Technology

• AMD is aggressively acquiring talent to bridge the Instinct and Blackwell GPU performance gap
• Brium’s compiler expertise could help AMD accelerate inference without hardware-specific dependencies
• Untether AI's team joins AMD, but existing customers are left without product support

AMD’s recent moves in the AI sector have centered around strategic acquisitions aimed at strengthening its position in a market largely dominated by Nvidia.

These include the acquisitions of Brium, Silo AI, Nod.ai, and the engineering team from Untether AI, each targeted at bolstering AMD’s AI software, inference optimization, and chip design capabilities.

The goal is clear: narrow the performance and ecosystem gap between AMD’s Instinct GPUs and Nvidia’s Blackwell line.

Calculated acquisitions amid a competitive ecosystem

AMD described the acquisition of Brium as a key step toward enhancing its AI software capabilities.

“Brium brings advanced software capabilities that strengthen our ability to deliver highly optimized AI solutions across the entire stack,” the company said.

Brium's strengths lie in compiler technology and end-to-end AI inference optimization, areas that could be crucial for achieving better out-of-the-box performance and making AMD’s software stack less reliant on specific hardware configurations.

While this makes for a strong technical case, it also suggests that AMD is still playing catch-up in the AI software ecosystem, rather than leading it.

Brium’s integration will affect several ongoing projects, including OpenAI Triton and SHARK/IREE, which are seen as instrumental in boosting AMD’s inference and training capabilities.

The use of precision formats such as MX FP4 and FP6 points to a strategy of squeezing higher performance from existing hardware. But the industry has already seen similar moves from Nvidia, which continues to lead in both raw processing power and software maturity.

Another notable move was AMD’s absorption of the entire engineering team from Untether AI, a Canadian startup known for its energy-efficient inference processors. AMD didn’t acquire the company, only the talent, leaving Untether’s products unsupported.

“AMD has entered into a strategic agreement to acquire a talented team of AI hardware and software engineers from Untether AI,” the company confirmed, highlighting a focus on compiler and kernel development along with SoC design.

This signals a strong push into inference-specific technologies, which are becoming increasingly critical as training-based GPU revenue faces potential decline.

“AMD’s acquisition of Untether’s engineering group is proof that the GPU vendors know model training is over, and that a decline in GPU revenue is around the corner,” said Justin Kinsey, president of SBT Industries.

While that may overstate the situation, it reflects a growing sentiment in the industry: energy efficiency and inference performance are the next frontiers, not simply building the fastest systems for training large models.

Despite AMD’s optimism and commitment to “an open, scalable AI software platform,” questions remain about its ability to match Nvidia’s tight integration between hardware and CUDA-based software.

Ultimately, while AMD is taking calculated steps to bridge the gap, Nvidia still holds a considerable lead in both hardware efficiency and software ecosystem.

These acquisitions may bring AMD closer, but for now, Nvidia’s Blackwell remains the benchmark for what is widely regarded as the best GPU for AI workloads.

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Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 264, for June 14.

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 468 for June 14.

Unseasonable warmth coming soon to Alaska has prompted the first-ever heat advisory for residents.

• Default passwords and outdated firmware are turning your home camera into a public livestream, report warns
• Thousands of exposed webcams are offering a front-row seat into private and corporate life
• A simple web browser is all it takes to peek into 40,000 unsecured camera feeds

Thousands of internet-connected webcams, intended to enhance safety and convenience, are now unintentionally offering a window into private lives and secure environments.

Research by Bitsight claims over 40,000 webcams around the world are publicly accessible online, often without their owners’ knowledge.

These include security cameras, baby monitors, office surveillance systems, and even devices inside hospitals and factories.

A growing digital threat, not a hypothetical one

The investigation highlights just how easily accessible these cameras are.

“No passwords. No protections. Just out there,” wrote João Cruz, Principal Security Research Scientist at Bitsight TRACE, noting it requires neither elite hacking skills nor expensive software. In many cases, all it takes is a web browser and a valid IP address.

“We first raised the alarm in 2023, and based on this latest study, the situation hasn’t gotten any better.”

Exposed footage ranges from innocent scenes, like bird feeders, to far more sensitive views, such as home entry points, live feeds from living rooms, whiteboards in office spaces, and even operations inside data centers.

Worryingly, disturbing conversations have emerged on dark web forums, where some users share methods for locating exposed cameras, or even sell access to live feeds.

