Technics

Safari is getting some useful updatesVertical tabs will arrive for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, but it’s only in the dev betas for nowOther features like Adaptive Dark Mode and Siri AI browser tools are coming, too, along with our first glimpse of the new Audio Intelligence capabilities On the global web browser stage, Safari lags behind Chrome, but when it comes to Apple’s 2.5 billion customers, it reigns supreme. Yet, even those devoted users might’ve noticed that their favorite browser was lacking at least one long-sought feature. Now, with the introduction of Dev Betas for iOS 27.3, iPadOS 27.3, and macOS 27.3, they’re getting their wish. In beta today, the platform upgrade actually brings a series of relatively small but important updates to Safari across the iPhone Duo, iPad, and Mac, but chief among them is vertical tabs. As is often the case, Apple didn’t invent this idea. I started using vertical tabs in, of all things, […]

Reddit wants to overturn Australia’s social media ban for under-16sIt is challenging the law in the Australian High CourtGovernment says it’s defending the law from “sustained ideological attack” In late 2025, Australia became the first nation in the world to ban social media for under-16s — and as you would expect, that hasn’t gone down particularly well with the app makers affected. Reddit, for example, has issued a stinging rebuke to the Australian government and is in the process of challenging the ban in court. A lawyer representing Reddit called the ban “ill thought out” (via Reuters) and said it was a “profound ‌restriction on political debate.” The attorney was speaking at the Australian High Court, where Reddit is seeking to contest the country’s new law. Together with a libertarian advocacy group, Reddit claimed in court that the social media ban was “a very substantial restriction on what young people can now do” and that it could […]

Reddit has announced plans to switch to a primarily logged in experienceThis would mean most of the site won’t be accessible without creating and logging in to an accountReddit users seem almost universally unhappy about this planned change Reddit — a site that once had the tagline “the front page of the internet” — looks set to become a lot less accessible, and therefore far less of a front page, as the company plans to require users to be logged in. Currently, you can access pretty much the entire site without having to log in or create an account, and this has a lot of upsides. It means people who get there through search results can find the information they’re looking for more easily and seamlessly, and it means you can browse Reddit without giving the site any information about yourself, or being subject to any personalization algorithms. But in a post on the site, CEO Steve […]

Pixelmator Pro gets a new AI-powered Generate Fill toolKeynote, Pages, and Numbers add AI assistants and OpenAI model supportFinal Cut Pro gains thousands of MotionVFX creative assets in November Apple’s Pro and Tell week is marching on, and alongside the reveal of the M6-powered iMac and 14-inch MacBook Pro, the Cupertino-based giant is also shining a spotlight on software. Specifically, Apple Creator Studio is getting a wide-ranging update that brings a fresh batch of features and, ultimately, packs in more value. As it stands, Apple Creator Studio is a software subscription priced at $12.99 / £12.99 / AU$19.99 a month or $129 / £129 / AU$199 per year, giving you access to Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Pixelmator Pro, Final Cut Pro, and Logic Pro across Mac, iPad, and iPhone. All that stays the same, including the especially excellent education discount — $2.99 / £2.99 / AU$4.99 per month or $29.99 / £29.99 / AU$49.99 per year — but there are some pretty big updates here, with AI playing a starring role. Leading the charge is Pixelmator Pro, which is getting a new Generate Fill tool. This […]

Surfshark data shows blocks of a single suspected fake TikTok Shop domain rose 638% between May and September.The domain was behind roughly one in five phishing blocks worldwide and is still active in October.Phishing exposure also climbed across Europe and the US, with France seeing the sharpest rise. New data from Surfshark shows that a single domain linked to a suspected counterfeit TikTok Shop operation generated 320,007 phishing blocks between May and September 2026. That’s 19% of the roughly 1.6 million phishing-category blocks recorded worldwide by the company’s web content blocker over those five months. The operation isn’t slowing down either: in the first 20 days of October, the domain triggered another 96,711 blocks. The findings come weeks before the busiest shopping period of the year. They’re also a reminder that even the best VPN can only do so much if you type your card details into a convincing fake. One fake storefront, a fifth of all […]

