Software & Apps

Google rolled out its largest Search update in 25 years at its I/O developer conference last month, swapping traditional link-based results for AI-generated overviews, conversational follow-ups, and a default AI Mode. However, a significant number of users have pushed back against the AI-heavy direction and, in the process, many have ended up at DuckDuckGo.

Traffic to DuckDuckGo's No AI search page tripled after Google's announcement and has continued to surge. Daily visits have averaged about 84% above baseline, peaking on May 28 at a new traffic record. US app installs were up 18.1% week over week during the May 20 to May 25 period, with iOS installs peaking at 69.9% week-over-week growth. Third-party analytics firm Apptopia backed up the numbers, reporting a 29% increase in average daily US downloads over the same stretch.

"Google is force-feeding AI with no way to opt out. As a result, their results are getting worse, not better. We want to be the place that puts users in charge and allows them to decide how much or how little AI they want," said DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg. Chief communications officer Kamyl Bazbaz put it even more simply: "People just want a choice."

AOMedia has quietly published the first 1.0.0 release of its AV2 encoder, spotted by users on the AV1 subreddit and picked up by Videocardz. There was no official announcement, and AOMedia's public AV2 specification page still lists the standard as a draft. The GitHub tag tells a slightly different story, confirming the AVM reference software has reached version 1.0.0 with the message "First released version of AV2."

AV2 is the successor to AV1, AOMedia's royalty-free video codec that has been slowly making its way into mainstream devices and streaming services over the past few years. Like AV1 before it, AV2 is designed for better compression efficiency across streaming, broadcasting, and real-time video conferencing, with additional improvements for AR and VR, split-screen delivery, screen content, and a wider range of visual quality. Last year, testing showed AV2 to be around 30% more efficient than AV1, meaning smaller file sizes, lower bandwidth requirements, or better image quality at the same bitrate as today's streams.

That said, this 1.0.0 release is very much a starting point rather than a finish line. The AVM reference software is designed to help define and test the codec, not to replace the optimized encoders used in real video workflows. The current build is slow, not ready for broad use, and users testing it report that detail retention and encoding speed are still issues, with the encoder performing best only at very low bitrates for now.

In what seems like a major step for Windows 11 users, but is truly a feature that should have been available for quite some time, Microsoft is now testing a feature that allows audio to be shared simultaneously with two Bluetooth audio devices.

However, there is a catch. The new feature is exclusive to Copilot+ PCs with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and is not available on the average Windows 11 desktop. While not fully implemented across Windows 11, the test marks a shift in Windows finally adopting multi-device audio streaming.

According to Microsoft's blog post, shared audio enables a PC to transmit its audio output to two Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices simultaneously. For those wondering, this means Bluetooth devices such as headphones, speakers, or even hearing aids can be used simultaneously. Microsoft notes that the feature is still in testing and may not be widely available or stable for all users.

Microsoft is following through on its previously announced "Low Latency Profile" feature with a new optional preview update, KB5089573, for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2. The official changelog for the update lists the change under "General Performance". It doesn't mention the Low Latency Profile by name, but it appears to be the same CPU-burst feature seen in earlier Windows 11 testing.

Low Latency Profile temporarily boosts the CPU to its maximum frequency for 1 to 3 seconds to make app launches smoother. The feature is designed specifically for core Windows tools, with Microsoft in-box applications like Edge and Outlook seeing around 40% faster launch times, while OS flyouts such as the Start menu, Notification Center, right-click menus, and other shell areas may see speed improvements of up to 70%. Third-party apps aren't part of the optimization package just yet, but they will be in a future update to Low Latency Profile.

KB5089573 is currently optional and in preview, meaning it won't be installed automatically. If you want it early, head to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates, then install it manually. Due to Microsoft's gradual rollout system, the feature may not be available to everyone immediately after installing the update. Users can force-enable it early using ViVeTool, but this requires running a few commands in a Command Prompt window. If you are not familiar with this, just wait for the official rollout for your system.

NVIDIA has released GeForce Game Ready Driver 610.47, and buried inside it are the first signs of DLSS 5 making its way into the driver pipeline. User Warkratos discovered through the NVIDIA Profile Inspector that the new driver appears to add three new profile entries: DLSS-NR, DLSS-NR Streamline, and DLSS-NR Presets. The "NR" part almost certainly stands for Neural Rendering, which is how NVIDIA has been presenting DLSS 5 since its GTC 2026 reveal.