“This isn’t hypothetical: this is happening right now,” Cruz emphasized.

The United States leads with roughly 14,000 exposed cameras, followed by Japan, Austria, Czechia, and South Korea. These aren’t isolated incidents but part of a broader failure in how internet-connected cameras are deployed and managed.

Bitsight’s team scanned for both HTTP- and RTSP-based cameras, and the results suggest these figures may only scratch the surface.

Many of the exposed devices result from basic setup errors: default credentials, open internet access, and outdated firmware that leave systems vulnerable.

While vendors and manufacturers must improve device security, users also share responsibility.

Choosing products vetted for cybersecurity can help, but users should also pair their camera setups with tools like leading antivirus software and top-rated parental control solutions, which often include network monitoring to flag unusual access or unprotected devices.

Ultimately, private users should always check remote accessibility settings, change default passwords, update firmware regularly, and, especially for enterprises, enforce firewall protections and require VPN access.

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• Epson launches subscription where you pay "just" $7.99 to rent a printer and print 50 pages every month

Here are hints and the answer for today's extra-difficult Wordle No. 1,456, June 14.

Here are some hints and the answers for the New York Times' Connections puzzle for Saturday, June 14, No. 734.

Cybercriminals attack retailers looking for a payday, but consumers take the hits, especially when the target is food suppliers.

Well, for the iPad faithful, Apple’s WWDC 2025 keynote was the day that faith was rewarded. I, like countless others, have been waiting for a major upgrade for iPadOS, and the Cupertino-based tech giant delivered.

Yes, iPadOS 26 brings with it Liquid Glass, but more importantly for all iPads that support it, you’ll get actual windowed multitasking, the ability to drop folders in the dock, a menu bar up-top, one of the most addicting gestures I’ve used, and the ability for tasks to run in the background.

Easily, it was the standout moment from the keynote, and I got to go hands-on briefly with iPadOS 26 running on a 13-inch iPad Pro with M4 attached to a Magic Keyboard with an Apple Pencil Pro.

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room – allowing those landmark features I listed out above makes the iPad seem like a Mac, but don’t call this a Mac. Yes, Apple did take some features from the Mac rather than reinventing the entire concept – say, for the close, minimize, or expand buttons in the top left or the menu bar – but this is all well thought out for the iPad, and takes advantage of one of the best parts of an iPad.

Multitouch.

With the iPad’s approach, it’s sort of a choose-your-own-adventure, while on the Mac, it’s keyboard and trackpad. I used it and saw a demo of fingers controlling the windows, as well as using the Apple Pencil to move items around and even the cursor. It's all about control, in that however you see it and want to use it, you can do so to get more out of your iPad. Let’s talk about why.

(Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future)

Let’s start with the most exciting part – from any app, you can pull from the bottom corner – it’s set with an effect, a slightly darker edge in the bottom right – to easily resize the window by pulling it back and forth. So from full screen, you just pull it towards the other side to make it smaller, by width or height, and then you can grab the top of the window to place it where you like.

Using the dock, you can then drag and drop another app up or do a swipe up for the peek mode to access your home screen and place any app in this layout. It’s really smooth and lets you finally have your ultimate iPad layout. Maybe that’s a Safari window open to a Google Meet in the corner, the reminders app for your checklist, and your email as you start your day.

You can also split the screen with an image and then open an app like ProCreate, allowing you to see your starting point while drawing something awesome. It really lets you tailor the experience to how you see fit.

Now this new windowing setup does replace SplitView and SlideOver, and while that didn’t excite me when I first heard, I do like the various preset options you can pick from via a long press in the top left corner of any window and the new gesture.

(Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future)

With a flick to the left or right, you can effortlessly split your screen and then adjust it further by moving the slider in the middle as needed. This feels like an easier way to achieve a similar result to SplitView, and is quite frankly fun to do.

You can also tap the top of the iPad’s screen to access a menu bar for things like more precise settings or easy exports – it’s the most similar part of the experience to the Mac. Still, considering it’s hidden until you need it, I think iPad power users will likely get the most out of this.

It feels really natural in this implementation, and not a cookie-cutter copy and paste from the Mac, given the updated elements and the ability to control with both touch and a trackpad.

(Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future)

Complementing the new multitasking approach is a significantly improved Files app and a dock that can now display a live folder. The app will feel familiar, but a new list view with the ability to customize modifiers, also known as the columns you see, will really let you tailor this for your specific needs.

