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Every week we take a close look at the most pirated movies on torrent sites. What are pirates downloading? 'A Minecraft Movie' tops the chart, followed by 'Final Destination: Bloodlines'. 'Fountain of Youth' completes the top three. The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. Downloading content without permission is copyright infringement. These torrent download statistics are only meant to provide further insight into piracy trends. All data are gathered from public resources. This week we have three newcomers on the list. “A Minecraft Movie” is the most shared title. The most torrented movies for the week ending on May 26 are: Movie Rank Rank last week Movie name IMDb Rating / Trailer Most downloaded movies via torrent sites 1 (1) A Minecraft Movie 5.8 / trailer 2 (8) Final Destination: Bloodlines 7.1 / trailer 3 (…) Fountain of Youth 5,8 / trailer 4 (…) Until Dawn 5.9 / trailer 5 (…) Sinners 8.1 / trailer 6 (2) Snow White 1.7 / trailer 7 (3) Captain America: Brave New World 6.0 / trailer 8 (7) Mickey 17 7.0 / trailer 9 (6) Thunderbolts 7.6 / trailer 10 (4) Warfare 7.5 / trailer Note: We also publish an updating archive of all the list of weekly most torrented movies lists. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of April): 1,811 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

By Susan Bradley There is never a time I consider perfect for updating your system. Even if absolutely no issues were reported with updates, there might be side effects of the updating process itself. But for now, for both consumers and businesses, it’s appropriate to lower the MS-DEFCON level to 4. I recommend installing updates. How do you protect yourself from side effects? At the risk of sounding like a very broken record, there are three things you can do. First, always have that backup in place. Second, wait it out until you’re confident that all the issues with the updates themselves have been identified and sorted out. Finally, have another PC you can use to identify solutions — just in case your primary one gets in trouble. Yesterday, I discussed some of the major items we are tracking this month. The one that grabbed the most headlines concerned Windows 10. Despite the news hype, the issue where the installation of KB5058379 would trigger a recovery boot — which in turn would trigger a request for the BitLocker recovery key — occurs only on PCs with an Intel vPro processor, 10th-generation or later. If that matches your situation, install KB5061768; you will need to manually download this from the catalog site, because it’s not handled by Windows update. Otherwise, you need take no action. Consumers In addition to installing security updates, it’s also a good time to consider installing the Windows 11 24H2 feature release if you have not already done so. If updates are paused and you used InControl to keep your PC on 23H2, remember that InControl blocks only feature releases, not security updates. To fully control security updates and the feature releases offered to you, you must utilize a combination of both InControl and pausing updates via Windows update settings or with a tool such as wumgr. Those of you with iPhones and iPads should also check your update status. Apple released iOS 18.5 and is performing a slow roll-out on systems. On the iPhone, it includes security updates. The 18.5 update allows users to easily access the All Mail inbox. You can more easily toggle between categorized inboxes and your complete email list. By the way, I have yet to find anyone who likes the categorized inbox. In fact, I’ve had several users complain that they can’t find an email. So then I point out that it’s really there — it’s just hiding in their new, filtered view. For those of you with older, 12.9-inch and 10.5-inch second-generation iPad pro devices and iPad sixth-generation, Apple released iOS 17.7.8. Businesses For businesses, 24H2 is still a mixed bag. I’ve seen several administrators indicate that they were still keeping 24H2 at bay and would not install it until it becomes absolutely necessary for support purposes. Many have complained about the loss of Internet access after updating. One solution is to remove the WinHTTP Web Proxy Auto-Discovery Service (WinHttpAutoProxySvc) from dependency. HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\WcmSvc In the root of the key, look for value DependOnService. Edit it. Remove WinHTTPAutoProxySvc. Hit save. Next, start Windows Connection Manager service and WLAN AutoConfig service. You will note that location services will complain about being off. Go into Settings, Location. Turn those notifications off. If you are in the process of rolling out Server 2025 as a Remote Desktop server and need the ability to print to PDF inside certain business applications, such as QuickBooks, be aware that Server 2025 isn’t exactly like Windows 11. Normally, you can fix this error in Windows 11 by going into Turn Windows features on or off and enabling the Microsoft XPS Document Writer. But if you attempt to do the same thing on Server 2025, you will find that option does not exist. So how do you solve this problem? — By stealing the file from a Windows 11 machine and placing it onto Server 2025. This workaround is documented in a Microsoft Tech Community post. Resources Susan’s Master Patch List The MS-DEFCON System explained BlockAPatch — Tools to help you hide or block updates Steve Gibson’s excellent InControl to manage feature releases Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of April): 1,811 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Windows 11 will soon let you personalize your lock screen to a greater extent. Microsoft is currently testing an option that allows users to pick which widgets will be displayed when the computer is locked. In its current state, Windows 11's only option to customize the widgets experience is "Weather and more", which displays the weather info, some random news headlines, a