Almost every technological innovation of the past several years has been laser-focused on one thing: generative AI. Many of these supposedly revolutionary systems run on big, expensive servers in a data center somewhere, but at the same time, chipmakers are crowing about the power of the neural processing units (NPU) they have brought to consumer devices. Every few months, it’s the same thing: This new NPU is 30 or 40 percent faster than the last one. That’s supposed to let you do something important, but no one really gets around to explaining what that is.

Experts envision a future of secure, personal AI tools with on-device intelligence, but does that match the reality of the AI boom? AI on the “edge” sounds great, but almost every AI tool of consequence is running in the cloud. So what’s that chip in your phone even doing?

What is an NPU?

Companies launching a new product often get bogged down in superlatives and vague marketing speak, so they do a poor job of explaining technical details. It’s not clear to most people buying a phone why they need the hardware to run AI workloads, and the supposed benefits are largely theoretical.

Many of today’s flagship consumer processors are systems-on-a-chip (SoC) because they incorporate multiple computing elements—like CPU cores, GPUs, and imaging controllers—on a single piece of silicon. This is true of mobile parts like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon or Google’s Tensor, as well as PC components like the Intel Core Ultra.

The NPU is a newer addition to chips, but it didn’t just appear one day—there’s a lineage that brought us here. NPUs are good at what they do because they emphasize parallel computing, something that’s also important in other SoC components.

Qualcomm devotes significant time during its new product unveilings to talk about its Hexagon NPUs. Keen observers may recall that this branding has been reused from the company’s line of digital signal processors (DSPs), and there’s a good reason for that.

“Our journey into AI processing started probably 15 or 20 years ago, wherein our first anchor point was looking at signal processing,” said Vinesh Sukumar, Qualcomm’s head of AI products. DSPs have a similar architecture compared to NPUs, but they’re much simpler, with a focus on processing audio (e.g., speech recognition) and modem signals.

The NPU is one of multiple components in modern SoCs.

Credit: Qualcomm

As the collection of technologies we refer to as “artificial intelligence” developed, engineers began using DSPs for more types of parallel processing, like long short-term memory (LSTM). Sukumar explained that as the industry became enamored with convolutional neural networks (CNNs), the technology underlying applications like computer vision, DSPs became focused on matrix functions, which are essential to generative AI processing as well.

While there is an architectural lineage here, it’s not quite right to say NPUs are just fancy DSPs. “If you talk about DSPs in the general term of the word, yes, [an NPU] is a digital signal processor,” said MediaTek Assistant Vice President Mark Odani. “But it’s all come a long way and it’s a lot more optimized for parallelism, how the transformers work, and holding huge numbers of parameters for processing.”

Despite being so prominent in new chips, NPUs are not strictly necessary for running AI workloads on the “edge,” a term that differentiates local AI processing from cloud-based systems. CPUs are slower than NPUs but can handle some light workloads without using as much power. Meanwhile, GPUs can often chew through more data than an NPU, but they use more power to do it. And there are times you may want to do that, according to Qualcomm’s Sukumar. For example, running AI workloads while a game is running could favor the GPU.

“Here, your measurement of success is that you cannot drop your frame rate while maintaining the spatial resolution, the dynamic range of the pixel, and also being able to provide AI recommendations for the player within that space,” says Sukumar. “In this kind of use case, it actually makes sense to run that in the graphics engine, because then you don’t have to keep shifting between the graphics and a domain-specific AI engine like an NPU.”

Livin’ on the edge is hard

Unfortunately, the NPUs in many devices sit idle (and not just during gaming). The mix of local versus cloud AI tools favors the latter because that’s the natural habitat of LLMs. AI models are trained and fine-tuned on powerful servers, and that’s where they run best.

A server-based AI, like the full-fat versions of Gemini and ChatGPT, is not resource-constrained like a model running on your phone’s NPU. Consider the latest version of Google’s on-device Gemini Nano model, which has a context window of 32k tokens. That is a more than 2x improvement over the last version. However, the cloud-based Gemini models have context windows of up to 1 million tokens, meaning they can process much larger volumes of data.

Both cloud-based and edge AI hardware will continue getting better, but the balance may not shift in the NPU’s favor. “The cloud will always have more compute resources versus a mobile device,” said Google’s Shenaz Zack, senior product manager on the Pixel team.

“If you want the most accurate models or the most brute force models, that all has to be done in the cloud,” Odani said. “But what we’re finding is that, in a lot of the use cases where there’s just summarizing some text or you’re talking to your voice assistant, a lot of those things can fit within three billion parameters.”

Squeezing AI models onto a phone or laptop involves some compromise—for example, by reducing the parameters included in the model. Odani explained that cloud-based models run hundreds of billions of parameters, the weighting that determines how a model processes input tokens to generate outputs. You can’t run anything like that on a consumer device right now, so developers have to vastly scale back the size of models for the edge. Odani says MediaTek’s latest ninth-generation NPU can handle about 3 billion parameters—a difference of several orders of magnitude.

The amount of memory available in a phone or laptop is also a limiting factor, so mobile-optimized AI models are usually quantized. That means the model’s estimation of the next token runs with less precision. Let’s say you want to run one of the larger open models, like Llama or Gemma 7b, on your device. The de facto standard is FP16, known as half-precision. At that level, a model with 7 billion parameters will lock up 13 or 14 gigabytes of memory. Stepping down to FP4 (quarter-precision) brings the size of the model in memory to a few gigs.

“When you compress to, let’s say, between three and four gigabytes, it’s a sweet spot for integration into memory constrained form factors like a smartphone,” Sukumar said. “And there’s been a lot of investment in the ecosystem and at Qualcomm to look at various ways of compressing the models without losing quality.”

It’s difficult to create a generalized AI with these limitations for mobile devices, but computers—and especially smartphones—are a wellspring of data that can be pumped into models to generate supposedly helpful outputs. That’s why most edge AI is geared toward specific, narrow use cases, like analyzing screenshots or suggesting calendar appointments. Google says its latest Pixel phones run more than 100 AI models, both generative and traditional.

Even AI skeptics can recognize that the landscape is changing quickly. In the time it takes to shrink and optimize AI models for a phone or laptop, new cloud models may appear that make that work obsolete. This is also why third-party developers have been slow to utilize NPU processing in apps. They either have to plug into an existing on-device model, which involves restrictions and rapidly moving development targets, or deploy their own custom models. Neither is a great option currently.

A matter of trust

If the cloud is faster and easier, why go to the trouble of optimizing for the edge and burning more power with an NPU? Leaning on the cloud means accepting a level of dependence and trust in the people operating AI data centers that may not always be appropriate.

“We always start off with user privacy as an element,” said Qualcomm’s Sukumar. He explained that the best inference is not general in nature—it’s personalized based on the user’s interests and what’s happening in their lives. Fine-tuning models to deliver that experience calls for personal data, and it’s safer to store and process that data locally.

Even when companies say the right things about privacy in their cloud services, they’re far from guarantees. The helpful, friendly vibe of general chatbots also encourages people to divulge a lot of personal information, and if that assistant is running in the cloud, your data is there as well. OpenAI’s copyright fight with The New York Times could lead to millions of private chats being handed over to the publisher. The explosive growth and uncertain regulatory framework of gen AI make it hard to know what’s going to happen to your data.

