Gadget Hacks

Google Find Hub's "Notify when left behind" alerts are rolling out to Android users, warning them when a tagged item, like a wallet, keys, or bag, separates from their phone. The rollout was first reported by 9to5Google yesterday, and Engadget, Android Authority, and SammyGuru each published their own coverage today, all citing 9to5Google's original find.

Apple F1 streaming rights in more countries just moved from rumor to stated expectation. Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said yesterday that Apple will pursue broadcast deals abroad once existing contracts allow it, telling investors Apple will move "as soon as this opportunity will be open for them" (StockAnalysis earnings transcript; The Race). That's an expectation from F1's own leadership on an investor call, not a signed contract, and Apple has made no matching public statement of its own.

Peak Design's new Wireless Kickstand Travel Battery is advertised with a 25W charging specification, but that number only shows up under one specific condition: when the power bank is plugged into a wall adapter, not when someone is using it as a portable battery. The $99.95 accessory appeared in Cult of Mac's coverage of a four-product Peak Design lineup. On its own 5,000mAh cell, it maxes out at 15W wirelessly. The faster figure only kicks in once the battery is tethered to external power, a...

Apple's WebKit team introduced Safari Adaptive Dark Mode in the Safari 27.3 beta, a feature that automatically darkens light websites without the site needing to build its own dark theme, according to WebKit's announcement two days ago. It only works once a user turns it on, and it requires the device's system appearance to already be set to Dark. WebKit's announcement does not provide a stable-release date, and it doesn't specify a full list of supported devices or operating systems, so anyone...

A report says Google Password Manager now lets users choose which password or passkey to keep when an imported credential conflicts with one already saved, in a Google Play services update reported Tuesday by heise online.

Play Store version 53.9 now includes an Android Play Protect turned off reminder, a prompt that appears after Google Play Protect has been turned off for an extended stretch, according to a changelog spotted by heise online this week. The notification shipped in an update released earlier this week that also touched device connectivity, account management, and other security features, according to heise.

Samsung Galaxy F56 owners in India can now get Android 17, with new ways to customize their phones, monitor app activity, and secure their devices. The One UI 9 update also brings accessibility improvements, Samsung Health upgrades, and the October 2026 security patch.

A review of UGREEN's MagFlow Pro, published yesterday, adds one more data point to a long-running question: can a wireless charging stand actually charge two phones? According to the review, the MagFlow Pro charges one iPhone at up to 25W while reserving its other two positions for AirPods and an Apple Watch, not a second phone (TechXMedia, yesterday).

Android Authority spent time this week digging through Play Store version 53.9.23-24 and found something that isn't live on anyone's phone: reported code for a "Gift" entry sitting in the three-dot overflow menu on premium paid apps. It points to Google exploring a Google Play Store game gifting feature, something that would let a sender place a specific paid app or game directly into someone else's library instead of handing over spendable credit, according to Android Authority's teardown...

macOS Golden Gate's touch-oriented interface isn't limited to the new PROLED MacBook Pro. Testing in the macOS 27.3 and iPadOS 27.3 developer betas shows the same macOS Golden Gate touch features also work through Sidecar with an iPad, and on one of two third-party touchscreen monitors tested, AppleInsider reports.

YouTube is testing a new channel cleanup policy that lets creators facing termination for certain spam violations wipe their entire video library instead of losing the channel outright. A channel that takes this route can retain its subscribers, handle, and monetization status while showing zero videos, so an account sitting in your subscriptions feed could go completely blank without actually being banned (Android Authority; Dexerto).

Google calls the $179.99 Fitbit Edge its "smartest fitness tracker ever" (Google, two weeks ago). But according to Android Authority's reporting, which draws on direct correspondence with Google, anyone chasing the fullest set of AI health features should skip the Edge and "buy a Pixel Watch 5 and a Pixel phone" instead. That's the core tension behind any Fitbit Edge vs Google Pixel Watch comparison right now: two products from the same company, running the same health platform, with...

A leaker claims OPPO is testing its unannounced Find X10 Ultra with MediaTek's Dimensity 9600 Pro, then says a Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 version is now more likely (Android Central, today). The OPPO Find X10 Ultra MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro rumor is still just that: a leak, not a product announcement. OPPO hasn't confirmed the phone exists at all, so there's no official chipset, camera hardware, price, or release date to weigh against anything.

Samsung's U.S. support page has a gap where cheaper screen repair used to sit. Crack the inner display on a Galaxy Z Fold8 today, and the only listed fix is a $579 "Screen Module Replacement" bundling the screen, bezel, and battery together, because the narrower repair tier Fold7 owners can still choose for $449 isn't offered on the new phone (AndroidPure, two months ago). That number is the clearest data point in the Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs iPhone Duo cost debate right now: one phone carries a...

At $899, Apple's M6 Mac mini looks like a bargain beside the new $1,499 iMac. That's $600 saved before you've even turned either computer on. But there's a catch: the Mac mini doesn't come with a screen, keyboard, or mouse, and buying those separately can eat into the savings.

Google has confirmed to Android Authority that a fix for Android Auto not connecting after the One UI 9 update is already rolling out. The company frames it as a broader "Android 17 / One UI 9" issue rather than a bug tied to one specific phone.

Google quietly confirmed that receipt scanning is coming to Google Wallet in the changelog for Google Play Services v26.40, dated Oct. 12, 2026. The entry says users can now scan to add receipts, a change that could make it easier to save purchase records without entering their details manually.

Ask Play, Google Play's AI-powered search feature, can now generate side-by-side comparisons between apps alongside its existing conversational recommendations.

Samsung launched the W27 in China this week, a China-exclusive, dressed-up version of the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra priced from CNY 18,999 (roughly $2,852) to CNY 21,999 (roughly $3,303), according to SamMobile and Android Headlines. That pricing already lands above what's been reported for Apple's iPhone Duo in China, according to Android Headlines.

