Discord said today it’s rolling out age verification on its platform globally starting next month, when it will automatically set all users’ accounts to a “teen-appropriate” experience unless they demonstrate that they’re adults. From a report: Users who aren’t verified as adults will not be able to access age-restricted servers and channels, won’t be able to speak in Discord’s livestream-like “stage” channels, and will see content filters for any content Discord detects as graphic or sensitive. They will also get warning prompts for friend requests from potentially unfamiliar users, and DMs from unfamiliar users will be automatically filtered into a separate inbox.

[…] A government ID might still be required for age verification in its global rollout. According to Discord, to remove the new “teen-by-default” changes and limitations, “users can choose to use facial age estimation or submit a form of identification to [Discord’s] vendor partners, with more options coming in the future.” The first option uses AI to analyze a user’s video selfie, which Discord says never leaves the user’s device. If the age group estimate (teen or adult) from the selfie is incorrect, users can appeal it or verify with a photo of an identity document instead. That document will be verified by a third party vendor, but Discord says the images of those documents “are deleted quickly — in most cases, immediately after age confirmation.”

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Getting a little bit of extra juice into your phone before you leave your house in the morning could make the difference between the device still having power at the end of the day or not. But there are multiple factors that affect charging rate, and you might not be aware of all of them.

Run through the tips here, however, and you can be sure your phone is always charging up as quickly as possible.

Use a wired power source

To begin with, you’re going to get your phone charged a lot faster if you plug it directly into a power source rather than putting it on a wireless charger. Wireless charging offers a lot of convenience, and is gradually getting faster and faster as far as charging rates go, but wired charging is still a long way ahead.

Take the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, for example: You get a maximum charging rate of 45W with a wired connection, and 15W with a wireless connection over Qi2. That means the handset is going to take around three times longer to charge its battery via wireless charging. The figures for other handsets are similar.

Wireless charging: convenient but not that fast.
Credit: Google

Not only is wireless charging slower, it’s typically less efficient as well, with more of the power being supplied to the phone lost as heat (due to the way the electricity is converted to a magnetic field and back again). With a cable and a plug, charging is faster, and it’s healthier for your battery as well.

Wired is the way to go if at all possible, and what you plug your phone into makes a difference as well. Wall sockets are very good for charging rates, while anything else is less good—options like laptop USB ports, USB hubs, and sockets you might find on other gadgets such as monitors won’t supply as much power.

Use the right cable and charger

A lot of phones don’t come with a charger and cable in the box these days, but they will have a fast-charging standard and a max charging rate associated with them if you check the specs. You then need to find a charger that matches that charging rate, together with a cable that’s not going to slow anything down.

If you look at the iPhone chargers made by Apple and on sale from its store, there are 20W, 35W, and 60W options—and the latter is going to juice up your handset the fastest. You should also look out for a mention of USB Power Delivery (PD), though this is included on pretty much every charger you’ll find at this stage.

Not all charging blocks are created equal.
Credit: Apple

We’ve written in-depth before about USB-C cables and charging blocks, and these will again list a charging rate along with them (or at least they should). You need to make sure every link in the chain is delivering power at the maximum rate your phone can handle if you want to fully recharge as quickly as possible.

You can use cables and chargers you have lying around for laptops, tablets, and other gadgets with your phone safely enough—the handset will have built-in safety features to prevent it from drawing too much power—but for the best results you’ll generally want to stick with what comes in the box or the officially approved option.

Don’t use your phone while it’s charging

There are a few other tricks you can try if you want to max out charging speed. Think about the amount of power your smartphone is using while it’s actually being charged: If you’re constantly scrolling through social media feeds, watching videos, and playing games, then you’re using precious battery life while recharging.

If you can, put your phone down and leave it alone while it’s charging—you might want to turn off the always-on display to help things a little bit more. For even better results, put your phone into airplane or low power mode, or turn it off entirely while it’s charging (those notifications can wait).

Airplane mode can help charging speeds along.
Credit: Lifehacker

Watch your phone’s temperature

Due to battery chemistry and the safeguards built into modern handsets, charging speeds slow down if your phone gets too hot or too cold. Keep your phone away from sunny window ledges or freezing bathrooms while it’s being charged to maximize charging speed.

