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Last week, I reported that ChatGPT and Copilot are removing their services from WhatsApp due to a change in Meta's policy. That policy is now under scrutiny in the European Union.

The European Commission has opened an antitrust investigation to find out if Meta's rules are hurting the competition. In case you missed it, Meta has updated its terms and conditions, which forbids AI companies from using WhatsApp's Business API to distribute their services. WhatsApp will allow businesses to use AI tools for providing support or ancillary functions like automated customer support, but third-party AI services are pretty much banned. This policy comes into effect on January 15, 2026. Microsoft and OpenAI have announced that Copilot and ChatGPT will no longer be accessible in the popular messaging app due to the new rules.

The European Commission is concerned about the situation. A press release from the Commission says, "As a result of the new policy, competing AI providers may be blocked from reaching their customers through WhatsApp. On the other hand, Meta's own AI service 'Meta AI' would remain accessible to users on the platform."

The Wall Street Journal reports that a Meta spokesperson said that the commission's claims are baseless, stating, “The emergence of AI chatbots on our Business API puts a strain on our systems that they were not designed to support.”

Why not charge a fee for it? That way, everybody wins.

The European Commission's investigation will cover the EEA except for Italy, to avoid an overlap with the Italian Competition Authority's ongoing proceedings for the possible imposition of interim measures concerning Meta's conduct.

WhatsApp has replaced as SMS as the de facto replacement for day-to-day communication for billions of users around the world. It's almost difficult not to use it if you want to stay in touch with your loved ones. The main problem is people have gotten comfy with WhatsApp, Telegram and don't feel like moving to secure messaging apps such as Signal. That massive user base is a gold mine for Meta, and we should be concerned about it.

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Opera's Android browser now gives you an option to access Ask AI directly from the search box. It is powered by Aria AI.

To use the feature, open a new tab and tap the search bar. It displays two options, the first of which is your search engine. The other option is Ask AI. Opera says that this allows users an easier way to interact with the AI.

(Image courtesy: Opera)

As for using the AI, there is a new option that lets you attach files. Tap on the + sign to start the process. You can use your mobile phone's camera to take a picture and upload it, or select a file from your Gallery or even a PDF from the Documents folder. For example, it can be used to translate text in images. You can ask follow-up questions about the attachment to learn more about it.

There's another way to access Ask AI, using the current tab as context. When you are on a web page, tap on the three-dot menu, and select the "Ask AI" option. The search bar will appear, and you can type in your prompt, with the current tab in context.

Opera says that to protect the privacy of users, the AI cannot access the contents from other tabs or your browsing history, it can only access the tab that you interacted with. It also explains that the Page context data is sent to the AI Engine only when the user accesses it. The prompt and page context data are encrypted and sent to Opera's servers for the AI model to process it. This data is stored on the server for 30 days and deleted automatically once the duration is up. Opera says it will not use the data for training its AI, or advertising or any other purposes.

Ask AI is enabled by default. If you don't like it, you can disable it from the app's Settings. Tap on your profile > Settings > Search < Ask AI. A quicker way to get to this screen is to tap on the search bar, which shows a settings button. Use it to get here in just 2 taps. There are several options on this page, the one that is new is the "Ask AI - Show option in address field". If you want to remove Ask AI from the menu, toggle the option that is labeled "Context menu - Show Ask AI shortcut when selecting text on a webpage"

Such features should be opt-in, not opt-out.

Download Opera for Android from the Google Play Store. Opera recently added a music visualizer to its desktop browser, you can read about it here.

What do you think about Ask AI?

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Microsoft introduced duality in several areas of its Windows 11 operating system. There are, for example, the new and old context menus, or the classic Control Panel and the new Settings app. Now, it appears, Microsoft is preparing for yet another.

The details: Windows 11 could soon be getting a modernized run box, reports Windows detective Phantom of Earth on X.

The run box is several decades old already and it has not received many updates in that time. The only meaningful addition was support for dark mode. You can launch it with the keyboard shortcut Windows-R to bring it up and launch programs or commands on the machine.

Phantom of Earth reports that the new Run dialog is not enabled by default. It needs to be enabled under Settings > System > Advanced > Run dialog, at least for now.

The new Windows 11 run dialog. Source: Phantom of Earth

It uses a modern design, but that is all that we know so far. It looks similar to the PowerToys Run tool, which extends functionality beyond launching programs or running commands. Like a true launcher app, it enables users to search for folders, files or running processes, run some built-in tools and more.

Whether the modernized run dialog of the Windows 11 operating system will support that as well is anyone's guess at this point though, as little is know at this point. However, the good old trusted Ctrl-Shift-Enter hotkey for running in admin mode appears to be still present in the new run box.

The new feature is hidden in build 26534 and likely also consecutive builds when they get released. Microsoft has yet to make an official announcement regarding the new run box in Windows 11 and whether it plans to keep both run dialogs in the operating system or replace the classic one with the modern variant at some point.

Now You: do you use the run box on Windows occasionally or regularly, or do you prefer another option, such as a third-party launcher app? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

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It's happening, the next historical Total War game has been announced. Creative Assembly celebrated Total War's 25th anniversary by releasing a trailer for Total War: Medieval III.

The last historical game in the series (not counting the Saga games) was Total War: Three Kingdoms, which was released in 2019. Medieval II: Total War was released in 2006, that's a long time ago. In fact, its mods are popular too, the most notable one being the Third Age Total War, which is set in Middle-Earth from the Lord of the Rings.

