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How to Set Up a Smartphone for Elderly Loved Ones

Posted on December 25, 2025 by faz_business

On an iPhone: Tap and hold on the home screen until the icons wiggle, then drag them around to rearrange or tap the X to uninstall them.

Add Shortcuts for Useful Tasks or Apps

One of the best things you can do is place shortcuts on the home screen to make it easier for them to call or message their closest contacts with a single tap.

On an Android phone: Tap and hold on the home screen and select Widgets, choose the Browse tab, then scroll down to Contacts, choose Direct dial, and select a contact. You can place the shortcut anywhere on the home screen, and they can call that person simply by tapping it. You can add Direct message shortcuts in the same way.

On an iPhone: Use the Shortcuts app. If you create a folder for the home screen, you can potentially add multiple shortcuts. You can tap the plus (+) icon at the top right to add a new shortcut, search for or scroll down to Phone or FaceTime, tap on it again, then tap Contact and pick the contact you want to add. Tap at the top and choose Rename to give the shortcut a name, choose the icon, and Add to Home Screen. You can also tap and hold on the home screen until the icons wiggle and tap Edit at the top left, then Add Widget, and choose Contacts, then select the contact you want to add, but this will require an extra tap when they want to call.

Screenshots from a mobile phone showing how to add a shortcut to call a contact using the Android operating system

Consider a Simple Launcher (Android Only)

With Android phones, you can change the “launcher,” which determines the look of the whole interface, including things like app icons and font size.

Samsung phones have an alternative launcher called Easy Mode built in. To toggle it on, go to Settings, Display, and choose Easy Mode. There are loads of alternative Android launchers that you can install, and several simplify the phone experience with big icons. Simple Launcher, Big Launcher, or Senior Home are all worth a look.

Increase the Font Size

To make the font more readable, you can increase its size. There are loads of other handy smartphone features for folks with vision loss.

On an Android phone: Go to Settings, Display and touch, and choose Display size and text, then drag the slider to adjust. You can also get there via Settings, Accessibility, then Display size and text.

Apple’s Founding Papers Return to Auction, Could Fetch Up to $4 Million

Posted on November 26, 2025 by faz_business

Christie’s is preparing to auction off the original partnership contract that created the Apple Computer Company on April 1, 1976, valuing it in the region of $2-4 million.

apple computer corporate founding documents%402x
The original three-page document served as the contract among Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ron Wayne. The agreement established initial shares at 45% for Jobs, 45% for Wozniak, and 10% for Wayne.

Additional papers documenting Wayne’s withdrawal as a partner just 12 days after the company was formed are also included in the auction package. Wayne initially received $800 for his 10% share of the company, and later received an additional $1,500 payment.

Wayne later stated he withdrew because he knew the venture would be a “roller coaster” and that the high-stakes ride was not for him.

If Wayne’s original 10% stake had somehow remained untouched, it would be worth about $409 billion today based on Apple’s $4 trillion valuation. That’s only a playful comparison, mind, since decades of stock splits, new share issuances, and structural changes mean that early 10% slice has no realistic connection to Apple’s modern share count!

Christie’s will offer the founding contract and Wayne’s withdrawal agreement as a single lot on January 23, 2026.

In the early 1990s, Wayne sold the physical copy of the founding contract for $500. Apple’s founding corporate papers were last sold at auction by Sotheby’s in December 2011. That lot also included Wayne’s withdrawal, and it was sold to a private collector for nearly $1.6 million.

(Via Arirang TV.)

This Free App Unlocks AirPods Features on Android Devices

Posted on November 21, 2025 by faz_business

AirPods have always worked with Android phones, but with limited functionality and a less seamless listening experience. A new app called LibrePods is changing that.

librepods android
The free app unlocks features on Android that are typically reserved for Apple devices, including ear detection that pauses music when you remove an earbud, Head Gestures for answering calls, and Conversational Awareness that lowers volume while you’re talking. It also enables switching between noise control modes, checking accurate battery levels, and customizing accessibility settings.

To make it all work, developer Kavish Devar reverse-engineered Apple’s proprietary protocols to make AirPods identify a connected Android device as an iPhone or iPad, which tricks them into sharing device status information normally locked to Apple’s ecosystem.

