Google has officially moved Android 15 into its second beta, bringing with it a slew of new things for developers and early Android 15 users to check out. Now that the beta has been available for over a month, more devices are starting to gain access to the first version, giving users beyond the Pixel family a chance to check out the latest changes to the operating system.

Android 15, of course, is the next version of Google's mobile OS, and it continues to offer new AI features for Android users to take advantage of. Android 15 beta 2 is only available on select Pixel devices at the start, with the list of supported devices including:

• Pixel 6

• Pixel 6 Pro

• Pixel 6a

• Pixel 7

• Pixel 7 Pro

• Pixel 7a

• Pixel Tablet

• Pixel Fold

• Pixel 8

• Pixel 8 Pro

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Beyond Pixel devices, there are other third-party Android phones that support the Android 15 beta. However, keep in mind that the version of the beta available is also dependent on what the manufacturer of these devices has readied for them. Most of these devices are for international users, and cannot be used in the United States:

• HONOR Magic 6 Pro: BVL-N49 8.0.0.148(C431E4R2P2), 8.0.0.152(C636E2R2P2) or higher

• HONOR Magic V2: VER-N49 8.0.0.105(C431E2R2P2), 8.0.0.105(C636E2R2P2) or higher

• vivo X100

• iQOO 12

• Lenovo Tab Extreme

• Nothing Phone (2a)

• OnePlus 12

• OnePlus Open

• Oppo Find N3

• Realme 12 Pro+ 5G

• Sharp AQUOS sense8

• TECNO Camon 30 Pro

• Xiaomi 14

• Xiaomi 13T Pro

• Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4

Android 15 has been available in the Android Developer Preview since February, but Google recently opened the virtual floodgates to get early adopters involved, too. New features debuted in Android 15 beta 1 include an edge-to-edge display mode for apps by default, which should make it easier for developers to create apps to show content behind the system bars.

Google is also upgrading the NFC experience on Android 15 to provide a more seamless and reliable experience for tap to pay. A big change, too, makes it easier to archive and unarchive apps, which should help with cleaning up your Android device, though it will still require some input from developers. You can get a look at all the Android 15 features we know about so far, but most of them seem to be aligned with making the operating system more efficient for users.

New Android 15 beta 2 features

With the release of beta 2, Google rolled out some new features to Android 15: Following changes to foreground services, battery life should be more efficient when running apps. Google has also increased support for page sizes to 16KB, which should allow for lower app launch times, faster camera launch, and reduced power draw during launch. The company is also modernizing how the Android system accesses the GPU to provide a more efficient pipeline for those functionalities that rely on your smartphone's GPU.

There are also some great new privacy features this year, including private space, which allows users to create a separate space to house certain apps. Private space requires additional authentication to access, which makes it a secure way to store those apps that contain sensitive information, such as your banking apps. Larger screen multitasking also makes its first debut in the second beta for Android 15: You can now save your favorite split-screen app setups and access them at any time. Transitions from full-screen to picture-in-picture mode should also be smoother.

Widgets are also getting a bit of a facelift in Android 15 beta 2, with Google adding support for richer widget previews, as well as generated previews: That way, you can actually see what the widget looks like before adding it to your home screen. Speaking of previews, predictive back, the feature that shows you a preview of which app or service you're swiping back to, is also fully rolling out with this beta.

In addition, there are new data types for Health Connect, which offer a more centralized way for users to control access to their fitness and health data. Google is also extending the "choose how you're addressed" system setting, which it originally debuted to French users. This will allow users to decide if they want to be addressed as masculine, feminine, or neutral.

Other behind-the-scenes changes include some fixes to help avoid clipped text in some languages, as well as a new Japanese Hentaigana font, a CJK variable font, and options to enable richer vibrations for notifications. The latter gives Android users a way to distinguish between different notifications based on the vibrations their phone users.

Beta releases are expected to continue throughout the rest of May and June, and Google says it hopes to reach platform stability by the end of June. The target would be a fall release for Android 15, which is also when we expect to see the latest Pixel devices hit the market, based on past releases. Of course, Google is still keeping the full list of new Android features close to the chest, and we don't expect to learn about everything the tech giant has in store until it reveals its next lineup of smartphones later this year. But if you're interested in testing out the latest version of Android, you can download Android 15 beta 1 and beta 2 right now, on applicable devices.

Just remember, beta software is unfinished and in-testing, which means you could encounter bugs and glitches. Don't install the Android beta on your main smartphone unless you're okay assuming those risks.

AI chatbots are more popular than ever, and there are plenty of solid options out there to choose from beyond OpenAI's ChatGPT. One particularly strong competitor is Google's Gemini AI, which used to be called Google Bard. This AI chatbot pulls information from the internet and runs off the latest Gemini language model created by Google.

What is Google Gemini?

Bard, or Gemini as the company now calls it, is Google's answer to ChatGPT. It's an AI chatbot designed to respond to various queries and tasks, all while being plugged into Google's search engine and receiving frequent updates. Like most other chatbots, including ChatGPT, Gemini can answer math problems and help with writing articles and documents, as well as with most other tasks you would expect a generative AI bot to do.

What happened to Google Bard?