“People are using a lot of these generative AI assistants like a therapist,” Odani said. “And you don’t know one day if all this stuff is going to come out on the Internet.”

Not everyone is so concerned. Zack claims Google has built “the world’s most secure cloud infrastructure,” allowing it to process data where it delivers the best results. Zack uses Video Boost and Pixel Studio as examples of this approach, noting that Google’s cloud is the only way to make these experiences fast and high-quality. The company recently announced its new Private AI Compute system, which it claims is just as safe as local AI.

Even if that’s true, the edge has other advantages—edge AI is just more reliable than a cloud service. “On-device is fast,” Odani said. “Sometimes I’m talking to ChatGPT and my Wi-Fi goes out or whatever, and it skips a beat.”

The services hosting cloud-based AI models aren’t just a single website—the Internet of today is massively interdependent, with content delivery networks, DNS providers, hosting, and other services that could degrade or shut down your favorite AI in the event of a glitch. When Cloudflare suffered a self-inflicted outage recently, ChatGPT users were annoyed to find their trusty chatbot was unavailable. Local AI features don’t have that drawback.

Cloud dominance

Everyone seems to agree that a hybrid approach is necessary to deliver truly useful AI features (assuming those exist), sending data to more powerful cloud services when necessary—Google, Apple, and every other phone maker does this. But the pursuit of a seamless experience can also obscure what’s happening with your data. More often than not, the AI features on your phone aren’t running in a secure, local way, even when the device has the hardware to do that.

Take, for example, the new OnePlus 15. This phone has Qualcomm’s brand-new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which has an NPU that is 37 percent faster than the last one, for whatever that’s worth. Even with all that on-device AI might, OnePlus is heavily reliant on the cloud to analyze your personal data. Features like AI Writer and the AI Recorder connect to the company’s servers for processing, a system OnePlus assures us is totally safe and private.

Similarly, Motorola released a new line of foldable Razr phones over the summer that are loaded with AI features from multiple providers. These phones can summarize your notifications using AI, but you might be surprised how much of it happens in the cloud unless you read the terms and conditions. If you buy the Razr Ultra, that summarization happens on your phone. However, the cheaper models with less RAM and NPU power use cloud services to process your notifications. Again, Motorola says this system is secure, but a more secure option would have been to re-optimize the model for its cheaper phones.

Even when an OEM focuses on using the NPU hardware, the results can be lacking. Look at Google’s Daily Hub and Samsung’s Now Brief. These features are supposed to chew through all the data on your phone and generate useful recommendations and actions, but they rarely do anything aside from showing calendar events. In fact, Google has temporarily removed Daily Hub from Pixels because the feature did so little, and Google is a pioneer in local AI with Gemini Nano. Google has actually moved some parts of its mobile AI experience from local to cloud-based processing in recent months.

Those “brute force” models appear to be winning, and it doesn’t hurt that companies also get more data when you interact with their private computing cloud services.

Maybe take what you can get?

There’s plenty of interest in local AI, but so far, that hasn’t translated to an AI revolution in your pocket. Most of the AI advances we’ve seen so far depend on the ever-increasing scale of cloud systems and the generalized models that run there. Industry experts say that extensive work is happening behind the scenes to shrink AI models to work on phones and laptops, but it will take time for that to make an impact.

In the meantime, local AI processing is out there in a limited way. Google still makes use of the Tensor NPU to handle sensitive data for features like Magic Cue, and Samsung really makes the most of Qualcomm’s AI-focused chipsets. While Now Brief is of questionable utility, Samsung is cognizant of how reliance on the cloud may impact users, offering a toggle in the system settings that restricts AI processing to run only on the device. This limits the number of available AI features, and others don’t work as well, but you’ll know none of your personal data is being shared. No one else offers this option on a smartphone.

Samsung offers an easy toggle to disable cloud AI and run all workloads on-device.

Credit: Ryan Whitwam

Samsung spokesperson Elise Sembach said the company’s AI efforts are grounded in enhancing experiences while maintaining user control. “The on-device processing toggle in One UI reflects this approach. It gives users the option to process AI tasks locally for faster performance, added privacy, and reliability even without a network connection,” Sembach said.

Interest in edge AI might be a good thing even if you don’t use it. Planning for this AI-rich future can encourage device makers to invest in better hardware—like more memory to run all those theoretical AI models.

“We definitely recommend our partners increase their RAM capacity,” said Sukumar. Indeed, Google, Samsung, and others have boosted memory capacity in large part to support on-device AI. Even if the cloud is winning, we’ll take the extra RAM.

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Friday 5 December 2025 at 3:45 am AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of November): 5,412

RIP Matrix

Researchers in the US have found that owning a phone at the age of 12 was associated with an increased risk of depression, obesity, and insufficient sleep, compared to not having one.

The iPhone launched less than 20 years ago, so for many kids now entering their teenage years, they've only ever known a world with phones. Studies like this are trying to tease apart the effects.

"Our findings suggest that we should view smartphones as a significant factor in teen health, approaching the decision to give a child a phone with care and considering potential impacts on their life and health," says child and adolescent psychiatrist Ran Barzilay, from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

The data from 10,588 young people, collected as part of an ongoing study on adolescent brain development, provided a snapshot of participants' health at age 12, together with some evidence for the differences that getting a phone (or not) over the next year might make.

The researchers factored in other variables, such as demographics and socioeconomic status, and found that at age 12, nearly 6.5 percent of those with phones had been given a diagnosis of depression, compared to roughly 4.5 percent without phones. That's a seemingly small but meaningful statistical difference.

For obesity, the respective figures were roughly 18 percent of smartphone users compared to 12 percent of 12-year-olds without these devices.

As for sleep, 47 percent of 12-year-olds with phones reported insufficient sleep (less than nine hours a night) compared to 31 percent of their phone-less peers.

The researchers want to see further measures taken to protect kids from the potential harms of phones. (Bruce Mars/Unsplash)

Kids who had a phone by age 13 were more likely to report mental health problems (including depression) and insufficient sleep than those who didn't. However, there was no noticeable change in obesity risk over that year.

The researchers admit that phone use can have benefits, as other studies have shown, but they want to see more done to make sure that these devices are used responsibly.

"For many teens, smartphones can play a constructive role by strengthening social connections, supporting learning, and providing access to information and resources that promote personal growth," says Barzilay.

"Likewise, some families may view a smartphone as a necessity for safety or communication."

There are some nuances in the data. For example, depression was measured as any period of depression during the life of the child so far, so it may have occurred before they got a phone, in some cases.

It's also not possible to draw any conclusions about cause and effect in an observational study like this, but the strength of the associations – plus the changes that were recorded between ages 12 and 13 as some kids got phones and others didn't – are worth investigating further.

The findings tie in with what we know about adults and smartphones: that these devices can elevate stress, leave us feeling more distracted and drained, and reshape the way our brains are wired.

In future studies, the researchers want to look at how much screen time and different types of apps affect these results, how the findings might extend over longer periods of adolescence, and what countermeasures could be put in place.

