When Microsoft released the August 2025 security updates for Windows, it listed not a single known issue for any of the supported operating systems. Now, a week later, Microsoft had to confirm several issues already. The latest to be added to the growing list is that reset and recovery operations may fail on some older…
Author: Martin Brinkmann
Windows 10: script to join ESU (Extended Security Updates) without Microsoft account
If you still run Windows 10 on one or multiple of your PCs, you may be aware that Microsoft is ending support for the operating system in about two months. Come October 2025, Microsoft won’t release updates for the consumer editions of Windows 10 anymore. Windows 10 users may join the Extended Security Updates program…
Microsoft changes popular option to block Microsoft Store application updates, makes it worse
Up until now, if you did not want Microsoft to update the installed default apps of the Windows operating system via the Microsoft Store, you had to disable the “App Updates” option of the store. Once set, it would prevent the automatic updating of Microsoft Store applications on the system. This option is being removed,…
Google Messages is checking any image for nudity to potentially blur it
Google Messages is a dominant messaging app on Android devices. Installed and enabled on many devices by default, it is used to send messages. It supports several message formats, including SMS, MMS and Rich Communication Services (RCS), with RCS being the default protocol. Google is rolling out a new protective feature in Google Messages that…
Spotify is raising prices outside the US
Ah, the wonderful world of streaming. Spotify just announced that it is raising the price of its subscriptions in many regions in the coming weeks. The increase affects Spotify customers in South Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region according to the announcement. In Germany, Spotify is raising the price…
AOL discontinues Dial-Up Internet and software
AOL announced the discontinuation of its dial-up Internet plan, AOL Dialer software and AOL Shield browser, in a brief support page on its help website. There, AOL writes: From September 30, 2025 onward, AOL customers may no longer use dial-up Internet provided by the company. AOL is also discontinuing the accompanying applications, AOL Dialer and…
Mozilla plans to drop support for very-old Android versions
Mozilla plans to drop support for Android versions older than Android 8. Android 8 was released in 2017, which means that the move will affect users who use Firefox on mobile phones that are nearly a decade old or older. Current mobile versions of Firefox require at least Android 5.0, which was released in 2014….
Microsoft is killing off a highly rated mobile app, wants users to use the Microsoft 365 Copilot app instead
Microsoft maintains a massive list of apps for the mobile operating systems Android and iOS. Microsoft Lens, one of the company’s highest-rated apps, is being discontinued. Microsoft announced the change in a message center note this week. Microsoft Lens may be used to scan whiteboards and documents, including notes, receipts and more. It makes these…
Would you pay $20 per month to use a browser, or more?
When the Browser Company launched its Arc web browser, it was heralded by part of the media as the evolution that browsers needed. Then, the Browser Company announced that it would discontinue its browser to focus on another. This new browser, called Dia, would be an AI-browser first and foremost. It was not really clear…
Microsoft Recall continues to record data that it should not
When Microsoft announced Recall, the prime AI feature of its upcoming Copilot+ PC device type, it must have realized the flaws of Recall pretty quickly. Recall consists of two parts. A screen capturing part that is taking snapshots of the computer screen every five seconds, and the AI that scans and analyzes the screenshots, so…