gHacks Technology News

Google has appealed the U.S. Supreme Court to pause an injunction ordered by a lower court. It is related to the antitrust case against Epic Games.

The case has dragged on since 2020, when Apple and Google had removed Fortnite from their stores, because of third-party payment systems that were implemented in the game. In 2023, a jury said Google had built an illegal app store monopoly on Android. This was followed by an appeal, and a ruling in 2024 ordered Google to allow third-party payment options on the Play Store. It also said the Play Store would have to host third-party app marketplaces, for 3 years.

Last month, Google lost its appeal against this ruling, when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to turn the lower court's decision. Now, Google has asked the highest court in the United States to intervene in the matter.

Bloomberg reports that Google said that if Play Store policy changes are not delayed, Android's ecosystem will suffer irreparable harm. Irreparable harm? What does that even mean? It looks like Google is using security once again as an excuse to get what it wants, just like Apple does. Its plan to kill sideloading on Android is also based on "security fears".

Epic Games' spokesperson, Natalie Munoz, told Bloomberg that Google continues to rely on flawed security claims which have already been rejected by a jury and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, in order to protect their control over Android devices. Munoz also said that users and developers will benefit from competition, choices and lower prices if the injunction goes into effect as ordered.

Apple wants the EU to repeal the Digital Markets Act because it stands in the way of innovation, causes features to be delayed for users in Europe, and that third-party app stores cause harm for users. It's unbelievable how companies resort to creating fake security excuses just to protect their business, instead of just following the law.

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The Proton Mail app for Android and iOS has been updated. It has a new design, and adds support for offline mode.

Proton's announcement says that the encrypted mail client now shares its code base on iOS and Android, to deliver new features faster, simultaneously. So, I compared both the iOS and Android versions of the app side-by-side, they are identical.

Let's start with the compose button, it is no longer at the top of the screen. It is now located in the bottom right corner of the Inbox page, and dynamically sizes as you scroll. If you reach the top of your mailing list, it shows "Compose", and if you begin scrolling up it turns into a compact button. This is similar to how Gmail's compose button works. The unread counter has moved from the top right to the top left of the screen.

Offline mode in Proton Mail lets you read your mails when you are not connected to a Wi-Fi or mobile data network. When you send a mail when offline, it is automatically queued up for sending, and when you go online, it will be sent. The same applies to organizing your messages.

Android users can now snooze emails from the menu, and schedule messages to be sent later by tapping on the clock next to send. These features were already available on iOS.

Proton Mail's sidebar options have been slightly rearranged, but the options are the same.

The Settings page has been completely overhauled, you can now manage Security Keys for Proton Mail from the app. It also has a password management option for your account. The Settings page has several new options including Mailbox Preferences, Folders and Labels, Spam and Filters, Privacy and Security, and App Customizations.

Proton Mail's app is definitely faster than before, at least on iOS. My Android phone is very old, so I can't tell the difference, but many users seem to be happy with the performance of the new app.

That said, the Settings pages are slower to load, this was noticeable on both iOS and Android. It is because the is syncing with the web mail client. I say this, because you can't change most of the settings while in offline mode, except for app customizations.

Download Proton Mail from the iOS App Store or the Google Play Store. The latest update, version 7.0.10 is still rolling out to Android users, you can sideload the app from the GitHub releases. There aren't any AI features in the app.

Do you like the redesigned app?

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Microsoft and ASUS have opened pre-orders for the Xbox Ally consoles. But, you're not going to like the prices.

Both consoles have a 7-inch screen, the primary difference between the two are the chips. The ROG Xbox Ally X has an AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor with 16GB of RAM, while the Xbox Ally X is powered by an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme Processor with 24GB of RAM.  Reviewers praised the performance of the handhelds, particularly the Xbox full screen experience, that hides the desktop/Explorer to free up memory. You may want to read my previous coverage to learn more about the tech specs of the consoles.

A trailer for the console showed off the handheld's capabilities, it can play Forza Horizon 5, Assassin's Creed Shadows, Hogwarts Legacy, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and other graphics-heavy titles. It will likely be able to handle Forza Horizon 6 too.

According to The Verge, the ROG Xbox Ally prices start at $599.99 in the U.S., $799 CAD in Canada, €599 in Europe, £499 in the U.K., and $799 AUD in Australia. The ROG Xbox Ally X price starts at $999.99, $1299 CAD, €899, £799, and $1599 AUD.

The RoG Xbox Ally consoles are available for pre-order at the Microsoft Store, Best Buy, and ASUS eshop, it will start shipping from October 16th.

Microsoft says that players from the following Countries can pre-order the Xbox Ally today:

Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, and Vietnam.

The Xbox Ally will be available from October 16 in the following Countries: Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Slovenia, South Africa, Thailand, and Ukraine. Microsoft says it will bring the consoles to Brazil, China, India, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Philippines, and Switzerland in the future.

It's kinda wild that a handheld like the Xbox Ally X costs more than a traditional console. Even the Nintendo Switch 2 only costs $450, and people were upset about that. Come to think of it, here's something crazier. You may be aware the prices of the Xbox were hiked for a second time in the U.S. this year, but Microsoft had increased the prices of the Xbox Series S and X across the world a few months ago. Did you know that the Xbox Ally costs the same in Europe as the Xbox Series X? They both cost €599.99. Insane!

