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Microsoft has some more plans for Xbox Cloud Gaming. You may soon be able to stream games on your devices for free, as long as you don't mind watching advertisements.

The Verge says Microsoft is working on a free Xbox Cloud Gaming version with ads that is already accessible by the Redmond company's employees. It will allow players to stream games that they own, along with some Free Play Days titles, which are basically try-for-free during weekends. Xbox Cloud Gaming with ads will also stream Xbox Retro Classics like Pitfall, Grand Prix, Commando, etc.

As for the ads, it seems that users will need to sit through two minutes of preroll ads before a game is ready to stream. There will be a time limit of 1 hor for sessions, and it only provides up to 5 hours for free per month. That's not particularly attractive, though this has not been finalized yet. Xbox Cloud Gaming with ads will be available across PC, Xbox consoles, handheld devices, and the web. A public beta is expected to be announced soon.

This explains a lot about why they were investing in Cloud Gaming. In case you missed it, Microsoft hiked Xbox Game Pass prices by 50% last week. Xbox Cloud Gaming is included in Game Pass Essential, Standard and Ultimate plans. It is not included in PC Game Pass. Subscribers have flocked to cancel their subscription after the price hikes were announced.

An Xbox employee told Bloomberg that Xbox gave up more than $300 million in sales of Call of Duty. The reason? Because the game was included in Game Pass for PC and Consoles. 82% of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 sales were on Sony PlayStation. So, you take a money-making game that sold millions, include it in a subscription that was cheap, and then complain about lack of sales? What kind of logic is this?

On a side note, Windows Central reports that in a statement sent to its blog, Microsoft has confirmed that it is actively investing in future first-party consoles and devices designed, engineered and built by Xbox. This was to deny rumors that Xbox was being killed.  That's fine, at least it provides some competition for Sony and Nintendo, but with the inflated prices after the recent price hikes, who is going to buy an Xbox? Microsoft and ASUS' handheld console, the ROG Xbox Ally, is set to hit markets next week.

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Discord has revealed that one of its customer service providers has suffered a data breach. The attackers gained access to Government-ID images, and user details.

Discord doesn't actually mention when the breach took place, it only says it "recently discovered an incident". The fact that Government ID images were stolen is important, the U.K.'s Online Safety Act came into effect on July 25, 2025. So, that means the data breach happened sometime between then and October 3rd, when the news about the incident was revealed. It's also worth noting that the victim of the hack was a third-party customer service that has not been named.

As for the attack, the incident involved an unauthorized party compromising one of the messaging services' customer service providers, which in turn allowed the hackers access to limited customer data, pertaining to those who had contacted Customer Support and/or Trust & Safety teams. Discord says it revoked the breached service provider's access to its ticketing system. It is investigating the matter with the help of a computer forensics firm, and is working with law enforcement. Users who were impacted by the incident are being notified via an email that is sent from noreply@discord.com

Here's what Discord says the hackers managed to access: Name, Discord username, email and other contact details that were provided to customer support, billing information such as payment type, the last four digits of credit cards, and purchase history of the accounts, IP addresses, messages with customer service agents, and limited corporate data (training materials, internal presentations).

There was something else.

"The unauthorized party also gained access to a small number of government?ID images (e.g., driver’s license, passport) from users who had appealed an age determination. If your ID may have been accessed, that will be specified in the email you receive."

Well, what do we have here?

On July 21st, Discord had published a blog article about compliance with the U.K's Online Safety Act. It said this, "Privacy-protecting process. Discord and k-ID do not permanently store personal identity documents or users’ video selfies. Images of a user's identity documents and ID match selfies are deleted directly after their age group is confirmed, and the video selfie used for facial age estimation never leaves their device."

And yet, Discord now says the hackers stole the Government ID images. How is that possible if the images were deleted upon verification? So, which of the two statements is true. Of course, it's the latter. Isn't this a violation of trust? A breach of their own terms and conditions?

It didn't take long for the breach to happen. This is the price you pay for online age verification, your privacy, and your data.

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Perplexity has announced the release of Comet browser for all users. The agentic AI browser is now free for everyone.

The search startup had initially launched Comet on July 9 for subscribers.

The announcement is, as you might expect, a glorified ad. It explains why an AI browser is necessary today. It really isn't, but people buy the hype. Dia tried it, and The Browser Company got sold to Atlassian. Earlier this week, Opera Neon browser was launched as a subscription-based agentic browser. Google Chrome has AI powered browsing. Anyway, let's explore Comet.

Note: This is not a review of Comet browser, merely an overview of it based on limited testing of the macOS version, using the default settings. I also tried it briefly on a Windows 10 laptop. The experience is the same on both platforms.

This is Perplexity's Comet browser, it's powered by Chromium.

When you run it for the first time, it plays a video animation with sound effects. That may annoy some people. You can click on the sound icon in the top-right corner to disable the music. And yes, it starts in that compact window on both operating systems. You can only maximize it after setting up the browser.

During the first run, Comet can import data such as your browsing history, settings, bookmarks and passwords from your default browser. It supports all major browsers. To avoid importing the data, click on Do this later in the bottom left corner. Next, you'll need to choose a username and avatar for your account. You can also choose from a light theme, dark theme, or use the eyedropper to pick a color.

Pay attention to the next screen, because all of these options are enabled by default. You can set Comet as your default browser, add it to the dock (macOS), let it run at startup, and help improve the browser (telemetry). I recommend unchecking all of those.

You don't need an account to use the browser, though it really tries to get into your face about it. Comet lets you sign in with your Apple or Google account, or create a new Perplexity account with your email address.

It's good to see that Comet isn't trying to reinvent the wheel like Arc/Dia, it's a normal browser with an interface that is familiar, a Chromium-reskin. There is a Summarize button, a Launch voice mode button (I didn't test it) and an Assistant button next to the address bar. Clicking on Summarize, well you can tell what it does, summarizes the contents of the web page. The Assistant is the chatbot that you can interact with.

