Software

With iPadOS 26.4 and macOS 26.4, Apple has seemingly brought back a nifty Safari feature that went missing after the introduction of macOS Tahoe and iPadOS 26.4 last WWDC. Clearly, Apple does appear to hear user voices, provided that they are loud enough.

Windows 11’s February 2026 cumulative update, KB5077181 (Builds 26100.7840/26200.7840), is drawing fresh gamer complaints about in-game stuttering, with some users reporting a workaround: disabling Fullscreen Optimizations.

Google has released an emergency security update for Chrome Desktop to address CVE-2026-2441, a high-severity use-after-free vulnerability in the browser's CSS component.

The developers behind the PlayStation 3 emulator RPCS3 have shared a new compatibility update. This emulation software is now closer than ever to getting all PS3 games not only to boot but also to get past the menus.

Xiaomi is almost done rolling out the HyperOS 3 update to all the eligible global devices, and after this, the company will soon announce its Android 17 beta program. Ahead of the announcement, a full list of eligible phones and tablets has emerged.

GameHub, the popular PC emulation app on Android will be available soon for macOS. GameSir says the software will allow users to natively run Windows and Steam games on their Macs.

Garmin has begun offering what appears to be the final update in its latest beta cycle for multiple high-end smartwatches. Rolling out with Aviation, Dive and ECG features enabled, the new beta should transition to stable System Software 21.25 soon with dozens of new features and improvements over Garmin's current stable software.

Provider routers are convenient—but that’s exactly their biggest problem. Poor Wi-Fi coverage, limited control, questionable privacy, and technical limitations are everyday issues for many users. In this new series, I’ll gradually replace my provider’s all-in-one device (the Vodafone Station) with a modular setup using an OpenWRT router, access point, and switch. In part 1, I’ll explain why I’m taking this approach and how the project is structured.

The Chinese Lunar New Year is around the corner, and Xiaomi is apparently planning to take a break from rolling out HyperOS updates during this holiday period. This hiatus will reportedly start on February 15 and expire on March 03, 2026.

OnePlus is rolling out a massive February 2026 OxygenOS update, bringing powerful new video editing tools and an enhanced AI Eraser to its smartphone lineup. The update rollout has already begun for eligible devices ranging from the new OnePlus 15 series down to the OnePlus 8.

Microsoft warns that 2011 Secure Boot certificates expire in June 2026. Is your PC ready? We look at the OEM roadmap and how to verify your firmware status.

GitLab has released urgent patch updates for its Community and Enterprise editions, addressing multiple high-severity vulnerabilities including an 8.0-rated Web IDE flaw that could allow token theft and unauthorized access to private repositories.

Garmin is offering a new beta update to many of its high-end smartwatches, including the Fenix 8 Pro. Rolling out now, Beta Version 21.24 should be one of the final v21.xx updates that Garmin offers on its Beta Program before moving to a long-awaited stable build.

Garmin has delivered a new update for many of its older high-end smartwatches. The first of its kind, Beta Version 26.02 introduces a new feature while also addressing numerous outstanding bugs.

According to official information, Android 17 – codenamed “Cinnamon Bun” – is set to launch shortly. This comes as a surprise, as a developer preview is usually released before the beta phase begins. However, Google appears to be skipping that step and is expected to roll out the beta to the first Pixel devices in the coming days.

Garmin has started issuing a new update for one of its recent LTE smartwatch releases. Rolling out globally, Software Version 16.23 contains several new features and addresses multiple outstanding bugs.

Nintendo Switch emulator Kenji-NX has been updated, and it's a major one. The latest version brings a range of changes, and improvements for the Snapdragon 8 Elite phones are among the highlights.

Android 16 QPR3 Beta 2.1 is rolling out to Pixel devices with CP11.251209.009 builds, the 2026-01-05 patch level, and Google Play services 25.47.33, according to Google’s official release notes.

Microsoft has issued new guidance warning that 2011 Secure Boot certificates begin expiring in June 2026. Windows updates are rolling out 2023 replacement certificates, with some PCs requiring OEM firmware updates.

The Home Assistant app for iOS has been updated to version 2026.2. The change log for this release lists 14 new features, improvements and bug fixes. These are linked to entities and the entity picker, the quick search functionality and Assist, the brand’s voice assistant technology.

While researching alternatives to Acer’s NitroSense and PredatorSense software, we came across two tools: NotebookFanControl and Fan Control. Both are open-source applications, primarily distributed via GitHub. Unfortunately, neither of them meets our requirements.

Discord will soon force all users to complete ID verification or be shut out from age-restricted servers and features. In March, chatters must upload a video showing their faces or other qualified IDs. The company outlined privacy protections following an attempted October 2025 data breach.

Google is rolling out updates to the Google Home app (including version 4.8) that aim to improve Nest camera “close-to-live” playback reliability and reduce “Video not available” errors when opening recent clips from notifications.