Tip: The Steam Deck LCD 256 GB version is on sale for 20% off until October 6th, it costs $320 / £280 / €335.

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Windows 10 has just a few more weeks to go officially before Microsoft ends support for the operating system officially. Customers who run Windows 10 devices may extend support by a year or three, depending on whether they are home or business customers.

But joining the Extended Security Updates program has a cost attached to it, even for consumers. The three options that Microsoft has created have you either pay with your money, with Microsoft Rewards points, or with your data.

This approach has been a major concern for consumer rights organizations. The Euroconsumers Group, for example, criticized Microsoft for "linking access to essential security updates to engagement with Microsoft's own services".

Today, Microsoft released a statement that improves access to Windows 10 Extended Security Updates for users in the European Economic Area (which includes all EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

It unlocks access to Extended Security Updates for users from the EEA and removes the requirement to pay with money or points, or to sync data with the Microsoft cloud. In other words, they can be enabled for free, even when not meeting any of the requirements that Microsoft created.

Microsoft confirmed the statement to Ghacks Technology News: "In the European Economic Area, we’re making updates to the enrollment process to ensure it meets local expectations and delivers a secure, streamlined experience. Our goal is to support customers and provide them with options as they transition to Windows 11, with uninterrupted access to critical security updates."

However, there is still one hurdle left. as Bleeping Computer found out. While users may join the program without fulfilling one of the requirements, they are required to join using a Microsoft account.

Windows 10 users who sign in with local accounts are exempt apparently. While that needs testing to make sure that this is indeed the case, it would still link essential security updates to using a Microsoft service, in this case a Microsoft account.

Windows 10 users need to check the Windows Update page of the Settings to get started enrolling. There they should see an "enroll now" link to start the process. If it is not displayed, an upgrade may be required, so click on the check for updates button to make sure your PC runs the latest Windows 10 version that Microsoft released.

Windows 10 users have other options. There is an open source script that enables Extended Security Updates on Windows 10, even for users who do not use a Microsoft account. Bypass options to install ESU updates without joining are also reportedly working.

Windows 10 is still widely used on PCs worldwide, with usage share hovering over the 40 percent mark in recent polls. That is a major security concern, considering that these PCs won't receive updates anymore after Microsoft releases the October 2025 update for Windows 10.

The only option to extend support is by joining the Extended Security Updates programs, which is now improved for users from the EEA.

Now You: do you run Windows 10 on your devices? Have you joined the ESU program already or plan to do so? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

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Microsoft has announced Forza Horizon 6. The game was unveiled during the Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2025 Broadcast, which makes sense, because FH 6 is set in Japan.

This isn't surprising, a Forza game set in Japan has been widely requested by the community for years. Microsoft's Instagram account jumped the gun yesterday, and posted some ads, but they were taken down quickly. The first game in the series was set in Colorado, U.S., the second in France and Italy, the 3rd in Australia, the 4th in the U.K., and Foza Horizon 5 was set in Mexico. That makes Forza Horizon 6 the first game in the franchise to be set in Asia.

FH 6 is being developed by Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios (Forza Motorsport devs). Fans will be able to race through the streets of Tokyo City in the game, while taking part in the Horizon Festival.  The game will continue the tradition of changing seasons (spring, summer, autumn, and winter), like the past 2 iterations in the series. Microsoft says that the game will capture Japan's cultural essence. Unfortunately, that's where the details end. It was basically just a name and setting reveal, and rather disappointing.

Information about Forza Horizon 6 system requirements have not been announced yet. Here's the official teaser trailer for the game, and the announcement post.

Forza Horizon 6 will launch first on Xbox consoles and PC in 2026, the game has been listed on Steam and the Xbox store. It will be included with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass at launch. The game's Art Director, Don Arceta, says more details about FH 6 will be revealed in early 2026. That and the fact that there is no gameplay trailer seems to suggest the game may be released in the second half of the year, just like the previous games in the series were released between September to November.

Microsoft has confirmed that Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios are working on Forza Horizon 6 for PlayStation 5, which will be released later. The price of the game remains to be seen, but considering the recent Xbox price hike, and Microsoft's intention to price games at a premium, don't be surprised if it costs $80 or more.

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DuckDuckGo Browser has a new option on its homepage that allows you to set AI mode as the default option. This is customizable.

So, what does it do? It's a toggle that lets you switch between DuckDuckGo Search and Duck.AI.

It was announced low-key on reddit, and details are sparse. The new experience is currently live in the DuckDuckGo browser on Windows and macOS on DuckDuckGo.com. However, it does not seem to be available on Firefox, Chrome and other browsers on desktop. I also tested the DuckDuckGo mobile app, it's not available in it either. That's why the title says DuckDuckGo Browser, and not just DuckDuckGo (the search engine). The toggle is also available on the new tab page in the browser, which is set to DuckDuckGo.com in the browser.

Is this an important feature? It could be, because normally when you have to use Duck AI, you have to run a search and then choose AI assist, or go to Duck.AI and then type your query. Now, you can switch between the two and use whatever you like, it does save a couple of seconds, which could add up. For people who have set DuckDuckGo as their home page, or new tab page, the new experience is a nice little quality of life update, just like the one that lets you hide AI generated images in the search results.

