Topic: beta testing
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iOS 26.2 Release Date: Everything We Know
iOS 26.2 is scheduled for a mid-December release, likely around December 15 or 16, following Apple's historical pattern for its final major update of the year. The update introduces practical features like an alarm for reminders, a Lock Screen clock transparency slider, and a one-time AirDrop cod...
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Android 16 QPR2 Beta 3: All New Pixel Features Revealed
Android 16 QPR2 Beta 3 for Pixel devices focuses on bug fixes and stability improvements, including a recent security patch and performance enhancements, ahead of the final December release. New features and changes include auto-themed app icons, enhanced dark theme, lock screen widget adjustment...
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One UI 8.5's Biggest Performance Boost Leaks for Galaxy
Samsung is testing a foundational Android kernel upgrade for One UI 8.5, which promises a noticeably smoother and more responsive user experience on Galaxy devices. The kernel update, a first for One UI, was discovered in beta builds and is reported to improve system fluidity, touch responsivenes...
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Conquer The Tower: Dominate the Leaderboards Now
The Tower, a competitive time-attack endgame activity, enters Beta on January 12, featuring randomized floors and leaderboards based on speed and score. This initial Beta release is a foundation for future development, with more features and rewards planned based on player feedback and bug report...
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iOS 26.2 Release Candidate Now Available for iPhone
Apple has released a revised Release Candidate (RC) for iOS 26.2, delaying the public rollout originally expected this week to address critical bugs. The updated build indicates Apple prioritizes software stability, a practice mirrored in recent tvOS updates, opting for further refinement over a ...
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iOS 26.2 Release Date: When to Expect New iPhone Features
iOS 26.2 is scheduled for a December release, with a mid-month launch likely based on Apple's historical patterns for previous x.2 updates. The update is expected to be feature-rich, introducing substantial user-facing improvements and new functionality beyond the previous iOS 26.1 release. Beta ...
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Xbox's Legendary RPG Gets Major Update With New Game Mode
A major update for *Pillars of Eternity* introduces a turn-based combat mode nearly a decade after its original launch, now in public beta on Steam and PC via Xbox. The new mode features key improvements like Unbound Turns based on character speed, Smarter Free Actions for strategic flexibility, ...
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Android 16 QPR2 Beta 3 Returns: Google Confirms Release Date
Google is resuming the Android 16 QPR2 Beta 3 release this week after fixing a critical bug that caused system crashes in desktop mode. The updated version, QPR2 Beta 3.1, resolves the desktop mode issue and includes improvements like fixing Google Play System update failures and battery drain pr...
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Call of Duty Black Ops 7 Beta Bans "Arc Raiders" Chat Mentions
The Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta is censoring the phrase "Arc Raiders" in its chat system, which is unusual as it blocks a competing game's title rather than offensive language. Despite the censorship of "Arc Raiders," terms like "Battlefield 6" are not blocked, and the filter only activates wh...
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Petit Planet: HoYo's Animal Crossing-Style Game Explained
HoYoverse has announced *Petit Planet*, a cozy life simulation game inspired by *Animal Crossing*, where players cultivate and decorate their own planet while building a community. There is no official release date yet, but a beta test sign-up opens on September 25, 2025, and pre-registration is ...
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Apple's Latest Beta Updates: 5 Key Changes for iOS, macOS, iPadOS
Apple has released the first beta versions of iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, and macOS 26.4, introducing new features like a text-prompt playlist generator in Apple Music and video support in Podcasts. A major delay is confirmed for the next-generation, more intelligent Siri, which is absent from this be...
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Google Messages Finally Adds a Top-Requested Feature
Google Messages is testing a new feature in beta that allows users to select and copy only a portion of a message text, addressing a long-requested user need. This update replaces the previous cumbersome method of copying entire text blocks, enabling precise selection of details like codes or add...
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T-Mobile Translates Phone Calls in Real Time, No App Needed
T-Mobile is launching a beta for a network-based service called Live Translation, enabling real-time phone call translation across over 50 languages without needing third-party apps. The service works broadly on Voice over LTE (VoLTE) connections, including 4G, 5G, and Wi-Fi calling, and is activ...
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Spotify's AI Playlists Now Let You Control Your Algorithm
Spotify is launching a beta "Prompted Playlists" feature that uses AI to create custom playlists based on detailed user text prompts and listening history, starting in New Zealand. This tool offers more granular user control than existing features like Discover Weekly by allowing listeners to dir...
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Unlock Access to Premium Hearing Aids Through Connections
A new high-end hearing aid technology provides a transformative experience for users, significantly improving clarity in social situations, but many insurance plans do not cover such devices, leaving millions without access. The product is initially available only through an exclusive, high-touch...
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Helldivers 2's 'Slim' Version Frees Up 131GB of Storage
Helldivers 2's PC installation size has been dramatically reduced from about 154 GB to just 23 GB, freeing up significant storage space for players. The reduction was achieved by removing duplicated game data, which was found to provide minimal load-time benefit as performance is dictated by leve...