For instance, I could see myself sorting by last modified and then pulling the folder containing images to the dock to edit in an app like Pixelmator, export, and then upload it into a content management system for a story build. Changes you make within folders or to these layouts can be synced across devices and updated in iCloud as well. If you’re a fan of colored folders and keen to name with emojis, you get this as well.

Those larger exports, maybe a batch photo editor or video export from Final Cut Pro, can now run in the background. I got a demo of this, and it either lives at the top of your device with a progress bar or in a little icon near your time where you can track multiple exports or tasks.

(Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future)

The really exciting part, even from these demos and a little usage, is the fact that this isn’t just limited to the iPad Pro with M4 or the iPad Air with M3 or even another step-up model. This new multitasking experience is the result of a new ‘Window Prioritization Model’ that works in conjunction with the performance and resource manager. It has been entirely re-architected to run on any iPad that supports iPadOS 26.

Meaning that the 9th Gen iPad – one of the best values Apple’s ever released – will get this new multitasking experience, same for the 10th, 11th, or 13th Gen, the iPad Air, iPad mini, and Pro. You might not be able to open a dozen there all at once, but it will let you push the chip inside further.

For now, iPadOS 26 is in a developer beta, which means it's not for your main device as bugs and issues are to be expected, but a public beta will arrive in July, and this will be released for everyone with an eligible device in the Fall. I’m super excited to spend time with it and eventually give it a full review treatment, but for now, it’s the upgrade we’ve been waiting for that feels distinctly like an iPad.

Sure, the Mac has long been the ultimate in productivity, but that lacks touch and is truly designed for keyboard and trackpad. The iPad is multitouch first, and Apple really put the time in to craft an experience that feels purpose-made for multiple inputs, with touch being first.

Just fair warning, I’ll be using many, many windows.

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• The Fiio M21 hi-res audio player costs £279 / $329 (about AU$583)
• Quad-DAC configuration and two-stage amplification
• Desktop mode for optimized output for hi-fi systems

The arrival of a new affordable audio player from FiiO is guaranteed to get our attention: when we reviewed the JM21 portable music player we were blown away by its sound and its value for money. And now there's a new player that's more powerful without being much more expensive.

Where the JM21 is a dual-DAC device, the new FiiO M21 is a quad-DAC player. And double the DACs doesn't mean double the price: where the JM21 launched at $199 / £179, the M21 is $329 / £279.

FiiO M21 portable audio player: key specifications and features

(Image credit: FiiO)

The M21 is a sleek-looking thing with a big 4.7-inch IPS touchscreen on the front, a glass back, and an octa-core Snapdragon 680 inside it. The device runs Android 13 and comes with 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage with 52GB of that available for use, and you can add up to 2TB via microSD. Bluetooth is 5.0 (SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, LDAC and LHDC).

The DACs are four Cirrus Logic CS4319s arranged to minimize crosstalk and noise. The two-stage amplification provides voltage first and current second, which Fiio says creates a clean and dynamic sonic profile.

A key new feature is M21, a first for Fiio's entry-level Androids. It enables you to connect to a USB-C supply and bypass the battery, delivering up to 21Vpp peak voltage and 950mW per channel into 32 ohms. Desktop mode also enables you to use the M21 as a hi-res streamer for a wider hi-fi system.

Battery life in portable mode is 15 hours over the 3.5mm output and 11.5 hours with the balanced 4.4mm output. And there's an optional retro case that looks like a cassette tape – it's the larger metal-colored box the M21 is sitting on in the main photo at the top.

There's no doubt that this is going to sound fantastic – and I suspect it'll probably cope better with higher volumes than the JM21, which gets a bit shouty when you crank things up too high. And at £279 / $329 the M21 still undercuts many rival hi-res audio devices – not least Fiio's own M23, another player we love.

Between that and the fake-cassette cas,e I think FiiO's come up with a winning formula here. The player is available now.

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• Researchers are warning about the "unsubscribe here" button in spam emails
• They can be used to redirect victims to malicious pages
• There are other ways to get rid of spam, so users should be on their guard

If you've received a spam email with an “unsubscribe here” button at the bottom, don’t press it - it could do more harm than good.

This is according to TK Keanini, CTO of DNSFilter, who recently revealed pressing such a button sends the recipient away from the safety of the email client and into the open internet, where potentially malicious landing pages are lurking.

