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Roblox is adding an 'age estimation' feature for teens

Roblox is joining the growing ranks of online platforms that are trying to better understand the ages of their teen users. The company is rolling out a new " age estimation " feature for teens 13 and older. With the update, teens will be prompted for an age check that requires a video selfie in order to access its new less restrictive chat feature called "trusted connections." Roblox is relying on third-party identity company Persona for the actual "estimation," and users who fail the check wil

TikTok lures songwriters with new promotional features

TikTok is adding new features to its app to let songwriters highlight their works. These features, rolling out in beta, include a “Songwriter” label and a new tab on their profile to show off their musical works. This can help songwriters market themselves better to potential clients. The company said a limited number of publishing partners and songwriters have access to the new label and the music highlight section. Songwriters and publishers who want to be part of the program will have to joi

TikTok is adding features for songwriters to its app

TikTok is adding new features to its app to let songwriters highlight their works. These features, rolling out in beta, include a “Songwriter” label and a new tab on their profile to show off their musical works. This can help songwriters market themselves better to potential clients. The company said a limited number of publishing partners and songwriters have access to the new label and the music highlight section. Songwriters and publishers who want to be part of the program will have to joi

7 AI features coming to iOS 26 that I can't wait to use (and how you can try them)

iOS 26 camera Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET Apple Worldwide Developers' Conference (WWDC) was a little over a month ago -- meaning the iOS 26 public beta should be released any day now. Even though Apple has not yet launched the highly anticipated Siri upgrade -- the company said we will hear more about it in the coming year -- at WWDC, Apple unveiled a slew of AI features across its devices and operating systems, including iOS, MacOS, WatchOS, and iPadOS. Also: Apple's iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 public beta

What Tariffs? Smartphone Market Grows 1% as More Phones Fold In AI

It looks like curiosity about AI may be boosting smartphone sales. According to new data released from the International Data Corporation, smartphone shipment increased 1% year over year in the second quarter of 2025 despite tariff volatility and worldwide economic instability. Much of the increase in sales is attributed to midrange devices like Samsung's Galaxy A36 and other smartphones that have started incorporating AI. The report blamed a drop in demand for lower-end devices, including tho

Google rolls out AI-powered business-calling feature, brings Gemini 2.5 Pro to AI Mode

Google is rolling out an agentic AI-powered business-calling feature to all users in the United States, the company announced on Wednesday. The tech giant is also enhancing Google Search’s AI Mode by bringing its Gemini 2.5 Pro model to the search experience and introducing deep research capabilities. The new business-calling feature uses AI to call local businesses on your behalf to collect information about availability and pricing. The idea behind the feature is to help you access informatio

The Galaxy Watch 8 gets a key battery health feature that more smartwatches need

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority TL;DR Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch 8 series introduces a “battery protection” feature designed to extend the device’s battery longevity. The feature works by stopping the charge at 90% and only resuming it when the battery level drops down to 85%. This prevents the battery from sitting at a full 100% charge, which reduces stress and helps slow long-term battery degradation. Most people don’t upgrade their smartwatch every year, opting to keep their device unt

Google’s AI can now make phone calls for you

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Google will now let everyone in the US call local businesses using AI. The feature, which is now available in Search, allows you to use AI for pricing or availability information without having to talk on the phone. Google first started testing this feature in January, and it’s still only available for certain kinds of businesses, like pet groomers

Google rolls out AI-powered business calling feature, brings Gemini 2.5 Pro to AI Mode

Google is rolling out an agentic AI-powered business calling feature to all users in the United States, the company announced on Wednesday. The tech giant is also enhancing Google Search’s AI Mode by bringing its Gemini 2.5 Pro model to the search experience and introducing deep research capabilities. The new business calling feature uses AI to call local businesses on your behalf to collect information about availability and pricing. The idea behind the feature is to help you access informatio

This Android 16 feature finally saves me from notification overload - how to try it

Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Have you ever been relaxing when, out of nowhere, your phone blows up with notifications? I've been there too many times, which led me to keep my phone on silent mode 24/7. Then Google teased a new feature in Android 15 called Notification Cooldown that promised to change everything. Notification Cooldown didn't exactly hit the mark in Android 15, but it has made a comeback in the latest iteration (Android 16) to ensure that it works exactly as expect

Whoop says FDA is 'overstepping its authority' with warning about blood pressure feature

The logo for the Food and Drug Administration is seen ahead of a news conference on removing synthetic dyes from America's food supply, at the Health and Human Services Headquarters in Washington, DC on April 22, 2025. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday published a warning letter addressed to the wrist wearable company Whoop, alleging it is marketing a new blood pressure feature without proper approvals. The letter centers around Whoop's Blood Pressure Insights (BPI) feature, whi