"It's critical for young people to have time away from their phones to engage in physical activity, which can protect against obesity and enhance mental health over time," says Barzilay.

The research has been published in Pediatrics.

Source

The order gave smartphone makers 90 days to pre-load new phones with its new Sanchar Saathi app which could not be "disabled or restricted", sparking privacy and surveillance concerns.

The government argued the move was necessary to verify the authenticity of handsets, but cybersecurity experts said it impinged on citizens' right to privacy.

Withdrawing the order on Wednesday, the government cited the app's "increasing acceptance". It came after Apple and Samsung had reportedly resisted the directive to pre-install it on their devices.

So far 14 million users have downloaded the app, reporting 2,000 frauds daily, and on Tuesday alone 600,000 new users registered - a tenfold spike, according to India's telecom ministry.

But the order - passed last week but made public on Monday - to make the registration mandatory had led to a major backlash from several cybersecurity experts.

Smartphone giants like Apple and Samsung also resisted the directive to pre-install the app on their phones.

Sources told the BBC the companies were concerned the directive was issued without prior consultation and challenged user privacy norms.

While the order has now been withdrawn, India's Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia dismissed concerns that the app could be used to increase surveillance.

"Snooping is neither possible nor will it happen with the Sanchar Saathi safety app," Scindia said.

The government's decision to reverse the order was welcomed by digital advocacy groups.

"This is a welcome development, but we are still awaiting the full text of the legal order that should accompany this announcement, including any revised directions under the Cyber Security Rules, 2024," the Internet Freedom Foundation said on X.

"For now, we should treat this as cautious optimism, not closure, until the formal legal direction is published and independently confirmed." 

Source

Google is following through on its pledge to split Android versions into more frequent updates. We already had one Android 16 release this year, and now it’s time for the second. The new version is rolling out first on Google’s Pixel phones, featuring more icon customization, easier parental controls, and AI-powered notifications. Don’t be bummed if you aren’t first in line for the new Android 16—Google also has a raft of general improvements coming to the wider Android ecosystem.

Android 16, part 2

Since rolling out the first version of Android in 2008, Google has largely stuck to one major release per year. Android 16 changes things, moving from one monolithic release to two. Today’s OS update is the second part of the Android 16 era, but don’t expect major changes. As expected, the first release in June made more changes. Most of what we’ll see in the second update is geared toward Google’s Pixel phones, plus some less notable changes for developers.

Google’s new AI features for notifications are probably the most important change. Android 16 will use AI for two notification tasks: summarizing and organizing. The OS will take long chat conversations and summarize the notifications with AI. Notification data is processed locally on the device and won’t be uploaded anywhere. In the notification shade, the collapsed notification line will feature a summary of the conversation rather than a snippet of one message. Expanding the notification will display the full text.

Google also says AI will help to reduce notification overload in Android 16, part 2. This will build on the notification grouping from the first Android 16 release by gathering lower-priority notifications and silencing them. These items will be organized into batches, like news and promotions, where they can be safely ignored until you want to take a closer look.

Material 3 Expressive came to Pixels earlier this year but not as part of the first Android 16 upgrade—Google’s relationship with Android versions is complicated these days. Regardless, Material 3 will get a bit more cohesive on Pixels following this update. Google will now apply Material theming to all icons on your device automatically, replacing legacy colored icons with theme-friendly versions. Similarly, dark mode will be supported across more apps, even if the devs haven’t added support. Google is also adding a few more icon shape options if you want to jazz up your home screen.

By way of functional changes, Google has added a more intuitive way of managing parental controls—you can just use the managed device directly. Parents will be able to set a PIN code for accessing features like screen time, app usage, and so on without grabbing a different device. If you want more options or control, the new on-device settings will also help you configure Google Family Link.

Android for all

No Pixel? No problem. Google has also bundled up a collection of app and system updates that will begin rolling out today for all supported Android devices.

Chrome for Android is getting an update with tab pinning, mirroring a feature that has been in the desktop version since time immemorial. The Google Messages app is also taking care of some low-hanging fruit. When you’re invited to a group chat by a new number, the app will display group information and a one-tap option to leave and report the chat as spam.

Google’s official dialer app comes on Pixels, but it’s also in the Play Store for anyone to download. If you and your contacts use Google Dialer, you’ll soon be able to place calls with a “reason.” You can flag a call as “Urgent” to indicate to the recipient that they shouldn’t send you to voicemail. The urgent label will also remain in the call history if they miss the call.

Google also says it’s adding yet another AI-powered feature to stop scams. Circle to Search, which is available on most modern Android phones, lets you highlight anything you come across to check for scams. It’s unclear how accurate it will be, though. This feature plugs into AI Overviews to assess the risk and provide suggestions.

Android devices are also getting a raft of new accessibility options. Those who use a mouse with AutoClick can now set custom hover times. You’ll also be able to launch TalkBack voice control in Gboard with a two-finger tap. Voice Access, which lets you control the phone UI by voice, is also getting easier to use. Rather than tapping things to launch it, you’ll be able to tell the phone’s Gemini assistant by voice to “start Voice Access.”

Gemini is also making an appearance in Google’s Guided Frame camera feature, but this one is only for Pixels. Guided Frame helps those with low or no vision take photos by offering voice descriptions of what’s in the frame. With the new update, Guided Frame will use Gemini to summarize the shot’s content. This should allow for more detailed descriptions and hopefully not too many hallucinations.

The widely available Android feature updates will roll out over the coming weeks. Pixel owners should begin getting update notifications for the new Android 16 build over a similar timeframe. There will also be manual update files on Google’s developer site. Non-Pixel phones will get the new Android 16 whenever OEMs get around to it, but there may not be much overlap with the features Google has announced for Pixels.

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Wednesday 3 December 2025 at 12:12 pm AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of November): 5,412

RIP Matrix

Hackers poking around in iOS 26 recently uncovered something Apple definitely didn’t intend anyone to see: every modern iPhone is running the operating system Apple’s upcoming “iPhone Fold” will likely use. Which means these phones are—right now—already capable of running a full, fluid desktop experience.

From a performance standpoint, that shouldn’t be surprising. At Apple’s September 2025 event, the company claimed the A19 Pro chip inside the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro offers “MacBook Pro levels of compute.” And that iPhone chip is reportedly destined to power a cheaper MacBook in 2026. The line between Apple’s hardware is being further blurred, then—but what’s wild is that the software side of things has blurred completely too. It’s just that nobody realized.

For years, Apple has insisted that iOS and iPadOS are distinct, despite sharing code and habitually borrowing each other’s features. But a self-proclaimed “tech geek” on Reddit who got iPad features running on an iPhone claimed they’re not merely similar—they’re essentially the same: “Turns out iOS has all the iPadOS code (and vice versa; you can for instance enable Dynamic Island on iPad).”

The hack relies on an exploit that tricks the iPhone’s operating system into thinking it’s running on an iPad. That unlocks smallish tweaks such as a landscape Home Screen, an iPad-style app switcher, and more Dock items. But it also provides transformative changes such as running desktop-grade apps that aren’t available for iPhone, full windowed multitasking, and optimal external display support. All without Apple Silicon breaking a sweat.