In fact, Keanini claims that one in every 644 clicks can lead to a malicious website.

How to unsubscribe, then?

Even if clicking the button doesn’t lead directly to a phishing page, other, more subtle, risks, are lurking as well.

Keanini says that hackers would often place that button just to see who clicks - which would also help them determine which email addresses are active and thus worth targeting further.

The general rule of thumb seems to be - if you don’t trust the company that sent the email, don’t trust the unsubscribe process, either.

So, what’s the alternative? The alternative is to unsubscribe through the email client itself, rather than through the email’s body.

Most email clients have “list-unsubscribe headers”, which appear as built-in buttons and thus don’t include source code, Tom’s Guide explained. “If your email header doesn’t contain a link, you can reply on your spam filters, or try blacklisting the sender instead,” the publication further explained.

Those who don’t have these options can use disposable email addresses when signing up for different services. Most email service providers allow users to create throwaway email addresses, as well. For example, Gmail has a feature called “plus addressing” or “Gmail aliases”, which allow users to modify their address by adding a + and a tag before the @gmail.com address.

That way, the email address used during registration could be yourname+shopping@gmail.com. Messages will still arrive in the inbox, but they can be easily tracked or filtered.

Via Wall Street Journal

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On June 17, PlayStation Plus subscribers can take on supernatural forces or an international conspiracy.

Steam Next Fest lets you get a hands-on first peek at the best upcoming new games. Here are the best demos from this Next Fest.

How is it already June when January lasted about three years? Well, somehow, we've made it to the halfway point of 2025 and the best streaming services are ramping up their offerings as we head into the summer season. With the rising cost of inflation kicking in pretty much everywhere, it's not always optimal to maintain subscriptions to Every. Single. Service.

Enter: streaming hopping. Lots of people are opting to snip 'n' save every month by pausing subscriptions based on what's available to watch.

That's why I've pored over the main streamers and what they're offering this upcoming month, to help you decide which ones to keep, and which ones to pause for June 2025. I'll be exploring why Netflix is rocking my watchlist and why its one-time biggest competitor Prime Video remains on hold.

Why I'm not canceling Netflix…. again

(Image credit: Netflix)

Look, I'm as shocked as anyone to discover that the staple streamer I always refer to as the one I keep just because, is offering up plenty of new morsels that I'm genuinely excited to watch. And that doesn't include all of the teasers that debuted at this year's Tudum event.

First up, out of everything coming to Netflix in June, let's take a peek at the library titles. If classic horror is your bag, you'll be pleased as punch as a trio of top-shelf Hitchcock titles are scheduled to arrive June 1. The Birds, Frenzy, Rear Window, and Vertigo are the perfect jumping-off point if you've always wanted to get into Hitch but didn't know where to start. I only saw Vertigo for the first time recently and can't believe how long it took me to see it! So don't be like me – watch it!

Elsewhere on the new front, we've got a bunch of shows I'm very excited for. One is arguably one of the best Netflix shows ever made: Squid Game. Every single episode of Squid Game season 3 drops on June 27, bringing to a close this hugely popular series that makes you realize that things could always be worse – we could be fighting for our lives playing schoolyard games. Since season one, this South Korean series has become one of the water cooler shows of the season, so make sure to catch up on the first two seasons.

(Image credit: Netflix)

I'm excited as heck for The Ultimatum: Queer Love season 2 that drops in its entirety on June 25. I am typically not the biggest fan of reality TV, but the first season of this took over my life for a few days back in 2023. I expect season 2 will do exactly the same.

If it's cosy you're after, then look no further: Ginny and Georgia season 3 arrives on June 5 followed by Greys Anatomy season 21 (I'm sorry, season 21??) on June 14. Sometimes you need those shows that are the streaming equivalent of a weighted blanket, and this duo fit the bill.

Speaking of cosy, a couple of recent horrors are set to arrive on June 1, so if you wanna dive into the world of Jordan Peele scope out Us. Ahead of Weapons, Zach Cregger's sophomore effort due to arrive in theaters this summer, catch up on his 2022 debut Barbarian. I recommend going in knowing nothing!

