Category: Technology

A new video from a Nest camera captured the moment an iPhone 4 charging on an Ohio family’s kitchen counter caught fire overnight. 

At first, all is calm in the Cincinnati home. Then, suddenly, there’s a clattering. 

While the phone is initially not visible in the dark from across the room, brilliant orange- and pink-hued flames shoot upward. It burns bright for a moment before the fire dies down, although it is not out by the end of the video. 

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Brian Leisgang shared the video on Facebook on Jan. 9. He said they were “extremely lucky to avoid a house fire.”

“Our kids were charging our old iPhone 4 with the Apple charger last night and it exploded and caught on fire in our kitchen while we were sleeping.,” Leisgang explained. 

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“Luckily we had just cleaned off the counter yesterday, as it usually has lots of school books and papers in that area,” he noted. “There were small pieces of the phone and black soot all over the counter this morning.”

Brian’s wife Jennifer Leisgang told FOX TV Stations that the silicone case on the phone was cracked and the device was split open.

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“I realized how lucky we were that we didn’t have anything on the countertop and that it just went out on its own,” she said. 

Leisgang said the video had been shared in the hopes of potentially preventing a future fire in someone else’s house.

Another bill has come in for Meta for failing to comply with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — but this one’s a tiddler! Meta-owned messaging platform, WhatsApp, has been fined €5.5 million (just under $6M) by the tech giant’s lead data protection regulator in the region for failing to have a lawful basis for certain types of personal data processing.

Back in December, Meta’s chief regulator, the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), was given orders to issue a final decision on this complaint (which dates back to May 2018) — via a binding decision from the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) — along with two other complaints, against Facebook and Instagram.

Those two final decision emerged from the DPC earlier this month, when it announced a total of €310M in penalties; and gave Meta three months to find a valid legal basis for that ads processing. But while the latter pair of GDPR decisions tackled Meta’s lack of a valid legal basis for processing user data to run behavioral advertising (aka, its core business model), with the WhatsApp decision Ireland appears to have skirted the ads processing legality issue entirely — since its enquiry has focused on the legal basis Meta claimed for “service improvements” and “security”.

Here Meta had (similarly) sought to rely on a claim of contractual necessity — but Ireland has now found (via EDPB order) that it can’t.

The DPC has given WhatsApp six months to mend its ways for these purposes of data processing. Meaning it will need to find a way to lawfully process the data (perhaps by asking users if they consent to such purposes and not processing their data if they don’t).

But the regulator has simply declined to act on a parallel EDPB instruction telling the DPC to investigate whether WhatsApp processes user (meta)data for ads. And this has led to fresh cries, by the original complainant, of yet another stitch-up by the much criticized Irish regulator.

In a press release, noyb, the privacy rights not-for-profit behind the original strategic complaints pulls no punches — arguing that Ireland is essentially giving the EDPB the finger at this point.

“We are astonished how the DPC simply ignores the core of the case after a 4.5 year procedure. The DPC also clearly ignores the binding decision of the EDPB. It seems the DPC finally cuts loose all ties with EU partner authorities and with the requirements of EU and Irish law,” said its honorary chairman, Max Schrems, in a typically pithy and punchy statement.

While messaging content on WhatsApp is end-to-end encrypted — which means, assuming you trust Meta’s implementation of the Signal protocol, that this information should be protected from its prying eyes — the social media giant can still glean insights on users by tracking their WhatsApp metadata (aka, who’s talking to who, how often etc) — and also by connecting the dot and users to accounts and public (or otherwise non-E2EE digital activity) across other services it owns (and, potentially, third party services it’s seeded with tracking technologies)… So, basically, Meta’s data-gathering net is long (and wide).

That means there are certainly questions to be asked about how it might be processing WhatsApp users’ data for marketing purposes — and what legal basis it’s relying on for any such processing.

WhatsApp users may remember the major controversy that kicked off back in 2021 — when the platform announced an update to its T&Cs that it said users had to accept in order to carry on using the service. It wasn’t clear exactly what was changing in the updated terms. But, whatever was going on, Meta sure wasn’t giving WhatsApp users a free choice over the matter! And while regulatory attention on that issue led to what appeared to be a bit of a climbdown by Meta, which stopped sending aggressive pop-ups demanding EU users agree (or leave), the whole episode led to widespread confusion about what exactly it was doing with WhatsApp user data (and how it was doing it, legally speaking).

The episode also sparked some consumer protection complaints. Which led, last summer, to the European Commission giving the company a month to fix the confusing T&Cs and “clearly inform” consumers about its business model.

None of the confusion and mistrust around WhatsApp’s T*&Cs was helped by a much earlier U-turn on syncing user data with Facebook — when the platform flipped a founder pledge never to cross those streams. In short, it’s a mess — and a mess that Europe’s regulators can’t claim to have cleaned up.

Yet despite all the ongoing confusion and privacy concerns, the DPC appears spectacularly uninterested in taking a proper look at how WhatsApp may be processing user data for ads.

“The DPC has now limited the 4.5 year procedure to the minor issues of the legal basis for using data for security purposes and for service improvement,” writes noyb, accusing the regulator of essentially ignoring this major component of its complaint. “The DPC thereby ignores the major issues of sharing WhatsApp data with Meta’s other companies (Facebook and Instagram) for advertisement as well as other purposes.”

The DPC’s press release announcing its final decision almost entirely avoids making mention of behavioral advertising — until the finale, when the phrase does crop up. But only because it quotes the EDPB’s instruction to it — to conduct a fresh investigation of “WhatsApp IE’s [Ireland’s] processing operations in its service in order to determine if it processes special categories of personal data (Article 9 GDPR), processes data for the purposes of behavioural advertising, for marketing purposes, as well as for the provision of metrics to third parties and the exchange of data with affiliated companies for the purposes of service improvements, and in order to determine if it complies with the relevant obligations under the GDPR.”

