The Latest from Gadget Hacks: Page 2

iOS 27 introduces a change to how iPhone handles sound: alarms, ringtones, and notification alerts no longer have to share one volume slider. Owners can now turn down a ringtone or text alert without quietly lowering the alarm that's supposed to wake them up. That's the practical answer to a question a lot of iPhone owners have been asking for years: how to set separate alarm and ringer volumes on iPhone without one setting dragging down the other.

Google revised its privacy policy on Oct. 16 to say that data shared between Gmail, Google Photos, or Drive and certain other Google services may now be used to personalize content, including ads. The update adds an exception to language that previously ruled out using content from those apps for ad personalization, according to The Verge and Ars Technica.

The iPhone Duo can finally double as a digital notepad, but owning an Apple Pencil doesn't necessarily mean you're ready to start writing. Apple's foldable iPhone now supports stylus input through iOS 27.2, released October 26, 2026, but only the Apple Pencil (USB-C) works. Even the more expensive Apple Pencil Pro is incompatible.

Passports, birth certificates, and Social Security cards don't fit inside a Bluetooth tracker, but Google's Find Hub now gives them a place anyway. Its new Remembered tab lets you tell Gemini where you stored a document, then ask for that location later, whether you're digging through a closet or preparing for a trip.

Calling a contact with more than one saved number through Android Auto has always meant one extra step: picking home, work, or mobile before the call actually connects. A teardown of a daily Android Auto build suggests that step might finally disappear, surfacing what's being described as an Android Auto preferred phone number feature buried in a set of unfinished code strings (Android Police, yesterday).

Samsung's next budget fitness tracker is coming into focus, and anyone expecting a dramatic redesign may be disappointed. Newly uncovered Galaxy Fit 4 renders show a device that looks remarkably similar to the Galaxy Fit 3, with Bluetooth 5.4 emerging as the clearest documented upgrade.

Samsung's latest Galaxy Watch 7 update isn't packed with new features, but it targets parts of the smartwatch experience that owners use throughout the day. Watch faces, the always-on display, and Quick Settings are among the areas receiving attention in the fifth One UI 9 Watch beta.

Apple released iOS 18.7.11 and iPadOS 18.7.11 earlier this week, delivering a fix for a CoreGraphics flaw the company says "may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals" on iOS versions before iOS 27. This is the iPhone XR and iPhone XS security update that matters most right now, since it's the only version that brings the fix to iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, hardware that can't run iOS 26, along with the seventh-generation iPad.

A Rust-based open-source project called OpenLogi is drawing attention as a telemetry-free alternative to Logitech Options+, the configuration app most Logitech mouse owners already have installed. OpenLogi runs on macOS 13 or later, Windows, and Linux, and the project's own documentation confirms support for button remapping, DPI adjustment, and SmartShift configuration, all without requiring a Logitech account.

Google began rolling out the Android 17 QPR3 Beta 3 Pixel update on October 29, with a changelog listing 26 fixes, according to 9to5Google (yesterday). The report names three of those fixes directly: a foldable's inner display staying black after unfolding, intermittent crashes clustered around the lock screen or shortly after startup, and a Recents overview that flickers when a home gesture follows quick app-switching (9to5Google, yesterday).

Samsung's One UI 9 update is bringing an unwelcome surprise for some Galaxy S24 and S25 owners: battery life that suddenly falls short of what they're used to. Complaints range from faster overnight drain to phones needing several charges throughout the day.

A developer named Ismail Shah announced on LinkedIn three weeks ago that he built the Knit Easy Android app to fix a problem he says plagues knitters and crocheters working from printed or PDF patterns: losing track of the row mid-stitch. The post describes a row highlighter, linked counters, and fully offline operation, and includes a Google Play link. However, the app's current listing details, including its price, permissions, and user ratings, have not been independently verified.

Apple's iOS 27.2 release notes confirm that Shared Albums in Photos now support editing captions and comments, according to the full notes reproduced by iClarified. The update is available now through Settings > General > Software Update.

