The everyday tech stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
An Android Police writer ditched Chrome for Firefox on his phone because Firefox allows ad blockers and Chrome on mobile does not.
Read more: A writer left Chrome for Firefox on Android to get ad blockersOpenAI added a $200 a month ChatGPT Pro plan for heavy users, and a report says the $20-style Plus price could also climb. Here is what you get and who needs it.
Read more: OpenAI launches a $200 a month version of ChatGPTAn Android Authority writer swapped eight popular Android apps for free, open-source ones. Here is what that means for your phone and your data.
Read more: Free, open-source apps can replace eight popular Android appsA Pixel Watch 5 slipped off a Madrid airport security belt and was found in under 10 minutes thanks to Google's Find Hub. Here is the setting to check.
Read more: She lost her smartwatch at airport security and found it in 10 minutesTwilio says passkeys, a way to log in without a password, are on the rise as reused passwords keep driving break-ins and support costs.
Read more: Passkeys aim to replace the passwords you keep reusingA bug on iPhone let people open WhatsApp's View Once photos and videos again and again. A fix is out, so updating the app matters.
Read more: WhatsApp bug let people replay photos meant to be seen onceA September update fixed the biggest flaws in Pixel VIPs, a home screen widget that gives Pixel owners one-tap access to their closest people.
Read more: Google Pixel's VIP contacts widget is finally worth usingWhatsApp has begun rolling out Communities, which bring many group chats into one place, alongside bigger groups of up to 1,024 people.
Read more: WhatsApp starts rolling out Communities, a hub for many group chatsGmail already includes free tools for sorting mail, tracking tasks, timing messages, reusing text and searching with Gemini. Each takes about a minute to try.
Read more: Five Gmail tools that can save you time every daySafari's side controls squeeze web pages on the $1,999 iPhone Duo's outer screen, and Apple is now asking web developers for ideas to fix it.
Read more: Apple wants to fix cramped websites on its $1,999 foldable iPhoneGoogle's Gemini AI assistant now has its own Mac app, so you can try it without opening a browser tab and compare it with the AI tool you use today.
Read more: Google's Gemini AI assistant now has an app for Mac computersAndroid Authority put Google's best Pixel up against OPPO's Find X10 Pro Max, and camera quality could decide which phone you buy.
Read more: Google's top Pixel faces OPPO's Find X10 Pro Max in a camera showdownScramble Cloud is selling 20TB of encrypted storage for a one-time $349.95, but daily upload limits and the company's newness are worth weighing first.
Read more: A 20TB encrypted cloud storage plan is on sale for a one-time $349.95An Android Authority writer had Gemini and ChatGPT debate the best phone brand. One won, but the writer says it felt hollow. Here is why that matters.
Read more: Two AI chatbots debated the best phone, and one brand wonOppo's new Find X10 Pro, praised for its camera, launched in Europe this week. US shoppers can't buy it, and Chinese phone brands are staying away.
Read more: Oppo's top camera phone is on sale in Europe but not in the USA hacker says he took apart his Samsung TV and found built-in AI that listens. The claim is unconfirmed, but it is a good reason to check your TV's microphone settings.
Read more: Hacker says his Samsung TV has built-in AI that listensChatGPT Slides now lets teams share a deck, edit it together and ask ChatGPT to act on comments, then export to PowerPoint or Google Slides.
Read more: ChatGPT Slides now lets teams build presentations togetherWhatsApp is testing a filter that lists only the chats where someone tagged you or replied to you, so a question meant for you is easier to find.
Read more: WhatsApp tests a filter that shows chats where you were taggedA Tom's Guide test finds the iPhone Duo holds up at 2x zoom, then loses detail fast, trailing even Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 and far behind the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
Read more: iPhone Duo zoom photos fall apart past 2x without a telephoto lensA Tom's Guide test gave ChatGPT and Grok five everyday questions older adults ask. Each won two, and the answers show why exact instructions matter.
Read more: ChatGPT and Grok face off on five everyday questions for older adultsGoogle's NotebookLM and OpenAI's ChatGPT both help with work, but they do different jobs, and the right pick depends on the task at hand.
Read more: NotebookLM or ChatGPT: which AI helper fits your work bestChatGPT's new Locked Chats feature hides selected conversations behind a PIN, but it does not change what OpenAI stores or uses.
Read more: ChatGPT now lets you lock private chats behind a PINMeta has quietly paused an update that critics say would make it easier for software to copy website content, which matters to anyone who publishes online.
Read more: Meta delays an update critics say lets bots copy website contentA New Brunswick health network now lets patients ask an AI chatbot about recovery at any hour, but it can still make mistakes, so symptoms still need a nurse.
Read more: New Brunswick patients can now ask an AI app about their recovery
