The everyday tech stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
Fake Apple Pay charge texts and calls from fake Apple Support are after your codes and money. Apple Pay itself has not been hacked.
Read more: Fake Apple Pay alerts are tricking iPhone users into handing over codesTom's Guide shares seven ChatGPT prompts for comparing products, spotting hidden costs and finding cheaper options before holiday shopping starts.
Read more: Seven ways to use ChatGPT to avoid overpaying for techOpenAI's CEO met Samsung's top leaders in South Korea about memory chips, a sign the supply squeeze could lift prices for phones, laptops and AI tools.
Read more: OpenAI's Sam Altman meets Samsung leaders as chip shortage growsFake forex firms with no UAE office are cold calling residents and draining savings. Victims lost between Dh36,500 and Dh180,000 each.
Read more: Fake forex brokers in the UAE cold call victims and take millionsFake Geek Squad invoices push you to call a number within about a day. The call can end with a stranger on your computer and real money gone from your bank.
Read more: Fake Geek Squad invoice emails want you to call a scam numberResearchers showed a booby-trapped ChatGPT share link could read a signed-in user's private chats. OpenAI has fixed it, and users need to do nothing.
Read more: A shared ChatGPT link could have exposed private chatsEvery iPhone has a built-in Background Sounds setting that can cover small noises that wake light sleepers. It costs nothing and needs no app.
Read more: A free iPhone setting can mask the noises that wake you at nightHuge AI data centers can push up electric bills for people who live miles away, and some states are now making the companies pay more of the cost.
Read more: AI data centers can raise your electric bill even if none is nearbyOpenAI's Dot agent can now start text conversations on iPhone and Android, but only for US Pro subscribers, and the iPhone route rests on shaky ground.
Read more: ChatGPT's AI helper can now text you first on iPhone and AndroidWhatsApp is rolling out a new layout on iPhone and Android, and iPhone users are seeing green where the app used to be blue.
Read more: WhatsApp redesign turns iPhone app green and annoys some usersA privacy nonprofit is asking the FCC to protect people from unwanted political robocalls, which could mean fewer interruptions and fewer scams.
Read more: Privacy group asks FCC to stop unwanted political robocallsAARP is placing an inflatable couch around New York City so unpaid family caregivers can rest and share their stories, which could shape its push for people 50 and older.
Read more: AARP Puts an Inflatable Couch in New York City for Unpaid CaregiversGoogle says it has identified the fast battery drain hitting Pixel Watch owners and is working on a fix, though it has not said when it will arrive.
Read more: Google says a fix is coming for Pixel Watch battery drainA tech writer used Claude and the free Rainmeter tool to make custom desktop widgets on Windows 11 in minutes, with no coding background.
Read more: He built custom Windows desktop widgets with Claude in minutesDarkbloom let Mac owners rent out their computers to run AI jobs. Falling AI prices mean pay is low, and older Macs may not be worth running.
Read more: Renting out your Mac to AI companies now pays far less than hopedBedrock Robotics raised $600M for excavators that dig with no one in the cab, a sign of how much money is chasing a shortage of skilled operators.
Read more: Diggers with no driver are suddenly a hot bet for investorsOllie, an AI assistant that helped families manage email, calendars and bills, shuts down November 6. Users should save their data and watch for refund steps.
Read more: Ollie, the AI assistant built to protect your privacy, is closingSuno now lets you write and generate songs by chatting with ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini, though the tool is in beta and needs an early-access sign-up.
Read more: Suno lets you make songs inside ChatGPT, Claude and GeminiA How-To Geek writer lists five Samsung settings that let you hand over your phone for calls without exposing photos, messages or bank codes.
Read more: Five Samsung settings to change before you lend your phonePCMag's updated review of McAfee Total Protection praises its scam defense but calls the price steep, a trade-off worth weighing before you buy.
Read more: McAfee Total Protection scores well on scam defense but costs a lotSeminole County's court clerk shut its offices after a cyberattack on its computer system, which could slow filings, records requests and payments for local residents.
Read more: Florida county court clerk closes offices after cyberattackHalloween beat New Year's Eve and St. Patrick's Day for US ride-hailing demand last year, and a Saturday Halloween this year could mean another big night.
Read more: Halloween is the busiest day of the year for Uber and Lyft driversA new method finds the harmless-looking training examples that weaken a chatbot's safety, and removing them cut one jailbreak attack's success by up to 22%.
Read more: Researchers find the training examples that make AI chatbots easier to trickSamsung says demand for memory chips will far exceed supply in 2027 as AI spending grows, which could keep prices up for phones, computers and online services.
Read more: Samsung says the memory chip shortage will get worse in 2027
