05-08-25 -

Google Expands Scam Detection on Android Using AI
Google is adding new types of scam detection and protection using on-device AI on Android. Android can already detect scams in progress and warn users in phone calls and messages. Now, the Chrome browser can detect scam-related notifications from ...

05-07-25 -

Android's New Design Guidelines Leaked
Google seems to have accidentally, prematurely published a blog post about its new "Material 3 Expressive" design guidelines for Android. The new templates feature a bolder design with floating toolbars, larger buttons, more color, and m...

05-06-25 -

Samsung Wallet Will Let You Tap Phones to Pay a Friend
Later this month, an update to Samsung Wallet will enable direct peer-to-peer (P2P) cash payments between Samsung phones. The feature requires that both phones have a Visa or Mastercard debit card stored in their Wallet, and moves money directly f...

05-05-25 -

Class-Action Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of iOS Developers
Following a judge's ruling last week that Apple has been in contempt of an earlier injunction ruling regarding its App Store fees, law firm Hagens Berman has started a class-action lawsuit on behalf of iOS developers. "The lawsuit’s named p...

05-02-25 -

Apple Updates App Store Rules in US to Comply with Court Order, Developers React
Apple has officially updated its rules and practices for its App Store in the US to allow commission-free third-party payments. This follows a court order on Wednesday demanding such. Apple will no longer demand a cut of payments made through non-...

04-30-25 -

Apple Reprimanded for Illegally Taking a Cut of Third-Party Payments
In the ongoing saga of the Epic Games v. Apple legal case over Apple's App Store fees and rules, the judge has ordered Apple to immediately stop collecting fees on purchases made outside of apps. Further, Apple is no longer allowed to restrict how...

04-30-25 -

Android Now Supports Digital Credentials Among Apps and Websites
Google announced that the Credential Manager component of Android now supports the OpenID4 industry standard for digital credentials. Android's implementation extends existing digital state ID technology to the whole Android ecosystem, allowing an...

04-29-25 -

FCC Cracking Down on Another Loophole Used by Robocallers
The FCC is proposing that all phone calls within the US must maintain caller ID authentication info even when passing through non-IP networks. This will will close a key loophole used by malicious robocallers to disguise their identity and avoid d...

04-29-25 -

Google Improves Age Verification in Google Wallet
Google is rolling out new features in Wallet that make it easier for web sites and apps to verify minimum age in a way that preserves user privacy. The features are tied to digital ID cards, and implement Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP), a best-practic...

04-28-25 -

Nothing Debuts CMF Phone 2 Pro
Nothing has revealed the CMF Phone 2 Pro, its second phone under its CMF (Color, Material, Finish) sub-brand. Unlike the first CMF phone, this model has decent support for key US network frequency bands (4G and 5G). However, Nothing is still selli...

04-25-25 -

T-Mobile Launches 5G Advanced
T-Mobile announced that it is the first US carrier to roll out new 5G technologies from the 3GPP release 18 standard (also known as 5G Advanced) nationwide. This includes new low-latency technology such as Low Latency, Low Loss, Scalable throughpu...

04-25-25 -

Boost is the Third US Carrier to Offer a TCL NXTPAPER Phone
Boost is now offering the TCL 50 XL NXTPAPER 5G, with TCL's unique "NXTPAPER" matte-finish display technology. Spectrum and C Spire also offer NXTPAPER phones.

04-24-25 -

Verizon Dedicates 5G Network Capacity to First Responders
Verizon is rolling out network slicing — a new technology introduced with 5G — for first responders, starting with 30 markets around the country. This will give first responders a certain amount of guaranteed network access no matter how bus...

04-24-25 -

Hands On with the 2025 Moto razr Lineup
Motorola has new razr flip foldable phones for 2025, and this year there are three — including, perhaps for the first time — a truly flagship-class model. They have a whole lot in common with last year's models, and in fact are difficult to te...

04-24-25 -

Moto Intros razr Ultra, its New Flagship Foldable
Motorola has introduced a fully flagship-level foldable phone with the new razr Ultra. It borrows its design from the existing razr+, with the only obvious external difference being a new AI button on the side, and new finish options including bru...

04-24-25 -

Hands On with Anker's Largest "Pocket Size" Power Bank
Anker is well-known for phone chargers, "power bank" battery-powered portable chargers, and charging cables. They have a new flagship power bank for phones — and even larger devices like tablets and laptops — that looks compelling....

04-24-25 -

TSMC Unveils New, Industry-Leading Chip-Making Process
TSMC has announced its next microchip manufacturing process "node", which it calls A14, equivalent to a 1.4-namometer (nm) scale. Compared to its N2 (2nm) process — entering volume production later this year — A14 "will offer up...

