WhatsApp now lets you add music to your Status update
WhatsApp is primarily about keeping in touch with people, be that friends, family, colleagues, businesses or some other group. But there is also the option to update your Status to indicate what you’re up to, how you’re feeling, or any other number of creative possibilities.
Now WhatsApp has opened up a new option -- adding music to Status updates. This gives you the option of complementing a photo or video Status with a backing track, and WhatsApp says it has millions of songs that you can use.
PowerToys v0.90.0 is here… and it’s a big release with a great new launcher module
We are, slowly but surely, making our way towards the release of PowerToys v1.0.0 -- but in the meantime we have the 0.x.x releases to enjoy. Microsoft has just pushed out PowerToys v.0.9.0, and it is an impressive update this time around.
Just a couple of weeks after we talked about the Command Palette module that was being worked on, this “PowerToys Run on crack” has landed. This is far from being the only change in PowerToys v0.9.0, though. In addition to a raft of bug fixes and tweaks, there are also new features for Peek, New+, and more.
Microsoft is making Copilot+ experiences available to more systems, and that’s great news for accessibility
When talking about AI in general -- including Copilot -- the focus tends to be on the impressive time-saving capabilities and futuristic features. What is often overlooked is the potential for artificial intelligence to improve accessibility.
But this is exactly what Microsoft is doing with the features it has for Copilot+ PCs. And now the company has made many of the Copilot+ experiences available to a wider range of processors, so systems with AMD Ryzen AI 300 series, Intel Core Ultra 200V and Snapdragon X Series chips can feel the benefits. There are huge advances in accessibility to be explored.
Microsoft launches Quick Machine Recovery to automatically fix your Windows 11 problems
When things go wrong with a Windows 11 device, downtime is not only frustrating but also expensive. In a bid to reduce the time lost to computer issues, Microsoft has launched Quick Machine Recovery, a new automated tool for addressing problems.
The tool is undergoing testing with Windows Insiders on the Beta Channel at the moment, so it probably won’t be long before it is promoted for general availability. Billed as a tool that “automatically detects, diagnoses, and resolves critical issues on your device”, Microsoft is looking to save users and sysadmins from having to delve into the Windows Recovery Environment.
Microsoft launches new Windows 11 roadmap page so you can see what it has planned for the operating system
Billed as a way of increasing transparency, Microsoft has launched a new Windows Roadmap hub which is home to everything you could ever want to know about the new and upcoming features of Windows 11.
The page is designed with different types of Windows 11 users in mind. For anyone signed up for a Windows Insider channel, it’s a handy way to keep track of the rollout and availability of new features. For others, it provides a relatively reliable way to monitor what Microsoft is working on. And for Microsoft, it is a way to gather feedback.
Facebook is ditching its recommendation algorithm with a huge Friends tab update
Life online, particularly on social media platforms, is driven by algorithms that make constant recommendations to users in an attempt to keep them engaged for longer. While algorithms have their place, there has been a massive backlash against their incessant use on the likes of Facebook, partly because they gobble up personal data, but also because the recommendations are often rubbish.
This is something that apparently even Facebook is aware of. The social media giant has just announced that it is going back to its roots with a massive update to the Friends tab. Here, users are promised that they will be shown only content from their friends and no recommended content at all.
Microsoft is introducing Startup Boost to speed up Office applications like Word and Excel
There is definitely some truth to the old adage that time is money, but it is probably more relatable to say that waiting for things to happen is annoying. And just like the time spent wanting for a bus or train to arrive feels never-ending, when you need to get some work done, slow app start times are frustrating beyond description.
So, Microsoft has decided to do something about it. The company is not looking to speed up all apps, just its own Office apps. In the next few weeks, users of Microsoft Office will be able to use a new Startup Boost task to improve “performance and load-time of experiences" within the office suite.
Remote desktop problems? Guess what? It’s probably because of another flaky update for Windows
Microsoft is, once again, using a Known Issue Rollback (KIR) to resolve a problem caused by yet another dodgy update for Windows. This time around, the issue sees Remote Desktop disconnecting and there is not yet a fix.