So the opportunity was there for Ireland to grasp the nettle on WhatsApp users’ behalf and follow the data streams to draw a clear picture of what Meta’s ownership of the E2EE messaging platform really means for users’ privacy. (And, remember, Meta’s behavioral ad targeting empire currently lacks a lawful basis for ads processing on Facebook and Instagram in the EU.)

But instead of getting on with investigating WhatsApp’s data processing, the Irish regulator has opted to instruct its lawyers to challenge the EDPB’s binding decision and seek to get it annulled in court.

We all know the pain of buying ink cartridges. They are expensive – ridiculously expensive – $16 to $227, depending on the brand. In some cases, replacement cartridges seem as pricey as the actual printers.

Tim W. emailed me saying how frustrated he was with the cost of ink cartridges, writing:

“Next article I’d like to see on Printers is life on an ink cartridge. Like you mentioned, print couple times a year, maybe just taxes. You spend $50 on a cartridge and use it once, it’s dried out next time you attempt. HP cartridges are the worst. We went to Brother printer, seems to last longer”

Tim, I hear you and want to share with you and others some things you can do to save money on ink cartridges and a few tips on how to make them last longer. First, here’s how to choose the best cheap printer ink cartridge that suits your budget and needs.

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How to ensure you are buying the best discount ink cartridges

The first step is to consider how often you print documents or photos. If you don’t print that much like Tim, you are better off buying the standard yield or non-XL printer ink because it’s cheaper than the higher-yield ones. However, if you print more often, you want to buy the higher-yield or the XL and XXL versions because they have more ink than the standard-yield ones. Plus, since it has more ink, you can print more pages.

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What is the cheapest printer ink

To ensure you purchase low-cost printer ink, you need to calculate the cost per page. Since a higher page yield means a higher number of pages you can print per cartridge, this also decreases the cost per page, which saves you a lot more in the long run. 

Higher-yield ink cartridges may cost more than standard ones. Still, they are the most cost-effective, especially if you print frequently. You can also take advantage of the combo or value pack because these are offered at a much lower price than buying ink cartridges individually. 

So how do you calculate the cost per page? You can divide the cost of the cartridge by the page yield. That is how you will know if you actually got ink for less. Simply stated, the higher the cost per page, the bigger your printing bill will be.

Formula: Cost of the cartridge ÷ Page yield = Cost per page

The lower cost per page, the better the value you are getting. This is why high-yield cartridges tend to be a better value in the long run, even though there is typically a higher upfront cost.

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Ways to save on cost per page

The easiest way to cut down printing costs is to buy a printer that uses cartridges with a low CPP. Several printers have a super low cost per page, including:

Brother’s INKvestment Printer Line

Brother MFC-J4335DW INKvestment-Tank All-in-One Printer

Best features:

• The Brother’s INKvestment printer is one you won’t want to replace with up to one year of ink using only the four cartridges provided in-box
• The re-engineered INKvestment Tank ink cartridges eliminate manual refilling
• At the time of publishing, this product received over 1,000 global ratings 66%, giving it five stars

Get the Brother MFC-J4335DW INKvestment-Tank All-in-One Printer

 

Epson® Ecotank Line

Epson® EcoTank ET-2850 Wireless Color All-in-One Cartridge-Free Supertank Printer

Best features:

• The Epson EcoTank ET-2850 Supertank Printer allows for innovative cartridge-free printing
• Its high-capacity ink tanks mean no more tiny, expensive ink cartridges. Epson’s exclusive EcoFit ink bottles make filling easy and worry-free
• You’ll also see dramatic savings on replacement ink. In fact, you’ll save up to 90% with replacement ink bottles vs. ink cartridges
• At the time of publishing, this product received over 1,500 global ratings 71%, giving it five stars

Get the Epson® EcoTank ET-2850 Wireless Color All-in-One Cartridge-Free Supertank Printer

Ways to extend the life of an ink cartridge

1. Check for clogged nozzles
2. Avoid large fonts and bold text
3. Proofread before you print
4. Change your printer settings
5. Use print preview
6. Use a small font size
7. Ignore out-of-ink warnings

Frustration with ink cartridges has led some people to instead switch to printers that use toner, but just how big a difference does that make?

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What’s the difference between ink and toner

Depending on your type of printer, you may have a product that uses toner instead of ink. Toner uses a powdery substance as opposed to ink. Toner is known for lasting a bit longer and for being able to print more documents.

From a price standpoint, printers that use toner vs. ink cartridges see slight price disparity, depending on the make and model. At the same time, replacement toner cartridges also come in generally the same price range.

While toner cartridges tend to last longer, they also come with expiration dates. Even if they work fine past the expiration date, they could clog the printer and void your warranty.

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Many consumers are opting for cartridge-free ink-tank printers

An ink tank printer or continuous tank printer, doesn’t have a built-in print head. Instead, the ink is supplied directly to the printer via an integrated system. In place of cartridges, the ink is replenished directly into the tank via a refillable bottle.

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Are ink tank printers better than ink cartridge printers

1. Price

Most printers with ink cartridges tend to be much less expensive than ink tank printers. Some, such as the Canon PIXMA MG3620, go for under $100. Top-of-the-line ink tank printers, such as the Epson EcoTank ET-2850 on the other hand, tend to be priced much higher.