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Never Miss Important Calls: Android's 'Call Reason' Feature
Google's Phone app is testing a new "Call Reason" beta feature that lets users flag outgoing calls as "urgent," displaying a visual indicator on the recipient's incoming call screen and in their call history. The feature only works between mutually saved contacts who both use the Google Phone app...
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Splitgate 2 Relaunches With Humble Tone After Controversy
Splitgate 2 is relaunching much earlier than planned, with beta servers going offline on December 4 to facilitate a full release this month, moving up from the original 2026 timeline. The game faced severe setbacks including server failures at its beta launch and a PR crisis from the CEO's contro...
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Black Ops 7 Aim-Assist Changes Spark Heated Debate
The launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has sparked intense debate due to significant changes to aim-assist mechanics, with players divided over whether the adjustments improve or hinder gameplay. Developer Treyarch implemented these changes to balance the competitive experience between controlle...
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Amazon's New AI Kindle Translate Helps Authors Go Global
Amazon has launched Kindle Translate, an AI tool in beta that currently translates between English, Spanish, and German, with plans to add more languages to help authors reach international audiences. The service addresses the low percentage of multilingual books on Amazon by offering a faster pa...
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Steam Deck's New Screen-Off Mode Saves Power During Downloads
A new beta feature allows the Steam Deck to download games with the screen off to save energy, accessible via system updates before its full release. Users can enable this low-power download mode through a prompt when putting the device to sleep or automatically after inactivity, with a status sc...
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Apple's new 'tinted' option lets you undo Liquid Glass look
Apple has introduced a Clear and Tinted appearance toggle for its Liquid Glass interface in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS beta updates, offering users greater flexibility and addressing feedback on readability and navigation. This customization mirrors Apple's past approach to user feedback, such as wit...
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Google Maps Tests Controversial New Navigation Features
Google Maps is testing a new feature that moves stop suggestions from the main map to a swipeable bottom card during active navigation. The redesigned interface includes detailed stop listings with detour times, filters for convenience, and a dedicated Call button for each location. Similar updat...
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iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets You Reduce Liquid Glass Transparency
Apple's iOS 26.1 beta 4 introduces a new "Tinted" option to reduce the transparency of the Liquid Glass design, offering a more opaque and higher-contrast interface across iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices. Users can find this setting in Display & Brightness on iOS/iPadOS or Appearance in macOS Syste...
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Android 16 QPR2 Beta 3 Update Missing in Action
Google has withdrawn the Android 16 QPR2 Beta 3 update for Pixel devices shortly after its release, likely due to a significant technical issue. The update was pulled because of a bug causing SystemUI to crash and devices to enter a bootloop when desktop mode features were enabled. Users enrolled...
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Black Ops 7 Ditches Skill-Based Matchmaking at Launch
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will launch with minimal skill-based matchmaking as the default, creating a more varied multiplayer experience based on positive beta feedback. Activision confirmed the addition of persistent lobbies at launch and plans to adjust controller aim-assist mechanics to ensure...
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Apple Seeds New AirPods Pro 3 Beta Firmware Before iOS 26.1
Apple has released a new beta firmware update for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods 4, focusing on bug fixes and improvements ahead of a public release. This beta firmware is expected to go public later this month alongside iOS 26.1, which will enhance AirPods Live Translation by adding s...
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Google Maps Gets Smarter with Gemini AI Integration
Google Maps is integrating Gemini AI to become a conversational driving companion, replacing the standard microphone with the Gemini logo for intuitive, voice-activated assistance. This upgrade allows drivers to use natural dialogue for tasks like finding toll-free routes or checking weather, enh...
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Activision Bans 97% of Black Ops 7 Cheaters in 30 Minutes
The open beta for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 attracted many players but was disrupted by cheaters, with Activision taking swift action against them. Activision reported banning 97% of identified cheaters within 30 minutes and has shut down over 40 cheat developers since the previous game's launch....
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Battlefield Dev on Secure Boot Requirement: Anti-Cheat Battle "Never Ends"
The Battlefield 6 open beta required Secure Boot and kernel-level access for its Javalin anti-cheat system, which blocked some PC players due to hardware limitations. EA prioritized anti-cheat with significant investment, including two dedicated teams for development and enforcement, aiming to ma...
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Gemini Nano: Enterprise Image Editing Gets a Major Boost
Gemini 2.5 Flash Image is a new AI model that enables precise image edits while preserving the original subject's integrity, addressing issues of unwanted alterations in earlier tools. It offers advanced features like modifying backgrounds and adding accessories without compromising likeness, whi...
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Spotify Tests AI-Powered 'Prompted Playlists' for You
Spotify is launching a beta feature called Prompted Playlists for Premium subscribers in New Zealand, allowing them to create highly personalized playlists using detailed text prompts based on their full listening history. The feature uses advanced AI with "world knowledge" to understand complex ...
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Google's Final Android 16 Beta Is Here: Pixel Drop QPR2 Beta 3
The third and final beta of Android 16 QPR2 is now available for Pixel 6 series and newer models, including the Pixel 10, through the Android Beta program. Installing this beta locks users into the beta pathway, preventing a return to stable software without a full data wipe until the official QP...