There are some caveats, though. LibrePods currently requires a rooted Android phone with the Xposed framework installed, thanks to what Devar calls “a bug in the Android Bluetooth stack.” OnePlus and Oppo devices running ColorOS or OxygenOS 16 can use the app without rooting, however some features like Transparency mode customization still need root access.

The app supports all AirPods models, including AirPods Max, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods Pro 3 (excluding heart rate monitoring), though not all features are unlocked on earlier AirPods. Interested Android owners can view more details about the project on its GitHub page or directly download the APK file.

(Via Android Authority.)

iOS 26.1: Bring Back the Tap-to-Stop Alarm Button

Posted on November 6, 2025 by faz_business

Apple has changed how you dismiss iPhone alarms in iOS 26.1, and your morning muscle memory may have needed tweaking as a result. By default, the Clock app now requires a slide gesture to stop an alarm from the Lock Screen, replacing the previous tap-to-stop button that was redesigned in iOS 26. Snoozing still works with a simple tap, but turning off an alarm entirely demands the extra swipe motion.

The change appears designed to prevent accidental dismissals when you’re reaching for your phone in the morning. By requiring a more deliberate action, you’re less likely to silence your alarm when you meant to hit snooze. If you don’t like the change, you can revert the alarm interface back to the previous Stop button by following these steps.

Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

Tap Accessibility.

Under “Physical and Motor,” tap Touch.

Swipe to the bottom of the menu and toggle on Prefer Single-Touch Actions.

The change will take effect the next time you set an alarm. If you want to revert back to the slider, simply toggle off Prefer Single-Touch Actions.
This article, "iOS 26.1: Bring Back the Tap-to-Stop Alarm Button" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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HBO Max Password Sharing Crackdown Getting Serious in September

Posted on August 8, 2025 by faz_business

HBO Max is planning to crack down more aggressively on password sharing, according to Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming CEO JB Perette (via The Verge). Perette shared the info during an earnings call, where he said HBO Max users will be encouraged to pay a $7.99 per month fee to add viewers that are outside of their household.

“In September, you’ll actually start to see the messaging — which right now has been a fairly soft, cancelable messaging — start to get more fixed and such that people have to take action,” said Perette.

Warner Bros. began discouraging password sharing earlier this year after introducing the $7.99 per month sharing fee. As of right now, the restrictions on password sharing have not been enforced, and paying the extra fee is voluntary.

HBO Max with ads is priced at $9.99 per month, while the Standard plan with no ads is $16.99 per month. There’s also a Premium plan with 4K streaming that’s priced at $20.99 per month.

HBO Max customers that opt to add an extra member to their plan will need to pay the $7.99 per month fee, which provides the added member with their own account, password, and profile. Only one additional member can be added to an account.

At $7.99 per month, the extra member add-on is only $2 cheaper than the ad-supported plan, but the extra member is able to share the plan of the main subscriber. So if the subscriber has the 4K Premium plan, the extra member can access 4K streaming for the $7.99 per month price.

HBO Max will use account information, IP address, device ID, and user activity to determine if accounts are used by people in more than one household.

Cracking down on password sharing has been successful for Netflix and Disney, so it is no surprise to see other streaming services do the same thing. Netflix experienced strong subscriber growth and an increase in revenue when it stopped allowing customers to share their accounts.

Earlier this year, Warner Bros. Discovery changed the name of the streaming service, abandoning “Max” and going back to HBO Max. The service was branded as Max two years ago, but it turned out that eliminating the well-known and widely recognized HBO name was a mistake.

Is your iPhone compatible? Here’s a list which devices can download it today

Posted on July 31, 2025 by faz_business

All the new features iOS 26 has to offer.

iPhone devotees, listen up: Tons of new updates are coming to Apple’s operating system this fall that you’ll be excited to try out. But instead of being named iOS 19, it’ll be called iOS 26. The biggest change? The new Liquid Glass design (think Windows Vista, but arguably more thoughtful), which looks to be Apple’s largest visual update in years. We spent two weeks test-driving it — you can check out our detailed hands-on iOS 26 preview, or you can try it out yourself by downloading and installing the public beta, available now. Before you dive in, we’ll help you answer this question: Will my iPhone be able to run iOS 26?

Last year, Apple didn’t nix any iPhones from its eligibility list, but that’s not the case for 2025 — a few models are getting cut this time. All iPhone 8 models and the iPhone X were the last to get the boot in 2023, and this year the 2018 models are getting left behind. If you have an ineligible device, you won’t be able to download iOS 26 when it becomes available this fall.