However, while an ink tank printer might be a more expensive immediate investment, in the long run, you might find yourself saving money, as replacement ink bottles for an ink tank tend to cost a bit less, averaging around $20.

2. Lifespan and performance

Most printers that use ink cartridges tend to be able to print at most one thousand pages before running out of ink, while ink tank printers can print up to 7,000. Also helping matters is the fact that these printers are often able to store more paper in them than cartridge printers.

However, ink tanks ink is still printer ink, designed to dry at a rapid rate. Ultimately, ink found in ink tanks doesn’t have a much longer life than ink cartridges. So, if you don’t use your ink tank printer regularly, it once more leaves the potential to dry and clog the machine.

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Is there an ideal solution?

Ultimately, finding the most cost-effective way of dealing with printer ink truly depends on your printing needs.

If you rarely need items printed like Tim, buying a printer that uses ink cartridges is probably the best way to go, as is purchasing the standard yield or non-XL printer ink because it’s cheaper.

Whereas, if you print on a daily or weekly basis, an ink tank printer is probably worth the investment, as you will be able to print out far more pages than you would with a cartridge model, and when you do find it’s time to replace the ink in the ink tank, it will cost you less than replacing an ink cartridge would.

Which printer ink do you use and why? We’d love to hear from you.

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The teenage market for apps is a tough nut to crack and stay relevant in. Just ask Snapchat. Equally, teens are going through a stage in life where almost every social interaction seems to carry portent of some kind of other. This would explain in part why apps like SendIt, NGL, and Nocapp (some are Snapchat connected tools) took off as ways for teens to anonymously comment on each other. And AskFM would probably like us all to forget the various suicides that occurred when it was released in its initial form, back in the day. (And you thought Instagram is bad for mental health…).

Meanwhile, somehow (somehow!?) a new startup has appeared with the idea that yet another app is going to help this dumpster fire of social interactions, but let’s hear them out before jumping to conclusions.

“Slay” bills itself as a “positive social media network for teenagers”. The reason we are talking about it today is that it’s grown like a weed after launching last year in Germany, where it reached Number 1 on the German iOS App Store four days after launch. It’s now claiming to have over 250,000 registered users and claims its gaining traction in other countries including the UK, where it recently launched.

So what’s the attraction here? When users open the app it shows users 12 questions which the user can only answer by choosing another user (from their school, class or peer group) to pay an anonymous compliment to (or “slay”). For example, the app may ask a user “Who inspires me to do my best?”. They can then choose from four other users from their school to pay this ‘slay’ to. They can then view compliments from other kids, provided they answer the 12 questions when logging on. The identity of those who sent the compliment remains hidden.

This reminds me of BeReal’s mechanic, where you can only see other people’s BeReal photos by uploading your own.

And Slay is also not dissimilar to Gas, the messaging platform popular among teens for its positive spin on social media, acquired by Discord yesterday. On Gas, anonymous polling is intended to boost users’ confidence.

The other reason Slay has popped onto the TC radar, is that its growth has attracted the interest of VCs.

It’s now raised a $2.63m (€2.5m) pre-seed funding round led by Accel. Also participating was 20VC. Additional investors including Supercell Co-Founder and CEO Ilkka Paananen, Behance founder Scott Belsky, football star Mario Götze, Kevin Weil (Scribble Ventures) and musician Alex Pall (The Chainsmokers).

Slay says it is aiming to reset the teen relationship with social apps by re-balancing things away from the negative sentiments on social platforms, by normalising the giving of compliments. It also says it’s been designed with safety, content moderation and teenage mental wellbeing built in. We shall see…

Digging into the app, one can see that it’s been built very simply as a ‘compliment app’. Whether that is going to be enough to keep users coming back is hard to say. Teenager behaviour is hard to second guess. Getting zero can also send a ‘signal’, for instance.

Suffice it to say, Slay claims it will “never sell or share personal data with third parties.” Given the history of social apps, let’s see how long this lasts.

There is also no direct messaging facility, although users will be able to add links to social media profiles, so clearly they will be able message each other eventually, off-app.

Adults are supposedly not allowed to ‘join’ schools, and approximate location is asked for to suggest nearby schools. Any questions and interactions are asked by the app, not by users themselves.

SLAY was founded in 2022 by a team of three 23-year old, Berlin-based co-founders: Fabian Kamberi, Jannis Ringwald and Stefan Quernhorst. The idea was Kamberi’s, who had been building consumer apps since he was a teenager, and says he was inspired by the experiences of his siblings struggled with the negativity of social media apps during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
CEO and Co-founder Kamberi, told me via email: “We see Slay in the future not only as an anonymous polling app [referring to the aforementioned Gas], but as the go-to spot for teens to rediscover social interactions in various play modes.”

“Our app is similar to Gas, and their acquisition shows a great proof of what we have built and what is in store for the future in our space. However, apps that rely solely on anonymous Q&A, for example, carry a high cyberbullying risk, which – by contrast – we prevent through our rigorous content moderation as well as specially designed gamemodes,” he added.

But the question is, why does he think a social app can improve mental health when so many social apps have not?

“We have received thousands of feedback messages from users thanking us for making them feel valued in times of fast moving, negative social media interactions,” he told me.

He said the startup could well ship new features which might create more engagement but at the same time it might bring a risk for negativity: “So we focus very much on the individual experience that each user has, aiming to make it as positive as possible.” He said the startup’s job is “content safety.”

So what’s Slay’s business model? How will it make money? Kamberi says it will likely be premium features, services or tools which users pay for: “We are currently building several exclusive, paid play modes as well as add ons, which we will release through feedback cycles with users and supported by data.”