Deskblocked

The exploit is already patched in the iOS 26.2 beta, and the Redditor accused Apple of locking out iPhone users and artificially limiting older devices to push upgrades. But are things really that simple?

It’s not like the “phone as PC” dream is new. Android’s been chasing it since DeX debuted in 2017. Barely anyone cares. So why should Apple? Perhaps the concept is a niche nerd fantasy. And there’s the longtime argument that if you want to do “proper” work, you need a “proper” computer. If even an iPad can’t replace a computer, how can an iPhone?

In June, after 15 years, the iPad got key software features, including resizable and movable windows.

Except, as WIRED demonstrated, an iPad can replace a computer for plenty of people—you just need the right accessories. It therefore follows the same is true for an iPhone running the exact same software. But where will any momentum for this future come from?

Android 16 is technically ready for another crack at desktop mode, with a new system that builds on DeX. But even now, having finally escaped beta, it’s buried in developer settings. That might be down to the grim state of big-screen Android apps, or the desktop experience itself feeling, politely, “rocky.”

Paradoxically, Apple appears to be further ahead despite never announcing any of this. It already has a deep ecosystem of desktop-grade iPad apps. And the iPad features running on iPhone already look polished. Sure, some interface quirks remain, and you might need to file your fingers to a point to hit window controls. But the performance is fast, fluid, and snappy. So if the experience is this good, why is Apple so determined to hide it?

Profit by Design

One argument is practical. Apple likes each device to be its own thing, optimized for a specific form factor. It’s keen to finesse the transition between platforms rather than have one device to rule them all. A phone lacks a big screen and a physical keyboard. Plugging those things in on a train isn’t as elegant as opening a MacBook or using an iPad connected to a Magic Keyboard. However, with imagination, you can see the outlines of a new ecosystem of profitable accessories for a more capable iPhone.

But Apple hasn’t got where it has by selling accessories nor by making a market for others to do so. Most of its profits come from a long-running strategy to nudge people into buying more hardware that coexists. It doesn’t want you to choose between an iPhone, an iPad, a MacBook Air, and an iMac. It wants you to buy all of them.

But if an iPhone can do iPad things, maybe someone won’t buy an iPad. If iPads act too much like Macs, people might not buy as many Macs. Strategically chosen—if sometimes artificial—limits and product segmentation have pride of place in Cupertino’s rulebook. A convergence model could knock user experience and simplicity; but Apple would likely be more fearful of how it could negatively impact sales.

Hidden Potential

That all said, perhaps there is another explanation: Apple is saving this for an inflection point—the iPhone Fold. Rumors suggest that Apple has solved the “screen crease” problem and will in 2026 ship a foldable with a 7.8-inch, 4:3 display that’s similar to (but sharper than) the iPad mini’s.

A tablet-sized display that doesn’t let you multitask like on an iPad would be absurd, especially on a device likely to cost two or three times more than an actual iPad mini. Doubly so if Apple puts last year’s iPhone chip into a MacBook that will have a full desktop environment and support at least one external display.

And for anyone fretting about being forced into a more desktop-style iPhone, Apple already solved that problem. It killed the Steve Jobs vision of the iPad that sat between two computing extremes by letting users switch modes. The iPhone could follow suit, defaulting to its original purist mode while allowing power users to tap into windowing and external device support.

These hacks, then, have given us a window into the iPhone Fold operating system and other aspects of a possible Apple future. They show that iPad features on iPhone already look slick and make complete sense. And the crazy thing is they’re in your iPhone’s software right now. Next year, they’ll almost certainly be unleashed on the most expensive iPhone Apple has ever made. The question is whether Apple will let regular iPhone users have them, too.

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Wednesday 3 December 2025 at 4:52 am AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of November): 5,412

RIP Matrix

Credit: Samsung

Samsung has a new foldable smartphone, and it’s not just another Z Flip or Z Fold. The Galaxy Z TriFold has three articulating sections that house a massive 10-inch tablet-style screen, along with a traditional smartphone screen on the outside. The lavish new smartphone is launching this month in South Korea with a hefty price tag, and it will eventually make its way to the US in early 2026.

Samsung says it refined its Armor FlexHinge design for the TriFold. The device’s two hinges are slightly different sizes because the phone’s three panels have distinct shapes. The center panel is the thickest at 4.2 mm, and the other two are fractions of a millimeter thinner. The phone has apparently been designed to account for the varying sizes and weights, allowing the frame to fold up tight in a pocketable form factor.

Huawei’s impressive Mate XT tri-fold phones have been making the rounds online, but they’re not available in Western markets. Samsung’s new foldable looks similar at a glance, but the way the three panels fit together is different. The Mate XT folds in a Z-shaped configuration, using part of the main screen as the cover display. On Samsung’s phone, the left and right segments fold inward behind the separate cover screen. Samsung claims it has tested the design extensively to verify that the hinges will hold up to daily use for years.

Precision Engineering in Every Fold | Galaxy Z TriFold

While this does push the definition of “pocketable” for some people, the Galaxy Z TriFold is a tablet that technically fits in your pocket. When folded, it measures 12.9 mm thick, which is much more unwieldy than the Galaxy Z Fold 7‘s 8.9 mm profile. However, the TriFold is only a little thicker than Samsung’s older tablet-style foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 6. The 1080p cover screen measures 6.5 inches, which is also quite similar to the Z Fold 7. It is very, very heavy for a phone, though, tipping the scales at 309 g.

A flagship phone with more screen

The extra heft and hinge get you a much larger main display, clocking in at 10 inches and 2160 x 1584 pixels. The 120 Hz foldable OLED can run three apps side-by-side in portrait orientation, and it supports the full version of Samsung DeX for a more PC-like interface without the need for an external monitor. However, you may not get much use per charge with the screen unfurled and running multiple apps. The device has a triple-cell battery system that comes out to 5,600 mAh, which is only a bit larger than batteries in smartphones that only have to power one small screen.

Each segment is a slightly different thickness.

Credit: Samsung

On the inside, the Galaxy Z TriFold is essentially identical to Samsung’s Z Fold 7. There’s a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, 512GB of storage, and 16GB of RAM. The camera setup looks unchanged from the Z Fold 7, helmed by the 200 MP sensor we see on most Samsung flagships today. It’s backed up by a 12 MP ultrawide and a 10 MP 3x telephoto. Like the smaller foldable, the camera module protrudes quite a lot from the back of the phone.

Samsung plans to launch the Galaxy Z TriFold in South Korea on December 12, with other Asian markets following in the ensuing weeks. A US launch is on the agenda for the first quarter of 2026, but there’s no pricing available yet. The Korean price will be KRW 3,590,400, which works out to a little shy of $2,500, or $500 higher than the Galaxy Z Fold 7. So expect something in that range if you want to get your hands on the Galaxy Z TriFold next year.

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Wednesday 3 December 2025 at 4:49 am AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of November): 5,412

RIP Matrix

As you may know, Apple introduced some Emergency SOS via Satellite features when it launched the iPhone 14 in 2022. It lets you text emergency services, send and receive messages, use the Find My app to update your location, or text roadside assistance, all via satellite. These features are only available in some Countries, but they have saved many lives.