New Tab is your search assistant/chatbot screen. It has some widgets, you can click on edit widgets to manage them. The default search experience, via the new tab, assistant, address bar, is Perplexity. But you can change the default search engine from the Settings.

Every new tab in Comet prompts you to sign in, which is very annoying. 10 new tabs, 10 pop-ups. Seriously, this is terrible. I couldn't find a setting for changing the new tab experience. Installing a new tab extension should solve that problem, right? Nope. This gave me an idea for my first query for Perplexity. How do you change the new tab in the browser? It sourced the information from reddit, YouTube, etc., and generated a whole page's length of text, only for it to say, there is no such option.

Comet has a built-in ad blocker, which is enabled by default. It seems to be decent on blogs, Google, etc. But when I tried YouTube, I could see sponsored videos in search results, and ads in videos. Okay, that's not good at all. There seems to be a teaser from Comet about Ad free YouTube. That might be good. But you can download any extension you want from the Chrome Web Store. I tried YouTube again with uBlock Origin Lite installed, and yes, that was much better.  Since it is very similar to Chrome, I think we can skip the rest of the tour.

Oh right, I forgot the agentic AI part. Let's give that a try. This is the first time I'm using an AI browser agent. It was surprisingly simple. You just type in what you want it to do, and it does. I asked it to find coupons for a specific website, and it started searching the web, and also applied it to the product in the cart. All on its own, I just sat there watching anxiously. You can pause the automated task at any time.

Here are some screenshots from when I had asked Comet/Perplexity to find the best offer for a smartphone based on some complex requirements, and present the result in a PDF. It came close. I'm pretty basic at testing AI stuff, but then again this is not a review, just an experiment.

Download Comet browser for Windows and macOS from Perplexity's website. The browser isn't available for Linux yet.

Well, there it is, a neutral overview of Comet browser. I'm not a fan of agentic AI due to privacy concerns, which is why I used it without signing in. I got to admit the agentic AI is impressive, it's scary how far the technology has come. It's back to good old Firefox for me, I'll let you play with the AI.

One more thing. While Google's AI and others have been criticized for stealing traffic from publishers, Perplexity says it wants to "champion real journalism" with Comet Plus. It is an optional $5 subscription, which is included in Perplexity Pro Max, that allows users and AI access to popular news websites that produce high-quality content. Basically, it's a partnership with publishers. Its launch partners include CNN, Wired, Ars Technica, Fortune. The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, among other companies. What about the rest of us?

Have you tried Comet? Share your thoughts with us.

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Desktop and mobile operating systems are getting more and more AI features. Microsoft is bringing new features in the recently released Windows 11 2025 Update, but Google and Apple are also introducing more AI into their products and devices.

For Microsoft, Copilot+ PCs are just the beginning of a long journey that is making Windows more intelligent. A recent article on Microsoft's website highlights the current status quo of AI in Windows and at the future of Windows.

Neural processing units (NPU) power this new functionality. The chips are a main requirement for Copilot+ PCs, enabling at least 40 trillion operations per second for AI operations.

Windows devices without these chips are locked out of most AI features that Microsoft introduced in the past three or so years. The 2025 feature update alone introduced several new features, including AI actions in File Explorer, Click to Do functionality, and Agent in settings. The latter accepts natural language prompts, such as "how can I share Internet with other devices", to point out solutions and provide users with information.

That is certainly useful for users who are less experienced when it comes to configuring Windows, provided that the AI agent gets it right and does not suggest something that is totally unrelated to the query.

Microsoft: the future of Windows is AI

More interesting than the current status quo is the plan that Microsoft has for Windows going forward. Microsoft believes that AI agents could change how users interact with computers, which it says has not really changed much in the past 60 years. "Intelligent software assistants" will be able to understand user requests "and with their permission perform tasks on their behalf" in the future on Windows machines.

For that, NPUs are essential. They allow to run AI tasks locally, which should please privacy-conscious users who look at Internet-powered AI features with suspicion. Still, the majority of Windows PCs does not have a NPU yet. This is the case for most Windows 10 devices, an operating system that Microsoft will end support for in less than two weeks.

But many Windows 11 PCs also lack an NPU. When Microsoft released Windows 11, it did not roll out its Copilot+ PC program. The first generation of Windows 11 PCs therefore does not support most AI features that Microsoft is introducing in Windows.

This will change in the coming years, as the focus will be on Copilot+ compatible PCs, because more and more features of the operating system will require AI or at least offer features that work only with a NPU.

Now You: do you have a PC with a NPU already? Do you use AI features regularly? What is your prediction for Windows going forward?

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In August, Google had announced that developers who distribute apps outside the Play Store need to verify their identity. This caused an uproar among fans and developers, as it could virtually kill sideloading.

A few days ago, F-Droid, a popular app store that compiles and hosts open source apps, said it could be forced to shut down due to restrictions created by Google's controversial sideloading rules. Free app distribution is facing its end.

But Google says sideloading will not be affected by its policy, it is fundamental to Android. It insists that the "developer identity requirements are designed to protect users and developers from bad actors, not to limit choice. We want to make sure that if you download an app, it’s truly from the developer it claims to be published from, regardless of where you get the app. Verified developers will have the same freedom to distribute their apps directly to users through sideloading or through any app store they prefer."

See, that's the thing, Google is explaining about the policy on the surface layer, and omitting the aftermath. If Google forces developers to submit their personal information, and charge a registration fee, there is a very good chance that many developers may choose not to. As Android Police notes, even Google's free registration for some developers won't solve this problem. Unless an app has an identifier, a sort of certificate, that is recognized by the Google Play Console, it won't be whitelisted. That would prevent the apps from being installed from third-party sources, aka sideloading. It could spell the doom of the apps, and third-party app marketplaces like F-Droid could die. So it is the ripple effect that's actually concerning, which when considered affects sideloading on the whole.