SLAY is available in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Julien Bek, Principal at Accel, added via a statement: “We’re extremely impressed by the SLAY app, both in its immediate popularity among teenagers and the team’s positive goal of improving teenage mental health in the digital world. Already, the SLAY team has seen almost half its active users use it every school day.”

Shein, the fast fashion behemoth that has swept across the world, is raising a significant down round as the startup world braces for a funding crunch. The e-commerce platform known for jaw-dropping outfit prices and savvy TikTok marketing is seeking $3 billion at a valuation of $64 billion, down from the $100 billion price tag in April, according to Financial Times.

Shein denies the accuracy of some of the information, a spokesperson for the firm told TechCrunch when asked to confirm details from the report.

One must wonder which part of the report got it wrong. To be fair, Shein’s plunging valuation is not an abnormality in today’s e-commerce world. Pinduoduo, the marketplace that has managed to threaten the dominance of Alibaba’s Taobao in China by offering attractive deals, has seen its market cap plunge to around $100 billion from a peak of $240 billion in February 2021.

Pinduoduo is now pinning its hope on its sister platform for overseas shoppers, Temu, which is gaining some ground in the U.S.

Sea, which operates the Southeast Asia-focused e-commerce giant Shopee, has lost over 80% of its market cap since November 2021. Shopee cut roughly 7,000 jobs within just six months to offset losses, Bloomberg reported in November.

Compared to other e-commerce counterparts, Shein’s drawdown doesn’t look too terrible.

Shein is still planning to forge ahead with its IPO, which could launch as early as this year, according to the FT report. There is a lot for Shein, which emerged from China’s reckless, cut-throat world of export ecommerce, to sort out before going public. The company has been preparing. For one, it has made its Singapore office the de facto holding company, at a time when China tightens up regulations around overseas listings and cross-border data transfers, and as U.S. regulators heighten scrutiny over China-related tech companies.

Shein has also significantly stepped up its ESG — environmental, social and governance — efforts. But it’s unclear how the firm can remake itself to be “socially responsible” without disrupting its business model, namely, fast fashion, which is fundamentally destructive to the environment. Multiple investors TechCrunch previously talked to also pointed to potential “accounting compliance” issues, as China’s clothing manufacturing industry is notorious for murky invoicing practices and tax evasion.

Predicting spending is a tricky business, especially in a period of economic uncertainty. Perhaps that’s why both IDC and Gartner have cut their fall predictions in the new year with Gartner now predicting modest 2.2% growth for 2023 with IDC a bit more optimistic at 4.4%.

In the fall, Gartner was predicting a far more robust 5.1% and IDC was looking at between 5% and 6%. Both companies look at a combination of business and consumer spending in their numbers.

Gartner says it’s the consumer side of the ledger that’s become a drag on their predictions, while the firm expects enterprise buyers to increase expenditures in the coming year.

“While inflation is devastating consumer markets, contributing to layoffs at B2C companies, enterprises continue to increase spending on digital business initiatives despite the world economic slowdown,” Gartner analyst John-David Lovelock said in a statement.

When we spoke to IDC analyst Rick Villars for an article on 2023 spending, he left some wiggle room in his prediction:

“Spending on core IT infrastructure, business software, professional services to implement and operate the systems — even if the economy stays flat, we expect to see continued healthy growth in the 5% to 6% range in aggregate for those spaces. It would take a more severe economic downturn from what we’re seeing for that to change,” Villars told TechCrunch.

Perhaps the squeeze on consumer spending is the source of the problem, although the Adobe Digital Price Index found prices for electronics, which include items like phones and PCs, were down over 12% for the year (with prices increasing 1.9% in December). But that was more than offset by groceries, which were up 13.5% year over year, a number more likely to have a much bigger impact on consumers overall.

Gasoline prices (which Adobe doesn’t measure) dropped 2% in December (per CNBC), but fuel oil was up a whopping 41%. The bottom line is that consumers probably aren’t feeling confident right now when it comes to buying new technology if basics are costing them so much more than the prior year.

The numbers bear this out as PC sales were down for the fourth straight quarter. That translated into a 28% drop for Q4 2022, numbers so low that Gartner reported it was the biggest single quarter drop since the firm has been tracking this data in the mid-1990s

Phone sales were similarly dismal with sales the lowest in a decade. Numbers were off 17% in Q4 2022,  down 11% for the year.

While consumers are clearly cutting back, enterprises are less likely to cut their spending as tech can help blunt the impact of an economic downturn, something Villars told us in the December article on IT spending:

“The main thing we’re hearing from CIOs is that technology is part of solving the business challenges that a recession brings. And if the focus is on just cutting technology investments, they’re not actually helping the company get through the recession or through these disruptions.”

Certainly, enterprises won’t be cutting back on cybersecurity as new data from Canalys shows. The firm is predicting that security spending will increase 13% in 2023.

Consumers will probably continue to think twice about buying electronics in the first part of the year if food and fuel prices don’t come down, and that will have a big impact on the numbers overall, but as these firms predict, business spending continues to look much brighter as companies see tech as a critical budget item.

Bluetooth is a quick and easy way to share data between devices within a short range. It allows you to play music from your phone to wireless speakers or headphones and easily share pictures with friends and family using an Apple feature like airdrop.

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Unfortunately, Bluetooth has a reputation for having a somewhat unreliable connection, be it on a phone or a computer.

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Jim Y. is growing increasingly frustrated with his Bluetooth devices, so he wrote to me and asked this question:

“Kurt, I have an iMac desktop computer with a Bluetooth trackpad and Bluetooth keyboard. Often I am connected to the Mac via a Bluetooth connection but from time to time the trackpad and keyboard lose the Bluetooth connection and I must plug both to my Mac to continue. There is no pattern as to when the Mac decides to cancel the Bluetooth connection to the trackpad or keyboard except both lose the Bluetooth connections at the same time, which leads me to believe it is a problem with the Mac. Any suggestions?”

