behavior Archives

AppWizard

October 6, 2026

Google accused of overcharging 20 mil consumers in UK class action

On October 6, Google faced a legal challenge for allegedly imposing excessive charges on Android app developers for over a decade, inflating prices on the Play Store and affecting approximately 20 million customers in the UK. The case, initiated at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London, claims Google's 30% commission on digital purchases violates competition law, with potential payouts of £1.2 billion for consumers affected since 2015. Lawyers argue that Google has exploited its market dominance to impose unfair prices, while Google denies any anti-competitive behavior. The scrutiny of app stores has increased globally, with both Google and Apple facing regulatory challenges, including fines imposed on Apple by the EU and a €430 million fine on Google for restricting app developers. The current case follows a ruling that Apple abused its dominant position, indicating potential changes in app store regulations.

AppWizard

October 6, 2026

My favorite open-source Android screen mirroring app is now way faster

Scrcpy 5.0 is a lightweight, open-source tool for screen mirroring Android phones to PCs, released by developer Romain Vimont on GitHub. Key features include: - Native hardware-accelerated video decoding, reducing desktop CPU usage by up to 10 times. - Improved input latency due to offloading video decoding to the graphics card. - Enhanced audio capture capabilities, allowing capture of all audio streams. - Official native Windows on ARM64 binaries for Snapdragon-powered laptops. - Bug fixes and refinements, including improved video buffering and resolution of keypress dropping bugs. Hardware decoding is enabled by default, with an option for users to control or disable it. Scrcpy 5.0 follows the previous version's enhancements in flex display handling.

AppWizard

October 6, 2026

Free-to-play playtime is broadly flat as gacha RPGs drive PC growth, says Newzoo

The Newzoo analysis indicates that the share of playtime for free-to-play (F2P) games is expected to decrease by 2.9 percentage points from 2021 to 2025, reaching 29.3%, although total hours spent on these games remain stable. The decline is linked to the rise of premium games and platforms like Roblox, with F2P playtime on PC increasing while it wanes on consoles. The number of F2P live-service launches peaked at 36 in 2017 but has since dropped by 31%, averaging 14.7 titles from 2023 to 2025. Revenue concentration among the top five F2P titles is decreasing, with their share on consoles falling from 79% in 2021 to 72% in 2025, and from 68% to 65% on PC. Gacha games are growing significantly, with major titles expected to increase from three in 2021 to 17 by 2025, and PC gacha playtime rising by 92%. RPGs are the only F2P genre gaining market share on both platforms, with PC RPG playtime increasing by 5.3 percentage points to 14.3%. New releases include EA Sports Madden NFL 27 debuting at No. 2 on console and Big Walk at No. 3 on PC.

AppWizard

October 5, 2026

Android Auto 17.7 Is Here: Here’s What the Update Really Brings

Google has released an update to Android Auto, version 17.7, which refines the autoplay feature, allowing users to disable it entirely and preventing rarely used apps from launching automatically. Media controls are now accessible directly from the dashboard for browser streams and YouTube background audio. The waveform media player, introduced in version 16.0, has received enhancements for better navigation and album cover adaptability. Google’s AI assistant, Gemini, continues to have issues with incomplete responses despite recognizing commands. Upcoming features include 3D navigation, a weather widget, and video streaming capabilities, expected by the end of the year. The update also includes a new green app icon, with many changes being server-side updates.

AppWizard

October 3, 2026

Gemini for Android Auto is just giving up on answers for some drivers

The introduction of Gemini for Android Auto has faced significant challenges since its launch, with users reporting issues such as commands failing to execute and the system pausing without providing answers. A video shared on Reddit highlighted this behavior, which does not appear to be related to signal strength or question complexity. The problem has been observed across various device brands, including Google’s Pixel, Samsung, and Motorola, with no acknowledgment from Google regarding the complaints.