Why is Google doing this? I explained about this in a comment on another article recently. This is my speculation, Google could use this policy to target apps that affect its services. If an app blocks ads, who's to say Google will approve it? Could the app be rejected for something like "injecting scripts that alter web pages" ? That sounds like a corporate excuse to deny verification. All those apps like NewPipe, Revanced, GrayJay, etc., that let you watch YouTube without ads? Do you think Google is going to grant them permission to continue? Or will it consider the amount of revenue it could earn by blocking these apps? It would claim "they breach YouTube's terms and conditions".

Google's policy could be backed by developers/studios of apps and games that contain in-app purchases and subscriptions, as it could prevent modded apps that users may sideload to get in-app purchases for free. This may result in a significant amount of revenue for those money grabbing apps, and in turn benefit Google's revenue.

These companies will never change, tip-toeing the borders of laws and regulations, to take maximum advantage of the situation. Let's face it, users who download and install apps from third-party stores are way fewer. The average user doesn't sideload apps. That's what they are counting on, it's not about people protesting, their voices won't be heard, because power-users are in the minority, and our views don't matter. The only ones who could actually make a difference are antitrust authorities.

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Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, has shared a video on his account to dismiss the myth that Instagram is actively listening to users, to show them relevant ads. Now, why would you say that? Unless, it was true! Right?

Jokes aside, the timing couldn't be worse. Yesterday, Meta announced that it will be updating its privacy policy by December 16. Why? Because Meta says that it will use the data collected from user interactions with its AI, to sell targeted ads across its social networks. So, how is this going to work, privacy-wise? Well, that's another story.

 

In his "myth busting video",  Mosseri says that he has had a lot of conversations about devices listening to users. He says that even his wife discussed this with him a few times. Mosseri asserted that Instagram does not listen to users, it does not use the microphone. He said eavesdropping would be a gross violation of privacy. Mosseri went on to explain that users would notice that their phone's battery was draining, or notice the mic light on their phone (or icon) that indicates the mic is being used.

He said that users may see relevant ads when they tapped on something or searched for the product online, before the conversation even took place. Mosseri also explained that the company was working with advertisers to sell targeted ads to those who visited websites. That's not uncommon. Instagram ads could also be displayed if it thinks they could be something the user is interested in, or if their friend likes a product, or has similar people in their friends circle who share similar interests. He also said that people may be misremembering things, and that they may have actually seen the ad previously while scrolling past it. Mosseri says that such relevant ads could also be due to random chance, coincidence.

There have been reports about microphones on devices listening and being used to deliver targeted ads in the past. I don't normally write articles about Instagram or Facebook, but this time I was keen on it. Because, this "my phone is listening to my conversation" thing has happened to my friends quite a few times, and I have been directly involved in some of those.

A couple of years ago, a friend and I were making plans for visiting the local Book Fair that's held in our city. There was no Google Maps or search involved during the conversation. We started discussing the topic because we saw a real-life banner about the fair, and made plans to visit the place. A few minutes later, my friend handed me his phone with the Facebook app open, and it had some ads for books. Coincidence? I asked him if he shared anything about Books on Facebook recently, his reply was "never".

Here's another anecdote from August 2025, which was way too similar to the previous experience. I like traditional wristwatches, and have a decent collection. I was talking to a friend explaining about a watch that I had bought recently. A while later he opened Instagram on his computer, not on his phone, and guess which ads he got? Watches, there were like 20 reels continuously about watches. (Ignore my friend's typo: he meant ad blocker. Swiftkey users know the pain)

I don't have Facebook or Instagram, and didn't know how to help him. We were both amused and kind of shocked that Instagram targeted him with ads for watches, a topic that he isn't usually interested in, he said he had never searched about watches on his devices, he doesn't even wear smartwatches, let alone traditional ones. Aren't reels supposed to be based on trends or your viewing history? My friend said that maybe Instagram was open on his phone, and was listening in on us. Not the words I wanted to hear, and definitely not comforting.

Regular readers may know that I use Firefox. I have containers for various things, my shopping, reading habits are confined to unique containers, so cross-site tracking is protected. Even search engines don't have access to the websites I use, I watch YouTube without signing in, and that's in a separate container which is isolated from my Google container. The fact that there is no explanation for the random-yet-accurate Facebook/Instagram ads is, has me vexed. I want a logical explanation, not guesswork, or so-called coincidences.

Just to be clear, I'm not anti-Facebook or Instagram, I just don't like their privacy practices. I don't go around preaching against social networks, because I know people rely on these apps to stay in touch with their family and friends. The fact these companies are exploiting users (and those around them, like me) without their knowledge, is what troubles me. Some of you have criticized my anti-AI stance, well this is partly why, it's more of a pro-privacy thing.

Have you experienced similar incidents when your phone was listening to you?

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Microsoft has increased the prices of Xbox Game Pass prices. It's an absolute mess right now.

Xbox Cloud Gaming is now available across all plans, it was in beta until today.

Game Pass Core is now Game Pass Essential, it costs $9.99 per month. It comes with the following perks.

• 50+ games on Xbox console, PC, and supported devices
• Stream games, including select games you already own
• Online console multiplayer
• Play and earn up to $25 a year in the Store with Rewards.
• In-game benefits for games including Riot Games

Note: Existing Game Pass Core subscribers will be moved to Game Pass Essential automatically.

Game Pass Standard is now Game Pass Premium and costs $14.99. Here are the subscription's details.

• 200+ games on Xbox console, PC, and supported devices
• New Xbox published games join the library within 12 months of launch
• Stream games with shorter wait times, including select games you own
• Play and earn up to $50 a year in the Store with Rewards
• In-game benefits for games including Riot Games
• Online console multiplayer

Game Pass Ultimate now costs $29.99, up from $19.99, that's a 50% price increase. This is a second price hike in a year, it went up from $16.99 to $19.99 last year. Now it's gone up by $10. Technically, that's a 100% increase in the price. Wow!  This is the only plan on Xbox consoles that gives you access to Day one releases. Keep this in mind, I'll explain why in a bit.