A Gartic Phone Halloween party game only works if the host plans around one detail: most guests will be drawing monsters with their thumbs on a six-inch screen, not a tablet or laptop. Gartic Phone works in iOS Safari and Android Chrome with touchscreen drawing built in, but a guide covering the game's mechanics says detailed drawing is harder on a phone than on a larger screen.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate got cheaper this year, but figuring out how to get the most out of your subscription takes more than glancing at the new price. Starting April 21, 2026, Ultimate dropped from $29.99 to $22.99 a month, with PC Game Pass falling from $16.49 to $13.99, according to Microsoft. Prices vary by region, so those US figures might not match what appears on your bill.

The Delta 2.0 update launched Oct. 22, giving the retro-game emulator a dual-screen layout built specifically for Nintendo DS games on Apple's new iPhone Duo and adding Sega Genesis and Mega Drive emulation for every user. It's the first new system Delta has supported since its 2024 App Store debut, according to iThinkDiff. The release went live on the App Store and AltStore PAL in time for the Duo's Oct. 23 retail launch.

Start with one question: did tap-to-pay ever work on this phone, or did it work fine for weeks and then suddenly stop? That answer helps determine whether you're dealing with a setup problem you can fix yourself or an intermittent issue that ordinary troubleshooting may not resolve.

There's still no confirmed Samsung Galaxy T1 earbuds release date, price, or official product name. But the unannounced SM-R545 has now cleared wireless certification in two countries within about a month, evidence that the product is moving through Samsung's regulatory pipeline rather than sitting idle, according to SammyGuru.

Motorola has started rolling out stable Android 17 to the Razr Ultra 2025, but only a narrow group of owners has confirmed receiving it so far. The update has been reported on an unlocked unit in the United States, according to Android Authority and TuttoAndroid.

The Pixel 11 Pro HiLight notification feature just picked up its most requested upgrade: message alerts. Owners running Android 17 QPR2 Beta 6.1 on the Pixel 11 Pro, Pro XL, or Pro Fold can now flip on a toggle that makes the camera-ring LED blink for texts from favorite contacts, confirmed working with Google Messages according to 9to5Google. That's a real expansion for a feature Android Police called a "dud" at launch over its narrow scope, per Android Police.

Before installing anything billed as the latest AMD chipset drivers for Windows 11, check two things first: the exact chipset on your motherboard and the version already installed. AMD currently lists chipset driver revision 8.09.28.1124, released Oct. 21, 2026, as its Windows 11 64-bit package for both the X870 and WRX80 platforms.

A Galaxy tablet owner asked Samsung Community how to reorder "the first 6 buttons" on their Quick Panel, and the reply pointed to a setting called Edit top quick settings. Samsung now documents that option in its official support materials for newer Galaxy devices, although the exact menu layout can vary by software version and model. For One UI 7 users, the key distinction is between editing the full Quick Panel and customizing the shortcuts shown in the combined notifications view.

Samsung's unreleased Exynos 2700 reportedly scored around 13,000 in a Geekbench 6.5 multi-core benchmark test against roughly 11,000 for Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, a lead of nearly 20%, according to industry sources cited by The Korea Herald on Oct. 25.

A blue indicator has started showing up in the status bar on Samsung Galaxy phones running One UI 9, and it has one job: flagging when an app is actively accessing your location.

Choosing a VPN in 2026 is not as simple as finding the provider with the largest server network or the fastest advertised speeds.

Yes, a laser pointer can damage a phone camera sensor, but the outcome isn't a single fixed result. Research on camera sensors shows effects ranging from temporary overexposure that clears on its own to permanent dead pixels or a sensor that stops producing usable images altogether. None of the studies cited here support the blanket claim that any laser pointer aimed at any phone will wreck the camera. The risk depends on the laser's power, wavelength, exposure duration, and how much energy...

Google's program is scheduled to become available on December 1, 2026, on devices running Android 17 QPR2 or later in the countries listed in Google's official eligibility FAQ, provided a third-party store has completed registration and received approval.

A fork of an open-source project called nxnative has reportedly got Mario Kart World, a Switch 2 exclusive, running on a Mac, with developer Will Faust posting video footage of the game on Oct. 27.

Creating a password-protected ZIP on Android starts with choosing a file manager that supports encrypted archives. Files by Google can create ordinary ZIP files, but its documented compression workflow doesn't include a password option. That's a limitation of Files by Google, not Android as a whole.

Samsung has started rolling out the Galaxy M54 One UI 9.0 update, based on Android 17, according to SamMobile and Zoomit, which reported the release on Oct. 27. Zoomit cites SamMobile for the global rollout, rather than independently confirming a separate release. Samsung's model-specific update documentation has not yet established which Galaxy AI features are included.

OpenAI is testing a ChatGPT Google Messages integration that lets its autonomous Dots agents text users directly, instead of keeping conversations locked inside the ChatGPT app, Slack, or Microsoft Teams. ChatGPT said on Wednesday that the feature is "rolling out now as a preview for Pro users in the US." Android users reach a Dot through RCS in Google Messages, while iPhone users reach it through iMessage.

A no-logs policy sounds straightforward. A VPN provider says it does not log your activity, so your browsing should remain private.

Google wants Android users in parts of Canada to check their phones before Nov. 1, the day several provinces and territories stop turning clocks back.

A working fork of the open-source Aves gallery app, posted to GitHub about a month ago, demonstrates something readers trying to search Android photos without cloud upload have been asking for: typed description search and visual similarity matching that run entirely on the phone, with photo indexing and search described by the developer as running locally, without uploading photos, videos, or search queries.