Now, if you don't like this change, and wish to disable it. Click on the menu button on the right side of the screen to open the sidebar, and toggle "Duck.AI" from the Sections. You can also manage this from the browser's Settings > Appearance > New Tab Page.

The option on the sidebar and settings page could be the reason why the option is possibly exclusive to DuckDuckGo's browser.

DuckDuckGo recently added an option to block sites from search results. To do this, perform a search, and click on the three-dot menu next to a result. Click on "block site from all results". This will hide the domain from your searches. If search results contain a blocked site, DuckDuckGo will say "You've blocked 1 site: 1 result hidden", you can click on Show Results to temporarily view the results. Click on Manage, to unblock a domain, or go to https://duckduckgo.com/settings#general-domainlist and click on the Unblock button next to a blocked domain.

While this is a cool option to have, there are a couple of limitations. You can only add 5 domains to the list, which is not great, because there are tons of spammy websites out there. Also, this site blocking is a temporary setting, so if you delete your browsing data, you'll need to do it all over. That's less than ideal.

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Apple has published a statement that explains the harmful impact that the European Union's Digital Markets Act has on users. Grab a seat, and let's analyze these impacts.

The Digital Markets Act came into effect in 2022. Companies which meet a certain threshold have been designated as gatekeepers, and need to follow some rules in the European Economic Area. Apple was among those companies which were designated as gatekeepers, and had to allow certain things, like interoperability in apps. The Cupertino company has opposed these laws from day one, because of the impact it had on its business.

Apple's statement claims that the DMA causes feature delays for its users in the EU. For example, Apple Intelligence arrived quite a bit late after its debut in the U.S.

Let's get started with the complaints one at a time.

Live Translation with Airpods is a feature that uses Apple Intelligence to process the translations on the device (connected iPhone), this data is not accessible even by Apple. Apple says its engineers have to do additional work to ensure their work is not exposed to other companies or developers. What's the problem here? If the data is indeed processed privately as you claim it is, why is the additional work necessary? If Apple were to introduce it in the EU, it would probably be required to allow other OEMs to access the feature. So, this extra work is another way to ensure that the feature is exclusive to AirPods, and not usable by other earbuds?

Next is iPhone Mirroring, which lets users access their notifications and other content directly on their Mac. Apple says it has not found a secure way to bring this feature to non-Apple devices, without compromising user data on iPhone. That's a technical way of saying that opening up iPhone Mirroring's APIs would allow other devices like Windows and Android devices to use the feature. They don't want that to happen.

Apple admits it is unwilling to make Visited Places and Preferred Routes on Maps shareable with other developers, because it would expose users' locations. This should be the user's choice, shouldn't it? If I want to export the data, or switch to a different app, I should be allowed to.

Apple loves to play the security card, and it did so again to talk about sideloading, allowing other app marketplaces and alternative payment systems. It claims that these requirements don't meet the same "high privacy and security standards as the App Store". Apple points out that there is a risk of scams via fake banking apps, malware disguised as games, and third-party systems that overcharge users.

Pot, meet Kettle! Apple's own app store is not invulnerable to these scams and fake apps, and speaking of overcharging, ever heard of the Core Technology Fee? Looks like they still haven't learned their lesson, even after being told their anti-steering practices were illegal.

Apple's defense of the App Store is unbelievable. It says that third-party app marketplaces look different, have their own rules, review standards, and that these open up risks of malicious apps slipping through. It claims this is a less intuitive experience, because users mat not know where an app came from. The average user isn't going to bother with sideloading, the ones who do, will be aware of what they are doing. It's called user choice.

Apple points out that pornography apps are available on iPhone for the first time, on other marketplaces. It directly blamed the AltStore for hosting such an app, and also claimed that the DMA brought gambling apps to iPhone. Apple says these harmful apps create risks, especially for children. Of course, they all want to protect the kids. We've all heard about predatory stories associated with Roblox and other apps. Did Apple delist them to protect the children? Did anyone? They are just using "we want to protect the kids", when it's in their favor.

Downloading an app is the user's choice, and hence their responsibility, not Apple's or anybody else. Lecturing about gambling apps, really? The iOS App Store is riddled with hot trash apps, even basic apps like calendars, alarms, timers, lock basic features behind weekly, monthly, annual subscriptions. What about the crypto wallets on the store? Games with timers, gems, coins, whatever. The amount of garbage apps, asset flips, AI slop with in-app purchases you can find on the App Store is staggering. What's Apple so mad about? It's plain and simple, they are not earning revenue from these third-party marketplaces.

Apple says that large companies submit requests to collect complete content of a user’s notifications, the full history of Wi-Fi networks a user has joined, etc., and this exposes users. It has denied access to such sensitive data, some of which it doesn't even have access to. Okay, I'll give Apple this one, good on you, but the OS should warn the user their data is exposed.

Apple says that the DMA's rules lead to unfair competition. This is unreal levels of irony, the company which refuses to allow third-party browser engines on iOS/iPadOS is whining about unfair competition. Apple claims that companies like Samsung and Chinese companies are free to do what they want, while Apple's innovation is not rewarded, and stifled. Devices made by Samsung and other companies run on Android, which is made by Google, which is also a fellow designated gatekeeper.

