The Latest from Gadget Hacks: Page 13

T-Mobile charges $5 per month for iPhone Handoff, the eSIM feature in iOS 27 that lets one phone number move between two iPhones, according to T-Mobile.

Parallels recently announced Parallels Desktop 27, adding a Metal-based graphics driver that brings hardware-accelerated OpenGL 4.3 to Windows virtual machines on Apple silicon Macs. The company describes the capability as unique among Mac virtualization tools, though that comparison comes from Parallels itself rather than independent testing.

Coverage of the Google Pixel 11 launch event will follow the usual script: chip codenames, camera megapixels, a livestream countdown. The more revealing story about how Google actually treats Pixel owners already happened two months ago, when a routine software update quietly did more to define the brand than any keynote slide will.

Apple's rumored smart home display, unofficially called the Apple Home Hub, is reportedly being tested inside employees' homes right now, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says an unveiling could come as soon as next month, according to MacRumors.

Microsoft has turned passwordless sign-in from a security-conference talking point into a configurable admin setting. Anyone searching for how to use passkeys with a Microsoft account is usually dealing with one of two different systems: a personal account for Outlook.com, Xbox, or consumer OneDrive, or a work or school account tied to Microsoft Entra ID.

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

Cultured Code released the Things 3.24 update today, adding Siri AI task creation, full Spotlight search integration, a new XL Portrait widget, and expanded notification snoozing across iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. The update is already live on the App Store (9to5Mac; MacRumors).

New Apple TV and HomePod mini hardware is reportedly "nearly ready to launch," with September or October the likely window for both devices, according to MacRumors citing Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. That report puts a firmer shape on the HomePod mini 2 release date and features that have been circulating for months, but the hardware itself isn't really the story here.

Google calls Call Screen "a fan favorite" and says people have "loved" using Call Notes to keep track of what happened on a call (Google, 10 months ago). Ask which are the best Google Pixel features, though, and no independent survey or retention data actually answers that question; the sources reviewed here contain no ranking of what people stick with. What exists instead is a paper trail: a string of releases showing which features Google has kept expanding, and which ones it introduced once...

Google spent this week's Pixel 11 launch talking up zoom range and sensor size, but the most interesting camera news wasn't a spec at all. It was Google Pixel Camera Looks, a system that lets photographers choose "the exact aesthetic" they want before pressing the shutter, rather than accepting whatever the phone's processing pipeline decides afterward (Google).

A sprawling Samsung Galaxy S26 FE leak, made up of renders, spec sheets and apparent hands-on video, has surfaced weeks before Samsung's expected announcement of the phone. The picture emerging is less "all-new phone" and more "known formula, new processor, possibly higher price," according to Android Authority, which published its account of the leak today.

Ahead of its September 23 China launch, Xiaomi confirmed the Xiaomi 18 Pro privacy screen will work as a hardware feature built into the display panel itself, and the teaser details the company released this week suggest it does a few things Samsung hasn't publicly demonstrated in the same way on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, according to Android Central.

A new report lays out a full spec sheet for Motorola's first wide, book-style foldable, and the numbers cut against expectations: smaller inner and outer displays than Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8, paired with a thicker, heavier body. The Motorola Razr Wide Fold specs leak surfaced yesterday from Android Headlines, which describes the device as "razr flex" internally under the codename "Parker."

Apple's EU-mandated energy label has settled a question that used to require teardown videos and guesswork: the iPhone 18 Pro battery capacity comes in at 4,056mAh, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max jumps to 5,391mAh. That Pro Max figure now edges past the Galaxy S26 Ultra's official 5,000mAh typical capacity, with a 4,855mAh rated capacity listed in Samsung's specifications and EU energy-label records.