04-22-25 -

Xfinity Mobile Upgrades Plans, Offers Free Year on Second Line
Xfinity Mobile has launched a new premium plan and added new deals that apply to all plans. The new Unlimited Premium plan replaces Unlimited Plus at the same $50/month price for the first line ($30/month for additional lines). This plan now inclu...

04-22-25 -

Metro's New, Simpler Plans are Mostly a Better Deal
Metro by T-Mobile has rolled out new service plans, with some improving in value, but some changing for the worse. At the low end, the company keeps a Starter plan with 10 GB of high-speed data for $40 (with auto-pay, $5 extra in the first month),...

04-22-25 -

T-Mobile Simplifies Plans
T-Mobile is eliminating two of its cheaper service plans: Essentials Saver and Go5G, while replacing Go5G Plus with Experience More, and replacing the top-end Go5G Next with Experience Beyond. The existing Essentials plan remains unchanged, and be...

04-21-25 -

Two New "Mindful" Phones Sport E-Paper Displays
This month, both Minimal and Mudita have launched new minimalist phones that are designed to discourage excessive screen time primarily by having the main touch display use e-ink / e-paper display technology, which is typically slow to refresh and...

04-17-25 -

Meta Disables Apple Intelligence in Facebook and Other Apps
Meta has apparently disabled Apple Intelligence features in Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp. This includes writing tools and Genmoji. App developers can opt out of Apple Intelligences for their iOS apps, and Meta appears to have done ju...

04-17-25 -

Google Rolls Out Free Gemini Live with Vision to All Android Users
Google is expanding the free version of its Gemini AI app for Android to include Gemini Live with camera and screen share. This lets you ask Gemini about anything on your phone's screen, or anything your phone's camera can see.

04-15-25 -

Chipolo's New Bluetooth Tracker is Cross-Platform
Chipolo has introduced its newest Bluetooth tracking tag: the Chipolo Pop. Following Pebblebee, Chipolo has made its new trackers cross-platform, meaning they work with either Apple Find My or Google's Find My Device network. The Pop has a simple ...

04-14-25 -

Samsung Updates its Rugged Enterprise Phone
Samsung today announced the Galaxy XCover7 Pro, its newest rugged phone targeted at business customers across various industries. Compared to the XCover6 it replaces, it sports a much newer Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset, and larger battery at 4,350 ...

04-14-25 -

Smartphones in Limbo Under New Tariff Plans
On Friday, US Customs and Border Patrol issued a notice saying that smartphones, computers and some other electronic devices would be exempt from most new tariffs. By the end of the weekend, the administration started to walk back the exemption, w...

04-10-25 -

AT&T Offers Free Pixel Buds with Pixel 9a
The Google Pixel 9a is available starting today from all three major national carriers, as well as US Cellular and Xfinity Mobile. Existing AT&T customers can snag a free pair of Google Pixel Buds A-Series Bluetooth earbuds with their new Pixe...

04-09-25 -

AT&T Ending Email-to-SMS Service
AT&T has put up a new support page stating that the company will switch off its email-to-text and text-to-email gateway. Currently, people can send an email to an address such as [email protected] or [email protected] to send a text...

04-08-25 -

This Year's moto g stylus is a Better Value
Motorola has revealed the 2025 edition of the $400 phone in its lineup: the moto g stylus. This year's model supports super-fast 68W charging, up from 30W last year (the 68W charger is sold separately). Motorola claims the 68W charging can give th...

04-03-25 -

Verizon Promises Free Satellite Text Messaging, 3-Year Price Lock
Verizon today is announcing that all customers on a current myPlan service plan will received guaranteed free satellite text messaging on qualifying devices. The company is also introducing a new three-year price lock guarantee for all myPlan cust...

04-01-25 -

T-Mobile Drops DEI to Get Deals Approved by FCC
The FCC has approved T-Mobile's deal to effectively acquire fiber-to-the-home provider Lumos. New FCC chair Brendan Carr has publicly threatened to block merger & acquisition deals in telecom with companies that promote DEI (Diversity, Equity,...

04-01-25 -

Visible Reshuffles Premium Plans
Visible has tweaked its premium Visible+ plan and added a new, even-more-premium Visible+ Pro plan. (The baseline Visible plan remains unchanged.) The Visible+ plan stays at $35/month (taxes & fees included), but now has unlimited premium 4G a...

03-28-25 -

You'll Soon be Able to Set WhatsApp as Your Default Phone & Messaging App on ...
In iOS 18.2, Apple added an option to designate a third-party app as the default for calling and/or messaging. Now, third-party apps are starting to support the feature, starting with WhatsApp. The latest beta version of WhatsApp can be set as you...

