hi-fi music, the quality will show up as Lossless 16-bit or Lossless 24-bit. And yes, it's only available for music, other content such as music videos, podcasts, audiobooks are not available in Hi-fi. Users can set the quality from the Connect menu too. You will need to switch to Lossless on each device, because the setting uses a large amount of data to download/stream the music. Speaking of downloaded songs, they will play in the quality they were downloaded in. So you will need to clear your offline backup and downloads, and redownload them in lossless quality.</p> <p>Lossless is supported on Spotify mobile, desktop, and tablet. You can also access it on devices that support Spotify Connect, such as Sony, Bose, Samsung, Sennheiser, etc. Spotify says that it will soon add support for more devices, like those from Sonos and Amazon. Spotify recommends using wired headphones or speakers to listen to Lossless.</p> <p>Earlier this year, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/02/18/spotifys-new-music-pro-plan-brings-hifi-audio-at-an-additional-cost/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Spotify was said to be working on a Music Pro pla</a>n that would introduce Hi-fi music at an additional price. But the real surprise is that Spotify isn't charging extra for lossless quality, yet. Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/11/youtube-music-google-trying-to-make-lyrics-a-premium-plan-exclusive/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Google is trying to make lyrics on YouTube Music a premium feature.</a></p> <p>Which music streaming service do you use?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/11/spotify-is-rolling-out-lossless-audio-streaming-for-premium-subscribers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Spotify is rolling out lossless audio streaming for Premium subscribers</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

21. Apple announces the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, and iPhone 17 Pro

    Thu, 11 Sep 2025 09:42:25 -0000

    Apple has announced the iPhone 17 series. Let's discuss their specs. Yes, I know I'm a little late about this, but there are quite a few improvements, especially for the base model […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Apple announces the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, and iPhone 17 Pro appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Apple has announced the iPhone 17 series. Let's discuss their specs.</p> <p>Yes, I know I'm a little late about this, but there are quite a few improvements, especially for the base model of the iPhone 17.</p> <p>All 4 models in the series now have a ProMotion Display, yup, the base version of the iPhone 17 supports 120Hz refresh rate. That's an adaptive refresh rate, which goes from 1Hz up to 120Hz, based on your usage. The screen is a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR panel, which supports Always-on display and has a peak outdoor brightness of 3000 nits. Apple says that the iPhone 17's Ceramic Shield 2 coating on the screen makes it 3 times more resistant to scratches.</p> <p>The iPhone 17 is powered by an Apple Silicon A19 chipset, built on a 3nm process. It has 6 cores; 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, while the 5-core GPU supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing, mesh shading and MetalFX Upscaling. The iPhone 17 has a 16-core Neural Engine, and supports Apple Intelligence. Reports indicate that the iPhone 17 has 8GB of RAM, while the other 3 models have 12GB of RAM. And Apple has upgraded the storage on the base model from 128GB to 256GB</p> <p>Apple says the iPhone 17's battery offers up to 8+ hours more battery life than its predecessor, the iPhone 16. The product listing says the battery offers up to 30 hours video playback. The device supports up to 50% charge in 20 minutes, with a 40W adapter, but you'll have to buy one separately.</p> <p>The iPhone 17 has a Dual Fusion camera, which has 2 cameras in one. The first of these is a 48MP Fusion Main Camera with an f/1.6 aperture, and a 12MP telephoto lens that supports 2x zoom. Then you have the 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide camera and a 12MP Macro sensor. The 18MP selfie camera on the iPhone 17 is nearly twice the size of the previous one, and it's square shaped. Here's the thing, this square shaped sensor allows you to take selfies in any orientation, i.e. portrait or landscape, without rotating the phone. Apple calls this the Center Stage Camera.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209621" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/iPhone-17-air.jpg" alt="iPhone 17 air" width="1200" height="959" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/iPhone-17-air.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/iPhone-17-air-768x614.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>Next is the iPhone 17 Air, a brand-new model that is just 5.6mm thick. It packs a 6.5-inch display, and has Ceramic Shield 2 on both sides. Apple says the back is 4x more resistant to cracks. The iPhone 17 Air has a titanium frame, unlike the other models which have an aluminium frame. The bump at the top of the rear panel is called a "plateau", it houses a single camera, a 48MP Fusion Camera that also supports 12MP telephoto photography with 2x zoom. It has the same 18MP Center Stage Camera on the front. It is now possible to shoot videos using both the front and rear cameras in Dual Capture mode.</p> <p>Apple has packed an A19 Pro chip in the iPhone 17 Air. It has 6 cores: 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, and a 5-core GPU with 2nd-gen Dynamic Caching. This is the first iPhone to come with Apple's N1 Chip, and supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. The iPhone 17 Air features a C1X modem, an upgraded version of the C1 which debuted in the iPhone 16 SE. Apple says the C1X is twice as fast as the C1, and is 30% more energy-efficient. The iPhone 17 Air is eSIM only, worldwide. You can't use physical SIM cards with it. Both the iPhone 17 Air and the iPhone 17 has a USB Type-C port, but its a USB2.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209620" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/iPhone-17-Pro.jpg" alt="iPhone 17 Pro" width="1200" height="675" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/iPhone-17-Pro.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/iPhone-17-Pro-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><br /> Coming to the iPhone 17 Pro, it is also equipped with an A19 Pro, ceramic glass on the back and front. However, it has an aluminium frame instead of titanium. Why? Well, Apple says it designed an aerospace-graded aluminium alloy, that has 20 times more thermal conductivity than titanium. The phone has a vapor chamber filled with deionized water, laser welded into the aluminium chassis. This acts as a cooling system to dissipate heat throughout the device, allowing for better performance. Apple says that with the A19 Pro and its superior thermal management system, users can get up to 40% better sustained performance. The iPhone 17 Pro has a dual-tone finish, and a large camera plateau, that houses various sensors including the cameras and antennas, featuring three camera sensors. The Pro Max version has 2TB of storage.</p> <p>Apple has priced the iPhone 17 at $799, $1129 CAD, €949, £799, A$1399, INR 82900. The iPhone 17 Air $999, $1449 CAD, A$1799, €1,199, £999, INR 119900. The iPhone 17 Pro carries a price tag of $1099, $1599 CAD, A$1,999, £1099, €1299, INR 134000. And the iPhone 17 Pro Max costs $1199, $1749 CAD, A$2199, £1199, €1499 and INR 149900. The iPhone 17 series will be available for pre-order from September 12, and will start shipping on September 19th.</p> <p><a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/06/10/apple-announces-ios-26-with-liquid-glass-design/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">iOS 26</a> launches on September 15th, and brings new Apple Intelligence features like Visual Intelligence, which is basically Apple's version of Circle to Search. Other new AI features include Live Translation. I'll cover iOS 26 in a later article. But I want to mention a new feature in iOS 26. Apple has introduced a security feature called <a href="https://security.apple.com/blog/memory-integrity-enforcement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Memory Integrity Enforcement.</a> This could help prevent mercenary spyware, aka targeted attacks, from compromising an iPhone's security.</p> <p>The Enhanced Memory Tagging Extension (EMTE) is an always-on memory safety protection that protects key attack surfaces like the kernel and over 70 userland processes. It is supported by secure typed allocators and tag confidentiality protections. Apple says that its mitigation limits the effective reach of Spectre V1 leaks at virtually zero CPU cost. The Cupertino company believes this will make <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/04/19/security-experts-say-that-apples-lockdown-mode-blocked-nso-spyware/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">mercenary spyware</a> more expensive and difficult to develop and maintain, and it could disrupt many exploitation techniques used by hackers.</p> <p>Here are my thoughts about the new iPhone 17 series (as an iPhone 13 user).</p> <p>If I had to choose one, I'd probably pick the base iPhone 17, it's the most affordable of the lot, and now has almost all the features a user may want, whether as a new buyer or someone looking to upgrade from an older model. My iPhone 13 feels compact, maybe even a bit tiny with its 6.1-inch screen compared to most modern phones. I prefer using a lighter phone, but the iPhone 17's 6.3-inch display may not be too big to feel uncomfortable, plus the weight difference is just 3g more. But the iPhone Air's 6.5-inch screen might could make reaching the top of the screen a little difficult, but the fact that the handset weighs 12g lighter than the base model is crazy. It also means the device has a smaller battery, and that is a compromise that I don't like. My iPhone 13 has 4GB RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 60Hz display, the iPhone 17 has 8GB RAM, 256GB of storage and a 120Hz display. That's literally double the specs, while still maintaining the price tag at $799 (at least in the U.S.).</p> <p>The Pro models are good for those who want a larger battery, and aren't bothered by the price tag. The iPhone 17 Air is an odd choice, it's only a $100 cheaper, but has a slightly bigger display and a titanium frame. But the fact that it has a single camera on the back, and a single speaker, is a bit of a concern. If you can afford the iPhone Air, I think it's probably worth stretching your budget and go for the Pro. On the other hand, the dual-tone finish on the Pro makes it look less premium. Otherwise, go for the iPhone 17 base model, as it seems to offer the best value for money.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/11/apple-announces-the-iphone-17-iphone-17-air-and-iphone-17-pro/" data-wpel-link="internal">Apple announces the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, and iPhone 17 Pro</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

