Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson

Apple has released iOS 17.4, with the company pointing to the arrival of podcast transcripts as the highlight. There are also new emoji, improvements to CarPlay, and a number of bug fixes, but things are rather more interesting for users in the European Union.

With the EU's Digital Market Act coming into force today, March 6, Apple has delivered different versions of iOS 17.4 to this market compared to the rest of the world. And by different, we mean better.

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While it came as a bit of a surprise when it first became public, it has been known for some time that Microsoft has its own Linux distro called CBL-Mariner.  The name has been questioned by many, and it is in the process of changing.

The CBL-Mariner moniker is set to become a thing of the past as the distro transitions to being known as Azure Linux.

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If you are a Windows 11 user who fell in love with Windows Subsystem for Android, Microsoft has just delivered some bad news. The company is ending support for WSA.

Unlike Windows Subsystem for Linux, Windows Subsystem for Android failed to generate the mass appeal Microsoft was probably hoping for. This is likely partly because of the fact that while WSA makes it possible to run Android apps and games in Windows 11, it is limited to apps available via the Amazon App Store. The clock is now ticking for Windows Subsystem for Android

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It feels like it has been a while since there were any particularly dramatic changes or additions to PowerToys, but now Microsoft has just pushed out PowerToys v0.79.0.

The latest version of the essential utilities collection does not, unfortunately, gain any new modules this time around, but there are significant updates to existing tools. Chief among these are updates to Keyboard Manager that means, among other things, it is now possible to create a keyboard shortcut to launch a particular application.

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It is no secret that Microsoft has jumped wholeheartedly onto the AI bandwagon, and its Copilot assistant is an important part of this.

Copilot is still in preview, but it has already undergone major work since it first appeared, and now Microsoft is trying to encourage people to use it by making it even easier to access. If clicking a mouse button has been standing between you and a fix of AI-powered assistance, you'll be pleased to hear that click-free access is rolling out to Windows 11 users.

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Meta has announced a series of updates to Instagram, all of which are likely to be welcomed by users. Perhaps the most significant change is the option to edit the DMs you've sent, but there are other notable new features -- including disabling read receipts.

The latest round of Instagram updates also sees the introduction of a message pinning option that makes it easier to access keys one-on-one or group chats. On top of all this, reply options have been upgraded, new themes have been added, and more.

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Continuing to prove that it has not forgotten about Windows 10, Microsoft has released the KB5034843 update. It not only addresses a number of issues, but also adds new features to the operating system.

The most significant change to be found in this update is the ability to share web links to a number of social platforms directly. There is also the promise that expanded support is on the horizon.

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Microsoft has released the preview version of the KB5034848 update for Windows 11. One of the biggest changes introduced by this non-security update is the addition of support for the USB 80Gbps standard, but there is much more too.

There are also numerous changes and additions relating to mobile devices, not least of which is the ability to use the Snipping Tool in Windows 11 to edit recent photos and screenshots on Android devices. The KB5034848 update also addresses a number of issues with the operating system.

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Meta has announced that it is killing off the Facebook News tab in the United States as well as Australia. The company says that the decision has been taken because it believes "that people don’t come to Facebook for news and political content".

The Facebook News tab is set to be removed in April, and Meta says that it will be focusing "time and resources on things people tell us they want to see more of on the platform, including short form video". The dedicated tab for news has already been deprecated in France, Germany and the UK.

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Windows 11 users have a host of new features to look forward to, as well an enhancements to existing components. Everything from AI-powered Generative Erase and Silence removal through voice shortcut improvements to new sharing options, there few areas of the operating system that are not getting attention.

The rollouts start today and continue over the coming month, and users can also expect a new widgets experience, better Snap suggestions for screen organization and more. Today's announcement also sees Microsoft unifying the Windows Update for Business deployment service with Autopatch into a single update management solution.

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Continuing to go all-in on artificial intelligence, Microsoft has announced a series of new features for its Windows 11 AI assistant. The company has announced the capabilities for Copilot as well as introducing new plugins for even more options.

The arrival of new plugins from the like of OpenTable, Shopify and Kayak helps to transform Copilot into something even more useful than it has been so far. It means that the assistant can be used to book restaurant tables as well as suggesting menus for home dining. On top of these plugin-driven additions, Copilot is also gaining new features so it can display system information on demand, and be used to control accessibility features.

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Windows users are well aware that Microsoft is no stranger to trying to nag them into submission. The company has a history of pestering users to switch to its web browser and to upgrade to the latest version of Windows, and this is a practice that it not only continuing, but expanding.

Microsoft has already been encouraging / nagging (delete as you see fit...) to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, and now the company has announced that it is about to take this further. It is described rather euphemistically as "expanding invitations to move to Windows 11 to more people".

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This time last year, Google announced a series of new features for Google Maps which it said would be rolling out in the months that followed. While most saw the light of day, others started to feel like vaporware -- notably, the intriguing "glanceable directions".

A full 12 months on, the glanceable directions feature is finally being made available to iOS and Android users. It shows directions on the lock screen of a handset, so there's no need to constantly unlock the device for updates.

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To little fanfare, Microsoft has announced that anyone choosing to stick with Windows 11 22H2 will be able to install optional updates for longer than previously planned.

Despite having started to forcibly upgrade some Windows 11 22H2 systems to Windows 11 23H2, Microsoft has had a change of heart about how it will handle updates for the older version of the operating system moving forward. The company had previously said that non-security updates would not be available after this month, but there's a new extended deadline in place now.

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Microsoft has confirmed yet another problematic update for Windows 11. This time around it is the KB5034765 update from earlier this month -- an update supposed to deliver security fixes.

People installing the KB5034765 update on Windows 11 22H2 or Windows 23H2 may find that the process hangs at 96 percent and causes a 0x800F0922 error. This is not the first time this update has been found to cause issues, but it is the first problem Microsoft has confirmed it with this particular security patch.

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