Credit: Google / Joshua Hawkins

Nothing happened—Google just changed the name. Bard is now Gemini, and Gemini is Google's home for all things AI. The company says it wanted to bring everything into one easy-to-follow ecosystem, which is why it felt the name change was important. You can still access Gemini through the old bard.google.com system, but it will now redirect you to gemini.google.com.

How does Gemini work?

Much like ChatGPT, Gemini is powered by a large language model (LLM) and is designed to respond with reasonable and human-like answers to your queries and requests. Previously, Gemini used Google's PaLM 2 language model, but Google has since released an update that adds Gemini 1.5 Flash and Gemini 1.5 Pro models, the search giant's most complex and capable language models yet. Running Gemini with multiple language models has allowed Google to see the bot in action in several different ways. Gemini can be accessed on any device by visiting the chatbot's website, just like ChatGPT, and is also available on Android and iPhones via the Gemini app.

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Who can access Google Gemini?

Gemini is currently available to the general public. Google is still working on the AI chatbot, and hopes to continue improving it. As such, any responses, queries, or tasks submitted to Gemini can be reviewed by Google engineers to help the AI learn more from the questions that you're asking.

To start using Gemini, simply head over to gemini.google.com and sign in. Users who subscribe to Gemini Advanced can utilize the newest and most powerful versions of the AI language model. (More on that later.)

What languages does Gemini support?

Gemini 1.0 Pro currently supports over 40 languages. Google hasn't said yet if it plans to add more language support to the chatbot, but a Google support doc notes that it currently supports: Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Chinese (Simplified / Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Farsi, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kannada, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malayalam, Marathi, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

Gemini 1.5 Pro supports 35 languages and is available in over 150 different countries and territories. The supported languages include Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese (Simplified / Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Farsi, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.

(Note: At the time of this article's writing, Google Gemini Advanced is only optimized for English. However, Google says it should still work with any languages Gemini supports.)

What features does Gemini offer?

Like ChatGPT, Gemini can answer basic questions, help with coding, and solve complex mathematic equations. Additionally, Google added support for multimodal search in July, allowing users to input pictures as well as text into conversations. This, along with the chatbot's other capabilities, enables it to complete reverse image searches. Google can also include images in its answers, which are pulled from the search giant's online results.

Google also previously added the ability to generate images in Gemini using its Imagen model. You can take advantage of this new feature by telling the bot to "create an image." This makes the chatbot more competitive with OpenAI, which also offers image generation through DALL-E.

During Google I/O 2024, Google also showed off plans to expand that multimodal support for Gemini to include video and voice, allowing you to chat with the AI chatbot in real-time, similar to what we're already seeing with ChatGPT's new GPT-4o model.

Is Gemini connected to the internet?

Yes, Google Gemini is connected to the internet and is trained on the latest and most up-to-date information found online. This is obviously a nice advantage over ChatGPT, which just added full access to the internet back in September, and only for paid users who subscribe to its GPT-4 model.

How accurate is Google Gemini?

Now that the chatbot is using Gemini 1.0 Pro and Gemini 1.5 Pro, it's expected to be one of the most accurate chatbots available on the web right now. However, past experiences with Gemini have shown that the bot is likely to hallucinate or take credit for information that it found via Google searches. This is a problem that Google has been working to fix, and the company has managed to improve the results and how they are handled.

However, like any chatbot, Gemini is still capable of creating information that is untrue or plagiarized. As such, it is always recommended you double-check any information that chatbots like Gemini provide, to ensure it is original and accurate.

Is Gemini free to use?

Gemini is currently free to use, but Google also offers a subscription-based plan that allows you to take advantage of its best AI yet, Gemini Advanced. The service is available as part of Google's new Google One AI Premium Plan, which currently runs for $19.99 a month, putting it on par with ChatGPT Plus. The advantage here, of course, is that you also get access to 2TB of storage in Google Drive, as well as access to Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Slides, Sheets, and more. This feature was previously known as Duet AI, but it has also been rounded up under the Gemini umbrella.

There's an app for that

Google also launched a dedicated Gemini mobile app for Android. iPhone users can access Gemini through the Google app on iOS. Currently, the Gemini mobile app is only available on select devices and only supports English in the U.S. However, Google plans to extend the available countries and languages the Gemini app supports in the future. Additionally, the mobile app supports many of the same functions as Google Assistant, and Google is positioning it to replace Assistant with Gemini in near future.

How does Gemini compare to ChatGPT?

Gemini is a solid competitor for ChatGPT, especially now that Gemini should return results more akin to those in GPT-4. The interface is very similar, and the functionality offered by both chatbots should handle most of the queries and tasks that you throw at either of them.

Even with Google's paid plan, Gemini is still a more accessible option, as its free models are more similar to GPT-4 than ChatGPT's free option is. That said, OpenAI is starting to roll out a version of GPT-4o to all users, even free ones, but it will have usage limits and isn't widely available yet.

For now, Gemini presents the fewest barriers to internet access, and can use Google as a search engine. When ChatGPT does connect to the internet, it utilizes Bing as a search engine instead of Google.

Google did share some information about how Gemini compares to GPT-4V, one of the latest versions of GPT-4, and said it actually achieves more accurate results in several fields. But as no trustworthy tests are yet available for how Gemini 1.5 Pro compares to GPT-4o, it's unclear exactly how the two newest models from Google and OpenAI compare when placed head to head. Google Gemini 1.5 Pro does offer a maximum context-token count of one million, so it can handle much longer context documents than ChatGPT can now. And Google isn't stopping there, as it plans to offer a Gemini version with support for two million context tokens, which it is already testing with developers.