Here is what you get with Game Pass Ultimate.

• 500+ games on Xbox console, PC, and supported devices
• New games on day one, including new Xbox published games and third-party games
• Includes EA Play & Ubisoft+ Classics. Fortnite Crew coming November.
• Stream games at our best quality with the shortest wait times, including select games you own
• Play and earn up to $100 a year in the Store with Rewards
• In-game benefits for games including Riot Games
• Online console multiplayer

The new plan prices are currently live in the U.S.

The official announcement from Microsoft is PR drivel, it is a lot of words praising the bonuses, upcoming games, with details about the price increases sprinkled in between. I mean, who the heck cares about the benefits of $11.99/month value of Fortnite in-game stuff, EA Play & Ubisoft+ Classics, when you have to pay $30.00 for Game Pass Ultimate?

$30 a month for any subscription is insane, no matter how you put it. $360 for a year is not value for money. If you're patient and smart, you can probably buy games while they are discounted. Let's say you buy 10 games for $30, you'll still have $60 or more left than getting Game Pass Ultimate. But, you're not even going to spend $300 on games every year. That's actually why people subscribed to Game Pass Ultimate for $200 per year. In a year, this expense has gone up by $100. The real value in these plans is in playing Day One launches, but not it might not seem like a sweet deal anymore.

There is a PC-only Game Pass plan, but the odd thing is that the Game Pass page almost hides it. You have to scroll down, and click on "View PC only plan". Why is this hidden?

It costs $16.49/month, and lets you play Day 1 releases on PC. They are hiding it, possibly to lure users towards the Ultimate plan. The PC only plan used to cost $11.99 before today's price hike, that's a 37.53% price hike. It may not be a good option on an annual basis anymore, but it may be worth it if you want to play a new game without paying the full price.

The gaming community was naturally shocked by the changes, with several people posting on various subreddits that they had decided to cancel their subscription. The moderators of the Xbox Game Pass subreddit actually removed all the posts that voiced their frustration. Here is a screenshot I took last night.

When I went to check user reactions today, none of those threads exist. One of these threads had over 4000 upvotes, and nearly a thousand comments, but it got removed because people "were complaining".

Here's another with nearly 1900 votes and over 500 comments which was swept under the rug by the moderators. The mods have new rules for the sub about removing threads that were complaining, while they themselves have been posting aggressive replies, which were against Microsoft's decision. So much for free speech.

Want to cancel your Game Pass subscription? Here's a support page with instructions to do that.

I don't see a single reason to buy an Xbox after the recent price hikes, or a Game Pass subscription. Sony's PS5 console isn't exactly a wallet-friendly option either thanks to price increases, especially the new 825 GB version that's been silently introduced in Europe.

As far as buying games is concerned, it's like I said earlier, the smart thing to do is wait for a sale and get your games for cheap. Speaking of which, now is a good time to start buying games because Steam's Autumn Sale is live, and runs until October 6th.

Are you a Game Pass subscriber ? Will you continue using the service?

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Brave Software, maker of the Chromium-based Brave Browser and Brave Search, announced new user records yesterday. The company's web browser hit 100 million monthly active users last month, which is an important milestone for the company.

Brave Software says that its browser has seen an average growth of about 2.5 million new users each month in the past two years. In 2022, we reported that Brave had crossed the 50 million monthly active users mark.

The browser has over 42 million daily active users according to Brave Software, which the company says demonstrates its high user engagement.

Brave Search, the company's independent search engine, has reached important milestones as well according to the company. It serves more than 1.6 billion queries each month and provides results for more than 50 million user queries every single day.

Closing Words

It is an interesting development, one that the higher ups at Mozilla are likely monitoring closely. Brave Search, for instance, started out as Tailcat. Owned by Cliqz, which Mozilla had an investment in.

One has to wonder where Mozilla could stand today if it would have created Firefox Search from the ashes of Tailcat. While Google's money is keeping Mozilla up and running, it seems at times as a major roadblock regarding innovation and business decisions.

Anyway, the milestone is a major one for Brave Software. Its browsers is one of the few that shows consistent growth next to dominant Google Chrome. Firefox usage, for example, has been dropping.

That is to say, Brave is not without controversy. The company laid of about nine percent of its employees in 2023, but the bigger issue for some is the browser's crypto-involvement.

However, Brave Browser, based on Chromium, ships with a privacy and ad-blocker by default. It works out of the box, making Brave a good choice for users who want to experience a web in peace.

Now You: have you tried Brave Browser or Brave Search? Did you like it? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

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Sony has launched a new PS5 model in Europe. It has less storage than the PS5 Slim, but costs the same.

You read that correctly. Welcome to the world of bizarre console prices.

Sony's new PS5 is a revision of the PS5 Slim. The Slim version which was launched in 2023 replaced the original PS5 from 2020, with some hardware upgrades. Austin Evans, a popular tech YouTuber, has posted a video analyzing the new PS5 Slim, the CFI 2100 series (CFI-2116), which he purchased from Germany. His findings were quite shocking.

The revised edition of the PS5 Slim does not have 1TB of storage, it has an 825GB SSD. But it still costs €499 in Europe. Yup, same price even though it has 175GB lesser space.

Here's the thing. The original PlayStation 5 launched in 2020 with 825GB of storage. It came with 667 GB of usable storage, which is exactly the amount that this new version has too. Sony did upgrade the old model with an actual 1TB SSD, of which 848GB was accessible to the user. Now, the new model has the same amount of storage. Maybe they had some old SSDs lying around?