Apple believes that the DMA is leading to a worse experience for Apple users in the EU. The entire statement reads like a rant, it's embarrassing. Here's my favorite part from it, "For instance, the changes to app marketplaces are making iOS look more like Android — and that reduces choice". They really wrote that. Shame about Android heading in that direction with its anti-sideloading changes.

Does Apple even realize the restrictions that they impose upon users are their own form of gatekeeping?

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Companies have two options when they introduce new features: make them opt-in or opt-out. The first is the user-friendly option, as users may select to use a new feature or allow the company to do something. The second is the opposite. It benefits the company, as all users are rolled in and users needing to become active to avoid a change.

This is true for a change on Microsoft-owned LinkedIn. Microsoft plans to start using user data on Linkedn for AI training starting November 3, 2025. The kicker: all users are opted in. Means, if you do not become active, your data will be used to train generative AI.

Microsoft writes: "Starting November 3, 2o25, we'll use some of your LinkedIn data to improve the content-generating AI that enhances your experience, unless you opt out in your settings".

So, there is an opt-out and Microsoft apparently is also emailing users of the service about the change.

The change affects users worldwide. However, users from the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the UK won't have their data "made available to certain LinkedIn affiliates (such as Microsoft) for training generative AI models without further notice" according to a help document we spotted on the LinkedIn website.

The only option that you have is to opt-out of the collecting and using of your data. This is done on the LinkedIn website and works the following way:

1. Open the main LinkedIn website.
2. Sign-in to your account.
   1. If you have multiple accounts, you need to perform the steps for each account separately.
3. Activate Me > Settings & Privacy at the top to launch the preferences.
4. Switch to Data privacy when the page has loaded.
5. Click on Data for Generative AI Improvement.
6. Toggle "Use my data for training content creation AI models" to off.

Tip: you may be able to jump straight to the setting by following this link.

Companies love to enable new and sometimes controversial features for all users, only giving them an opt-out option. This ensures that the majority of users will have a certain feature enabled automatically.

This is not the first time that Microsoft is making controversial features opt-out instead of opt-in. When it first launched the AI feature Recall in Windows 11, it made the feature opt-out, which meant that it would run on all user devices that support it automatically.

Now You: are you affected by the change? What is your take on opt-out versus opt-in when introducing features, especially controversial ones? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

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The European Union has queried Apple, Google and Microsoft on their efforts to prevent online scams. There is a fourth company under scrutiny.

Booking Holding, which is a Europe based company, and owns travel sites, is also being investigated.

So, this is not an antitrust thing. What's it about this time? Well, the EU wants to ensure that users are protected against online scams, financial fraud, and other security risks that one might encounter online.

According to The Verge, a report by The Financial Times revealed that EU regulators are asking the companies to hand overt details about their methods to combat these threats, as part of the Digital Services Act. Microsoft Bing and Google Search will come under the scanner for fake search results. How about the quality of the results, huh? Or lack thereof?

The EU will evaluate how Apple and Google are handling fraud applications like fake banking apps on their app stores. Let's see now, that shouldn't be a problem. Oh, yes! Both the App Store and Play Store are free of fake apps and malware, right? They're totally safe. How many times have we seen reports of malicious apps on both app marketplaces?

Apple's walled-garden, which does not allow sideloading, which it claims helps keep its App Store highly secure, but this has been proven otherwise multiple times. Still, it is streets ahead of the Play Store. Google might claim that it is protecting Android users by requiring a valid certificate from developers who distribute their apps outside the Play Store. You know, that's how sideloading is going to die. Given the nature of this scrutiny, that might be welcomed as a security move. Hopefully, antitrust officials will reject it. But that's a drama for another time.

As for Booking, it has to share information on how it handled fake accommodation listings on its services.

If the companies security measures are found lacking, it could lead to official investigations, and it could result in a potential fine of up to 6% ofn their annual global turnover. I wouldn't be surprised if they are hit by that fine, but even if they did it would be just another slap on the wrist.

EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said, “We see that more and more criminal actions are taking place online. We have to make sure that online platforms really take all their efforts to detect and prevent that kind of illegal content.”

It's kind of funny. Some Countries in the EU are messing around age-verification laws and such, where users have an option to upload their government-issued ID, credit card information, etc. You know what could happen if hackers breaches the system, and plant a backdoor in the system which is used to verify the IDs of people? It could result in online scams, identity theft, financial fraud. The very thing they're scrutinizing.

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Larian Studios has announced a native version of Baldur's Gate 3 for Steam Deck. You don't need to run it using Proton anymore.

Baldur's Gate 3 was the undisputed game of the year for many people. But, a Linux native version isn't available, though a macOS version does exist. That said, according ProtonDB the game has a Gold rating, which means the Windows version of Baldur's Gate 3 is fully playable on Linux using Valve's Wine compatibility layer, aka Proton. You may have to tinker with some settings to run the game, just read the comments on ProtonDB, it may help you.

But, you don't need to use Proton on Steam Deck. You can play a native version of the CRPG on your handheld, thanks to the latest update, which is Hotfix #34. It offers a stable framerate, lower loading times, and smoother gameplay on Steam Deck. Larian says that the patch isn't just about the Steam Deck, it also improves the frame rate on other platforms, and reduces framerate spikes in Act 3. You can learn more about the Steam Deck version of Baldur's Gate 3 by reading the official FAQ page on Larian's website.