A notification pings when someone tags you in a group chat, but after you open WhatsApp, finding that message can mean scrolling through dozens of other texts. WhatsApp is testing a fix: a mentions and replies filter spotted in Android beta version 2.26.42.12, according to WABetaInfo's Oct. 24 report.

Score a last-second win in a mobile game with no recorder running, and a Google headline from 2024 suggests the moment might not be lost. The Google sources reviewed here do not establish whether a 30-second retroactive recording feature is currently available on Android.

Apple released watchOS 27.2 on Oct. 26, adding conversation memory to Siri AI on Apple Watch for the first time. Apple's release notes confirm Siri AI can retain useful context from previous interactions, including the ability to recall recommendations made days earlier. For example, users can ask Siri about restaurants it suggested last week without repeating the original conversation.

Apple's new Made for iPhone Duo badge is appearing on App Store product pages, giving owners of the company's first foldable iPhone a way to spot apps designed for its larger screen. But the label doesn't necessarily mean Apple has tested every foldable-specific feature or verified that an app works flawlessly.

Most Apple TV owners use three remote gestures on repeat: swipe, click, and "Hey Siri, open Netflix." Plenty of other built-in interactions sit untouched on the same remote, and several of them are shortcuts most people never try. Learning even a few of these Apple TV remote shortcuts can save you from restarting the whole box when an app freezes, or from digging through settings just to switch where sound plays.

Google Photos now packs a Redact tool into its Markup editor, letting Android users blur license plates, account numbers, and other sensitive details before sharing a photo or screenshot. The Google Photos Redact tool started rolling out globally on Android last month, with no beta sign-up required.

Samsung has pushed out Home Up version 18.0.00.38, a Good Lock update fixing two home screen glitches on Galaxy devices running One UI 9: DIY Home layouts that changed on their own and Stack Widgets that displayed incorrectly. If you use DIY Home Screen on a Galaxy device running One UI 9, open Good Lock, check the installed Home Up version, and install 18.0.00.38 if it's offered for your device.

DIRECTV Genre Packs are eight themed streaming bundles built around specific types of programming instead of one do-everything lineup. Base prices start at $20.99 a month, with no satellite dish, no annual contract, and no Signature TV plan required. Five are base packs (MyEntertainment, MySports, MyKids, MyNews, and MiEspañol), while three are Mini Packs that work as paid add-ons to eligible base plans.

Google is rolling out a Google Home and Nest speaker update that the company says fixes disappearing speaker groups and stereo pairs, the exact symptom Nest owners have been describing for months. The release notes name the bug directly: stereo pairs and speaker groups that "unexpectedly disappear or become undiscoverable" in the Google Home app, according to Google's October 29 release notes, also reproduced by 9to5Google. The same update bundles in faster local device discovery and a separate...

Some Galaxy S26 Ultra owners are getting stuck during setup after a factory reset, unable to get past a "webpage is unavailable" error and reach the home screen. Samsung has acknowledged the problem on its South Korean support forums, attributing it to unstable system WebView behavior on certain networks while the phone tries to load a Samsung Account page.

If the Up Next section vanished from Apple Podcasts after updating to iOS 27.2, it may be because Apple split it into two sections rather than removing the functionality. The update shipped yesterday and reorganizes the Podcasts Home tab into New Episodes and Continue Playing.

Search "Google Messages Gemini AI feature poll" and most results point to one specific survey ranking Gemini's reach into Messages as readers' least-favorite feature. The original source behind that specific poll is no longer reachable, so this piece won't repeat a vote count, a named "winner," or any figure that can't currently be verified. What's confirmed through other reporting is the feature that kind of poll is trying to capture: Google's decision to let Gemini tap into Phone, Messages,...

Netflix and Krafton confirmed today that a live-action series based on PUBG is in development, with Donald Glover attached as star, writer, director, and executive producer, according to Polygon. That four-role combination on a single video-game adaptation is the actual news here, not the game itself.

