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Tech News
Apple's watchOS 27.2 beta 2, released to developers, brings back the App Switcher feature that had been removed in watchOS 27. Instead of the old double-click of the Digital Crown, users now activate it by pressing and holding the bottom of the screen while inside an app, then turning the crown to scroll through recent apps.
Ireland's Data Protection Commission concluded a five-year inquiry into how Google Ireland handled location data across Web & App Activity, Location History and Location Accuracy features between 2018 and 2020. The regulator found multiple GDPR violations spanning lawfulness, transparency, accountability and data retention, and has fined the company €403 million while giving it six months to fix its practices.
Apptopia data shows Meta's new AI app Muse recorded 1.8 million iOS downloads in the U.S. and Canada during its first 12 days, versus 1.3 million for ChatGPT in the same window after its 2022 debut. Muse also topped ChatGPT in daily active users at a comparable stage, with 642,000 U.S. daily users versus ChatGPT's 231,000, and has climbed to the No. 1 spot on the U.S. App Store.
Developers digging through the iOS 27.2 beta code have found unreleased features beyond what's already visible in testing. Discoveries include a live countdown timer for upcoming Apple Music album releases, expanded third-party app support for Shortcuts' 'Describe a Shortcut' AI tool, and a new 'Drive Mode Theme' option for CarPlay Ultra that adjusts gauge styles, colors, and ambient lighting.
Android Authority found code in Google app version 17.60.13.sa.arm64 showing an early redesign of Gemini's Settings screen. The new layout groups options in a style similar to the current account switcher, building on previously spotted plans to move settings out of that switcher and into categorized sub-screens like Preferences, Data & privacy, and others.
Apple has issued the second developer beta of iOS 27.2, arriving just five days after the first, while iOS 27.1 remains a separate track dedicated solely to the new iPhone Duo foldable. The first 27.2 beta introduced a redesigned Health app, dual capture in Group FaceTime, expanded Siri language support, Apple TV profiles on iPhone, and revamped Podcasts and Music interface elements.
Some iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max users are reporting that their phones freeze and reboot when a Face ID scan fails while unlocking app-level protections like Passwords or private Safari tabs. 9to5Mac says it reproduced the issue on a European unit, though the bug doesn't appear to affect every device or trigger from the standard lock screen.
Apple has built native live step tracking directly into the watch face on the new Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, joining live heart rate as a standard complication option from the Fitness app. Previously, step data was only viewable inside the Fitness or Health apps, even though third-party apps like Pedometer++ had offered on-face step counts for years.
Ireland's Data Protection Commission has imposed a €403 million ($463M) fine on Google following a probe into three features—Web & App Activity, Location History, and Location Accuracy—that operated during the GDPR's early enforcement window from May 2018 to February 2020. The regulator concluded Google failed to properly justify its processing of location data and kept that data longer than necessary, while also falling short on transparency requirements across all three tools.
A columnist reviewing to-do list apps in 2026 says Google Tasks remains missing fundamental features like sharing tasks or lists with other people, despite competing apps such as TickTick, Todoist and Notion offering far more functionality. Despite these gaps, the writer says a single standout feature keeps them from switching away from Google's stripped-down app.
Windows 11 includes an Xbox mode feature that replaces the desktop with a full-screen, console-like gaming interface, though it isn't enabled by default. Users can turn it on and access it through Settings, keyboard shortcuts like Win + F11, the Game Bar, or the Xbox app, and can exit back to the desktop just as easily.
ChatGPT's mobile app now includes a dedicated feature under its Images tab that lets users generate custom stickers by picking a style, reference photos, and emoji prompts. The tool produces a set of nine stickers that can be exported directly into iMessage or WhatsApp, with options to edit or regenerate results if they don't match expectations.