Ultimately, it's hard to say exactly which one is better, as they both have their strengths. I'd recommend trying to complete whatever task you want to accomplish in both, and then seeing which one works best for your needs. Also, keep in mind that some of the most impressive features that Gemini and ChatGPT offer are not fully available yet. For its part, Google is working on other AI-driven systems, which it could possibly include in Gemini down the line. These include MusicLM, which uses AI to generate music, something the tech giant showed off during Google I/O 2024.

iOS 17.5 is officially out, bringing the latest security updates to all applicable iPhones. Alongside fixing some major security flaws that Apple needed to address, the update also had an unintended effect: It's bringing back deleted photos.

This iOS 17.5 bug has caused quite an uproar in the Apple community, with some raising concerns over Apple's privacy claims, and wondering if the company's software keeps old photos even after you've deleted them.

The big concern here is the possibility for not safe for work photos to unexpectedly rear their heads again: One Reddit user says that nudes (and some less compromising photos) that were deleted "years ago" reappeared in their recent images after updating their phone. You don't even need to be connected to iCloud, according to another Reddit user experiencing the issue. Locally stored photos are supposedly coming back, too.

Unfortunately, there isn't exactly a clear reason for what is happening here. Given that many of the photos are from years ago, it isn't likely to be an issue with the recently deleted settings on the iPhone, which only keeps photos for 30 days after deletion, in case you accidentally delete a photo and need to restore it.

It's possible that these reports could all come down to an indexing issue, some kind of corruption in the photo library, or, in the case of photos backed up online, a syncing issue between iCloud and local devices. Related to the latter point, it's possible that Apple made a mistake while trying to fix a syncing issue reported by users in a previous iOS 17 update.

The explanation is likely innocent, though: Deleted files are never truly gone from a device until overwritten, so it's possible the bug is simply resurfacing them instead of keeping them available to be rewritten. That might also explain a similar bug another user experienced where old voicemails came back.

For the moment, there isn't much you can do to avoid the bug if you already updated to iOS 17.5. However, holding off on the update isn't recommended, as it does address some security flaws that iPhone users will want to resolve as soon as possible. It's arguably more important to protect yourself from a Find My bug that could let a malicious app track your current location, than it is to prevent iOS from resurfacing your old deleted photos—however embarrassing that may be.

AI is a fascinating field, one that has seen a ton of advancements in recent years. In fact, OpenAI's ChatGPT has singlehandedly increased the hype around generative AI to new levels. But the days of ChatGPT being the only viable AI chatbot option are long gone. Now, others are available, including Anthropic's Claude AI, which has some key differences from the AI chatbot most people are familiar with. The question is this: Can Anthropic's version of ChatGPT stand up to the original?

What is Anthropic AI?

Anthropic is an AI startup co-founded by ex-OpenAI members. It's especially notable because the company has a much stricter set of ethics surrounding its AI than OpenAI currently does. The company includes the Amodei siblings, Daniela and Dario, who were instrumental in creating GPT-3.

The Amodei siblings, as well as others, left OpenAI and founded Anthropic to create an alternative to ChatGPT that addressed their AI safety concerns better. One way that Anthropic has differentiated itself from OpenAI is by training its AI to align with a "document of constitutional AI principles," like opposition to inhumane treatment, as well as support of freedom and privacy.

What is Claude AI?

Claude AI, or the latest version of the model, Claude 3, is Anthropic's version of ChatGPT. Like ChatGPT, Claude 3 is an AI chatbot with a special large language model (LLM) running behind it. However, it is designed by a different company, and thus offers some differences than OpenAI's current GPT model. It's probably the strongest competitor out of the various ChatGPT alternatives that have popped up, and Anthropic continues to update it with a ton of new features and limitations.

Anthropic technically offers four versions of Claude, including Claude 1, Claude 2, Claude-Instant, and the latest update, Claude 3. While each is similar in nature, the language models all offer some subtle differences in capability.

Can Claude do the same things as ChatGPT?

If you have any experience using ChatGPT, you're already well on your way to using Claude, too. The system uses a simple chat box, in which you can post queries to get responses from the system. It's as simple as it gets, and you can even copy the responses Claude offers, retry your question, or ask it to provide additional feedback. It's very similar to ChatGPT.

While Claude can do a lot of the same things that ChatGPT can, there are some limitations. Where ChatGPT now has internet access, Claude is only trained on the information that the developers at Anthropic have provided it with, which is limited to August 2023, according to the latest notes from Anthropic. As such, it cannot look beyond that scope.

Claude also cannot interpret or create images, something that you can now do in ChatGPT thanks to the introduction of DALL-E 3. The company does offer similar things to ChatGPT, including a cheaper and faster processing option—Claude-Instant—that is more premium than Claude 3. The previous update, Claude-2, is considered on-par with ChatGPT's GPT-4 model. Claude 3, on the other hand, has actually outperformed GPT-4 in a number of areas.