According to Evans' video, the new PS5 has a matte finish, instead of the glossy design of the original. It doesn't have the disc drive, so it's like the original Slim model, a digital edition. Sony's new PS5 weighs 2400g, which is around 100g less than the PS5 slim. It's not a handheld, the weight doesn't really matter, but for those interested, the new version's internals have been changed, the heat pipe design has been modified, the fan's shroud is all plastic, and the motherboard's design is also lighter.

That all sounds fine, but it doesn't make sense that the storage has been downgraded, while the price has remained unchanged. You can still buy the 1TB PS5 Slim for the same price. So, this 27% storage downgrade is what? A stealth price hike to confuse buyers?

As if it wasn't bad enough that the prices of the PS5 were hiked recently in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.K., and later in the U.S.

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Amazon has announced Vega OS for its Fire TVs. It's a Linux-based OS that replaces the old Android-based Fire OS.

Vega OS is one of Amazon's worst-kept secrets, it has been rumored for a long time. But, now it's finally official.

That said, Amazon really didn't explain much about Vega, except for saying it supports "your favorite streaming services, and will soon support Xbox Gaming, Luna, and Alexa+." No screenshots, videos, nothing was shared. From the above image, it does seem the home screen experience remains identical to Fire OS.

Despite launching Vega OS, Amazon says Fire OS will continue to be available on new devices. What does that mean? Well, Vega is currently only available for the new Fire TV 4K Select, and not the other TVs that Amazon announced yesterday. Amazon did highlight Vega by saying apps launch remarkably fast, and the performance of the new operating system is responsive and highly efficient. Well, that's one way to hype it up.

Another thing that's interesting is that the new Fire TV Stick 4K has only 1GB of RAM. As AFTVNews reports, this is literally half the amount of memory its predecessor had. It also highlights how memory intensive Android-based Fire OS was, as opposed to a lightweight Linux OS.

But there's a catch, a big one. Amazon's listing for its new Fire TV Stick 4K Select says "For enhanced security, only apps from the Amazon Appstore are available for download." That's just great, no SmartTube for YouTube. Oh wait, that's an Android app, shoot! It looks like most apps will need to be rewritten to support Vega OS. And if Fire OS continues to exist, developers will need to maintain an Android version of their app too.  That's probably not a huge deal, considering that there are tons of Android TVs out there. Still, maintaining two versions can be quite a burden.

Google is killing sideloading on Android, Amazon is doing the same on Fire TVs. So much for freedom of choice.

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Microsoft released the big 2025 update for its Windows 11 operating system just a few hours ago. Called the Windows 11 2025 Update, or Windows 11, version 25H2, it is the annual feature update that Microsoft releases for Windows 11.

The good news is that this year's update will install quickly on many systems. Microsoft released what it calls an Enablement Package, which upgrades the system. The update installs in a matter of minutes, as all relevant packages are already installed on the system.

Users won't have to sit through half an hour or more of update installation and repeated reboots. It installs like a smaller update, but only for devices that run Windows 11, version 24H2, last year's update.

How to get the Windows 11 2025 Update

The rollout of the update has started, but not every Windows 11 device will get it right away. Only systems that run Windows 11, version 24H2 with the latest updates installed will get a chance to grab the update right away. This means that the preview update, some call it beta, for Windows 11, 24H2 needs to be installed on the device.

For that, it is necessary to enable "get the latest updates as soon as they're available" in Settings > Windows Update.

However, there are also known issues that may prevent the installation. Microsoft lists just two on the official Windows 11 25H2 dashboard.

• Problems playing protected content in some Blu-Ray, DVD, Digital TV applications.
• Update installations via WUSA may fail, if installed from a shared folder.

If the past is anything to go by, more known issues will be added to the listing in the coming weeks as the operating system update is slowly making its way on user devices.

Devices that still run older versions of Windows, for instance Windows 11, version 23H2, have to go through extended updated installations. This means longer updates and more reboots in the process, and also a higher chance that something goes wrong along the way.

A brief overview of what is new in the Windows 11 2025 Update

The feature update has a strong focus on AI. Means, if your device is not a Copilot+ PC, you won't get access to the majority of features that Microsoft introduces in the new version.

• Enhanced Archive Extraction: Faster performance when unzipping files.
• Expanded Dark Mode Support: Reduces random white dialog boxes
• Taskbar Pinning Improvements: No need to restart Explorer.exe; users can unpin specific apps
• Taskbar Icon Resizing: Automatically adjusts to fit more apps when space is limited.
• Task Manager Updates: DDR speed in MT/s units, faster process handle release, easier window resizing, improved reliability and accessibility (e.g., keyboard navigation, text scaling), and new CPU Utility metric
• Policy-Based App Removal: IT admins can remove preinstalled Microsoft Store apps via policies.
• Windows Backup for Organizations: Enables seamless device transitions for enterprise users
• Quick Machine Recovery: Recovers devices from critical boot errors
• Improved Security Credential Experience: Redesigned Windows Hello and passkey interfaces.
• Privacy Settings: Displays apps using on-device generative AI models

And plenty of AI features reserved for Copilot+ PCs, some of which will be released later on however, as Microsoft notes on the release notes page.

Should you install the update?

While it may tempt some users to install the feature update early, a cautionary approach to major Windows updates is often the better course of action. The past has shown that major updates do introduce new errors and issues, some of which are not detected by Microsoft during development.

Unless you really need one of the features, it may be wiser to skip the update for now to wait and judge its quality as the weeks pass by.

Now You: Are you excited to install and use Windows 11, version 25H2? What is your take on the update? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

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Adobe has released the Adobe Premiere app for iPhone and iPad. You can use the video editor for free, with a couple of exceptions.

Adobe has a basic video tutorial that teaches you how to use the Premiere app, you can watch within the app, or from your web browser. Here's another tutorial about creating a video with a cinematic look.

