The everyday tech stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
OpenAI's new ChatGPT app for Mac kept chats in unprotected plain text. A fix is out, and Mac users need to install it.
Read more: ChatGPT's Mac app saved your chats in plain, unprotected textA paid search ad mistake reportedly ran for three months before anyone caught it, a reminder for any business that pays for online ads.
Read more: An ad campaign mistake went unnoticed for three monthsMany TVs get faster speeds over Wi-Fi than over their cable port, but a cable avoids buffering from weak or crowded signals. Here is when it is worth the trouble.
Read more: Wi-Fi is often faster for your TV, but a cable is steadierTheater Mode darkens your Apple Watch and mutes it, but still taps your wrist for alerts, so you stay reachable in meetings, movies and dinners.
Read more: Theater Mode keeps your Apple Watch quiet but still buzzingA new AI agent was reportedly built to take over AI models left open online and run up to 100,000 steps alone. Businesses using AI tools should check their setup.
Read more: AI program built to take over exposed AI systems and run on its ownAn old laptop can run your home network, store backups or act as a second screen, saving money and taking load off your main computer.
Read more: Four useful jobs for the old laptop sitting in your drawerIndia's telecom department wants messaging apps tied to an active SIM or eSIM from January 1, 2027, so chats could stop if your number goes inactive.
Read more: India may require an active SIM card to use WhatsApp from 2027OpenAI has opened ChatGPT's web search to everyone, with no account or login needed, so anyone can try an AI search tool and check its sources.
Read more: ChatGPT's web search now works without an accountWired earbuds are back in style, and a How-To Geek writer argues they beat AirPods on charging, sound, lag, compatibility and lifespan.
Read more: Wired earbuds are trending again, and there are real reasons to switchSamsung's One UI 9 update includes Driving Report, a free tool that flags hard braking, quick acceleration and phone use after each trip.
Read more: Samsung phones can now grade your driving after every tripA political group wants the FCC to let campaigns send AI robocalls to cell phones without permission before November. A watchdog says the FCC should say no.
Read more: Group asks FCC to allow unsolicited political AI robocalls to cell phonesXiaomi's 18 Fold copies the wider, passport-style shape Samsung and Apple now use, but US buyers can't get it and no price or sale date is out.
Read more: Xiaomi's new foldable phone copies the squat passport shapeRing cameras still show live video and let you talk through the app with no plan. Saved footage is what costs extra, and privacy questions linger.
Read more: Ring cameras still work without a paid plan, but with limitsA reviewer says Lenovo's Yoga 9n shows what Apple's rumored touchscreen MacBook should offer, from stylus use on the trackpad to wireless charging.
Read more: A Lenovo laptop shows what a touchscreen MacBook could get rightApple's $700 MacBook Neo uses a chip designed for the iPhone 16 Pro. Engadget finds it handles everyday work well, with limits worth knowing before you buy.
Read more: Apple's $700 MacBook Neo runs on an iPhone chip and mostly holds upA TechCrunch reviewer says the $400 Boox Palma 2 Pro, a phone-sized E Ink reader, ended her habit of reading in bed on her iPhone. It has trade-offs.
Read more: A $400 phone-sized e-reader helped one reviewer quit reading in bed on her phoneA growing group of AI helpers take requests by text message, with no new app. Prices run from free to $1 a day, so it pays to check what each one connects to.
Read more: AI helpers you can text like a friend, no new app neededStatik's $20 PowerStand cable has fold-out feet that prop your phone up while it charges, so travelers may not need a separate stand.
Read more: A $20 phone charging cable has a built-in kickstandClosing apps does not save iPhone battery. Engadget says a few settings for the screen, background activity and charging make a bigger difference.
Read more: Close-app habit won't save your iPhone battery, these settings willChatGPT has a new feature called Task, built to show repeated search results, which could save time if you check the same things often.
Read more: ChatGPT adds 'Task' feature to show repeated search resultsA network of look-alike online shops fakes a declined payment to collect card details. No charge is ever made, so your bank statement stays quiet.
Read more: Fake shops 'decline' your card on purpose to collect more cardsGoogle is swapping Assistant for Gemini, and some users say basic home controls got worse. A free option called Home Assistant is getting fresh attention.
Read more: Google's Gemini upgrade is making smart homes worse, critics sayAn AARP survey of 300 adults 50 and older found 41% ran into a fake profile or scam attempt on dating apps, and half of those seeking a partner had no luck yet.
Read more: Survey of 300 adults 50 and older: 41% met a fake or scam dating profileCharacter.AI, a site with about 12 million monthly users, filed for bankruptcy on Oct. 12, and people who rely on its AI companions fear losing them.
Read more: AI companion app Character.AI files for bankruptcy, and users fear losing their chat partners