Winsage

October 3, 2026

Windows 11 Spotted Keeping Thumbnails of Deleted Photos

Windows 11 uses a thumbnail caching mechanism to store previews of images in specific databases located in %LocalAppData%MicrosoftWindowsExplorer, such as thumbcache32.db and thumbcache1024.db. When a user deletes an image, the corresponding thumbnail may remain in the cache, as deletion does not automatically remove it from the thumbnail database. The cache retains only reduced versions of images, not the original files, which is significant in digital forensics where thumbnails can provide insights even when original files are missing. Users can manage their thumbnail cache using the cleanmgr tool to clear saved thumbnails or disable thumbnail caching through the Local Group Policy Editor or File Explorer settings.

AppWizard

October 2, 2026

Google confirms Android Auto updates & fixes for media apps – the squiggly line is here to stay

Google has announced enhancements to Android Auto, particularly for media applications. A key feature allows users to control media playback from any app, including YouTube, but does not enable browsing app content directly. A redesigned media app player has been introduced for apps like Spotify and YouTube Music, providing easier access to playback controls and optimizing for various screen sizes. Users will soon be able to swipe between active media sessions from the dashboard widget, improving multitasking while driving. Improvements have been made to the autoplay function, ensuring that media apps not recently used will not be selected for autoplay, and Android Auto will recognize user behavior patterns regarding autoplay. The new "squiggly line" design for the media player has been confirmed as a permanent addition, aimed at providing a clearer visual representation of track progress.

Winsage

October 1, 2026

Windows XP had a hidden database of broken apps, and Microsoft used it to trick them into working

Windows XP, released in 2001, was designed with a hidden compatibility database to support legacy software. This database, located in the C:WINDOWSAppPatch folder, contained approximately 200 compatibility fixes at launch and utilized a sophisticated matching system based on file size, checksum, version, and date. Windows XP could modify its behavior for specific applications through the use of shims, which acted as intermediaries to adjust application calls to the Windows API. Notable shims included Win98VersionLie, which faked the Windows version for compatibility, and EmulateHeap, which replicated the Windows 95 memory management style. Microsoft recognized that blocking applications relying on undocumented features could hinder user upgrades, as many organizations depended on legacy software. The compatibility fixes were managed through DLLs in the AppPatch folder, allowing the core operating system files to remain unchanged. Microsoft continued to enhance XP's compatibility with updates even years after its release.

Winsage

October 1, 2026

Microsoft Enables Windows Settings Backup by Default

Microsoft has announced that Windows settings backup will now be enabled by default on eligible Windows 11 version 26H2 devices. This feature, previously known as Windows Backup for Organizations, automatically preserves users’ Windows settings and Microsoft Store app lists, facilitating restoration after device resets, replacements, or reimages. The change aims to minimize disruptions during device recovery and ensures more devices have recovery data readily available. Administrators will still control the restore process, which requires explicit configuration. The default-on behavior applies only to Windows 11 version 26H2 or later, devices with the backup policy in a “Not Configured” state, and excludes certain environments. Administrators can disable the backup feature if necessary.

Winsage

October 1, 2026

Microsoft enables Windows settings backup by default for orgs

Microsoft has updated its Windows settings backup and restore functionality, now automatically enabled for all enterprise systems joined to Microsoft Entra or operating in a hybrid environment after upgrading to Windows 11 version 26H2. The backup tool, previously known as Windows Backup for Organizations, is designed to facilitate the backup and restoration of essential Windows settings for enterprise users during device resets, replacements, upgrades, or reimaging. Originally introduced in November 2024, it became generally available by August 2025. The backup policy will be activated by default for eligible devices following the release of Windows 11, version 26H2 on September 29, 2025, unless administrators have previously configured the policy. The automatic backup feature applies to devices running Windows 11 26H2 in regions not governed by the EU Digital Markets Act and does not require explicit admin configuration for restoring Windows devices. IT administrators can control the backup policy through mobile device management solutions like Microsoft Intune or Group Policy.