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Three Years After Vanishing, Sonos Brings Speaker Controls Back to the iPhone Lock Screen
Through Apple's Live Activities system, Sonos is bringing speaker playback status and controls back to the iPhone lock screen — a feature that actually existed back in 2016, but got pulled in 2023 due to framework incompatibility.
Germany's Antitrust Regulator Cracks Down: Apple Ordered to Fix Privacy Pop-Up That "Discourages" Third-Party Apps
Germany's Federal Cartel Office has ruled that Apple's App Tracking Transparency pop-up design favors its own apps, ordering Apple to revise the wording and layout within four months and submit to seven years of oversight.
From 1GB to 1TB: Why USB Flash Drives Can Never Go Back to Small Capacities
Back in 2002, 1GB was top-tier spec. Today, even Kingston's entry-level models start at 64GB. Engadget breaks down the evolution of NAND technology and cost structures to explain why small-capacity flash drives have all but vanished from the market.
Your Phone Isn't Secretly Listening to You—But What It Collects Could Get You Prosecuted
TIDEZINE editors break down how app tracking really works: from device identifiers and sensors to your typing rhythm, every signal you give up builds a profile—one that law enforcement has already used to secure convictions.
Netflix's Lineup Is Tagged Dolby Vision, But Most People Aren't Actually Seeing It
Every Dolby Vision title on Netflix carries that little icon, but from your subscription plan to your screen to your HDMI cable, if just one link in the chain breaks, the picture snaps right back to standard. So where exactly does this chain keep failing?
Your iPhone Has a Life-Saving System Hidden Inside—Have You Set It Up? A Complete Guide to Medical ID and Emergency Contacts
Apple has included Medical ID and Emergency Contacts in iOS since 2014, and first responders know where to find them. The essential controls are tucked inside the Health app and system settings.
GameCube's Mini Disc Wasn't Retro Charm—It Was Nintendo's Calculated Cost Gamble
At just 3.15 inches in diameter, the proprietary disc made GameCube read faster and lighter, but it also meant no DVD playback. That design choice tied together console pricing, piracy prevention, and final sales numbers.
Do You Actually Need Antivirus Software on Android? The Answer Depends on Your Habits
A new analysis from TINDZINE editors finds that most Android users don't need a separate antivirus app, since the built-in Google Play Protect already provides solid protection. But if you sideload apps, use public Wi-Fi, or carry a phone that's out of support, your situation may be different.
OnePlus Exits North America and Europe, and OxygenOS Is Going Away Too: Is It Still Worth Buying?
OnePlus has confirmed its exit from the North American and European markets, with most models now out of stock on its official site, and future software updates set to switch over to ColorOS. Engadget's editor shares his own purchasing experience and weighs in on whether this "last-gen" flagship is still worth buying.
Grok Deepfake Case Adds Fourth Plaintiff: Wyoming Woman Accuses Stepfather of Faking Over 7,000 Nude Photos
A Wyoming woman is suing after her stepfather allegedly used Grok to turn her childhood photos into more than 7,000 explicit images and leak them online. Her stepfather was found dead in his car following a law enforcement search, and the case has now been folded into the class-action lawsuit filed by three Tennessee teens against xAI.
Why Did Old Games Look Better on CRT TVs? A TINDZINE Editor Solves the Mystery with Dithering and Scanlines
TINDZINE editor Igor Bonifacic breaks down the scanlines and deinterlacing tech behind cathode ray tube TVs, explaining why "Final Fantasy Tactics" dropped its dithering effect—proving that retro game visual gaps aren't just simple nostalgia.
Is the MacBook Pro M5 Still Worth It After the $300 Price Hike? TIDEZINE Editors Say: Wait It Out
Apple raised hardware prices across the board in June 2026 due to a memory shortage, with the 1TB MacBook Pro M5 seeing about a $300 increase. TIDEZINE editors suggest: instead of buying now, wait for the rumored MacBook Ultra, or consider stepping down to a cheaper option.