22. YouTube Music: Google trying to make lyrics a Premium plan exclusive

    Wed, 10 Sep 2025 23:03:46 -0000

    YouTube Music users who use the free version of Google's music service may soon use the site without the ability to display song lyrics. More or less anyone may visit the main […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post YouTube Music: Google trying to make lyrics a Premium plan exclusive appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>YouTube Music users who use the free version of Google's music service may soon use the site without the ability to display song lyrics. More or less anyone may visit the main YouTube Music website to play music. You can even do so without an account, but that means that certain features are limited or not available as all.</p> <p>Users who sign in gain access to playlists that they may create, get personal recommendations, and other features. All users of YouTube Music may display lyrics of the song that is playing on the site. A click on lyrics display them on YouTube Music.</p> <p>Reports suggest that Google is trialing to move the lyrics feature behind a paywall. A Reddit user published a screenshot of YouTube Music that showed the limitation. It states "you have three views remaining. Unlock lyrics with Premium" in the lyrics tab.</p> <p>Lyrics won't be displayed anymore when the limit is reached. Google has not published a statement regarding the limitation at this point. We reached out to Google but have not heard back yet.</p> <p>Our own tests showed no signs of lyrics limits on YouTube Premium. We ran tests with and without accounts, on the web and in the mobile versions. Google is likely running tests or experiments to test the waters. It does so often to test user reactions before rolling out a feature to more users or cancelling the rollout.</p> <p>Google is not the only company that tried to make lyrics a premium feature. Spotify tried the same, but decided against it after it received heavy criticism. Whether user outcry will be enough to convince Google to do the same remains to be seen.</p> <p>For now, if you are affected and not signed in to an account, try private browsing mode or a different browser, As a signed in user, your options are limited. You could try signing out and in again, or clearing the entire cache.</p> <p>You could also switch to a different service. Spotify, for example, does not restrict lyrics on its platform.</p> <p>Google has started to <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/02/youtube-premium-family-plan-accounts-are-being-flagged-for-not-being-in-the-same-household/" data-wpel-link="internal">go after Premium account abuses</a> recently as well.</p> <p><em>Now You: do you use a music streaming service? If so, which and why that one?</em></p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/11/youtube-music-google-trying-to-make-lyrics-a-premium-plan-exclusive/" data-wpel-link="internal">YouTube Music: Google trying to make lyrics a Premium plan exclusive</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

23. Windows 10 resists its end: usage share climbs while Windows 11's falls

    Wed, 10 Sep 2025 11:27:31 -0000

    Next month, Microsoft is ending support for home editions of its Windows 10 operating system officially. While users may extend support by one year -- business customers get three -- the number […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Windows 10 resists its end: usage share climbs while Windows 11's falls appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Next month, Microsoft is ending support for home editions of its Windows 10 operating system officially. While <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/07/24/how-to-extend-windows-10-support-by-a-year/" data-wpel-link="internal">users may extend support by one year</a> -- business customers get three -- the number of users who will take up Microsoft's offer is unclear. The extension is more or less free, as you get it as a consumer when you enable the backup functionality during the signup process. There is <a href="https://chipp.in/software/windows/windows-10-script-to-join-esu-extended-security-updates-without-microsoft-account/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">even a tool for that that lets you do all that with a local account</a> and as little interaction as possible.</p> <p>Recently, Windows 11, the successor of Windows 10, has been gaining traction. While it led the leaderboard of the most popular operating system on Valve's highly influential Steam gaming platform for some time, it passed Windows 10 at Statcounter's monthly OS popularity ranking in July for the first time.</p> <p>Being newer and with the advantage that its main competitor is on its last months of support, one could predict the trend easily. Windows 10 usage declines naturally, as users start to migrate to Windows 11, if their devices are compatible, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/08/25/one-of-the-best-tools-to-upgrade-windows-10-pcs-to-windows-11-just-got-a-lot-better/" data-wpel-link="internal">upgrade by bypassing compatibility checks</a>, or buy entirely new PCs.</p> <p>But in August 2025, stats reversed seemingly, at least according to Statcounter. Windows 11 usage dropped by four points from 53 percent to 49 percent. Windows 10's usage jumped three points to 45 percent. Even the out-of-support Windows 7 operating system jumped by 1.5 points to more than three percent usage, according to Statcounter.</p> <p>Does this mean that users moved back to Windows 10? Reverted the upgrade or even downgraded their machines, where possible? It seems highly unlikely that this is the main cause for the reversal. Statcounter claims to pull the statistics from billions of visits of users each month. While that sounds much, its stats are not a true reflection of the actual market share of each operating system or browser.</p> <p>There is also the possibility that the calculation was off in a given month. We know more next month. We could see another reversal, Windows 11 climbing again, Windows 10 and falling.</p> <p>Windows 10's usage share will decline in the coming months. While part of the userbase will extend support by joining the ESU program, another part will upgrade their machines to Windows 11 or buy new PCs entirely. Yes, some may also switch to Linux.</p> <p><em>Now You: which version of Windows do you use, and why?</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/10/windows-10-resists-its-end-usage-share-climbs-while-windows-11s-falls/" data-wpel-link="internal">Windows 10 resists its end: usage share climbs while Windows 11&#039;s falls</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

24. Firefox to end support for 32-bit Linux in 2026

    Wed, 10 Sep 2025 08:17:13 -0000

    Mozilla has announced that it will end support for Firefox on 32-bit Linux systems in 2026. This shouldn't affect most users, but still it's something worth mentioning. It may seem surprising that […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Firefox to end support for 32-bit Linux in 2026 appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Mozilla has announced that it will end support for Firefox on 32-bit Linux systems in 2026. This shouldn't affect most users, but still it's something worth mentioning.</p> <p>It may seem surprising that Mozilla has supported 32-bit Linux for so long, and indeed it has. For reference, Google <a href="https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/g/chromium-dev/c/FoE6sL-p6oU" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Chrome ended support for 32-bit Linux in 2016</a>. So in 2026, Mozilla will have supported 32-bit Linux for ten years longer than Chrome did. That's pretty cool.</p> <p>How many people still use Linux 32 bit? I can't find the exact statistics about it, but I took a look at the <a href="https://data.firefox.com/dashboard/hardware" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Firefox Public Data Report's Hardware</a> section. It appears that, as of August 2025, 86.761% of Firefox users are on 64-bit computers. 4.550% of users have a 64-bit ARM computer, I'm assuming that includes Apple Silicon Macs, and Snapdragon computers. Only 8.689% of Firefox users have a 32-bit computer. It's unclear how many Linux 32-bit users this translates to.</p> <p><a href="https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/2025/09/05/firefox-32-bit-linux-support-to-end-in-2026/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Mozilla's announcement say</a>s 32-bit Linux is not supported by many Linux distros, and that maintaining a version of Firefox for the platform has become harder. Most Linux distros like Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora require a 64-bit processor. Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) still supports 32-bit systems. <a href="https://www.debian.org/releases/trixie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Debian 13</a> lets you run 32-bit apps, but the distro itself has dropped support for the i386 architecture. <a href="https://www.debian.org/releases/bookworm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Debian 12</a> is still supported, LTS ends on June 30, 2028. I'm sure there are other distros that support 32-bit, but it's becoming rarer.</p> <p>Firefox 144 will be the last version to support 32-bit Linux, it's not far away. According to <a href="https://whattrainisitnow.com/release/?version=144" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Mozilla's release calendar</a>, Firefox 144 will be released on October 14, 2025. Hey, that's when <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/07/24/how-to-extend-windows-10-support-by-a-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Windows 10 reaches end of life</a> too. Firefox 145 and above will be 64-bit only. If you are using a 32-bit Linux machine, don't worry just yet. Mozilla says it will continue to support 32-bit Linux in Firefox ESR 140 builds so you can stay on that version until September 2026 to continue receiving security updates.</p> <p>Support for <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/04/mozilla-extends-firefox-esr-115-support-for-windows-7-until-march-2026/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Firefox ESR 115 has been extended</a> several times to support Windows 7, 8, 8.1, macOS 10.12 to 10.14, so there is a chance that Mozilla may extend the same courtesy for 32-bit Linux users as well.</p> <p>I can't say I've seen a 32-bit computer since maybe a netbook or two in 2010 or earlier. Looking at the Wikipedia entries for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_processors?useskin=vector#64-bit_processors:_IA-64" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Intel</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_processors?useskin=vector#AMD64_architecture_processors" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">AMD</a> processors show that both processor manufacturers stopped making 32-bit only CPUs nearly 20 years ago. Unless your computer has a processor that's from the early 2000s or older, you don't have to be worried. That is, unless you are using Linux 32-bit on a system that supports 64-bit for some reason, in which case you just need to switch to a 64-bit version of the distro.</p> <p>Mozilla is encouraging 32-bit users to move to a 64-bit operating system, to continue using future versions of Firefox.</p> <p>Are you still using a 32-bit OS?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/10/firefox-to-end-support-for-32-bit-linux-in-2026/" data-wpel-link="internal">Firefox to end support for 32-bit Linux in 2026</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

25. OpenAI's first AI chip could be launched in 2026

    Wed, 10 Sep 2025 04:37:33 -0000

    OpenAI could be entering the hardware market soon. The San Francisco company is reportedly prepping to launch its own AI-chip in 2026. This would allow it to reduce its reliance on Nvidia […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post OpenAI's first AI chip could be launched in 2026 appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>OpenAI could be entering the hardware market soon. The San Francisco company is reportedly prepping to launch its own AI-chip in 2026.</p> <p>This would allow it to reduce its reliance on Nvidia and AMD chips to train and run its large language models, such as GPT, which as you may know powers ChatGPT.  It's not just them, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta are all working on their own AI chips. On the consumer side of things, Neural Processing Units (NPUs) are already a part in many computers. Experts believe that in a few years, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/29/canalys-every-pc-sold-will-be-an-ai-pc-by-2030/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">most PCs that are sold will be an AI PC</a>.</p> <p>Now, this is not the first time we have heard about OpenAI's plans about an artificial intelligence chip. Some leaks from last year suggested that OpenAI had chosen Broadcom to co-develop its in-house AI chip. Once the designs were ready, they would be sent to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) for fabrication, i.e., to <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/02/11/openai-to-finalize-first-custom-ai-chip-design-aiming-for-2026-production/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">manufacture OpenAI's AI chips next year</a>. OpenAI had hired former Google TPU engineer, Richard Ho, to lead its hardware division. Ho is spearheading the chip design team, which had been expanded from 20 members to 40 in February this year. This clearly indicated things were speeding up.</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/news/772433/openai-custom-chip-production-broadcom" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">The Verge</a> quotes a recent article published by the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e8cc6d99-d06e-4e9b-a54f-29317fa68d6f" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Financial Times</a>, which said that its sources told it that OpenAI has partnered with Broadcom to produce its chips. These chips would be used internally to power its services, and not sold to customers. A day later, a report by <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/broadcom-shares-rally-10-billion-chip-deal-shows-ai-strategy-paying-off-2025-09-05/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Reuters</a> said that Broadcom landed a $10 billion AI chip order from a new customer. While Broadcom did not name the customer, market analysts believe that it is none other than OpenAI.</p> <p>OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, recently mentioned on X, that the company would be "<span class="css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3">doubling our compute fleet over the next 5 months". This was a reference to the growing need for GPUs, as it continues to evolve its data hungry models. I suppose they need more powerful chips to more efficiently milk every last drop of data from users.</span></p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/10/openais-first-ai-chip-could-be-launched-in-2026/" data-wpel-link="internal">OpenAI&#039;s first AI chip could be launched in 2026</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