What might cause spotty Bluetooth connections?

There are several common factors that, regardless of your device, might disrupt the connection. In the case of Jim Y. and his keyboard, it might be because of the following:

• One or both devices being insufficiently charged
• Too many WiFi devices running at once and affecting his connection
• Working close to a device that could cause wireless interference, such as fluorescent lights, a cordless phone, a microwave oven or power cables

Often, no matter the device, there might be simple solutions to these problems, such as:

• Turning your devices on and off
• Move other devices (phones, tablets, etc.) farther away
• Turn off USB devices which you aren’t using

Regardless of the device you’re experiencing problems with, there are a few simple steps that could solve your problems:

1. Try connecting with a different device

There is a chance the problem is with the device you’re trying to connect to, and not your computer or phone. Try connecting your computer or phone to a second device. If the connection works, then the Bluetooth in your computer or phone might not be the source of the problem.

2. Restart your devices

Sometimes simply restarting your computer, or turning your phone, as well as the device you wish to connect to, on and off, is all it takes to get your Bluetooth up and running again.

3. Make sure you are operating on the most up-to-date software

Regardless of the device you are having trouble with, if you are using older software or if there is a pending update, it may affect the performance of your Bluetooth connection. See here for a step-by-step guide on how to make sure all your devices are up-to-date.

In some cases, however, there might be ways of troubleshooting unique to your specific device.

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How to troubleshoot Bluetooth problems on Windows:

1. Make sure Bluetooth is turned on

This seems like a simple step, but sometimes the root of Bluetooth connectivity problems is simply the fact that it isn’t turned on.

• Click Start
• Click Settings
• Click Bluetooth and Devices
• Make sure Bluetooth is turned on

If Bluetooth is turned on, try turning it off for a few minutes, then turning it back on again and see if your connection has improved.

2. Disconnect and reconnect devices

If you can see that the devices are paired up, yet they still aren’t connecting, an easy way to solve the problem is simply by temporarily disconnecting the device, then reconnecting it.

• Open Settings
• Click on Devices
• Click on Bluetooth
• Select the device
• If the device is being used, it will display as “connected,” if the device isn’t in use, it will show as “paired”
• Click Remove Device
• Click Yes to complete the task

Once the task is completed, you’ll need to re-connect the device by following the very same steps, then see if Bluetooth is now connected.

3. Make sure Bluetooth isn’t missing

It’s important to double-check that Bluetooth is present in your device’s settings. If it is missing in the settings, your device or the software currently running might not support Bluetooth. However, there might be a way to solve this problem.

• Open Start
• Click on Device Manager
• Expand the Bluetooth Branch
• Right-click the Bluetooth Adapter
• Click Update Software Option
• Click Search Automatically

If no result comes up, it might still be possible to download new software by directly visiting your computer manufacturer’s website.

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How to troubleshoot Bluetooth problems on Mac devices:

1. Make sure Bluetooth is turned On

• Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your screen
• Click System Preferences
• Click Bluetooth
• Make sure it is turned on

If Bluetooth is turned on, try turning it off for a few minutes, then turning it back on again and see if your connection has improved.

2. Disconnect and Reconnect Devices

• Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your screen
• Click On System Preferences
• Selecting Bluetooth
• Select the device to remove by clicking the X (to the right of the device), and a pop-up will appear asking you to confirm that you want to remove that device. Click the remove button to disconnect it.

Once the device is deleted, you’ll need to re-connect the device by following the mostly same steps, then see if Bluetooth is now connected:

• Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your screen
• Click On System Preferences
• Selecting Bluetooth
• Select the Device you wish to connect and click Connect
• If asked, click Accept

3. Reset Bluetooth module

Sometimes, it might take rebooting the whole Bluetooth module to fix any connectivity problems.

• Hold Shift and Option then click on the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar
• Click Reset Bluetooth Module
• Click OK when prompted
• Your connected Bluetooth devices will temporarily disconnect before automatically reconnecting.

4. Remove all devices before resetting

You may need to remove all devices before resetting your Bluetooth module.

• Hold Shift and Option then click on the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar
• Click Remove all devices
• Click OK when prompted
• Follow the above steps for resetting Bluetooth Module

If you do remove all devices, then you will have to reconnect all your devices manually once completed.

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How to troubleshoot Bluetooth problems on Androids:

1. Make sure Bluetooth is turned on

• Swipe down from the top of your screen
• Find the Bluetooth icon
• See if Bluetooth is turned on

If Bluetooth is turned on, try turning it off for a few minutes and then turning it back on again.

2. Reset Network settings

In some extreme cases, fixing your Bluetooth connection might require you to reset your network settings.

• Tap Settings
• Tap System
• Tap Reset Options
• Tap Reset WiFi Settings or Network settings Reset
• Select Reset Settings

Note if you don’t have a System option in Settings, Tap General Management, and tap Reset

3. Unpair the devices, then pair them together again

• Go to Bluetooth in the settings
• Tap the device you are using
• Select Forget to unpair the item
• Wait for a minute, then tap the device again to pair it.

4. Clear the Bluetooth cache and storage

• Open Settings
• Tap on App Management
• Tap on App List
• Find and Tap on the Bluetooth App
• Select Storage and Cache
• Select Clear Bluetooth Cache and Storage

Just keep in mind doing this will clear all Bluetooth connections your phone has made with any devices. So if you choose to do this, you will be required to re-connect every device.