The first of the new features that Apple is prepping is an API that will allow third-party app developers to access the satellite framework in iOS, and use it for their own app. But this doesn't mean that every feature or service will be available to all apps.

Next is Satellite-powered maps. GPS uses Satellite, and works offline. So, what's the big deal? Well, navigation doesn't work offline in Apple Maps, unless you have downloaded some maps already. That's what Apple wants to bring, satellite connectivity to Apple Maps, for navigation. Satellite-powered navigation could be a lifesaver if you don't have cell coverage in an area and want to find your way to the nearest gas station, hotel, etc.

Currently, Emergency SOS via Satellite is limited to text messages. Apple is working on improving this, by allowing users to send photos via satellite. This could help rescuers understand the situation better, identify a place by landmark, or perhaps to help them prepare better, for example, the medical condition of the person in need of assistance, the state of their injury if any, etc.

Apple's current Satellite features require an unobstructed view of the sky, you have to point your iPhone in the direction of a Satellite for the phone to connect and transmit data over the Satellite. The Cupertino company wants to enhance this experience, by letting users stay connected to Satellite even if their iPhone is in a pocket, or a car, or even indoors. This "natural usage" approach could come in handy if a user is injured or otherwise unable to reach/use their phone, let alone point it at the sky.

Finally, Apple wants to add support for Satellite over 5G, the next iPhones will reportedly support 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), which will allow cell towers to use satellites for increased coverage.

Google recently added support for live video during emergency calls on Android.

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Tuesday 2 December 2025 at 3:59 am AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of November): 5,412

RIP Matrix

Summary

• Directive affects Apple, Samsung, Vivo, Oppo, Xiaomi
• Government says app combats cyber security threats
• Industry concerned over lack of prior consultation
• India has more than 1.2 billion telecom users

BENGALURU, Dec 1 (Reuters) - India's telecoms ministry has privately asked smartphone makers to preload all new devices with a state-owned cyber security app that cannot be deleted, a government order showed, a move likely to antagonise Apple and privacy advocates.

In tackling a recent surge of cyber crime and hacking, India is joining authorities worldwide, most recently in Russia, to frame rules blocking the use of stolen phones for fraud or promoting state-backed government service apps.

Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab, which has previously locked horns with the telecoms regulator over development of a government anti-spam mobile app, is among the companies, such as Samsung (005930.KS), opens new tab, Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi (1810.HK), opens new tab bound by the new order.

The November 28 order, seen by Reuters, gives major smartphone companies 90 days to ensure that the government's Sanchar Saathi app is pre-installed on new mobile phones, with a provision that users cannot disable it.

For devices already in the supply chain, manufacturers should push the app to phones via software updates, the ministry said in its order, which was not made public and was sent privately to select companies.

A lawyer specialising in technology matters said India's move was cause for concern, however.

"The government effectively removes user consent as a meaningful choice," said Mishi Choudhary, who works on internet advocacy issues.

Privacy advocates criticised a similar requirement by Russia in August for a state-backed messenger app called MAX to be pre-installed on phones.

One of the world's largest telephone markets, India has more than 1.2 billion subscribers, and government figures show the app, launched in January, has helped recover more than 700,000 lost phones, including 50,000 in October alone.

APPLE OFTEN REFUSES SUCH REQUESTS

The government said the app was essential to combat "serious endangerment" of telecom cyber security from duplicate or spoofed IMEI numbers, which enable scams and network misuse.

Apple's iOS powered an estimated 4.5% of 735 million smartphones in India by mid-2025, with the rest using Android, Counterpoint Research says.

While Apple pre-installs its own proprietary apps on phones, its internal policies prohibit installation of any government or third-party app before sale of a smartphone, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.

"Apple has historically refused such requests from governments," said Tarun Pathak, a research director at Counterpoint.
"It's likely to seek a middle ground: instead of a mandatory pre-install, they might negotiate and ask for an option to nudge users towards installing the app."

Apple, Google, Samsung and Xiaomi did not respond to requests for comment. India's telecoms ministry also did not respond.

A 14- to 17-digit number unique to each handset, the IMEI, or International Mobile Equipment Identity, is most commonly used to cut off network access for phones reported to have been stolen.

The app is mainly designed to help users block and track lost or stolen smartphones across all telecom networks, using a central registry. It also lets them identify, and disconnect, fraudulent mobile connections.

With more than 5 million downloads since its launch, the app has helped block more than 3.7 million stolen or lost mobile phones, while more than 30 million fraudulent connections have also been terminated.

The government says it helps prevent cyber threats and assists tracking and blocking of lost or stolen phones, helping police to trace devices, while keeping counterfeits out of the black market.

Source

According to 快科技 (Google-translated: Fast Technology), a blogger has leaked iPhone 17e renders that show the general design, this time with a notch-free display. The iPhone 17e reportedly features a 6.1-inch screen, essentially the same size as the iPhone 16's, and is said to retain a 60Hz refresh rate.

The outlet claims that the iPhone 17e will mark the end of the notch era on Apple phones, completing the transition to a fully notch-free experience. With the addition of Dynamic Island to the iPhone 17e, all Apple models would share a unified look, with their main differences limited to the number of camera sensors and hardware options.

In terms of overall design, the iPhone 17e is allegedly quite similar to the iPhone 17, but it features a single rear camera instead of a vertical camera island. Analyst Jeff Pu has previously suggested that the iPhone 17e may come with an 18MP Center Stage selfie camera.

Additionally, the phone is rumored to feature the Apple A19 chip with fewer GPU cores, further distinguishing it from the standard iPhone 17. Apple may also adopt its in-house N1 wireless chip and C1 modem for the iPhone 17e.

Thus the iPhone 17e is expected to offer updated hardware and a smooth iOS experience at an affordable price, primarily targeting iPhone 11 users looking to upgrade without spending too much. The device is expected to launch at the same $599 price point.

Previous leaks suggest that the iPhone 17e will arrive in early 2026, alongside an entry-level MacBook and an updated base-model iPad.

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Monday 1 December 2025 at 6:00 pm AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of November): 5,412

RIP Matrix

It's been rumored for eons at this point, but Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone looks to be all but confirmed to launch sometime next year, and thanks to recent leaks, we already know the rough shape, size and feature set of the hardware. For my fellow Surface Duo brothers and sisters, it's good news.

While the iPhone Fold won't utilize the Surface Duo's excellent dual-screen form factor, it will take on a similar shape and size. The Surface Duo was famously short and wide, compared to most other smartphones (including foldables) which are narrow and tall.

This shorter and wider shape made for an incredible typing experience on Surface Duo. It also gave apps more space, and made it easy to reach the top of the screen without the device feeling small. At no point did the OS or software ever feel cramped, even with its 5.6-inch screens, and that's because of how short but wide they were.

If the rumors are true, the upcoming iPhone Fold will be 5.5-inches on the outside, and 7.8-inches on the inside. The Surface Duo had almost the same dimensions, which tells me the iPhone Fold is going to try and offer a widescreen foldable display on the inside, which is perfect.