Of course, all of that pales in comparison to what OpenAI has made possible with the newly released GPT-4o. While all of its newest ground-breaking features haven't released just yet, OpenAI has really upped the ante, bringing full multimodal support to the AI chatbot. Now, ChatGPT will be able to respond directly to questions, you'll be able to interrupt its answers when using voice mode, and you can even capture both live video and your device's display and share them directly with the chatbot to get real-time responses.

How much does Claude cost?

Claude AI is actually free to try, though that freedom comes with some limitations, like how many questions you can ask and how much data the chatbot can process. There is a premium subscription, called Claude Pro, which will grant you additional data for just $20 a month.

Unlike ChatGPT's premium subscription, using the free version of Claude actually gives you access to Claude's latest model, though you miss out on the added data tokens and higher priority that a subscription offers.

How does Claude's free version compare to ChatGPT's?

Like ChatGPT, Claude offers a free version. Both are solid options to try out the AI chatbots, but if you plan to use them extensively, it's definitely worth looking at the more premium subscription plans that they offer.

While Claude gives you access to its more advanced Claude 3 in the free version, it does come with severe limits. You can't process PDFs larger than 10 megabytes, for instance, and its usage limits can vary depending on the current load. Anthropic hasn't shared an exact limit or even a range that you can expect, but CNBC estimates it's about five summaries every four hours. At the end of the day, it depends on how many people are using the system when you are. The nice thing about Claude 3 is that it brings in a ton of new features you can try out in Claude's free version, including multilingual capabilities, vision and image processing, as well as easier to steer prompting.

ChatGPT used to limit free users to GPT-3.5, locking them to the older and thus less reliable model. That, however, has changed with the release of GPT-4o, which introduces limited usage rates for free ChatGPT accounts. OpenAI hasn't shared specifics on how limited GPT-4o is with the free version, but it does give you access to all the improvements the system offers, until you eventually run out of usage and get bumped back down to GPT-3.5.

Still, that does mean you can technically use GPT-4o without paying a single cent. However, there are some limitations in place if the service is extremely busy, and you may see your requests taking much longer or even returned if usage is high. It's also possible that your free ChatGPT account may not even be available during certain times of high activity, as OpenAI sometimes limits access to free accounts to help mitigate high server usage.

It's also important to note that ChatGPT 3.5 is more likely to hallucinate than GPT-4 and the newer GPT-4o does, so it's important to double-check all the information that it provides. (That said, you should always double-check important information generated by AI.) The free version of ChatGPT also now has access to the GPT Store: Here, you can make use of various GPTs, which personalize the chatbot to respond to your questions and queries in different ways. Claude doesn't currently offer any kind of system like this, so you'll have to word your prompts correctly to get the most out of it.

Claude Pro vs. ChatGPT Plus: How much is a subscription?

If you're planning to use Claude or ChatGPT extensively, it might be worth upgrading to one of the currently available monthly plans. Both Anthropic and OpenAI offer subscription plans, so how do you decide which one to purchase? Here's how they stack up against each other.

Claude Pro costs $20 a month. Unlike ChatGPT Plus (which gives you access to OpenAI's GPT-4 and GPT-4 Turbo model), Claude already offers its latest and greatest model in the free and limited plan. As such, subscribing for $20 a month will simply reward you with at least five times the usage of the free service, making it easier to send longer messages and have longer conversations before the context tokens on the AI run out (context tokens determine how much information the AI can understand when it responds), as well as increasing the length of files that you can attach. Claude Pro will also get you faster response times and higher availability and priority when demand is high.

On the other hand, ChatGPT Plus seems to offer a bit more for that $20 subscription, as it nets you GPT-4 and GPT-4 Turbo, OpenAI's most complex and successful language models. These models are capable of far more than the free systems available in ChatGPT without a subscription. Subscribing to ChatGPT Plus will also get you faster response times, priority access when demand for the chatbot is high, and access to the newest features, such as DALL-E 3's image creation option.

Is Claude AI more accurate than ChatGPT?

Accuracy is an area that AI language models, such as those that run Claude and ChatGPT, still struggle with. While these models can be accurate and are trained on terabytes of data, they have been known to "hallucinate" and create their own facts and data.

My own experience has shown that Claude tends to be more factually accurate when summarizing things than ChatGPT, but that's based on a very small subset of data. And Claude's data is extremely outdated if you're looking to discuss recent happenings. It also doesn't have open access to the internet, so you're more limited in the possible ways that it can hallucinate or pull from bad sources, which is a blessing and a curse, as it locks you out of the good sources, too.

No matter which service you go with, they're both going to have problems, and you'll want to double-check any information that ChatGPT or Claude provides you with to ensure it isn't plagiarized from something else—or just entirely made up.

Is Claude better than ChatGPT?

There are some places where Claude is better than ChatGPT, though Claude 3 reportedly outperforms ChatGPT's latest models based on Anthropic's data. The biggest difference, for starters, is that Claude offers a much safer approach to the use of AI, with more restrictions placed upon its language models that ChatGPT just doesn't offer. This includes more restrictive ethics, though ChatGPT has continued to evolve how it approaches the ethics of AI as a whole.

Claude also offers longer context token limits than ChatGPT currently does. Tokens are broken-down pieces of text the AI can understand (OpenAI says one token is roughly four characters of text.) Claude offers 200,000 tokens for Claude 3, while GPT-4 tops out at 32,000 in some plans, which may be useful for those who want to have longer conversations before they have to worry about the AI model losing track of what they are talking about. This increased size in context tokens means that Claude is much better at analyzing large files, which is something to keep in mind if you plan to use it for that sort of thing.

