The Latest from Gadget Hacks: Page 9

Microsoft plans to let Microsoft 365 Copilot write, update, and delete data inside connected third-party apps, not just read it. Microsoft's September 22 Message Center entry lists the feature as "In development," with general availability targeted for October 2026, per the Microsoft 365 Message Center archive.

The Google Photos virtual closet feature is now available on iOS, not just Android. Google's AI tool that catalogs a person's clothing into a digital wardrobe expanded beyond Android on September 24, following its debut on Android this summer, according to Google's product blog and TechCrunch.

Leaker Ice Universe says Samsung is preparing a split-screen Privacy Display upgrade for the Galaxy S27 Ultra that would dim only one app window in split-screen mode, even as that window gets resized.

Google AI Studio can now turn a plain-language prompt into a native Android project and push that build directly into Google Play testing.

Microsoft has turned Copilot in Excel from a chat-based assistant into a tool that can edit workbooks directly. That change matters more in shared files, where multiple people may be changing formulas, formatting, charts, and data at the same time.

The most useful iOS 27 HomeKit changes have little to do with new hardware. Apple added several HomeKit Secure Video features powered by Apple Intelligence: plain-language descriptions of recorded activity, natural-language search across camera clips and a single notification that can combine related activity instead of sending separate alerts one after another.

Most Galaxy tablet problems, including freezing, laggy apps, or a screen that stops responding, don't need a factory reset.

Some Mac owners running macOS 27 have watched Apple Intelligence balloon to 20GB or more in the Storage pane, well beyond what Apple's own documentation says it should need. If you're trying to figure out how to remove Apple Intelligence models on Mac and claw back some of that space, start by separating what's actually been measured from what's circulating on Reddit.

The Galaxy Z Flip 8's outer FlexWindow does more than preview a selfie. Turn on Mirror View and the cover screen becomes a mirror-like, real-time reflection that Samsung says can run at up to 120 fps, with zoom and edge lighting available for a closer look.

An ASUS laptop running slow on Windows 11 rarely comes down to one mystery cause. It's usually a process using too much CPU, memory pressure, low storage space, an older hard drive, heat buildup, or a power setting working against you. Sometimes more than one problem is involved.

Game Pass subscribers who rely heavily on cloud streaming have a change to plan around starting in November: unlimited Xbox Cloud Gaming is going away.

Microsoft released the Windows 11 KB5124010 update on September 22 as an optional non-security preview for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2.

If your Pixel 11 keeps dropping Wi-Fi, shows a 5G icon without usable data, or cuts out over Bluetooth, that doesn't automatically mean the phone is defective.

Apple TV boxes don't use automatic content recognition to identify everything playing on a television, and an Apple TV 4K can't inspect video coming through the TV's other inputs. That gives the box a privacy advantage over many smart TVs and streaming platforms, as Ars Technica reported in 2025.

Microsoft released Visual Studio Code 1.139.0 to the Stable channel on September 23, 2026, replacing the sparse Insiders page that had appeared earlier in the month.

Vivo officially unveiled the X500 Pro Max on September 21, and the Vivo X500 Pro Max camera phone is shaping up as the company's most aggressive imaging flagship yet.

Microsoft drops Copilot+ PC branding from its newest Surface hardware, even though those machines still meet every technical requirement the label was built around. Surface CVP Brett Ostrum confirmed the change directly to Windows Central this week: "These are not called Copilot+ PCs." The devices affected are Microsoft's newest Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, both of which still qualify under the original Copilot+ specification bar despite losing the name.

Apple shipped watchOS 27 on Sept. 14, and the update removes a familiar Apple Watch multitasking shortcut.

Vivaldi shipped a fifth minor update for Desktop 8.2 on September 18, 2026, just one day after minor update 4 landed.

Here's how iPhone Handoff works in iOS 27: supported carriers can put the same phone number on two iPhones, but only one of those phones is ever active at a time. It's not two simultaneously active lines, and treating it that way is the fastest way to misunderstand what you're paying for (MacRumors explains).

Scroll through a playlist and find half the tracks dimmed and unplayable, and the timing feels random: was it something you did, a subscription hiccup, or the label pulling the song outright? If you're searching for Apple Music songs grayed out how to fix, the troubleshooting path is more structured than the scattered advice online suggests. Apple's own Cloud Status labels, "Waiting," an exclamation mark, or "No Longer Available," point to different likely causes, and only some of them respond...

The Galaxy S26 FE now has its own teardown, and it earned a 9/10 repairability score from PBKreviews.

