All posts tagged: switching

Home Hub Code Hints at Face-Based Profile Switching

Home Hub Code Hints at Face-Based Profile Switching

Published by skeptic

Apple’s upcoming home hub will support multiple profiles and will include “ambient sensing” for identity verification, according to code we found in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 update. The accessory will show Personal Content for different users in the home, with options to select a profile via Control Center or the Settings app on the device. The home hub is expected to have an operating system similar to tvOS, so the Control Center and profile selection options might look like those on the Apple TV. It sounds like the home hub can switch between profiles automatically using some combination of cameras and sensors, based on the mentions of ambient sensing. The device is rumored to include cameras and a presence-sensing feature to determine when someone is in the room, so it will be able to tell who is near it and switch profiles appropriately. Here are some of the code strings. Sorry, I’m not sure who you are. To access your Personal Content, you’ll need to select yourself in Control Center. Before I can help with …

I tested T-Mobile on my own phone for two weeks before switching, and it cost me nothing

I tested T-Mobile on my own phone for two weeks before switching, and it cost me nothing

Published by skeptic

The grass is always greener on the other side… or is it? When you’re subscribed to an expensive unlimited 5G plan, you remember all the mass outages, coverage dead zones, and throttled speeds. It’s easy to think that switching to another mobile carrier will solve your connectivity woes. The big three U.S. carriers — AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile — are always trying to poach each other’s customers. They might even offer you a sweet deal and pay off your existing contract to get you to jump ship. You won’t know whether the coverage, speed, and reliability is better than your carrier’s until after you switch. At least, that’s how it used to work. Now, it’s easier than ever to test a new phone plan on your current device before you switch. There’s no cost and no commitment, and T-Mobile will let you try out a 5G plan for 30 days. I turned off my AT&T line and downloaded a trial T-Mobile eSIM for two weeks, and the experience wasn’t what I expected. I had always …

I was loyal to T-Mobile for 10 years, but switching to Mint slashed my bill – by a lot

I was loyal to T-Mobile for 10 years, but switching to Mint slashed my bill – by a lot

Published by skeptic

Kerry Wan/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. Just a week ago, a T-Mobile outage affected thousands of customers nationwide, and depending on your choice of words when conversing with a service representative, you were compensated anywhere from $10 to $80 in bill credits. Fun, right? Had I still been a part of the magenta family, I likely would’ve experienced the frustration of my in-laws, who were outside a concert venue that day, waiting to regain any bit of signal to validate their tickets in the 90-degree weather. Also: Hit by T-Mobile’s outage? You can get up to $80 in credit – here’s how Instead, I had already switched to Mint, a smaller but more humble conglomerate, after more than a decade as a T-Mobile customer. The decision was easy, and the lower price wasn’t the only reason. Here’s why you should probably change, too.  The big carrier traps When it comes to picking a mobile service provider, big carriers like T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T seem like the obvious choices. The extensive marketing …

Bars are switching focus back to Gen X as younger Gen Z stops drinking

Bars are switching focus back to Gen X as younger Gen Z stops drinking

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Partying like it’s 1999 is paying off for bar owners, who are embracing old-school events, classic hits and earlier happy hours to bring in Gen X as Gen Z drinks less. While alcohol consumption among younger Americans fell to historic lows in 2024, Gen X largely maintained its drinking habits, according to a University of Michigan study tracking adults ages 19 to 65. That shift has led venues such as Philadelphia’s Trestle Inn to target customers born between 1965 and 1980 with throwback celebrations designed around their preferences, including events that start earlier and end well before midnight. The Trestle Inn recently hosted a Prince-themed dance party where owner Ian Cross said a mostly over-50 crowd filled the dance floor by 7:30 p.m., sipping …

A Study Found Asthma Improves After Switching From a Gas Stove to Electric

A Study Found Asthma Improves After Switching From a Gas Stove to Electric

Published by skeptic

When you turn on your gas stove to cook, it releases various air pollutants that may cause detrimental health effects.Javier Zayas Photography/Getty Images The gas vs. electric debate continues when it comes to which stove is best — and safest — for your kitchen. Published in early July, a study by the MetroHealth System, a Northeast Ohio hospital and academic medical center, in collaboration with six community organizations found that participants with asthma reported respiratory improvement after they swapped their gas stoves for electric.  According to one of the researchers, Dr. Ashwini Sehgal, a professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University, in an article published by the nonprofit news organization The Conversation, this is the first study to explore whether switching from a gas to an electric stove can reduce asthma symptoms.  The study’s findings  The study included 85 adults and children in Northeast Ohio with “poorly controlled asthma,” which was based on their symptoms, use of emergency medication and activity limitations. Each participant logged this information not only for one to four weeks …