It’s a good idea to remove any case around your phone while you’re charging it, to reduce the chances of the battery temperature rising an extra notch, and it’s also worth checking the USB-C charging port on your phone to make sure it’s dust- and lint-free—even a slightly imperfect connection can affect charging speeds.

Monitor charging speed

However you’re charging your phone, both Android and iOS let you keep an eye on how fast the battery is being replenished. If you’ve got a Pixel or Galaxy phone, keep an eye on the charging message at the bottom of the lock screen: This tells you how quickly your phone is being charged, and how long it will be until you reach a full charge.

For most Android devices, you can get more information by opening up the Battery page in Settings, though the details you get here will differ among devices: You should see whether or not fast charging is enabled, and maybe an estimate for how long a full recharge will take, but you won’t typically get an actual wattage reading.

The charging notification on a Pixel.
Credit: Lifehacker

With iPhones, you can visit Battery in Settings to get information about how the battery recharge is going. While there’s not a whole lot of information here, you can get an estimate of how long a charge will take, and you will see a “slow charger” message if your iPhone can support a charging rate faster than that offered by the connected charger.

There are several Android apps that measure charging rate. Ampere is one of the best: It’s free, with extra features (such as widgets and notifications) available for a fee. Note that you need to multiply current x voltage then divide by 1,000 to get the wattage. There isn’t really anything comparable on iOS, unfortunately—what few apps there are appear to be out of date and/or unreliable.

Ferrari has published images of the interior of its forthcoming electric vehicle, which it designed with LoveFrom, the new firm of former Apple star Jony Ive and another legendary designer, Marc Newson. The Italian sports and racing car maker is taking a careful approach to revealing details about its first battery EV, signaling a depth of thought that goes well beyond simply swapping a V12, transmission, and fuel tank out for batteries and electric motors. Indeed, the interior of the new car—called the Ferrari Luce—bears little family resemblance to any recent Ferrari.

Instead, LoveFrom appears to have channeled Ferrari interiors from the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s, with a retro simplicity that combines clear round gauges with brushed aluminum. Forget the capacitive panels that so frustrated me in the Ferrari 296—here, there are physical buttons and rocker switches that seem free of the crash protection surrounds that Mini was forced to use.

The steering wheel now resembles the iconic “Nardi” wheel that has graced so many older Ferraris. But here, the horn buttons have been integrated into the spokes, and multifunction pods hang off the horizontal spokes, allowing Ferrari to keep its “hands on the wheel” approach to ergonomics. Made from entirely CNC-milled recycled aluminum, the Luce’s wheel weighs 400 g less than Ferrari’s usual steering wheel.

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Browser extensions, even ones from trustworthy sources, are not without privacy and security risks. I’ve written before about add-ons that manage to slip through official store safeguards and even some that “wake up” as malware after operating normally for several years, so it should come as no surprise that a host of AI-powered browser extensions—collectively installed by tens of millions of users—may also be invading your privacy.

Researchers at data removal service Incogni looked at browser extensions available in the Chrome Web Store that included “AI” in their name or description and employed AI as part of their core functionality. By analyzing the data collected and permissions required, they assessed both how likely extensions are to be used maliciously and their potential to cause significant damage if compromised.

AI-powered browser extensions collect extensive user data

Incogni found that website content, such as text, images, sounds, videos, and hyperlinks, was the most commonly collected data type (by nearly a third of AI-powered extensions). More than 29% of extensions investigated harvest personally identifiable information (PII)—name, address, email, age, identification number, for example—from users. Other forms of data collected include user activity, authentication information, personal communication, location, financial and payment information, web history, and health information.

The most invasive extensions fall in the programming and mathematical aid category (such as Classology AI and StudyX), followed closely by meeting assistants and audio transcribers. Writing and personal assistants also pose privacy risks—and many of these are also among the most downloaded AI-powered extensions in Chrome.

