A commonly expressed frustration with algorithmically-driven apps like Instagram is that users have no control over their feeds. They are instead shown what the app thinks they want to see, which is often wildly inaccurate.
Meta is promising to provide at least a partial solution to the problem with a new feature called Your Algorithm …
more…Apple has been accused of breaking the law by failing to comply with US sanctions after the App Store was found to have contain dozens of apps from sanctioned companies. The same was true of Google, though at a smaller scale.
The banned apps were identified by the Tech Transparency Project, which says it demonstrates that Apple failed to live up to its promises that the App Store represents a safe and trusted source …
more…Around 210,000 budget portable power banks sold exclusively by Amazon USA are being recalled after they were found to have caused 11 fires resulting in both injuries and property damage …
more…Authoritarian governments don’t like their citizens being able to have private conversations using end-to-end encrypted messaging apps. This is the reason Russia has just banned FaceTime, but it was surprising iMessage had escaped a ban.
A potential reason for this has now been discovered: Apple may have accidentally made it almost impossible for a government to ban its end-to-end encrypted text messaging app …
more…iFixit has launched a new AI repair assistant known as FixBot. The company says Fixbot will make it faster and easier than ever before to figure out what’s wrong and how to fix it.
There are both free and paid options, although the feature list suggests that the free option is very limited. The subscription tier is free for a limited time …
more…Australia will tomorrow become the first democratic country in the world to ban children from using social media. However, it seems unlikely to be the last, as many other legislators around the world have expressed concern about the mental health harms that may be done to teenagers by social media.
Reddit is seeking to get ahead of the game by implementing new teen safety features globally instead of only within Australia …
more…You almost have to feel sorry for Alan Dye at this point. It was pretty clear he expected news of his departure from Apple to be something of a bombshell, and Meta clearly thought their acquisition of Apple’s former VP of Human Interface Design would be perceived as a coup.
Instead, the prevailing opinion among Apple commenters appears to be succinctly summarized as a collective sigh of relief …
more…The saga of a mandatory government security app which Apple and Google had to preinstall on their phones didn’t last long after Apple refused to play ball.
The Indian government had already backed down on preventing iPhone owners from deleting the “security” app, and has now made a complete U-turn in the space of just 48 hours …
more…Saturday’s Major League Soccer championship match between Inter Miami and the Whitecaps will incorporate footage from four iPhones. Apple previously used iPhones to capture live game footage during two Friday Night Baseball broadcasts.
MLS said that the weekend telecast will involve the league’s largest ever set of cameras, giving fans access to an unprecedented range of angles …
more…Most of the major streaming music services now offer their own version of the annual Spotify Wrapped feature, providing insights into our most listened to songs and artists.
Yesterday saw the unveiling of Apple Music Replay 2025, after YouTube Music rolled out its own take, and now Spotify Wrapped 2025 has landed – this year with a new party feature …
more…Apple has frequently used small variations on the same one-sentence justification when giving in to government demands that conflict with the company’s stated values: “Apple complies with the law in each of the countries in which it operates.”
However, there are occasions on which the company has instead chosen to stand up to unreasonable government demands, and we yesterday saw the latest (and highly successful) example …
more…A well-known security researcher reports that Apple has slashed its bounties for finding vulnerabilities in macOS. Many have been halved, with one of them reduced from over $30k to just $5k, despite a growing problem with Mac malware.
Csaba Fitzl, principal macOS security researcher at Iru, says it suggests Apple doesn’t really care about the Mac, and increases the likelihood that vulnerabilities will be sold on the black market instead of reported to the company …
more…Apple’s Tap to Pay on iPhone is intended to offer the ultimate in convenience and affordability for small businesses looking to accept contactless payment from both mobile wallets and physical cards.
The feature is today continuing its global rollout, with Singapore the latest country to get the technology …
more…Buying a Mac Pro makes absolutely no sense at the moment given that the Mac Studio is more powerful while also being substantially cheaper.
But if you secretly lust after one anyway, then a cute $50 case can make an M4 Mac Mini look just like a miniature Mac Pro – with a couple of practical benefits thrown in …
more…There’s been growing pressure to protect children from age-inappropriate content in both apps and websites at both state and federal levels.
Moves to shift the responsibility from individual developers to app stores is gaining momentum, and that’s reflected in a new proposed law: the App Store Accountability Act …
more…OpenAI CEO Sam Altman once described the idea of embedded ChatGPT ads as “unsettling” and “a last resort,” but there are now multiple indications that they are on the way.
It had been previously reported that the company was considering ads appearing in the AI chatbot, at least for free users, and code has now been spotted which points to preparation for this …
more…The Indian government has ordered Apple and other smartphone manufacturers to pre-install a state-owned “security” app on all phones before they are sold to users. Update: As we predicted, Apple has pushed back, but more aggressively by stating outright that it will not comply.
Adding fuel to the privacy fire, the government is also requiring smartphone makers to ensure that the app cannot be removed by users …
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