Before anyone gets too excited, these entries do not make DLSS 5 usable in any current games. Even if you enable the preset through the NVIDIA Profile Inspector, you will not get any DLSS 5 effects in existing titles. NVIDIA has not yet shipped any DLSS 5 files to go alongside these flags, so for most users, this is early groundwork rather than anything immediately useful.

For context, DLSS 5 introduces a real-time neural rendering model that takes a game's rendered 2D frame and motion vectors as input, then uses an AI model to infuse the scene with photoreal lighting and materials anchored to the source 3D content. NVIDIA's pitch is that it delivers a level of photorealistic computer graphics previously achievable only in Hollywood visual effects, running in real time at up to 4K resolution.

It seems like Microsoft still hasn't figured out how it wants Copilot to fit into Windows 11, as it is reportedly going back to the original idea of docking the AI assistant directly alongside your desktop. As first spotted by Windows Latest, a new Copilot update is currently rolling out to Windows 11 users, introducing a proper sidebar docking mode that physically pushes your open apps aside to make room for itself.

This comes at a rather ironic time, given that Microsoft has been actively working to make Windows 11 a better experience for users under Project K2, an internal initiative built around three pillars: performance, craft, and reliability. As part of that effort, Microsoft had previously been scaling back Copilot's footprint in Windows 11, removing it from apps like Notepad, and allowing users to remap the Copilot key.

According to Windows Latest, the new behavior is triggered through a dropdown menu in Copilot's title bar, which now reveals a set of dedicated snapping layouts. These include the existing standalone app view and picture-in-picture mode, plus two new options to dock Copilot to either the left or right edge of the screen. Once docked, Windows 11 automatically resizes and repositions everything else around it, including any open apps such as File Explorer, which get compressed to fill the remaining space.

Microsoft Office is finally letting you move the Copilot button after acknowledging that the new floating button was getting in the way of users' workflows in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. According to Windows Latest, starting in the last week of May 2026, an update will give users the option to move it back to the ribbon where it belongs.

The button, officially called the Dynamic Action Button, has been part of Microsoft Office apps since December 2025. It floats above the bottom right section of spreadsheets and documents, causing problems for users. Excel users were hit hardest, with the button floating directly over spreadsheet cells and blocking data with no easy way to dismiss it.

Once the update rolls out, users can right-click the Copilot icon and move it back to the ribbon. Microsoft already added a docked mode that reduces the space the button takes up, and that option is staying. Users will be able to switch between the floating button, the docked version, and the ribbon placement depending on their preference.

Google is embedding ads directly into AI-generated search answers, marking a major shift in how it monetizes its search engine.

According to new details from I/O 2026, Gemini 3.5 Flash is now surfacing tailored ads within AI Mode responses, alongside traditional organic results. The company is calling this a "new generation of ads" designed for the AI era of Search.

The new ad formats include "Conversational Discovery ads" and "Highlighted Answers." The former tailors ads to specific search queries, such as recommending products to fix a smell in a house, which could vary from deodorizer to a cheap box of baking soda.

Plex is tripling the price of its Lifetime Pass to $750 in July, a $500 increase from the current $250. The company says the increase is necessary to fund future development of its media server software, which allows users to stream content across devices and access premium features, such as remote streaming and offline downloads.

The price hike, effective July 1, 2026, comes just a year after Plex doubled the pass price from $120 to $250. Current Lifetime Pass holders will not see any changes, but new customers have until June 30 to purchase at the lower rate. The company claims the updated pricing reflects the "real, ongoing value" of the software it plans to build and maintain.

Plex has faced criticism for the aggressive price increases, with users calling it a "scam" and "unreasonable." The move also raises questions about the sustainability of lifetime subscription models in the subscription-driven tech landscape. Competitors like Jellyfin and Emby offer similar features with open-source or more flexible pricing models, making them attractive alternatives.

Back in 2024, Microsoft almost started forcing laptop manufacturers to replace the Right Ctrl key on new Windows 11 PCs with a dedicated Copilot key, similar to the two Start keys. A few OEMs replaced the right-hand Ctrl or Context Menu key outright, while others made space for it. In all cases, the key has been practically useless to anyone uninterested in Microsoft's AI assistant.

Microsoft has finally acknowledged the obvious. In a recently published support document, the company stated that customers who rely on the Right Ctrl key or Context Menu key for keyboard shortcuts or assistive technologies experienced workflow challenges on these devices.

As a result, Microsoft has confirmed that a Windows 11 update coming in 2026 will add a setting to remap the Copilot key to either the Context Menu key or the Right Ctrl key. The new setting will be available under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Keyboard. Some PC manufacturers already offer Copilot key remapping in their own software, but Microsoft's solution will be distinct in that it will apply across all Windows 11 PCs with a Copilot key, regardless of manufacturer.