We’ll get to the bottom of which iPhones will support iOS 26 this year. To see what’s coming with the latest OS and more, check out everything announced at Apple’s WWDC June 9 event.

These three iPhones won’t be compatible with iOS 26

Unlike last year, several iPhone models won’t be eligible to download the newest iOS when it makes its debut this fall. This trio of models first released in 2018 won’t be coming to the iOS 26 party:

iPhone XR
iPhone XS
iPhone XS Max

iPhones compatible with iOS 26

While we don’t yet know the new iPhones Apple will be dropping this fall — though there are iPhone 17 rumors — we do know, per Apple’s site, that the phones listed below will be compatible with iOS 26. Basically, if you have an iPhone that was announced in 2019 or later, you’re in the clear:

What if I don’t want to buy a new iPhone?

If you want to continue using your older iPhone that isn’t supported by iOS 26, that’s fine. However, you’ll miss out on security updates which could potentially put your phone at risk for malware and other threats. Additionally, some apps may stop working if they require a certain version of iOS or later. And of course, you won’t be able to access the latest features iOS 26 offers.

When will iOS 26 become available?

Apple usually rolls out its latest iOS in mid-September, just a few days before the new iPhones hit store shelves. Last year, it released iOS 18 on Monday, Sept. 16. Expect a confirmation of the release date at the iPhone 17 event, expected in early September.

iOS 26 features we’re excited about

Liquid Glass design: Your home screen is getting revamped with new app icons, including dark mode and all-clear options. You’ll also notice buttons with a new floating design. Liquid Glass was designed to make all of Apple’s OSes more cohesive.

Phone app redesign: You’ll finally be able to scroll through contacts, recent calls and voicemail messages all on one screen. It also comes with a new feature called Hold Assist that’ll notify you when an agent comes to the phone so you can avoid the elevator music.

Live Translate: iOS 26 is bringing the ability to have a conversation via phone call or text message with someone who speaks another language. Live Translate will translate your conversation in real time.

Polls feature: Coming to group messages in the Messages app, chat members will be able to create polls. This can help prevent the unwanted 30+ messages when it comes to deciding which restaurant you’re meeting at this weekend.

Apple Executives Won’t Be Appearing at This Year’s WWDC Episode of The Talk Show Live

Posted on May 30, 2025 by faz_business

Since 2015, Daring Fireball‘s John Gruber has hosted a special live episode of his The Talk Show podcast from WWDC each year, with senior executives from Apple routinely participating as guests for the episodes. While the executives typically do not break major news during these appearances, the lively conversations have offered some interesting insights and perspectives on various topics surrounding Apple’s WWDC announcements.

The Talk Show Live From WWDC 2024
In announcing ticket sales for this year’s live episode going live today, Gruber has revealed that Apple declined his invitation for executives to appear on this year’s episode, for the first time in the decade of this tradition.

Gruber did not share a reason for Apple declining this year’s invitation, and Apple likely did not provide one to him, but it’s easy to surmise that it was probably due to Gruber’s recent comments sharing his belief that “Something Is Rotten in the State of Cupertino” in the wake of Apple Intelligence Siri delays.

In his March blog post, Gruber faulted himself for not seeing the “red flags” that were appearing as early as last year’s WWDC, with Apple apparently showing off planned ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features that were not actually functional at the time and some of which may not even yet be functional.

He faulted Apple for showing off what amounted to vaporware at last year’s WWDC, a significant departure from Apple’s history over the past several decades of almost always shipping features close to their suggested timelines even when they have been pre-announced before they are fully ready.

Gruber’s comments were notable given his status as one of the most well-known Apple pundits, not to mention the fact that Apple had chosen him to be the one to share the news days earlier that the Apple Intelligence-powered ‌Siri‌ revamp had been delayed.

It’s hard not to view Apple’s move as a form of retribution for Gruber’s criticism, and also potentially an acknowledgement that Gruber would be liable to ask Apple executives some difficult questions about what occurred to force the ‌Siri‌ delay and where things go from here.

OpenAI’s Big Bet That Jony Ive Can Make AI Hardware Work

Posted on May 21, 2025 by faz_business

OpenAI has fully acquired Io, a joint venture it cocreated last year with Jony Ive, the famed British designer behind the sleek industrial aesthetic that defined the iPhone and more than two decades of Apple products.