However, there are also several areas that ChatGPT comes ahead. Access to the internet is a big one: Having open access to the internet means ChatGPT is always up-to-date on the latest information on the web. It also means the bot is susceptible to more false information, though, so there's definitely a trade-off. With the introduction of GPT-4o's upcoming features like voice mode, ChatGPT will be able to respond to your queries in real-time: If Claude has plans for a similar feature set, it hasn't entertained it publicly just yet.

OpenAI has also made it easy to create your own custom GPTs using its API and language models, something that, as I noted above, Claude doesn't support just yet. In addition. ChatGPT gives you in-chat image creation thanks to DALL-E 3, which is actually impressive for AI image generation.

Ultimately, Claude and ChatGPT are both great AI chatbots that offer a ton of usability for those looking to dip their toes in the AI game. If you want the latest, cutting-edge, though, the trophy currently goes to ChatGPT, as the things you're able to do with GPT-4o open entirely new doors that Claude isn't trying to open just yet.

Apple is currently behind on the generative AI game, but that could all change soon if recent reports are to be believed. According to insider sources who spoke with The New York Times, Apple is working hard to add generative AI to Siri, which it could debut as soon as its WWDC developer conference in June.

Originally introduced way back in 2011, Siri really hasn’t seen many changes over the years. The digital assistant still struggles in a lot of areas, often misunderstanding questions entirely, and AI presents a way to move forward.

But Apple has a lot of catching up to do to match the likes of ChatGPT and Google Gemini. The company appears to be working overtime, with sources saying the competition's quick progress in overtaking Siri has led to one of the largest reorganizations Apple has seen in over a decade. Now, Apple is supposedly deep in its own AI plans and developments.

Of course, all these insider sources remain anonymous. But if they are to be trusted, Apple will add its own generative AI to Siri soon. Apple has reportedly also even been in talks to license some competing AI models, including Google's and OpenAI's.

More “proof” that Apple is going all-in on AI also comes with the fairly recent news that it had canceled work on the Apple Car, freeing up the company to pursue other projects. These sources also told The New York Times that Apple plans to push the improved Siri as a more private way to use generative AI, as it will process everything directly on the iPhone instead of sending it off to massive data centers for processing.

This, of course, would also save money in the long run, as cloud computing costs for ChatGPT and other models can ramp up significantly depending on the amount of content generated. There is a trade-off here, though, as smaller systems have reportedly been shown to be more likely to hallucinate and return false information—a longstanding problem with generative AI. Whether or not Siri will face that problem is completely up to how Apple approaches development.

Either way, it’s an interesting time for Apple fans. ChatGPT is already gearing up to possibly take on Google by rolling out its own search engine, but we shouldn’t expect Apple to come right out the gate with something so big. Apple doesn’t even have to have the best generative AI yet. It just has to finally get its foot in the door, so it can expand on it as time goes on.

Like almost every other major operating system currently available, Windows 11 offers users light and dark mode interface options. Light mode is turned on by default, but dark mode can be easier on the eyes, especially in dimly lit rooms or at night. In some cases, it even reduces how much power your device’s display uses. Here's how to turn it on in Windows 11.

Turn on Dark mode in Windows 11

To turn on Dark mode in Windows 11:

1. Open Settings from the Start menu or with the Win+i shortcut on your keyboard.

2. Select Personalization from the list on the left-hand side.

Credit: Jake Peterson

1. Select Colors in the Personalization menu.

2. Click Choose Your Mode and select Dark from the drop-down list.

Credit: Jake Peterson

While easy, this only applies Windows 11's standard Dark mode settings. You can actually customize things a little bit more.

Use a pre-made Windows 11 theme

Like Windows 10, Windows 11 lets you apply unique themes that change everything about the interface in one swoop—the wallpaper, menu and folder colors, accent colors, icons, and more. Here's how to get to them:

1. Go to Settings > System > Personalization using the same method above.

2. Click on Themes in the menu list.

3. Select the theme you want from the Current Theme drop-down menu. The “Windows (Dark)” theme is probably the safest bet, but several others also offer dark mode-like color schemes.

4. If you don’t like any of the pre-included options, click Browse Themes to view and download additional themes from the Microsoft Store.

5. Once you have selected your new theme, click Apply to enable it.

Customize theme colors

If you aren’t a fan of the base Dark Mode settings, or just don’t want to use Dark Mode across all your windows and apps, you can customize your theme's colors.

1. Open Settings and select Personalization from the list on the left-hand side.

2. Select Colors in the Personalization window.

Credit: Jake Peterson

1. Click Choose Your Mode and select Custom from the drop-down list.

2. Select Dark or Light for the theme that Windows and Menus will use. This will allow apps to use whatever mode you have set up for them, without Windows trying to take over.

3. You can also select an Accent Color by changing it to Manual.

Credit: Jake Peterson

1. Click View Colors and use the color picker to find the color you like best.

2. Use the toggle options to select which borders you want to apply the accent to.

Use a Contrast theme

Windows 11’s personalization settings also include “Contrast themes,” which are designed for users with specific vision-based accessibility requirements. As the name implies, Contrast themes use contrasting color combinations that make it easier to read text against the background (either light text and dark backgrounds for menus, or dark text and light backgrounds). Many of them will also work as dark themes.