Why I'm leaving my Prime Video subscription paused… also, again

(Image credit: Prime Video )

Until Prime Video delivers a whammy of must-see movies or shows– like October 2021 when it dropped a quartet of Original horror movies – I'm keeping my subscription on pause. That's not to say it will last forever, with the streamer promising a raft of intriguing titles in the future, but for now it's feeling a bit like… everything good is fleeing!

Last month's new Kevin Bacon series recently received the axe after one season, which only dropped in May, and they also canceled the sprawling Robert Jordan adaptation The Wheels Of Time following a three season-run.

Here's hoping Prime Video pivots back soon, but until then, I'll be sticking with Netflix.

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• Kioxia details its plans for a new SSD for AI workloads reaching 10 million IOPS
• IOPS measures how quickly a storage device can handle small, random requests
• New drive uses XL-Flash, a type of SLC NAND, and a new in-house controller

Kioxia has unveiled plans for a new SSD it says could hit an impressive 10 million IOPS, a level of performance aimed squarely at the demands of AI-driven systems.

The SSD will use XL-Flash, a type of single-level cell (SLC) NAND, combined with a new in-house controller.

A Kioxia spokesperson told TechPowerUp, “We’re taking our ultra-fast XL-Flash memory chips, which use single-level cells, and pairing them with a completely new controller… We're targeting over 10 million IOPS, and we plan to have samples ready by the second half of 2026.”

Difference between IOPS and GBps

IOPS, or input/output operations per second, measures how quickly a storage device can handle small, random requests, particularly important in AI and server applications where fast access to small files is key.

This is different from GBps, which refers to the actual data transfer speed and is used to measure how fast large files can be read or written.

A drive with high GBps might excel in video editing or large file transfers, but for machine learning tasks where thousands of small data packets are read or written constantly, high IOPS matters more.

Kioxia’s approach to next-gen storage includes not just one-off projects but a wider effort to meet varied use cases. Its CM9 series, which is sampling to customers now, focuses on speed and reliability to match high-end GPUs used in AI, while the LC9 series delivers massive 122TB capacities for large databases.

Behind these products is the 8th generation BiCS FLASH, which introduces CBA tech to boost performance and efficiency.

Kioxia is also preparing future flash memory generations using two methods. The first will add more layers for capacity, while the second blends new CMOS designs with older cell structures to keep investment costs in check.

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• New research found that Apple and Google keep offering VPN apps without revealing their Chinese ownership
• At least five may have ties with a Shanghai-based firm believed to have links with the Chinese military
• Experts first uncovered this threat in April 2025

At least 17 China-linked free VPN apps may still be hidden in Apple and Google app stores, and big tech could be making a profit – as revealed by new research.

In April, experts at Tech Transparency Project (TTP) first uncovered that millions of free VPN users across 20 apps may have sent their data to China without knowing it. Five of these were reported to have ties with Qihoo 360, a Shanghai-based firm believed to have links with the Chinese military.

Now, about six weeks later, TTP researchers have found that most of these VPNs are still available in the US Apple and Google app stores. They also said to have found evidence that Apple and Google may also be profiting from these apps.

Which are the free VPNs affected?

(Image credit: Geralt / Pixabay)

TTP's initial report found that more than 20 of the top 100 free VPNs available on the US Apple App Store had undisclosed ties with China.

Five of these apps (Turbo VPN, VPN Proxy Master, Thunder VPN, Snap VPN, and Signal Secure VPN) are reportedly linked with Qihoo 360 – a company the US sanctioned on national security grounds for its alleged ties with the Chinese military in June 2020.

While the best VPN services promise to boost online privacy and work with strict no-log policies, Chinese-owned VPNs are subjected to stricter data retention rules and can be forced to share user data with the government upon request.

After another check in May, an update to the report claims that, despite some of these being quitely removed, "two other apps linked to Qihoo 360 – Turbo VPN and VPN Proxy Master – remained available in the US Apple App Store, along with 11 other Chinese-owned apps identified in TTP’s report."

The latter are X-VPN, Ostrich VPN, VPNIFY, VPN Proxy OvpnSpider, WireVPN - Fast VPN & Proxy, Now VPN, Speedy Quark VPN, Best VPN Proxy AppVPN, HulaVPN, and Pearl VPN.

NEW: Apple and Google’s app stores continue to offer VPNs that are surreptitiously owned by Chinese companies, over 6 weeks after TTP first identified them.The latest findings also show Apple and Google may be profiting from these apps by taking a cut of subscription revenue. pic.twitter.com/fGzvBhPtOwJune 12, 2025

Researchers also found that the Google Play Store in the US offered 11 free VPN apps with shady Chinese ownership, which include four Qihoo 360-connected services (Turbo VPN, VPN Proxy Master, Snap VPN, and Signal Secure VPN).

