Microsoft admits Windows Server Update Services sync is failing
Following complaints from users about problems with Windows Server Update Services, Microsoft has spoken out. The company has confirmed that WSUS has suffered issues preventing synchronization and deployment of updates.
This is a serious headache for businesses and organizations that rely on WSUS to manage Windows updates across networks. Reports of errors have been popping up for a couple of days, with scheduled synchronization actions showing to have failed in event logs.
Microsoft adds features and boosts Windows 11 security with KB5062553
Microsoft has released the KB5062553 update for Windows 11 24H2. Billed primarily as a security update for the operating system, it is actually more than that – much more.
As is the case with Microsoft’s monthly security updates, it also includes the non-security improvements, fixes and additions that were previewed last month. One of the key new arrivals here is the new PC-to-PC migration experience which uses the Windows Backup app to ease the process of moving to a new computer.
Google launches Manage Subscriptions for Gmail to kill unwanted email
Keeping on top of emails can feel like a full-time job, but Google is making things easier for Gmail users. We learned about the Manage Subscriptions feature earlier in the year, but it is now starting to hit inboxes.
Everyone receives huge volumes of emails these days, and a lot of time can be spent sorting the wheat from the chaff, determining which email need attention and which are junk to be deleted. Google’s new Manage Subscription option provides a way to quicky see a list of the mailing lists you have subscribed to.
Google Maps finally lands on Garmin devices for on-wrist navigation
Google Maps is so ubiquitous that it is hard to imagine that there are any unsupported platforms remaining, but there are still a few. This is highlighted by arrival of Google Maps for Garmin smartwatches via the Connect IQ Store.
This free app means that owners of key Garmin devices can now benefit from turn-by-turn navigation on their wrist. The newly released app is targeted primarily at walkers, cyclists and runners, but it can also be used when driving or performing other activities if this feels helpful to users.
Short-lived ransomware group SatanLock to close down and leak data
There are large numbers of ransomware groups operating around the world, some of which have been conducting their nefarious work for years. There are older which are rather less long in the tooth, such as the recently formed SatanLock.
The group has been in existence for mere months, popping up in April this year. Responsible for a spate of attacks over a number of weeks, the ransomware group has announced that it is already shutting up shop. More than this, it plans to leak any data it has stolen.
Jack Dorsey’s latest project is the Bluetooth mesh network app bitchat
Jack Dorsey – the co-founder of Twitter and Block, and the founder of Bluesky – took to X to share some enticing details about the latest project he is working on.
Called bitchat, this is a messaging app that not only has security at its very core, but does not require internet access to work. A messaging app without internet? Dorsey explains that this is a secure, decentralized, peer-to-peer messaging app that works over Bluetooth mesh networks.
Windows 11 is finally more popular than Windows 10
It took a long time, undoubtedly much longer than Microsoft would have liked, but Windows 11 is now more popular than Windows 10. The most recent version of Microsoft’s desktop operating system is now installed on more desktop computers than its predecessor.
Is this a cause for celebration at Microsoft HQ? Probably not. While Windows 11 may finally have a larger install base than Windows 10, it took four long years for this landmark to be reached. In the world of software development, that is an age.
Android Auto’s Spotify update adds new playlist options for long trips
Spotify and Android Auto is a perfect pairing, and with the latest update to the app things just got even better. There is something of a UX-enhancing face-lift to the app, but the update also sees the arrival of new collaborative playlist options.
Jams are not usually a good thing on car journeys, but in the case of Spotify Jam it’s a little different. The feature lets everyone in the vehicle add their own music to a queue and create a playlist that will include something for everyone’s taste.
Windows 11 25H2 has a new option to remove all unwanted Microsoft apps
It is not long until the next big update for Windows 11 is released. We don’t yet have an exact date for the availability of Windows 11 25H2 (although October looks likely a candidate) but we already know a lot about what to expect from it.
One of the changes that will be welcomed by many users, but business and enterprise users in particular, is the arrival of a new way to remove all unwanted Microsoft apps in one fell swoop. Via Group Policy, the new Remove Default Microsoft Store Packages policy helps to debloat Windows 11 in a flash.
Microsoft will use the Windows 11 lock screen to recommend widgets
It took Microsoft a long time to embrace widgets, but the company is now doing so wholeheartedly. While smartphone and tablet users – and, indeed, Mac owners – have developed a relationship with widgets, the same cannot be said of Windows 11 users.
But this is something Microsoft wants to change. In a move that will almost certainly prove to be popular and controversial in equal measure, the company is going to the Windows 11 lock screen to recommend widgets you might be interested in.
AI-powered integration between Slack and reMarkable boosts workflow
reMarkable paper tablets have carved themselves a special place in the workplace, giving users a way to take handwritten notes and have them quickly converted into editable text. Now a newly announced partnership means that it is possible to send notes and documents straight from a reMarkable tablet to Slack to optimize workflow.
The new integration serves as an important bridge between reMarkable’s innovative e-paper tablets and the popular collaboration and messaging platform. The ability to send notes, sketches, diagrams and more directly to Slack will help boost productivity and enhance workflow by eliminating the need to fall back on emails, or clunky document transfer methods.
Microsoft confirms KB5060829 update for Windows 11 causes worrying Firewall errors
Microsoft has issued a warning about a recent update for Windows 11. The KB5060829 update was released late last month as a non-security preview update, and it has been found to be causing issues.
Available for Windows 11 24H2, the optional KB5060829 update has been causing Windows Firewall With Advanced Security errors to be logged by the operating system. While error message relating to a security feature are likely to result in concern and fear, Microsoft is at pains to reassure users that there is no need to panic.
Amazon Prime for Young Adults is shockingly cheap, and free for 6 months
For anyone who makes a lot of purchases from Amazon, a Prime subscription makes a lot of sense. And for young adults, the deal just got a whole lot sweeter.
Ahead of Prime Day 2025, Amazon has launched a new Amazon Prime subscription tier which is incredible value for anyone who is of the right age. Specifically for people aged between 18 and 24, the new Prime for Young Adults includes everything that is found in a regular subscription, but it is a fraction of the cost.
Microsoft finally removes PowerShell 2.0 from Windows 11
Having previously announced the future deprecation of PowerShell 2.0, Microsoft has now released a version of Windows 11 that sees this command line shell removed.
The writing has been on the wall for this old version of PowerShell for some time, but Microsoft has – as is often the case with deprecated features – never been very clear about the precise schedule. But with the newly released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27891 on the Canary Channel dropping PowerShell 2.0, it is only a matter of time before other builds ditch the utility as well.
Amazon is shutting down its Freevee app in August
Amazon has finally announced when the Freevee streaming video app will close for good. As of next month, the Freevee app will be inaccessible, with content now being available on Prime Video instead.
The shuttering is no surprise, as the closure was announced last year. At the time, however, Amazon did not specify a timeline for how things would pan out. Some eight months after the original announcement, the company has finally revealed that the Freevee app will be shut down in August 2025.
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. She is currently training to be an LGBTQ+ affirmative psychotherapist. You can find her on Bluesky and Mastodon. If you like what you read, you can Buy her a Coffee!
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