26. Google reveals Gemini usage limits for free and paid users

    Tue, 09 Sep 2025 08:22:22 -0000

    Google's Gemini AI has been around for two years, from the days when it was still called Bard. But Google never really revealed Gemini usage limits for users. Well, now we know […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Google reveals Gemini usage limits for free and paid users appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Google's Gemini AI has been around for two years, from the days when it was still called Bard. But Google never really revealed Gemini usage limits for users.</p> <p>Well, now we know the details. <a href="https://9to5google.com/2025/09/06/gemini-usage-limits-sep-2025/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">9to5google</a> spotted an update to a <a href="https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/16275805#zippy=%2Cwhat-is-a-context-window%2Chow-feature-limits-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">support page</a> that lists the various limits across Gemini apps.</p> <p>Those without a Google AI Plan, i.e. free users, get up to 5 prompts per day using Gemini 2.5 Pro and a 32,000 context window. Free users can get up to 5 Deep Research reports per month using Gemini 2.5 Flash. Image generation and editing is limited up to 100 images per day for free users. <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/06/16/google-tests-ai-powered-audio-overviews-in-search/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Audio Overviews</a> have a limit count of 20, and this applies to all tiers. All users have access to the 2.5 Flash model. Access to Canvas, Gems, and Storybook vary depending on the selected model.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209593" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Google-reveals-Gemini-usage-limits.jpg" alt="Google reveals Gemini usage limits" width="722" height="851" /></p> <p>The first paid tier, Google AI Pro, which costs $19.99 per month, allows up to 100 Gemini 2.5 Pro prompts per day, up to 20 Deep Research posts per day using Gemini 2.5 Pro, and up to 1,000 AI image generations per day. In addition to this, Pro users can generate up to 3 videos per day using the Veo 3 Fast model. Google AI subscribers get priority access to some new features, and have up to 10 active actions.</p> <p>The Google AI Ultra subscription, which costs $249.99 per month, get up to 500 prompts using Gemini 2.5 Pro, 200 Deep Research reports, and 1,000 image generation prompts per day. Ultra subscribers also get access to 10 Deep Think prompts per day with a 192,000 token context window. They can generate up to 5 videos per day using the Veo 3 model.</p> <p>As for checking if you're close to a limit, you can't do that manually, Google says Gemini Apps will automatically notify you when you're close to hitting the limit. If you reach your limit, the apps will display a notification that tells you when the limits will be reset.</p> <p>When I try to visit the support page from India, it doesn't show the exact limits, but some of them seem to be more or less the same. I had to use a VPN to connect to the U.S. or Europe to get the precise details. I'm not sure whether the page is updated on a regional basis. Or is it possible that there could be different limits based on the region?</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209592" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Google-Gemini-usage-limits-in-India.jpg" alt="Google Gemini usage limits in India" width="722" height="851" /></p> <p>I just took a quick look at the subscription prices here, Gemini Pro costs INR 1,950 ($22.12), and Gemini Pro Ultra costs INR 24,500 ($277.96). That's more expensive than the pricing in the U.S., for fewer features?</p> <p>It's also worth mentioning that Google AI subscribers in the U.S. have access to the Gemini 2.5 Pro model and Deep Search in <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/07/14/how-to-disable-ai-mode-on-google-search/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">AI Mode</a>, expanded access to AI-powered calling for local business pricing (US only), and <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/05/21/google-is-bringing-gemini-ai-to-chrome-for-windows-and-mac/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Gemini in Chrome</a> (early access).</p> <p>Do you use Gemini?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/09/google-reveals-gemini-usage-limits-for-free-and-paid-users/" data-wpel-link="internal">Google reveals Gemini usage limits for free and paid users</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

27. EU slaps a $3.5 billion fine on Google for breaching antitrust laws

    Tue, 09 Sep 2025 01:24:33 -0000

    Google has been handed a $3.5 billion fine by the European Commission for breaching antitrust laws. This time, it is related to its advertising technology. Ad tech is Google's core business, it […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post EU slaps a $3.5 billion fine on Google for breaching antitrust laws appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Google has been handed a $3.5 billion fine by the European Commission for breaching antitrust laws. This time, it is related to its advertising technology.</p> <p>Ad tech is Google's core business, it earns a ton of money by displaying ads on Google Search and other services. Google earned an annual revenue of $350 billion in 2024. In Q2 2024 alone, it made $64 billion from Search, YouTube ads and Google Network. That number went up by a further 7, making it $71 Billion in Q2 2025.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209587" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Google-revenue-2024.jpg" alt="Google revenue 2024" width="914" height="632" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Google-revenue-2024.jpg 914w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Google-revenue-2024-768x531.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 914px) 100vw, 914px" /></p> <p>No wonder why the Mountain View company is obsessed with its ad business. It had <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/01/13/google-allows-advertisers-to-fingerprint-you-for-even-better-tracking/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">allowed advertises to use digital fingerprinting</a> to track and identify devices and users, to serve them better ads. <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/06/09/googles-fight-against-ad-blockers-on-youtube-enters-another-round/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">YouTube has been aggressively blocking ad blockers</a>, while Premium prices were jacked up. Add Chromium's removal of Manifest V3 into the mix, and it paints a clear picture, get the advertising revenue up at any cost. But it's not just users who were suffering, other advertisers had it rough too.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209586" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Google-ad-revenue-2025.jpg" alt="Google ad revenue 2025" width="749" height="391" /></p> <p>Back in June 2021, the European Commission began an antitrust investigation into Google's ad tech practices, accusing the American company of abusing its dominant position in the search industry by favoring its own ads ahead of those belonging to competitors. Google had reportedly made $147 Billion in revenue in 2020. As I mentioned earlier, it's making more than that in just 6 months nowadays. Anyway, in mid 2023, the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/06/13/google-could-be-forced-to-sell-parts-of-its-advertising-business/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">EU had targeted Google's ad monopoly</a> in an antitrust complaint, and wanted it to sell part of its business as an antitrust remedy.</p> <p>Now, the European Commission once again alleges that Google has abused its dominant position, not just in search, but in different digital markets, and on both sides of the ad tech supply chain, i.e. competitors, advertisers, publishers. The commission pointed out that the company has indulged in illegal practices for over 10 years, and that this has had a negative impact on all European citizens.</p> <p>Google has been ordered to pay a fine of €2.95 billion (about $3.5 billion), under EU competition rules. €2.95 billion may be chump change for Google, but there are other implications, since this is the third time the company has been hit with a fine.</p> <p>Recently, A U.S. Federal Court ordered Google to share its search data with its rivals, but rejected the Department of Justice's proposal to force the company to sell Chrome, or separate Android from it. Google may have gotten away with a slap on the wrist in the U.S. But the EU will have none of it.</p> <p>The European Commission has ordered Google to stop its illegal practices in the ad tech industry.  It has given Google 60 days to inform the Commission how it plans to remedy the situation, failing which could result in an appropriate remedy. EU could hit Google where it hurts. The Commission suggests that Google's only solution could be to sell part of its ad tech business, and that it is necessary and proportionate to end the infringement of the antitrust laws. The EU believes its decision has a worldwide dimension. You can <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_25_2034" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">read the EU's full statement</a> on the official website.</p> <p>Google's vice president and global head of regulatory affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland, told <a href="https://www.theverge.com/news/772848/google-ad-tech-eu-antitrust-fine" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">The Verge</a> that the EU's decision was “wrong”, also saying that “It imposes an unjustified fine and requires changes that will hurt thousands of European businesses by making it harder for them to make money.” Google is planning to appeal the decision.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/09/eu-slaps-a-3-5-billion-fine-on-google-for-breaching-antitrust-laws/" data-wpel-link="internal">EU slaps a $3.5 billion fine on Google for breaching antitrust laws</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