5. Check for problem-causing apps

Unfortunately, several malicious apps find their way into the Google Play store, which might cause interference with your Bluetooth connection. To see if any apps might be causing a problem.

• Open Settings
• Tap on App Management
• Tap on App List
• Disable the app you think might be causing the problem
• Restart your phone
• Check your Bluetooth connection

To determine which app is causing the problem, you will have to check the apps one at a time.

Note settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer.

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR FACEBOOK PASSWORD

How to troubleshoot Bluetooth problems on iPhones:

1. Make sure Bluetooth is turned on

• Go to Settings
• Tap Bluetooth
• See if Bluetooth is turned on

If Bluetooth is turned on, try turning it off for a few minutes and then turning it back on again.

2. Delete devices you aren’t using

If your phone is connected to too many devices via Bluetooth, it might cause trouble connecting to the device you are hoping to use at the moment. So, you might want to consider deleting other devices from your phone.

• Open Settings
• Tap Bluetooth
• Under My Devices tap on the I inside the blue circle next to the device you want to disconnect
• Tap Forget This Device

3. Reset Network Settings

• Tap Settings
• Tap General
• Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone
• Tap Reset
• Tap Reset Network Settings
• You may be required to enter your password

Before resetting your phone, make sure your phone is properly backed up. 

Did this article help you solve any of your Bluetooth issues? We’d love to hear from you.

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Copyright 2023 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved. CyberGuy.com articles and content may contain affiliate links that earn a commission when purchases are made.

Meta’s oversight board on Tuesday overturned the company’s decision to remove two social media posts depicting transgender and non-binary people with bare chests. 

The board found that removing the posts was not in line with the company’s community standards, values or human rights responsibilities. 

In addition, it said Meta’s policies on adult nudity result in greater barriers to expression for women and trans and gender non-binary people on its platforms.  

Considering two cases together for the first time, the board said in a release it recommended Meta change its rules on adult nudity and sexual activity so that they are governed by international human rights standards.  

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR FACEBOOK PASSWORD

Meta’s Adult Nudity and Sexual Activity policy prohibits images containing female nipples other than in specified circumstances, such as medical and health contexts. The board said the policy is based on a “binary view of gender and a distinction between male and female bodies.”

“Such an approach makes it unclear how the rules apply to intersex, non-binary and transgender people and requires reviewers to make rapid and subjective assessments of sex and gender,” it said. 

Its decision and recommendations were made to ensure that all users are treated without discrimination on the basis of sex or gender. 

TIKTOK, META SUED BY SEATTLE SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR ALLEGEDLY WREAKING MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS AMONG STUDENTS

This includes defining clear, rights-respecting criteria to govern the aforementioned policy as well as providing more detail on criteria that lead to content being removed in the public-facing Sexual Solicitation Community Standard and revising guidance for moderators to more accurately reflect the public rules on the policy. 

“This would help to reduce enforcement errors on Meta’s part,” it said.

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“We welcome the board’s decision in this case. We had reinstated this content prior to the decision, recognizing that it should not have been taken down,” a Meta spokesperson told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement Wednesday. 

“We are constantly evaluating our policies to help make our platforms safer for everyone. We know more can be done to support the LGBTQ+ community, and that means working with experts and LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations on a range of issues and product improvements.”

Meta is required to publicly respond to the board’s recommended policy guidance within 60 days.   

New malware is now attacking Zoom users everywhere, and it aims to steal your private banking information through the popular video chatting app.  

CLICK TO GET KURT’S CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER WITH QUICK TIPS, TECH REVIEWS, SECURITY ALERTS AND EASY HOW-TO’S TO MAKE YOU SMARTER 

The malware was recently identified by experts at Cyble Research & Intelligence Labs. Now, they’re trying to warn those who use the app regularly to protect themselves. 

SURPRISINGLY, THIS APP IS CAUSING NEARLY 50% OF MACOS MALWARE

What does this malware do?

The malware known as IcedID has been put into action through threat actors actively spreading it by using modified versions of the Zoom application. This has affected tons of businesses, as Zoom has grown immensely in popularity, especially among companies that transitioned to working from home at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The malware acts as a loader (a type of malware that is used to install other malware onto a computer) by stealing private information from these companies and dumping additional malware onto their employees’ computers.

This means that it is stealing sensitive information and also potentially installing other harmful software that can cause further damage. This can cause significant harm to the affected businesses, as they may lose valuable information and suffer from additional security breaches or system disruptions. 

Aside from being a loader, IcedID can also download additional modules from the internet and deliver other malware families, making it significantly difficult for the user to get rid of the malware once it’s planted into a computer. Once downloaded, its primary purpose is to steal private banking credentials. 

How does the malware spread?

The most common way IcedID had been spread among users is by appearing via spam emails. The malware is hidden in email attachments found within malicious office files. However, these Zoom hackers tried a new technique that many were unprepared for this time around.  

SIMPLE IPHONE HACK MAKES READING EVERY APP EASIER

They use a phishing website called explorezoom.com to deliver the malware. This is a fake  website disguised as an official Zoom domain whose sole purpose is to deliver the IcedID malware. The page tells users that to use Zoom, they must download a file called ZoomInstallerFull.exe. The file will download the actual Zoom application to distract the user from realizing that IcedID malware is also being downloaded onto their device. 

How can I protect myself from IcedID?

The best way to protect yourself from any type of malware is by installing quality antivirus protection onto your device. You can install this on your phone, tablet and laptop.  It would be a good idea for you to suggest this to your company if you’re someone who works from home and uses a device provided by your employer. 

