WhatsApp multiple account support

WhatsApp will let you sign into two accounts at once... but there's a catch

Life is about to get a little easier for WhatsApp users with more than one account. Many people have a work phone and a personal device, each associated with a different WhatsApp account. There are also plenty of users with two phone numbers for other reasons.

Simplifying living with more than one account, WhatsApp is introducing the ability to log into two accounts simultaneously. This eliminates the need to keep logging in and out, or having to carry two phones around to stay connected. So what's the catch?

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Netflix logo and remote control

Netflix is increasing prices by as much as 20 percent for many US customers

As Netflix revealed its quarterly earnings, the company also announced a couple of subscription price hikes for its customers in the US, UK and France. The price increases come despite Netflix's recent password-sharing crackdown which it says has resulted in millions of new revenue-bringing subscribers.

Both the Premium plan and the Basic plans will increase in price, but the Standard and ad-supported plans will remain as they are. Although Netflix's Basic plan is no longer available to new customers, users who have been grandfathered on this tier face the largest price jump.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
WhatsApp passkeys

WhatsApp adds passkey support to boost security

The Meta-owned messaging app WhatsApp has joined the growing legions of apps and services to support passkeys.

Initially available to Android users, the passwordless authentication feature makes it possible to secure a WhatsApp account with face recognition, a fingerprint or a PIN. It is a security feature that is billed as not only offering greater protection than passwords, but also being faster to use.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Windows 11 System Components

Microsoft is ready to launch new System Components hub in Windows 11 23H2

It is a number of weeks since we first learned about Windows 11's new System Components section in Windows 11. Initially discovered hidden in a Canary build of the operating system, Microsoft is now readying the new hub for a wider launch.

When it is made available to everyone, the new System Component hub will make various aspects of system management easier. It serves as a handy portal through which it is possible to change default apps, and take control of built-in apps and components without the need to hunt around in numerous places.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
iPhone 15 handsets

Apple will soon be able to update iOS on new iPhones in sealed boxes

It can be frustrating to buy a new phone only to discover that there is an OS update to install before you can start using it. For iPhone users this could soon be a thing of the past thanks to an innovative new system developed by Apple.

The recently released iPhone 15 suffered with an overheating issue that was later fixed with a software update, putting the onus on owners of new devices to download and install the patch. But a new "proprietary pad-like device" will allow Apple Stores to install the latest software on handsets without the need to open the box.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Microsoft mirror building logo

Security researchers can pocket financial rewards in the new Microsoft AI Bounty Program

Microsoft now has a bug bounty program that aims to find issues in artificial intelligence. Specifically, the Microsoft AI Bounty Program is focused on tracking down vulnerabilities in the company’s own AI-powered "Bing experience". This catch-all term covers a surprising number of products and services.

Interestingly, with this bounty program Microsoft is only offering rewards for the discovery of vulnerabilities considered Critical or Important. Those that are deemed of Moderate or Low severity will go unrewarded.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Windows 10 logo on a beach

Microsoft is investigating failed 8007000D errors and installations of Windows 10's KB5031356 update

This month’s Patch Tuesday update was a significant one for Windows 10 users. The release of the KB5031356 update saw Microsoft addressing a number of security flaws, as well as fixing other issues -- and even introducing some new features.

But there have been problems. Following reports from users, Microsoft has confirmed that it is investigating instances of the update failing to install. The company says that the most frequently encountered issue is Error 8007000D (ERROR_INVALID_DATA), and it is using a KIR (Known Issue Rollback) to recall the update for now.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Updated Google.com with Discovery newsfeed

Google.com could be about to undergo its biggest change in years

There are some significant changes being tested on Google.com. A major focus on news could on the horizon as Google explores adding a Google Discover-style newsfeed to its search engine homepage.

Google Discover is something that will be familiar to many mobile users, offering up an algorithm-driven personalized selection of news stories. Now very much the same feature is being tested for desktop users.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Mantic Minotaur logo

Canonical withdraws Ubuntu Desktop 23.10 ISO after discovery of hate speech in translations

Friday 13th has indeed proved unlucky for anyone looking to download the Ubuntu Desktop 23.10 ISO -- it is currently unavailable having been pulled just hours after launch.

The decision to withdraw the Mantic Minotaur ISO was taken after it was discovered that a contributor had inserted malicious translations into the installer. Although Canonical has not revealed the content of the user-submitted translations for the Linux distro, it has been described as "hate speech".

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Blurry Microsoft Edge logo with mobile in foreground

Microsoft Edge is snooping on your Chrome browsing activity; here's how to stop it

One web browser spying on another? Surely not! However, if you are using both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, Microsoft's browser could be grabbing all of your browsing history from Chrome every time you launch it.

If you decided to jump from Firefox to Chrome, from Edge to Firefox, from Opera to Edge or any other combination, you will probably have taken advantage of the option to import browsing history, saved passwords and so on. But you likely don’t want this cross-browser communication to continue indefinitely. Here’s how to check whether this sneaky data swapping is happening in the background and how to stop it if it is.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Windows 11 security

Microsoft no longer supports Windows 11 21H2 or Windows Server 2012

With the release of this month's security updates for Windows, Microsoft has brought to an end support for not only Windows Server 2012, but also Windows 11 21H2.

What this means for users of these versions of the operating system is that there will be no more updates of any sort made available -- and this means both security updates and non-security updates. For anyone who wants or needs to stick with Windows 2012, things could get expensive, but there are free upgrades available to those currently running Windows 11 21H2.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Microsoft mirror building logo

Microsoft is deprecating VBScript in Windows

Microsoft has quietly announced plans to deprecate VBScript in "future releases of Windows". The company has not been more specific about the timeline than this, but there are some details about the deprecation process.

As part of a phased withdrawal, VBScript (Visual Basic Scripting Edition) was initially removed from Internet Explorer, and before being killed off in Windows completely, it will become an optional component. While a useful scripting language in its day, VBScript became something of an abused security nightmare, and has since been replaced by PowerShell.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Windows 10 laptop

Microsoft patches the problems in Windows 10 with the KB5031356 update

For anyone running Windows 10 21H2 or Windows 10 22H2, Microsoft has a new cumulative update that fixes various issues with the operating system as well as introducing new features and options.

As is customary, Microsoft provides sparse details about the security issues the update addresses, but it does share information about the various other improvements included in the KB5031356 update.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Woman with finger to lips

Google is testing a new option so you can keep your super-recent browsing history secret

Your browsing history can be very revealing; there are countless reasons for not wanting a list of the sites you have visited to be seen by others. While it can be hard to maintain complete privacy, there are steps you can take on a local basis -- such as simply deleting your browsing history.

It is easy to see the deletion of browsing history as using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, and for a very long time it was very much an "all or nothing" approach. Over time, Google and others introduced options to limit how much browsing history should be deleted, and now Chrome users are being offered even more fine-grained controls.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Copilot

Microsoft already has some major improvements planned for Windows Copilot including UI upgrade

Windows 11 users in many parts of the world are now able to access Windows Copilot -- although, notably, not in the EU (privacy law, natch).

Much has been made of Microsoft's AI-powered assistant, and while it is still early days for the ChatGPT-based tool, Microsoft is already working on significant interface changes. The focus is on making Windows Copilot more customizable rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all design onto everyone.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
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