You can use the app without signing in, but most of the features require you to sign in to your Adobe account. Premiere's UI is fairly simple to use. You can add new videos from your photo library or from files, or start a project from scratch. Once you have imported your video, you can start editing it. You can add soundtracks, which are royalty-free, directly from Adobe's cloud, or use your own music, or record a voiceover, add sound effects. The app also allows you to extract audio from videos, or add closed captions to your video. When you are done editing your video, you can export it and share it on social networks.

So, is it free for real? The app's description says it is "Free to download and use", it also says "Everything you need to create great videos is available for free. Only pay when you need Firefly generative AI credits." Adobe Premiere has some AI features powered by Firefly, which you can use to generate images, stickers, convert images to videos, expand image, generate sound effects, etc. These require AI credits. What the app's listing doesn't mention is that free users only get 2GB of free storage, so that's also a paywall.

The Adobe Premiere Mobile Monthly plan costs $7.99, while the Premiere Mobile Yearly subscription costs $69.99. Download Adobe Premiere for iPhone and iPad from the App Store. An Android version of Adobe Premiere is in the works. A few months ago, Adobe released Photoshop for Android.

If you have an iPad, take a look at Davinci Resolve, it's a professional video editing suite that is free to use with an optional one-time in-app purchase to unlock more features.

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WhatsApp has announced a couple of new features for Android and iOS.  You can now send Live Photos on iOS, and Motion Photos on Android.

You may be aware that WhatsApp already allows you to record videos as an animated GIF. Live Photos and Motion Photos are short-looped videos that you can capture, but it also has sound. So, how is that different from a regular video? Well, you have to tap on a video to play it. Live Photos and Motion Photos animate automatically as you scroll through the chat. You can also press and hold on it to view the animation. Live Photos include footage from a few seconds before and after the shutter button was tapped to take a photo.

I don't have access to the feature on my iPhone or Android, it appears to be rolling out to users. A friend of mine was able to test it, apparently WhatsApp displays a pop-up about the new feature. Once you have access to Live Photos or Motion Photos, you'll be able to send them to your family and friends. Oddly, even though I can't send Live Photos, I was able to receive them just fine. The media has a Live Photo button, tapping on which plays or stops the animation.

Android users can now use WhatsApp's Document Scanning feature. To access it, tap the attachment button, and select Scan Document. Point your camera at the document, and the app will it as a PDF that you can share with contacts. Document scanning is already available on iOS since April 2025.

Group Search in WhatsApp now allows you to search for contacts, and displays the groups that you have in common. You can also find common groups directly from a contact's profile.

WhatsApp says that the update also adds new Meta AI features such as Chat Themes, you can now generate a custom theme for your chat. There is also an option to create a custom background for video calls. The update also adds 3 new sticker packs.

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Are AI powered search engines the future of search? Classic search engines such as Google Search or Microsoft Bing are getting AI-feature infusions to compete with new AI-based search engines.

Brave Search, one of the few independent search engines available on today's Internet, is now getting its own AI treatment upgrade. Called Ask Brave, it brings more AI functionality to the search engine.

For Brave Software, the maker of the Brave browser and search engine, it is a matter of making things more convenient for users. Users "no longer have to choose between different tools depending on the action they want to perform", the company writes on its official web blog. The combination of organic search results with AI in a single interface "combines the best of both approaches", according to Brave Software.

Users can use Ask Brave from the official start page of the service or from any search results page. There they find the Ask tab at the very top of the page. Activation opens a chat interface that input and processes it when the Enter-key is pressed.

From here, it works similarly to other AI chat interfaces. You get a reply from the KI, which happened really fast in tests, and may ask follow-up questions.

Evolution of Brave Search's AI functionality

This is an evolution of existing AI systems that Brave introduced in search in 2023. Brave Search back then displayed summaries at the top, which were later replaced by a more potent system that provided answers to user requests. Ask Brave, unlike the current AI Answers system, complements the former and supports follow-up questions.

Brave Search continues to display information for many queries at the top, similarly to how Google began to display AI overviews in Google Search. Ask Brave is an evolutionary step that introduces direct AI interactions on Brave Search.

Brave Software says that the provided answers are always "grounded in information found on the Web", so that "the AI is less likely to hallucinate or provide irrelevant information".

User questions and conversations with the AI are never used for AI training, according to Brave Software. Furthermore, chats are "encrypted, ephemeral and expire by default after 24 hours of inactivity". IP addresses are also not retained, according to the company.

Brave Search users do not have to use Ask Brave if they do not want to. While there is no option yet to disable the entire feature, users can already disable the automatic generation of summaries in Brave Search. There is a good chance that Brave Software will extend the functionality to the Ask portion of its search in the future.

For now, ignoring the Ask button is the only viable option to avoid interacting with the AI on Brave Search.

Now You: have you tried AI-based searches in the past? What was your experience? Do you use AI regularly when you search or prefer traditional search options? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

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In May 2025, Opera announced its agentic browser called Opera Neon AI. Now, it is available in early access.

Let's see what the fuss is all about.

Note: This is just an FYI article, I have not tested the features. A more detailed review will be published at a later time.

Opera touts Neon as the browser built to act, designed to help power users perform various tasks on your behalf. The first of these AI-powered features is literally called Tasks. These are "self-contained workspaces", which are sort of like profiles. Tasks are context-aware, and can perform actions, without accessing information from other tabs in your browser. For example, Opera Neon will follow your instructions to gather data from all tabs in a Task, and create notes for you. You can chat with the AI to ask follow-up questions, or anything that you require for your project, research, etc.

Neon has some Cards which are displayed in the browser, these are reusable prompts that contain instructions for the AI to follow. You can also combine cards to perform a more complex task. For instance, if you are comparing products from different tabs, you can add specific instructions to create a more comprehensive report with additional details. You can also create your own cards, or choose something from the Cards store's community selection.