28. You can still install uBlock Origin in Google Chrome 140, but why bother?

    Mon, 08 Sep 2025 23:37:40 -0000

    Google is in the final steps of migrating the extensions system that its Chrome web browser uses. The new Manifest V3 system replaces the decade-old Manifest V2 and becomes the only set […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post You can still install uBlock Origin in Google Chrome 140, but why bother? appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Google is in the final steps of migrating the extensions system that its Chrome web browser uses. The <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2022/09/20/google-continues-extensions-manifest-v3-push-even-though-some-apis-are-not-ready-yet/" data-wpel-link="internal">new Manifest V3 system</a> replaces the decade-old Manifest V2 and becomes the only set of rules for extensions supporting the browser.</p> <p>While Google says that the new system improves security and performance, critics say that Google is deliberately modifying the capabilities of content blockers and some other types of extensions that threaten the company's main revenue driver: ads.</p> <p>The world's most popular content blocker uBlock Origin has become the example of that change. It is not compatible with the new Manifest V3 system. While its developer created <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/07/13/if-google-disabled-ublock-origin-in-chrome-use-ublock-origin-lite-or-another-browser/" data-wpel-link="internal">uBlock Origin Lite</a>, a still fairly capable content blocker that can is compatible, it is less powerful than the full version.</p> <p><a href="https://www.neowin.net/news/chrome-140-make-is-it-harder-to-install-ublock-origin-but-it-is-still-possible/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Workarounds exist</a> to still make the extension and others work under Chrome, even the latest Chrome 140 release. While that gives Chrome users another four weeks or so with the extension, it is only a matter of time before the last workaround is removed by Google.</p> <p>It is then that Chrome users who use the extension need to make a decision. The change, at least until now, has had no impact on Chrome's usage share. <a href="https://gs.statcounter.com/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Statcounter saw</a> it rise to a usage share of more than 69 percent in August 2025, which is a new height for the browser. While browsers that are privacy-friendly either lose usage share, stagnate, or rise very slowly, Google's browser, which is arguably not the best browser for privacy, is reaching new heights every year.</p> <p>Not every user runs extensions. There are not official numbers available. According to Wikipedia, uBlock Origin has about 29 million users that use Chrome. That is not even one percentage of the browser's total install base. However, Chrome does not allow extension installs on mobile.</p> <h3>Why bother with Chrome?</h3> <p>Chrome is an easy to use browser that integrates well into Google's ecosystem of products and services. It is fast, offers good security, and is well maintained. Chrome's biggest downside, that it is operated by a company that makes most of its revenue from ads and knowing as much as possible about its uses, does not seem to keep the bulk of users away.</p> <p>There are better browsers, at least when you value privacy or customization options. Most even use the same core as Google Chrome, giving users the same level of performance and security as Google's browser.</p> <p>A switch to Brave Browser, which offers better privacy settings and includes a built-in content blocker, or Vivaldi Browser, a browser with tons of customization options, would improve privacy and customization options at the same time.</p> <p>There is also the open source Firefox browser. It is bleeding users, has been for years, and Mozilla has lost years developing features and products that did not really help it get any traction. Firefox just recently seems to have switched to delivering features that it was missing, with <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/03/04/firefox-136-launches-with-vertical-tabs-but-one-requested-feature-is-still-missing/" data-wpel-link="internal">vertical tabs</a> and <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/08/19/firefox-142-ships-with-tracking-protection-tab-groups-and-extensions-improvements/" data-wpel-link="internal">tab groups</a> just two of them that launched recently.</p> <p>Probably the main reason that speaks for Firefox is that it continues to support uBlock Origin. Even better, that version is also more capable than the Chrome-version, even the classic Chrome version of the extension that Google is ending support for.</p> <p>Another feature that speaks for Firefox is that it supports extensions on mobile. You can install uBlock Origin and thousands other extensions on your mobile as well to improve browsing significantly.</p> <p><em><strong>Now You:</strong> what is your take on this? Do you use Google Chrome or another browser?</em></p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/09/you-can-still-install-ublock-origin-in-google-chrome-140-but-why-bother/" data-wpel-link="internal">You can still install uBlock Origin in Google Chrome 140, but why bother?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

29. Chrome Mask: Make Firefox appear as Chrome with a single click

    Mon, 08 Sep 2025 07:41:23 -0000

    Life as a Firefox user can be quite difficulty on today's Internet. While it depends largely on the sites you visit in the browser, you may run into "not supported" messages or […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Chrome Mask: Make Firefox appear as Chrome with a single click appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Life as a Firefox user can be quite difficulty on today's Internet. While it depends largely on the sites you visit in the browser, you may run into "not supported" messages or locked down services. Often, these services or websites are not locked because they do not work in Firefox, but because the developers implement browser sniffing technologies.</p> <p>They test Chrome compatibility and allow only Chrome or Chromium-based browsers, even if Firefox would display the site just fine as well.</p> <p>Granted, some sites may not work in Firefox because the browser does not support a specific API or feature, but that is actually very rare in the grander scheme of things.</p> <p>Firefox users may overcome some of the limitations by faking to be Chrome. This is done usually by changing the browser's user agent. This piece of information reveals information such as the browser engine to the website. By claiming to be Chrome, Firefox would not be blocked from accessing a particular website or service most of the time.</p> <p>We reviewed several user-agent changers for Firefox in the past. To name just a few: <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2019/12/23/custom-useragent-string-is-a-firefox-extension-that-lets-you-set-a-user-agent-on-a-per-site-basis/" data-wpel-link="internal">Custom UserAgent String</a>, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2018/06/18/chameleon-for-firefox-user-agent-and-data-spoofer/" data-wpel-link="internal">Chameleon</a>, or <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2009/04/10/extend-firefoxs-user-agent-switcher/" data-wpel-link="internal">UserAgent Switcher</a>.</p> <h2>Chrome Mask</h2> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-209444" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/chrome-mask.png" alt="Chrome Mask" width="1062" height="652" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/chrome-mask.png 1062w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/chrome-mask-768x472.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1062px) 100vw, 1062px" /></p> <p><a href="https://github.com/denschub/chrome-mask" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">Chrome Mask</a> is an open source extension for Firefox that changes the user agent on the user's request only. Doing so requires a single click. The extension sets the latest Chrome user agent string automatically and picks the right operating system as well. While that gives you less control over the user agent, it is a convenient option that should work in most cases without any issues.</p> <p>Last but not least, the extension will shim "a few additional JavaScript attributes" to better pass as the Chrome web browser when sites perform additional browser checks.</p> <p>To use Chrome Mask, all you need to do is click on the extension icon and then on the toggle that it displays. This enables or disables the user agent spoofing on the active website, depending on the previous state.</p> <p><strong>Who is the extension for</strong>? Firefox users who run into issues loading certain sites on the Internet. A click should give access, provided that Firefox supports all the features that the site uses. This is often the case when a site developer does not test against Firefox and prefers to block the entire browser because of this.</p> <p><em>Now You: which browser do you use at the moment? Did you run into any compatibility issues using it lately? What did you do?</em></p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/08/chrome-mask-make-firefox-appear-as-chrome-with-a-single-click/" data-wpel-link="internal">Chrome Mask: Make Firefox appear as Chrome with a single click</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

30. KDE Linux distro's first alpha version has been released

    Mon, 08 Sep 2025 06:37:17 -0000

    KDE Linux is official. The first alpha version of the new distribution has been released for testing. For those unaware, KDE Plasma is a popular desktop environment and ships as a part […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post KDE Linux distro's first alpha version has been released appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>KDE Linux is official. The first alpha version of the new distribution has been released for testing.</p> <p>For those unaware, KDE Plasma is a popular desktop environment and ships as a part of flavored distros like Kubuntu, Fedora KDE, etc. My experience with KDE is mostly limited to their apps, especially <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/07/31/how-to-use-your-phone-as-a-mouse-with-kde-connect/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">KDE Connect</a>, Okular, Ark, and Kate. I briefly used Fedora KDE recently on a secondary "distro hopping" drive,  Plasma was pretty good. There is also KDE Neon, which is maintained by the KDE Community. But this time KDE Linux is, made by KDE.</p> <p>(Image courtesy: KDE)</p> <p>Why another distro? <a href="https://kde.org/linux/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">KDE Linux wants to b</a>e "the KDE operating system" that offers a user-friendly experience, with a high-quality UX. It is an immutable OS, meaning there will be some restrictions, such as limited access to the system components.</p> <p>KDE's in-house distro comes with, you guessed it, Plasma and KDE apps. KDE Linux is built using Arch Linux packages, but apparently shouldn't be considered Arch-based. It doesn't have a package manager (no pacman for you), so you will need to install apps using Flatpak, Snap, or AppImages. It does include Distrobox and Toolbox pre-installed. <a href="https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/09/kde-linux-immutable-distro-alpha-released" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">OMG Ubuntu</a> reports that KDE Linux includes the following apps by default: Mozilla Firefox, Haruna, Elisa, Kate, KWrite, Gwenview, etc. That's quite a good starter set up.</p> <p>The system requirements for KDE Linux are fairly low.</p> <ul> <li>UEFI firmware (this includes most sold in the last 15 years)</li> <li>An AMD or Intel CPU</li> <li>1 GB of memory (more will make the system faster)</li> <li>6 GB of storage space (more than 12 will allow for system rollbacks)</li> </ul> <p>I mean it is Linux, the specs needed are budget-friendly, but look at that. That's lower than <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/04/linux-mint-22-2-zara-update-released/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Linux Mint</a>'s requirements (2GB RAM/ 20GB storage).</p> <p>Want to try KDE Linux? Head over to <a href="https://kde.org/linux/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">https://kde.org/linux/</a> and download it.</p> <p>There are some caveats, in its current state KDE Linux does not support NVIDIA GPUs older than the GTX 1630 out of the box, you will need to tinker with it a bit. Secure Boot is not supported at the moment, but it will be in the future. System updates are being delivered as an entire OS image, yes these are atomic upgrades. Check the official wiki for more details.</p> <p>I have not tested KDE Linux yet, it's way too early to do that. So this is just an FYI article. I wouldn't recommend using an alpha version as your primary OS, but there's no harm trying a Live US, or maybe you can try it in a virtual machine or a secondary system/drive.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/08/kde-linux-distros-first-alpha-version-has-been-released/" data-wpel-link="internal">KDE Linux distro&#039;s first alpha version has been released</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