How popular AI-powered Chrome extensions stack up on privacy

Incogni also assigned “privacy-invasiveness” scores to the most downloaded AI-powered extensions, a combination of the amount of data collected and both general and sensitive permissions required:

1. Grammarly: AI Writing Assistant and Grammar Checker App (tied for #1)

2. Quillbot: AI Writing and Grammar Checker Tool (tied for #1)

3. Sider: Chat wiht all AI (tied for #3)

4. AI Grammar Checker & Paraphraser — LanguageTool (tied for #3)

5. Google Translate (tied for #4)

6. WPS PDF — Read, Edit, Fill, Convert, and AI Chat PDF with Ease (tied for #4)

7. Monica: All-in-One AI Assist (tied for #4)

8. AI Chat for Google (tied for #4)

9. Immersive Translate — Translate Web & PDF

10. ChatGPT search

Grammarly and Quillbot were found to collect PII and website content as well as location data like region, IP address, and GPS coordinates. Grammarly also harvest user activity through network monitoring, clicks, mouse and scroll positions, and keystroke logging. While both also require sensitive permissions—such as the ability to inject code into websites and access active browser tabs—they have a relatively low risk of being used maliciously.

How to protect your personal information

Browser extensions that use AI aren’t inherently bad, but you should be aware of what information they are collecting and what permissions they are requiring. The most common type of sensitive permissions required are scripting, which allows the extension to interact with pages as you navigate online, as well as activeTab, which lets it read or modify the page for the current session.

When adding an extension (or installing an app or program), carefully review the permissions requested. If they aren’t essential to the extension’s functionality–or if they are but don’t seem justified—you may be putting your data or device at risk by allowing them. As Incogni points out, users have to decide how much privacy to sacrifice in order to use apps and services.

Apple’s 2026 has already brought us the AirTag 2 and a new Creator Studio app subscription aimed at independent content creators, but nothing so far for the company’s main product families.

That could change soon, according to reporting from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. New versions of Apple’s low-end iPhone, the basic iPad and iPad Air, and the higher-end MacBook Pros are said to be coming “imminently,” “soon,” and “shortly,” respectively, ahead of planned updates later in the year for the iPad mini, Studio Display, and other Mac models.

Here’s what we think we know about the hardware that’s coming.

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Apple’s USB-C Magic Mouse is back on sale for about $11 off its usual retail price of $79. At $68, that’s a savings of 14 percent for one of Apple’s best accessories from a company that does not often run sales.

The multi-touch mouse was first released in 2009 with a modest refresh released in 2015 and the addition of a USB-C port in 2024. The rechargeable mouse features gesture controls and automatically pairs with your Mac when connected via USB. The Magic Mouse can also be used with an iPad via Bluetooth, or with a Windows PC, though in that case, functionality would be limited.

Famously, Jony Ive’s design of the Magic Mouse sees its charge port on the underside of the body, rendering it unusable while charging. In 2024 there were rumors of a more comprehensive redesign coming but nothing has materialized since.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-magic-mouse-drops-to-only-68-152708721.html?src=rss

The AI boom has revived a workplace philosophy that China’s own regulators cracked down on years ago: the 72-hour work week, known as 996 for its 9am-to-9pm, six-days-a-week cadence. US startups flush with venture capital are now openly advertising it as a feature, not a bug. Rilla, a New York-based AI company that monitors sales reps in the field, warns applicants on its careers page to expect roughly 70-hour weeks. Browser-Use, a seven-person startup building tools for AI-to-browser interaction, operates out of a shared “hacker house” where the line between living and working barely exists.

In a market where dozens of startups are racing to ship similar AI products, founders believe longer hours buy them a competitive edge. But the research disagrees. A WHO and ILO analysis tied 55-plus-hour weeks to 745,000 deaths from stroke and heart disease globally in 2016 alone. Michigan State University found that an employee working 70 hours produces nearly the same output as one working 50.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

If you receive an event invitation via email, verify it’s legit before you RSVP, as you may not actually be invited to anything. Malwarebytes Labs has identified a new scam in which threat actors are using party invites to trick users into installing a remote access tool (RAT) that gives them full control over infected devices. (This specific campaign seems to be limited to the UK, but similar tactics could easily spread.)