03-27-25 -

The Minimalist Light Phone III Adds a Camera
The Light Phone III is now available for pre-order. This minimalist phone supports basic phone and text messaging features, but does not support apps, social media, or email. A curated set of essential features is designed with privacy in mind. Th...

03-27-25 -

Utah Age-Verification Bill Signed Into Law
Utah Governor Spencer Cox has officially signed a law requiring app stores to verify user's ages and obtain parental consent for users under 18. Apple and Google oppose the law and may still challenge it in court.

03-27-25 -

FCC Proposes Stricter Rules for Vertical Location of 911 Callers
The FCC is drafting new rules that would require cellular service providers to report the vertical location of cell phones calling (or texting) 911 in a more useful measurement of Height Above Ground Level. They are also working to strengthen the ...

03-20-25 -

Spectrum and Xfinity Launch Satellite SOS and Messaging
Spectrum Mobile and Xfinity Mobile have both launched emergency messaging via satellite for the Samsung Galaxy S25 series and Google Pixel 9 series Android phones. In the coming weeks, they will also launch non-emergency text messaging via satelli...

03-19-25 -

Verizon Launches Non-Emergency Satellite Messaging
As announced and promised last August, Verizon is now launching non-emergency text messaging via satellite in cellular dead zones for compatible Android phones. Currently, phones compatible with this NTN technology include the Google Pixel 9 serie...

03-19-25 -

Google Intros Pixel 9a
Google has announced its newest mid-range Pixel phone, the Pixel 9a. At $499, it's significantly more affordable than $799 Pixel 9. Upgrades over last year's Pixel 8a include a display that's 35% brighter, an IP68 water-resistance rating (improved...

03-18-25 -

T-Mobile Reaches New 5G Speed Record
T-Mobile has achieved a record-breaking downlink (download) data speed of 4.3 Gbps on its 5G network using a Samsung Galaxy S25 in real-world conditions. The test leverages T-Mobile's 5G SA (stand-alone) network and six-carrier aggregation (6CA). ...

03-17-25 -

T-Mobile Raising Rates on Old Plans Again
T-Mobile is raising rates on some of its older service plans by $5/line. The company did something similar with a different set of old plans last year. All affected customers should have received notice last Thursday. The company refused to explai...

03-14-25 -

Google Assistant Going 100% AI with Gemini
Google announced plans to infuse its Gemini generative AI into Google Assistant almost everywhere Assistant is available, including older mobile devices. Effectively, Gemini will replace Assistant. The change also applies to other types of devices...

03-14-25 -

Apple Pledges to Support Encryption in New RCS Standard
The RCS industry standard for enhanced messaging has been updated to officially support standardized End-to-End Encryption (E2EE). Further, Apple has committed to support it in future implementations of RCS in iOS. This will greatly improve the se...

03-13-25 -

Android Gaining Support for Auracast with Newer Bluetooth Hearing Aids
The newest beta version of Android introduces a new feature that lets certain supported phones — such as the Pixel 9 series — use Auracast with Bluetooth hearing aids that support it. Auracast is a broadcast audio technology that lets many B...

03-13-25 -

Android 16 Hits Critical Milestone Toward Release
The third public beta version of Android 16 is available now, and brings "platform stability", which means developers can begin finalizing and releasing apps that are specifically designed to be compatible with Android 16. The final vers...

03-08-25 -

New Project Aims to Detect When Police are Using a Stingray
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has released a new software tool that it hopes can alert people (such as protesters) when someone (such as police) may be operating an IMSI catcher (commonly known by the brand name Stingray) nearby. An IMS...

03-07-25 -

Apple Postpones Smarter Siri
Apple has confirmed that it is taking the company "longer than we thought to deliver" a new version of Siri with better awareness of your personal data and the ability to take action within apps. Apple first announced the features as par...

03-05-25 -

Utah Law Would Require App Stores to Verify All Users' Ages
Utah has just passed a law that would require app store operators like Apple and Google to verify users' ages and require parental approval for minors to download new apps. Other states are considering similar bills, but Utah's is the first to pas...

03-04-25 -

Advanced AI Scam Detection Comes to Google Messages
Google is enhancing its Messages app (the default Android app for RCS and SMS) with on-device AI to detect scam conversations and alert users. While the app already detects obvious spam and up-front scams, the new feature tracks ongoing conversati...

03-03-25 -

Google Making it Easier to Find Apps with Widgets
Google is rolling out changes to its Play app store that will make it easier for users to find apps that include home-screen widgets. Users will now be able filter searches specifically for apps with widgets, and apps with widgets will get a speci...