31. Microsoft Edge 140 brings Scareware blocker, HTTPS-first mode, auto save for Tab Groups

    Mon, 08 Sep 2025 03:49:00 -0000

    Microsoft Edge 140 has been released. It brings a handful of new features. Let me very briefly mention the AI features in the update. Edge now supports GPT-5 as an option for Copilot […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Microsoft Edge 140 brings Scareware blocker, HTTPS-first mode, auto save for Tab Groups appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Microsoft Edge 140 has been released. It brings a handful of new features.</p> <p>Let me very briefly mention the AI features in the update. Edge now supports GPT-5 as an option for Copilot Smart Mode. Users can create a podcast with Copilot in Edge. You can create images and videos by typing your query in the address bar, and Edge will generate the media using DALL-E 3, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/06/03/microsoft-announces-bing-video-creator-powered-by-sora-ai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Open AI's Sora</a>.</p> <p>With that out the way, let's discuss the more important features. <a href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/DeployEdge/microsoft-edge-relnote-stable-channel" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">The release notes for Edge 140</a> says that Microsoft Edge has a new security feature called Scareware blocker. This is an AI powered option, which uses a local model, to protect users from scareware attacks like tech scams that trick victims into believing their computer is damaged, luring them into calling a fake support line, which could then lead to the PC remotely taken over by attackers. If Edge identifies a website as a potential tech scam site, it will display a warning on the screen, block access to the website, and offer an option to close the page, or continue browsing.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209577" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-Edge-Scareware-Blocker-feature-scaled.jpg" alt="Microsoft Edge Scareware Blocker feature" width="1200" height="681" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-Edge-Scareware-Blocker-feature-scaled.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-Edge-Scareware-Blocker-feature-768x436.jpg 768w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-Edge-Scareware-Blocker-feature-1536x872.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>Scareware blocker in Edge is not enabled by default. You can manage Scareware blocker from Edge's Settings &gt; Privacy, search, and services / Security. Or use this shortcut to jump to the option directly: edge://settings/privacy/security?form=MT0159</p> <p>Here's the <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/features/scareware-blocker?form=MT00XS&amp;cs=1552321079" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">official feature page</a> for Scareware blocker.</p> <p>Edge 140 brings another security feature called HTTPS-first mode. <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/08/17/google-chrome-to-enable-https-first-by-default-for-all-users/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Google introduced this feature in Chrome</a> in September 2023. HTTPS-first mode tells Microsoft Edge to automatically upgrade insecure HTTP connections to HTTPS when possible. If a site doesn’t support HTTPS, the browser will display a warning pointing out that it is a security risk. According to Microsoft's announcement, this feature only works for public sites, and not on private ones, or URLs that the user entered manually.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209579" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-Edge-Enable-HTTPS-Only-mode.jpg" alt="Microsoft Edge Enable HTTPS Only mode" width="841" height="555" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-Edge-Enable-HTTPS-Only-mode.jpg 841w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-Edge-Enable-HTTPS-Only-mode-768x507.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 841px) 100vw, 841px" /></p> <p>The option is not enabled by default. To manage the feature, head to Settings &gt; Privacy, search, and services / Security &gt; and toggle the option that says "Automatically switch to more secure connections with Automatic HTTPS".</p> <p>Microsoft Edge now saves tab groups automatically, to allow users to resume browsing quickly. Tab groups that were organized manually are also saved for revisits, after restarting the browser. Admins can manage this feature using the SyncTypesListDisabled policy with the “openTabs” data type.</p> <p><a href="http://old.reddit.com/r/MicrosoftEdge/comments/1n9so8g/microsoft_edge_140_released/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Reddit user Kotaless</a> says that Edge removed the RTX Video Super Resolution (VSR) flag, which uses AI to enhances the quality of streaming videos on NVIDIA's 40 and 30 Series GPUs. The user said that disabling a setting will allow the feature to work, as it will allow NVIDIA to take over the enhancement work. Go to System and Performance &gt; System &gt; and toggle "Enhance videos".</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209580" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-Edge-enable-enhance-videos.jpg" alt="Microsoft Edge enable enhance videos" width="1076" height="423" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-Edge-enable-enhance-videos.jpg 1076w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-Edge-enable-enhance-videos-768x302.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1076px) 100vw, 1076px" /></p> <p>Edge 140 <a href="https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-53791" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">includes security patches</a> from Chromium, and one Microsoft Edge specific security vulnerability has also been patched. It is tracked under <a href="https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-53791" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">CVE-2025-53791</a>, and has a medium severity rating. The security issue, described as a security feature bypass vulnerability, which could allow an attacker to bypass a security feature over a network. This improper access control in Microsoft Edge involves a hacker to enable Edge Split Screen mode, have a specific configuration, and run multiple pages. The attack vector could lead to the threat actor running scripts to read a token from a web page's iframe, make changes to the javascript in the window. Microsoft has credited Mingi Jung with WebSec for reporting the issue.</p> <p>The new features are available in Microsoft Edge 140.0.3485.54.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/08/microsoft-edge-140-brings-scareware-blocker-https-first-mode-auto-save-for-tab-groups/" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft Edge 140 brings Scareware blocker, HTTPS-first mode, auto save for Tab Groups</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

32. Microsoft 365 Personal is free for a year for college students in the U.S.

    Sun, 07 Sep 2025 05:19:27 -0000

    College students in the U.S. can avail a free one-year Microsoft 365 subscription. Here's what's included in the package. This is not the same as Microsoft 365 Online, which is free for […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Microsoft 365 Personal is free for a year for college students in the U.S. appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>College students in the U.S. can avail a free one-year Microsoft 365 subscription. Here's what's included in the package.</p> <p>This is not the same as <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/free-office-online-for-the-web" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Microsoft 365 Online</a>, which is free for everyone. Microsoft 365 Personal (formerly called Office 365) includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook. You can access these apps on PC, Mac, iOS, and Android.  It also comes with 1TB of storage space on OneDrive in the free subscription. And before you ask, yes it includes Microsoft Copilot in desktop apps for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Designer, etc.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ghacks.net/2025/08/27/your-word-documents-will-be-saved-to-the-cloud-automatically-on-windows-going-forward/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Word will auto save your documents in OneDrive</a>, you may wish to change that. Copilot in Excel requires AutoSave to be enabled. The Redmond company had recently warned that<a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/08/26/copilot-launches-in-excel-but-microsoft-warns-against-using-it-for-any-task-requiring-accuracy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal"> Copilot in Excel lacks accuracy</a>. Please note that Windows 11 will soon automatically install <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/08/12/microsoft-365-new-windows-11-exclusive-office-apps-coming-that-will-start-install-automatically/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">two companion apps</a> on your PC, if you have Microsoft 365 Desktop apps installed.</p> <p>So, why is Microsoft 365 Personal being given away for free? And why only in the United States? <a href="https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2025/09/04/new-white-house-commitments/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Microsoft announced the news</a> as part of its commitment to the U.S. Government's efforts to increase AI education in the Country. That explains a lot.</p> <p>Microsoft 365 Personal normally costs $99.99 per year, or $9.99 per month. Getting it for free can be great for students. You may want to set a reminder to cancel the membership after 12 months, otherwise you will be charged for the subscription on a monthly basis. If you choose to continue with Microsoft 365 after 12 months, you can do so for 50% off, i.e. $4.99 per month. This offer ends on October 31st, or until supplies last. <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/college-student-pricing" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Go to this page</a> to claim your free subscription.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209569" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-365-Personal-offer.jpg" alt="Microsoft 365 Personal offer" width="1200" height="515" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-365-Personal-offer.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-365-Personal-offer-768x330.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>Users who wish to claim the Microsoft 365 student 12-month free trial and discount offer will need to use their college or university email address to verify their student status. You will also need to provide a payment method, likely a credit card, to claim the offer. Existing subscribers can also claim the offer, instructions for this are provided on the offer page.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209568" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-365-Personal-terms-and-conditions.jpg" alt="Microsoft 365 Personal terms and conditions" width="1200" height="293" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-365-Personal-terms-and-conditions.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-365-Personal-terms-and-conditions-768x188.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>Please refer to the terms and conditions on Microsoft's website for more details.</p> <p>A word of advice, if you are concerned about your privacy, I strongly recommend using <a href="https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download-libreoffice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">LibreOffice</a> which is completely free, open source, supports Office document formats, and is available across platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux. Sure, it lacks the online features of Microsoft 365, but you can't put a price tag on privacy.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/07/microsoft-365-personal-is-free-for-a-year-for-college-students-in-the-u-s/" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft 365 Personal is free for a year for college students in the U.S.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

33. Microsoft is ending an Outlook app that you may not have heard about, but may have used, if you knew about it

    Sun, 07 Sep 2025 00:28:29 -0000

    Microsoft continues to retire some of its applications and products. Just recently, Microsoft announced the retirement of OneNote for Windows 10, its Android and iOS app Microsoft Lens PDF Scanner, and the […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Microsoft is ending an Outlook app that you may not have heard about, but may have used, if you knew about it appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Microsoft continues to retire some of its applications and products. Just recently, Microsoft announced the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/08/21/microsoft-discontinues-onenote-for-windows-10-asks-users-to-migrate-to-onenote-on-windows/" data-wpel-link="internal">retirement of OneNote for Windows 10</a>, its Android and iOS app <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/08/08/microsoft-lens-pdf-scanner-app-for-android-and-ios-to-be-discontinued/" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft Lens PDF Scanner</a>, and the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/07/21/microsoft-shuts-down-its-movies-and-tv-store-for-windows-and-xbox/" data-wpel-link="internal">end of its Movies and TV store on Windows and Xbox</a>.</p> <p>Regarding Outlook, its email service and application, it continued to push the new Outlook. While <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/08/microsoft-wont-kill-classic-outlook-for-windows-until-at-least-2029/" data-wpel-link="internal">classic Outlook remains until at least 2029</a>, the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/03/08/microsoft-wont-kill-classic-outlook-for-windows-until-at-least-2029/" data-wpel-link="internal">classic Mail and Calendar apps</a> were migrated to the new Outlook experience already.</p> <p>Now, Microsoft announced that it will retire another Outlook app. Called Outlook Lite, it was designed as a lightweight Outlook app for mobiles, especially older devices with low performance. <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2022/08/02/microsoft-outlook-lite-core-differences-to-outlook-how-to-get-the-app/" data-wpel-link="internal">Released originally in 2022</a>, it promised a fast startup and less battery consumption compared to the regular Outlook application. Downside was that certain features were not supported by the lite application. You could not connect your Gmail account, for instance. File storage services such as Dropbox or Box, and Microsoft Exchange Server, were also not supported by the lite application.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-180059" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/outlook-lite.png" alt="outlook lite" width="738" height="708" /></p> <p>Outlook Lite was available in certain regions only. Users from those regions could install the application via the official application stores. Those from other regions could use workarounds to install the application unofficially on their devices.</p> <p>Millions of users downloaded and installed the Outlook Lite application. Starting October 6, 2025, Microsoft will block new installations of the Outlook Lite application. Existing users may continue to use the app "for a limited time", but it will eventually be retired fully.</p> <p>Microsoft does not reveal dates in the announcement. It is unclear therefore, when the app will stop working for existing users. The company recommends that existing users migrate to the regular Outlook for Mobile application on their devices to continue checking Outlook emails on their devices. However, this comes at the cost of increased battery usage and performance requirements.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/07/microsoft-is-ending-an-outlook-app-that-you-may-not-have-heard-about-but-may-have-used-if-you-knew-about-it/" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft is ending an Outlook app that you may not have heard about, but may have used, if you knew about it</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