Best Antivirus Protection

It’s critical that all of your devices are protected from ongoing threats online. See my expert review of the best antivirus protection for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices by searching “Best Antivirus” at CyberGuy.com by clicking the magnifying glass icon at the top of my website.   

Related: Free antivirus: should you use it? 

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Have you or someone you know been attacked by this malware called IcedID? If so, we’d like to hear from you. 

For more of my security tips, head over to CyberGuy.com and be sure to subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by clicking the “Free newsletter” link at the top of my website.

Copyright 2023 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved. CyberGuy.com articles and content may contain affiliate links that earn a commission when purchases are made.

A recent malware attack on Zoom users that aimed to steal private banking information has been shut down. 

CLICK TO GET KURT’S CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER WITH QUICK TIPS, TECH REVIEWS, SECURITY ALERTS AND EASY HOW-TO’S TO MAKE YOU SMARTER 

The malware was identified by experts at Cyble Research & Intelligence Labs, and while Fox News Digital is told the website hosting the malicious download is no longer available experts are warning Zoom users to watch out for future attacks. 

SURPRISINGLY, THIS APP IS CAUSING NEARLY 50% OF MACOS MALWARE

What does this malware do?

The malware known as IcedID has been put into action through threat actors actively spreading it by using modified versions of the Zoom application. This has affected tons of businesses, as Zoom has grown immensely in popularity, especially among companies that transitioned to working from home at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The malware acts as a loader (a type of malware that is used to install other malware onto a computer) by stealing private information from these companies and dumping additional malware onto their employees’ computers.

This means that it is stealing sensitive information and also potentially installing other harmful software that can cause further damage. This can cause significant harm to the affected businesses, as they may lose valuable information and suffer from additional security breaches or system disruptions. 

Aside from being a loader, IcedID can also download additional modules from the internet and deliver other malware families, making it significantly difficult for the user to get rid of the malware once it’s planted into a computer. Once downloaded, its primary purpose is to steal private banking credentials. 

How does the malware spread?

The most common way IcedID had been spread among users is by appearing via spam emails. The malware is hidden in email attachments found within malicious office files. However, these Zoom hackers tried a new technique that many were unprepared for this time around.  

SIMPLE IPHONE HACK MAKES READING EVERY APP EASIER

They use a phishing website called explorezoom.com to deliver the malware. This is a fake  website disguised as an official Zoom domain whose sole purpose is to deliver the IcedID malware. The page tells users that to use Zoom, they must download a file called ZoomInstallerFull.exe. The file will download the actual Zoom application to distract the user from realizing that IcedID malware is also being downloaded onto their device. 

How can I protect myself from IcedID?

The best way to protect yourself from any type of malware is by installing quality antivirus protection onto your device. You can install this on your phone, tablet and laptop.  It would be a good idea for you to suggest this to your company if you’re someone who works from home and uses a device provided by your employer. 

Best Antivirus Protection

It’s critical that all of your devices are protected from ongoing threats online. See my expert review of the best antivirus protection for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices by searching “Best Antivirus” at CyberGuy.com by clicking the magnifying glass icon at the top of my website.   

Related: Free antivirus: should you use it? 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Have you or someone you know been attacked by this malware called IcedID? If so, we’d like to hear from you. 

For more of my security tips, head over to CyberGuy.com and be sure to subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by clicking the “Free newsletter” link at the top of my website.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect the malware attack is not currently underway. 

Copyright 2023 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved. CyberGuy.com articles and content may contain affiliate links that earn a commission when purchases are made.

One dating app is testing the limits of how much people are willing to pay for love.

Hinge is adding a new subscription tier that charges “highly motivated daters” up to $60 per month. The app, part of Match Group’s portfolio of dating apps, is aiming the new premium offering at single people who are most determined to find a mate on the platform, which bills itself as “the dating app designed to be deleted.” 

Users who shell out the extra cash will have more exposure on the app and receive better recommendations for potential mates, according to Bloomberg, which first reported on the new feature on Tuesday. 

The new premium subscription tier will be rolled out sometime this quarter, Match Group said in its third-quarter earnings call. 

Match teased the higher priced service in a letter to shareholders in November saying the subscription tier “will unlock priority access for their most intentioned users who have a higher propensity to pay.” 

For $720 a year, however, the top-tier subscription is a bargain compared to high-priced matchmaking services, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars per year.

Match Group’s other dating networks include The League, Tinder and others. Match is also testing a version of Tinder that would cost roughly $500 a month, the company confirmed. 

Match is publicly traded and profitable, reporting net income of nearly $775 million on revenue of $3.1 billion for 2022.

New York/London
CNN
 — 

Microsoft plans to lay off 10,000 employees as part of broader cost-cutting measures, the company said in a securities filing on Wednesday, making it the latest tech company to reduce staff because of growing economic uncertainty.

Speaking before the layoff announcement at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that the company was not immune to a weaker global economy.

“No one can defy gravity and gravity here is inflation-adjusted economic growth,” he told WEF founder Klaus Schwab in a livestreamed discussion.

In a memo to staffers Wednesday, Nadella also cited changing demand years for digital services years into the pandemic as well as looming recession fears.

“We’re living through times of significant change, and as I meet with customers and partners, a few things are clear,” he wrote. “First, as we saw customers accelerate their digital spend during the pandemic, we’re now seeing them optimize their digital spend to do more with less.”

Microsoft had approximately 221,000 full-time employees globally as of June 30, 2022, according to a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing, with some 122,000 of those staffers based in the United States.

Nadella said the job the cuts represent less than 5% of the company’s total workforce and the reductions will be complete by the end of its fiscal third quarter this year, which ends in March.