Just as with the recently fixed printer problems, the Remote Desktop issues are being caused by the January 2025 Windows preview update, but it is something that seems have been exacerbated by the March 2025 Windows security update.
If a Windows update made your printer act strangely, Microsoft has a fix for you
Recent updates for Windows 10 and Windows 11 had the peculiar side effect of causing printers to spew out random printouts. The culprits were the updates released back in January, although it took Microsoft a while to concede that there was a problem.
Having acknowledged the issue, Microsoft has finally produced a fix some two months after the problems emerged.
Firefox users have easy access to a powerful and customizable VPN with the Mozilla VPN extension
Mozilla is pushing its new VPN extension for Firefox as a way of simplifying the often confusing world of VPNs. Whether users are turning to a VPN for security, privacy, or to access content that’s only available in other countries, the Mozilla VPN extension is touted as a hassle-free option.
At the moment, the extension is only available for users of Firefox on Windows, but there are plans to release versions for Linux and macOS as well. Product manager for Mozilla VPN, Santiago Andrigo, explains what makes this VPN tool stand out from the crowd.
Microsoft accounts now have a sleek new sign in experience with a dark mode option
The next time you sign into your Microsoft account you may well be greeted by a new look. Microsoft has started the roll out of what it is calling a “new sign in experience” as the company uses its Fluent 2 design language to revamp the UI and UX. For better or worse, this is an attempt to create an “unmistakably Microsoft” look and feel.
The changes affect users of Windows, Xbox, Microsoft 365, and more, and Microsoft predicts that the majority of users will see the new look by the end of April. As part of the redesign, users are being given more choice; there is now a dark mode option.
0patch releases yet another free fix for yet another 0day vulnerability in Windows that Microsoft has not addressed
Security issues in Windows crop up with scary frequency, and most are fixed by Microsoft… eventually. But while the tech giant works out how to patch holes in its buggy operating system, there are -- thankfully -- others who are willing to do the fixing faster.
0patch is a familiar name. It is a firm that, on a subscription basis, provides support and security fixes for versions of Windows that Microsoft has abandoned. It also frequently releases free patches for security issues that Microsoft is yet to fix, and this has just happened again with a fix for a worrying SCF File NTLM hash disclosure 0day vulnerability.
Ready or not, Microsoft is testing early builds of Windows 11 25H2 on users
No operating system is ever really finished, and this is certainly true of Windows 11. As well as the (very welcome) security fixes, Microsoft continues to make endless tweaks, changes and additions to the OS; now the company has just moved to the next big stage of development.
It may seem as though the most recent major update, Windows 11 24H2, has only just been released, but the company is already working away on Windows 11 25H2. What’s more, it’s available to try right now.
You can finally remove movies and shows from your Continue Watching list on Disney+
It has been an incredibly long time coming, but Disney+ subscribers are, at long last, being given control over the oft maligned Continue Watching list.
While an ostensibly useful feature, making it possible to easily pick up a viewing sessions from where you left it, Continue Watching lists have also been the cause of complaints. They have become wastelands of abandoned shows, movies that have been bailed on, and accidental additions -- but no more!
New ‘Share screen with Live’ option appears in Google Gemini so the AI assistant can view your screen and see through your camera
AI-powered digital assistants are now (almost) ten a penny, and the rate at which they are gaining new capabilities is nausea-inducing. Google Gemini has long been able to make use of screen grabs as a prompt or part of a prompt, but now things are moving up a notch.
Some Gemini users are starting to notice a new “Share screen with Live” option on their devices. This goes far beyond the ability to analyze and use static screenshots, enabling Gemini to track what is on-screen in real time -- including user activity and what is picked up by the camera.
Sofia Elizabella's Bio
Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson is a queer, transgender journalist based in Poland. She has been writing about technology for more than two decades, and after years working for magazines, her writing moved online. She is fueled by literature, music, nature, and vegetables. You can find her on Bluesky and Mastodon. If you like what you read, you can Buy her a Coffee!
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