Now, this news has understandably caused some excitement among the Linux gaming community. However, the FAQ page that I mentioned above says, "Larian does not provide support for the Linux platform. The Steam Deck Native build is only supported on Steam Deck." That is rather bizarre, I wonder why they didn't mention this on the game's Steam page, or at least in the update's release notes.

As you may know, SteamOS is basically a custom version of Arch Linux. So, the Steam Deck version of Baldur's Gate 3 should, in theory, be compatible with most distros. Larian's disclaimer is probably their way of saying they only tested/optimized it for SteamOS, not on other distros. In other words, it could be buggy on non-Steam Deck devices.

Linux gamers spotted a SteamDB depot that lists some NVIDIA SDK libraries which were compiled for Linux in the latest version of BG3. So this meant a Linux version exists. When some eager players tried downloading it via Steam, it failed. This is likely because of the Steam Deck specific Linux version of BG 3, all the files are marked as Steam Deck only. So the desktop client wouldn't download it. This issue has been fixed since, but some users managed to download the Linux version and managed to get it running on their computers.

One of them tested the Linux version of Baldur's Gate 3, and the benchmarks indicate the native version does seem better, although loading times were longer compared to running the Windows version using Proton.

Recently, Microsoft hiked the price of the Xbox, for a second time in 5 months. But, Valve has discounted the Steam Deck LCD by 20%, until October 6th. That's a sweet deal. And if you don't have Baldur's Gate 3 in your Steam library, and want to pick up the game, I'd suggest waiting until September 29th for the Steam Autumn Sale to start, so you can get the game at a more affordable price.

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Meta has announced that WhatsApp Messenger can now translate messages in chats. This is done on the device.

Translation works for personal chats, groups, and Channel updates. To use it on iOS, you will need to press and hold on a message, and tap on More > Translate. Select the language you want the message to be translated to or from. This will offer to download the select language. You can manage the installed languages from the Settings > Translate > Downloaded languages.

Android users will need to press and hold on a message, then tap on the three-dot menu at the top, and then choose to download the language. Tap on translate to view the translated version of the text. If you want to view the original text, tap on the three-dot menu and select remove translation. Android users can use the view translation option to automatically translate an entire chat, which will also translate future incoming messages in the thread.

Note: WhatsApp's message translate feature only works for chats, i.e. text messages. It cannot translate documents, stickers, GIFs, contacts, etc.

WhatsApp on Android can translate six languages: English, Spanish, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, and Arabic. WhatsApp on iOS supports translation between 20 languages, including:

• Arabic
• Dutch
• English (United Kingdom)
• English (United States)
• French (France)
• German (Germany)
• Hindi
• Indonesian
• Italian (Italy)
• Japanese
• Korean
• Mandarin Chinese (China)
• Mandarin Chinese (Taiwan)
• Polish
• Portuguese (Brazil)
• Russian
• Spanish (Spain)
• Thai
• Turkish
• Ukrainian
• Vietnamese

While that is impressive, WhatsApp's iOS app relies on Apple's system-wide language translation support on iOS. The announcement says that the message translations will be processed on-device, to protect the privacy of users. It downloads the language pack, uses traditional translation methods instead of AI, at least that's how it seems to me.

WhatsApp is gradually rolling out the message translation feature to users, so you may not have access to it immediately. It wasn't available on my iPhone, but a couple of friends of mine were able to test it.

This is a pretty good feature, it could come in handy if you've just moved to a new Country, or if your new friend doesn't speak your language.

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For many users, a key feature of web browsers is the ability to install add-ons. These extensions improve browsing in meaningful ways, from blocking unwanted content over making downloads more user-friendly, to modifying certain aspects of websites.

Sometimes, however, add-on updates may introduce problems of their own. Developers needed to release an update to address the issue in the past, which sometimes, was delayed because of Mozilla's review processes. Even the most popular developers, like Raymond Hill, who creates the uBlock Origin and uBlock Origin Lite extensions, have faced issues with that review process.

Soon, developers of Firefox extensions have another option to deal with issues in the most recent version of their add-ons.

Mozilla announced the ability for developers to roll back to a previous version of their extension. The main idea behind the feature is to speed up the troubleshooting and reduce issues that users of the extension may encounter.

Mozilla writes: "If developing a revised version and obtaining a review won't address the issue quickly enough, you can roll back to an earlier version of your extension.".

The process relies on Firefox's check for extension updates. When a developer enables a roll back, Firefox will download and install the previous version of the extension the next time it checks for extension updates.

Users who have disabled the check in their Firefox copy need to run a manual check for updates to initiate the rollback.

The only limitation of the feature is that at least two approved versions of an extension need to be available. On Mozilla's official add-ons store for Firefox, developers may only roll back to the version released before the one that requires the rollback.

Developers who self-host their extensions do not have such limitations. They may initiate rollbacks to any approved version. Mozilla did not mention why the difference exists.

Giving add-on developers another option to deal with issues that appeared after they release a new version of their extension is a good idea. Developers may react quickly by enabling rollbacks to previous versions, deal with the issue, and release an updated version when it is ready.

This simplifies and improves the process for users, who would otherwise run into issues, if they downloaded and installed the extension version that has issues.

