TechCapsules

Google rolled out updates to its Home app, adding a battery‑saving homescreen widget that pauses background updates and polling when the phone’s screen is off, locked, or displaying a screensaver, then refreshes instantly upon unlock. The change also reduces power draw on connected cameras. In the same release, Google fixed a visual glitch that left sensor, camera, smoke and carbon‑monoxide detector tiles gray after users returned from device controller screens, eliminating the need to reload those pages. [...]

Sydney Sweeney sparked controversy after appearing nude in promotional videos for sports trading app Novig, using footballs and basketballs to cover her body. The ads, aimed at emphasizing the app’s focus on sports, drew criticism from female athletes, including boxer Skye Nicolson, gymnast Gracie Kramer, water‑polo Olympian Tilly Kearns, and sprinter Amy Hunt, who condemned the portrayal as disrespectful to women in sport. Sweeney responded via Instagram, citing her own sports background, but the backlash has cost [...]

Google Wallet has begun a trial of a vertically stacked card list, replacing the current horizontal carousel that shows only partial cards. The new layout mirrors the iPhone Wallet, displaying full card designs and allowing users to reorder and set defaults. It is designed to improve one‑handed usability, especially for those with many saved cards, and to better integrate passes on the homepage. Early reports of the rollout come mainly from international users.

ExpressVPN’s 2026 review highlights its consistent speed performance, with Lightway Turbo delivering 186.19 Mbps on a British server—only 0.5 % faster than standard Lightway and WireGuard. Across three server locations, the service lost 7.8 % of a 190.36 Mbps baseline, a loss matched solely by NordVPN. All major streaming platforms tested, including Netflix and iPlayer, opened without issue, and the kill‑switch function succeeded in both simulated failure scenarios. A PayPal refund request was processed in 15 minutes, demonstrating responsive customer service. Advanced [...]

Microsoft’s classic Paint survived two attempts to replace it, first by declaring it deprecated in 2017 and promoting Paint 3D as a “3D for everyone” successor. User backlash forced a rapid reversal, keeping Paint alive and moving it to the Microsoft Store, while Paint 3D lingered until its deprecation in August 2024 and removal from the Store in November 2024. The final vestige of the 3D push, 3D Viewer, was announced for removal in July 2026, ending the Creators Update’s 3D ambitions. Meanwhile, [...]

X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter, announced its standalone messaging app XChat for iPhone and iPad earlier this year. The app, which allowed direct messaging between X users without opening the main X app, is now missing from Apple’s App Store. No official statement has explained the removal, and the iOS version cannot be downloaded or updated. In contrast, the Android counterpart remains listed on Google Play and is functional for users on that platform. [...]

Cultured Code’s project‑management app Things released version 3.24, adding full support for Apple’s newly launched iOS 27, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27, and macOS 27 Golden Gate. The update introduces Siri AI integration, Spotlight search compatibility, and a redesigned widget size, expanding the app’s functionality across all Apple devices. The release follows last month’s update that added repeating to‑do support. All platform builds are now available on the App Store, coinciding with Apple’s scheduled OS launch at 10 a.m. PT. [...]

Android permissions grant applications access to sensitive user data, including location, camera, microphone, contacts, and files. Users are advised to critically evaluate permission requests against an app’s intended purpose, denying access that seems unnecessary. The operating system categorizes permissions into "normal" types, granted automatically, and "dangerous" types, which require explicit user confirmation. Granting a dangerous permission often unlocks related access within that group, potentially exposing more data than anticipated. Android’s Permission Manager allows users to review and [...]