The everyday tech stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
Google Wallet may add an optional setting that makes tap-to-pay safer but slower, giving you a say in how much hassle you accept.
Read more: Google Wallet may let you choose safer tap-to-pay over speedVigilo, a Toronto startup, screens an older relative's calls, texts and email for scams in the background, and it is now available in Canada and the US.
Read more: New service screens scam calls, texts and emails for aging parentsGermany says officials who got an Apple threat notice should assume their iPhones are compromised, a warning that applies to any user who sees one.
Read more: Germany tells politicians to treat their iPhones as hackedHackers pushed false nuclear warnings through Ukraine's emergency alert app, and Russia says its own alert app was also attacked. Here is what to know.
Read more: Hackers send fake nuclear warnings to phones in UkraineSmart lights and plugs that keep dropping off Wi-Fi often point to an overloaded router or a mismatched setup, and Engadget lists the fixes.
Read more: Why your smart lights and plugs keep dropping off Wi-FiOpenAI hired Charles Porch, a famed Hollywood and tech connector, to make AI more popular with celebrities and the public. Here is what that means for you.
Read more: OpenAI hires a celebrity connector to make AI less unpopularWhatsApp added four group features, including one that lets a member send past messages to a newcomer. Admins may want to decide whether to allow it.
Read more: WhatsApp groups get four updates, including sharing past messagesThe Better Business Bureau says scammers are posing as insurers during open enrollment, when families and business owners are choosing health plans.
Read more: Better Business Bureau warns of health insurance scams this seasonOpenAI plans to merge usage limits for ChatGPT and its coding tool Codex, so chat and code work may draw from one allowance. Paying users should check.
Read more: OpenAI to combine ChatGPT and Codex usage limitsApple's iPadOS 27.2 update cuts the steps needed to run two apps side by side on an iPad, which helps anyone who juggles work or study.
Read more: iPad update makes it easier to put two apps side by sideThe FTC is asking people to report fake ads that copy trusted brands and agencies, because one wrong click can cost you money or personal details.
Read more: The FTC wants to hear about fake ads pretending to be real brandsDoorDash wants to buy Instacart for $17 billion. Together they would hold most U.S. delivery app spending, while Amazon and Uber push for faster delivery.
Read more: DoorDash plans to buy Instacart for $17 billion, taking on AmazonAT&T lost call and text records for 109 million customers in 2024, and carriers can keep such records for years. Here is what that means for you.
Read more: Your phone carrier may keep your call records for yearsA Korean report says Samsung's first smart glasses could launch in the US and South Korea in mid-December, but the price is still unknown.
Read more: Samsung's first smart glasses may arrive in mid-DecemberAARP warns that robocall scammers can fake caller ID, so a local or familiar number is no proof a call is safe. Letting unknown numbers ring protects your money.
Read more: Robocalls can be scams, and a familiar number does not mean it's safeWhatsApp is rolling out tappable phone numbers, dates, addresses and emails in chats, which saves copying and pasting. The company says processing stays on your phone.
Read more: WhatsApp will turn phone numbers and addresses in chats into tappable linksA new plug-in adds legal business tools to ChatGPT Enterprise. If you work with lawyers, it raises fair questions about AI and client privacy.
Read more: A new add-on brings legal work tools into ChatGPT EnterpriseFake MyChart emails and texts promise a free Medicare health kit, then ask for card numbers or logins. Your real MyChart account was not hacked.
Read more: Fake MyChart messages offer a free Medicare kit to steal your infoResearchers found a serious security flaw in ChatGPT that could let attackers see private conversations. Here is what is known and what to do.
Read more: A ChatGPT flaw let attackers reach people's private conversationsOpenAI plans to fold ChatGPT's Chat and Work tabs into one screen, and a shared usage pool could mean more waiting for limits to reset.
Read more: ChatGPT is combining its Chat and Work tabs into one screenA slow, warm phone with fast-draining battery after an update is usually temporary background work, and a few free fixes can help if it lingers.
Read more: Your phone may feel slow and warm after an update, but it usually passesCanva has released its free Affinity design app for iPad, with sketching, vector art, photo editing and page layout in one place. AI extras cost money.
Read more: Canva's free Affinity design app now works on iPadThe FTC says scammers are calling as agency staff, claiming your phone number was used in international crime, then handing you to fake police.
Read more: Fake FTC callers say your phone number was used in a crimeA man in Puente Genil, Spain, gave bank details to a fake Iberdrola caller using a +400 number. Police say the new prefix does not prove a call is real.
Read more: Scam callers pose as a power company using Spain's new 400 phone prefix