Here is the announcement trailer for Total War: Medieval III. It's more of a live-action teaser, really.

The game will use the studio's next gen engine, Warcore. CA says that it will allow them to release their games on PlayStation and Xbox. Medieval III is still in early pre-production phase, and it could be years before TW:M3 launches.

In fact, it may not be the next Total War game to release. Gematsu reports that Creative Assembly will show the next Total War game at The Game Awards, which is scheduled for December 11th. Kurakasis, a popular leaker, had claimed that a big Star Wars game would be announced at TGA. Putting 2 and 2 together, it sounds like we are going to see Total War: Star Wars.

Some fans were expecting a Total War: Warhammer 40,000 game, and that was a reasonable expectation, given that three games featuring Warhammer's Old Word exist. As a fan of both franchises, I'm pretty excited. Star Wars: Zero Company, an XCOM-like made by former X-COM developers, is releasing in 2026. Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War IV is also releasing next year. And we also have Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy coming from Owlcat, who made the Rogue Trader CRPG.

And there is good news for those who prefer to buy DRM-free games. GOG has partnered with Sega/Creative Assembly, and the following games are now available on its store, and are currently discounted.

Rome: Total War Collection
SHOGUN: Total War Collection
Medieval: Total War Collection
Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition

These games are joining the GOG Preservation Program. There's more! Total War: PHARAOH DYNASTIES, Total War: ROME II – Emperor Edition, Total War: THREE KINGDOMS, and Total War: ATTILA are coming soon to GOG. This is interesting because both Pharaoh and Three Kingdoms have the Denuvo DRM on Steam. So they are finally removing it from the games.

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Can a PC run Windows 11? One of the metrics that Microsoft uses to determine that is the processors of the system. If it is too old or does not support certain features, it may not support Windows 11 officially or even unofficially.

Up until now, you could head over to the list of supported processors to find out if a specific chip is supported. You simply had to know the processor's name, which you can look up in Settings and some other places, and check if it is listed by Microsoft.

However, this is no longer the case, at least not for PCs with Intel hardware. Microsoft is listing processor series now instead of individual processors. Means, if you want to find out if your Intel Core i5-10400 CPU is supported, you need to know that it is a tenth generation processor.

The links that Microsoft added point to Intel, but there are not particularly helpful, as Intel lists all processors of a series on its website, not only those that are compatible with Windows 11. Take the Intel Celeron Processor 3000 Series as an example. It supports Windows 11 according to Microsoft, but at least some of the processors listed on Intel's website do not support Windows 11 officially due to missing requirements. Actually, only one of the processors listed by Intel on its website is compatible officially.

The main problem is that Microsoft's new list is too broad. Customers who look at it would rightfully assume that their CPU is compatible, if its series is listed on the page. As pointed out before, this is apparently not always the case and could lead to quite a few issues and wasted hours, trying to get Windows 11 to install on an unsupported PC.

Our colleagues over at Neowin point out another example. The only supported Kaby Lake processor is the Intel Core i7-7820HQ, which Microsoft uses in its own Surface Studio 2 device. The problem is, Microsoft does not list the entire processor family on its supported processors website. Is it no longer supported? Turns out, it is supported, but no longer listed.

Microsoft has updated the Intel processor listing only at this point. The AMD and ARM chip listing still display individual processors and not processor families.

Closing Words

The new listing is problematic, as it makes it look as if processors that are not officially supported are supported by Windows 11. Microsoft probably wanted to trim the list to make it easier to digest, but it has achieved the opposite. Here is a suggestion, why not add both information to the page? Display processor series, state that not all processors of a particular series may be supported, and link to your own page below that lists all supported ones.

Now it is your turn. Do you check the official documentation before installing or upgrading operating systems? What do you think of Microsoft's updated Intel processor listing? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

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Microsoft has published a support document that says that Windows 11 updates might cause several system apps to stop working. These issues seem to affect enterprise PCs.

This is what the support page says,

"After provisioning a PC with a Windows 11, version 24H2 or a Windows 11, version 25H2 monthly cumulative update released on or after July 2025 (such as KB5062553 or KB5065789), XAML-dependent modern apps such as Explorer, the Start menu, SystemSettings, Taskbar and Windows Search might experience difficulties"

It mentions some scenarios where Explorer may crash on start, Windows may log on to a black screen. The Taskbar may fail to appear/render/display on the desktop. The Start Menu may fail to open, and display a critical error message. ShellHost.exe could crash. XAML-dependent apps like Consent.exe, which is used for the User Account Control UI, may crash or fail to start. The System Settings page, i.e. Start>Settings>System may fail to open. Apps may crash when initializing XAML views.

Yesterday, Martin wrote about a bug in File Explorer's dark mode that could result in a flash bang. Seriously, what's left to break at this point?
Microsoft says these issues are very unlikely to occur on personal computers, and that they affect a "limited number of enterprise or managed environments". It explained that the affected apps have a dependency on XAML packages, and that these are not registering in time after installing Windows updates.

While it is yet to resolve the problem, the company is recommending some workarounds.

IT administrators managing enterprise or virtualized environments can use the following commands in PowerShell to register the missing packages in the user session, and restart SiHost to allow Immersive Shell and related components to reflect the changes.