Your Google Discover feed is about to get AI-ified

400tmax/Getty The next time you're browsing the Google app for a news story, you might not have to leave the search to find the information you're looking for. First spotted by 9to5Google, Google is testing AI-created news summaries on its Discover feed. The feature isn't available to everyone yet, but it's showing up on both Android and iOS. Also: I tried Perplexity's Comet AI browser, and I like where it's going (but it's not there yet) Under the old way, your Discover feed surfaces links

Nextdoor's Big Redesign Packages AI Advice Alongside Human Conversations

Nextdoor, the social media app for your neighborhood and local events, has launched a new redesign. The company says the changes are to "meet the evolving needs of neighbors everywhere" as the shift toward remote and hybrid work has resulted in people spending more time in their local communities. The redesign focuses on three core features that will help you navigate the goings-on of your neighborhood: Alerts, News and Faves. Here's how each of these features works, and how the service is inco

Forget passwords often? Android may soon let you disable Failed Authentication Lock (APK teardown)

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority TL;DR Android 15 and newer devices include a Failed Authentication Lock feature that locks the device screen after detecting multiple failed login attempts in apps or settings. Unlike other theft protection features, this feature is enabled by default on all devices, and there’s currently no way for users to turn it off. Google may soon add a new option to the theft protection settings that will allow users to turn off Failed Authentication Lock. In additio

Lucid will add hands-free driving options later this month

Lucid is about to roll out its first hands-free features. On July 30, Lucid Air sedan owners with the DreamDrive Pro add-on will get automated drive assist and lane-change features. If you have a Gravity SUV you'll have to wait until later this year. The features will arrive via an OTA update for vehicles with DreamDrive Pro hardware. The optional add-on has 32 sensors, including LiDAR, radar, ultrasonic sensors and cameras. DreamDrive Pro already supports semi-autonomous features like lane cha

Praise and Addiction Fears: Musk’s AI Girlfriend Sparks Fierce Debate

How do you bury a controversy? If you’re Elon Musk, you drop an anime waifu into the middle of a scandal and watch the internet do the rest. Just days after xAI’s chatbot Grok sparked outrage for spouting anti-Semitic rhetoric and praising Adolf Hitler, the billionaire shifted the narrative by unveiling a new feature called Companions, which lets users interact with flirty, customizable AI avatars like Ani, a goth anime girl, and Rudy, a red panda. The feature went instantly viral. While xAI ha

What Tariffs? Smartphone Market Grows 1% as More Devices Incorporate AI

Looks like curiosity about AI may be boosting smartphone sales. Shipments of smartphones increased 1% year over year in the second quarter of 2025, despite tariff volatility and worldwide economic instability, according to new data released from the International Data Corporation. Much of the increase in sales is attributed to midrange devices like Samsung's Galaxy A36 and other smartphones that have started incorporating AI. The report blamed a drop in demand for lower-end devices, including

Google Keep could finally add the search option you’ve wanted for years (APK teardown)

TL;DR Google Keep might finally let users search within a single note. The app currently allows finding content across all notes. With the new “Find in note” feature, users will be able to locate something specific within one particularly long or detailed note. For years, Google Keep users have been asking for a simple but much-needed feature, and it looks like their pleas are finally being answered. We’ve found strong evidence suggesting that Google’s note-taking app will soon give users the

Google adds featured notebooks on selected topics to NotebookLM

Google is adding what it calls "featured notebooks" to NotebookLM as a way to demo its AI-powered software and offer interactive, high-quality resources on everything from personal advice to William Shakespeare. The company tried something similar after its developer conference in May, when it created a NotebookLM notebook trained on everything that was announced at Google I/O 2025. The new featured notebooks have their own dedicated tab on the NotebookLM homepage and were created in partnershi

Here's why these simple midrange Bose headphones remain my daily drivers

ZDNET's key takeaways The Bose QuietComfort Headphones are available in seven colors for $349, and are often up to $100 off. They are true to the QuietComfort namesake, providing excellent noise cancellation and all-day comfort. However, like all of Bose's over-ear headphones, the QuietComfort have a short, 24-hour battery life. View now at Bose I have an arsenal of premium consumer headphones. The Sony XM6, Apple AirPods Max, Bose QuietComfort Ultra, Beats Studio Pro, Sonos Ace, and more all

Google’s curated AI ‘notebooks’ talk you through topics from parenting to Shakespeare