Apple has redesigned the removable AC plug on its 70W and 140W USB-C power adapters, and the new pill-shaped fitting does not accept older C7-style duckheads or the previous extension cable. That creates a compatibility problem for travelers who want to reuse Apple's older plugs or extension cables with the newly revised chargers.

OpenAI is rolling out ChatGPT multiple accounts on mobile, letting iPhone and Android users stay signed in to two accounts at once and jump between them without logging out. The feature lives in Settings > Switch account.

Apple's iOS 27.2 software update arrived October 26, according to Apple's own release log (Apple Developer). The release adds a Messages feature called Suggestions that can surface a Calendar action based on a plan mentioned in a text conversation, the clearest example yet of iOS 27.2 Messages calendar event suggestions in practice. Apple's release notes put it plainly: the system can act on conversation context to help with "adding a Calendar invite for a dinner," among other quick actions...

If your edited Google Photos pictures stopped showing up in WhatsApp's attachment picker, Google has an actual fix. The bug sent edited images into hiding across WhatsApp, Telegram, and a handful of other Android apps, even though the photos never left Google Photos itself. APKMirror founder Artem Russakovskii identified version 7.97 as the fix, while 9to5Google independently confirmed the problem no longer occurs in version 7.98.

OnePlus has squeezed a 9,000mAh battery, a built-in cooling fan, and high-refresh-rate gaming hardware into its latest Chinese smartphones. The Ace 7 and Ace 7 Pro offer an enticing glimpse of what could arrive in the next OnePlus R-series phone, although the unannounced OnePlus 16R may not inherit everything.

Samsung has started pushing the stable Galaxy A54 One UI 9 update. As of last week's reporting, it's reaching beta testers in South Korea only, closing out a one-month beta program. The build arrives as firmware A546SKSUKGZJ5, a compact 274.52MB download, according to SamMobile.

Some Samsung Galaxy phones can now send photos, videos, and files directly to an iPhone using a version of Quick Share built to work with AirDrop, WIRED reports. Figuring out how to use Quick Share from Samsung Galaxy to iPhone starts with one specific setting, because the feature isn't automatic on every Galaxy model the way it is on Pixel phones.

tvOS 27.2 landed on October 26, 2026, as a free update for Apple TV 4K (2nd generation, 2021) and later, and most of what's inside it works the moment you install it. The tvOS 27.2 features for Apple TV 4K include Find My support for the Siri Remote, a new screensaver Shuffle mode with private photo controls, FaceTime Links, and sign-language support.

Apple's new iPad mini finally has an OLED screen, and that upgrade now costs more than an 11-inch iPad Air M4. The redesigned mini starts at $699, putting it $100 above the entry-level 11-inch Air ($599) and $100 below the 13-inch Air ($799), according to MacRumors and Apple Newsroom. For anyone weighing iPad mini OLED vs. iPad Air M4 as their next tablet, that price overlap changes the math.

A $699 Google Pixel 11 figure can be produced by combining a reported $899 starting price with a $200 trade-in value, not by finding a markdown on Google's price tag. Engadget reported that the base Pixel 11 starts at $899, and in the same report, a base-storage iPhone 11 traded in toward a new Pixel was valued at $200, a combination that lands close to $699 (Engadget).

Affinity for iPad launched on November 2, 2026, as a free download, finally giving Mac-based Affinity users a matching iPad app built around the same unified sketch, vector, photo, and layout toolset.

Install a system update, and within the hour the phone feels different: apps stutter, the case warms up, and the battery percentage drops faster than it did yesterday. That's the opposite of what an "update" is supposed to deliver, and it happens on iPhone and Android alike.

The new YouTube Premium–Peacock bundle isn't available to sign up for yet, and the companies haven't announced its pricing or eligible plans. Peacock is already available separately through YouTube Primetime Channels, but that's a different subscription arrangement.

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 launched yesterday, and on its own 5,000mAh cell, it maxes out at 15W wirelessly, according to the same report. The faster figure only kicks...