stocks widget, and a couple of other widgets. The only other choice that users have is to disable the experience completely, which is what many users do, because they do not like the default widgets or the content that they display. This is changing, Microsoft has announced a new Lock Screen experience for testers that will allow you to select what widgets appear on the screen. In order to do this, you will need to change some options under the Settings > Personalization > Lock screen. Essentially, you can choose to add new widgets, or remove existing widgets to declutter the lock screen, That's not all that's changing, Windows 11 also lets you rearrange the widgets. Microsoft says that these options will be available for the following widgets: Weather, Watchlist, Sports, Traffic, and more. The official announcement says that "Any widget that supports the small sizing option can be added here.", which likely means that third-party widgets will be supported. While we are on the topic of Widgets, Microsoft is also making a change to the Widgets board that you can access from the Windows 11 Taskbar. This panel now supports multiple dashboards, to allow users to add as many widgets as they want. The widgets board has a new navigation bar on the left, using which you can switch between multiple boards. The changes to the lock screen widgets experience is currently rolling out to users in the Windows Insider Program, and have opted in to the Beta channel. It won't be long before these features make their way to the stable release of Windows 11. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of April): 1,811 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Firefox 139.0 is now available for download. The latest feature update for the browser includes several new features that improve translation and personalization, a new experimental link preview feature, and various bug fixes. With Firefox 139.0, the browser can now translate extension pages that start with the moz-extension:// scheme. Mozilla says this feature has been a popular request from users, and it is now finally delivering it, allowing everyone to translate extension pages. Next are the new customization options for the new tab page. You can now set custom wallpapers by uploading your own images for the new tab page. Also, the browser allows picking any custom color for the background. Finally, Mozilla added a new "Celestial" wallpaper category. Note that new tab page wallpaper features are rolling out gradually, but you can turn them on right away by heading to Firefox Labs. Link Previews (on the screenshot) is a new experimental feature that you can turn on in Firefox Labs. It allows you to preview a page and get a short AI-generated summary by hovering the cursor over a link and pressing Alt + Shift. Other changes and fixes in Firefox 139.0 include the following: PNG images with transparency now keep their transparency when pasted into Firefox. The upload performance of HTTP/3 has been significantly improved, particularly on resumed connections (QUIC 0-RTT) and high-bandwidth and high-delay connections. Due to recent changes in how Chrome encrypts user data on Windows, the Firefox migration wizard can no longer directly import payment methods or passwords from Chrome. However, users can still export passwords from Chrome to a CSV file and then import them into Firefox using the migration wizard or the password manager. The Review Checker feature is shutting down and will no longer be available after June 10, 2025. Security fixes in Firefox 139.0 are available here. Enterprise Release Notes are available here, and Developer Information is available here. You can update Firefox by heading to Menu > Help > About Firefox. Alternatively, get the browser from the official website or the Microsoft Store on Windows 10 and 11. Full release notes for version 139 are available here. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of April): 1,811 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

In 2022, Arc Browser was termed as the "Chrome replacement" that people wanted. Three years later, The Browser Company has discontinued the app, all because it wants to build a new browser, Dia. Josh Miller, the CEO of The Browser Company, has published a Letter to Arc members, explaining why the app is being shuttered. Arc was created as an Internet Computer that was designed for work, personal life, as an all-in-one browser. Miller says that Arc failed due to a "novelty tax" problem, it did not manage to retain users primarily because it differed too much from a traditional browser. Its interface was different, and the whole workflow was unique, users were not willing to put in the effort to re-learn how to browse, or even to switch to another browser. When I wrote about it 2 years ago, I pointed out that Arc has a learning curve, and that it could deter users. Apparently, the browser's key features like Spaces, Live Folders, Calendar Preview were barely used. Miller says that his company began working on Dia, a simpler browser. It will get rid of Arc's bloat, and use familiar interfaces. Dia is also touted as a lightweight, snappy, responsive app. The most important thing here is that Dia will integrate an AI. Who would have guessed? Miller claims that traditional browsers will die, in favor of AI-powered features. He goes on to say that web pages consisting of apps, articles, files will become tools that can be accessed with AI chat interfaces which are basically like browsers. Are they? Dia will act as an AI agent that is also your web browser. He also highlighted that security is a priority for Dia. One more thing that is worth mentioning here is that Miller had stated that it wouldn't be possible to open source Arc's codebase, because it isn't merely a fork of Chromium, it uses a custom infrastructure called Arc Development Kit (ADK), and that it was the company's secret sauce. ADK is also the foundation of Dia, so it won't be open sourced, not now anyway. This