You can toggle contrast themes on or off at any time by pressing the left Alt + left Shift + Print Screen keys, but turning them on in the Windows settings menu will allow you to edit them.

There are two ways to find the Contrast themes menu:

The first method can be found by navigating to Settings > System > Personalization > Themes > Contrast themes.

Alternately, just navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Contrast themes.

Once in the Contrast themes menu, select the color scheme that you like best from the drop-down menu. Click “Edit” to customize your contrast theme.

Hades 2 is officially available for early access on Steam, giving gamers a sneak peak at the follow-up to the 2020 critical darling Hades. There's already plenty of decisions to make when starting up the game, like which weapons are best and which upgrades to go for early on, but that's just scratching the surface. Diving into the game's accessibility settings can really fine-tune how you play, plus offer a little extra assistance if needed. Here are three essential places to start.

God Mode is always there to fall back on

Hades 2, like other roguelikes, can be a difficult game. The genre is built on starting over from the beginning every time you die, after all. But if you find yourself struggling too much, you can actually turn on God Mode (invincibility) to give yourself an advantage.

To turn on God Mode, navigate to Options > Gameplay and toggle God Mode on. This will allow you to play through each level and experience Supergiant’s excellent storytelling without frustration.

Autofire will save your fingers

The controls in Hades 2 can take some getting used to. But one keybind that will come very naturally is left clicking the mouse button to attack (X on Xbox controller, square on PlayStation controller). While this is pretty standard, mouse buttons are actually only designed to withstand a certain number of clicks. So, if you want to prolong the life of your mouse a little bit, or if you just get tired of clicking so much, try turning on Autofire.

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To turn on Autofire, navigate to Options > Accessibility > Autofire and toggle it on. Now, the game will automatically continue to fire your weapon when you hold down the fire button. You'll also still be able to click the button yourself for faster attacks.

Turn off screenshake for less jitter

There’s an argument that screenshake can make or break the impact that certain attacks in Hades 2 have. But for some players, screenshake just doesn’t sit well with their stomachs. So, if you find yourself struggling with nausea while playing, try turning it off. To get rid of screenshake, simply navigate to Options > Accessibility > Screenshake.

Virtual assistants can be quite handy. In fact, Alexa has proven to be an integral part of my smart home system. The fact that I can walk into my home and say “Alexa, turn on bedroom” and the lights in my bedroom will pop on is certainly convenient. But these virtual assistants also have a dark side, and we're not talking about them spying on you—sometimes they just don’t know when to shut up.

If you’ve ever used Alexa, then you’ve probably found yourself hearing “by the way, did you know…” at one point or another. This can be helpful if you’re asking the assistant a question or trying to figure out all the things you can do with Alexa. But usually it’s just an attempt to advertise some other service or “plugin” that Alexa offers, like playing rain sounds. I don’t want to hear commercials when I'm trying to turn off my lights and go to sleep, thank you.

These suggestions can be tricky to stop. Telling Alexa not to suggest things didn't do the trick for me. But if you know the magic words, there’s actually an easy way to stop Alexa from suggesting things.

How to stop Alexa's "by the way" suggestions

To stop Alexa’s “by the way” suggestions, just say “Alexa, stop by the way suggestions” or “Alexa, stop by the way." It’s really that simple. I know because I tested it, and sure enough, Alexa responded by telling me it wouldn’t send any more suggestions. And it hasn’t. (You never know with these virtual assistants). Thanks for the tip, Reddit.

Looking to kit out your smart home with Amazon Alexa? Follow our guide on how to create the best Alexa set-up for your home. At time of writing, Amazon is also running deals on devices including the Echo Dot, Echo Pop, and Echo Show 8.

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Following the discovery of a number of high-profile Android exploits, Google has released a new Android 14 security update. The latest version of the operating system is now available on supported Pixel devices and should come to other devices in the near future as their manufacturers roll it out. Those with supported phones should download the update as soon as possible. In addition to stamping out exploits, the update also fixes ongoing issues with the camera and Bluetooth LE.

The details of the covered exploits are somewhat technical, but they include several high level vulnerabilities—even some with a "critical" rating—that focus on giving bad actors local escalation of privilege (which gives them control of your device’s most basic framework).

Giving anyone this kind of access is risky, as it could allow them to install new malware and track what you do with your phone. It’s how many malware apps, like the new Brokewell malware, are able to take over your phone and log keystrokes, login info, and other important personal data.

Google's site lists off at least ten different high level security issues that the May Android 14 update addresses. Some of these issues are tied to Android 14’s framework, while others are tied to the system processes controlling phones themselves. Some updates also affect other operating systems, including Android 12, Android 12L, and Android 13.

There are four different builds of the OS update available for Pixel users depending on carrier, including Global, KDDI (Japan), T-Mobile, C Spire, US Cellular, Cellcom, and Verizon. The update began rolling out on Tuesday, and it may appear at different times for you depending on where your device and network fall in the rollout timeline.