Add-AppxPackage -Register -Path 'C:\Windows\SystemApps\MicrosoftWindows.Client.CBS_cw5n1h2txyewy\appxmanifest.xml' -DisableDevelopmentMode

Add-AppxPackage -Register -Path 'C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.UI.Xaml.CBS_8wekyb3d8bbwe\appxmanifest.xml' -DisableDevelopmentMode

Add-AppxPackage -Register -Path 'C:\Windows\SystemApps\MicrosoftWindows.Client.Core_cw5n1h2txyewy\appxmanifest.xml' -DisableDevelopmentMode

Microsoft is suggesting users on non-persistent environments to use a logon script, and run it from a batch file before Explorer starts.

@echo off
REM Register MicrosoftWindows.Client.CBS

powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "Add-AppxPackage -Register -Path 'C:\Windows\SystemApps\MicrosoftWindows.Client.CBS_cw5n1h2txyewy\appxmanifest.xml' -DisableDevelopmentMode"

REM Register Microsoft.UI.Xaml.CBS

powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "Add-AppxPackage -Register -Path 'C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.UI.Xaml.CBS_8wekyb3d8bbwe\appxmanifest.xml' -DisableDevelopmentMode"

REM Register MicrosoftWindows.Client.Core

powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "Add-AppxPackage -Register -Path 'C:\Windows\SystemApps\MicrosoftWindows.Client.Core_cw5n1h2txyewy\appxmanifest.xml' -DisableDevelopmentMode"

All these issues on Enterprise PCs could make work life miserable. How do so many issues fly under the radar before they are shipped? What exactly is the point of the Windows Insider Program, if testers don't check for serious errors? And why haven't these issues been fixed for months?

As Windows Central's Zac Bowden rightly says, Microsoft has become sloppy when it comes to Windows 11 updates.

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If you thought the rising prices of DRAM was bad, think again. Micron, the company owns Crucial, is exiting its consumer business.

What does that mean? Well, it will stop producing Crucial SSDs and DRAM kits. So, why all of a sudden? Why did Micron choose to do this? In a statement published on the company's website, Sumit Sadana, EVP and Chief Business Officer at Micron Technology, said that, "The AI-driven growth in the data center has led to a surge in demand for memory and storage. Micron has made the difficult decision to exit the Crucial consumer business in order to improve supply and support for our larger, strategic customers in faster-growing segments".

(Image courtesy: Crucial)

Crucial products, such as RAM modules, SSDs, will continue to be available in the consumer market until the end of February 2026. The company will work with its partners to ensure warranty services and support are available for users. Videocardz reports that this could have a huge impact on PC building, as Crucial is very popular among users. They are right, I swapped out the RAM and SSD on my laptop for those made by Crucial too.

However, this news doesn't spell the end of Crucial. Micron says that it will continue focusing on commercial channel customers. This means it will continue supplying hardware to OEMs like HP, ASUS, DELL, Acer, etc. I wonder if this will lead to OEM-branded SSDs, RAM kits. I mean, there are some who do this already, but they could partner with Crucial to rebrand the products as their own. If that happens, they will likely come at an additional cost to consumers.

A quick check shows 32GB of DDR5 RAM now costs somewhere between $200-$350 or more, that's more than twice the price they were available earlier. Yikes!

Meanwhile, PCGamer reports that Samsung and SK Hynix have opted to 'minimize the risk of oversupply'. Ah yes, the let's screw the consumer tactic, aka price fixing. Console prices have increased drastically over the year, and it could get worse.

How much did you pay for RAM?

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A couple of days ago, I reported that the Indian government had issued a directive to manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on mobile phones. This decision has been withdrawn.

In case you missed it, the Sanchar Saathi app, which is developed by the Department of Telecommunications, is used to report telecom fraud, lost or stolen phones, etc. Refer to my previous coverage for more details about the app.

Shortly after the decision to preload the app on iPhones, and Android devices was announced, there was an uproar from users and politicians in India. Many people had criticized the move, citing potential privacy issues. When questioned about this, Jyotiraditya Scindia, the Union Minister for Communications, told reporters that the app was optional, and that consumers could uninstall it. However, the official wording of the press release had indicated otherwise.

Yesterday, the Indian government issued a press release that confirmed the removal of the mandate to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app. The statement explains that the mandate would have helped spread awareness of the app, especially among non-tech savvy users. However, since making the headlines, over 600,000 people downloaded the app voluntarily in just one day. These devices help report information on 2000 fraud incidents per day. It also noted that over 1.4 Crore (14 million) users have the Sanchar Saathi app installed on their devices.

The government, having noted the app's popularity, decided it wasn't necessary to pre-install it on phones after all. I told you so! The features are useful, but it should be left to the user to decide whether they want to use it or not.

The reversal of the decision is the right call, but the one to make it mandatory felt hasty, and not properly researched. Reports indicate that Apple and Google had opposed the directive. Maybe they explained why this wasn't a good idea? Anyway, it's good that everything worked out in the end.

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Just days after Microsoft admitted that the password button was missing for some users on Windows' sign in screen, it confirmed yet another issue that users on Windows PCs might encounter.

The details: According to Microsoft, users may see a white screen flash before they eyes in File Explorer when the system is set to dark mode.

• The issue affects Windows 11, versions 24H2 and 25H2.
• It may occur after installation of KB5070311 on Windows 11 PCs.
• There is no solution or workaround at this time, other than turning of dark mode.

Microsoft offers several scenarios where users might see the white screen flash when using Explorer. It may occur when creating a new tab, turning the details pane one or off, selecting more details when copying, and when navigating to or from Home or Gallery.