explanation was met with criticism from fans who would rather see the project live on with the help of contributors. Shortly after, when a user proposed a community-run Arc, Miller said he was open to the idea, for which was once again criticized because he had just rejected the notion. I would like to point out that The Browser Company was valued at $550 million in March 2024. It is possible that the company is keeping a closed lid on the source code due to its investors, even though they are claiming otherwise. Naturally, Arc users were far from pleased to hear about the news about the browser's discontinuation, and have criticized the whole idea. There is absolutely no need to reinvent the wheel here, it would have been better to simplify Arc, i.e. declutter it. But no, the answer is AI. There you have it, folks. AI is going to solve everything! That's exactly what Microsoft did with Edge and Copilot, Google is adding Gemini AI to Chrome. ChatGPT and Perplexity may be the cool new toys now, but they can't replace a traditional browser or app. There is one lesson that none of these companies have learned, not everyone wants to use an AI, not every task needs an AI! Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of April): 1,811 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Qualcomm didn't unveil next-gen Snapdragon X chips at Computex. Will that prove to be a mistake? Computex 2025 wrapped up on May 23 after a week of countless new product announcements from major tech players. However, one exception stands out: Qualcomm. Qualcomm's AI-heavy Computex 2025 presentation notably avoided discussing the next generation of Snapdragon X chips. Instead, it went heavy on AI capabilities with its available hardware. AI performance numbers, AI integration plans, AI and Snapdragon on ARM ... you get the point. It's no secret that Qualcomm didn't create its Snapdragon X platform as a one-and-done offering, so the lack of news regarding a new generation of hardware was particularly noticeable. Qualcomm's side doesn't seem concerned with the delayed announcement scheduling. It has its annual Snapdragon Summit planned for September 2025, and it's now clear that Qualcomm is saving its next-gen chips for the occasion. But why an extended delay between the next generation of Snapdragon X chips? Qualcomm's 'tick-tock' Snapdragon X release cycle explained The Snapdragon X Elite was the first of its kind unveiled by Qualcomm in 2023. (Image credit: Future) I don't blame you if you haven't been closely monitoring the world of Snapdragon X computing. To put things into perspective, it's been roughly a year and a half since Qualcomm announced "the most powerful computing processor it has ever created for the PC," the Snapdragon X Elite. The new System-on-Chip (SoC) was eventually introduced alongside its sibling Snapdragon X Plus chip on May 20 at Computex 2024. This marked the official start of Microsoft's Copilot+ PC initiative that has now grown to include select AMD and Intel CPUs with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) capable of more than 40 TOPS. In the interim, Qualcomm has expanded its Snapdragon X chips with new SKUs mainly intended for budget systems. However, they've all been built on the same first-gen platform. The Surface Pro 12-inch and Surface Laptop 13-inch are perfect examples. Waiting until the Snapdragon Summit 2025 in September for a "Snapdragon X2" — the unofficial name — reveal, with what I assume is another few months of waiting for an official launch, will have us well into 2026 before PCs are available with the chips. Considering both AMD and Intel work on a yearly release schedule, Qualcomm's lack of information regarding "Snapdragon X2" at Computex 2025 could be seen as a misstep. Qualcomm's management doesn't feel the same way. A look at Qualcomm's Computex 2024 event, in which it discussed the Snapdragon X Elite chip. (Image credit: Windows Central) Speaking with Laptop Mag at Computex 2025, Qualcomm's GM of mobile, compute, and XR, Alex Katouzian, said: "I'm not worried about our competitors coming out with something. [...] We're sustained in performance-per-watt, and we have relationships that are strong across retail and commercial, and we have marketing campaigns that are now very much concentrated on Snapdragon." Katouzian further shored up the argument by pointing out that Snapdragon X devices haven't been available on the market since the initial 2023 announcement: "We introduced our solution at Computex that would already have designs that we launched in May with Microsoft last year. And so, we're only in the market for nine months. I think a platform such as X Elite, X Plus, X — it needs more than nine months to become mature in multiple designs and SKUs." These arguments might not be quite what you want to hear, but they're valid. Anyone who can't stand the current trend of releasing new, incrementally better hardware yearly is probably nodding their head. Katouzian explained to Laptop Mag that Qualcomm is targeting a "tick-tock" release cycle akin to what Apple used to do with its iPhones. "I think it's OK to come in as a tick-tock. We come in and then four months from now we're going to introduce our next-generation solution, and then it'll ramp into market early 2026. As long as people and OEMs understand that this continuous advantage is coming, I'm OK." It's important to point out that the Snapdragon X SoC lineup isn't sitting dormant. New PCs are launching all the time with the first-gen chips inside, and they continue to put up a strong fight in terms of efficiency, performance, and pricing compared to their closest competitors. 'Snapdragon X2' needs to make an impression at Snapdragon Summit 2025 Qualcomm's 'Snapdragon X2' chips are expected to be revealed at Snapdragon Summit 2025. (Image credit: Qualcomm) With Qualcomm's decision to mainly reiterate its market standing and advancements during its Computex 2025 keynote, it leaves Intel, AMD, and even Apple open to pull ahead. Intel has its next-gen "Panther Lake" mobile CPUs slated for a 2026 launch, and they're expected to significantly boost efficiency and performance, with new integrated Arc GPU capabilities. Apple is also expected to debut its M5 chip sometime in 2025, and it'll be interesting to see how the design has been influenced by the push for AI computing. Much of the hype surrounding Snapdragon X has died down since launch despite Qualcomm's aggressive ad campaign, and the company needs to make a big impression later this year when it finally unveils the next generation of SoCs. I don't doubt that it has what it takes to pull this off, and I'm rooting for Qualcomm to once again make big waves in the PC world. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of April): 1,811 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