Can this somehow be abused? In theory, it is possible to roll back to a very early approved version if the add-on is self-hosted. A hacker or disgruntled employee could do that, but if they have access to the account, they could very well delete the extensions outright or modify them.

Firefox users just need to be aware that the version of installed extensions may change now to an earlier version, if they have automatic extension updates enabled.

Now You: how do you handle updates for extensions? Do you let your browser do the updating, or prefer to update manually instead?

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Microsoft revealed a remake of the classic video wallpaper feature DreamScene for Windows just yesterday. Today, Microsoft is confirming that recent versions of its Windows 11 operating system are plagued by a video playback issue.

Microsoft reveals information about the issue on the known issues and notifications page of Windows 11, version 24H2. Windows users who run the most recent version of Windows 11 on their devices may "experience problems playing protected content" writes Microsoft on the page.

The issue may occur after installing the non-security preview update of August 29, 2025 or later updates. Microsoft released the September 2025 cumulative update for Windows 11, version 24H2 on Tuesday 9, 2025 to the public.

Microsoft explains that the issue affects applications that use Enhanced Video Renderer with HDCP enforcement, or Digital Rights Management (DRM) for digital audio. Users may "experience copyright protection errors", such as "frequent playback interruptions, freezing, or black screens" according to Microsoft.

However, the issue does not affect video streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, or HBO Max. In other words, the issue is affecting media playback apps, for instance DVD or Blu-Ray playing apps, or digital TV apps.

Enhanced Video Renderer is a legacy component that is replaced by Simple Video Renderer (SVR). This component is part of MediaPlayer and IMFMediaEngine. Microsoft does not name-shame any apps that still rely on the legacy component for playback. The apps affected by the issue are unknown because of this.

Microsoft says that it is working on a resolution for the issue. It plans to release updated information in the future, "when it is available". Affected users have just a few options at this point:

1. Downgrade the operating system to an earlier version that has a patch level pre-August 29th.
2. Switch to using a playback app that is not affected.
3. Avoid watching DRM-protected content in the apps until Microsoft resolves the issue.

Options one and two should fix the issue on the user's device, but they come with problems of their own. Uninstalling the September 2025 patch leaves the operating system vulnerable to potential attacks targeting the vulnerabilities that Microsoft fixed in the update.

Switching to another app may work, but since Microsoft did not provide a list of apps that are affected or do work, it is a hit-and-miss kind of situation. The developer of an app might provide an update to address the issue, for instance, by moving from using Enhanced Video Renderer to Simple Video Renderer.

All in all, the best option for most users is to sit this one out and wait for an official patch to arrive.

Now You: do you watch DRM-protected content on your Windows desktops? Are you affected by the issue? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

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Microsoft has quietly introduced a way to allow users to test experimental features. You can opt in to the Windows AI Lab.

Last week, Windows Latest reported that Microsoft was testing Windows AI Labs. The feature was spotted in Microsoft Paint, which displayed a pop-up that said, "Try experimental AI features in paint". It had an option to sign up for the Windows AI Labs program for paint from the app's settings.

(Image courtesy: Windows Latest)

The settings page had 2 buttons, Sign up, to discover the new AI-powered tools in Paint, and share feedback about the features. It also had a "Not interested" button, to dismiss the message.

So, is this available in the Windows 11 stable version? Or is it exclusive for Insiders? I couldn't find any information about this, so I just checked the Paint app version number seen in the screenshot, Paint 11.2508.361.0. That's the one I wrote about a few days ago, it was released for Windows Insiders and introduced the option to save your work as a project. Based on that, this AI labs feature is likely only for Windows Insiders on a Canary or Dev Channel build of Windows 11, and not for stable users.

Today, Microsoft told The Verge in a statement that "The Windows AI Lab is a pilot acceleration program for validating novel AI feature ideas on Windows. The program focuses on rapid customer feedback on feature usability, customer interest, and market fit."

An official confirmation is good, this is essentially a pre-release update program to provide early access to features that are being tested, and may not make it to the final version. Now, I still can't find any documentation regarding the Windows AI Labs program. That's rather odd. It's unclear why this Windows AI Lab has only been seen in Paint, and not it in Notepad, Snipping Tool, etc., given that those apps were also updated recently.

I think early access to features might have been cool in the pre-AI era, but it's a different story now, not everyone wants to use AI. Do you use Microsoft 365? Well, you should know that Copilot may be installed automatically on your PC, with some exceptions.

What about you? Early access to AI features in Windows apps?

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Google has announced Gemini for Google TV. You can interact with the AI to find what to watch.

Google isn't the first to bring its AI to TVs, Microsoft Copilot for Samsung TVs and monitors was announced a few weeks ago. Google Assistant has allowed you to operate your TV using voice mode, and its features are still there in their relatively simple form.

But Google is cranking things up a notch with AI-powered features, To interact with Gemini on Google TV, say "Hey Google", or press the mic button on your TV's remote. Speak your query out aloud using natural language, and Gemini will respond with relevant suggestions. You can use it to find new shows to watch, catch up on a previous episode or the season.

For example, you could ask it something like, "Find me something to watch with my wife. I like dramas, but she likes lighthearted comedies." And Gemini will display the results on your screen, and also speak to you, telling you more about the suggested content.  You can choose to watch the content, or engage in follow-up questions about the topic.