If a video ends and another one just starts playing on its own, or a thumbnail starts playing while you're only scrolling past it, those are two different problems with two different fixes. Both get blamed on "YouTube autoplay," but they're controlled by separate settings. This guide covers how to turn off autoplay on YouTube for each one, on phone, desktop, and TV, plus how to turn it back on if you change your mind. A YouTube Community thread on the topic treats the two behaviors as separate...

If you've shopped for a Surface Pro 11 in the past year, you've probably seen it pitched as an AI-first camera device, complete with a high-resolution sensor and a chip that's supposed to make video calls smarter. That's the real story behind Microsoft Surface camera innovation on this generation of hardware, and it's worth separating what Microsoft added from what's actually been verified. The short version: the front camera carries a genuinely high 12.2MP resolution, a fast neural processor...

An OpenCVE entry lists macOS Sequoia 15.8.1 and macOS Tahoe 26.7.1 as the fixed versions for CVE-2026-86950, an out-of-bounds write bug that could let a maliciously crafted file trigger arbitrary code execution. Apple released macOS Golden Gate 27.0.1 on September 28, but its security-releases page says the update has no published CVE entries. OpenCVE's record for CVE-2026-86950 does not list a macOS 27 version, so the public records checked here do not tie CVE-2026-86950 to Golden Gate 27.0.1.

Windows 11's Start menu has shipped with a Recommended section wedged under your pinned apps since launch, mixing recent files with Microsoft's own app suggestions and tips. If you're trying to figure out how to remove the Recommended section in Windows 11, the fix depends on which build you're running, and Microsoft actually made this easier earlier this year. On Windows 11 24H2, 25H2, or 26H1 systems that have received Microsoft's redesigned Start settings, a section-level toggle can hide the...

Passports, birth certificates, and Social Security cards don't fit inside a Bluetooth tracker, but Google just gave them a place in Find Hub anyway. A new "Remembered Items" tab lets you tell Gemini where you stashed a document, then ask for that location back weeks or months later, whether you're digging through a closet or standing in a TSA line wondering if you actually grabbed your passport this time.

Google is testing a new Google Messages chat search feature that adds a floating search icon when scrolling up inside a conversation, cutting out the extra tap through the three-dot menu currently needed to search a thread. Android Authority found the feature working inside beta version 20260921 and got it running on a test device, though it's not live for regular users, and there's no word on when, or whether, it will ship more broadly.

Google is testing a way to bring Gemini's Daily Brief to the Pixel lock screen, according to a teardown of the latest Android System Intelligence app.

Google TV Freeplay now has 10,000 free movies and shows available to stream on demand, the first time the service has offered on-demand video since it launched. Google made the announcement on its blog yesterday, describing the addition as giving users "instant access to free entertainment." No subscription is required to watch.

The most interesting evidence for Apple's rumored home hub isn't a spec sheet. It's a home-screen system borrowed straight from the Apple Watch, and it does more to justify buying several units than any display resolution or chip upgrade could. That's the real story buried in this month's Apple HomePad rumors: not a bigger screen, but a smarter one.

Apple calls Finder the home base of the Mac: the tool for organizing and reaching almost everything on the system, from documents to a connected iPhone. Most people use about a tenth of it. This collection of Finder tips and tricks for Mac users covers the rest: the browsing, previewing, editing, and search tools sitting in the same window you already open dozens of times a day.

Code buried inside a macOS Tahoe 26.7 update shows how Apple's rumored Home Hub might figure out who's standing in front of it. The strings describe ambient sensing, built-in cameras, and possibly voice cues working together to verify a person's identity and then switch to that person's own profile. MacRumors reported the find, and AppleInsider spotted matching code in the same build, which it describes as a 26.7 release candidate.

Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra was the best-selling Android phone of Q2 2026, finishing fourth among all smartphones sold worldwide, according to Counterpoint Research. It marks the first time an ultra-premium Android device has led Android sales in a June quarter.

Google Messages beta code contains a hidden "Select chats to pin" screen that caps selections at six conversations, displaying a "Limit reached" message if a user tries to add another after six have been selected, according to Nerds Chalk's APK teardown, reported August 3.