In a nearly 10-minute video posted to X Wednesday, Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the Apple pioneer’s “creative collective” will “merge with OpenAI to work more intimately with the research, engineering, and product teams in San Francisco.” OpenAI says it’s paying $5 billion dollars in equity to acquire io.

The promotional video included musings on technology from both Ive and Altman, set against the golden-hour backdrop of the streets of San Francisco, but the two never share exactly what it is they’re building. “We look forward to sharing our work next year,” a text statement at the end of the video reads. Given the pair’s emphasis on building a hardware device for the AI era, and Ive’s pedigree at Apple, it’s likely a consumer-facing product.

Io launched last spring as part of a joint project between Ive’s design firm LoveFrom and OpenAI. In the fourth quarter of last year, Io and OpenAI entered into an official agreement for OpenAI to receive a 23 percent stake in io. Now, OpenAI is buying the entity outright.

The merger is a slightly complicated one. The Io team was made up of 55 people prior to this announcement. Now it will expand to include both io and OpenAI employees—hardware and software engineers, physicists, scientists, and “experts in product development and manufacturing,” according to a blog post on OpenAI’s website. Ive and Lovefrom will manage the creative design process. But Ive himself will remain independent, OpenAI says, and his firm LoveFrom will continue to operate as a separate entity. The io team will instead report into Peter Welinder, OpenAI’s vice president of product, who has worked at OpenAI for eight and a half years.

Io’s founding team has major design chops. Beyond Ive, the founders include Evans Hankey and Tang Tan, who both worked at Apple. Those who’ve worked closely with them say they’re known to hire people whom they believe have exceptional taste.

By bringing on Ive, OpenAI is officially embarking on what is likely one of the more ambitious AI hardware project to date. A number of other major tech companies, including Meta and Google, have tried developing AI-powered devices such as smartglasses in recent years, but mainstream adoption of the technology has been slow and some devices have been plagued by glitches.

Humane, another high-profile AI hardware startup founded by former Apple employees, debuted a wearable device in late 2023. Reviewers later found the device, a pin, was susceptible to overheating and a number of other issues. Less than two years later, Humane’s devices were pulled from the market and its operating system software and patents were sold to printer giant HP.

The joint effort between Altman and Ive was spurred by advancements in AI and also compute power. In its blog post, OpenAI wrote that “computers are now seeing, thinking and understanding.”

Altman reportedly has hardware ambitions beyond the generative AI software his company develops and sells, and Ive has seemingly been eager to make new imprints in the design world since he left Apple in 2019. “I have a growing sense that everything I have learned over the past 30 years has led me to this moment,” Ive said in the video. “While I am both anxious and excited about the responsibility of the substantial work ahead, I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such an important collaboration.”

24 Best Wireless Chargers (2025), Tested and Reviewed

Posted on March 23, 2025 by faz_business

Other Wireless Chargers We Tested

Baseus Nomos a rectangular charging station with a panel angled upward to prop a phone against

There are a lot of wireless chargers. Here are a few more we like, but for one reason or another don’t warrant a place above.

Baseus Nomos 5-in-1 Charging Station for $150: If you liked the PicoGo W2 above but need more gadget-charging power, this 5-in-1 could be worth a look. It also has a tilting pad and retractable USB-C cable, but adds two more USB-C ports and one USB-A, along with a stats-filled display. It’s perfect for your desktop. I also tried and quite liked the Baseus Nomos 8-in-1 Magnetic Charging Station ($90), which combines a similar folding Qi2 pad with three US AC outlets, three USB-C ports, and one USB-A.

Rapport London Formula Wireless Charging Tray for $475: Yes, this is an obscene price for a Qi wireless charger. You can probably make a version for a fraction of the cost. But Rapport’s build quality is quite nice, with a lacquered grey box and a soft-touch fabric to keep your watches and phone scratch-free. It reliably recharged several Android phones without making them too warm, all while offering storage for a few watches. It’s attractive, but you have to have cash to burn at this price.

Belkin BoostCharge Pro Convertible Magnetic Wireless Charging Stand for $45: This Qi2-certified stand has a magnetic pad that can lay flat to charge older phones or fold out to act as a stand for MagSafe iPhones and other Qi2 phones in portrait or landscape orientation (handy for StandBy mode). It charges at up to 15 watts and comes with a 5-foot USB-C to USB-C cable and a power supply.