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Sesame AI, from Oculus founders, raises $250M and launches beta
Sesame has raised $250 million in Series B funding and is launching a limited beta program for its AI-powered smart glasses, led by former Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe. The company's AI assistant generates natural, expressive speech directly, as demonstrated in early demos that attracted over a milli...
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Apple macOS Tahoe 26 Update Arrives September 15
macOS Tahoe 26 launches on September 15, introducing a major visual and functional overhaul with features like the Liquid Glass design language and customizable themes. This update is the final major release for Intel-based Macs, highlighting Apple's shift toward M-series architecture and prompti...
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Google's AI Max Expands Globally, Empowering Advertisers
Google has globally launched AI Max for Search campaigns, providing advanced AI tools for optimization, enhanced control, and creative oversight to advertisers. The tool is accessible across multiple Google platforms and includes features like one-click experiments and text guidelines for brand-s...
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Vibe Coding: Fun Until You Need It to Work
Nothing's Essential Apps Builder allows users to create AI-generated smartphone widgets using simple language, but the current beta version is limited in functionality and reliability, feeling more like an experiment than a polished tool. The platform shows promise for simple tasks like calendar ...
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Amazon's Alexa+ AI Assistant Now Free for All US Users
Amazon has launched its enhanced, generative AI assistant, **Alexa+, for free to all U.S. users**, with Prime members receiving unlimited access and others having usage limits via the Alexa app or website. **Alexa+ can engage in natural conversations and autonomously complete complex tasks**, suc...
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Add Tasks by Voice with Todoist's New AI Assistant
Todoist Ramble is a new voice-to-task feature that uses advanced language models to convert spoken thoughts into organized tasks, capturing deadlines and priorities from natural speech without typing. The tool addresses the disruption of stopping to type by allowing real-time, hands-free task cre...
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iOS 26.3's Android-Inspired Feature You Might Actually Want
iOS 26.3 beta introduces a new "Transfer to Android" tool in settings, simplifying the process of moving data like photos and messages from an iPhone to an Android device via a cable. The update also adds a Notification Forwarding feature, allowing iPhone alerts to be sent to compatible third-par...
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Launch Your AI Startup: A Step-by-Step Guide
Julie Bornstein's AI fashion startup, Daydream, faced a significant challenge in moving from a promising AI demo to a reliable application, illustrating a broader industry hurdle in turning AI hype into practical productivity gains. The core difficulty involved accurately interpreting nuanced use...
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Google Expands PMax Total Campaign Budgets Globally
Google has introduced a total campaign budget option for Performance Max campaigns, now available globally, allowing advertisers to manage spending more intuitively. This feature eliminates the need for manual average daily budget calculations, offering more precise control and reducing the risk ...
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Gemini's Genius: How It's Making Google Home Smarter (Mostly)
Gemini for Google Home introduces advanced AI features like "Ask Home" for query-based searches and intelligent event labeling from Nest Cam feeds, enhancing smart home interactions. Despite its innovative capabilities, the system exhibits inconsistencies such as mislabeling objects, slow respons...
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Discover the New Features in iOS 26.2 for Your iPhone
The iOS 26.2 beta introduces key app enhancements, including an "Urgent" task alarm in Reminders and offline lyrics with translations in Apple Music. Updates include AI-generated podcast chapters, a redesigned Apple News app with navigation shortcuts, and a recalibrated Sleep Score for Apple Watc...
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Foursquare Founder's New App: Your Neighborhood Guide
BeeBot is an AI-powered neighborhood guide app for iPhones that delivers personalized, location-based audio updates through headphones, offering a "personalized radio DJ" experience. The app provides brief, engaging audio clips tailored to user interests and social connections, working with vario...
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November Apple Leaks: iOS 26.2 Beta & New Product Rumors
Apple is launching major OS updates (iOS 26.1 and others) in early November, introducing features like customizable Liquid Glass, restored iPad multitasking, and enhanced visionOS controls. Beta versions for iOS 26.2 and related systems will follow in November, with public releases expected in mi...
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Find Your Perfect Fit with Pinterest's New AI Shopping Assistant
Pinterest has launched a conversational AI shopping assistant that uses voice commands to provide personalized recommendations from users' saved content and on-screen items. The assistant operates exclusively through voice interactions, offering audio descriptions of suggestions without an option...
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Apple Releases watchOS 26.1, tvOS 26.1 Release Candidates
Apple has released developer and beta versions of watchOS 26.1 and tvOS 26.1, indicating that the final public updates for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, visionOS, and HomePod are coming soon after about a month of testing. Major new features in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS include Liquid Glass customization, exp...
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Google Messages' Newest Features for October 2025
Google Messages is introducing the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol for cross-platform end-to-end encrypted RCS chats between Android and iOS devices, enhancing security. The app is receiving a visual and functional overhaul, including a redesigned image viewer, updated read receipts, a fu...
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Apple Releases Third Public Betas for iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe
Apple has released the third public beta of its upcoming operating systems, including iOS 26.1 and macOS Tahoe 26.1, making them available to public beta testers after developers. Key enhancements include expanding Apple Intelligence to support eight additional languages and extending AirPods Liv...
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