The latest round of Mini Apps for Amazfit smartwatches has been announced. The line-up includes a mini golf game, a speedometer and a tactical radar app. Plus, the most popular new release according to Zepp Health’s weekly downloads chart is the HZ-Engine Launcher.

The Home Assistant 2026.2 release is now available. It comes with a new default Home Dashboard, a power distribution card and a Quick search function. Plus, there are a series of new integrations, including Cloudflare R2, and a tweak to make the separation between add-ons and integrations clearer.

Garmin has started offering a new update to some of its recent Pro smartwatches. Available as an OTA download, the update is said to resolve a major GPS issue that has affected recent builds.

Google’s February 2026 Pixel update is a security-only release with one high-severity Pixel-specific fix. The Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series appear to be excluded again, prompting fresh questions about update cadence.

Nvidia’s beta GeForce NOW app is now available for Linux (Ubuntu 24.04+). Here’s what you can expect from the first release.

Four Amazfit wearables are set to get more software updates than expected. Zepp Health, the company behind the brand, has quietly confirmed that some smartwatch models from the T-Rex, Balance and Active series now have a later security update end-of-life date.

Microsoft is pivoting engineering teams to a new "swarming" model to fix Windows 11 performance and reliability issues after a wave of buggy 2026 updates.

Microsoft has expanded a confirmed Windows restart-on-shutdown bug to include some Windows 10 systems with Virtual Secure Mode enabled. Here’s what’s affected and what’s fixed so far.

A smart ring with blood glucose monitoring? One manufacturer at least indirectly promises this feature, even though there are several limitations. The blood sugar won’t be displayed as an exact value, but rather as a range. This also means that certain groups of users shouldn’t rely on this wearable.

Xiaomi is wrapping up its HyperOS 3 rollout in China, pushing the stable update to 20 additional phones, tablets, and smart TVs, including several older flagships. The global rollout, however, is expected to run through March, with several popular devices still waiting for the latest update.

Moltbook, a Reddit-style forum for AI agents, is going viral as researchers report exposed emails, DMs, and agent tokens... raising authenticity concerns.

Garmin has released a new update to many of its high-end smartwatches. While a new stable update is ready just yet, the new beta is said to improve the workout experience for multiple smartwatches while also resolving a bug that prevented alarms from functioning correctly.

Microsoft has officially confirmed a critical regression in the January 13, 2026, security update (KB5073455) that prevents affected Windows 11 and Windows 10 systems from shutting down or entering hibernation.

Back in September 2025, Xiaomi shared a list of devices that are eligible to receive the new HyperOS 3 update. As XiaomiTime's tracker shows, 95% of the planned phones and tablets have already received the update, and only a few are left.

Home Assistant has released a new update for its Android companion app. Version 2026.1.6 brings notable improvements for Assist voice controls. Plus, there is an enhanced entity picker and a redesigned user onboarding experience, as seen in earlier updates for the iOS version of the company’s app.

Garmin has released a fresh update to many of its high-end smartwatches. Rolling out globally, the new update introduces improvements ahead of an impending stable software rollout.

Windows 11’s January 2026 KB5074105 preview update for 24H2 and 25H2 adds new features like Android cross-device Resume and MIDI upgrades while fixing Start menu, black screen, and graphics issues from earlier patches.

The launch of TikTok's new US joint venture is proving bumpy, with the first week marked by a massive increase in uninstalls and technical failures. Although the company insists that it will not censor topics such as Epstein or ICE, users remain skeptical.

OnePlus is expanding its new system-wide bypass charging feature to more phones and tablets with the latest OxygenOS update. Previously limited to gaming, the feature now works across apps, helping reduce heat and battery wear during plugged-in use.

Halide Mark III, the next generation of the popular camera app for iPhones, is set to launch soon. Lux Camera has now previewed the significant difference in image quality between Apple's camera app and Halide Mark III, even when capturing RAW files.

Garmin has launched a new update for multiple smartwatches. Rolling out now, the update brings more than a dozen new features and improvements to compatible smartwatches, including multiple changes relating to Garmin's heart-rate variability chart.

Microsoft has released an out-of-band security update to fix an actively exploited Microsoft Office vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-21509. The flaw allows attackers to bypass Office security protections via malicious documents and has been added to CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

In this second part of the series, we take a closer look at Asus gaming laptops. The open-source alternative this time is called G-Helper. While Asus Armoury Crate weighs in at a staggering 4 GB, G-Helper comes in at a ridiculous 5 MB — yet remains extremely powerful.

Blizzard Entertainment is kicking off 2026 with a large wave of announcements. To mark the company's 35th anniversary, the games developer and publisher, which is part of the Microsoft division, is organizing a series of "showcase" events in the coming weeks. Starting at the end of January, the teams from World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Hearthstone and Diablo will provide a detailed overview of plans and updates for the current year in various live streams.

Windows 11’s KB5074109 January 2026 update is causing FPS drops and instability on some Nvidia GeForce gaming PCs, forcing players to choose between performance and security.