The author considers phone calling and alarm features sacred and believes they must never fail. They missed an alarm for the first time in years when their iPhone 13 Pro with latest iOS displayed the alarm screen silently for 45 minutes without sound or responsive buttons. The author had to force quit the clock app and is considering getting a quartz clock alarm.
Amazon will acquire Globalstar to add direct-to-device satellite services to its low Earth orbit network. The company also announced an agreement with Apple to continue providing satellite services for iPhone and Apple Watch, including Emergency SOS via satellite.
Google announced a new spam policy targeting back button hijacking, where websites manipulate browser history to trap users. Sites using these deceptive tactics will face demotions in search results starting June 15, 2026. The practice, exemplified by LinkedIn redirecting users to feeds instead of letting them leave, has been criticized as hostile to users.
Google is expanding its spam policies to address "back button hijacking," which will become an explicit violation of malicious practices. The policy targets sites that interfere with browser navigation when users click the back button, preventing them from returning to the previous page. This deceptive practice will lead to potential spam actions starting in June 2026.
A security vulnerability in Apple Pay's Express Transit Mode allows scam tap-to-pay readers to exploit Visa cards linked for transit payments. The issue is specific to Visa cards and iPhones, and doesn't affect Mastercard, American Express, or Samsung Pay. Apple states this is a Visa system issue unlikely to occur in real-world scenarios.
The rewards app Freecash, which claimed to pay users for scrolling TikTok, actually collected sensitive data and funneled users into mobile games. Apple removed the app from its App Store after being contacted by TechCrunch, while Google Play also removed it. The app had reached the No. 2 position in the U.S. App Store before being taken down.