34. Lenovo Legion Go 2 announced, launching in October

    Fri, 05 Sep 2025 12:40:25 -0000

    Lenovo has announced its second flagship handheld gaming console, the Legion Go 2. It runs on Windows 11. The Legion Go 2 sports an 8.8-inches Full HD+ (1920 X 1200) OLED display, […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Lenovo Legion Go 2 announced, launching in October appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Lenovo has announced its second flagship handheld gaming console, the Legion Go 2. It runs on Windows 11.</p> <p>The Legion Go 2 sports an 8.8-inches Full HD+ (1920 X 1200) OLED display, that supports a 16:10 aspect ratio, 144Hz refresh rate, DCl-P3 color gamut, 500 nits brightness. The display supports 10-point touch, Variable Refresh Rate (30-144Hz), and is VESA True Black 1000 Certified.</p> <p>Lenovo's Legion Go 2 is powered by an AMD Ryzen Z2 processor (up to 8 cores/16 threads), with an RDNA 3.5-based Radeon 890M graphics GPU, 16GB of LPDD5X RAM at 7200MHz. It is equipped with a 1TB PCIe SSD, and you can expand the storage up to 2TB via a MicroSD card reader. Besides handheld mode, there are 2 other ways to use the console.</p> <p>The controllers of the Legion Go 2 are detachable, you can have one in each hand and play games in FPS Mode. Or you can snap the controllers to the sides of the charging connector and use it as a game pad in console mode, aka docked mode, that you can use to connect the device to your TV. Speaking of the controller, the joysticks have hall effect sensors, which is good to avoid stick drift.</p> <p>The Legion Go 2 has a 3.5mm headphone jack, and two 2W Integrated Speakers System with Nahimic Audio. It has two USB4 ports (one at the top, other at the bottom) that supports 40Gb/s data transfer, DisplayPort 1.4, and Power Delivery 3.0. In terms of wireless connectivity, the Legion Go 2 supports WiFi 6E 2x2AX, and Bluetooth 5.3.</p> <p>The console has several buttons, the power button/fingerprint reader, volume up and down keys are at the top of the device, while the corners are home to the Left and Right Triggers, and Left and Right Bumpers.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209556" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Legion-Go-2-left-controller.png" alt="Legion Go 2 left controller" width="584" height="584" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Legion-Go-2-left-controller.png 584w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Legion-Go-2-left-controller-300x300.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px" /></p> <p>On the left controller, you have the View button, Legion Space button, Hall Effect Joystick, the Page button, the desktop button and the D-Pad. The right controller has a Quick settings button, Menu button, ABXY buttons, another Hall Effect Joystick, and a Touchpad. The headphone jack/mic, MicroSD card reader, a 2nd USB port, an FPS Mode switch are on the bottom of the console's frame.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209557" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Legion-Go-2-right-controller.png" alt="Legion Go 2 right controller" width="584" height="584" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Legion-Go-2-right-controller.png 584w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Legion-Go-2-right-controller-300x300.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px" /></p> <p>There's more, to the right side of the right controller, you have the M1 and M2 buttons. Each controller has a release button on the back along with a couple of other buttons. Y1, Y2 on the left, and M3, Y3 on the right.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209558" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Legion-Go-2-back-buttons.png" alt="Legion Go 2 back buttons" width="584" height="584" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Legion-Go-2-back-buttons.png 584w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Legion-Go-2-back-buttons-300x300.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px" /></p> <p>The Legion Go 2 has a built-in kickstand, to prop the device on a desk, while you play with the detached controllers. It's a fairly chunky device, and weighs 0.92kg/2.03lbs, likely due to the 4-cell 74WHr battery. It measures 206mm x 136.7mm x 22.95mm without the controllers. With the controllers its size is 295.6mm x 136.7mm x 42.25mm. The Legion Go 2 comes with a 65W USB-C charger, and a carry case in the box.</p> <p>It's not clear whether the Legion Go 2 will support the Xbox full-screen experience that the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/06/09/microsoft-and-asus-have-announced-2-rog-xbox-ally-handhelds/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">ROG Xbox Ally</a> does. I did read that Valve is working on <a href="https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-Starts-Lenovo-Legion-Go-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">SteamOS for the Legion 2</a>.</p> <p>The Lenovo Legion Go 2 will be <a href="https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/coming-soon/coming_soon_laptops/legion-go-gen-2/len106g0004" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">available this October</a>, starting at $1,100 for the AMD Z2/16GB RAM/1TBV model, while the 32GB model costs $1,200. Legion Go 2's Z2 Extreme 32GB/1TB model costs $1350, and the 2TB model carries a $1480 price tag. This makes the <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/05/15/nintendo-switch-2-tech-specs-officially-revealed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Switch 2</a>'s $449 price really affordable, but of course, Nintendo's game prices are really high.</p> <p>On a side note, the ROG Xbox Ally launches on October 16, so it should be an interesting month.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/05/lenovo-legion-go-2-announced-launching-in-october/" data-wpel-link="internal">Lenovo Legion Go 2 announced, launching in October</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

35. Hollow Knight: Silksong released, and it crashed Steam and console stores

    Fri, 05 Sep 2025 10:13:28 -0000

    Six years after it was announced, it's here. Hollow Knight: Silksong has been released across all major platforms. I've already talked about the metroidvania game's setting, so here's the release trailer for […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Hollow Knight: Silksong released, and it crashed Steam and console stores appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Six years after it was announced, it's here. Hollow Knight: Silksong has been released across all major platforms.</p> <p>I've already talked about the metroidvania <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/08/22/hollow-knight-silksong-releases-on-september-4/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">game's setting</a>, so here's the release trailer for Silksong.</p> <p>The game is available on PC (Steam, GOG, Xbox Game Pass), PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series One, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. Hollow Knight Silksong costs $19.99 in the U.S., €19,50 in the EU region, £17 in the U.K., A$ 29.50 in Australia, and CA$25.99 in Canada.</p> <p>I wanted to see what the regional pricing was in India (it's $10 here), but when I visited the game's listing, Steam threw out an error. Silksong had actually managed to crash Steam's servers. I came across a couple of screenshots on social media that showed an error message, but here's the one I got (within 15 to 20 minutes of the game's release).</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209550" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Hollow-Knight-Silksong-crashed-steam.jpg" alt="Hollow Knight: Silksong crashed steam" width="1200" height="236" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Hollow-Knight-Silksong-crashed-steam.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Hollow-Knight-Silksong-crashed-steam-768x151.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>Steam was not the only one that was down, <a href="https://www.gamespot.com/articles/silksong-releases-immediately-crashes-steam-and-nintendo-eshop/1100-6534478/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">reports indicate</a> that Nintendo's eShop, Sony's PlayStation Network (PSN), and the Xbox Store were all down for a while.  I'm used to Steam crashing when major sale events like the Summer Sale or Winter Sale start, but never on a game's launch. Anyway, Valve managed to restore Steam access quickly.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209551" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Hollow-Knight-Silksong-steam-players.jpg" alt="Hollow Knight: Silksong steam players" width="1149" height="619" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Hollow-Knight-Silksong-steam-players.jpg 1149w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Hollow-Knight-Silksong-steam-players-768x414.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1149px) 100vw, 1149px" /></p> <p>According to <a href="https://steamdb.info/app/1030300/charts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">SteamDB's stats</a>, 535,213 gamers played Hollow Knight: Silksong on Steam on launch day. . This number was achieved within the first hour of the game's launch. That's incredible, isn't it? I've never seen any game crash all game stores at the same time, let alone an Indie title. That shows you how popular Silksong is.</p> <p>Perhaps the fact that the game didn't have pre-orders played a large part in this, people rushed to the storefronts to buy it, and it could have caused the servers to crash. That speaks volumes of <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/01/hollow-knight-silksong-has-been-priced-at-19-99/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Silksong's affordable price</a>. The game's requirements are really low, you just need 4GB of RAM, 1GB of vRAM, and 8GB of storage to play the game. Plus it was a day 1 release on Windows, macOS, Linux and Game Pass.</p> <p>This could be a valuable lesson for bigger studios to learn from Team Cherry's strategies. The original Hollow Knight sold 15 million copies, can Silksong break that record?</p> <p>Have you played the game?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/05/hollow-knight-silksong-released-and-it-crashed-steam-and-console-stores/" data-wpel-link="internal">Hollow Knight: Silksong released, and it crashed Steam and console stores</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

36. Chrome: Should "your browser is managed by your organization" worry you?

    Fri, 05 Sep 2025 09:27:53 -0000

    Google Chrome, like many other web browsers, can be configured through policies and rules. These allow organizations and individuals to change certain settings, such as the homepage, search provider, or which extensions […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Chrome: Should "your browser is managed by your organization" worry you? appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Google Chrome, like many other web browsers, can be configured through policies and rules. These allow organizations and individuals to change certain settings, such as the homepage, search provider, or which extensions are installed.</p> <p>Google Chrome displays "Your browser is managed by your organization" when any policy is set. It may also display the information when a third-party app, like a security software, has access to Chrome.</p> <p>The notification is shown on the main Settings page of the browser, which you may access via Menu &gt; Settings, or by loading chrome://settings/ directly.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-209439" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/chrome-your-browser-is-managed-by-your-organization.png" alt="Google Chrome message: Your browser is managed by your organization" width="849" height="275" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/chrome-your-browser-is-managed-by-your-organization.png 849w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/chrome-your-browser-is-managed-by-your-organization-768x249.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 849px) 100vw, 849px" /></p> <p>You may also check chrome://management/ to find out about it.</p> <p>The message confirms that at least one setting of the browser is managed through a policy. If Chrome is run on a work or education computer or laptop, chance is that the IT department set these policies. If you run Chrome on a home device and have not set policies manually, there is a chance that a malicious program has altered certain settings.</p> <p>Note that legitimate programs may also cause Chrome to show the message. Good news is that you can find out easily.</p> <h2>Find out what is actually managed</h2> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-209440" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/chrome-policies.png" alt="Chrome Policies" width="1184" height="718" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/chrome-policies.png 1184w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/chrome-policies-768x466.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1184px) 100vw, 1184px" /></p> <p>The best option is to load chrome://policy/ in the browser. Chrome displays all policies there that do not have default values. In other words, any policy that is modified is shown here.</p> <p>You may not be able to change any of the policies, especially on work or education computers. If you are the admin, however, you may remove policies or modify them to adjust what they do.</p> <h3>Remove policies in Chrome</h3> <p>Note that you can't modify policies directly from within Chrome. What you may be able to do is remove extensions that have set policies.</p> <p>On Windows, administrators may control policies via the Registry Editor. Here is how that is done:</p> <ol> <li>Open the Start menu on the Windows system.</li> <li>Type regedit.exe and press the Enter-key.</li> <li>Confirm the security prompt that is shown.</li> <li>Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome.</li> <li>Each key listed here is a potential policy that has been set. You can select policies and press the Delete-key on the keyboard to remove them.</li> <li>Close the Registry Editor when you are done.</li> <li>Restart the PC.</li> </ol> <p>Chrome won't display the "managed by your organization" message anymore, if you deleted all policies, and if no other interference is still active.</p> <p>Users on Apple macOS devices may run the command defaults read com.google.Chrome to read the current preferences of the browser. You could then remove any policy with the command defaults delete com.google.Chrome KEYNAME.</p> <p>Chrome maintains managed preferences under /Library/Managed Preferences/com.google.Chrome.plist on macOS by default. However, if the preferences are managed by a configuration file, they may not be visible here.</p> <p>Last but not least, certain security applications may install policies to control some aspects of the Chrome browser. You could check the antivirus settings to find out if there is any information about that. A better option may be to run a search, e.g., Bitdefender Free Google Chrome policies, to find out that way.</p> <h3>Closing Words</h3> <p>The message that certain policies are managed by an organization should not worry you automatically, even if you have control over the browser and not set any policy by yourself. There are other legitimate explanations, for instance security software, that may have set policies.</p> <p>However, if you are certain that you have not set any, have full control, and are certain that no legitimate software has modified policies either, then you may want to investigate to make sure that your system is not infected by malicious software.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/05/chrome-should-your-browser-is-managed-by-your-organization-worry-you/" data-wpel-link="internal">Chrome: Should &quot;your browser is managed by your organization&quot; worry you?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