According to Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo, Apple is reportedly preparing to launch the iPad Mini 8 in Q3 2026 with an OLED display. If this proves true, the iPad Mini would become the second iPad to feature an OLED screen, following the iPad Pro.

A leaked roadmap from market research firm Omdia previously suggested that Apple plans to introduce OLED panels to more products, including the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air models in 2027. The roadmap also alleged that all Apple products are expected to switch to OLED panels by 2030.

Moreover, reports have indicated that Apple is also working on redesigned MacBook Pro models featuring OLED displays, set to launch in 2026.

Back to the iPad Mini 8, the compact tablet is expected to feature the A19 Pro chip, previously seen in the iPhone Air. With that in mind, another potential upgrade could be increasing the RAM from 8GB to 12GB.

Interestingly, Bloomberg reported in October that Apple has been testing a water-resistant, redesigned casing for the OLED iPad Mini. The company is reportedly experimenting with a new speaker system that uses vibration-based technology, eliminating the need for traditional speaker holes that could allow water to enter the device.

“That’s a different approach than the iPhone’s water-resistant design, which retains holes but adds gaskets and adhesives to prevent damage,” the report added.

Moreover, the same Bloomberg report suggested that adding an OLED display to the iPad Mini could increase its cost, potentially making the device at least $100 more expensive.

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Thursday 27 November 2025 at 5:53 am AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

RIP Matrix

When Qualcomm announced its high-end Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset in November, it mentioned that a non-Elite version was on the way, designed to power a more affordable tier of flagship phones. Now, that chip has finally arrived, with some drops in performance but the same core feature set.

Qualcomm compares the 8 Gen 5 to 2023’s 8 Gen 3, boasting a 36 percent improvement in CPU performance and 11 percent improvement in GPU performance compared to that chip, along with efficiency improvements. But since the 8 Gen 3 is two years old, and Qualcomm has changed CPU architecture in the meantime, the recent 8 Elite Gen 5 is a more useful comparison.

The 8 Gen 5 has a similar Oryon CPU structure to the Elite, but at slower clock speeds — its six performance cores cap at 3.32GHz, with its two prime cores at 3.8GHz, compared to 3.62GHz and 4.6GHz respectively in the Elite. On paper, that also sets its performance below last year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, though we’ll have to wait to see how actual smartphones compare in practice.

Those percentage improvements are all compared to the two-year-old 8 Gen 3.

Image: Qualcomm

There are a few other downgrades from the new Elite. The regular Gen 5’s X80 modem has slightly slower peak 5G speeds, though Bluetooth and Wi-Fi performance should be the same, and both satellite and ultra wideband (UWB) are supported. It also has slightly downgraded specs on its Adreno GPU and Hexagon AI NPU, though Qualcomm has gone into less detail on the exact comparisons there, and it can’t use the latest UFS 4.1 storage. But other specs are identical across the two chipsets, including charging capabilities, display support, and the vast majority of the camera hardware options.

Qualcomm says that several manufacturers, including Motorola, OnePlus, and Vivo, have already agreed to use the chip in new phones, with the first devices due to appear “in the coming weeks.” That might mean we’ll see it in the OnePlus 15R, now confirmed to launch in the US on December 17th.

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Wednesday 26 November 2025 at 6:20 pm AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

RIP Matrix

• Opening and navigating recent chats.
• Reading messages and accessing chat history.
• Sending quick replies, voice messages, and using emoji reactions.
• Receiving call notifications.
• Checking the latest chatsand media instantly.
• Starting new conversations.
• Featuring seamless, auto pairing and sync with a paired iPhone.

Right now, the app is not fully independent from the iPhone. Instead, it works as a companion app, similar to the Wear OS version, requiring a constant connection with the paired phone. For some users, this limitation may feel a bit restrictive, but it's likely to ensure your data remains encrypted.

The update also includes bug fixes and stability improvements. One improvement is that it addresses crashes reported during the first sync process of the Apple Watch app. The update is available now via the App Store on iOS devices, and the TestFlight version remains available for existing beta testers to continue receiving rapid updates.

To get started using WhatsApp on your Apple Watch, you will need to update WhatsApp to the latest version. Additionally, you need to be on iOS 9.1 or newer, have your watch on watchOS 10+, and have an Apple Watch Series 4 or above.

To enable WhatsApp notifications on Apple Watch, get the two devices connected by enabling Bluetooth on your iPhone and ensuring your Apple Watch is connected to Bluetooth. Then go to the iPhone settings and enable WhatsApp notifications and allow notifications on your iPhone. Next, turn on Allow Notifications and enable all alerts. Then go to the Apple Watch app, go to Notifications, and scroll to Mirror iPhone alerts, then turn on WhatsApp.

Source: WhatsApp via WABetaInfo

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Tuesday 25 November 2025 at 3:58 am AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

RIP Matrix

Google Assistant was launched in 2016, as a voice-based virtual assistant that users could interact with using natural language and the Hey Google wake word. It was integrated in many of Google's apps and handled many tasks from setting timers, alarms, playing music, navigation in Maps, etc. But things have evolved rather quickly over the past few years, with AI taking over many things. Google even integrated Bard in Gemini in 2023.

It was inevitable really, Assistant was running on borrowed time. Google has been steadily removing features from Assistant since January 2024, including assessing the Assistant from the Google Search bar on Android.  In March this year, the Mountain View company had announced that it would be phasing out Google Assistant on mobile devices, in favor of Gemini. Driving Mode was removed from Assistant in April 2025.

But Google had not revealed the precise timeline for the app's end of support, it had merely said that it would be "upgrading" more users to Gemini, and discontinue Google Assistant in 2025. Android Authority reported (via The SP Android) about a support page on Google's website says that Google Assistant will be available for use until March 2026. That's when it will be sunset.

Google Assistant has been popular on Google Home devices, and reports indicate users haven't found Gemini to be a perfect replacement. Gemini also requires a lot more permissions, and access to user data to function. Perhaps Google is still working out the kinks in Gemini to make it more reliable.

On a side note, Google has denied that it is using user data for training its AI models. Over the past few days, some news outlets reported that Google had secretly enabled some settings in Gmail, opting users in automatically into Smart Features, which gave the email service access to all messages, attachments. In a statement sent to ZDNet, a Google spokesperson had said that the reports are misleading, and that Gmail Smart Features have existed for many years, and that Google does not use Gmail user data to train Gemini's AI model.

Do you use Google Assistant?

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Tuesday 25 November 2025 at 3:57 am AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

RIP Matrix

Mark Gurman writes in this week’s Power On newsletter that Apple is taking a page from the Mac OS X Leopard release in 2009, focusing on “improving the software’s quality and underlying performance” with iOS 27. This approach applies to all of the company’s 27-branded operating systems, including macOS 27, visionOS 27, tvOS 27, and watchOS 27.

“Aiming to improve the software, engineering teams are now combing through Apple’s operating systems, hunting for bloat to cut, bugs to eliminate, and any opportunity to meaningfully boost performance and overall quality,” Gurman added. He also noted that iOS 27 lays the groundwork for the company’s first foldable iPhone.

