Microsoft is tweaking the Windows 11 Start menu to highlight its own apps
Microsoft is testing a change to the Start menu in Windows 11 that will make it clearer which shortcuts relate to system apps. Built-in apps and tools are highlighted with a new "System" badge.
The update came in recent build of the operating system, but is not currently enabled by default. With a little tweaking, however, it is possible to switch on the new Start menu labeling system.
As Twitter flounders, rivals Mastodon and Bluesky flourish, and Meta launches Threads on Thursday
The rocky journey for Twitter continues under Elon Musk, with this weekend seeing bizarre constraints introduced in an attempt to reduce unspecified "data scraping". Users of the service found themselves hit with rate limit warnings as Twitter placed restrictions on the number of tweets that can be viewed each day.
Rival Mastodon has already seen a steady influx of Twitter escapees, and this continued over the weekend with a 300,000 jump in the number of active users; Bluesky is also faring well, to the point that sign-ups have been paused to allow for tweaks and fixes to be implemented to accommodate the levels of interest. But now eyes are turning towards Meta, as the Facebook owner prepares for the launch this Thursday of its own Twitter alternative, Threads by Instagram.
Microsoft finally fixes Start menu, Windows Search and UWP app issues in Windows 10 and 11
Windows is no stranger to problems, and some issues linger rather longer than others. A good example is a longstanding bug that has blighted both Windows 10 and Windows 11 since the beginning of the year.
The issue means that the Start menu, Windows search and Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps behave strangely or fail to open. Or at least this was the case; Microsoft has now addressed the problems with a new update.
Microsoft is updating the Settings app in Windows 11... and injecting more ads
With the release of Windows 11 build 2349 Microsoft has introduced numerous changes and additions, not least of which is the arrival of the eagerly awaited AI-powered Copilot tool. But the latest update to Windows 11 also includes a new look for the Settings app.
Microsoft has given the homepage of Settings a revamp that sees the interface split into clear, easy-to-read sections, which the company is referring to as cards. The new look is clean and uncluttered, but there has been the controversial decision to use at least one of the cards to display ads.
About f@cking time! Microsoft Team caters for non-prudish users by making the profanity filter optional
Users of Microsoft Teams have a series of updates to explore. Microsoft has launched a selection of new features to enhance the online meeting experience.
The new options and settings relate to Live Caption and Live Transcription, with users being given far greater control over the look and positioning of captions. But what Microsoft talks about first are the new controls for the profanity filter which censors what the company has deemed to be bad language. Enabled by default, there have been complaints that the filter is far too sensitive -- so Microsoft has come up with a solution.
Many users are locked out of LastPass after authenticator app reset
The support forums of password management tool LastPass are filling up with complaints from confused and disgruntled users who found themselves locked out of their accounts. The problems stem from a forced authenticator app reset implanted by the company following a series of security incidents last year.
Starting last month, LastPass forcibly logged out users and required them to reset their multifactor authentication (MFA) apps such as Google Authenticator and Microsoft Authenticator. But having followed the instructions given by the company, large numbers of users report that they are unable to access their LastPass vaults after being locked out their accounts.
Google Chrome's PDF viewer is gaining the ability to convert images to text
PDFs are astonishingly useful documents, but some are lazily created. You've almost certainly encountered a PDF file that comprises images of text rather than selected text. This is a serious annoyance if you were hoping to copy text into another document, but it's also a major problem for anyone who is reliant on text-to-speech tools to have document read aloud to them.
Google has some good news for users of Chrome; the browser is gaining the ability to convert images to text in PDFs, OCR-style. There is some bad news, however. This incredibly useful feature is -- at least initially -- not going to be made available to everyone.
Microsoft listens to feedback and restores options it cut from Windows 11
The Dev builds of Windows 11 are often where signs of Microsoft's experimentation with the operating system can be seen. It is something of a playground for the company to try out new ideas, tinker with settings and determine how changes are received by beta testers.