The other are X-VPN, Speedy Quark VPN, VPNIFY, Ostrich VPN, VPN Proxy OvpnSpider, HulaVPN, and VPNProxy AppVPN.

Not only that, though. During TTP’s May spot check, researchers noticed that some of the VPNs listed as free in the app stores offer in-app purchases on top.

"That means Apple and Google may be profiting from these Chinese-owned VPNs when Americans pay for subscriptions or other add-ons," the new report reads.

On the Google Play Store, some of the Chinese-owned VPNs also come with a banner saying they contain advertisements.

Turbo VPN was one of the several Chinese-owned VPNs TTP researchers found to contain ads in the US Google Play – TTP took this screenshot in May 8, 2025 (Image credit: Tech Transparency Project (TTP))

TTP said that Apple, Google, Qihoo 360, and most of the listed developers of the apps did not respond to their request for comment.

TechRadar approached both Google and Apple for a comment.

Apple told TechRadar the company has some strict guidelines in place for VPN app developers, including not using, or disclosing any data for any purpose to third parties. Yet, Apple said it doesn't limit app distribution based on where the provider is based.

We are still waiting for a response from Google at the time of publication.

We can confirm that the China-linked VPN apps are also available in the UK's official app stores, and that's likely other markets are also affected.

If you are looking for a trustworthy free VPN service, we recommend you check our dedicated guide here. Today's top recommendations are Privado VPN and Proton VPN.

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• Researchers from HiddenLayer devised a new LLM attack called TokenBreaker
• By adding, or changing, a single character, they are able to bypass certain protections
• The underlying LLM still understands the intent

Security researchers have found a way to work around the protection mechanisms baked into some Large Language Models (LLM) and get them to respond to malicious prompts.

Kieran Evans, Kasimir Schulz, and Kenneth Yeung from HiddenLayer published an in-depth report on a new attack technique which they dubbed TokenBreak, which targets the way certain LLMs tokenize text, especially those using Byte Pair Encoding (BPE) or WordPiece tokenization strategies.

Tokenization is the process of breaking text into smaller units called tokens, which can be words, subwords, or characters, and which LLMs use to understand and generate language - for example, the word “unhappiness” might be split into “un,” “happi,” and “ness,” with each token then being converted into a numerical ID that the model can process (since LLMs don’t read raw text, but numbers, instead).

What are the finstructions?

By adding extra characters into key words (like turning “instructions” into “finstructions”), the researchers managed to trick protective models into thinking the prompts were harmless.

The underlying target LLM, on the other hand, still interprets the original intent, allowing the researchers to sneak malicious prompts past defenses, undetected.

This could be used, among other things, to bypass AI-powered spam email filters and land malicious content into people’s inboxes.

For example, if a spam filter was trained to block messages containing the word “lottery”, they might still allow a message saying “You’ve won the slottery!” through, exposing the recipients to potentially malicious landing pages, malware infections, and similar.

"This attack technique manipulates input text in such a way that certain models give an incorrect classification," the researchers explained.

"Importantly, the end target (LLM or email recipient) can still understand and respond to the manipulated text and therefore be vulnerable to the very attack the protection model was put in place to prevent."

Models using Unigram tokenizers were found to be resistant to this kind of manipulation, HiddenLayer added. So one mitigation strategy is to choose models with more robust tokenization methods.

Via The Hacker News

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The video game adaptation comes to Max, chicken jockeys and all.

• We polled TechRadar readers on new iOS 26 features
• The Liquid Glass redesign is what you're most looking forward to
• Early adopters can try the developer beta now

We sw the grand unveiling of iOS 26 at the start of this week, and the developer beta is already available for very early adopters – and now TechRadar readers have delivered their verdict on the most exciting features in this huge new software update.

And there are a lot of them to choose from: Apple has packed a lot into iOS 26, which will roll out to the masses later this year. On the TechRadar WhatsApp channel, we asked more than 1,000 TechRadar readers about which feature was the most exciting.

