KL Techs

If you had an Apple Watch between 2015 and February of last year, there’s a chance the company might owe you a small payout. That’s thanks to a recent $20 million settlement on a class action lawsuit over swollen batteries. Apple has denied all wrongdoing , saying in a statement sent to Lifehacker sister publication CNET that “we strongly disagree with the claims made against these early generation Apple Watch models.” Still, rather than move forward with legal fees, the company is just choosing to pay a lump sum and get it over with instead. Given that the lawsuit, Smith et al. v. Apple Inc , lasted for over five years, that’s understandable.  Getting your piece of the settlement might not be so simple, however. In order to qualify, you need to have already taken action, having reported battery swelling on an Apple Watch first-generation, Series 1, Series 2, or Series 3 model to Apple between April 24, 2015 and Feb. 6, 2024. If that sounds like you...

Software updates are important and inevitable. To expand features and patch existing security issues, you need to update your apps and machines. If you avoid updating, you might find certain programs, functions, or even websites stop working as they should. However, if you visit a website, and you see a prompt to update Chrome in order to proceed, run away. In all likelihood, you just encountered a scam. Don't fall for it. WordPress sites are getting hacked The scam in question is targeting WordPress websites—10,000 of them, in fact. That's according to c/side , a web security company, whose research uncovered the current attacks. Here's what's going on: Hackers are hijacking sites that are running outdated versions of WordPress and plugins. (c/side hypothesizes attackers are exploiting a vulnerability in a particular WordPress plugin to execute their schemes.) Attackers are using two types of "popular" malware variants: AMOS (Atomic macOS Stealer), which go...

Sharing files or accessing messages between a Windows PC and an iPhone can be an utter pain in the rear, mostly because, without third-party utilities , you can’t rely on AirDrop to do it. There’s the Phone Link app, but even that requires opening up a separate window—your PC won’t even be able to serve you iMessage notifications unless it’s open. Meanwhile, Android users currently have a smoother experience, able to access their connected phones’ battery levels, messages, and calls right from the Windows Start menu. Now, iPhone users are finally about to get the same. In a blog post on its site, Microsoft announced that its Windows Insider beta testers are currently getting expanded Start menu phone integration, bringing features Android users have been enjoying since October to iPhone. These include the ability to connect a phone to your PC right from the start menu, plus that battery status and message/call information (seemingly, you'll finall...

Apple Intelligence brought with it some of the most hyped new features for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac when it released with iOS 18.1 . Even now, its functions are being upgraded and currently include writing assistance, an enhanced form of Siri, and AI image generation . Capabilities are limited to the iPhone 15 Pro series, all iPhone 16 models, all iPads running an A17 Pro chip and above, and all Macs with an M-series chip, but that's still a lot of options. However, not everyone's happy with it. That's because Apple recently made the decision to turn Apple Intelligence on by default for all compatible devices. Even though the new features are exciting, not everyone wants to use artificial intelligence features on their smartphones or other devices, especially now that they take up 7GB of storage space and involve sending data to Apple's cloud . If you're among those who are skeptical, it's good news that you can turn off Apple Intelligence on your iPhone o...

Google has been taking its crusade against adblockers to a whole new level lately, and users are speculating that unskippable multi-hour ads are its latest weapon. Over the past week, Redditors have been sharing screenshots showing that they’ve been served ads with runtimes as long as three hours, with no skip button in sight—and that's to watch videos that are much shorter than the ads themselves. Android Authority was the first to report on the phenomenon, linking to threads from users Lin1ex and Standard-Slip6572, who complained about the feature-length interruptions, complete with images of their screens with the ads in full view. The publication also pointed to commenters who made further claims, saying they were served 10-hour or even 90-hour ads , although these more extreme accusations lacked photo evidence. If that all sounds a little unbelievable to you, you have good instincts. In one of the linked photos above, you might see a small pop-up, separate from Y...

This week, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that Fitbit has agreed to pay a $12.25 million settlement over one of their older smartwatches, which had a battery defect that left some users with serious burns. Meanwhile, Fitbit itself announced that some of its more recent smartwatches—the Sense and the Versa 3— may also have an issue with overheating batteries that could pose a hazard to wearers, and is updating their software to fix the issue. What is the problem with Sense and Versa 3? According to a notice posted on the Fitbit Help Center , some (not all) Sense and Versa 3 devices have a defective battery that could overheat and possibly cause burns. Both of those watches were released in 2020. So far, Fitbit has not identified any newer watches as having this problem.  What to do if you have a Sense or a Versa 3  Fitbit says they are rolling out an update to the affected watches (again, not every Sense or Versa 3) that will limit its battery...

