Apple has released an update for macOS Monterey, taking the operating system up to version 12.1. This is the first major update for Monterey since its release earlier this year, and in addition to various bug fixes, it also sees the arrival of SharePlay.

For anyone who has experienced issues with charging their MacBook Pro, there is a fix for an issue that was preventing charging when the lid is shut. There are also updates for the TV and Photos apps, new security features and more, but it is SharePlay that is the real highlight here. Sadly, this release does not add Universal Control support.

If you are running a version of Apache Log4j between 2.0-beta9 to 2.14.1 (inclusive) the Log4Shell vulnerability is something you need to be aware off. Tracked as CVE-2021-44228, this is a serious and easily exploited RCE flaw in the open-source Java-based logging utility.

An attacker can exploit the security flaw to execute a remote attack by simply using a particular string as the browser user agent. Although the Apache Software Foundation has released a patched version of Log4j 2.15.0, not everyone is able to update straight away, and this is something that attackers are taking advantage of. Thankfully, security firm Cybereason has released a "vaccine" called Logout4Shell that protects against Log4Shell.

A few days ago we reported about a rather worrying issue that meant some Android users were unable to place emergency 911 calls.

The problem was blamed on an "unintended interaction between the Microsoft Teams app and the underlying Android operating system". Microsoft was quick to suggest that the root cause of the issue is more Google's fault than its own but, nonetheless, the company is in the process of rolling out an update to Teams that addresses the problem.

GitHub has launched a technology preview of its new Code Search tool which is described as "a power user's dream".

Built from scratch using a custom search engine based on Rust, GitHub Code Search makes it easy to search and navigate not only your own code, but also the billions of lines of public code that's available in millions of repositories. For developers, it represents an easy way to jump to sections of code, check usage across languages and much more.

Just a few days ago we reported about an issue with reduced SSD performance in Windows 11. There have been numerous complaints from users about poor write speeds after upgrading from Windows 10, and while Microsoft has not made a big announcement about it, it seems that a fix may already be available.

The reason the company is yet to make a fuss about the availability of a fix is that it is part of an update preview -- something that not everyone will be comfortable installing. But for anyone suffering with poor drive speeds under Windows 11, the recently released KB5007262 update could be the solutiuon.

Google has confirmed a bug that is stopping some people making 911 calls from their Android phones. The company says that emergency calls are not possible only in very specific scenarios.

The bug is, however, rather worrying, and Google has blamed it on an "unintended interaction between the Microsoft Teams app and the underlying Android operating system". A fix is in the works and will be available early next year.; in the meantime, though, Google has some important advice to share. Microsoft has also contacted us to issue a statement.

With the arrival of Windows Subsystem for Android in Windows 11, there is the exciting prospect of running Android apps in Windows 11. Sadly, the app ecosystem is driven by the Amazon App Store meaning that many people will be seeking ways to sideload apps from other sources.

When it comes to games, however, there is some great news from Google. The company has announced that it is going to give users of Windows 10 and Windows 11 the chance to play Android games -- but not through a partnership with Microsoft.

While the preview builds of Windows 11 are often not terribly exciting, there are times when they give a sneak peak at some amazing new features. The latest Insider release, Windows 11 Build 22518 is one such example. As well as introducing new options relating to Windows Subsystem for Linux, this build also includes a genuinely impressive new tool called Voice Access -- an incredible new voice control option.

The Voice Access label is something of a misleading name, however; while it might suggest that it is some form of alternative to password, it is in fact a fully-fledged way to control just about every aspect of using Windows 11 with your voice.

Microsoft has released a new collection of open-source tools for analyzing system performance. Building on the tools that the company has already produced for Windows, Microsoft-Performance-Tools for Linux-Android is a set of trace processing tooling that makes it possible to closely monitor app and operating system code.

Microsoft-Performance-Tools for Linux-Android is built on .NET Core as well as the new microsoft-performance-toolkit-sdk, and it can be used across multiple platforms. It also integrates with Windows Performance Analyzer for easy GUI-based trace analysis.

Microsoft's Windows Subsystem for Linux has been one of the company's greatest innovations in recent years, and it has been warmly received. In a move that opened up the tool to a wider audience, Microsoft recently made the WSL Preview available to download from the Microsoft Store.

Now, with the release of the latest build of Windows 11, anyone installing WSL via the command line will be delivered the Store version by default. Installing it in this way means that users no longer have to worry about manually checking for updates as they can be handled by the Store just like for any other app. Microsoft has also introduced a way to switch to this version of the app.

For fairly obvious reasons, Microsoft -- like other companies -- would much rather people did not pirate its software. The major concern for any software producer is the loss of income, and Microsoft has come up with a solution for people running pirated versions of Office.

Citing various benefits, including avoiding the risk of security issues, Microsoft is urging pirates to take out a Microsoft 365 subscription. To sweeten the deal, the company is offering a discount on the usual price.

The big news at Twitter recently may have been the departure of Jack Dorsey, but incoming CEO Parag Agrawa has wasted little time in stamping his mark on the company.

After revamping its privacy policy, Twitter has now acquired Slack rival Quill. As a result of the acquisition, the messaging service has a very short future ahead of it. Users have just a few days to export their messages before Quill servers close down and all user data is deleted.

If you have upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11 and noticed a reduction in the performance of your SSD, you are not alone. Since the launch of the operating system, online forums, Reddit and Microsoft's own support communities have seen increasing number of complaints about write speeds being significantly slower after upgrading.

What is key here is that the performance reduction is not just noticeable, it is also measurable. It would be easy to dismiss a handful of complaints about slowdown as being a matter of personal perception. But the observations and experiences of those complaining are borne out by benchmarks which show write speeds have been slashed.

Windows 11 has its fair share of problems, and it has also caused problems with other software that people have come to rely on. While it is somewhat understandable when third-party software is affected, the same cannot be said of Microsoft's own software.

The company has acknowledged an issue with Outlook for users who have upgraded to Windows. The problem Sees Outlook failing to return any search results, as well as the error message: "Search performance will be impacted because of a problem with how Outlook search is configured". Now Microsoft has revealed a fix.

The importance of installing the latest patches and fixes for Windows cannot really be overstated. As well as helping to boost security and fix problems, updates can also add new features to Windows.

While there is a lot to be said in favor of enabling automatic updates, there's nothing wrong with performing manual check as well or instead. Unfortunately, Microsoft has hidden the option to check for updates away in the Settings app meaning it is a pain to access. Here's how to add an update check option to the context menu in Windows 11 and Windows 10.