Newegg's GPU Trade-In Deal: You're Paying for Convenience, Not Savings
Newegg's GPU and CPU trade-in service promises a hassle-free upgrade, but according to TINDZINE editors comparing recent eBay sale prices, the same graphics cards often fetch hundreds of dollars less in trade-in value—revealing a clear price gap hiding behind the convenience.
The Moment Your Phone Gets Snatched, Here's What Android's Anti-Theft Settings Do First
Google has built motion sensing and offline disconnection detection directly into Android's anti-theft tools, so your phone can automatically lock the moment it's snatched from your hands. Here's a rundown of the actual steps Samsung and Pixel users need to take to turn these settings on.
Instagram Stories Creator's Latest Project: Retro Wants to Be the Photo Album App You Only Share With Friends
Retro was co-founded by Nathan Sharp, the man who once led Instagram Stories, and it bills itself as a "friends-only photo diary" where you share one photo a week. Engadget spent a week testing it out, and the verdict turned out more mixed than expected.
Android Auto Has a Hidden Developer Menu: The Key Reason It Now Beats CarPlay
Engadget puts Android Auto head-to-head with Apple CarPlay, comparing multi-window layouts, a hidden developer menu, and Gemini vs. Siri, to pinpoint exactly why Google currently has the edge.
You Won't Buy an iPhone Anymore, You'll Just Rent It: Apple Upgrade Program Cuts Monthly Payment to $17.99, But You'll Never Actually Own It
Apple is replacing the iPhone Upgrade Program with the new Apple Upgrade Program, partnering with Klarna to offer interest-free leasing. The monthly payment threshold drops and now covers iPad and Mac too, but finishing your payments no longer means you automatically own the device.
Galaxy Watch 8 Antioxidant Index: The 5-Second Thumb Scan Is Actually Measuring Carotenoids
Samsung's Galaxy Watch 8 comes with a new Antioxidant Index feature—press your thumb on the back sensor for five seconds and get a score from 0 to 100. But what it's actually measuring isn't antioxidants themselves, it's the concentration of carotenoids in your skin.
Meta Files New Patent: Glasses That Don't Just Record You—They'll Know Your Name
From the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses mockingly dubbed "pervert glasses" to a patented system that can automatically tag faces and generate behavior logs, Meta's lenses are evolving from "seeing what's there" to "knowing who it is and what they did."
Qwen 3.8-27B Goes Open Source: 27 Billion Parameters Squeezed Into a Laptop, Benchmarks Are Self-Reported
Alibaba has open-sourced Qwen 3.8-27B, a 27-billion-parameter multimodal model that runs on a laptop once quantized. The company claims it edges out Claude Opus 4.6 Max on several benchmarks — but the numbers haven't been independently verified.
CJ CheilJedang's AI Doesn't Just Spot Trends: Salmon Steak Sells 1.4 Million Units in Six Months
Food AI 360 first launched in Korea last June, then expanded to the US this June. What really makes this platform convincing isn't the pitch—it's two products already on shelves with verifiable sales: Matcha Hetbahn and Bibigo Salmon Steak.
The Bluetooth Audio Ceiling: Beyond the Spec Sheet, Your Phone Is the Real Bottleneck
From SBC to LDAC, a Bluetooth codec's bit rate, bit depth, and sample rate determine the upper limit of your headphones' sound quality — but Apple devices only recognize AAC and SBC, meaning no matter how high-end your headphones are, you can't tap into it. Android users, on the other hand, can actually switch codecs themselves.
Wearing the "Ultra" Name Isn't Enough: The Common Complaint in Engadget's Latest Reviews
From the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra to the Dell XPS 13, Engadget's reviews over the past two weeks keep pointing to the same issue — specs that don't live up to the name. Meanwhile, a soundbar and an action cam turned in more honest report cards.
Bought the Wrong Game by Mistake? Xbox's Refund System Isn't as Hard as You Think
Trailer misled you, bought the wrong edition, or got charged for a subscription you forgot about—Xbox actually has refund channels for all of these. Here's a breakdown of the 14-day, 90-day, and 30-day windows, plus how long refunds actually take to process.