Microsoft is pulling the plug on a controversial security flaw in Edge after a researcher exposed how it was storing user passwords in plaintext in RAM, raising security concerns and subsequent backlash that followed after the discovery.

Starting with version 148 of the browser, Edge will no longer load saved passwords into memory in cleartext at startup, effectively removing the risk of malware or malicious insiders siphoning credentials with minimal effort. The issue came to light when Norwegian security researcher Tom Jøran Sønstebyseter Rønning demonstrated that all stored Edge passwords were decrypted and loaded into memory as soon as the browser launched, even if they weren't actively being used.

Other Chromium-based browsers don't behave this way, and Rønning found Edge to be the only browser among those he tested that kept all passwords in plaintext at once. Microsoft initially defended the behavior, calling it a deliberate design choice. But with the public outcry and the potential for real-world exploitation, the company has seemingly reversed its course.

Microsoft has finally admitted that faulty drivers have been silently draining Windows 11 battery life and hurting performance for years, and now the company is taking the steps to fix the problem.

At WinHEC 2026, Microsoft announced a complete overhaul of its driver evaluation process, shifting from a crash-only focus to one that also penalizes poor performance, power consumption, and heat generation. This change addresses a long-standing blind spot in Windows, where drivers could be labelled "stable" even if they caused battery drain or system lag without outright crashing.

Essentially, Microsoft has admitted that faulty third-party drivers have been slowly killing Windows 11 battery life for years, and the company is now implementing a more rigorous evaluation process that will focus on the aforementioned areas in order to reduce brain drainage.

In a cheekily titled new YouTube video, 'Year of the Linux Desktop,' which refers to the longstanding meme that everyone will ditch Windows for Linux, Discord announced a comprehensive, massive update to the popular social platform for PC gamers. As the name suggests, it's all about improving Discord on Linux with official support by adding much-needed overhauls and upgrades.

As part of the update, targeting Debian, Fedora, and Arch distributions, dedicated hardware video encoding is now supported on AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA graphics cards. In addition, there's Gamescope Vulkan support, developed by Valve and popularized on the Steam Deck, for screenshot and gameplay capture, which significantly reduces hardware costs. Best of all, the app now feels native on Linux with automatic updates.

In the video, Discord makes special mention of the Steam Deck, citing the new update as improving handheld performance and battery life, and reducing overhead when using Discord's various chat, video, and capture features. The Steam Deck, which runs a custom Arch Linux SteamOS build, is widely viewed as the gold standard for PC gaming on Linux, thanks to its robust console-like interface and ability to run full-featured apps in desktop mode.

It seems Microsoft is steadily making good on its Project K2 promise to improve Windows 11. As part of that ongoing initiative, Microsoft has already delivered several notable changes, including improved responsiveness for WinUI 3 apps, a new Low Latency Profile mode, and meaningful Windows Update improvements. Now, Microsoft is turning its attention to one of the most frequently requested features in Windows 11's history: a movable taskbar.

According to a blog post published by the Windows Insider team on May 15, Microsoft is rolling out the ability to reposition and resize the taskbar to users in the Experimental channel. Windows supported moving the taskbar for decades before the feature was removed with the launch of Windows 11, and it is now making a return as one of the first Project K2 changes to enter testing.

With this update, users can place the taskbar on any edge of the screen: top, bottom, left, or right. Icon alignment is also adjustable for each position, and flyouts such as Start and Search will open relative to the taskbar's location. This is a notable improvement for users who prefer a different layout.

CPUID has released CPU-Z version 2.20, adding several newly released and upcoming hardware entries to its popular monitoring software database. This includes unreleased AMD Ryzen AI Max 400 "Gorgon Halo" APUs, Intel Bartlett Lake embedded parts, and support for HUDIMM and HSODIMM memory modules.

As per the release notes, the Gorgon Halo, the Ryzen AI MAX Strix Halo refresh is now in the database. CPU-Z 2.20 lists the Ryzen AI Max+ 495, 492, and 488, Ryzen AI Max 490 and 485, and Ryzen AI Max PRO 495, 490, 485, and 480. The Ryzen AI Max 400 is expected to retain the Zen 5 CPU, RDNA 3.5 graphics, and XDNA 2 NPU layout with higher clocks on select models. A separate leak has also shown the Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 495 with Radeon 8065S graphics and 192GB of memory, placing it above the current Ryzen AI Max+ 395 in memory capacity, though AMD has not officially announced these processors.