While it may often be accused of ignoring user opinion, the latest Dev build of Windows 11 illustrates how Microsoft not only listens to feedback, but also acts on it. Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23486 sees the return of options that were controversially removed recently.
You want it darker? Microsoft is testing a black look for dark mode in Edge
The love of gloomier hues -- whether for the sake of being gentler on one's eyes, or for purely aesthetic reasons -- means that just about every piece of software now has the option of switching from light to dark mode.
Microsoft Edge is no different, and the latest preview builds show that things could be about to get even darker. Select users who are signed up for the Canary channel report seeing much darker screen elements, with the likes of the favorites bar and tabs having fully black backgrounds.
Ahead of Prime Day, Amazon is sued for 'manipulative tactics' that trick customers into taking out and renewing Prime subscriptions
The Federal Trade Commission is suing Amazon for fooling customers into "unknowingly" subscribing to Amazon Prime. The company is accused of using manipulation and "dark patterns" to dupe people into what the FTC describes as "Nonconsensual Enrollments".
As well as the accusation of tricking customers into Prime Subscriptions, the FTC's complaints say that the company makes the cancellation process "labyrinthine". The Commission points out that while signing up for an auto-renewing Prime account takes just two clicks, bringing the subscription to an end requires navigating "four-page, six-click, fifteen-option cancellation process".
Apple simplifies Self Service Repair and adds cover for newer iPhones and Macs
Apple's Self Service Repair program was welcomed when it first launched a little over year ago, but right from the start even its fans acknowledged there was room for improvement. Having listened to customer feedback, Apple has responded accordingly, announcing an expansion of the program so that it covers a wider range of devices, and the elimination of a System Configuration process annoyance.
The changes means that in addition to the M2-powered 13-inch MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, the program is also now available for the iPhone 14 lineup. Apple also points out that self-repairers will no longer be obliged to contact the Self Service Repair support team to run the final step of a repair.
Microsoft rethinks replacing Mail and Calendar apps with Outlook for Windows
The Mail and Calendar apps in Windows 11 have not been the recipients of much love -- either from users who find them limited and awkward, nor from Microsoft which has not updated the software for an age.
The company has already announced that the separate Mail and Calendar apps will be discontinued starting in September next year, with the new Outlook for Windows app being touted as the replacement. Despite the ill feeling towards the older apps, the announcement has been met with such a backlash that Microsoft has been forced to rethink its plans.
Microsoft updates Windows 11 system requirements and CPU support list
With little fanfare, Microsoft has released details of the updated listed of hardware supported by Windows 11. The new system requirements see the addition of support for a large number of CPUs from Intel, AMD and Qualcomm.
The update to the list of supported processors comes shortly after the release of Windows 11 Moment 3. As well as adding support for a large number of new CPUs, there have also been some removed from the list.
ChatGPT can generate Windows product keys that allow free upgrades to Windows 11 Pro
It has been hard to ignore ChatGPT this year as the world goes crazy for the AI tool. While the artificial intelligence is still in its relative infancy, it is astonishing just what can be achieved with it; all that's needed is an idea and a cleverly worded prompt.
There are limitations to what it can do, some of which have been hard-coded into it. In theory, ChatGPT won't do anything illegal, or provide access to illegal content. In theory. Just as users found that while the AI wouldn't provide a list of torrent sites when asked, there was a way to bypass the block (by asking for a list of sites to dodge in order avoid encountering illegal content), and so a technique has been unearthed that can be exploited to get ChatGPT to spew out product keys for Windows 10 and Windows 11.
The US apes the UK, but stands in opposition to EU, by blocking Microsoft-Activision deal... for now
A US judge has blocked Microsoft from buying Activision Blizzard following a request from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The move is a temporary block while a complaint by the FTC that the deal could "substantially lessen competition" in the gaming sector is fully investigated. It puts the US in agreement with the UK, which blocked the deal earlier in the year, but is standing against the European Union which has given it the green light.
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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