The latest Monster Hunter Wilds Director's Letter addresses upcoming content for it's May update, including more Tempered monsters, weapon balance changes, and playing as Akuma from Street Fighter 6 Yuya Tokuda, the director for Monster Hunter Wilds, has uploaded a Director's Letter recapping all the new content that will be added to the game in its next update, launching on May 28, 2025. The May Update will include all kinds of new activities for players to indulge in, like a Street Fighter 6 Collaboration quest, new Tempered Monsters to slay, balance adjustments to weapons, and more. Here are the biggest highlights for Monster Hunter Wilds' May Update (as taken from Monster Hunter Wilds' official website). Monster Hunter Wilds May Update - Street Fighter 6 Collab The first major content highlight (and undoubtedly the star of the update), is a collaboration with Street Fighter 6, the latest entry in Capcom's flagship fighting game series. In this collab, players will embark on several new quests where they will get to interact with Akuma, one of the deadliest fighters in the entire Street Fighter universe. Upon completing these quests, you will get to unlock a special armor set and cosmetic layered armor that transform you into Akuma himself. Unlike the Akuma armor set previously featured in Monster Hunter Rise, Monster Hunter Wilds' version will grant you special items that grant you the ability to perform Akuma's moves and combos lifted directly from Street Fighter 6. If you wear the regular armor set and layered set together, it will power up these moves to the point where they could deal significant damage to even the toughest monsters in the game. Monster Hunter Wilds May Update - More Tempered Monsters 8* Tempered Rey Dau is just one of the many new Endgame threats you will face in Monster Hunter Wilds. (Image credit: Capcom) As Capcom stated back in March when they were going to make the game harder, Monster Hunter Wilds' May Update will feature several new 8★ Tempered Monsters to hunt when players reach Hunter Rank 41. These new 8* Tempered Monsters are Gore Magala, Rey Dau, Uth Duna, Nu Udra, and Jin Dahaad. These buffed up beasties will have more health, better resistence to the wounding mechanics, and have increased stats for multiplayer scaling. In addition, the spawn rate of higher-difficulty level quests (with multiple monsters and Tempered Monsters with higher strength ratings) will now be increased based on your Hunter Rank. Monster Hunter Wilds May Update - Weapon Balance changes It's Hammer time thanks to the new weapon balance changes. (Image credit: Capcom) Next up is that the May Update will implement a ton of balance changes to weapons and the game systems, as well as various bug fixes. While there are too many changes to list here (you can read full patch notes on Monster Hunter Wilds' website for more details), we can say that the Hammer, Hunting Horn, Gunlance, Light Bowgun, and Heavy Bowgun received the biggest improvements. The aforementioned weapons received massive buffs to their damage output and various tweaks so that each weapon type's moves are easier to pull off. Monster Hunter Wilds May Update - Miscellaneous The May Update will give players more reason to stay in the Grand Hub. (Image credit: Capcom) Lastly, Capcom listed several quality-of-life improvements and other minor new features that will be added in Monster Hunter Wilds' May Update. These changes (as taken on the official Monster Hunter Wilds website) includes: Hunters will be able to rest in the Grand Hub and Suja, Peaks of Accord. Resting restores all destroyed Pop-up Camps. A confirmation window will no longer appear after obtaining an item when your item pouch is full. The obtained item will automatically be sent to your item box. The visibility of the remaining time of meal effects is improved. The countdown will display 10 minutes before expiration. Notifications have also been adjusted in Ver. 1.011. Notification frequency in locales has been lowered, and only high-priority targets will be displayed in the Environment Overview. Improvements to Camera behavior during hunts, and joining multiplayer quests for private lobbies and squad lobbies. Being able to view the individual endemic life you have captured. Optimizations to VRAM usage and fixes to crashes due to insufficient VRAM. (Steam only). The rewards for 8★ investigations and field surveys have been increased. Guild Point rewards for fishing have been rebalanced. Certain whoppers and rare fish have had their rewards increased, while others have had their rewards decreased. More changes will be coming in Title Update 2, but will they be enough to make Monster Hunter challenging again? All the new content coming to Monster Hunter Wilds in this update sounds pretty cool, especially if you're a fan of both Street Fighter and Monster Hunter. Monster Hunter has had crossovers with Street Fighter ever since Monster Hunter 4, but this is probably the craziest one yet, as I've never seen an armor set flat give you an additional move-set on top of your equipped weapon type. I'm curious to see how it will play out and if it will influence the abilities of