The agentic function is called Neon Do, you can use it to open, close or organize your tabs, and perform Tasks. It operates within a Task's context. Opera says Neon Do works in the browser's session where you're logged into various services, and does not require sharing passwords for cloud services. Neon Do is also capable of shopping, booking, etc. It follows your prompts to visit websites, compare information across sites, fill out forms, gather data from web pages in your Task, and ask for your permission when required. For example, to make payments, or to cancel a subscription. You can manually pause the actions at any time, guide it, or even take control should you want to.

Neon has a creation tool called Make, which takes your instructions, and builds things for you. It can create websites, games, videos, reports, or tools, and all of its results come with source files that you can edit, share. Opera says that Make works when you go offline too.

Opera has taken a privacy-first approach, it says that does not collect data to train the AI. All logins and payments stay on-device, and the data is automatically cleared after 30 days. The servers powering Neon are hosted in Europe.

Google Chrome, Comet, Dia have all launched agentic AI browser agents, so there is already some competition for Opera Neon. I don't think the average user is going to benefit from these browser agents.

As I mentioned earlier, Opera Neon AI is not free, it is a premium subscription-based browser. You can join the waitlist at https://www.operaneon.com/ for access to it.

What do you think about an agentic browser?

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Apple has released the iOS 26.0.1, macOS 26.0.1, iPadOS 26.0.1 updates. They fix various bugs across the operating systems.

Here are the release notes from the iOS 26.0.1 update:

• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth may occasionally disconnect on iPhone 17, iPhone Air, and iPhone 17 Pro Models
• A small number of iPhone users may be unable to connect to a cellular network after updating to iOS 26
• Photos taken under certain lighting conditions with iPhone 17, iPhone Air, and iPhone 17 Pro models may include unexpected artifacts
• App icons may appear blank after adding a custom tint
• VoiceOver may become disabled for some users after updating to iOS 26

It's insane that basic features weren't working. But, there are quite a few bugs in iOS.

As for what's new in macOS 26.0.1 release (25A362)

• This update provides important bug fixes, security updates, and resolves an issue that prevented some users from upgrading to macOS Tahoe on Mac Studio (M3 Ultra, 2025).

This is the change log for iPadOS 26.0.1 release (23A355). This update provides important bug fixes and security updates for your iPad, including fixes for the following issues:

• Floating keyboard may change positions unexpectedly
• VoiceOver may become disabled for some users after updating to iPadOS 26

In addition to the above, the updates also patch a security vulnerability. The issue is tracked under CVE-2025-43400. It is a FontParser bug. Processing a malicious font could lead to an app terminating unexpectedly or corrupt process memory. Apple's Security page says it addressed an out-of-bounds write issue with improved bounds checking.

The security patch has also been released in macOS Sonoma 14.8.1, macOS Sequoia 15.7.1, iOS 18.7.1 for the iPhone XS and later, and iPadOS 18.7.1 for iPad Pro 13-inch, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 7th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later.

I wanted to write an article pointing out the various flaws in iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26. But I wasn't sure whether the issues were widespread.

Here are some of the bugs I encountered on iOS 26 since release

1. App folders flashing - Happened during the first few days after installing, haven't encountered it after reducing transparency.
2. Slow unlock experience Face Lock / PINs.
3. Unresponsive buttons in apps / unresponsive home bar
4. Slower app switching.
5. Slower network connectivity.
6. Faster battery drain - Likely due to the new animations. But it also drains when idle.

Yes, I did restart the iPhone, but it didn't seem to make a difference. I wonder whether all of this is because of Liquid Glass? Perhaps the CPU is being taxed with additional compute cycles, which causes lags and consumes more battery.

And the macOS 26 bugs

1. Apps are not fully maximized due to rounded corners - E.g. If you have Safari, Finder, etc., open and any other maximized window, you will see the edges of the other apps in the 4 corners when you switch to Safari, Finder. It's kinda distracting and breaks immersion.
2. Not a bug, but Launchpad is dead, and its replacement is slow, clunky, takes longer to scroll, can't be resized or maximized.
3. Sometimes Spotlight button on my Mac's menu bar fails to render the window, I could see it stuck right at the top of the screen, and even click on it, the animation probably failed.

Hopefully the latest updates fix these bugs.

This is the first time I've had a poor software experience with Apple devices. I'm using an iPhone 13 and a MacBook Air M1, they are a few generations behind, but they are not that old. I'm curious, have people encountered such issues with newer devices?

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YouTube Music is getting an AI powered feature. The music streaming service is testing AI hosts, just because.

Google has introduced YouTube Labs, a way for users to test experimental features. It's kind of similar to Google Labs. And the first of these YouTube Labs experiments, AI hosts. According to the announcement, these AI music hosts will tell relevant stories, fan trivia and fun commentary to offer a deeper listening experience. The AI feature is currently available in the YouTube Music app on a limited basis.

To test the feature you must enroll into YouTube Labs, you can do that at https://www.youtube.com/new. TechCrunch reports that it is open to free users as well, which is a nice surprise. However, access to the AI hosts is only available for some people in the United States.

Spotify has an AI DJ too, and it isn't particularly popular among users. Do we need all this?

I still listen to FM Radio, it's free, fun, some stations are actually ad-free, and provide a lot of music, talk shows, news, etc. I do appreciate it when the host is entertaining, but I'm not sure if it's because of the facts and trivia, I think it's the host's voice, and their way of presenting the show is what makes it entertaining. Can an AI host deliver the same experience? I doubt it, an AI may have more information than a person can possibly have, but a human has character, charm, humor, and more importantly, real experience as a disc jockey.

I'd rather have the lyrics on the screen, instead of an AI DJ possibly interrupting the music. But, of course, Google is making Lyrics a premium exclusive feature. Well, at least the AI DJ is opt-in.

What do you think?

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F-Droid has hit out at Google for its controversial app distribution policy changes. It could spell the end of the open source app ecosystem on Android.

