The everyday tech stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
Google says a fix is already rolling out for Android Auto connection trouble on Samsung phones running One UI 9, so car screen drops may soon end.
Read more: Google is rolling out a fix for Android Auto trouble on new Samsung phonesApple's new Siri now keeps a history of your chats in its own app. Here is why that matters and how to keep those conversations private.
Read more: How to delete your chats with Apple's new SiriApple will make app developers say if their apps share real-world location or offer dating, so age ratings are more accurate. The rule starts November 16.
Read more: Apple will make apps say if they share location or offer datingApple's $1,999 iPhone Duo sold out fast, and Apple says it cannot yet predict when supply will catch up. Some buyers also report cracked screens.
Read more: Apple's $1,999 foldable iPhone sold out, and there's no restock dateA local sheriff's office is warning families of jail inmates about scam calls that push them to send money fast. Checking with the jail first is the safest move.
Read more: Sheriff's office warns inmate families about scam phone callsWhatsApp is reportedly testing its own cloud for chat backups, with 2GB free and mandatory encryption, which could mean less reliance on Google or Apple.
Read more: WhatsApp Tests Its Own Cloud Storage for Chat BackupsApple says memory costs will keep climbing and would not say whether it will raise prices again, which could matter if you plan to buy a Mac, iPad or iPhone.
Read more: Apple says memory costs will keep rising and won't rule out new price hikesYour iPhone shows a Decline button only when it is unlocked. Two button presses and a few settings let you skip calls without being rude or missing key ones.
Read more: Why your iPhone sometimes hides the decline buttonSamsung's One UI 9 update reached the Galaxy S24 series in October, but several S26 features are missing, and the S24 Ultra appears able to run them.
Read more: Samsung's big phone update skips the best features on the Galaxy S24 UltraChatGPT can now read Apple iMessages, and critics say it breaks user trust. Your texts hold private details, so it is worth checking what the app can see.
Read more: ChatGPT can now read your iMessages, and critics are upsetPolice in Crawley are looking into a fraud report in which someone posing as a detective got jewellery. Here is why it matters and how to protect yourself.
Read more: Police probe report of fake detective getting jewellery in CrawleyThe Brand Constructors launched a service to help contractors appear in AI chatbot answers, as buyers start comparing builders on ChatGPT, Google AI and Gemini.
Read more: Marketing firm helps contractors show up in AI chatbot answersA How-To Geek writer runs a small AI on a Raspberry Pi 5 to search his notes at home, with no subscription and no cloud AI service.
Read more: A small home computer now searches his notes with private AIOpenAI will turn off the old ChatGPT Classic desktop app on January 30, 2027. Switching to the new app keeps your chat history and takes a few minutes.
Read more: OpenAI Will Shut Down the Old ChatGPT Desktop App on Jan. 30, 2027A free phone app can wake a sleeping PC over your home network using Wake-on-LAN, a decades-old feature that needs no extra hardware and no open router.
Read more: Your phone can switch on your PC from across the room for freeGoogle's November 2026 system notes mention photo backup from Android with Quick Share for Windows, but the notes may not mean it has reached your phone yet.
Read more: Google lists phone photo backup to Windows in November updateGoogle is reportedly preparing airport arrival messages in Maps that point travelers to Ask Maps. The prompt is optional, so you can try it or skip it.
Read more: Google Maps may greet you with a message when your plane landsMomentic, a Y Combinator startup, built AI agents that click through web and mobile apps to find bugs, which could save small teams hours of manual checking.
Read more: Momentic launches AI testers that click through your app to find bugsFive Chrome settings, several on by default, can use up memory and storage even after you close the browser. Changing them takes a few minutes.
Read more: Five Chrome settings that may be using up your computer's memoryUber and four partners showed a company could keep cash invested over part of a weekend and still cash out when markets were closed. It was a pilot.
Read more: Uber tests a way to keep company cash earning interest over a weekendApple released tvOS 27.2, a free software update aimed at owners of older Apple TV 4K boxes, so you may get a better device without buying a new one.
Read more: Apple's tvOS 27.2 update gives older Apple TV 4K boxes a fresh startApple's September quarter revenue rose 12% to $114.48 billion, beating forecasts and signaling steady demand for iPhones and services.
Read more: Apple posts record fall quarter sales of $114.48 billionA writer at How-To Geek turned an old Pixel Watch into a small smart home remote for lights and scenes, a use for a gadget that may be sitting in a drawer.
Read more: An old Pixel Watch can double as a tiny smart home remoteAndroid Authority says an everyday phone habit causes more ER visits than texting and driving, though the details are in its original report.
Read more: One phone habit sends more people to the ER than texting and driving
