The everyday tech stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
Google's Pixel phones have a VIPs feature for key contacts, and Android Authority says other Android phones can get a similar setup.
Read more: Get a Pixel-style VIP contacts screen on any Android phoneDiscord will let some public server messages appear in Google from mid-December 2026. Here is who is covered and which setting to check.
Read more: Discord chats from public servers may soon show up in GoogleA startup's Super Mouse has a 3.1 inch touchscreen for app shortcuts and works with Mac and PC. It costs $199 on Kickstarter, with shipping planned for February 2027.
Read more: A startup is selling a computer mouse with its own touchscreenA campaign called Skyw4lker uses fake contracts to get workers to approve a real Microsoft sign-in that hackers started, giving them access to the account.
Read more: Fake contract emails trick workers into approving hackers' Microsoft loginsAndroid Police's Rajesh Pandey says small Android 17 and Chrome changes, like choosing which contacts an app sees, help more than Google's flashy AI features.
Read more: Small Android updates are helping more than Google's big AI toolsLeaks say Samsung may sell six folding phones in 2027, including a cheaper wide Fold and one that slides. None of it is confirmed.
Read more: Samsung may launch six folding phones in 2027, including one that slidesAndroid Auto now plays YouTube video while parked, adds home-screen widgets and supports Dolby Atmos sound. Here is what you need and which cars get it first.
Read more: Android Auto quietly added YouTube, widgets and Dolby soundAndroid Authority says fan-cooled phones are a trend to avoid, so ask whether you play demanding games enough to justify paying extra for one.
Read more: Phone makers want to add cooling fans, and one tech site says skip themWhatsApp's two-step verification adds a six-digit PIN, so a stolen text message code alone cannot move your number to a new phone.
Read more: Add a Six-Digit PIN to WhatsApp to Block Account TakeoversSelect Galaxy Watch models and the Galaxy Ring will sort breathing problems during sleep into three levels, which could help people spot sleep apnea sooner.
Read more: Samsung's watches and ring will rate sleep breathing problems in three levelsThe FCC says port-out fraud is rising. Scammers move your phone number to another carrier, and that can give them a way into your money and accounts.
Read more: Scammers can steal your phone number and take over your accountsA new survey says nearly half of Canadians have been targeted online. The details are thin, but the finding is a good reminder to slow down before you click.
Read more: Nearly half of Canadians say they have been targeted onlineTuro, a site where people rent cars from other owners, is betting Tesla's driver-assist software can calm renters who feel nervous in an unfamiliar car.
Read more: Turo Wants Tesla's Self-Driving Software to Help Renters Feel SaferA tech writer says Samsung and Google's Android XR smart glasses are headed for trouble, and asks if glasses as a product are already fading.
Read more: One tech writer says Samsung and Google's smart glasses will flopNew York now bars AI chatbots from posing as human friends to minors, and requires age checks. Here is what changes for teens, parents and chatbot makers.
Read more: New York bans AI chatbots from acting like a friend to kidsA UK report says scams took about £3.2 billion from victims in one year, and fake celebrity romances and an ATM trick are among the methods named.
Read more: Scams in the UK reportedly cost victims £3.2bn in one yearProphecy has announced DataGPT, a product built to work with Claude, ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, so teams may soon use business data inside the AI chat tools they know.
Read more: Prophecy launches tool to use company data inside Claude and ChatGPTProphecy's new DataGPT lets staff run data work inside ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot, with a visible map of the steps behind each answer. A free account is available.
Read more: New tool lets office staff check the steps behind AI spreadsheet answersChatGPT now turns requests for fake election photos into cartoons, which makes them easier to spot before US midterm voters share them.
Read more: ChatGPT now turns fake election photos into cartoonsAnthropic says an unreleased AI model linked software flaws into working attacks on Chrome, Safari, Windows and Linux. All are patched, but updates matter.
Read more: Anthropic's unreleased AI built working hacks for Chrome, Safari and moreThree Android Auto apps add live radar, crowd-sourced gas prices and one-tap parking directions that Google Maps and Waze do not offer on their own.
Read more: Three car dashboard apps that do what Google Maps and Waze can'tA Portuguese store listing puts Motorola's Signature 27 near $1,775, far above last year's model. The price is not official, but buyers may want to wait.
Read more: Motorola's next flagship phone may cost far more than last year'sCNET says Norton VPN has made real progress, but privacy gaps and a $100 yearly renewal jump keep it behind Surfshark, Proton VPN and Windscribe.
Read more: Norton VPN has improved, but CNET still ranks rivals ahead of itA researcher warns that Samsung TVs, even models with no built-in microphone, raise privacy concerns. Samsung's response is not yet clear.
Read more: A researcher says Samsung TVs raise privacy worries, even without mics