Most users might experience then issue when they open File Explorer, as Home may be set as the default view.

Microsoft released KB5070311 on December 1, 2025 as the preview update for the upcoming cumulative update, which it will release on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. It is the last major update for Windows 11 in the year 2026.

Turning off Dark Mode, the only option

Windows 11 users may turn off Dark Mode for the time being, if they experience the white flashes and want them to stop.

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Select Settings there, or type Settings and press the Enter-key to launch the app.
3. Switch to Personalization > Colors in the Settings app.
4. Click on the menu next to "Choose your mode" on the page and pick Light.

Doing so switches the system to a light theme. However, this may not be an ideal solution for most users, especially if they prefer dark mode over the lighter colored mode.

Microsoft announced plans to update the article when the issue is resolved. Whether that is already going to happen before the release of the December 9 cumulative update remains to be seen. Dark mode users on Windows 11 might want to hold off with the installation of the update until it is clear, whether the issue is also part of that update.

It is also unclear whether Windows 10 devices will also be affected by the issue. Microsoft did not release a preview update for the older operating system, which means that we will have to wait and see here as well.

Now You: Are you still on Windows 10 or already on Windows 11 or another operating system entirely? Let me and everyone else know in the comments below.

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It looks like Valve's Android compatibility layer for Linux has a name. It's called Lepton.

GamingOnLinux spotted the listing on SteamDB, which indicated that Lepton is based on Waydroid. But that logo was changed to a cute froggy.

In case, you aren't aware of it, Waydroid is a container-based compatibility layer that lets users run Android apps on Linux. You may be aware that Valve has a compatibility layer for Windows games called Proton. Now they are prepping one for Android games. Proton, Lepton, somebody likes particle Physics.

Here's a blank Steam page for Lepton, proof that it is real, but there's absolutely no information on what it does. It is likely that Lepton was primarily developed for something specific in mind. Shortly after Valve announced the Steam Machine, Steam Controller and Steam Frame, a Valve engineer, Jeremy Salan, told The Verge that the VR headset will support Android games. Developers can use the same APKs to bring their apps from phones to it, so they don't have any additional burden to port over their work to the platform.

A couple of weeks ago, Valve added support for Android and Linux Arm to the Steamworks SDK. The Steam Frame is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. Based on all this, it's fairly easy to tell what Lepton will be about, playing Android games on the Steam Frame, on SteamOS. The VR headset will launch in early 2026 along with the new Steam Controller and the Steam Machine.

It's unclear if Lepton would be supported on other devices. The Steam Deck would be a really cool way to play Android games, with its built-in controller and touch screen. I don't see a reason why it shouldn't be available for desktops. There are ways to play Android games on PC, using emulators like Google Play Games, Bluestacks, etc.

Would you like to play Android games on your Linux computer?

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Linux Mint 22.3 will be called Zena. The first beta release of the update will be released soon.

Clement Lefebvre, of the Linux Mint developer team, wrote that Mint 22.3 will come with more improvements such as pausing file operations (e.g. copy, move) in the distro's default file manager, Nemo. Snapshots in the Timeshift app will also be pausable. The Warpinator app, which is used for sending and receiving files, will gain an option for text messages. Night Light, which is used to manage the color temperature of the screen, will get an always-on toggle. The update will also add template management, and offer notification indicators on a per-app panel basis.

In my previous coverage, I reported about the refreshed Cinnamon menu (refer to the screenshot below) with symbolic category icons, based on XApp Symbolic Icons. Mint 22.3 will also ship with a System information tool, rebadged from System Reports. And it will add a System admin tool with some advanced options.

(Image courtesy: Linux Mint Blog)

Mint 22.3 will also improve the on-screen keyboard experience, along with a Wayland-compatible keyboard/IM handling. That said, don't expect any major upgrades to the Wayland session just yet. Mint 23 which could be released next year may bring further improvements to Wayland, but in an experimental form. Nothing is set in stone, so things could change. In case you missed it, KDE has announced its plans to go Wayland-only in the future. Fedora 43 has already done that.

The current version of Mint is 22.2 Zara. Linux Mint Debian Edition 7, aka LMDE 7 was released last month. Check out my article about WinBoat, if you want to run Windows apps on Linux.

The beta version of Linux Mint 22.3 will be released in the first half of this month. It is unclear whether the stable version of the update will be released before the end of the month, as was originally planned.

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If you used Windows for years, you know that Microsoft started to introduce the Settings app in Windows as a replacement for the Control Panel. What started out as a seemingly simple job, move everything over and be done with it, has turned into a usability nightmare for administrators all over the world.

The migration is still ongoing, and while much has been moved to the Settings app in Windows 11 by now, the Control Panel is still the place for certain options.

Microsoft released a new build for Windows 11 yesterday and with it come new features. As is the case with these, most are rolling out over time to testers. Why? No one really knows why Microsoft is not unlocking them all for testers, as one of the main purposes for installing test software is, testing.

Anyway, KB5070311 is out for Windows 11, versions 24H2 and 25H2, and you can check out the entire release notes here, in case you are interested.

Migration of Control Panel to Settings continues

When you scroll down on the page to the Settings section, you will notice that Microsoft introduces several changes with this update. One of them moves some options from the Control Panel to the Settings app.

In particular, the preferences for "character repeat delay rate" and "cursor blink rate" are being moved to Settings. Both land in different pages of the Settings app though.