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Google is partnering with authors, researchers, and publications to launch “featured” notebooks within its AI notetaking app, NotebookLM. These notebooks come pre-filled with research, and let you interact with the app’s tools, including its AI podcast maker, to learn more about each topic. Google has released eight featured notebooks to start, inc

Google’s underrated AI tool just got a major upgrade with featured notebooks

Andy Walker / Android Authority TL;DR Google is adding expert-curated featured notebooks to NotebookLM, expanding its role beyond personal research and note-taking. Topics include the complete works of Shakespeare, Yellowstone travel tips, and predictions from The Economist. The new feature is desktop-only for now and follows the recent rollout of public notebook sharing. NotebookLM was already doing a good job as anything from a personal research assistant to an advisor on your car maintena

I found an E Ink tablet worthy of replacing my Remarkable

ZDNET's key takeaways The Boox Note Max comes bundled with the pen and case for $649. It's thin and light, has a high-contrast display, and has a long list of features that make it a very versatile device. Theres no backlight, it's monochromatic, and there's a bit of a learning curve to use it to its fullest. View now at Amazon View now at B&H Photo and Video more buying choices I went hands-on with the Remarkable Paper Pro last year and thought that was a big tablet. The latest Boox Note Max

Pebblebee’s AirTag alternative now doubles as a panic alarm

is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid. Pebblebee has announced a new personal safety feature for its Clip location tracker that’s compatible with both Apple’s Find My and Google’s Find Hub network. Alert is being introduced as a free update to the Pebblebee app today, and the company says it will work with current and future versions of the Clip without requiring a subscription fee. P

Apple Maps is hiding iOS 26’s most useful new feature

Apple Maps is full of updates as part of iOS 26, including a new Liquid Glass design and Preferred Routes proactive feature. Another notable new feature is Visited Places. Here’s how it works… Apple Maps Visited Places in iOS 26 Apple describes Visited Places as a way to “help users remember the places they’ve been.” The feature is completely opt-in. When you open Apple Maps for the first time after installing iOS 26, you can choose to enable Visited Places. All data collected as part of the

Big upgrades are coming to your Apple Watch - 8 features I can't wait to use on WatchOS 26

Jason Hiner/ZDNET Your iPhone, Apple Watch, and other Apple-owned devices are getting a big overhaul soon. The best part? You won't have to pay a dime for them. The tech giant recently announced all of the newest apps and updates coming to its devices over the next few months. Several new features are coming to WatchOS 26, and the beta software is now available for developers, with a public beta rollout likely coming soon. Reddit users in the r/Apple Watch subreddit are already getting into th

The Oura Ring 3 is still discounted to a great price

Nina Raemont/ZDNETLink Text: Oura Ring 3URL: https://www.amazon.com/Oura-Ring-Gen3-Horizon-Tracking/dp/B0CSRF3Y2F/Merchant: Offer Type: MONETIZATION PENDING please save and reload Edit UnlinkOura Ring 3 Wanna know a secret? Besides one more day of battery life and a slimmer build, there really isn't much of a difference between the Oura Ring 3 and the Oura Ring 4. That's because they both have nearly the exact same software and app user experience. So if you've been eyeing an Oura Ring but are

First look at Gemini Space: Google’s Now Bar-like upgrade to Pixel’s At a Glance (APK teardown)

Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority TL;DR Gemini Space is an upcoming upgrade to the Pixel’s At a Glance experience. It’s seemingly inspired by Samsung’s Now bar and Now Brief, which show contextual cards on the lock screen and other places. In its current state, Gemini Space displays sports and birthday cards, but finance and Daily Hub features are expected in the future. We’ve previously spotted Google working on a feature called Gemini Space for Pixel devices. Based on the handful of clues

OnePlus earbuds could soon make Spotify access seamless (APK teardown)

Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority TL;DR Code within the HeyMelody app suggests OnePlus and OPPO earbuds could soon get Spotify Tap functionality. Spotify Tap allows instant music playback with a double or triple tap on compatible earbuds. It’s unknown if the feature will be coming to existing earbuds from the companies, or if they will be exclusive to products slated for the near future. OnePlus makes some great earbuds, with recent options like the OnePlus Buds 4 slotting in nicely at $130

Windows 10 KB5062554 update breaks emoji panel search feature

The search feature for the Windows 10 emoji panel is broken after installing the KB5062554 cumulative update released Tuesday, making it not possible to look up emojis by name or keyword. Windows includes an emoji panel that allows you to select emojis to insert into text or search for an emoji using keywords. On Tuesday, Microsoft released Windows updates to fix bugs and security vulnerabilities as part of the July 2025 Patch Tuesday. Since installing the Windows 10 KB5062554 update, numerou