There's more, Google says Gemini on TV can provide a learning experience for children, or help you learn new skills, or provide recipes to cook.

Here's a video that demonstrates how Gemini for Google TV works.

A support page on Google's website says that Gemini for TV is only available in English for users in the U.S. and Canada. French is also supported in Canada.

Gemini for Google TV is available on the TCL QM9K series. Google's announcement says the feature will be available to more TVs this year, including the Google TV Streamer, Walmart onn. 4K Pro, 2025 Hisense U7, U8, and UX models, and 2025 TCL QM7K, QM8K, and X11K models. It is also planning to bring more AI features to Google TV.

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Microsoft is testing a feature that will allow you to use a video as a wallpaper. Welcome to 2007!

When iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe 26 were announced, everyone said Liquid Glass looked similar to Aero. Well, if Apple can do it, surely Microsoft is allowed to do it.

I'm talking about DreamScene, a feature that was introduced in Windows Vista, that let users set a video as their desktop background. Ah, the good old days of the Start orb, Aero Glass effect, DreamScene, it was pretty cool. Anyway, that's enough reminiscing.

My point is live wallpapers have been around for a long time, as I said they were available on Windows Vista (removed from 7), are usable on Android and Linux. Even macOS has an option to set slow-motion videos as the Lock Screen background, I wrote an article about this a couple of years ago. Wallpaper Engine, Lively, and other apps also allow you to set an animated wallpaper. It looks like animated backgrounds are back in fashion, and Windows 11 is the latest to adopt it.

But, nothing beats a feature that is native to the operating system. PhantomOfEarth, known for reliable Windows feature leaks, spotted the new customization option that is hidden in the latest Windows 11 Dev and Beta builds. The feature can be accessed from the Settings > Personalization > Background. Click on browse photos, and instead of setting a picture, you can select a video as your desktop background. It supports the following video formats: MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, M4V, or MKV. When you have set a video wallpaper, go to your desktop, and it should play automatically. (check the link above for a demo).

The feature ID is 57645315, if you want to activate it via ViveTool. Apparently, video wallpapers are only available for the desktop, not for the lock screen.

Animated backgrounds are cool, but I never use them on any device, because it uses resources in the background, and drains the battery. Hopefully, Windows' implementation will be more power-efficient.

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Last week, Martin wrote about Chrome gaining AI features powered by Gemini. There's a new AI feature rolling out to Chrome on Android, a read aloud option that narrates webpages like a podcast.

The feature was spotted by Android Authority’s Mishaal Rahman. Google has been working on AI-powered features for a while now, Audio Overviews are available in Search, Docs, but most notably in NotebookLM. It uses by Gemini's models to generate podcasts for extensive research topics. It seems like Google wants to take this a step further, and bring it to people's daily lives, right in their browser.

Chrome on Android already has a read aloud feature, which is basically an accessibility option. You can use it by tapping on the three-dot menu button (when on a web page), and select "Listen to this page". But this narration is robotic, and rather boring. The same option, Listen to this page, is gaining a new button in the bottom left corner. Tapping on this button generates AI playback like a podcast featuring two AI hosts, which you can listen to, just like in NotebookLM. You can tap the button again to switch the AI playback off, and use the regular text-to-speech mode.

(Image courtesy: Android Authority)

Google began testing this feature in June 2025 in Chrome's Canary channel, and is now bringing it to the stable version of the browser. Audio Overview in Chrome for Android is said to be available in version 140.0.7339.124. I don't have access to it yet, the feature is reportedly rolling out slowly to users.

If it reads the entire page like a podcast instead of reading a short summary of the web page, that's a good feature, right? Anything that helps with reading without summarizing gets my vote. It could be very helpful for those times when you don't feel like reading the text yourself, especially if an article is several pages long. Privacy on the other hand, well, if that could be a concern, unless the browser is generating the playback locally on the device.

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Microsoft has increased the prices of the Xbox consoles in the U.S. Wait a minute, didn't this happen a few months ago?

Well, that's exactly what I thought when I was scrolling my feed, and I almost missed the word "again" at the end of the title in The Verge's article. Yup, they really did it, the mad lads at Redmond have actually increased the price twice in a span of 5 months.

These were the Xbox prices before the recent price hike, with the original launch price in parentheses

• Xbox Series S 512GB - $379.99 (up from $299.99)
• Xbox Series S 1TB - $429.99 (up from $349.99)
• Xbox Series X Digital - $549.99 (up from $449.99)
• Xbox Series X - $599.99 (up from $499.99)
• Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Special Edition $729.99 (up from $599.99)

The new prices of the Xbox consoles are as follows.

• Xbox Series S 512GB - $399.99 (up by $20 from $379.99)
• Xbox Series S 1TB - $449.99 (up by $20 from $429.99)
• Xbox Series X Digital - $599.99 (up by $50 from $549.99)
• Xbox Series X - $649.99 (up by $50 from $599.99)
• Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Special Edition - $799.99 (up by $70 from $729.99)

These prices come into effect from October 3rd.

Microsoft says it "will update the recommended retailer pricing for Series S and Series X consoles in the United States due to changes in the macroeconomic environment." Oh, come on. Say the line, Bart! The price of controllers and headsets remain unaffected, and the Xbox prices remain the same in other markets.