These malicious invites contain a ScreenConnect installer

The scam starts with an innocuous-looking email invitation with an informal “Save the Date” vibe that may appear to come from a friend or acquaintance. The message contains a link to “View Invitation” for event details. If you click through, you’ll end up on a landing page with a bold “You’re Invited” header and a button to download your invitation, but you don’t actually need to take any further action—your browser automatically triggers the download of a .msi file, which is not actually a party invitation or RSVP form but an installer.

The MSI silently installs ScreenConnect Client, a legitimate IT support tool that allows remote access into the user’s machine. Once this connection is established, attackers have the ability to see your screen, control your mouse and keyboard, and upload or download files—even if you restart your computer. All of this happens in the background with no obvious indicators that a remote access tool has been installed and is now running, so victims are unlikely to have cause for concern.

You should know these remote access red flags

As Malwarebytes points out, this scheme is successful because it relies on normal human behavior around a seemingly low-risk situation: opening an event invitation. What’s unusual is that there’s little pressure or urgency in the initial message. Instead, the landing page has language like “a friend has sent you an invitation” and “I opened mine and it was so easy,” which is a form of social proof that guides users to take the desired action.

You should always be alert to unsolicited invites sent via regular email with a link to an external site as well as any communication that prompts you to download or install software. These days, invitations are commonly delivered through apps and digital services like Partiful, Paperless Post, Evite, or Apple Invites, which are generally more trustworthy than random emails with hyperlinked text. If you’re unsure whether the invite is real, verify with the sender through another channel before clicking or downloading anything.

As mentioned, victims of this scam may not immediately notice that a RAT has been installed on their device. But there are some red flags, such as unexplained cursor movement or windows opening or closing on their own. You can check your machine for a file named “RSVPPartyInvitationCard.msi” or a service called ScreenConnect Client with additional random characters in the title.

If you’ve already downloaded ScreenConnect from a malicious invite, Malwarebytes recommends disconnecting from the internet and uninstalling the program immediately. Run a security scan to check your device for malware, and change important passwords from a separate device.

The first PlayStation State of Play livestream of 2026 has been announced. The stream will take place on February 12 at 5PM ET. It will run for over an hour and feature PlayStation Studios titles as well as third-party projects and indie games that are bound for PS5. You can watch it on PlayStation’s official YouTube channel (in English, Japanese or with English subtitles) or on Twitch.

As the first State of Play of the year, Sony is going to want to drum up some more hype for its upcoming release slate. Since Bungie’s Marathon is due to arrive on March 5, that will surely make an appearance. MLB The Show 26, which is out on March 17, will likely get a look in too. We could also get another peek at Saros, the highly anticipated follow-up to Housemarque’s Returnal, which will arrive on March 20. A new trailer for Marvel’s Wolverine isn’t out of the question, but Sony could wait until a summer showcase to give us another look at that one. 

The last State of Play took place in November, but that one was focused solely on games coming out of Asia and Japan. Before that, Sony also had a showcase during Tokyo Game Show in September, which featured a first look at gameplay from the aforementioned Wolverine, which is due to arrive later in 2026.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/the-first-playstation-state-of-play-of-2026-will-air-on-february-12-145747775.html?src=rss

A big day in streaming has finally arrived: HBO Max has finally announced it’s coming to the United Kingdom and Ireland. The two countries join over 110 territories worldwide that already offer HBO Max. Some HBO shows, like Euphoria, have already been available in these regions through other platforms. HBO Max will bring titles like The Pitt, One Battle After Another and Sinners. It will also air the upcoming Harry Potter series. 

An HBO Max subscription will be available in the UK and Ireland starting on Thursday, March 26. Plans will start at Basic with Ads for £5 per month, offering all titles except movies that first stream on HBO Max after a theatrical release. Then there’s Standard with Ads for £6 per month, which includes those releases and 30 downloads. Both can stream on two devices at a time. 

Anyone who wants an ad-free experience can purchase a Standard or Premium plan. The former has all titles available on two devices, up to 30 downloads and, of course, no ads. The Premium plan comes with four devices in 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Atmos — if the system has capabilities. 

Interestingly, the expanded area comes as Netflix prepares to own Warner Bros., including HBO and HBO Max. While there’s no indication of whether this had any influence, Netflix has long been available in the UK and Ireland. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/hbo-max-is-finally-coming-to-the-uk-and-ireland-145126162.html?src=rss