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The first iOS 18.4 developer beta is here, with support for Priority Notifications

is a senior editor following news across tech, culture, policy, and entertainment. He joined The Verge in 2021 after several years covering news at Engadget. Apple just released its first developer betas of a new round of software updates, and early testers have spotted support for Priority Notifications in the iOS 18.4 preview. It’s an Apple Intelligence-powered feature that uses on-device processing to try to detect which updates are especially important and sort them into a separate section

Despite recent layoffs, Meta is expanding in India

Meta made headlines last month for announcing plans to cut 5% of its employees, controversially deeming them “low performers.” But the job cuts aren’t holding Meta back from expanding in certain geographic areas. Meta is setting up a new site in the country’s tech hub of Bengaluru (formerly known as Bangalore), multiple Meta employees posted on LinkedIn this month. Meta is currently hiring for 41 positions there, according to its careers webpage, most of which were posted over the last month.

iOS 18.4 will bring Apple Intelligence-powered ‘Priority Notifications’

Apple on Friday released its first developer beta for iOS 18.4, which adds a new “Priority Notifications” feature, powered by Apple Intelligence. The addition aims to help users manage their notifications by prioritizing important alerts and minimizing distractions from less important ones. These priority notifications are displayed in a separate section on the phone’s Lock Screen. Apple Intelligence will analyze which notifications it believes should be shown in this section, but you can still

Sony former exec says the company is "printing money" by releasing PlayStation games on PC

The big picture: Shuhei Yoshida spent more than three decades at Sony, leading the PlayStation project from its early years. Now retired, the BAFTA Fellowship-awarded industry veteran is revealing some of the gaming industry's worst-kept secrets – starting with the significant role played by the PC platform. In a recent interview, Shuhei Yoshida confirmed the "rumors" that everyone in the gaming industry has known for years: Sony is making substantial profits from PC conversions of its PlayStat

Apple is removing iCloud end-to-encryption features from the UK after government compelled it to add backdoors

Apple is removing the option to enable Advanced Data Protection for iCloud users in the United Kingdom. This feature let users fully protect their data stored in iCloud with end-to-end encryption. However, a recent UK government order forces companies like Apple to put backdoors in its encryption systems. Rather than comply and compromise Advanced Data Protection, Apple is left with no choice but to remove the feature altogether. In a statement to 9to5Mac, Apple said that current users of ADP i

Apple disables iCloud's Advanced Data Protection feature in the UK

Apple users in the UK can no longer access one of the company's most powerful data protection tools, as first reported by Bloomberg. The feature, Advanced Data Protection (ADP), allows iPhone users to add optional end-to-end encryption to a variety of iCloud data. The move comes amid an ongoing dispute between Apple and the UK over a government order that would require the company to build a backdoor to allow British security officials to access the encrypted data of users globally. "ADP protec

Is your phone truly waterproof? Here's what the IP rating tells you

Just how water-resistant is that box filled with electricity? Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET I remember a time when you wouldn't dare let water anywhere near a smartphone or power bank, as it would almost certainly mean disaster. Today, however, most smartphones are designed to be water- and dust-resistant to some extent, and even gadgets like power banks and portable power stations are following suit. Also: The best portable power stations you can buy But how can you determine exactly how wate

American Airlines now lets you track your luggage with AirTags - here's how

ZDNET One of the world's biggest airlines is making it a little easier to track down your lost luggage. Last fall, Apple introduced "Share Item Location," a feature that lets you share the location of an AirTag or Find My accessory with someone else. Apple partnered with a number of airlines, including Air Canada, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Lufthansa, and United, to incorporate this feature into official customer service protocols. Also: Finally, Bluetooth trackers for Android users th

YouTube May Finally Offer a Cheaper Way to Get Rid of Ads

Folk who want to watch their multi-hour-long YouTube documentaries without an ad break every few minutes may finally have a cheaper way to do it. The Alphabet-owned streaming service has long been testing a cheaper ad-less subscription tier called YouTube Premium Lite. If the latest reports can be believed, it may come to fruition in 2025, though it probably won’t offer all the perks of the $14-a-month Premium subscription. The last time we heard about Premium Lite was in October last year. You

Apple Says ‘No’ to UK Backdoor Order, Will Disable E2E Cloud Encryption Instead

Good work, Britain. Owners of Apple devices in the United Kingdom will be a little less safe moving forward as the company pulls its most secure end-to-end (E2E) encryption from the country. The move is in response to government demands there that Apple build a backdoor into its iCloud encryption feature that would allow law enforcement to access the cloud data of any iPhone user around the world. Apple has for many years marketed its products as being the most safe and secure personal electron

