The everyday tech stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
Two lawsuits say delivery robots from Coco and Serve measured customers' faces and hands and used the data for AI. Both companies deny it.
Read more: Delivery robots accused of scanning customers' faces and handsPhotographer Tyler Stalman says most people will not spot the iPhone Duo's main camera gap with the iPhone 18 Pro, though the selfie camera does fall short.
Read more: A pro photographer reviews the new iPhone Duo camerasCoast Dental will pay $3.84 million over texts and calls that allegedly kept coming after people replied stop. Eligible people can claim cash or a voucher.
Read more: Coast Dental to pay $3.84M over texts sent after patients said stopApple raised the MacBook Neo from $599 to $699 in June, but CNET's review says it is still a near-perfect first Mac for students and budget buyers.
Read more: Apple's cheapest MacBook now costs $699 and is still a strong buyUber is offering some drivers hundreds of dollars in bonuses before the holidays, a sign it may want more cars on the road. Here is what the offers look like.
Read more: Uber is offering some drivers hundreds of dollars in holiday bonusesOpenAI is bringing ads to free ChatGPT in 26 more countries, and more than 100,000 advertisers have already run campaigns there.
Read more: ChatGPT ads are spreading to 26 more countriesNews publishers are split on AI: some are suing the companies that build it, while others are signing deals. The outcome could shape what AI knows about the news.
Read more: News publishers split: some sue AI firms, others sign dealsA writer turned a $120 used HP laptop and open-source software into a home media server for shows and music, built in one afternoon.
Read more: A $120 used laptop became his own home streaming serviceVodafone's owner says 98% of the scam calls it studied came through one internet phone firm. The firm says stopping them is hard. Here is what it means for you.
Read more: Vodafone says 24 million scam calls came through one phone firmScammers posing as Fairfield police say you missed court and face arrest. Police say a real officer will never ask for payment by phone to cancel a warrant.
Read more: Fake police calls in Fairfield claim you missed court and face arrestTP-Link says it would spend nearly $1 billion to build routers in the US, but only if the FCC grants a waiver. Here is what that means if you shop for Wi-Fi gear.
Read more: TP-Link offers to build routers in Mississippi, with strings attachedNetflix is finding it harder to add subscribers and keep viewers watching, and an analyst says cheaper ad plans may be its best path to growth.
Read more: Netflix leans on cheaper ad plans as new subscriber growth slowsApple's foldable iPhone Duo can use its inner screen as a ring light on video calls, a setting first seen on Macs last year.
Read more: The iPhone Duo's inner screen can act as a ring light on video callsA $25 billion penalty against Meta, over claims it misled users about privacy, is a reminder to check what your social apps actually do with your data.
Read more: Meta must pay $25 billion over misleading users about privacyIndia has told Meta to pause WhatsApp usernames over scam fears. Names that copy real agencies could make fake accounts harder to spot.
Read more: India tells Meta to hold off on WhatsApp usernames over scam fearsAndroid Authority reports Gemini will get one hub for apps and skills, so you could control what the assistant can do in a single spot.
Read more: Gemini is getting one place to add apps and new abilitiesOpenAI is adding Locked Chats to ChatGPT, a way to hide private conversations behind a PIN or Face ID. It is not full encryption, so the limits matter.
Read more: ChatGPT adds new protection for your private messagesCode in an Android 17 beta suggests Pixel phones could light your face with the screen so face unlock works in the dark, but Google has not announced it.
Read more: Google tests using your Pixel screen as a light for face unlockThe Financial Times examines a possible Tesla and SpaceX merger. It could change how much say ordinary shareholders have, and what their shares are worth.
Read more: A Tesla and SpaceX merger would put Musk's companies under one roofUnited's CEO says Starlink Wi-Fi is pulling in flyers loyal to other airlines, and the airline now has a tracker to show which flights have it.
Read more: United says in-flight Starlink Wi-Fi is winning over loyal flyers of rival airlinesSome Android phones, mostly Samsung, show a Google Play system update with a future date. It looks like a display glitch, but it is worth a quick check.
Read more: Some Android phones show a Google update dated in the futureSamsung now sells its own refurbished Galaxy phones on Amazon, starting at $489, with a one-year warranty that third-party sellers do not offer.
Read more: Samsung now sells its own refurbished Galaxy phones on AmazonGalaxy A56 and A57 owners who install One UI 9 can now send photos and files straight to iPhones, iPads and Macs without email or messaging apps.
Read more: Some Samsung Galaxy A phones can now send files to iPhonesSamsung's One UI 9 update is tied to a web error and to phones freezing at startup. Samsung has a workaround for one problem, but not yet a full fix.
Read more: Samsung's big phone update brings bugs, and one has a workaround