• Character repeat delay rate is located under Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard.
• Cursor blink rate is located under Settings > Accessibility > Text cursor.

So, if you want to access those, you need to open the Settings app and navigate to the options, provided that the change has been rolled out to your device already. You could also use the built-in search, which may speed up things.

As far as the other changes, Microsoft says that the about page in Settings has a new layout now that "organizes device details and related options in one place".

Other than that, Microsoft lists two fixes as well. One addresses a hang when opening the Network & Internet section, another that the title bar and the minimize and maximize buttons overlapped in some scenarios.

Some of these features may land in the last Windows 11 update for 2025 on December 9, 2025.

Now You: do you run test builds of Windows 11 or prefer to run stable versions of the operating system only? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

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Linux is fine for gaming, Wine and Proton have come a long way. But what about Windows apps that don't play well with Wine?

That's kind of what WinBoat aims to fix. It's not merely an emulator, it's a virtual machine that uses a containerized approach in Docker or Podman.

These are WinBoat's system requirements

• RAM: At least 4 GB of RAM
• CPU: At least 2 CPU threads
• Storage: At least 32 GB free space on your hard drive.

That's on par for a virtual machine. I guess it's kind of the opposite of the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). So it's LSW?

Anyway, you can download the app from GitHub or from https://www.winboat.app/. It is free, and open source under the MIT license.

WinBoat is an Electron app. Yeah, yeah, I know! When you run the app, you'll see a prerequisites screen. This in my opinion could be a hurdle for many users.

The first thing you'll need to do is enable KVM from your BIOS/UEFI for virtualization. I already have QEMU/KVM/Virt Manager which I use sparingly for a Windows 11 VM. Next, you'll need to install Docker, and the Docker Compose v2. After that you have to add your user to the docker group, and also setup FreeRDP for Remote Desktop. That's a lot of stuff to set up, and some of these are complicated. I think these might scare users away from trying the app. Fortunately, you can just click on one of the "How" links, and it'll help you find instructions for everything. They are mostly help documentation hosted on Docker's portal. WinBoat does not support Docker Desktop.

Since I'm using Linux Mint, I followed the instructions to set up Docker on Ubuntu. It takes a bit of time, but once you got it set up, it should look like this.

Proceed with the installation of the VM in WinBoat. You'll be asked to select the version of Windows that you want to use, and optionally select a custom ISO.

Set up a user account for Windows, customize the virtual hardware, allow home directory sharing (if required). Once you have finalized the options, WinBoat will start installing Windows in the container. You can check on the progress using your web browser too.

Note: The installation failed for me once, but worked when I retried it.

WinBoat will boot into Windows, except you won't see a visual representation of Windows. The Home tab is where you can pause the emulation, stop it (shut it down), and also check on the CPU, RAM and Disk usage. Nothing fancy here, let's move on to the Apps tab. This is where the interesting stuff is. Click on an app here to launch it, e.g. File Explorer, Task Manager, Notepad, etc. They open like a native app on Linux, because there is no Windows GUI. It's kind of cool. You can of course access the Windows Desktop too.

As for installing apps, just download a setup file (e.g. an EXE) for the program you want and install it as you would normally. You can install whatever you want. The program will appear in WinBoat's Apps tab and you can launch it.

I chose to test some free Windows-exclusive apps that I had used in the past, namely Notepad++, ShareX. But I've seen many users reporting that they were able to get Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Office running on their Linux machines with WinBoat.

Switch to the configuration tab in WinBoat to customize the virtual hardware, or to manage the app's settings such as Display Scaling, App Scaling, Multi-Monitor Support, Smartcard Passthrough, RDP Monitoring, etc.

In terms of performance, WinBoat's Desktop experience was slower than my Virt Manager setup. But the apps worked. That's the important thing, it's a functional virtual machine. I don't think it is a good idea to leave the container running all the time, using up system resources. Turn it off when you don't need it.

Wine is far mature (pun intended), and has way better support. But it's nice to have an alternative, even if it is not particularly user-friendly to set up. WinBoat might be useful for Windows 10 users who are on the fence about jumping ship to Linux, but need to run some Windows apps for work or personal use.

Over a billion users are still using Windows 10, half of these PCs do not meet the requirements to upgrade to Windows 11.

Have you tried WinBoat?

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The Indian government has issued a directive to manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on all mobile phones in the Country. Here's what you need to know about it.

What's the Sanchar Saathi app? The word Sanchar has several definitions in Hindi, one of which means Communication. Saathi means friend, or companion.

Sanchar Saathi isn't a new app, it was released for Android and iOS in January 2025 by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). It was designed to curb the misuse of telecom resources for cyber frauds and help cybersecurity. It helps users report fraud communications, lost/ stolen mobile handsets, verify the authenticity of a mobile phone using the IMEI number, check the mobile connections that are in their name, view trusted contact details of banks/ financial institutions.

In a press note in September 2025, the DoT revealed that the app had been helpful in blocking over 37.28 lakh (3.728 million) stolen/lost mobile devices, and that it had been used to trace and recover over 22.76 lakh (2.276 million) devices from the Sanchar Saathi LIVE dashboard. It's basically India's version of Google's Find My Device, and Apple's Find My, these apps are pre-installed on Android mobile devices and iPhones respectively. I get frequent text messages from the Government about the app, and its uses. It's kind of annoying.