37. Firefox Nightly now lets you access Microsoft Copilot from the sidebar

    Fri, 05 Sep 2025 05:28:17 -0000

    Mozilla is testing a new feature in Firefox Nightly, which adds Microsoft Copilot to the sidebar. Cue the pitchforks! That gecko's up to something. Firefox already has 4 chatbots: Anthropic Claude, ChatGPT, […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Firefox Nightly now lets you access Microsoft Copilot from the sidebar appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Mozilla is testing a new feature in Firefox Nightly, which adds <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/08/28/microsoft-copilot-is-now-available-on-some-samsung-tvs-and-monitors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Microsoft Copilot</a> to the sidebar. Cue the pitchforks!</p> <p>That gecko's up to something.</p> <p>Firefox already has 4 chatbots: Anthropic Claude, ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Le Chat Mistral. <a href="https://windowsreport.com/firefox-adds-microsoft-copilot-ai-to-its-sidebar-but-will-users-accept-it/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Windows Report's Venkat</a> (the Techdows guy), spotted the addition of Copilot in the side panel of Firefox Nightly.  Mozilla has been <a href="https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1926932" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow external noopener noreferrer">working on bringing Copilot to Firefox</a> for nearly a year.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209541" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-Copilot-AI-in-Firefox-sidebar.jpg" alt="Microsoft Copilot AI in Firefox sidebar" width="1200" height="650" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-Copilot-AI-in-Firefox-sidebar.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Microsoft-Copilot-AI-in-Firefox-sidebar-768x416.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>When you select Copilot on the sidebar, the panel describes the AIs features briefly. You can use Copilot in Firefox without an account, but there are some restrictions like daily limits, no personalization, sync chats, shorter responses, etc. The chatbot can be used to generate text, images, code, and analyze images. Users with a premium subscription can access more features.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209545" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Copilot-options-in-Firefox.jpg" alt="Copilot options in Firefox" width="417" height="293" /></p> <p>Click on a new chat, and you should see "Quick response", click on this button to switch between 3 modes.</p> <p>The default option, Quick Response, is the fastest as the AI responds in a couple of seconds, and is suited for daily conversations. Think Deeper, as the name suggests, makes the AI think longer (about 10 seconds). The final option is Smart, which uses GPT-5, and automatically thinks deeply or quickly based on the task. You can also use voice mode to interact with Copilot, or upload images and documents that you want it to analyze.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209542" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Copilot-page-action-Firefox.jpg" alt="Copilot page action Firefox" width="892" height="785" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Copilot-page-action-Firefox.jpg 892w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Copilot-page-action-Firefox-768x676.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 892px) 100vw, 892px" /></p> <p>It can also summarize pages. Right-clicking on a web page, or a tab on the tab bar also offers access to Copilot's summarization features. You can also access Copilot's menu by selecting text.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209543" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Copilot-tab-menu-Firefox.jpg" alt="Copilot tab menu Firefox" width="1010" height="585" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Copilot-tab-menu-Firefox.jpg 1010w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Copilot-tab-menu-Firefox-768x445.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1010px) 100vw, 1010px" /></p> <p>Don't want these shortcuts? Just click on Remove copilot. Right-click again, and it will replace the option with "Ask a chatbot", this can also be removed.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209544" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Copilot-right-click-actions-in-Firefox.jpg" alt="Copilot right-click actions in Firefox" width="791" height="413" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Copilot-right-click-actions-in-Firefox.jpg 791w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Copilot-right-click-actions-in-Firefox-768x401.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px" /></p> <p>I'm not going to defend Mozilla's decision, it's up to the user to decide whether they want to use AI or not. Copilot in Firefox (and the other AIs), can all be turned off permanently. They don't run in the background, constantly monitoring you. Click on the AI's shortcut in the sidebar to access it, use it and close it. That's it. It's basically a shortcut to the AI service's website, but in a sidebar to provide quick access, which may be of value to some people. I'm not one of those people, and that's perfectly okay.</p> <p>I have kept all AI features disabled in my main Firefox. If you want to disable AI features in Firefox, open about:config, accept the risks.</p> <p>Paste these in the text field, one at a time:</p> <p>browser.ml.enable<br /> browser.ml.chat.enabled<br /> browser.ml.chat.menu<br /> browser.ml.chat.page<br /> browser.ml.chat.shortcuts</p> <p>Set their value to false. There you go, no AI features for you.</p> <p>In addition to this, you can also disable Smart Tab Groups, and Link Previews using the following preferences.</p> <p>browser.tabs.groups.smart.enabled<br /> browser.ml.linkPreview.enabled</p> <p>Just search for browser.ml and you will see a lot of options.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209540" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Disable-AI-features-in-Firefox-Nightly.jpg" alt="Disable AI features in Firefox Nightly" width="1200" height="650" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Disable-AI-features-in-Firefox-Nightly.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Disable-AI-features-in-Firefox-Nightly-768x416.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>For those of you who want to try Copilot, <a href="https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/nightly/2025/09/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">download Firefox Nightly from Mozilla's FTP</a> servers.</p> <p>As a reminder, Vivaldi recently announced <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/08/29/vivaldi-says-no-to-ai-features/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">it won't be adding any AI features</a> to its browser.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/05/firefox-nightly-now-lets-you-access-microsoft-copilot-from-the-sidebar/" data-wpel-link="internal">Firefox Nightly now lets you access Microsoft Copilot from the sidebar</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

38. Mozilla extends Firefox ESR 115 support for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1, macOS 10.12 to 10.14 until March 2026

    Thu, 04 Sep 2025 12:33:47 -0000

    There is some good news for Firefox ESR 115 users on older operating systems. Mozilla has extended support for the version until March 2026. Note: ESR refers to Extended Support Release. Mozilla […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Mozilla extends Firefox ESR 115 support for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1, macOS 10.12 to 10.14 until March 2026 appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>There is some good news for Firefox ESR 115 users on older operating systems. Mozilla has extended support for the version until March 2026.</p> <p>Note: ESR refers to Extended Support Release.</p> <p>Mozilla released Firefox 115 in July 2023. Then, it had announced that <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2023/07/04/firefox-115-new-esr-base-and-some-add-ons-may-be-blocked-from-running-on-certain-sites/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Firefox 115.0 ESR would be the last version that supports Windows 7</a>, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, as well as Apple macOS 10.12, 10.13, and 10.14. This version was originally intended to be supported until September 2024.</p> <p>In September 2024, <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/09/09/mozilla-extends-firefox-115-support-for-old-windows-and-macos-devices/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Firefox ESR 128 replaced 115</a> as the new code base for current operating systems. However, Mozilla extended Firefox 115 ESR support for users on Windows 7, 8, 8.1 until April 1, 2025. But in February 2025, Mozilla once again extended support for Firefox ESR 115 branch until September 2025.</p> <p>You guessed it, the same thing has happened, another 6-month extension. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/1n7pi3o/keep_up_the_good_work_mozilla_we_are_so_proud_of/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Redditors</a> have spotted a note on <a href="https://whattrainisitnow.com/release/?version=esr" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Firefox's release calendar</a> says that Mozilla has decided to extend support for Firefox ESR 115 only on Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and macOS 10.12 to 10.14 up to March 2026. Mozilla will re-evaluate the situation in February 2026, to decide whether to end support for Firefox 115 ESR.</p> <p>Why does Mozilla keep extending support for these old operating systems? The latest <a href="https://data.firefox.com/dashboard/hardware" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Firefox Public Data Report</a> reveals that 39.352% Firefox users are on Windows 11, and 38.926% are using Windows 10. 6.769% of Firefox users are still on Windows 7. All other operating systems, including Linux and macOS have amount to 14.952% of Firefox users. Well, that probably explains why Windows 7 is still supported by Firefox, and of course by extension, Windows 8, 8.1 as well.</p> <p>Mozilla recommends users on supported operating systems to use Firefox ESR 128 or above.</p> <p>We do not recommend using older operating systems that do not get security updates anymore. If you have no other choice, i.e. if you cannot upgrade to a newer operating system due to hardware limitations, it's understandable but extremely risky. I strongly suggest looking at Linux distros like <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/04/linux-mint-22-2-zara-update-released/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Mint</a>, it may take some getting used to switch from Windows or macOS, but it's possible that your old computer will be able to handle Linux just fine.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/04/mozilla-extends-firefox-esr-115-support-for-windows-7-until-march-2026/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mozilla extends Firefox ESR 115 support for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1, macOS 10.12 to 10.14 until March 2026</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