We gave you 10 different options to pick from, and these are the current standings for the top five, at the time of writing, in reverse order…

Voting is continuing in the TechRadar WhatsApp channel (Image credit: Future)5. Messages upgrades

The Messages app in iOS 26 is getting several handy upgrades, as it looks to take your attention away from rival chat apps. You can now add custom backgrounds to individual chats (very WhatsApp-esque), organize polls, and see typing indicators, for example. This came fifth in our survey of readers, ranked the most exciting feature by 5.8% of you.

4. CarPlay refresh

CarPlay comes built right into iOS, and springs up when you're connected to a compatible dashboard. We found that 6.9% of you are most excited about the CarPlay updates coming with iOS 26, which include refreshed visuals and a more compact look, widget support, and better call management – including the Call Screening feature from the iPhone.

3. Better battery management

Everyone is keen to get better battery life on their iPhones, and iOS 26 should deliver it. Among the battery-related improvements included in the update, we've got an Adaptive Power option that applies small optimizations to extend battery life, and a more detailed battery information screen. These features are the favorites for 8.9% of our readers.

(Image credit: Future)2. Call Screening

We just mentioned CarPlay Call Screening, and you'll be able to use call screening on your iPhone too: with incoming calls for unknown numbers, the Phone app asks those callers to give a reason for ringing. You can then see a transcript of the response on screen, and decide whether or not to take the call, and 10.9% of you rank it as the most exciting feature.

1. Liquid Glass redesign

The huge new Liquid Glass redesign is the most noticeable new feature coming with iOS 26, and it's the most exciting feature in the update for almost 49% of our readers. The visual overhaul leans heavily on frosted glass and translucent effects, and it's rolling out across Apple's various other software platforms too, including macOS 26.

And there you have it: almost half of you are most excited about the biggest visual revamp for iOS in many a year. No doubt there are more features to discover, and more features that Apple will add as the beta testing continues, and here at TechRadar we'll keep you updated every step of the way.

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• Google’s new Portraits experiment lets users chat with AI avatars modeled on real experts.
• The project's first Portrait is Radical Candor author Kim Scott.
• The avatar delivers advice based on Scott’s actual content and was developed with her direct involvement.

Google is testing out a tool to connect people with all kinds of experts, or at least their AI equivalents.

The new Portraits feature, available in Google Labs, lets you chat one‑on‑one with AI avatars modeled after real‑life experts and built with their input. The initial Portrait is an AI facsimile of Radical Candor author Kim Scott.

Think of it like a Zoom call with a life coach who's recently given a successful TED Talk (and yes, the name is more than a little suggestive of the Harry Potter magic paintings).

If you are in the US, you can sign up for Portraits through Google Labs, and, once approved, talk to Kim Scott right now. You'll hear her voice (or an AI clone of her voice) say hello, and you can chat right back. Her expertise is around leadership and management, so her Portrait will focus on those topics.

So, if you aren't sure how to give feedback to your boss, navigate complex work relationships, or overcome imposter syndrome, she's your digital muse. The responses are built on her actual work, filtered through Google’s Gemini AI model.

Importantly, the Portrait was developed with Scott's feedback and insight. This means the ideas, way of speaking, and even her tone, are all consistent with how she would actually behave in a real conversation.

The AI doesn’t actually know you, but the responses (wich it can say, or write) feel more tailored than a blog post and more personal than a YouTube video.

Talking to the AI Kim Scott with Google Portraits, I was impressed with the realism of the voice and the language choices in how the AI spoke; it definitely sounded like a real person unless I listened closely.

On the other hand, the Portrait is, of necessity, limited in what it will discuss. It feels like when, as a kid, you are talking to a teacher who is laser-focused on the lesson plan and will not be distracted by any attempt to go off-topic.

Personal Portraits

Google hasn't hinted at any specific plans for other people becoming Portraits, but it's easy to imagine a whole stable of AI avatars providing all kinds of expertise and with the seal of approval from the human behind the faces and voices.

You could talk to Neil deGrasse Tyson about space, or Dolly Parton on how to write songs and put on a show. Unlike other ways to mimic people with AI, like clever prompts to ChatGPT or the collection available from Character AI, you could rely on these digital mentors to say things the real person would.

That’s the bet Google seems to be making. Not that AI will replace human mentors, but that it might distribute their knowledge more evenly and make it more accessible. You don’t need to agree with everything the AI says to appreciate the potential here.

And at least now you can say Kim Scott told you how to be "a more kick-ass leader without losing your humanity."

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