He said the company will incur a $1.2 billion charge in its second quarter related to “severance costs, changes to our hardware portfolio, and the cost of lease consolidation.”

“These decisions are difficult, but necessary,” Nadella wrote.

Multiple tech companies have made deep cuts to their workforces since the start of the year, as inflation weighs on consumer spending and rising interest rates squeeze funding. The demand for digital services during the pandemic has also waned as people return to their offline lives.

Amazon

(AMZN) announced that it plans to lay off 18,000 people and Salesforce said it is cutting 10% of its staff. Facebook

(FB) parent Meta also recently announced 11,000 job cuts, the largest in the company’s history. In October, Axios reported that Microsoft had laid off under 1,000 employees across several divisions.

Tech CEOs, from Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg to Salesforce’s Marc Benioff, have blamed themselves for over-hiring early on in the pandemic and misreading how a surge in demand for their products would cool once Covid-19 restrictions eased.

While the overall labor market remains tight, layoffs in the tech sector have mounted at a staggering pace. A recent report from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas found tech layoffs were up 649% in 2022 compared to the previous year, versus just a 13% uptick in job cuts in the overall economy during the same period.

Microsoft will announce second quarter earnings on January 24. The software company’s Azure cloud computing business drove revenue growth over the three months through September, as sales in its personal computing division decreased slightly.

Even as Microsoft makes significant cuts, Nadella said the company will continue to invest in “strategic areas for our future” and pointed to advances in AI as “the next major wave” of computing. His letter to employees comes amid rumors of a significant investment from Microsoft into OpenAI, the firm behind the AI chatbot, ChatGPT.

A U.S.-based subsidiary of oil company Shell is buying EV charging network operator Volta in an all-cash transaction valued at $169 million.

Under the terms of the merger agreement, Shell USA Inc. will acquire all outstanding shares of Class A common stock of Volta at $0.86 per share in cash upon completion of the merger. That represents about an 18% premium to the closing price of Volta stock on January 17, 2023. Volta shares, which have been trading under $1 since November, rose 0.73% following the announcement.

Volta, which went public in 2021 via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company, has an advertising-based business model. The company places its chargers at shopping malls and grocery stores, where EV drivers can power up their batteries for free. The chargers have large media displays, a space where retailers and consumer goods companies can advertise to reach the EV audience.

The company caught the attention of investors early in its life, raising more than $200 million before it took the SPAC route. But the company’s stock price has languished and its cash position is depleted. That lack of cash is tenuous enough that under acquisition agreement, the Shell affiliate will provide loans to Volta to help the company through the closing. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2023.

“Volta’s ability to capture it independently, in challenging market conditions and with ongoing capital constraints, was limited. This transaction creates value for our shareholders and provides our exceptional employees and other stakeholders a clear path forward,” Interim CEO Vince Cubbage said in a statement.

The deal, which was unanimously approved by Volta’s board, is the latest example of energy companies snapping up or investing in EV charging infrastructure as demand for electric vehicles grows. BP, Total and France’s EDF are among a growing list of oil companies buying up EV charging assets.

Shell previously bought European charging network ubitricity.

When I listen to voicemail messages, it feels more natural and convenient to play them on the speaker of my iPhone. Sometimes I am so caught up in the routine of catching up to calls that I don’t notice how people around me are able to hear every detail of sometimes sensitive voicemail messages intended for me and not snoops.  

CLICK TO GET KURT’S CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER WITH QUICK TIPS, TECH REVIEWS, SECURITY ALERTS AND EASY HOW-TO’S TO MAKE YOU SMARTER

I’ve got the solution that helps me keep my private voicemail messages private. The trick is available to iPhone owners though many don’t know about. It allows you to skip listening to your inbox full of voicemails altogether.

If I don’t listen to my voicemail, how will I know what the message said?

This iPhone feature has been around for quite some time, yet many people still don’t even realize it exists. With the Visual Voicemail feature, every voicemail left in your inbox comes with audio transcription. 

HOW TO FORCE YOUR LOVED ONE’S IPHONE TO RING IN AN EMERGENCY

When a person leaves a voicemail for you, your iPhone will automatically transcribe the message they’ve left you so that you can still know what they said without having to spend time listening to the message. 

You also will always know when you have a new voicemail, as the visual voicemail feature will show a blue dot next to any voicemail message that has yet to be opened.

How do I look at a voicemail transcription?

• Open your Phone app
• Tap on the Voicemail tab
• Click on one of the messages left in your inbox
• If your voicemail transcription feature is turned on, you should see a transcription of the message you selected

Something important is that your iPhone must have at least iOS10 or later and must be the model 6s and above to have this feature work.

WHATSAPP ENDING SUPPORT ON SOME DEVICES

Why are there spaces or incorrect words in my transcription?

Sometimes when reading a voicemail audio transcription, you will notice that were are a few words that don’t make sense or some blank spaces with no words at all.

SIMPLE IPHONE HACK MAKES READING EVERY APP EASIER

This is because although the voicemail transcription feature does its best to transcribe the message exactly, it cannot guarantee 100% accuracy. If the person who left you the message has unclear speech, poor cellphone service, or speaks a language that your phone is not set to recognize, there may be a few incorrect or missing words in there.

I usually have no trouble piecing together the whole message even when some parts get misunderstood at times. You should too be able to get a general sense of the message without having to listen to the entire thing.

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Is this a feature that you have found helpful? We’d love to hear from you.

For more of my tips, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by clicking the “Free newsletter” link at the top of my website.

Copyright 2023 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved. CyberGuy.com articles and content may contain affiliate links that earn a commission when purchases are made.