Google sent shockwaves among the developer community in August, when it announced that app developers need to verify their identity to distribute their Android apps outside the Play Store. The Mountain View company believes this would mitigate the risks of harmful Android apps. This led to criticism from users, devs, with some worrying that it could effectively kill sideloading apps from third-party sources.

F-Droid shares the same view, in an article published on its website, it explains how it is not merely hosting open source apps at its repository. The source code of the apps are inspected to ensure that they don't contain advertisements, trackers, etc. It is only after an app passes this inspection, that F-Droid build service compiles the app, and packages, and signed with its own cryptographic key, or in some cases using the developer's own key. After this, the apps are distributed as APKs. This is why app updates on F-Droid tend to be a delayed by a day or two. It's quite similar to how Mozilla handles add-ons hosted on its AMO, there is a review process involved.

As opposed to this, the Google Play Store's reviews system does not block apps that can track users, transmit their data to advertisement networks. The Play Store has hosted malware apps on several occasions, and Play Protect's malware detection has been abysmal at best.

Google's new policy requires app developers to pay a mandatory registration fee, and forces them to accept its terms and conditions. This is in addition to requiring developers to submit documents for personal identification, which of course is a huge privacy concern.

F-Droid also noted that Google will require app developers to hand over app identifiers, which are unique for every app, and will be used to distribute apps by a registered developer. Taking over these identifiers would be equivalent to seizing the distribution rights for the apps, something which the open source app store refuses to do. F-Droid says that Google is just trying to use security as an excuse to mandate developer registration, and that the policy is actually intended to consolidate power and tighten control over the ecosystem. It is heading to a walled garden, which will impact user rights, freedom of choice, and of course, competition. That's exactly how Apple built its ecosystem, and it earns several millions.

F-Droid is urging regulators and authorities to protect developers, alternative app stores and open source apps from such restrictive schemes. They are also calling developers and users to escalate the matter to the local authorities, sign petitions and ask the European Commission's Digital Markets Act team to help preserve open distribution.

If Google does not withdraw it's anti-sideloading policy, open source app stores like F-Droid Project could be shut down.

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How would you like it if Microsoft Photos automatically categorized your photos? Well, that's exactly what Microsoft is testing across the Insider Program.

The Redmond company's latest experimental feature will allow Microsoft Photos to use AI to detect the contents of your photos, and organize them into various categories. Microsoft says it helps users save time, reduce clutter, and helps navigate the photo library. The AI-powered feature is only available on Copilot+ PCs.

Microsoft Photos will group your images based on visual content. Currently, Auto-Categorization supports four categories: screenshots, receipts, identity documents, and notes. It is capable of identifying handwritten notes, printed documents, or receipts.

These categories are listed on the sidebar. Users can create categories manually. You can also use the search bar to find images that you want. Microsoft says that the AI model is also language-agnostic, for instance, it can detect and categorize a Passport correctly, even if the text in a Passport isn't in English.

You know, all this sounds very similar to Windows Recall. It also reminds me of Enhanced Visual Search in iOS/iPadOS and macOS.

The announcement is rather vague, I couldn't find information that says the data is processed locally on the device. But since it is only available for Copilot+ PCs, and given the sensitive nature of the content that is categorized, there is a possibility that the AI model processes the content on-device. But, don't quote me on that. Even if it doesn't use cloud services to recognize the content in images, some users may be concerned about their privacy. It's unclear how the feature can be disabled.

Auto-Categorization is available for Windows Insiders on all channels, with the Microsoft Photos app version 2025.11090.25001.0 or higher.  The app now supports Super Resolution on Snapdragon, AMD and Intel powered Copilot+ PCs.

I have lost count on how many AI-powered features there are on Windows 11.

What do you think about this feature? Useful to have, or a privacy-nightmare?

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Google continues to push AI services into its core products. Just a few months ago, it started to roll out AI Overviews in earnest. Back in July, Google claimed that the feature reached over two billion monthly users already.

Now it is introducing the next step, AI Mode, in Google Search, and also turning its Chrome web browser into an AI-first browser.

Not every user likes the infusion of AI on Google Search. While AI can be useful, it can also get in the way or, worse, provide information that is not accurate. It happened in the past and it is happening regularly.

Hide Google Search AI content

Bye Bye, Google AI is a browser extension that gives you control over the features. Google does not provide options to turn off AI content on Google Search, which this extension rectifies.

The extension displays the options right after installation in a compatible browser. It is available for Chromium-based, which covers most desktop browsers. Installation in Chrome worked flawlessly, but it should work in other browsers, including Brave, Edge, or Vivaldi as well.

AI Overviews is selected by default only. This displays information created by AI when you run certain searches on Google Search. You can hide other types of content on Google Search using the extension, namely:

• AI Mode tab for deeper AI interactions.
• Discussions and Forums.
• Sponsored links.
• Shopping blocks.
• People also ask.
• People also search for.
• Video blocks.
• Feature snippets.

Only AI Mode is AI related, while the remaining features are blocks of content that Google Search often displays. It is a good option to get rid of content blocks that you have no use for. If you never shop online, you could for instance remove the shopping blocks.

If you prefer only organic results, you could remove sponsored links and feature snippets.

Activate the save button to save your selection. The extension works automatically from that moment on. When you visit Google Search, it will hide the blocks, AI and all others selected, automatically.

Note that it uses CSS to hide them. It does not really toggle them off, as no option to do so is provided by Google at the time.

Extensions like Bye Bye, Google AI have a tendency to break regularly. When Google makes changes to its Search page, it may break the extension functionality as a consequence. This usually requires the developer to publish an update to address the changes.

Closing Words

Integrating AI overviews and other AI content in search is controversial. Google says it improves searches for users and while that may be true to an extend, there is also a darker side to this.

The elephants in the room are false information and doing its best to keep users on Google Search and other Google properties while displaying information created by third-party publishers.

Now You: how do you handle AI information in search engines? Do you use them, like them even? Or do you prefer to ignore or hide them?

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