And now we come to what has happened. The DoT has issued directions to OEMs to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on all mobile phones sold in India, including those that are manufactured locally or imported to India. The app needs to be readily visible and accessible during the device's set up. Its functionalities cannot be disabled or restricted. OEMs will need to push the app through software updates for existing devices in India.

The press release says that these rules will help "safeguard the citizens from buying the non-genuine handsets, enabling easy reporting of suspected misuse of telecom resources". You can read the press release here.

Now, I'd like to see how this works. There are millions of phones that don't receive software updates, and stuck on older versions of Android.

Many news outlets that have reported that the app collects a lot of data, and it's a huge privacy risk. Could it be used for surveillance? I fully agree that having a Government app on your phone does raise questions about user's privacy.

Let's take a look at the app's listing on the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store, both of them say that no data is collected.

Here's the app's privacy policy.

The following permissions are used on Android devices

• Make & Manage phone calls: To detect mobile numbers in your phone.
• Send SMS: To complete registration by sending the SMS to DoT on 14422.
• Call/SMS Logs: To report any Call/SMS in facilities offered by Sanchar Saathi App.
• Photos & files: To upload the image of Call/SMS while reporting Call/SMS or report lost/stolen mobile handset.
• Camera: While scanning the barcode of IMEI to check its genuineness.

And here are the permissions used on iPhones.

• Photos & files: To upload the image of Call/SMS while reporting Call/SMS or report lost/stolen mobile handset.
• Camera: While scanning the barcode of IMEI to check its genuineness.

The privacy policy also states that the app will not automatically capture any personal information from the user without notifying them. The data is also not shared with third-parties, except those that are required by law enforcement agencies. That's probably required to trace lost phones, which is likely why they don't want users to uninstall or remove or disable the app.

I think it's a mistake to have made the Sanchar Saathi app mandatory on all devices. If the app is useful, people should be given the choice whether to install it or not.

Is it surprising? Age verification has become mandatory in many Countries. European nations want to implement Chat Control, which is basically a backdoor that lets Governments access your messages, photos, etc. to combat CSAM. What next?

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Netflix has removed support for casting from phones to TVs. The move has surprised many users, who say this change was made without warning.

Users can no longer cast to most TVs, including Chromecast with Google TV and Google TV Streamer devices. Android Authority spotted a support page on the company's website, you can view a slightly older version of it at Archive.org. The support page had originally said, "Netflix no longer supports casting shows from a mobile device to most TVs and TV-streaming devices. You’ll need to use the remote that came with your TV or TV-streaming device to navigate Netflix."

Netflix has quietly updated the wording on the page, likely after the news was picked up by media outlets. This is what it says now.

"If you're looking to cast from your mobile device to your TV or a device connected to your TV, check the list of compatible devices below. If it isn't listed, you'll need to use a physical remote to navigate the Netflix app."

The new wording hides the fact that this feature was removed, which could leave users confused why they can no longer cast to their TV. While the web page says that Netflix does not support casting or mirroring if the user has an ad-supported plan, users claim this affects ad-free subscriptions too. One more thing that the page mentions is that Netflix supports casting to:

• Chromecast 3rd gen or older (did not come with a physical remote)

• Google Nest Hub Smart Display

• Select cast-enabled Vizio TVs

• Select cast-enabled Compal TVs

So what this means is that you can still cast to some older Chromecast devices or TVs, if they support Google Cast natively (no remote).

Speaking of which, it's easier to navigate Netflix from a phone, than using a remote. Several users were confused by the removal of Casting support, and have questioned the company's intention. Here's a support document on Netflix's website which mentions that users do not need to set to a Netflix Household if they don't watch Netflix on a TV. This could be a way for Netflix to prevent users from casting to TVs outside their household, for instance, at hotels, or even at your friend's house. Perhaps the company views this as account sharing?

Ads, price hikes, feature removals. The chokehold is slowly tightening with an iron grip.

What do you think about this?

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When Microsoft launched Windows 11, version 25H2 a few months ago, it claimed that the new version of its Windows 11 operating system had not a single issue. This changed shortly after release, but up to this date, Microsoft lists just four issues on the official known issues page for the operating system.

However, a new one has just been confirmed. While it is missing from the known issues page yet, it is found on the release notes page of the last update that Microsoft released for the operating system.

The details:

• The issue affects Windows 11, versions 24H2 and 25H2 only.
• It started in the August 2025 non-security preview updates, and affects all newer updates that Microsoft released.
• The issue causes the password button to be missing on the lock screen sign-in page.

Microsoft writes: "After installing the August 2025 non-security preview update (KB5064081) or later updates, you might notice that the password icon is not visible in the sign-in options on the lock screen.".

While the password button is not shown on the page, Microsoft says it is still there. When users hover over the area where it should be, users may click to type a password and sign-in using the password.

Microsoft does not say how widespread the issue is. Considering that it was introduced in August but reported just on November 30, 2025, it is likely that the issue is not widespread.

There is no workaround for the issue, other than clicking on the invisible password button to sign in using a password. Microsoft says that it is working on a resolution for the issue and will post an update once it has it.

For now, all you can do is click on the hidden area to sign in using a password on Windows 11, or use a different sign in method, if available. You can follow the development on Microsoft's support website.

Now you: How do you sign in to your operating system? Do you use a password, a PIN, biometrics, or something else? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

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Apple wants to expand its Satellite-powered features on iPhones. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that Apple is working on 5 new features.

