🍏 Apple’s iDrop: Tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT, Apple will roll out its new, smarter Siri, along with the ultralight iPhone 17 Air, base iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max. We’ll also see Apple Watches and smart home gear. Stream it on YouTube or Apple’s site. I’m just hoping the iRon will work with the iWash, iCook and iClean network. (That was so bad, it was so good!)
VPNs that spy on you
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Using a VPN? Better make sure it’s not on this list.
VPNs are supposed to keep you safe. They encrypt your internet traffic and hide your location from hackers, ISPs and creepy ad trackers.
But what if the app was secretly collecting browsing data, location, everything you type, anything you do, then selling it all to who knows who?
You guessed it. Researchers just flagged at least 21 free VPN apps for being dangerously insecure and misleading. They look totally different on the surface, i.e., security-centric names, flashy logos and even glowing customer reviews. Spoiler: Some are linked to communist China.
⚠️ These aren’t obscure apps
These VPNs racked up almost a billion downloads on the Apple App Store and Google Play. That’s huge.
Here are the VPNs to delete right now:
Turbo VPN, Turbo VPN Lite, VPN Monster, VPN Proxy Master, VPN Proxy Master – Lite, Snap VPN, Robot VPN, SuperNet VPN, VPNIFY, VPN Proxy OvpnSpider, WireVPN – Fast VPN & Proxy, Now VPN, Speedy Quark VPN, Best VPN Proxy AppVPN, HulaVPN, PearlVPN, Signal Secure VPN, VPN Guru, SmartVPN, iRocketVPN, and LinkVPN.
🚫 How to remove a shady VPN
Simply deleting these apps isn’t enough. You need to do more. Note: I’ve checked the steps, but these may vary depending on your device’s make, model and operating system version.
📱 On iPhone and iPad:
- Tap and hold the app icon, then select Remove App > Delete App.
- Go to Settings > General > VPN & Device Management. If you see a VPN configuration tied to the app, tap it and hit Delete VPN.
- Restart your phone to clear any cached data.
$425 million
That’s how much Google owes for ignoring your “do not track” setting. Apparently, when you said “no thanks” to being tracked, Google heard “just a little bit.” The fine’s big, but considering the plaintiffs asked for $31 billion, it’s more of a slap than a shutdown.
▶️ YouTube PiP on Chromebook: You can keep a YouTube video running while working on other tasks. Place your cursor on the video player, double-tap with two fingers on the touchpad, and select Picture in picture. A floating window will appear that you can resize and move anywhere on your screen.
🔌 Go ahead, walk into an EV dealership and ask how much they charge: So here’s the scoop: People are picking up brand-new electric cars for less than $100/month. One guy leased a $65,000 Kia EV9 for $189. It’s all because tax credits are about to expire on Sept. 30, and dealers are basically handing out keys like coupons. If your car’s dying, run, don’t walk to your local EV dealer.
One scientist ran the math and decided immortality is basically just a software update away
One scientist ran the math and decided immortality is basically just a software update away. So yeah, your great-great-great-great-great-grandkids could still be waiting on you to Venmo them.
🎥 Welles, Welles, Welles, what do we have here? AI studio Showrunner is trying to rebuild Orson Welles’ butchered masterpiece The Magnificent Ambersons. The missing 43 minutes were burned for storage space in 1942. Now, AI + live actors + face-swapping tech are piecing it back together. Amazon is backing it, but without the movie rights, it’s just a very expensive Frankenstein film.
Channeling bad vibes: Get a call about a 50% discount on your Comcast bill? It’s also a scam. They’ll ask you to call back the number on your caller ID. Don’t. That’s a burner phone set up to grab your bank or credit card info. If it sounds too good to be true and comes from Comcast? You know the drill. PSA: Look for other cable companies to be used the same way to steal your money.
🚌 Scams on wheels: Maybe you’ve seen those Facebook posts like “Win this luxury motor home!” Yeah, they’re scams. You comment, click a sketchy link, give up your info. And that RV? Stolen photo. No prize. Just scams, inconvenience and crushed dreams. There’s taking a camper to go fishing, and then there’s getting phished by a camper.
1,289 Mbps
That’s the download speed Amazon’s satellite internet just flexed. Basically, it downloaded an entire HD movie in the time it takes you to tie your shoes. But don’t get too excited, that speed came from a fancy business-grade dish, not the one you’d actually get. Still, it’s a flashy preview of what might be coming (eventually).
🤝 Free Perplexity, kinda: If you use PayPal or Venmo, they’re handing you a free year of Perplexity Pro (normally $200) and early access to its AI browser. Just tap a button in the app. Only catch? You’re paying with your data, obviously. And yes, it auto-renews at the $200 price, because of course it does.
🔥 Free up space on Fire Stick: You don’t need to delete apps to boost performance. Go to Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications. Open each app on the list, select Clear Cache and hit Confirm. This removes junk files while keeping the app and your login details saved.
🏡 Don’t buy any Google Home products now: On Oct. 1, looks like at least one new Nest Cam and doorbell with Gemini built in will drop. That means natural language commands, like asking for recipes, getting info on everyday topics and troubleshooting home appliances. And yes, there’ll be both free and paid versions. I’ll keep you posted.
Makin’ a comeback: AirPods are out, tangled cords are in. Celebs like Emma Watson and Harry Styles are bringing back wired headphones, and Gen Z is riding the nostalgia wave straight to 2007. No charging. No losing one earbud at brunch. If your headphones aren’t in an impossible knot, are you even cool?
👀 Window shopping: Amazon’s new Lens Live tool lets you point your phone at anything (shoes, furniture, a dog backpack) and buy a dupe instantly. It’s like Google Lens but with a checkout button. AI even tells you if it’s a good deal. Goodbye, self-control. Hello, impulse cart at 2 a.m.
🔞 Ad clicked, life ruined: Watch out! Fake TradingView ads on Facebook hand you an app that asks for your PIN while pretending to “update.” It’s called Brokewell, which feels a little too on the nose. Because, well, you end up broke. Once in, it watches your screen, steals your money and sends your texts to its weird little hacker god.
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🎤 When the main chord is an AI power cord: Meet Oliver McCann, a guy who can’t sing, play or strum a guitar. But with a chatbot, he’s pumping out everything from indie pop to country rap. One track hit 3 million streams and landed him a record deal. Here’s what AI sounds like. Fake it until you stream it.
Whack-a-stream: Cops just shut down a massive Streameast copycat that pulled 1.6 billion visits last year, more traffic than Twitter. The site streamed 10,000 illegal sports events and laundered $6.2M through a fake UAE company before Egyptian police raided it and arrested two guys. Plot twist: the real Streameast? Still online. Still streaming.