Author: alex

Apple vs EU: DMA legal battle reaches new level at Luxembourg hearing Apple appeared in Luxembourg for one of its most consequential challenges to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). The hearing marks a new phase in Apple’s legal fight over obligations that reshape how iOS and the App Store operate in the EU. According to early reports, Apple is contesting several core provisions, arguing the rules are disproportionate and could undermine user security and platform integrity. Background: What the DMA does Adopted in 2023, the DMA targets so‑called gatekeepers—large platforms that wield significant control over digital markets. For Apple, the law touches areas such as app distribution, steering (communication and payment links outside an app), interoperability, and access for third‑party services (e.g., browser engines). The aim is to…

Meta Rolls Out New Anti‑Scam Tools for WhatsApp and Messenger Meta is launching new protections to help users avoid scams on WhatsApp and Messenger. Since the start of 2025, the company says it has detected and disrupted ~8 million accounts tied to scam centers in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, the UAE and the Philippines, and taken action on 21,000+ Facebook Pages impersonating legitimate customer support. What’s new WhatsApp screen‑share warnings: If you attempt to share your screen with someone not in your contacts during a video call, WhatsApp will show a prominent warning reminding you that screen sharing exposes everything on your phone (including banking info). Only share with people you trust. Messenger AI scam detection (testing): When a message looks suspicious, Messenger will pop up a notice and let you…

Meta Rolls Out New Anti‑Scam Tools for WhatsApp and Messenger Meta is launching new protections to help users avoid scams across WhatsApp and Messenger. The company says it has already detected and disrupted nearly 8 million accounts linked to scam centers in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, the UAE and the Philippines since the start of 2025, and taken action on more than 21,000 Facebook Pages impersonating legitimate customer support operations. What’s new WhatsApp screen‑share warnings: If you try to share your screen with someone who isn’t in your contacts during a video call, WhatsApp will show a prominent warning reminding you that screen sharing exposes everything on your phone (including banking details). Only share with people you trust. AI scam detection in Messenger (testing): When a message looks suspicious, Messenger will…

EU Adopts Digital Driving Licence: Smartphone ID to Complement Plastic Cards The European Union has adopted revised driving licence rules that introduce a digital driving licence stored on your smartphone, with EU‑wide validity. The digital format will gradually become the default after a transition period, while drivers may still request a physical plastic card if needed (for example, when traveling outside the EU). Digital-first licences: Issued by default after rollout, integrated with the EU Digital Identity Wallet for easier renewal, replacement, and cross-border checks. Novice drivers: A minimum two-year probation period with stricter penalties to improve road safety. Accompanied driving at 17: An EU‑wide framework allowing supervised driving for 17‑year‑olds holding a category B learner licence (implementation may vary by country). Training updates: Added focus on blind‑spot awareness, phone‑use risks,…

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 adds a ‘Tinted’ Liquid Glass option — plus Camera and Clock tweaks Apple’s latest iOS 26.1 Beta 4 introduces a new appearance toggle for the system’s Liquid Glass design. The “Tinted” setting increases opacity and contrast, helping interface elements stand out more clearly against wallpapers and app backgrounds. Apple says the option was added after tester feedback requesting a less transparent look. You can find the control under Settings > Display & Brightness on iPhone and iPad. A similar appearance option is also visible on current macOS betas under System Settings > Appearance. The change affects multiple areas of the UI, including apps that adopt Liquid Glass materials and lock screen notifications. Liquid Glass appearance: New Clear vs. Tinted toggle for higher opacity/contrast. Camera: A new…

Apple Lands Exclusive US Formula 1 Streaming Rights from 2026 Starting with the 2026 season, Apple will become the exclusive home of Formula 1 in the United States under a five-year agreement (2026–2030). The deal moves live coverage of every practice, qualifying, sprint, and Grand Prix race to the Apple TV app, marking a major shift away from ESPN’s current rights. What’s included Coverage: All F1 sessions (practice, qualifying, sprints, and Grands Prix) streamed live in the Apple TV app. Availability: US-only exclusivity; existing broadcast arrangements continue in other regions. F1 TV Premium (U.S.): F1’s standalone streaming service will be folded into the Apple TV experience for U.S. viewers. Reports indicate that Apple TV subscribers in the U.S. will get F1 TV Premium features at no additional cost once the…

AWS Outage Ripples Across the Web; DNS Issue in us‑east‑1 Resolved A widespread Amazon Web Services (AWS) incident on October 19–20 disrupted a long list of apps and sites, including Venmo, Snapchat, Canva, Fortnite and Amazon’s own Alexa/Ring devices. AWS traced the trigger to a DNS resolution issue affecting DynamoDB API endpoints in the US‑EAST‑1 (N. Virginia) region. Operations were restored later in the day, with lingering knock-on effects clearing as backlogs processed. What happened Early status posts flagged increased error rates and latencies across multiple services in us‑east‑1. After mitigating the DNS problem, some services—especially new EC2 instance launches—continued to see elevated errors during recovery before returning to normal operations. ~3:11 AM ET: AWS reports increased errors/latency in us‑east‑1. ~5:01 AM ET: Root cause identified as DNS issues for…

AWS Outage Disrupts Major Apps; DNS Issue in us‑east‑1 Resolved A widespread Amazon Web Services (AWS) incident on October 19–20 temporarily knocked many popular services offline, including Venmo, Snapchat, Canva, Fortnite and even Amazon’s own Alexa and Ring devices. AWS reported that the trigger was a DNS resolution issue affecting DynamoDB API endpoints in the US-EAST-1 (N. Virginia) region. Operations were gradually restored, with AWS noting that services returned to normal by the afternoon and later confirming resolution. What happened According to AWS status updates, the outage began with increased error rates and latencies across multiple services in us-east-1. After mitigating the DNS problem, knock-on effects lingered—particularly with new EC2 instance launches—before recovery completed. ~3:11 AM ET: AWS flags increased errors/latency in us-east-1. ~5:01 AM ET: Root cause identified as…

Yelp’s Fall Update: Upgraded AI Assistant, AI Calling Services, and Menu Vision Yelp is putting AI front and center in its fall product release. The upgraded Yelp Assistant now supports all business categories, pulls details from business websites and user reviews, and can remember past queries and preferences to personalize results. Memory can be managed in the app under the Assistant’s memory settings. Two AI-powered calling products are rolling out for businesses: Yelp Host for table-service restaurants and Yelp Receptionist for eligible local businesses. Yelp Host can take reservations, modify bookings, and capture special requests; pricing starts at $149/month (or $99/month for customers with a Yelp Guest Manager plan). Yelp Receptionist can answer calls and manage scheduling for a range of local services; subscriptions start at $99/month and begin rolling…

EA to Shut Down The Sims Mobile Servers on January 20, 2026 Electronic Arts (EA) has announced that it will discontinue online services for The Sims Mobile on January 20, 2026. After that date, servers will be turned off and the game will no longer be playable. The decision ends a seven-year run for the mobile life-simulation title. EA has not indicated changes to other Sims games at this time, so this update appears specific to The Sims Mobile. Players with questions about in-app purchases, refunds, or account data should consult EA’s official support resources. Shutdown date: January 20, 2026 Platforms: iOS and Android Status after shutdown: Servers offline; game becomes unplayable Scope: Applies to The Sims Mobile only (no changes announced for other Sims titles) Why it matters: Live-service…