As you may know, Apple introduced some Emergency SOS via Satellite features when it launched the iPhone 14 in 2022. It lets you text emergency services, send and receive messages, use the Find My app to update your location, or text roadside assistance, all via satellite. These features are only available in some Countries, but they have saved many lives.

The first of the new features that Apple is prepping is an API that will allow third-party app developers to access the satellite framework in iOS, and use it for their own app. But this doesn't mean that every feature or service will be available to all apps.

Next is Satellite-powered maps. GPS uses Satellite, and works offline. So, what's the big deal? Well, navigation doesn't work offline in Apple Maps, unless you have downloaded some maps already. That's what Apple wants to bring, satellite connectivity to Apple Maps, for navigation. Satellite-powered navigation could be a lifesaver if you don't have cell coverage in an area and want to find your way to the nearest gas station, hotel, etc.

Currently, Emergency SOS via Satellite is limited to text messages. Apple is working on improving this, by allowing users to send photos via satellite. This could help rescuers understand the situation better, identify a place by landmark, or perhaps to help them prepare better, for example, the medical condition of the person in need of assistance, the state of their injury if any, etc.

Apple's current Satellite features require an unobstructed view of the sky, you have to point your iPhone in the direction of a Satellite for the phone to connect and transmit data over the Satellite. The Cupertino company wants to enhance this experience, by letting users stay connected to Satellite even if their iPhone is in a pocket, or a car, or even indoors. This "natural usage" approach could come in handy if a user is injured or otherwise unable to reach/use their phone, let alone point it at the sky.

Finally, Apple wants to add support for Satellite over 5G, the next iPhones will reportedly support 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), which will allow cell towers to use satellites for increased coverage.

Google recently added support for live video during emergency calls on Android.

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Do you use SmartTube on your Android TV? It may have disappeared from your TV, here's why that happened.

The issue came to light a few days ago, when users reported that Google Play Protect had disabled the app. It displayed a warning that said "The app is fake. It tries to take over your device or steal your data." Users could choose an option to keep the app or uninstall it. Yes, it hadn't disappeared completely, the security system just disabled it to protect you.

(Image courtesy: SmartTube)

But, why now? What happened that triggered Google Play Protect?

According to SmartTube developer, Yuliskov, the digital signature that was used to sign the app has been leaked. Yuliskov warned users that someone could try to release fake versions of the app under their name, i.e. threat actors could upload a fake APK containing malware using that key. While it won't affect existing versions of apps, it could be misused to distribute malware. To mitigate this problem, the dev has changed the signature to a new one, and this also changes the app's ID.  If you go to SmartTube's releases on Github, there are no APKs available anymore. It makes sense, they use the old signature.

One user analyzed SmartTube version 30.51, and found that it contained a hidden native library.  This library runs when you start the app, and collects "your device model and manufacturer, Android version, your network operator name, whether you are on Wi?Fi or mobile data, your app package name, the app’s internal files path, a unique ID it stores, your local IP it previously saved, and a flag if Firebase is present." It then sends a registration message to its own servers, with all the above data, silently in the background. Upon further investigation, the user said it could be a botnet, but that they hadn't found evidence that it stole tokens or executed malicious code. However, the user also said they didn't inspect the JavaScript code that the remote execution may have injected.

The dev confirmed on Patreon that some versions of the app are infected.  AFTVNews says that the Yuliskov told them that the computer used build the APKs for the app was infected by malware. This resulted in the app being injected with malware too. It's not clear which versions were affected but 30.43 and 30.47 are, and these were also distributed on the popular website APKMirror (not its fault). That's why Google Play Protect disabled SmartTube, and so did Amazon FireOS. Because these APKs contained malicious code.

A user said that the following versions are among those that are infected: 28.56, 28.58, 28.66, 28.75, 28.78, 29.13, 29.37, 29.62, 29.63, 29.85, 30.27, 30.32, 30.38, 30.40, 30.43, 30.44, 30.45 and 30.51.

Both Martin and I have recommended SmartTube as an alternative for YouTube many times. It's still the best way to watch videos from the platform without ads for free. If Google Play Protect warned you about the app, we recommend uninstalling that app. Get the new one instead.

Yuliskov said that the computer has been wiped and that new releases of SmartTube are safe to use. You can install the new version by following these instructions. However, the developer has warned users NOT TO download the APK from other sources. Here is the Virustotal page for the latest stable version (v30.56), and one for the latest beta. (v30.56). They are clean.

Yuliskov also said on GitHub that they are working on preparing a new release and pushing it to F-Droid, after which they will release a statement to explain what happened.

This incident has got me wondering about Google's developer verification policy. If someone manages to steal an app's signature key, and uses it to spread malware like this, then it's not a perfect solution like it claimed, is it?

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All modern web browsers support notifications, also known as push notifications. These allow websites to send, mostly text, messages using the device's notifications system. The main idea behind notifications is to allow websites to send users information, even if the user is not on the website.

However, for any website that uses notifications ethically, there are dozens that abuse the system to send advertisement or other unwanted content to users.

Tip: you can also block notifications on the operating system level. I have published a guide on disabling all or specific notifications in Windows 11.

Browser makers like Google or Mozilla have launched several attempts in the past to address abuse. These focus on two different key aspects:

• Reduce the number of notification requests by websites.
• Limit the ability of sites that abuse the feature to have their notifications shown to users who accepted to receive them.