A teardown of My Pixel version 8.9.1 has uncovered in-development code for color-matched app icons on the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL, extending a feature Google currently offers on the Pixel 11 series.

Microsoft's next Surface generation, a 13-inch Surface Pro alongside 13.8-inch and 15-inch Surface Laptop models built on Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Plus and X2 Elite chips, is confirmed for sale in three markets so far. Microsoft first documented availability in Switzerland on June 17, with Surface Pro pricing starting at CHF 1,349 (Microsoft EMEA, three months ago). Thailand and Malaysia were both scheduled to begin sales on July 23, 2026, a date now roughly two months in the past; Microsoft's...

Google's Android chief just handed Apple a compliment wrapped in a competitive jab. Speaking about Apple's newly announced iPhone Duo, Android Ecosystem president Sameer Samat called it "wonderful" that more people are realizing "the foldable space is the place to be," while adding that Android is "usually where you see the future first," according to Tom's Guide.

Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy Tab S12 series is coming in the second half of 2026, but it hasn't announced the exact lineup, specifications, pricing, or launch date.

If you're searching how to watch Lions vs. Bills for free, the live window has already closed. The Week 2 matchup between the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills kicked off at 8:15 p.m. ET on Sept. 17 at Buffalo's new Highmark Stadium.

Audible buries a handful of useful features behind menu labels that don't always explain themselves clearly.

iOS 27's Wallet app now includes a bill-splitting tool that can scan a restaurant receipt, identify individual items, calculate each person's share of tax and tip, and let people settle up through Apple Cash.

Xiaomi launched the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max in China on September 23, 2026, and the headline feature across the Xiaomi 18 Pro series is a hardware-level privacy display that switches on for a single app, a single notification, or one pane of a split screen. Both phones also bring back the rear display from last year's 17 Pro, now rebuilt around Xiaomi's Xiao AI assistant (GSMArena, yesterday).

A Messages background isn't a private wallpaper choice. It's a setting tied to the conversation itself: everyone in the thread sees whatever background gets applied, and anyone in that thread can change it again later (Apple Support). Learning how to change iMessage background on iPhone only takes a few taps, but knowing who else it affects matters more than the taps themselves.

The best time to charge a Samsung Galaxy Watch comes down to timing: pick whichever stretch of your day you can afford to lose tracking data, charge during that window, and make sure whatever charge you end up with covers your next sleep period or workout.

A data plan can disappear in a single evening of streaming.

Apple confirmed this week that Apple Podcasts Subscriptions video is coming, letting creators lock subscriber-exclusive episodes, ad-free video, early access, and bonus content behind the same paywall they already use for premium audio, across more than 170 countries and regions (9to5Mac, reported this week). The move would end an audio-only run that's lasted since Apple Podcasts Subscriptions launched in 2021, even though free video has already been playing in the app since March, when Apple...

Oppo officially launched the Find X10 Pro Max in China today, and the headline spec is hard to miss: three separate 200MP sensors on the back, one each for ultrawide, main, and telephoto. The configuration is confirmed by GSMArena and FoneArena, both reporting on today's launch.

Farwave, an iPhone and iPad app, lets people find world radio stations by spinning a 3D globe to a region and tapping on a station, according to a 9to5Mac report published September 12 as part of the outlet's weekly Indie App Spotlight series. The Farwave app is free to download, with a subscription tier that adds podcasts, imported music, and other features.

A phone that works fine at home can go dark within minutes of touching down in China. Not because one app breaks, but because three separate systems, internet access, navigation, and mobile payment, all require setup steps that are much easier to handle before you've already landed. Figuring out the best apps for traveling to China matters less than getting that setup order right before you leave.

Some YouTube users say they no longer have to tap play at all. Opening the app is apparently enough to start a Short playing, according to a report from Android Authority published today. One user described a Short auto-launching through connected earphones and waking a sleeping partner, with no interaction involved beyond opening the app.

Apple spent part of the iPhone Duo unveiling drawing a sharp contrast with rival foldables, including the awkward black space that can surround apps not designed for larger folding screens. But Apple's first foldable won't make that problem disappear overnight. As 9to5Google noted after the Sept. 9 unveiling, older iPhone apps can face a similar limitation when opened on Duo's 7.6-inch inner display.

Mention MapQuest in conversation and Google Maps tends to come up as some kind of corporate cousin. It isn't. The short answer to who owns MapQuest is System1, a digital advertising and customer-acquisition company, not Google. System1 confirms that it owns and operates MapQuest, after acquiring the service from Verizon in 2019. The purchase price was not disclosed publicly.