While Apple’s approach to iOS 27 is primarily focused on refining performance and quality, this doesn’t mean the release will lack new features. According to Gurman, most of the additions in iOS 27 revolve around AI, aiming to keep the Cupertino tech giant competitive in the AI race.

iOS 27 is expected to introduce the long-awaited enhanced Siri for iPhones, reportedly powered by a Google Gemini model. In addition, the release may include a health-focused AI agent tied to the Health+ subscription, as well as Apple’s AI-powered web search tool, designed to compete with ChatGPT and Perplexity.

Gurman also noted that Apple’s next OS release could feature enhancements for enterprise users, bespoke features for users in emerging markets, and design tweaks to the Liquid Glass interface.

What’s your take on Apple’s strategy for iOS 27? Should the company introduce new features or focus solely on refining and improving the existing operating system?

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Monday 24 November 2025 at 2:50 am AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

RIP Matrix

They called me mad, they called me crazy. But, what if it's actually genius?

Since the Xbox Full Screen Experience debuted (often called the XFSE), I couldn't help but wonder about other ways it could be applied. Remember Windows Media Center of yore? Back when you could turn your PC into a TV-focused media player designed not for the desk, but for the sofa? Pepperidge Farm remembers. Pepperidge Farm also remembers when it was officially killed off, some ten years ago.

It's perhaps ironic, then, that the Xbox Full Screen Experience is once again trying to do something similar. Windows 11 is trying to become TV and sofa-friendly again, accessible primarily via a Xbox controller (or even Xbox remote), complete with easy multi-tasking, simple access to apps, and more user-friendly access to games and other similar services.

The company said that these search engines can be added easily by long-pressing on a search field on a website and selecting “Add as Search Engine”. Another improvement in Vivaldi 7.7 is the bookmark import functionality to make switching from other browsers pain-free, allowing users to bring all their bookmarks. Exporting bookmarks is also available for backing up or moving them somewhere else.

Aside from improved search engine and bookmark functionality, there are also improvements to the dark mode experience across the browser for more comfortable viewing. In addition, the Dark Mode checkbox for toggling dark mode on web pages has been restored to the Vivaldi Menu.

For those on iOS, the update includes improvements for iOS 26 compatibility. There are also under-the-hood optimizations to ensure Vivaldi runs steadier and quicker on the latest Apple devices. Both the Android and iOS versions have new underlying rendering engines, with both now being on Chromium 142.0.7444.180. The update also includes fixes for the tablet/iPad UI, address field behavior, and dark mode consistency.

To start using the new browser, just head to your respective app store and check for updates. If you don’t have the browser yet, just hit install. If you want to check out the full changelog, head over to Vivaldi’s announcement and scroll down.

Vivaldi 7.7 for the desktop launched last week. It came with a new Privacy Dashboard, cross-device tab syncing, and a new Performance section in settings to give you more power over how the browser uses system resources.

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Friday 21 November 2025 at 3:52 am AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

RIP Matrix

This year’s newest iPhones included one momentous change that marked a new phase in the evolution of Apple Silicon: the Apple N1, Apple’s first in-house chip made to handle local wireless connections. The N1 supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and the Thread smart home communication protocol, and it replaces the third-party wireless chips (mostly made by Broadcom) that Apple used in older iPhones.

Apple claimed that the N1 would enable more reliable connectivity for local communication features like AirPlay and AirDrop but didn’t say anything about how users could expect it to perform. But Ookla, the folks behind the SpeedTest app and website, have analyzed about five weeks’ worth of users’ testing data to get an idea of how the iPhone 17 lineup stacks up to the iPhone 16, as well as Android phones with Wi-Fi chips from Qualcomm, MediaTek, and others.

While the N1 isn’t at the top of the charts, Ookla says Apple’s Wi-Fi chip “delivered higher download and upload speeds on Wi-Fi compared to the iPhone 16 across every studied percentile and virtually every region.” The median download speed for the iPhone 17 series was 329.56Mbps, compared to 236.46Mbps for the iPhone 16; the upload speed also jumped from 73.68Mbps to 103.26Mbps.

Ookla noted that the N1’s best performance seemed to improve scores most of all in the bottom 10th percentile of performance tests, “implying Apple’s custom silicon lifts the floor more than the ceiling.” The iPhone 17 also didn’t top Ookla’s global performance charts—Ookla found that the Pixel 10 Pro series slightly edges out the iPhone 17 in download speed, while a Xiaomi 15T Pro with MediaTek Wi-Fi silicon featured better upload speeds.

Android phones also sometimes benefit from faster adoption of new technologies and support for 6 GHz Wi-Fi 7 with a 320 MHz channel width. While the N1’s lack of support for these features “does not materially affect performance in real world use for most people,” Android phones like the Pixel 10 series and Samsung’s Galaxy S25 can outrun the iPhone 17 in areas where those technologies are being used.

Note that Ookla’s approach can’t control for things like people’s distance from their Wi-Fi router, what kind of router they’re using, and the upload and download speeds set by their ISP. To control for this and minimize outliers, Ookla only publishes median numbers for the phones it’s tracking; it also lumps together phones from the same product families (the iPhone 17 results also include the 17 Pro and the iPhone Air, for example).

Ookla published similar data about the performance of Apple’s C1 cellular modem, also a first-generation chip design. As with the N1, Ookla’s main finding was that the C1 didn’t support the cutting-edge technologies it would need to top the performance charts, but that its speeds were mostly in the same ballpark as the Qualcomm modems in the iPhone 16 and that the C1 actually fared best in countries with less-robust cellular networks.

Since announcing the N1 in the iPhone 17 series in September, Apple has also launched a new Apple M5 iPad Pro with the N1 inside, though the chip was not included in the M5 MacBook Pro that Apple announced at the same time. The N1’s Thread support also makes it a good fit for Apple’s smart home and smart home-adjacent devices like the HomePod speaker or the Apple TV streaming box. The next time we see hardware refreshes for those devices—and updates are supposedly coming sooner rather than later—we expect to see the N1 included.

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Thursday 20 November 2025 at 11:54 am AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

RIP Matrix

These are the best Android apps and games available on Google Play in 2025 across various categories, such as personal growth, large screens, hidden gems, cars, best story, best indie, and more.

Here are the names of the winners Google published for the best apps available in the US:

Here are the names of the winners Google published for the best games available in the US:

Google said it has also published localized lists of the Google Play Awards 2025 for India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. The Android app store has had several updates this year, including personalization features, Games on PC, and a new gift card store.

The search has also made developer verification compulsory for all Android apps, including those distributed outside of Google Play. However, it gave some relaxation to power users after facing criticism for the move.

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Wednesday 19 November 2025 at 4:35 pm AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

RIP Matrix

That's according to the China-based leaker Instant Digital, who said on Weibo that future iPhone cases could feature touch-based sensor layers to act as secondary touch surfaces. Apple will design such cases for its Pro iPhones, the leaker added.

While little is known about the specifics of such a product, Apple appears to have been working on the tech for a while now. A 2024 US patent application spotted by MacRumors talks about "a case for an electronic device that provides input capabilities to enhance the user experience when using the case in concert with the electronic device."

