The everyday tech stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
Google skips the power adapter in the box, and a leftover one may slow your Pixel. A charger under $20 with the right specs can fix it.
Read more: Your Pixel may be charging at half speed with the wrong power brickiOS 27.2 gives HomePods an animated light show, lets you lock the touch controls, and adds profiles to the TV app so kids stay out of your queue.
Read more: iOS 27.2 adds HomePod light show and TV app profilesChrome now shows a warning before an insecure site loads, so you can back out before typing a password or card number on a page that may not protect it.
Read more: Chrome will now warn you before you open an insecure websiteA writer with work and personal lines on one Samsung phone cut SIM prompts from about 35 to 3 in five days with two settings Samsung barely points out.
Read more: Two hidden Samsung settings cut my SIM pop-ups from 35 to 3Waymo now runs driverless rides to and from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, though only a few riders can use the service at first.
Read more: Waymo's driverless cars can now take you to the Las Vegas airportMicrosoft built a cleaner Windows 11 for developers, but it needs special hardware. A free script gets close, though it adds coding tools most people don't need.
Read more: Microsoft's clutter-free Windows 11 is only for special developer PCsBroadcom launched Arcot Scam Defense, a tool that lets banks block an online card payment you approved if it looks like you were being manipulated.
Read more: Broadcom adds a second check to stop card scams you approve yourselfWikipedia and the Internet Archive had outages Wednesday morning. Wikimedia blames new flaws in PHP, software that runs a huge share of websites.
Read more: Internet Archive and Wikipedia hit by outages on WednesdayFrance's cyber agency chief says criminals took over retailers' smart fridges through weak passwords and missing protection, not advanced hacking.
Read more: Hackers took over French retailers' smart fridges using weak passwordsiOS 27 adds a setting that lets banking apps ask your iPhone if a scam may be in progress. It is off by default, so you have to switch it on.
Read more: iOS 27 can warn apps when a phone scam may be in progressYouTube plans to limit hacked channels used for fake celebrity livestreams, a move meant to cut off a tool scammers rely on to spread fake videos.
Read more: YouTube to limit hacked channels used for fake celebrity livestreamsAARP Illinois runs free online scam-awareness talks and is recruiting volunteers to share what they learn with friends, family and neighbors.
Read more: AARP Illinois Volunteers Teach Neighbors How to Spot ScamsAndroid Authority calls OPPO's Find X10 Pro Max possibly the best phone ever made, but the high price means buyers should weigh what they will really use.
Read more: OPPO's Find X10 Pro Max is a top Android phone, but it costs a lotA How-To Geek writer lists five smart home automations that use bulbs, phones and gadgets you already have, from sun-matched lighting to saving heat in an empty house.
Read more: Five smart home upgrades you can set up with devices you already ownAn Android Police writer says five free Gmail filters, set up once on a computer, kept important messages from getting buried under promotions and newsletters.
Read more: Five Gmail filters that keep important emails out of the newsletter pilePhone batteries made with silicon and carbon store more power in the same space, and Android Authority says Apple and Samsung have not caught up.
Read more: Newer phone batteries hold more power, and Apple and Samsung lagApple's rebuilt Siri can sort email, read your screen and add a whole schedule to your calendar, but some of the best features sit in settings.
Read more: Apple's new Siri can read your screen, sort your email and moreSamsung's 27-inch Odyssey G80HF 5K gaming monitor is $599.99 at Amazon and B&H Photo, $100 below its best earlier price.
Read more: Samsung's sharp 27-inch gaming monitor drops to $599.99, $100 under its bestA report says Google is taking cues from Samsung's screen recorder for Pixel phones, which could make sharing how-tos and saving proof easier.
Read more: Google Pixel phones may get a Samsung-style screen recording featureAndroid keeps a log of dismissed notifications, and a quicker way to open it exists. It could save a message you swiped away by accident.
Read more: There is a faster way to see old Android notificationsRayNeo is selling two kinds of smart glasses in Canada: one acts as a portable big screen, the other translates speech and takes meeting notes.
Read more: RayNeo brings glasses with a giant virtual screen to CanadaA video roundup points to possible price hikes from Jio, Airtel and Vi, a Micromax return, an iQOO16R for India and a WhatsApp reply warning.
Read more: Phone news roundup: price hike talk, Micromax return, new iQOOWhatsApp has a built-in way to move your account to a new number. A little prep keeps your chats and keeps a stranger from getting your old account.
Read more: Changing your WhatsApp number? Do these things firstApple Pencil support for the iPhone Duo arrives next week in iOS 27.2, months sooner than many buyers expected. Only one Pencil model will work.
Read more: Apple Pencil support is coming to iPhone Duo next week