other collaboration gear in the future. However, what I'm most interested in is the new batch of 8★ Tempered Monsters. I have gone on record multiple times that Monster Hunter Wilds' difficulty was extremely disappointing for hardcore fans like me. One of the many major issues I had was that a majority of the monsters (except for 8★ Tempered Arkveld), just felt so weak to fight due to relatively low HP and getting constantly get stun-locked by this game's Wound and Focus Strike mechanics to the point where they couldn't fight back half the time. Arch-Tempered Rey Dau was the first true challenge for hardcore Monster Hunter fans in Monster Hunter Wilds. (Image credit: Capcom) When Arch-Tempered Rey Dau and High Rank Zoh Shia arrived in the First Title Update, I was excited because they were the first monsters I fought in the whole game that posed a real challenge. They had tons of health, hit like trucks, and they weren't being tripped constantly by attacking their Wounded parts. It was one of the few times I had to put in effort and use the game's combat mechanics to their fullest to achieve victory, and it was a breath of fresh air. Seeing that resiliency is being applied to the new batch 8★ Tempered Monsters in the May update is a step in the right direction to help make the endgame content more appealing for players. I want all the monsters (even the Low Rank ones) to be just as scary to fight in-game as they are portrayed in the story cutscenes. (Image credit: Windows Central | Alex Cope) However, I would much rather see this sort of balance tweaking be applied to all of Monster Hunter Wilds' monsters (both Low Rank and High Rank), not just the Tempered Monsters. That way, the Low Rank Story campaign won't feel like a cakewalk tutorial for endgame content anymore as you will be constantly challenged throughout the whole game, be forced to utilize the combat mechanics and armor sets to their fullest potential, and be rewarded with the immense satisfaction of overcoming the odds like the in older games. Capcom has said that it is planning to make more balance changes in future updates. So hopefully my wishes for Monster Hunter Wilds to be a more challenging game from beginning to end will eventually come to pass, but we'll have to wait to find out. In the meantime, we'll have Akuma teaching us how to beat monsters with only our fists to busy when the May Update launches for Monster Hunter Wilds on May 28, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of April): 1,811 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

The legal dispute between Apple and music streaming app Musi has taken another unexpected turn. Following Apple's motion for sanctions, which dismissed Musi's allegations that a backroom deal was responsible for the app's removal, Musi has countered with a detailed overview of communications between Apple, YouTube, and music industry officials, while also calling for sanctions. Last September, Apple removed the popular music streaming app Musi from its App Store, affecting millions of users. Apple’s action wasn’t completely unexpected. Music industry groups had been trying to take Musi down for a long time, branding it a ‘parasitic’ app that skirts the rules. Musi Sues Apple Delisting from the App Store put the future of Musi directly at risk. The company initially hoped to resolve the matter with Apple behind closed doors, but since the tech giant was unwilling to reverse its decision, Musi took the matter to court. Musi claimed that the App Store removal was the result of “backroom conversations” between Apple and key music industry players. The app developer alleged this was an “unfair” and “tainted” removal process designed to put it out of business. Musi requested a preliminary injunction to reinstate the app, but that attempt failed. In January, a California federal court denied the injunction, ruling that Apple did not act unreasonably or in bad faith when it removed the app following complaints from music industry players and YouTube. Apple Calls for Sanctions With the underlying lawsuit yet to be resolved, a few weeks ago Apple fired back with a motion for sanctions. According to Apple, the court should sanction Musi for false or misleading allegations, which include the remarks concerning the alleged “backchannel scheme”. According to Apple, discovery in this case clearly revealed that there were no backroom deals but Musi nonetheless included these claims in its amended complaint. “[D]iscovery thoroughly disproved Musi’s baseless conspiracy theory that Apple schemed to eliminate the Musi app from the App Store to benefit ‘friends’ in the music industry,” Apple notes. Apple further alleged that to get its app reinstated after an earlier removal years ago, Musi allegedly faked an UMG email. These alleged misrepresentations are sanctionable, Apple argues, while reiterating that it had received numerous complaints about Musi from various parties over the years. Musi Fires Back, Requests Sanctions Last week, Musi responded in court by opposing Apple’s motion and, in turn, requesting sanctions against Apple. The app creator notes that sanctions motions are often used as a tactic of intimidation and harassment and describes Apple’s motion as “a member of that shameful lineage.” From Musi’s motion A motion for sanctions is warranted if there are no facts to support the allegations but Musi contends that its claims are supported by credible evidence obtained during discovery. “None of Musi’s challenged allegations are factually baseless, and all are based on a reasonable and competent inquiry by Musi’s counsel. Apple’s motion should thus be denied, and Apple should itself be sanctioned and required to pay Musi’s attorneys’ fees for opposing its baseless motion.” ‘Not a Simple App Removal’ Apple previously argued that there was no need for backroom discussions as Apple could simply remove Musi under its own terms, with or without previous complaints from rightsholders. Musi doesn’t deny that, but it notes