Wikipedia went down for many users around the world today, according to Downdetector — but the issues now seem to be resolved. The problems started at around 10.51am ET / 3.51pm BST, when a large spike in reports appeared on the outage-tracking website — the reports peaked at just over 2,000 in the US and 850 in the UK. It appears that some ’emergency maintenance’ from Wikimedia was the culprit and appears to have now finished — but you can follow what happened in our liveblog below… A sharp spike in reports (Image credit: Downdetector) Wikipedia is working okay for me here in the UK, but it isn’t for thousands of users right now — the reports graph on Downdetector is now over 3,000 in the US, and it’s climbing in the UK too. The cause is so far unclear, as there are no current issues at the major cloud providers like AWS, Google Cloud or Cloudflare. […]

Zoom is packaging up conversations and calls into a Unified Context LayerAPIs mean third-party AI agents can get direct access to this source of dataHumans can now spend less time explaining context to AI agents In recognition that increasingly siloed and complex systems are making it harder for companies to keep track of all their data, making it difficult to deploy effective AI on top of existing tech stacks, Zoom has launched its Unified Context Layer (UCL). UCL works by bringing together meeting conversations, chats, documents and other business data into one connected system, which it hopes will make it easier for AI agents to work across. This marks an important step in the company’s much broader transition from the video conferencing platform we grew to love during the now-distant pandemic to a full productivity suite that spans both human and agentic users. Zoom’s Unified Context Layer “This new layer brings together conversations with near real-time activity […]

Social platforms have incurred over $26 billion in privacy fines and settlements globally since 2020.Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram) accounted for $23.7 billion (91%) of all penalties.The US led enforcement with $20.9 billion in fines, followed by European regulators at $5.16 billion. Social media platforms thrive on personal data, but failing to protect it is proving exceptionally costly. Since 2020, the world’s top 10 social networks have accumulated more than $26 billion in privacy-related fines and regulatory settlements worldwide. According to a study published by cybersecurity firm Surfshark, the lion’s share of this astronomical financial penalty belongs to one parent company: Meta. Between Facebook and Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg’s tech empire is responsible for an overwhelming 91% of the worldwide total, racking up $23.7 billion in penalties. Meta dominates the penalty board Facebook alone accumulated $14.3 billion in penalties, while Instagram accounted for $9.4 billion. TikTok placed a distant third, tallying $1.6 billion in fines across global jurisdictions. […]

Looking for a different day? A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing ‘today’s game’ while others are playing ‘yesterday’s’. If you’re looking for Thursday’s puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Thursday, October 15 (game #1725). Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today — or scroll down further for the answers. Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc’s Wordle today column covers the original viral word game. SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers. Quordle today (game #1726) […]

Looking for a different day? A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing ‘today’s game’ while others are playing ‘yesterday’s’. If you’re looking for Thursday’s puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, October 15 (game #956). Strands is the NYT’s latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it’s great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints. Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc’s Wordle today page for the original viral word game. SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers. NYT Strands today (game #957) – hint #1 – today’s theme What is the […]

Airbnb is adding AI-powered searchNew AI comparisons make it easier to weigh up vacation rentals and narrow down your optionsServices are expanding to include baby-gear rentals, laundry, and meal delivery. After a major redesign of its entire service, headed by an easier-to-use app for iOS and Android, Airbnb is further refining the experience to make finding your next vacation rental a little easier. Not surprisingly, it’s turning to AI, but the focus here is on natural-language search, property comparisons, and updated ways to find what else you can do while staying at your Airbnb. This follow-up should make it easier to find homes, experiences, or services that meet your needs — the three main parts of the redesigned app. Instead of introducing a new interface or updated visuals, Airbnb is using AI to help you find what you’re looking for more easily. Pushing aside sorting through filters, lists, and checkboxes, you’ll be able to search for a […]

United’s new tracker shows Starlink availability by flight and  aircraft type636 of United’s 1,492 aircraft now have StarlinkThe airline expects its whole fleet to offer free, fast Wi-Fi in 2027 The battle between US airlines to offer the best connection in the sky has heated up in the past few weeks, with Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian reportedly making some choice comments about Starlink and Elon Musk, which led United Airlines to offer a status match, and Delta flyers to take it up. United Airlines kicked off its Starlink Wi-Fi installation process across its fleet back in 2025. Since then, its entire fleet of regional United Express jets has it, and more mainline aircraft are coming online in due course. As of today, 636 aircraft in United Airlines’ fleet offer Starlink, and for those passengers it mean free, fast Wi-Fi, without the “what if my flight doesn’t have a stable connection?” worry. Delta Air Lines, on the other hand, chose Amazon Leo over Starlink back in March of 2026, and it […]