YouTube Premium is expanding its list of paid-only features —at least, for those who are willing to experiment. In a blog post this week , the company announced a handful of new experimental features available to Premium subscribers. These features, while not enabled by default, can be switched on from youtube.com/new , and can be used until they expire. In addition, YouTube also announced a sneak peak at a feature in the works, as well as a Premium discount for Google One subscriptions. Higher-quality music YouTube Premium is adding a new high-quality audio bitrate for music videos. Now, songs can be up to 256kbps, matching the highest audio quality found on YouTube Music. This feature is only available on iOS and Android at the moment, from now through Feb. 22. Jump Ahead (on the web) Jump Ahead is an AI-powered YouTube feature that analyzes watch behavior on any given video to determine its "best" part, offering to "jump ahead" to that section. YouTube origi...

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Soundbars typically fall into two broad categories: High-end options like those from Sonos , and the cheaper options that are honestly not worth the money. There is, however, a sweet spot to be found in older models from reputable soundbar companies that were good values to begin with. That's where the Samsung HW-B650 fits, and it's currently $189.99 (originally $399.99), the lowest price it has been since its release, according to price-tracking tools . Samsung HW-B650 3.1 Channel Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer, Dolby 5.1 / DTS Virtual:X $189.99 at Best Buy ...

It finally happened: Following the Supreme Court’s ruling against it , TikTok was legally banned in the United States on Jan. 19. In response, TikTok pulled all of its offerings from U.S. app stores, including popular apps like CapCut and Lemon8, before going dark. If you are one of the 170 million Americans who use TikTok every day, you might've be a bit upset by the situation. You might have even flocked to another Chinese-based app , like RedNote . Just hours after access was blocked for U.S. users, however, TikTok returned , displaying a message thanking "President Trump" for his "efforts"—despite Trump originally floating a plan to ban the app during his first term. Trump posted on Truth Social earlier that day pledging to sign an executive order to extend TikTok's deadline and work towards a situation where an American company has a 50% share in TikTok. Once sworn into office, he did just that. ( Read the latest on the status of the TikTok ban .) N...

Samsung may have announced three Galaxy phones today , including the Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra, but that didn’t stop the company from teasing a fourth. Alongside detailed specs of the new lineup arriving on Feb. 7, Samsung also hinted at a more mysterious future phone called the Galaxy S25 Edge. This announcement came towards the tail end of Samsung’s Unpacked event , and didn’t give viewers much more to work off of than a name and some renders. From the looks of it, though, the Edge seems to be a thinner version of the Galaxy S25, with a dual lens camera bump swapped in to help accommodate the smaller body. Credit: Samsung That would coincide with rumors that Apple is also working on an iPhone Air, which have been shared by reputable sources including supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg tech reporter ...

Another year, another Samsung Galaxy Unpacked. The Android giant has gotten into a habit of hosting at least two of these events per year, one for foldables and one for pretty much everything else. With the foldables having gotten center stage last time , it’s likely time for the rest of its products, including the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, to get its turn. While only those under NDA know for sure what we’ll see, here’s what we’re expecting to see when the next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked streams on January 22 at 1 PM ET. How to stream Samsung Galaxy Unpacked (and reserve your phone) There's a number of ways to watch January 22's Samsung Galaxy Unpacked. Samsung would surely appreciate it if you watched through its site , but assuming you're like me, you'll probably prefer to watch on Samsung's YouTube channel , where the event will stream simultaneously. I've also embedded the stream below. Note that at least visiting Samsung's site ahead of the str...

It finally happened: Following the Supreme Court’s ruling against it , TikTok was legally banned in the United States on Jan. 19. In response, TikTok pulled all of its apps from U.S. app stores, including popular apps like CapCut and Lemon8, before going dark. If you were one of the 170 million Americans who use TikTok every day, you might've be a bit upset by the situation. You might have even flocked to another Chinese-based app , like RedNote . Just hours after blocking access for U.S. users, however, TikTok returned . The app is working again, and now displays a message thanking President-elect Trump for his "efforts," ignoring Trump originally wanted to ban the app too when he was president. Trump posted on Truth Social earlier in the day, pledging to sign an executive order to extend TikTok's deadline and work towards a situation where an American company has a 50% share in TikTok. Trump isn't President as of this article, so we'll see where the situ...

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Apple's AirPods Max are some of the best headphones money can buy—but they are also among the most expensive, normally at half a grand. An updated AirPods Max model was released in September , causing the older AirPods Max to drop significantly in price, currently with a $150 discount. But the newer version is also discounted now, down to $449.99 (originally $549.99). That's a record-low price, according to price-tracking tools . If you're coming from the older AirPods Max, be aware that there are some minor but key differences . USB-C Charging, Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency Mode, Personalized Spatial Audio. (New) Apple AirPods Max ...