Switching From iPhone to Android Just Got Easier With Android 17

Switching From iPhone to Android Just Got Easier With Android 17

Published by skeptic

Android 17 includes a wireless native migration experience for transferring more types of data from an iPhone, making the process of switching to an Android device easier. Google says the upgraded method allows Google Accounts, passwords, Wi-Fi credentials, and eSIMs to be transferred. It also supports photos, videos, contacts, messages, and calendars, like the prior version of the switching tool. Data transfers require an iPhone with iOS 26.3 or later. Both Apple and Google had to implement iPhone and Android transfer tools that work without an app to comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act. When you set up a new Android smartphone or iPhone, there are now simple built-in options to transfer data from a competing platform. Before the on-device transfer options, Google and Apple offered apps for moving data. The Digital Markets Act requires services to offer data portability to prevent lock-in to an operating system. It also forced Apple and Google to implement a simplified eSIM transfer process. Android 17 with the new data transfer method has been rolling out to …

iPhone Loyalty Rate Climbs to 87% as Switching to Android Slows

iPhone Loyalty Rate Climbs to 87% as Switching to Android Slows

Published by skeptic

iPhone owners are sticking with the platform at a higher rate than a year ago, with new research firm CIRP putting iPhone loyalty at 87% for the first quarter of 2026. CIRP’s latest quarterly survey found that just 12% of new iPhone buyers in the March quarter had come over from an Android phone, with the remaining 1% arriving from a feature phone, a different smartphone platform, or buying a smartphone for the first time. That puts loyalty three percentage points above the same quarter a year earlier, when 14% of buyers switched from Android and the overall loyalty figure sat at 84%. The firm has been tracking this movement for years by asking iPhone buyers what device they owned right before their purchase, among other questions about how they shop. Across the periods it measured recently, the share of buyers coming from Android has held in a fairly narrow 11% to 15% band, a much smaller pool of switchers than in the iPhone’s early years, when Apple was still expanding beyond AT&T to other …

Why I’m using wired Android Auto when all the cool kids are switching to wireless

Why I’m using wired Android Auto when all the cool kids are switching to wireless

Published by skeptic

Kerry Wan/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Using a wired Android Auto setup greatly reduces latency issues. Other benefits include better audio streaming quality and less overheating. There are useful accessories that can resolve traditional wiring issues. I’ve been using Android Auto since I bought my first car a few years ago, and while I’ve raved about the luxury of wireless connectivity, I recently had a change of heart. While a wireless setup, whether through an adapter or your car’s native receiver, makes pairing your Android phone with your vehicle less of a burden, the technology’s caveats have become increasingly apparent — especially during the summer.  Also: I tried Google Maps’ new 3D Immersive View for Android Auto, and it fixed my biggest navigation problems One pitfall is the consistently noticeable battery drain, with my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 often losing about 10% of its power during a one-way commute. Hot temperatures and always-on navigation will do that, so I’m not too surprised. Then there are the occasional …

I went back to the default Windows Start menu after two years of replacements and I am not switching again

I went back to the default Windows Start menu after two years of replacements and I am not switching again

Published by skeptic

I went back to the default Windows Start menu after two years of replacements, and I am not switching again. I love customizing my devices and making them feel like an extension of my style, whether it’s customizing my smartphone or my desktop. For years, I relied on third-party Start menu apps because the default Windows Start menu felt too limiting. I did try to tweak the default Start menu in every way and still felt restricted. A few months ago, I decided to give it another try. To my surprise, the Start menu has improved enough that I no longer feel the need for a third-party replacement. A few simple changes were all it took to make it work the way I wanted. Related This App Helped Me Completely Overhaul Windows 11 A fresh look is better! It wasn’t really about the looks Screenshot by Pankil Shah — No attribution required I am not someone who slaps an old-looking theme onto something modern. I never wanted to have that Windows 7 or Windows 10 …