Your daily everyday-tech & smart-shopping roundup — Friday, 24 July 2026
Twelve consumer stories worth your time: new features, buying calls, privacy tweaks, and scams to dodge.
▶ Google Now Lets You Sign In With a Selfie Video — Handy Backup or Privacy Gamble?
Category: Accounts & Privacy
Google is rolling out a way to sign in to — and recover — your account using a short selfie video of your face. The idea is a fallback for the nightmare scenario where your phone and every trusted device are lost or stolen at once, leaving you locked out. Instead of hunting for backup codes, you record yourself and Google verifies it's really you. It's genuinely useful if you've ever been stranded without a second device, but it also means handing Google biometric face data, and several outlets are asking whether that trade-off is worth it for the average person.
Why it matters to you
- It's a real lifeline if you lose all your devices and can't reach your usual 2FA method.
- You're trading convenience for handing over face-based biometrics — worth a think before enabling.
- Check the setting now so you can decide on your own terms rather than in a panic later.
▶ Fake "Claude" App in Bing Search Ads Is Really Malware — Don't Take the Bait
Category: Scam Alert
Scammers are buying search ads to push a counterfeit version of the Claude AI app that actually installs SectopRAT, a remote-access trojan that can spy on your machine and steal data. The trick is nasty because the fake shows up as a paid ad right where you'd expect the real download, so it looks legitimate at a glance. This is the same playbook crooks use for any hot software — antivirus, browsers, crypto wallets. The safe move is boring but effective: skip the sponsored links and go straight to the official website or a trusted app store.
Why it matters to you
- Search ads can lead to malware even when the product name looks exactly right.
- Remote-access trojans like this one can quietly grab passwords, files, and banking details.
- Download popular apps from the official site or store — never the top "sponsored" result.
▶ Chick-fil-A Accounts Hit by Credential-Stuffing Attack — Time to Rethink Reused Passwords
Category: Account Safety
Chick-fil-A customer accounts were targeted in a credential-stuffing attack, where criminals take username-and-password combos leaked from other breaches and try them en masse on a new site. It works because so many people reuse the same login everywhere — one old leak becomes a skeleton key. If a fast-food loyalty account seems low-stakes, remember it can hold saved cards, rewards balances, and personal details. This is a reminder that any account is worth a unique password, and that a password manager plus two-factor authentication turns a mass attack like this into a non-event for you.
Why it matters to you
- Reused passwords let one old breach unlock accounts you thought were unrelated.
- Loyalty and food-order accounts often store payment cards and rewards worth stealing.
- Give each account a unique password and switch on two-factor authentication.
▶ Memory Shortage Is Quietly Pushing Up the Price of PCs — and Now Cars Too
Category: Buying & Your Wallet
The AI boom's appetite for memory chips is rippling out to consumers. Reports say the shortage is now raising the cost of cars, with GM warning of broad cost increases and BYD hiking prices on its driver-assistance features by 20%. PC builders are feeling it too, with at least one maker saying its memory bills have more than doubled. Translation: RAM, laptops, phones, and other gear that depends on memory chips are likely to get pricier for a while. If you've been eyeing an upgrade, buying sooner rather than later — or holding a spec you already have — may save you money.
Why it matters to you
- Memory-chip demand from AI is driving up prices across electronics — and now vehicles.
- BYD is raising driver-assistance prices 20%, and PC memory costs have jumped sharply.
- If an upgrade is on your list, pricing pressure makes waiting potentially more expensive.
▶ Microsoft Eases Off Windows 11 Nagging: Copilot Key Gets a "Do Nothing" Option
Category: Software & Features
Microsoft is walking back two annoyances Windows 11 users have grumbled about. The dedicated Copilot key on newer keyboards can now be set to "Do nothing," so it stops launching the AI assistant you may never have asked for — though new PCs still ship with the key. Separately, Microsoft is cracking down on the junk ads that laptop makers bake into Windows, reportedly forcing LG to pull a nagging McAfee popup. Neither change is earth-shattering, but together they signal a cleaner out-of-the-box experience and less clutter fighting for your attention on a fresh machine.
Why it matters to you
- You can finally silence the Copilot key if it keeps launching by accident.
- Pressure on manufacturers means fewer intrusive popups on new Windows laptops.
- A tidier default setup saves you time uninstalling bloat after unboxing.
▶ WhatsApp Adds CarPlay and Android Auto Playback, iPad Sign-Up, and PDF Editing
Category: Apps & Features
WhatsApp is shipping a useful batch of updates. You can now have messages read aloud through CarPlay and Android Auto, so you can keep your eyes on the road instead of your screen. The app also finally lets you create an account directly on an iPad rather than tethering to a phone, and it's adding built-in PDF editing so you can tweak documents before sending them. None of these are flashy, but they chip away at everyday friction — especially the hands-free driving playback and the standalone iPad setup that iPad-first users have wanted for ages.