This Ethiopian Volcano Just Burped a Staggering Amount of Methane

There’s something odd happening under an Ethiopian national park. Volcanic and seismic activity were on the rise under a volcano named Mount Fentale, but the gas that began spouting out of the ground wasn’t what you’d expect from an impending eruption. Canadian greenhouse gas monitoring company GHGSat said in early February that the amount of methane being emitted from Mount Fentale is “substantial.” When GHGSat began measuring the emissions on January 31, they found that the volcano was spewin

Apple Pulls iCloud Encryption Feature Following UK Government Demands

Apple is withdrawing its Advanced Data Protection tool from the UK, leaving iCloud users without the highest level of encryption the company currently offers. The move comes just weeks after reports emerged that the British government was pressuring Apple to create a backdoor into its encrypted services for law enforcement and spying purposes. ADP is an opt-in security tool, which provides end-to-end encryption for iCloud services to those who want it. The UK's Home Office had refused to confir

HP realizes that mandatory 15-minute support call wait times isn’t good support

In an odd approach to trying to improve customer tech support, HP allegedly implemented mandatory, 15-minute wait times for people calling the vendor for help with their computers and printers in certain geographies. Callers from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, and Italy were met with the forced holding periods, The Register reported on Thursday. The publication cited internal communications it saw from February 18 that reportedly said the wait times aimed to "influence customers

The real reason why oil and gas companies are bullish on carbon capture

Two years ago, oil and gas company Occidental bought carbon capture startup Carbon Engineering. The transaction was hailed as a win-win: A climate tech company scored a significant exit, and a fossil fuel company gained a foothold in a sector that could be worth up to $150 billion by 2050. Now we have a better idea why Occidental was keen to pick up the pricey technology: They want to use it to pump more oil. Previously, the company had said it would use the technology to zero out its climate

Show HN: I built an AI voice agent for Gmail

It's secure and free Power through emails with Pocket, the ultimate voice-based AI assistant. Designed for dealmakers. for more Take Action Get through your email with an assistant that understands intent Speak Freely You're in control – pause, interrupt, or change your mind at any time Just Ask Find exactly what you're looking for with conversational search

Will quantum computers disrupt critical infrastructure?

Will quantum computers disrupt critical infrastructure? 3 hours ago Joe Fay Technology Reporter Google Many organisations are developing quantum computers Twenty five years ago computer programmers were racing to fix the millennium bug amidst fears that it would cause banking systems to crash and planes to fall out of the sky. Much to everyone's relief the impact turned out to be minimal. Today, some fear there is a new critical threat to the world’s digital infrastructure. But this time, we

Elon Musk Just Caused a Huge Headache for the New Head of NASA

SpaceX CEO and unelected White House advisor Elon Musk unexpectedly said today that he wants the International Space Station destroyed "as soon as possible." In a tweet today, the mercurial entrepreneur asserted that it's "time to begin preparations for deorbiting the space station," arguing that "it has served its purpose," with "very little incremental utility." Instead, Musk argued, the station should be destroyed within two years — but left the final decision "up to the President." It's a

Aqara Smart Lock U300 drops to its all-time low price, and I bought it!

I have been looking at smart locks for some time, and just a few days ago, I posted a couple of deals on options from Aqara and eufy. Well, I made up my mind! I pulled the trigger on the Aqara Smart Lock U300, and the deal is still on, so you can take advantage of it, too. It’s $50 off, which brings the cost down to $179.99. Get the Aqara Aqara Smart Lock U300 for $179.99 ($50 off) This offer is available from Amazon, and it is labeled as a “limited time deal.” It’s available in Black and Silve

How to make the most of the iPhone's Action Button

The Action button is available on nearly every iPhone Apple sells, offering a quick way to access a feature, app or shortcut on your phone, just by pushing a button. It can be a flashlight, activate a smart home routine or let you access any number of custom shortcuts without having to unlock your phone and pick through apps. Apple added the Action Button on the iPhone 15 Pro as a replacement for the iPhone's original Ring / Silent switch, and it was an acknowledgement of sorts that lots of peo

How to Watch Team USA vs. Canada in the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off Tonight

When is the 4 Nations Face-Off final between USA vs. Canada? Thursday, Feb. 20, at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT). Where to watch Team USA vs. Canada? The game will air on ESPN and stream on ESPN Plus. Hockey fans are getting what they wanted: a rematch between the US and Canada in the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off final. Team USA won the round-robin match-up between the two hockey rivals that featured three fights in the first 9 seconds of the game. Now, the two will meet again for the championship of th