According to the patent, touch-sensitive areas embedded in the case (either capacitive or pressure-based sensors) can trigger actions typically made by a phone's physical buttons, such as taps or sliding gestures. The device will automatically detect the case after it's attached and disable one or more physical buttons to receive input from the case's sensors.

Just in case you're wondering how the phone and the case will talk to each other, the patent describes using NFC (Near Field Communication) for identification and signal transfer. It also discusses versions of the case equipped with a fingerprint sensor for user authentication.

Not just smartphones, the patent suggests the concept can also apply to other electronic devices, such as smartwatches, laptops, remote controls, home appliances, and cases/accessories for these devices.

The rumor comes ahead of Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone, expected to launch in 2027 with a glass-centric design and a display that wraps around all four edges of the device. It has been reported that Apple has kick-started a three-year cycle of major iPhone redesign.

While Apple might want to replicate the success of the iPhone X, it could aim for a seamless design with an interactive case, rethinking how buttons work on a glass-focused design. Apple has previously explored solid-state buttons as a replacement for the iPhone's volume and power buttons. Still, it can't be said at the moment whether the rumored iPhone case is related to the 20th Anniversary iPhone.

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Tuesday 18 November 2025 at 2:40 am AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

RIP Matrix

Apps that exceed a "bad behavior threshold" may be flagged on Google Play for negatively impacting battery performance and may affect their visibility in the Android ecosystem.

Developers have until March 1, 2026, to update their apps to comply with a new core Android Vitals metric called "excessive partial wake locks."

The algorithm has been in beta since April 14, and Google developed it in close collaboration with Samsung.

"This is the first in a series of new metrics designed to provide deeper insight into your app's resource utilization, enabling you to improve the experience for your users across the entire Android ecosystem," Google announced.

Apps that go beyond the bad behavior threshold for excessive wake locks may be flagged as battery drainers on Google Play and could be excluded "from prominent discovery surfaces such as recommendations."

What Google will measure

Google Play's Android vitals system will track partial wake locks, the cumulative time the app spends with background work while the screen is off, and prevent the device from entering sleep mode.

The measurement will be per user session and across all sessions over a 28-day window, counting only non-exempt wake locks, meaning locks that aren't system-held, related to audio playback, or user-initiated data transfer.

An application's behavior will be considered excessive when a single user session holds over two cumulative hours of non-exempt wake locks within 24 hours.

Google considers the bad-behavior threshold to be 5% of an app's user sessions over the past 28 days.

Developers with apps that exceed this level will receive an alert on their Android vitals overview page.

Ultimately, this policy change will pressure developers to tighten their apps' behavior, reduce excessive or unnecessary wake locks, release them as soon as possible, and pay closer attention to wake locks initiated by external libraries and SDKs.

When asked whether this feature would be used to detect spyware, adware, and malware, which commonly refuse to sleep to keep network channels open and exfiltrate data, we were told that this is not the intended function of the feature.

"App security is a top priority on Google Play. However, the primary intent of this metric is to level up battery performance and technical quality to better our users' experience," explained Google.

"This metric is targeting 'bad behavior' in terms of excessive resource consumption, irrespective of whether an app is malicious. By enforcing these thresholds, we can identify and take action on apps that are abusing system resources without providing user value – but it is not primarily intended to target malware."

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Monday 17 November 2025 at 3:43 am AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

RIP Matrix

"The decision I think a lot of people talk about — and one of the most difficult decisions I made when I became CEO — was our exit of what I'll call the mobile phone as defined then," indicated Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. "In retrospect, I think there could have been ways we could have made it work by perhaps reinventing the category of computing between PCs, tablets, and phones."

The quote above discusses Satya Nadella's strategic mistake after becoming CEO, which potentially sealed Windows Phone's huge potential and fate in the Microsoft graveyard. But perhaps more interestingly, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer indicated that the company "paranoia and confidence" in Windows fumbled its opportunity in the smartphone landscape.

"We were too confident. I don’t think we stuck with Windows too long," Ballmer added. "I think what we did is we tried to put Windows in places that it didn’t naturally go".

And while the Windows Phone ship has seemingly completely sailed for Microsoft, a visionary designer recently shared a stunning concept inspired by Microsoft's Windows Phone dubbed Windows Astria.

Right off the bat, Windows Astria is heavily inspired by Microsoft's modern Windows 11 Fluent Design language. It also brings back Windows Aero from the Windows Vista days back to life, much like how Apple borrowed a page from Microsoft's book with Liquid Glass. The Mica effect is consistent across the operating system, including tiles, settings, and notifications.

Live Tiles made Windows Phone's user experience more appealing, and as you'd have guessed, the feature has also made a comeback in the concept, which as described by the concept designer "is scaled for modern screens, fully dynamic, information-dense, and beautifully integrated with the new visual style."

One of the main reasons that led to Windows Phone's death was a weak app ecosystem. Its unique architecture made it difficult for developers to build apps, but The Windows Phone Revival concept addresses this issue. Windows Astria runs Android apps natively using a technology similar to the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA). As such, the Windows user experience is consistent across all apps.

Batteries are all around us, in almost all of the tech that billions of people use every day. Our phones, laptops, handhelds, wireless accessories, and more — all reliant on the battery inside.

Most of those rechargeable batteries are lithium-ion, and have been for a long time. That's starting to change with the arrival of new silicon-carbon batteries (especially in high-end smartphones), which promise a range of benefits.

So, what are silicon-carbon batteries, and why should you care about them? I'll try to answer all the questions you have (and a few you didn't know to ask) in this guide, including how they work and when you might see this technology in your next laptop.

What are the benefits of silicon-carbon batteries?

Google will allow 'experienced users' to install Android apps made by unverified developers.

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Thursday 13 November 2025 at 2:56 pm AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

RIP Matrix

Apple is no longer planning to launch a second-generation iPhone Air next fall and has “already sharply scaled back production of the first version,” The Information reports. The next Air is instead likely to launch in spring 2027 at the earliest, and will be upgraded with a second camera lens, according to a follow-up Information report.

The company launched the super-thin version of the iPhone in September, but it seemingly hasn’t proven to be a big hit, and Apple is apparently making some changes to its plans for the phone’s follow-up.

The Information says that the company was aiming to announce a new iPhone Air next fall that would be lighter and have more battery capacity than this year’s model. The new phone would also have gotten a vapor chamber, like the iPhone 17 Pro lineup this year. It’s not clear how many of those upgrades will be included in the version that eventually launches, which will apparently prioritize a second rear camera lens instead — the lack of an ultrawide was one of the main complaints in reviews of the Air from The Verge and others.

With no second-generation iPhone Air, Apple’s fall 2026 iPhone lineup will apparently consist of the iPhone 18 Pro and its foldable iPhone, while the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18E will launch in spring 2027, potentially joined by the new Air. The Information’s sources say it’s “still too early to tell” whether Apple can redesign the Air in time to launch that spring.

Update, November 11th: Added new details from a second Information report.

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Wednesday 12 November 2025 at 12:57 am AEST (my time).

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of October): 5,009

RIP Matrix