I'm still struggling to believe it. This can't be real, a 5-year-old console getting a price hike is bad enough. But it happened two times in just a few months. What is going on? The Xbox really didn't have a huge market before the prices went up, who in their right mind is going to buy these consoles now?

Just for reference, here are the Sony PS5 prices in the U.S. after the price hike in August.

• PlayStation 5 – $549.99
• PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – $499.99
• PlayStation 5 Pro – $749.99

If you want to get an Xbox, I think it's probably better to get a refurbished one, or a used-console. It's not worth it at full price, and definitely not after 2 price hikes. Don't buy it from strangers or online ads, there are too many risk factors involved, it may be wiser, maybe even cheaper to get it from a local store where you can check the condition of the device personally.

The ROG Xbox Ally is launching in October, I wonder if these price hikes are somehow related to the handhelds' release. Rumors suggest the devices would start at about $700. That's crazy money for a handheld, even the Nintendo Switch 2 costs just $449.

What do you think about the Xbox pricing strategy?

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The Apple Sports app has been expanded to 8 more Countries. This time, it's available for users in Europe.

This isn't a new app per se, Apple Sports was originally launched in 2024 for users in the U.S., the U.K. and Canada. In July 2025, it was released in Mexico. Apple Sports is now available in some European Countries.

Users from Austria, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain can now use the app to get updates for various sporting events.

Choose to follow your favorite team from leagues, tournaments, or a sport and the app displays the information right on its home page. Apple Sports displays live scores, stats, play-by-play updates, standings (league table), in real-time. You can view results, upcoming matches, too. Live Activities delivers real-time updates on your iPhone Lock Screen and Apple Watch. There are widgets that you can place on your home screen to access your team's scorecards, schedules. All that for free.

There are a couple of premium features, Apple Sports syncs with Apple News stories, and also lets you watch live games on Apple TV.

Here is a list of all the sports that are supported in Apple Sports: Football (Soccer), American Football, Baseball, Ice Hockey, Basketball, Tennis, and Motorsport

England

• Premier League
• EFL Championship

European football competitions

• Champions League (men’s and women’s)
• Conference League
• Europa League

France

• Ligue 1
• Ligue 2

Germany

• Bundesliga
• 2. Bundesliga

Italy

• Serie A
• Serie B

Mexico

• Liga MX

Portugal

• Primeira Liga

Spain

• La Liga
• Segunda División

USA and Canada

• MLS
• NWSL

American Football

• NFL
• NCAAF

Baseball

• MLB

Ice Hockey

• NHL

Basketball 

• NBA
• WNBA
• NCAA basketball (men’s and women’s)

Tennis

• Men’s and women’s

Motorsport

• Formula 1
• NASCAR

Download Apple Sports for free from the App Store, that is, if it's available in your country. The app is compatible with iPhone models running iOS 17.2 or later

Live scores, key updates, no ads, annoying rants from fans, the one time I'm actually interested in a sports app, and I don't have access to it. Pfft! Hey Apple, the World Cup is going to take place next year, how about releasing Apple Sports worldwide?

Just a reminder: The Apple iPhone 17 series is available in stores from today. Check out our coverage of iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26 to learn about the new features.

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Valve has announced that it will be ending support for Steam on 32-bit versions of Windows. This shouldn't affect a lot of users.

Okay, I have to ask. What's with all the recent news about dropping support for 32-bit? Mozilla is ending support for Firefox 32-bit next year, LMDE 7 won't support 32-bit, and now Steam is discontinuing its desktop client for x86 too. All this happened in a matter of 10 days, give or take. The timing is funny, isn't it? It's like everyone turned around, spotted the 32-bit computers and cried "get them".

Anyway, as I mentioned in those articles, 32-bit took a back set nearly 2 decades ago, when Intel and AMD started producing 64-bit CPUs. The fact that the x86 has survived for so long, is commendable. So, if the total number of 32-bit computers are incredibly low, people who play games on these old machines would be even lower, right? Steam's Hardware Survey doesn't even mention the numbers for the OS, but Valve's announcement says that the number of users on Windows 10 32-bit is about 0.01%. That's not very surprising. Valve says that Windows 10 32-bit is the only 32-bit version of Windows that it still supports.

Windows 10 reaches its end-of-life next month, and it is the last iteration of Windows to support x86 architecture. Windows 11 is 64-bit only.  That said, Steam's 64-bit client will continue to work on Windows 10 x64 PCs. 35.08% of Steam's Windows gamers are on Windows 10 64-bit. Windows 11 ranks first with a 60.39% share of users. Strangely enough, Windows 7 64-bit is holding on, with about 0.07% of Steam users (Windows) are still on the legacy OS. I suppose this might include extremely patient gamers, and the folks who refused to upgrade to Windows 10.

Steam will end support for Windows 32-bit on January 1, 2026. Existing installations of the Steam Client will continue to work, you can continue to use it to download and play games, including 32-bit games. But, here is the important thing, Steam will no longer provide any updates including new features or security updates for 32-bit Windows. Valve explained that core features in Steam rely on system drivers and other libraries that are not supported on 32-bit versions of Windows. It is advising users to upgrade their computers to 64-bit as soon as possible.

The Steam client for desktop is based on Chromium

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