Samsung and Corning are reportedly developing a new self-healing surface coating for the next generation of Gorilla Armor, and industry watchers have connected it to the Galaxy S27 Ultra.

Apple released iOS 27 Public Beta 4 on Aug. 17, one week after Public Beta 3 and just hours after iOS 27 developer beta 6. Anyone with a compatible iPhone can get the update by enrolling in the Apple Beta Software Program.

Beta code inside tvOS 27 and Bloomberg reporting suggest Apple is preparing Siri AI for the Apple TV ecosystem, but neither source confirms which existing models will support it. Whether the second- and third-generation Apple TV 4K will run the redesigned assistant, or whether it's reserved for hardware Apple hasn't announced yet, remains an open question.

Samsung's One UI 9 Beta 6 update adds a toggle that lets Galaxy S26 owners disable AI Select's long-press trigger on the Edge Panel handle, according to Android Authority. Here's how to disable AI Select in One UI 9 Beta 6 without switching off Edge Panels altogether. It's a fix for a recurring annoyance reported by users: lingering slightly too long while swiping out an Edge Panel would freeze the screen and launch the AI Select overlay, whether they meant to trigger it or not.

Galaxy owners across Reddit and Samsung's Community forums are hitting the same wall when they try to sign in: "Can't sign in. Account deactivated for security reasons." That message is behind a fresh wave of Samsung account randomly deactivated complaints, and neither the users posting about it nor Samsung itself has explained why it's happening.

Google has told suppliers it plans to produce every Pixel smartphone, watch, and wireless earbud outside China starting in 2027, according to Nikkei Asia's report, which ties the move to ongoing tension between Washington and Beijing.

Google began testing a redesigned YouTube player with translucent, rounded controls by July 2025, shortly after Apple introduced Liquid Glass with iOS 26. 9to5Google described that early YouTube interface as giving off "Liquid Glass vibes," but that comparison came from the publication, not Google.

RugOne unveiled the Xsnap 7 Pro at IFA 2026 in Berlin this week, a rugged Android phone with a rear camera module that physically detaches and works as a standalone action camera. The RugOne Xsnap 7 Pro detachable action camera phone isn't shipping yet. Its Kickstarter campaign opens September 7 with a €799 super early-bird tier, roughly $930.

Archival note: this article reflects reporting available through August 10, 2026, two days before Google's Made by Google keynote. It does not cover what was announced at that event. Readers looking for the outcome should consult post-event coverage.

The word "reset" gets stretched to cover three unrelated jobs when an Apple TV remote acts up, and that stretching is where most of the confusion starts. Learning how to reset an Apple TV remote really means figuring out which of three things applies: restarting a frozen remote, re-pairing one that's lost its Bluetooth connection, or wiping the entire Apple TV back to factory settings. Only the last of those erases the Apple TV's data.

Roku entered the OLED television market for the first time on September 1, 2026, with two new sets priced well below what LG and Samsung charge for comparable screens. The Roku Pro Series OLED TV starts at $999 for a 55-inch model and is available now, while the higher-end Roku Pro Series LX OLED TV starts at $1,299 and ships in October.

Firefox for iOS now has a built-in ad blocker. Mozilla shipped it off by default, though, and you can now enable the feature from the app's main settings or the Site menu on a webpage. If you're trying to figure out how to enable ad blocker in Firefox on iPhone, the process itself is short. What takes longer to explain is what the feature actually filters once it's on, and where it stops.

Samsung confirmed at Galaxy Unpacked on July 22, 2026 that its Z8 lineup, the Galaxy Z Fold8, Fold8 Ultra, and Flip8, uses silicon-carbon anode batteries. The Z8 series marks Samsung's first smartphone lineup to adopt the chemistry, which is intended to increase energy density without requiring a proportionally larger battery enclosure.