Building semiconductor plants in the US takes twice as long, costs twice as much as in Taiwan

The big picture: The U.S. and many Western markets are simply not as efficient as Taiwan in building semiconductor fabrication (fab) operations. According to reports, 18 new fab construction projects are planned for 2025 alone, making it crucial to address these challenges. The West must streamline fab construction processes to catch up with the well-established semiconductor ecosystems of Taiwan and other Asian manufacturing hubs. TSMC encountered significant challenges when it began construct

New Windows 11 preview build improves privacy for European users

In a nutshell: Microsoft recently announced a new Windows 11 Insider Preview Build for the Dev and Beta Channels, providing beta testers with new features and privacy-abiding changes. Redmond uses Insider builds to test potentially disruptive changes to Windows, so we will have to wait to see if these improvements will become permanently added to upcoming stable Windows releases. The Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3281 (KB5052086) removes the Location History API, a feature previously u

Your Google Assistant-integrated headphones are losing this convenient hands-free feature

TL;DR Last September, Google disabled automatic Assistant notification reading on the Pixel Buds Pro. Now Google is doing the same for Assistant with all headphones. You can still hear your notifications by manually asking Assistant to read them. Headphones paired with smartphones offer a whole lot more than just a private way to listen to music, and especially when headphones are integrated with Google Assistant, they instantly become powerful tools for interacting with our phones. While you

US healthcare org pays $11M settlement over alleged cybersecurity lapses

Health Net Federal Services (HNFS) and its parent company, Centene Corporation, have agreed to pay $11,253,400 to settle allegations that HNFS falsely certified compliance with cybersecurity requirements under its Defense Health Agency (DHA) TRICARE contract. The U.S. government contracted HNFS to provide managed healthcare support services for TRICARE's North region, covering 22 states. The contract required compliance with cybersecurity standards, specifically 48 C.F.R. § 252.204-7012 and 51

Apiiro unveils free scanner to detect malicious code merges

Security researchers at Apiiro have released two free, open-source tools designed to detect and block malicious code before they are added to software projects to curb supply chain attacks. The two tools consist of a comprehensive ruleset for Semgrep and Opengrep designed to detect malicious code patterns with minimal false positives and PRevent, a GitHub-integrated scanner, that detects and alerts on suspicious code in pull requests (PRs). According to Apiiro's security researcher Matan Gilad

Treasury agrees to block DOGE's access to personal taxpayer data at IRS

The Trump White House and Treasury Department officials have agreed to prohibit the U.S. DOGE Service from accessing personal taxpayer data, according to two people familiar with the arrangement, heading off a brewing privacy crisis at the tax agency. Gavin Kliger, a software engineer with Elon Musk’s DOGE effort assigned to the IRS, will have read-only access to anonymized tax data, the same access granted to academic researchers and IT professionals who work on IRS systems, said the people, wh

You can’t build a moat with AI (redux)

Last spring, we wrote an article called You can’t build a moat with AI. That post argued that prompt engineering, while important, would be difficult to defend over time given how easy it is to experiment with LLMs. As a result, you have to focus on the quality of data your application has access to and your use of that data to differentiate yourself. Everything we said in that post has held true, but the release of models like DeepSeek R1 and o3-mini have brought the concerns about AI applicat

Customizable HTML Select

Una Kravets Styling form controls like the <select> element has been reported as a top developer pain point for years, and we've been working on a solution. While this work is complex and has taken a long time to get right, we're getting very close to landing this feature. A customizable version of the select element is officially in Stage 2 in the WHATWG, with strong cross-browser interest and a prototype for you to test out from Chrome Canary 130. Try it out and give us your feedback Check

Launch HN: Confident AI (YC W25) – Open-source evaluation framework for LLM apps

Hi HN - we're Jeffrey and Kritin, and we're building Confident AI ( https://confident-ai.com ). This is the cloud platform for DeepEval ( https://github.com/confident-ai/deepeval ), our open-source package that helps engineers evaluate and unit-test LLM applications. Think Pytest for LLMs. We spent the past year building DeepEval with the goal of providing the best LLM evaluation developer experience, growing it to run over 600K evaluations daily in CI/CD pipelines of enterprises like BCG, Astr

Elon Musk recommends that the International Space Station be deorbited ASAP

In a remarkable statement Thursday, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said the International Space Station should be deorbited "as soon as possible." This comment from Musk will surely set off a landmine in the global space community, with broad implications. And it appears to be no idle comment from Musk who, at times, indulges in deliberately provocative posts on the social media network X that he owns. However, that does not seem to be the case here. "It is time to begin preparations for deorbiting