39. 007 First Light releases in March 2026, extended gameplay video released

    Thu, 04 Sep 2025 09:37:33 -0000

    IO Interactive has revealed the launch date for 007 First Light. The James Bond game releases on March 27th, 2026. Irish actor, Patrick Gibson, best known for playing young Dexter Morgan in […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post 007 First Light releases in March 2026, extended gameplay video released appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>IO Interactive has revealed the launch date for <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/06/05/io-interactive-announces-james-bond-game-007-first-light-is-releasing-in-2026/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">007 First Light</a>. The James Bond game releases on March 27th, 2026.</p> <p>Irish actor, Patrick Gibson, best known for playing young Dexter Morgan in Dexter: Original Sin, has been cast in the role of James Bond in the third-person stealth/spy/shooter <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/08/28/xbox-cloud-gaming-is-available-game-pass-core-and-standard-subscribers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">game</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1AHkgXCNjA" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">A new trailer</a> that outlines the gameplay is out on YouTube. But if that 2-minute video doesn't impress you, there is something that might. IO Interactive has published a longer video, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpP_WXrDArQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">a 30-minute premiere</a> showcasing around 20 minutes of gameplay, and 10 minutes of developer commentary. The premiere focuses on the first mission in the game. This also happens to be Bond's first mission in the field, and he has to capture Agent 009, who has gone rogue. You don't work alone, 007 teams up with his associates to take down the villain.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209525" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/James-Bond-007-First-Light-gameplay.jpg" alt="James Bond 007 First Light gameplay" width="1200" height="675" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/James-Bond-007-First-Light-gameplay.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/James-Bond-007-First-Light-gameplay-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>There are multiple ways to get around obstacles like security checks, you don't have to go guns blazing. Sometimes subtlety is important, maybe you can talk your way out of things. Bond has access to some tools and gadgets, he can pick things up to use as a distraction, and combine them with environmental objects to create an opening. Agent 47 may be a Silent Assassin, but Bond's a bit of a chatterbox, narrating his thoughts, often humorously.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209524" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/James-Bond-007-First-Light-actions.jpg" alt="James Bond 007 First Light actions" width="1200" height="675" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/James-Bond-007-First-Light-actions.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/James-Bond-007-First-Light-actions-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>Stealth games usually have bad mechanics like enemies and NPCs easily getting distracted, and not noticing the player doing odd things, like climbing a pipe, etc. I mean, that is by design, these distractions are meant to allow the player to get past guards or hostile NPCs. It may look odd in a super-spy game, but it is made by Hitman's devs, so I guess it can't be helped.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209523" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/James-Bond-007-First-Light-gunplay.jpg" alt="James Bond 007 First Light gunplay" width="1200" height="606" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/James-Bond-007-First-Light-gunplay.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/James-Bond-007-First-Light-gunplay-768x388.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>007 First Light involves driving vehicles, of course it has to, Bond likes his fancy cars. Unfortunately, this is where things begin to look bad. The high-speed car chase that was featured in the video had significant frame drops, the driving looked jarring, and that motion blur effect was not helping. The gun-fight that follows was impressive, it reminded me a little of Uncharted, the chaotic explosions from Just Cause, the bullet-time of Max Payne, and a bit of Grand Theft Auto. First Light also has melee combat. Performance during these scenes were far from impressive, hopefully these issues will be ironed out before the game is released.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209521" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/James-Bond-007-First-Light.jpg" alt="James Bond 007 First Light" width="1200" height="605" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/James-Bond-007-First-Light.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/James-Bond-007-First-Light-768x387.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>It may be a Bond game, but it definitely has the Hitman vibe, which is a good thing in my book. But unlike Agent 47, Bond being Bond, is often reckless, has a problem with authority, and following orders. The game seems to deliver all these, along with witty humor. I liked the subtle touch when Bond jumped into a tunnel, "License to Kill" appeared on the screen, and he shoots a guy. This is a nod to the iconic intro in Bond movies.</p> <p>I know it's just an extended trailer, but it felt like a short movie. 007 First Light will be available for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2.</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/04/007-first-light-releases-in-march-2026-extended-gameplay-video-released/" data-wpel-link="internal">007 First Light releases in March 2026, extended gameplay video released</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>

40. Linux Mint 22.2 Zara update released

    Thu, 04 Sep 2025 06:15:07 -0000

    Linux Mint 22.2 is here. The update is called Zara, here's what's new in it. Mint 22.2 is based on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, and will be supported 2029. It comes with Linux […]

    Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Linux Mint 22.2 Zara update released appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

    <p>Linux Mint 22.2 is here. The update is called <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/08/11/linux-mint-22-2-beta-now-available-for-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Zara</a>, here's what's new in it.</p> <p>Mint 22.2 is based on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, and will be supported 2029. It comes with Linux kernel 6.14.</p> <p>Sticky notes now have rounded corners, and the app is compatible with <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2024/01/11/linux-mint-21-3-is-now-available-with-experimental-wayland-support/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-wpel-link="internal">Wayland</a>. Android users can use a companion app called StyncyNotes to sync their notes between their Linux system and phone. The app is available for download at <a href="http://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.grating.styncynotes" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">F-Droid's repository</a>. It uses SyncThing to sync, hence the name, StyncyNotes.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209507" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Linux-Mint-22.2-Zara-Sticky-Notes-with-rounded-corners.jpg" alt="Linux Mint 22.2 Zara Sticky Notes with rounded corners" width="695" height="265" /></p> <p>Linux Mint 22.2 adds a subtle blur effect to the login screen, the background of the login box is blurred. It also displays your user avatar now.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209506" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Linux-Mint-22.2-login-screen.jpg" alt="Linux Mint 22.2 login screen" width="1200" height="675" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Linux-Mint-22.2-login-screen.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Linux-Mint-22.2-login-screen-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>Mint 22.2 comes with a new XApp called Fingwit, which is used for fingerprint authentication. It is used for the screensaver, sudo commands, Admin apps (pkexec). You will need to enter your password to add fingerprints, after which you will need to use your computer's fingerprint reader to add the scans.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209512" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Linux-Mint-22.2-add-fingerprint.jpg" alt="Linux Mint 22.2 add fingerprint" width="734" height="527" /></p> <p>Unfortunately, it doesn't progress beyond the first scan for me. My device (04f3:0c4f) is supported by libfprint, so I'm not sure what's wrong. Anyway, I couldn't test it at all. It's also worth mentioning that the login screen still requires you to type a password if you use a home directory encryption or a keyring.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209510" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Linux-Mint-22.2-Software-Manager.jpg" alt="Linux Mint 22.2 Software Manager" width="800" height="732" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Linux-Mint-22.2-Software-Manager.jpg 800w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Linux-Mint-22.2-Software-Manager-768x703.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></p> <p>The Software Manager's home page has been redesigned, and the i button on app listings now explains the difference between Flatpak and system packages. The Update Manager will display a reboot button on the taskbar, when an update requires a restart.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209509" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Linux-Mint-22.2-Software-Manager-explanations.jpg" alt="Linux Mint 22.2 Software Manager explanations" width="800" height="732" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Linux-Mint-22.2-Software-Manager-explanations.jpg 800w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Linux-Mint-22.2-Software-Manager-explanations-768x703.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></p> <p>Linux Mint 22.2 changes the default Mint-Y theme slightly, it is now less gray and slightly more blue.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209513" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Linux-Mint-22.2-blue-theme.jpg" alt="Linux Mint 22.2 blue theme" width="1200" height="830" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Linux-Mint-22.2-blue-theme.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Linux-Mint-22.2-blue-theme-768x531.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>(Image courtesy: Linux Mint)</p> <p>LibAdwaita has been patched to work with themes, and now supports Mint-Y, Mint-X and Mint-L. The LAN based file-sharing app, <a href="https://apps.apple.com/mu/app/warpinator/id1609289992" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">Warpinator</a>, is now available for iOS.</p> <p>The IPTV app, Hypnotix, now supports two additional modes. Theater Mode hides the controls and menus, but still displays the title bar.  The hotkey for theater mode is F6.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209516" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Hypnotix-Theater-Mode.jpg" alt="Hypnotix Theater Mode" width="852" height="524" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Hypnotix-Theater-Mode.jpg 852w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Hypnotix-Theater-Mode-768x472.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 852px) 100vw, 852px" /></p> <p>(Image courtesy: Linux Mint)</p> <p>Borderless Mode hides everything, including the borders, title bar, though you use the Alt key to move the window around. Borderless mode can be toggled with the F7 keyboard shortcut.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209515" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Hypnotix-Borderless-Mode.jpg" alt="Hypnotix Borderless Mode" width="1200" height="678" srcset="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Hypnotix-Borderless-Mode.jpg 1200w, https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Hypnotix-Borderless-Mode-768x434.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>(Image courtesy: Linux Mint)</p> <p>The app has been updated to startup faster, searching large playlists is also faster. Hypnotix will no longer reset the volume when you switch channels.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209511" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Linux-Mint-22.2-Hypnotix.jpg" alt="Linux Mint 22.2 Hypnotix" width="501" height="540" /></p> <p>For a full list of changes, known issues, please refer to the <a href="https://www.linuxmint.com/rel_zara.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">release notes</a>, and the <a href="https://www.linuxmint.com/rel_zara_whatsnew.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">blog article</a> on Linux Mint's website.</p> <p>If you don't see the Linux Mint 22.2 update yet, open the Update Manager and click on Edit, and you should see an option to update to 22.2. Or, you can download the ISO of your choice from <a href="https://www.linuxmint.com/download.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow external noreferrer" data-wpel-link="external">https://www.linuxmint.com/</a>.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-209514" src="https://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Linux-Mint-22.2-Neofetch.jpg" alt="Linux Mint 22.2 Neofetch" width="654" height="442" /></p> <p>It's unclear when Linux Mint Debian Edition 7 (codenamed “Gigi”) will be released.</p> <p>Have you updated to Mint 22.2 ?</p> <p>Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post <a href="https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/04/linux-mint-22-2-zara-update-released/" data-wpel-link="internal">Linux Mint 22.2 Zara update released</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ghacks.net" data-wpel-link="internal">gHacks Technology News</a>.</p>