The everyday tech stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
Scam callers are posing as the Chickasaw County Sheriff's Office and demanding money for an overdue balance, and the calls may show a local number.
Read more: Sheriff warns of fake deputy calls demanding paymentAndroid quietly reworks your music before it reaches your headphones. Engadget explains how to switch off extra effects and when a USB-C adapter helps.
Read more: How to get better sound from your Android phone and headphonesBermuda police warn that scammers posing as bank fraud investigators are talking people into installing AnyDesk, then moving money out of their accounts.
Read more: Fake bank agents are tricking people into handing over their screensAARP Washington wants a statewide ban on crypto ATMs, saying scammers use them to move stolen cash fast and out of reach.
Read more: AARP Wants Washington State to Ban Crypto ATMs Used in ScamsAndroid quietly gives Google's DNS a second route on public Wi-Fi. AdGuard, NextDNS and other ad-blocking DNS picks can leave a phone offline.
Read more: Android gives Google's DNS a backup route that ad blockers don't getA New Jersey radio host says a store manager told him card machines differ on purpose to slow thieves. It is one claim, not a confirmed reason, but holiday shoppers should slow down.
Read more: Why every card machine at the store works a little differentlyAnker's MagGo Power Bank 2 Pro snaps onto a phone's back, but a review says it works best with iPhones. Android owners should check first.
Read more: Anker's new MagGo power bank is great, but Android phones miss outNews.com.au reports an Australian's bank account was emptied in minutes. The details are thin, but a few quick settings in your banking app can limit the damage.
Read more: Australian's bank account emptied within minutesA hidden one-pixel image lets anyone, even a stranger, see when you open their email. Turning off automatic images in your email app stops most of it.
Read more: Anyone can see when you open their email. Here is how to stop itTexts claiming to be FedEx, about a parcel you never ordered, follow a known scam pattern. The link behind them is built to collect card details, logins or a download.
Read more: Fake FedEx texts about parcels you never ordered are a known scamApple has passed Nvidia as the world's most valuable company, as investors look for safer bets while worries grow over AI spending.
Read more: Apple is once again the world's most valuable companyRumors say Samsung's next phone software, One UI 10, could be renamed Galaxy OS. One writer lists five annoyances he wants gone, and some you can change now.
Read more: Samsung may rename its phone software Galaxy OS, and fans want fixesAndroid Authority picked five upcoming phones it thinks are worth saving for, a useful list if you skipped upgrading this year and your current phone still works.
Read more: Five Android phones coming soon could be worth waiting forA tech writer let a storm soak his garage because no leak sensor sat in the trouble spot. His lesson: keep spares, and know what the sensors can miss.
Read more: Why one writer wishes he had spare water leak sensors at homeFactory's Droid 1.0 lets an AI coding helper batch its steps into one script, which the company says cuts tokens, cost and wait time. The tests are unverified.
Read more: Factory's Droid 1.0 AI coding helper does the same work with far lessAn Android Authority reviewer says OPPO's earbuds beat Google's Pixel Buds Pro 2 on one thing: how well they fit in the ear.
Read more: A reviewer picks OPPO's earbuds over Google's Pixel Buds Pro 2 for fitSamsung's first AI glasses go on sale in Korea and the US in mid-December. They translate and give directions by voice, but the price is still unknown.
Read more: Samsung will sell its first AI smart glasses in mid-DecemberGPT Image 2 powers ChatGPT Images 2.0, but a newer model has already replaced it. Anyone paying for AI images should check which version they are using.
Read more: ChatGPT Images 2.0: what it does, what it costs, what came nextA repeated 'Write with Siri' prompt in Apple's new iOS 27 and macOS 27 is annoying some users, and Fast Company says it can be switched off in settings.
Read more: How to turn off the 'Write with Siri' prompt on iPhone and MacAn Android Authority writer says Samsung's stock camera app limits control, and a downloadable alternative fixes it. Here is what that means for your photos.
Read more: A writer swaps Samsung's built-in camera app for one with more controlExperts say the old tricks for spotting AI fakes, like counting fingers, no longer work. Checking the source and your own reaction is now the better defense.
Read more: Spotting fake AI images by their flaws no longer works, experts sayOpenAI turned on automatic ad changes for all ChatGPT Ads campaigns on Oct. 30. Advertisers who do nothing may see their ads reworded and relinked.
Read more: ChatGPT now rewrites advertisers' ads on its own unless they opt outNo one can say yet whether mycoverageinfo.com is a scam. If insurance calls or texts followed a web form, treat them as unverified.
Read more: Insurance calls after a web form: what we could and could not confirmMicrosoft skipped its Copilot seat count and now bills by usage. New partner-bought licenses switch on December 1, so know who watches the meter.
Read more: Workplace AI is now billed by use, not just per person