The recently launched Ryzen PRO 9000 series has also made the list, including the new X3D flagship workstation chips, the Ryzen 9 PRO 9965X3D, and additional PRO 9000 CPUs.

It seems Microsoft is continuing to deliver on its Project K2 promises, and the latest development is notable. As part of the broader initiative to address Windows 11's biggest pain points, including sluggish performance, bloated AI integrations, unreliable updates, and a reduced storage footprint, Microsoft is now turning its attention to the UI framework itself.

A key part of Project K2 involves migrating core Windows 11 experiences, such as the Start menu and File Explorer, over to WinUI 3, Microsoft's modern native UI framework. However, according to a GitHub post by Microsoft software engineer Beth Pan, in addition to porting components to WinUI 3, the company is also actively optimizing the framework from the inside out, with performance being a central focus.

The post outlines that Microsoft has been using File Explorer and Notepad as primary benchmarks for its WinUI 3 improvements, targeting launch time as the key metric. The results so far are quite encouraging. For File Explorer alone, the team has achieved a 41% reduction in memory allocations, a 63% drop in transient allocations, a 45% decrease in function calls, and a 25% reduction in the time Windows spends executing WinUI code during a launch sequence. These are meaningful numbers that should translate into a noticeably snappier experience for everyday users.

As part of iOS 26.5, Apple has finally added end-to-end encrypted RCS conversations with Android users in the Messages app. This has been one of the most long-awaited updates in mobile messaging, closing one of the last obvious gaps between iMessage and Android messaging and bringing cross-platform privacy protection to everyday conversations. The feature is now rolling out to users in beta.

Google and Apple described the rollout as the result of a cross-industry effort to bring encryption to RCS. With iOS 26.5, users will see a lock icon and a small "Encrypted" label at the top of the chat while having an encrypted conversation with an Android user. Apple says encryption will be enabled by default, but device owners can confirm it in Settings under the RCS Messaging menu of the Messages section.

To use end-to-end encrypted RCS, you must be on iOS 26.5 and use a supported carrier. The feature is only beginning to roll out in beta, so not all users will have access just yet. Apple still frames iMessage as the best way to communicate between Apple devices, but this update helps further close the gap between green and blue bubbles.

Microsoft exec Scott Hanselman has fired back at critics who accused the company of "cheating" over its Windows 11 speed boost feature, defending the practice as common across modern operating systems.

The controversy centers on the Low Latency Profile, a performance tweak that briefly boosts CPU speed when launching apps or menus, making Windows 11 feel snappier to the user. However, critics have accused Microsoft of taking shortcuts to achieve this new level of perceived performance in Windows 11, but Hanselman rebutted on X that all major OSes, including macOS and Linux, employ similar techniques to reduce latency and improve responsiveness.

Hanselman emphasized that this is not a novel trick, but a well-established method used in computing to prioritize specific tasks. He noted that even smartphones dynamically scale CPU performance in real time, a process known as dynamic frequency scaling.

NVIDIA has confirmed a data breach affecting GeForce NOW users in Armenia, though the company insists its own systems were not compromised.

The breach, which occurred between March 20 and March 28, 2026, was traced to a regional partner, GFN.am, which manages the service across several Eastern European and Central Asian countries. Stolen data includes names, email addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, and usernames, but not passwords or data from accounts created after March 9.

The threat actor, using the alias ShinyHunters, listed the data for sale on an underground hacking forum for $100,000 in Bitcoin or Monero. However, ShinyHunters itself denied involvement, calling the breach an "imposter" incident. The forum post was later deleted, though it's unclear whether GFN.am negotiated with the attackers or if administrators removed the thread.

It seems Google has decided that your PC needs a hefty dose of AI, whether you asked for it or not. Security researcher Alexander Hanff, also known as "That Privacy Guy," has published a new report claiming that Google Chrome silently downloads a roughly 4GB AI model onto users' machines without notice or consent.

The file in question is called weights.bin, and it is part of Google's on-device Gemini Nano AI model. Chrome stores it inside a folder called OptGuideOnDeviceModel, located deep in your system's Chrome User Data directory. On Windows, that path is C>Users>AppData>Local>Google>Chrome>User Data. The model is used to power AI features like scam detection locally on your device, rather than sending your data to the cloud.

Perhaps more concerning is what happens if you try to get rid of it. According to Hanff's research, deleting the file does nothing, as Chrome simply re-downloads it automatically. The only way to stop this is to disable the feature through Chrome's settings, which Google reportedly made available in February 2026. Once turned off, the model will no longer download or update.