The everyday tech stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
iOS 27.2 adds a selfie option for confirming you're an adult, so some iPhone users may no longer need a credit card or ID scan.
Read more: iPhone now lets you prove you're an adult with a selfieInstant loan offers on WhatsApp can lead to fake lending apps, hidden fees and misuse of your contacts and photos. Five signs help you spot them.
Read more: Fake loan offers on WhatsApp: 5 warning signs to spot before you tapHeyPolo, a family location app for iPhone and Android, says it deletes location history after seven days and never sells data. The claims come from a sponsor.
Read more: HeyPolo, a family location app that says it won't sell your dataScammers are posing as Madison County, Florida, zoning staff and demanding money by call, text and email. The county says real staff never do that.
Read more: Fake county officials are threatening property owners for moneyT-Mobile's new T-Mix plans arrive in November with monthly credits for perks like Netflix. Single lines may save money, but bigger families could pay more.
Read more: T-Mobile's new T-Mix plans start at $55 and let you pick your perksApple's 27.2 update cuts the delay when a HomePod plays sound from a Mac, which could make a HomePod pair a real option for desk speakers.
Read more: Apple's HomePod can now work as a fast wireless speaker for your MacPolice warn of fake firecracker sales, parcel links and bogus bookings before Diwali. Nationwide online fraud losses topped ₹22,495 crore in 2025.
Read more: Festive scam season: fake sales and parcel links ahead of DiwaliPhotos of Samsung's next folding phone have leaked from nearly every angle, but a report says shoppers won't be able to buy this one.
Read more: Samsung's next folding phone leaks in photos, but you can't buy itOpenAI is giving ChatGPT a visual redesign with buttons, a built-in calculator and adjustable graphs, aimed at making it easier for newcomers to use.
Read more: ChatGPT is getting buttons, graphs and a calculator, not just textApple's iOS 27 promises a more capable Siri and a faster phone for iPhone 11 and newer. It also raises a question about what Siri can see.
Read more: iOS 27 brings a smarter Siri and faster iPhones this fallChatGPT now draws cartoons instead of photo-style images for some election scenes, so fake voting photos are harder to pass off as real before November 3.
Read more: ChatGPT now turns some election images into cartoonsCustom ChatGPT assistants are being retired Dec. 11. If your work depends on one, it could stop working unless you move it first.
Read more: Custom ChatGPT assistants retire Dec. 11: what to do nowAnduril and Qualcomm are making BlueChip, a laptop designed and assembled in the US for industries that want a home-grown supply chain.
Read more: Anduril and Qualcomm Are Building Laptops Made Fully in the USFoldable phones come in two styles, flip and book. Which one fits depends on whether you want pocket size and quick glances or a bigger screen.
Read more: Flip or book-style foldable phone: how to pick the right oneSince October 9, free Gemini accounts get only one model. Here is what you lose, what you keep, and who actually needs the $20 Pro plan.
Read more: Google's free Gemini now gets one basic model; Pro costs $20 a monthOpera One now lets websites and extensions use AI that runs on your own computer, including Apple's built-in model on Macs, with no account or subscription.
Read more: Opera's browser can now run AI on your own Mac, no account neededApple's new 24-inch iMac uses an M6 chip, starts at $1,499 and ships November 6. Apple says it is up to 18x faster than the most popular Intel-based iMac.
Read more: Apple's new iMac gets a faster M6 chip and starts at $1,499Apple's new 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M6 chip costs $1,999 and ships November 6, which gives anyone planning a laptop purchase a price and a date.
Read more: Apple's new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 chip starts at $1,999Apple says a small number of its new foldable iPhone Duo phones have faulty inner screens. Owners should know what to look for and who to call.
Read more: Apple admits some new foldable iPhone screens are failingAdclear, a company that checks ads against advertising rules, has built a tool that works inside Claude and ChatGPT. Details are still thin.
Read more: Adclear lets Claude and ChatGPT check your ads against the rulesA 1.5 kg ASUS gaming laptop earns praise for its screen and build, but a $3,600 to $3,780 price and a weaker graphics chip in some regions give buyers pause.
Read more: ASUS's new thin gaming laptop impresses, but its price stingsA bug on Samsung's Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 may hide VO2 Max from runners who train on a track. Samsung says a fix is coming, but no date has been given.
Read more: Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 has a bug hiding some runners' fitness scoresThe FCC says three TP-Link routers broke power limits and the company may have given false information. Further bans on its products could follow.
Read more: US regulator says three TP-Link routers broke power limitsA survey finds older Americans are far more likely than young adults to say a person tricked by a scammer should absorb the loss, not the bank.
Read more: Older Americans more likely to blame scam victims for their losses