that evidence indicates this isn’t what happened. Based on evidence gathered through discovery, Musi suggests that there were ongoing discussions behind the scenes to discuss the potential removal of the app. The timeline below reflects Musi’s perspective and interpretation of these events. A Path Forward Re-Open Turning the Tables Musi believes this is sufficient to back up its claim that the app’s removal was the result of “backroom conversations” between Apple and key music industry players. In any case, it argues that a motion for sanctions is not warranted, as this wasn’t a simple removal process. To strengthen its claim, Musi cites an email from Apple’s Elizabeth Miles who, after Musi was removed, noted that it was a “complex process”. Complex process According to Musi, Apple’s motion for sanctions is baseless and should therefore be denied. Turning the tables, the app devloper asked the court to sanction Apple for improper use of a sanctions motion. — A copy of Musi’s opposition to Apple’s motion for sanctions, filed at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, is available here (pdf) Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of April): 1,811 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

MathWorks, a leading developer of mathematical computing and simulation software, has revealed that a recent ransomware attack is behind an ongoing service outage. Headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, and founded in 1984, MathWorks now has over 6,500 employees in 34 offices worldwide. MathWorks develops the MATLAB numeric computing platform and the Simulink simulation, which are used by over 100,000 organizations and over 5 million customers. "MathWorks experienced a ransomware attack. We have notified federal law enforcement of this matter. The attack affected our IT systems," the company disclosed in an incident report published on its official status page. "Some of our online applications used by customers became unavailable, and certain internal systems used by staff became unavailable, beginning on Sunday, May 18." While ongoing outages resulting from this incident still affect many of its online services, including the cloud center, file exchange, license center, and MathWorks store, the company has since brought some back online. For instance, after multiple days of signing issues preventing users from accessing their accounts, MathWorks restored multi-factor authentication (MFA) and account SSO (Single Sign On) on May 21st. Despite this, since Friday, some customers have continued experiencing issues preventing them from creating new accounts, while others who haven't signed in since 11 October 2024 haven't been able to log in at all. MathWorks has yet to reveal additional information regarding this incident, including the name of the ransomware operation behind the attack and whether any customer data was stolen during the breach. Even though the company tagged this incident as a ransomware attack, no ransomware gang has claimed the breach, suggesting that MathWorks has either paid the ransom demanded by the attackers or is still negotiating. A MathWorks spokesperson was not immediately available for comment when contacted by BleepingComputer. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of April): 1,811 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

German sportswear giant Adidas disclosed a data breach after attackers hacked a customer service provider and stole some customers' data. "adidas recently became aware that an unauthorized external party obtained certain consumer data through a third-party customer service provider," the company said on Friday. "We immediately took steps to contain the incident and launched a comprehensive investigation, collaborating with leading information security experts." Adidas added that the stolen information did not include the affected customers' payment-related information or passwords, as the threat actors behind the breach only gained access to contact. The company has also notified the relevant authorities regarding this security incident and will alert those affected by the data breach. "adidas is in the process of informing potentially affected consumers as well as appropriate data protection and law enforcement authorities consistent with applicable law," it added. "We remain fully committed to protecting the privacy and security of our consumers, and sincerely regret any inconvenience or concern caused by this incident." Adidas has yet to reveal further details regarding this incident, including the name of the impacted service provider, when the incident was detected, how many individuals were affected, and if its own network was compromised during the attack. When BleepingComputer reached out to Adidas with questions about the incident, a spokesperson said the company had "no further update" and "the statement from Friday is still valid." Earlier this month, Adidas disclosed data breaches impacting customers in Turkey and South Korea who contacted the company's customer service center in 2024 or earlier. The stolen information in these breaches includes names, email addresses, phone numbers, birthdates, and addresses. In June 2018, Adidas disclosed another breach after unknown attackers stole contact information, usernames, and encrypted passwords of "a few million" shoppers who used the sportswear company's U.S. website. Update May 27, 11:18 EDT: Added Adidas statement. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of April): 1,811 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