Why it matters to you
- Hands-free message playback in the car is safer than glancing at your phone.
- iPad owners can set up WhatsApp without needing a linked phone.
- Built-in PDF editing saves a trip to a separate app before you share files.
▶ Galaxy Z Flip 8 vs Z Flip 7: Is the New Flip Actually Worth the Upgrade?
Category: Buying Guide
Samsung's latest flip phone is here, and the obvious question for anyone holding last year's model is whether it's worth trading up. A head-to-head comparison lays out how the Z Flip 8 stacks up against the Z Flip 7 so you can decide based on what you actually use rather than marketing gloss. If you're on an older phone, a new flip is a bigger leap; if you already own the Flip 7, the smart play is usually to weigh the concrete improvements against the price before jumping. Read the comparison, then match it to how you really use your phone.
Why it matters to you
- Year-over-year phone upgrades are often smaller than the launch hype suggests.
- A side-by-side helps you spot whether the new features touch your daily use.
- Holding a recent model may be the better-value move than upgrading every cycle.
▶ Your Android Phone May Be Downgrading Your Bluetooth Headphones — One Setting Fixes It
Category: Tips & Tricks
If your wireless earbuds or headphones sound flatter than you expected, your Android phone might be to blame. Phones sometimes default to a lower-quality Bluetooth codec, quietly capping the audio your gear is capable of. The fix lives in Android's hidden Developer Options, where you can force a better codec and unlock the sound quality you already paid for. It takes a minute and costs nothing — no new hardware required. If you've been tempted to blame your earbuds, try flipping this setting first before you spend money replacing perfectly good headphones.
Why it matters to you
- A bad default codec can make good headphones sound noticeably worse.
- The fix is a free settings change, not an expensive hardware swap.
- It's worth checking before you blame — or replace — your earbuds.
▶ Google Maps May Be Sharing Your Personal Spots — Here's the Hidden Setting to Turn Off
Category: Privacy
Google Maps has a setting that can quietly surface your saved and frequently visited places, and many people don't realize it's switched on. If you'd rather your home, work, and favorite haunts stay private, there's a toggle buried in the settings that stops the sharing. It's a quick check that's easy to overlook, and it's the kind of thing worth auditing every so often as apps change defaults. Spend two minutes now to confirm your location habits aren't more visible than you'd like — especially if you share a device or account with family.
Why it matters to you
- Your saved and visited places can be more exposed than you assume.
- The off switch is buried, so it's easy to miss during setup.
- A quick audit protects sensitive spots like your home and workplace.
▶ Stop Charging Your Phone in Your Car's USB Port — Here's Why
Category: Gadgets & Tips
That built-in USB port in your car's dash is convenient, but it may not be the best way to charge your phone. Many car ports deliver slow, weak power meant for data rather than fast charging, so you can sit through a whole drive and barely gain any battery. The better option is a proper car charger that plugs into the 12V socket and supports modern fast-charging standards. It's a small upgrade that makes a real difference on road trips or commutes when you actually need your phone topped up by the time you arrive.
Why it matters to you
- Factory USB ports often trickle-charge, leaving you barely topped up after a drive.
- A dedicated 12V fast charger delivers far more usable power.
- It's a cheap fix that pays off on commutes and road trips.
▶ Your Router Might Have a Hidden Backdoor Password the Maker Won't Fix
Category: Home Network Safety
Security researchers say some routers ship with a hidden backdoor password that could let outsiders in — and the manufacturer isn't patching it. That's a serious problem, because your router is the front door to every device on your home network. If your gear is affected and unsupported, the safest response is to stop relying on it and move to a router that still gets security updates. Even if yours isn't on the list, it's a good prompt to check that your router's firmware is current and that you've changed any default admin passwords it came with.
Why it matters to you
- A backdoored router can expose every phone, laptop, and smart device you own.
- When a maker won't patch, replacing the hardware is often the only real fix.
- Check your firmware and change default admin passwords regardless of brand.
▶ Xbox Is Testing Ads Inside Streaming of Games You Already Own
Category: Platforms & Streaming
Microsoft is trialing ad-supported streaming for games you own on Xbox, though the test comes with significant limits for now. The idea of seeing ads attached to titles you've already paid for won't sit well with everyone, and it's the kind of shift worth watching before it becomes standard. For now it's an experiment rather than a blanket change, but it hints at where cloud gaming business models may be heading. If you stream your library rather than installing locally, keep an eye on how this rolls out — and on whether there's a way to opt out down the line.
Why it matters to you
- Ads could start appearing around games you've already bought outright.
- It's a limited trial now, but a possible sign of things to come for cloud gaming.
- Worth tracking if you stream your Xbox library instead of installing games.