Casetify PowerThru 2-in-1 Charging Stand for $92: If you want a charger for your MagSafe iPhone and AirPods (or other earbuds), this one from Casetify is a decent pick. It has a squared-off base with an indent for AirPods, a metallic rod, and a slightly adjustable MagSafe pad for your iPhone that charges at 7.5 watts. I don’t love the visible logo around the pad or the options with basketball courts and other designs for the base, and it has a bright LED.

Apple MagSafe Charger for $46: Apple’s MagSafe charger is quite basic. Since the charger magnetically stays attached to MagSafe iPhones, you don’t have to worry about accidental misalignments causing you to wake up to a dead device. There’s no charging adapter but this is the version with the longer 2-meter cable.

Courant Catch:2 Essentials for $150: Wireless chargers should look nice. You shouldn’t settle for anything less! This Courant dual charger oozes luxury with its Belgian linen-wrapped surface (especially in the camel color). I’ve used it by my front door to recharge my partner’s and my wireless earbuds for two years. The rubber feet prevent it from shifting around, but even if there are five coils in this pad, you should try to be precise when you put your device down to charge and make sure the LED lights up to double-check. It comes with a color-matching USB-C cable.

Mobile phone resting on a small charging pad on the edge of a table

Zens Liberty Wireless Charger for $100: I tested the Glass Edition ($140) of this wireless charging pad, and it looks stunning with the 16 overlapping copper coils on display (the standard version has a woolen fabric top). It can charge two devices simultaneously at up to 15 watts apiece, and there’s an optional Apple Watch add-on ($20). As stylish as it is, the price is too high. Because you can see the coils, placement is never an issue, but it’s a bulky charger, the fan is audible at times, and while I had no problem charging my iPhone or AirPods, my Pixel 6 Pro got very warm on this pad.

Zens Liberty Wireless Charger Glass Edition a mobile phone resting on a small charging pad on the edge of a table

Xiaomi Mi 80-W Wireless Charging Stand for $50: By far the fastest wireless charger we have tested, this stand is only worth considering for Xiaomi phones (it seems to charge most other phones at 10 watts or below). I tested with the Xiaomi 13 Ultra (8/10, WIRED Recommends), which tops out at 50 watts (some Xiaomi models can go higher). The unusual sail shape combines a white triangular section with a clear acrylic base that has a subtle groove to hold your phone in place and a gap underneath for the exhaust grill from the noisy fan. The USB-C port and LED indicator are on the back.

Don’t Bother

They can’t all be winners. Here’s a wireless charger we don’t recommend.

Soft black mat with rounded corners on top of a wooden surface

Raycon Magic Mat Pro for $40: I love the idea of a mouse mat with a wireless charging spot for your phone, but the execution here is terrible. The spot is finicky to find, it can’t cope with thick cases, and my Xiaomi 14 Ultra would not charge at all (the camera bump is too big). Raycon says the fake leather is waterproof, but I found it a dud as a mouse mat and uncomfortable to rest my arm and hand on.

Apple reportedly plans to combine its modem with future processors as a single package

Posted on February 24, 2025 by faz_business

Apple introduced its first in-house cellular modem, the C1, last week with the announcement of , and while it didn’t get into too much detail about it, the company reportedly has some big plans for future iterations. According to ’s Mark Gurman, “Apple intends to eventually meld the modem component into the main processor.” Integrating the modem into the main processor could have energy and cost benefits, but that design is still a ways off. We’ll likely see the C2 and C3 without it first, which the company is already testing according to Gurman, and the integrated design won’t follow until “2028 at the earliest

During its unveiling, Apple called the new C1 modem its “most power-efficient modem ever in an iPhone.” The $599 iPhone 16e also has an A18 chip (but with four GPU cores) and supports Apple Intelligence, even if that’s not .

Tag: iPhone

How to Set Up a Smartphone for Elderly Loved Ones

Add Shortcuts for Useful Tasks or Apps

Consider a Simple Launcher (Android Only)

Increase the Font Size

Apple’s Founding Papers Return to Auction, Could Fetch Up to $4 Million

This Free App Unlocks AirPods Features on Android Devices

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Don’t Bother

Apple reportedly plans to combine its modem with future processors as a single package