How to install the latest security update on your Pixel

While it is possible to flash the update manually through instructions on Google's site, most users will be best off installing over-the-air. If you have a Pixel 7 and up, you can install the update under Settings > System > Advanced > System Update. If you have a Pixel 5 or Pixel 6, you can also install the update using the same steps, although only for the Global build.

Samsung has already confirmed that its older flagship devices will soon be getting the latest Galaxy OS update, One UI 6.1. But while that update will bring many of Galaxy AI’s features to these older Galaxy devices, reports from South Korean users who have already installed the update are showing that a few of those devices will only get a small taste of Galaxy AI.

Devices released in 2022 will get all the same AI features as the Galaxy S23 FE, which includes everything except for Instant Slo-mo. But some devices released in 2021, like the Galaxy S21 series and the Galaxy Z Flip 3, will get far fewer features, with only two Galaxy AI functions set to appear on these devices.

Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra users will be able to make use of Circle to Search and Magic Rewrite, but they'll miss out on the rest of the features that Galaxy AI brings to the table, including Live Translate, Instant Slo-mo, and more. Samsung hasn’t said whether these limitations are due to hardware, which Google originally claimed when it said Gemini wouldn’t come to the base Pixel 8. (It later found its way to that phone without issue).

How to install One UI 6.1 on your Galaxy device

Samsung hasn’t clarified how quickly the update is rolling out to S21 and Z Flip 3 devices, but if you don’t already see it, you should in the next few days. To download the update on applicable devices, navigate to Settings > Software Update and click the Download and Install button. This will download any available updates and apply them to your device.

It's worth mentioning that the Galaxy S21 FE is not included in this specific rollout for the update. It’s unclear exactly when the update will be available for that device and some others outside of South Korea, but a post from leaker @theonecid says that users with the S21 FE, the A53, and A54 should receive it within the month, at least in Canada. It is likely that a U.S. release will happen at the same time or soon after.

The Galaxy S23 was recently added to Samsung's Certified Re-Newed program, where it can be bought for up to $280 off. To stay up to date on all of Samsung's AI features, check out the most recent Galaxy phones below:

• Galaxy S24

• Galaxy S24 Ultra

• Galaxy Z Flip 5

• Galaxy Z Fold 5

Google Chrome’s address bar (or omnibox, as Google calls it), might seem simple, but you can actually do a lot more with it than just search for your favorite website. Turns out the Chrome URL bar also comes with a number of handy features baked right in. It can complete unit conversions, talk to Google Gemini, and even turn a browser tab into a blank notepad.

Drag and drop words to search

One of the most useful methods for getting the most out of the address bar is actually related to how you search. Instead of copying-and-pasting a word into the address bar, just highlight it and drag it there instead.

It’s a great feature for when your hands are full, say if you've got one hand on the mouse and another giving your pet some well deserved scritches. Just highlight the word, release your mouse button, and click and hold on the highlighted word to drag it around.

Talk to Gemini right from the Chrome address bar

While some of these features have been around for years, this is a new one. Gemini has its own webpage, but Google has made it possible to talk to Gemini directly in Chrome's address bar. All you have to do is type @gemini before your query, and the browser will open Gemini’s page and answer your prompt.

This feature is slowly rolling out to Chrome users, so it might not be available for you yet. But once it is, talking to Google’s AI chatbot will be even easier.

Get a blank notepad right in your browser

This secret is exceptionally useful if you take a lot of notes. You can actually open up a blank page in your browser at any point by pasting the following into the address bar:

data:text/html,

You can even add this page as a bookmark to make getting to it even faster. Just know that whatever you write won't be saved once you close the page.

Convert measurements and temperatures

Say you’re working on a new recipe for a cake for your significant other. The recipe calls for one measurement type, but you need to convert that unit to another. While you could Google the answer, you can also just go to Chrome and type the conversion you need right into the omnibox, which will give you the answer before you even press enter.

Just open up your Chrome browser and type in something like “forty ounces = cups” without the quotations. Chrome will spit out an answer right there under the address bar. It’s handy if you need to convert several measurements at a time. The same trick also works with temperatures, distances, and more.

Search bookmarks directly

Another useful feature is the ability to search through your bookmarks directly from the address bar. Type @bookmarks, hit space, and enter the name of the bookmark you’re searching for. It’s useful if you have a lot of bookmarks and need to find something quickly.

Search websites for something specific

To search a website for something specific, you don’t have to rely on the search function built onto the site. Instead, open up a new tab in Google Chrome and type “site:sitename query.” For instance, to find Lifehacker articles about Chrome, simply type “site:lifehacker.com chrome” and press enter. Google will pull up a ton of results for the keyword, but just from the specified site.

Search Gmail and Google Drive more easily

This feature lets you set up Gmail and Google Drive as search engines in the address bar. This can make it easier to look up specific things in your Google Drive folders, since you won't have to navigate to them manually.

Right-click on the address bar, then click manage search engines and sites. Now, navigate to the Site Search section and click Add. For Google Drive, add http://drive.google.com/?hl=en&tab=bo#search/%s as the URL. Then, enter @drive for the shortcut (or something similar), and name it Google Drive. Press Add once more to save the shortcut. Now enter @drive in the search bar and follow it with your query to search your files.

To do this for Gmail, follow the same steps as above, but add https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/0/#apps/%s as the URL.