WhatsApp recently made a post on X, which many users took as a teaser for the upcoming iPad release. Rumors turned out to be true, and today, a decade and a half after the initial launch, WhatsApp is arriving on the most popular tablet in the world. WhatsApp for iPad works pretty much the same as any other messenger optimized for large screens. You get a list of your chats on the left and the current chat on the right. It also supports most of the platform's features, including audio and video calls, statuses, communities, and more. Curiously, nothing in the release notes for today's WhatsApp update in the App Store mentions iPad support, but the app is now fully operational on Apple's tablets. It also supports platform-specific features, such as Stage Manager, Split View, or picture-in-picture. You can also share your screen with others, use front and rear-facing cameras, and more. A few years ago, WhatsApp acknowledged that iPad support had been a long-requested feature among users. While it is not clear what took WhatsApp so long to address the long-requested feature, it is good to see the company finally delivering a native iPad app, eliminating the need to use the less convenient web interface. Better late than never. Now, with WhatsApp finally available on iPad, all eyes are on Instagram, which is probably the only social media platform of its size without an iPad app. Last month, rumors arrived about Instagram making the much-anticipated app for iPad, but there are no public announcements or eyes emojis published anywhere. You can download WhatsApp for iPad from the App Store using this link. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of April): 1,811 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

It has been 16 years since WhatsApp arrived in the tech space, starting with the iPhone. The instant messaging app has added support for several other platforms and launched countless features over the years. However, one thing it still doesn't have is an iPad app. WhatsApp dropped a small teaser about its iPad app on the social media platform X. Out of nowhere, WhatsApp replied with the "eyes" emoji to a post made by a user more than a month ago. It's still hard to say if the eyes emoji suggests an immediate launch of WhatsApp for iPad. The Meta-owned company has tested WhatsApp's iPad version in Apple's TestFlight for almost two years. While the program no longer takes new beta testers, users have tossed around its link on social media platforms like Reddit. WhatsApp's lack of an iPad app is even more surprising because it already has a native app for the ARM-powered Mac. For the uninitiated, Apple ditched Intel in 2020 and transitioned to its home-baked silicon. Furthermore, the iPad single-handedly represents Apple in the tablet world, competing against Android devices from multiple brands. Data from StatCounter suggests that Apple sweeps almost half the global tablet market share. The teaser comes not long after reports of a native Instagram app for iPad in the making. Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri previously said the lack of a large enough user base is why a native Instagram app couldn't happen. In WhatsApp's case, the instant messaging platform started with a single-device focus and tied user accounts to their phone numbers. It was only in recent years that WhatsApp added features like multi-device support, companion devices, and the ability to transfer WhatsApp chats across platforms. You can also link your email address to WhatsApp for two-factor authentication and re-registration. Meta has more reasons than before to bring its social apps to the iPad. Its rival, Snapchat, launched a native app for iPad in 2024, almost 13 years after the app arrived on iPhone. While an iPad app is still on the way, you can use the instant messaging app on iPad via WhatsApp Web. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of April): 1,811 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

OnePlus has been slower than most to implement mobile AI, but that's changing. OnePlus thrives on trends—if other smartphone makers are doing something, you can bet OnePlus is going to have a take. The company recently confirmed it's ditching the storied alert slider in favor of an Apple-like shortcut button called the Plus Key, and that's not the only trend it'll chase with its latest phones. OnePlus has also announced an expanded collection of AI features for translation, photography, screen capture, and more. OnePlus isn't breaking new ground here, but it is cherry-picking some of the more useful AI features we've seen on other phones. The OnePlus approach covers most of the established AI use cases. There will be AI VoiceScribe, a feature that records and summarizes calls in popular messaging and video chat apps. Similarly, AI Call Assistant will record and summarize phone calls, a bit like Google's Pixel phones. However, these two features are India-only for now. Globally, OnePlus users will get AI Translation, which pulls together text, voice, camera, and screen translation into a single AI-powered app. AI Search, meanwhile, allows you to search for content on your phone and in OnePlus system apps in a "conversational" way. That suggests to us it's basically another chatbot on your phone, like Motorola's Ask and Search feature, which we didn't love. OnePlus also promises some AI smarts in the camera. AI Reframe will analyze what's in your viewfinder and suggest different framing options. AI Best Face 2.0 (which will roll out later this summer) will analyze and correct things like closed eyes or "suboptimal expressions." This sounds like a OnePlus version of Google's Best Take, but we're not complaining—that's a great feature. The OnePlus can work with group shots of up to 20 people, and you can even feed it photos taken on other phones to fix everyone's face. Core to OnePlus' approach is a feature called AI Plus Mind, which is integrated with the Plus Key. It allows you to capture content on your screen and save it to an AI-curated "Mind Space." Again, OnePlus appears to be taking a page from Google's playbook with its own version of the Screenshots app. The OnePlus feature can allegedly extract useful information, like calendar appointments, so you don't have to add them to your agenda manually. A future update will also add automatic categorization of content in Mind Space. The Plus Key includes customizable