Soon, AI will also be used to sort and organize notifications, at least on Android.

While those have helped, some Internet users may want to block notifications once and for all to avoid any notification prompts in the future.

The following section walks you through the process of limiting or disabling notifications in popular browsers. As a rule of thumb, most web browsers are based on Chromium. If a browser is not listed below, the method used for Google Chrome might work for that browser as well.

Note: You can add exceptions for specific sites. Say, you have one or two sites that you want to receive notifications from. Add them to the allow list of the browser while blocking notifications globally for all other sites.

First, the desktop browsers

Disable notifications in Google Chrome for the desktop

1. Load chrome://settings/content/notifications in the browser's address bar. You can also get there manually by clicking on Menu > Settings > Privacy and security > Site Settings > Notifications.
2. Set the default behavior to "Don't allow sites to send notifications".
   1. If you see websites listed under customized behaviors, you may remove them by clicking on the three dots next to the site and selecting the remove context menu option.

This method works for the following browsers (and probably many others) as well: Brave,

Disable notifications in Mozilla Firefox

1. Load about:preferences#privacy in the address bar or go to Menu > Settings > Privacy and Security > Notifications Settings manually.
2. Check "Block new requests asking to allow notifications".
   1. If you see websites listed on the page, use the "remove all websites" or "remove website" buttons to block them as well.
3. Click on save changes to complete the process.

Disable notifications in Microsoft Edge

1. Load edge://settings/privacy/sitePermissions/allPermissions/notifications in the address bar of the Edge browser, or go to Menu > Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Site permissions > All permissions > Notifications manually.
2. Remove the checkmark from "Ask before sending (recommended)".
   1. If you see sites allowed to send notifications, you can remove their permissions by clicking on the three dots next to the site and selecting the remove action from the context menu.

Disable notifications in Vivaldi browser

1. Open the Vivaldi Menu and select Settings to open the preferences window.
2. Navigate to Privacy and Security.
3. Scroll down to Website Permissions.
4. Switch Notifications next to "Global Permissions" from Ask (Default) to Block.
   1. If you see individual sites listed, repeat the process for that site by selecting block as the notification.

Disable notifications in Opera Browser

1. Load opera://settings/content/notifications in the address bar, or visit Menu > Settings > Privacy & security > Site settings > Notifications manually.
2. Set the main notifications preference to "Don't allow sites to send notifications".
   1. If you see sites listed under allowed on the page, then you may remove them with a click on the three dots next to the site and the selection of the remove action.

Now the instructions for blocking notifications for mobile browsers

Disable notifications in Google Chrome mobile

1. Open Menu > Settings > Site settings > Notifications in the mobile version of Google Chrome.
2. Toggle the icon next to notifications to disable them for all websites by default.

Disable notifications in Mozilla Firefox for mobile

1. Open Menu > Settings > Site settings > Notification.
2. Switch from the default "ask to allow" to "blocked".

Disable notifications in Microsoft Edge for mobile

1. Open Menu > Settings > Notifications
2. Toggle "Allow notifications" so that the entire feature is off (indicated by a gray color)

Disable notifications in Vivaldi for mobile, Opera for mobile, Brave mobile

1. Open Menu > Settings > Notifications.
2. Toggle "Allow notifications" to disable the feature. You should see "All notifications from this app are blocked" as a result on the same page.

Now you: do you receive notifications from one or multiple websites? Or have you turned off the feature entirely in your browsers? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

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KDE has announced that it will go Wayland-only in a future release of Plasma Desktop. It will not support X11 sessions from 2027.

KDE Plasma 6, which was released in February 2024, switched from X11 to enable Wayland as the default display server. Initially, the developers did not plan to remove X11/Kwin before Plasma 7, however the codebases of Kwin were split this year, one for X11 and the other for Wayland.

(Image via KDE)

Now, KDE has announced that Xorg/X11 will be ditched completely in the future. The plans are to make Wayland exclusive in Plasma 6.8. That's still far away. For context, the current version is KDE Plasma 6.5, which was released in October 2025, and supports X11 sessions. KDE says LTS distributions that ship with older versions of Plasma will be ideal for users who need X11 support.

But, you can use the Xwayland compatibility layer to run X11 apps, though screenshots/screencasting apps may need some additional tweaks. KDE apps will still support X11 as well. The official article highlights the improvements of Wayland such as support for accessibility tools like screen readers, sticky & bounce keys, zoom controls, a better gaming experience, Adaptive sync, optional tearing, and high-refresh-rate multi-monitor setups, and HDR (with tweaks). It also noted that NVIDIA drivers for Linux have improved considerably, and older GPUs can use the open source Nouveau driver if required.

Games run fine on Linux with Proton, and big YouTube channels are ditching Windows for their videos. Of course, there is the Steam Machine,  which runs on the Arch-based SteamOS3, it is coming in early 2026.

KDE says a vast majority of Plasma users are already using the Wayland session, it’s the default on most distributions. KDE has its own distro too, but it's still in alpha. In case you didn't know, GNOME dropped support for X11 in GNOME 49, but added it back later. It is going away in GNOME 50. However, some distros have already stopped supporting Xorg. Fedora 43 has already ditched X11 in favor of Wayland display server as the only option. Ubuntu 25.10 doesn't support X11 session, neither does Kubuntu 25.10 which uses KDE Plasma. The Linux Mint team is also working on improving Wayland support in Mint 22.3, which is expected to be released in December 2025.

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