Easily search your browser history and tabs

Google Chrome's Omnibox can also find items in your history, assuming you don't clear it too much for it to be useful. Just type @history before your query to search sites you've already browsed.

Alternatively, if you have a lot of tabs open and need to find something quickly, type @tabs and then your query.

Quickly start a new email

This is helpful for serial emailers: You can start an email from your default email client by typing mailto: in the address bar. This will automatically open a new email in the client you have set, so you can start composing an email without directly navigating there.

Proton Pass is one of the youngest and yet best password managers on the market, already catching up to industry veterans like 1Password and BitWarden. Now, the company is looking to make its free password manager even more useful, while also adding in some extra functionality for premium subscribers.

At its most basic level, Proton Pass is completely free to all users. This gets you a genuinely competitive password manager, and now access to the new Pass Monitor and Password Health features, which will tell you if your passwords are weak or reused. The password manager will even be able to identify if your accounts do not have 2FA (two-factor authentication), which you can then activate without leaving the app or website. Proton says these checks are all done on-device, too, without sending any of your private data over the internet.

This new update also brings Proton Pass even more in line with some of its biggest competitors. 1Password, another popular manager that I’ve used for several years, offers similar functionality, but requires a monthly subscription. Other options, like LastPass, offer a free plan, but with recent data breaches, some might not be comfortable going with that option.

There's also Bitwarden, which also features a free plan and has previously earned glowing recommendations. However, security reports for Bitwarden are locked behind a premium subscription that costs $10 a year.

Proton Pass, by contrast, avoids locking core functionality behind a monthly subscription. Instead, users that pick up the Pass Plus plan for $1.99 a month (or those that subscribe to Proton Unlimited) get a suite of bonus features. The newest of these is real-time Dark Web Monitoring, which was announced today and will alert you if any of your email addresses or other private information leaks onto the dark web.

This new function works in conjunction with the recent release of Proton Mail’s Dark Web Monitoring. Premium users also get access to Proton Sentinel, a system designed to help stop account takeovers even if someone successfully steals your Proton login details. The company says that Sentinel has stopped over 15,000 account takeovers since it launched in August of 2023.

Son Nguyen, Director of Product at Proton, says “Pass Monitor allows users to evaluate the security status of their online credentials and provides immediate alerts if their data is compromised,” offering a proactive way to protect your important accounts and private information.

Microsoft is investigating reports of the latest April Windows 11 update breaking some VPN apps for users. The update, titled KB5036893, introduced several improvements to Windows 11—unfortunately it also seems to have broken VPN apps that run off a TPM-backed certificate.

The exact issue users are running into seems to be with the VPN being unable to find the certificate that it needs to be used with the Extensible Authentication Protocol, Reddit User Flo-TPG explains. Now that Microsoft has confirmed it knows about the issue and is investigating it, we’ll hopefully have a fix before too long.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t help those who might be trying to use a VPN with Windows 11 currently. If you have installed update KB5036893, then the only real option you have is to uninstall it and downgrade to the previous Windows 11 version.

How to uninstall a Windows 11 update

If you ever have any issues with a new Windows 11 update, you can always roll back to the previous version thanks to a handy built-in system Microsoft has included in the operating system.

1. First, open the Settings menu on your Windows 11 PC.

2. Navigate to Windows Update.

3. Now click Update History.

4. Scroll all the way to the bottom and select Uninstall Updates.

5. Find the update that you need to uninstall—in this case, you’ll want to look for update KB5036893—and click Uninstall, then complete the process.

Once the update finishes uninstalling, your system will restart, and you’ll launch back on the older version of Windows 11. Keep in mind that downgrading from some of the larger updates for Windows 11 may remove some features from your operating system.

Microsoft first released support for passkeys in Windows 11 last year, introducing users to a passwordless way to sign into their Microsoft accounts. Now, all consumer accounts can finally generate passkeys for use across Windows, Android, and iOS.

Microsoft announced the full rollout on its security blog this week. The company notes that attacks on passwords have surged more than 3,378 percent since it first introduced Windows Hello, its biometric-based login method for Windows 10, fueling its efforts to replace passwords with passkeys. Starting this week, Microsoft will now let you add and use passkeys that let you access your account with your face, fingerprint, or a device PIN on Windows, Google, and Apple platforms.

Passkeys have been increasing in availability across a number of sites and platforms, with Google even going the “passwordless” route by adding its own passkey systems. In short, they offer more security than a traditional password, as they're device-based: Your device holds one part of the key, while the app or site—in this case, Microsoft—holds the other. There's no "password" to hack: Without the trusted device, bad actors can't break into your accounts.

Microsoft has slowly been working towards adding passkey support across its ecosystem, starting with a passkey manager in Windows 11, which lets you save passkeys for other sites and apps directly on your device. Creating a passkey with Windows will also hopefully help make signing into other apps easier, as it sounds like Microsoft wants to expand where its Windows passkeys are accepted.

With password crackers becoming so prevalent, and passwords requirements becoming increasingly complex, passkeys offer both a convenient and more secure way to log into your account that won’t require you to write down some long and overwhelming password—thus removing some of the additional security of the password right off the bat—to remember it.

You can manage your passkeys on Windows 11 by navigating to Settings > Accounts > Passkey Settings and pressing the three dots next to any passkey to manage it.