shortcuts and connects to the "Mind Space" screen recorder. Credit: OnePlus The company says it's using a hybrid approach to processing, which keeps sensitive data on your phone and only reaches out to the cloud when more power is needed. The specifics of the OnePlus system are still vague. Samsung includes a toggle to disable cloud processing, but Google just does what it thinks is right behind the scenes. We sure would like it if OnePlus borrowed from Samsung here. OnePlus is following Samsung's lead in at least one way. When Samsung launched the Galaxy S25 series, it included the first example of Gemini working across apps outside of Google's Pixel phones. Now, OnePlus will follow suit. As part of the OnePlus AI rollout, Gemini will gain the ability to interact with OnePlus apps like Notes and Clock. Many of these new OnePlus AI features will debut on the company's new OnePlus 13s, a variant of the China-only OnePlus 13T. However, the US and Europe are again being left out of the fun, with the 13s launching exclusively in India. Future OP devices will also be adopting the Plus Key, offering similar quick access to these AI features. Existing devices in the OnePlus 13 family will also get an update enabling most of these AI features. So even if you don't buy a new phone, you're getting more AI. Wipe that suboptimal expression off your face—don't you know it's the AI era now? Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of April): 1,811 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

The least-sensible F1 race of the year is also the most glamorous. The principality of Monaco is perhaps the least suitable place on the Formula 1 calendar to hold a Grand Prix. A pirate cove turned tax haven nestled between and Italy at the foot of the Alps-Maritimes, it has also been home to Grand Prix racing since 1929, predating the actual Formula 1 world championship by two decades. The track is short, tight, and perhaps best described as riding a bicycle around your living room. It doesn’t even race well, for the barrier-lined streets are too narrow for the too-big, too-heavy cars of the 21st century. And yet, it’s F1’s crown jewel. Despite the location's many drawbacks, there’s something magical about racing in Monaco that almost defies explanation. The real magic happens on Saturday, when the drivers compete against each other to set the fastest lap. With overtaking as difficult as it is here, qualifying is everything, determining the order everyone lines up in, and more than likely, finishes. Coverage of the Monaco Grand Prix is now filmed in vivid 4k, and it has never looked better. I’m a real fan of the static top-down camera that’s like a real-time Apple TV screensaver. The cars need special steering racks to be able to negotiate what's now called the Fairmont hairpin. Credit: Alessio Morgese/NurPhoto via Getty Images Although native-Monegasque Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc tried to temper expectations for the weekend, the Ferraris were in a good place in Monaco. With no fast corners, the team could run the car low to the ground without risking a penalty, and this year's car is very good at low-speed corners, of which Monaco has plenty. A 10th of a second separated comfortably being in Q2 from being relegated to the last couple of rows in the grid, and a very long Sunday. Mercedes' new teenage protegé, Kimi Antonelli, failed to progress from Q1, spinning in the swimming pool chicane. Unlike Michael Schumacher in 2006, Antonelli didn't do it on purpose, but he did bring out a red flag. His teammate George Russell similarly brought a halt to Q2 when he coasted a third of the way around the circuit before coming to a stop in the middle of the tunnel, requiring marshals to push him all the way down to turn 10. The gaps at the front were much bigger for Q3, and the lap times much quicker. Three drivers broke the existing track record set by Lewis Hamilton during qualifying in 2021, with McLaren's Lando Norris the fastest at 1:09.954—the fastest time ever for this configuration of the circuit. Ground level in the swimming pool chicane is probably the best place in the world to watch an F1 car in action. Credit: Marco Canoniero/LightRocket via Getty Images The race In order to try to spice up the race this year, the sport's organizers mandated every driver perform two tire-changing pit stops during the race. This opened up a lot of potential strategies, but in the end no one went for the “stop twice early in quick succession” that was so talked about by the pundits in the leadup to the race. On lap 2, a virtual safety car opened up early stops for people at the back half of the grid, but with the current supersized cars, there was very little interesting during the race. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was set to score his best result of the year with a sixth place, but his engine blew on lap 39. Teams that had both cars running together on track could use the second car to hold up everyone behind and give their teammate a hassle-free pit stop, but none of the teams able to employ this strategy were set to score points. Lewis Hamilton managed to make up a couple of places, but most everyone finished where they started. The race was dominated by pole-sitter Norris, although Verstappen took the lead for much of the last third of the race, and only by dint of not having made his second pit stop. Hoping for a red flag or safety car that would give him that stop for free, Verstappen was left unsatisfied and had to come in under green flag conditions for a tire change just before the end, leaving him in fourth place. With Norris' win, the championship remains wide open. Credit: Marco Canoniero/LightRocket via Getty Images McLaren's Oscar Piastri took third, looking a little behind Norris all weekend. Leclerc took second, with Norris the victor. Next week, Barcelona! Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of April): 1,811 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend