Categories
News

iOS 18.2 Beta 2 Shows Siri ChatGPT Limit,Offers ChatGPT Plus Upgrade

With the second beta of iOS 18.2 that’s available for developers today, Apple has further fleshed out the ChatGPT integration that’s available with Siri. In the Settings app, there’s now a section that shows the ChatGPT daily limit, and offers an option to upgrade to the paid ChatGPT Plus plan.

The beta includes an Advanced Capabilities section with a “Daily Limit” reading that shows up as “Under Limit” without a paid ChatGPT plan. Users have access to a small number of requests that use the most advanced ChatGPT capabilities, and requests are downgraded to a basic version of ChatGPT after that.

OpenAI has long restricted access to ChatGPT’s most advanced feature set to a paid Plus plan, so accessing ChatGPT through ‌Siri‌ is subject to the same limitations.

There is an option to upgrade to ChatGPT Plus, which is priced at $19.99 per month. ChatGPT Plus provides 5x more messages on the newest version of ChatGPT, GPT-4o. It also allows for higher limits on photo and file uploads, image generation, and web browsing, as well as an option to converse with ChatGPT using advanced voice mode.

Customers who already have a ChatGPT Plus plan can sign into their account, and those that do not can sign up through the Settings app. The Settings app opens to an in-app browser where users can sign up directly with OpenAI.

Free ChatGPT users won’t have access to OpenAI’s latest models (such as o1-preview) or premium features such as Advanced Voice Mode. They also can only make two images with Dall-E per day, and can’t send as many messages to the AI chatbot as premium users.Free access to ChatGPT-4o requests resets every 24 hours, and when the limited number of requests are used up, ‌Siri‌ will switch to a more cost effective version of ChatGPT. 

It’s also unclear whether Apple is taking a cut of the revenue OpenAI generates from ChatGPT Plus signups through the Settings app. It’s possible the iPhone maker is simply betting that having cutting-edge AI features is worth the free exposure it’s giving OpenAI, because it will push enough customers to upgrade to new phones.

iOS 18.2 adds other new AI features, too, including Visual Intelligence and Genmoji. TThe update is set to arrive the week of December 2nd, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports.

Categories
Guide

How to fix an iPhone that won’t charge

One of the scariest — and most troubling — iPhone problems is when your phone will not charge. But don’t panic. There are some fairly mundane reasons why this might happen, and they’re generally easy to solve.

On the other hand, keep in mind that to do something even as simple as charge your phone, there are a lot of parts that need to work together — so to figure out what is to blame and to get things working properly, you should methodically test everything to eliminate potential problems one at a time.

Quick tip: Should you notice that your iPhone stops charging at 80%, you shouldn’t stress. This is a feature in iOS 13 or later called Optimized Battery Charging.

If your iPhone charges with one cable, but not another, you know it’s the cable. If your cable charges other phones but not your own, you know it’s your phone. When your phone starts to charge again, whatever the last thing you changed was the problem — so you know what fixed your phone.

Turn it off and back on again

Anytime you are troubleshooting a problem, it helps to restart the system and see if that fixes the issue. If your phone still has enough battery life, restart the phone and then try to charge it again. 


Note: If your phone battery is very, very low — under 5% — or already completely dead, this step will not work for you.

Verify that your phone is not charging

Start by making sure your phone is not charging. Connect your phone however you usually do to charge it — wirelessly, plugged into an AC adapter, plugged into a computer’s USB port — and check the phone’s display. If the battery is already dead, leave it to charge for about two hours and then check on it.


You should see a lightning bolt in or beside the battery icon at the top right of the iPhone’s lock screen. If there is no lightning bolt in sight, it’s not charging.

 Don’t charge it wirelessly

If you have an iPhone X or later that supports wireless charging — or you have a wireless charging case for an older model iPhone — let’s simplify our troubleshooting by eliminating that as a possibility right away.


Remove the phone from its wireless charging case, if you’re using one, and plug the phone into a power source with a Lightning cable. Again, check to see if it’s charging. If it is, congratulations — you solved the problem. There’s some sort of problem with the phone’s wireless charging solution.


You might need to take your phone to an Apple store for service (or replace your wireless charging case) but in the meantime, you can keep the phone charged the old-fashioned way, with wires.

 Check your iPhone’s Lightning port

If your phone isn’t charging the way it usually does, your next stop should be to inspect the Lightning port. This is a lot more common than you might think. After all, we spend a lot of time jamming the phone — port-end first — into pockets, bags, and other places filled with dust, debris, and lint.


Your phone’s Lightning port is a veritable magnet for dirt, dust, lint, and other grime that can interfere with charging. 
Look carefully, and if you see anything, carefully remove it — gently — with a toothpick or any other non-metallic, pointed object that will fit in the port. If you have a can of compressed air, briefly blast the port with that as well.
Try to charge the phone again. If it still doesn’t work, move on to the next troubleshooting step.

Inspect your cable

If you’ve had an iPhone long enough, you’ve probably seen a broken or frayed cable — the rubberized outer sheath breaks from repeated bending, and the wires become exposed. If your cable looks like that and it isn’t properly charging your device, throw it away and get a new cable.

But Lightning cables get a lot of abuse, and problems aren’t always apparent to the naked eye. Sometimes wires can break while they’re still inside the sheath. And inexpensive third-party Lightning cables have been known to spontaneously stop working, often because the power regulator chip inside the cable has failed.

There’s no good way to see any of this visually, so the best way to test your Lightning cable is to simply try a different one.

Your Lightning cable should look like this — no fraying, sharp bends, or kinks that can damage the underlying wires. 

 Check where your phone is plugged in

On the long list of potential problems, you should also check your power source. If you’re charging your iPhone from a computer’s USB port, make sure the computer is fully awake (not in sleep or hibernation mode). Also try a different USB port, in case the USB port you were using has failed. Don’t try charging from a USB port built into a keyboard or USB hub — connect it directly to a USB port on the computer itself.

If it still doesn’t work, plug it directly into a wall outlet with an AC adapter like the one that came with your iPhone. If you have been using an AC adapter this entire time, then try a different one — borrow one from a friend who has an iPhone or use the one that comes with an iPad.

Check for software updates

If you’re not running the latest version of iOS, it could be the reason why your phone is not charging. Software updates might not seem important when your phone is functioning properly, but they help prevent a host of problems and even improve performance.

Here’s how to check for an update on your iPhone and install it:

  • Tap Settings and then General.
  • Tap on Software Update. Your iPhone will now start searching for the latest iOS update.
  • If an update is available, tap Install Now.

Try resetting and restoring your iPhone

When experiencing a problem with your iPhone, it sometimes helps to perform a factory reset. 

A reset will return it to its factory default settings and, hopefully, get rid of any problem you might be facing. This is a last-ditch attempt to fix the issue by yourself, and it’s worth a try.

Take your iPhone in for service

If none of these troubleshooting steps gets your phone back up and running, it’s pretty likely that there’s something wrong with the iPhone itself. You should contact Apple or go to an Apple store for service.

Categories
News

Google Gemini: Adjust Your Smart Home Accessories with Google Home Integration

Given up on trying to get Google Assistant to dim the lights or pull your drapes? If you’re an Android user, now’s your chance to give Gemini a spin with your smart home. 

Google has just released an extension for the Gemini app that allows Google’s LLM to take charge of a wide range of smart gadgets, from smart lights and thermostats to smart shades and TVs. 

For now, you’ll need the Android version of the Gemini app, and you’ll also need to be enrolled in Google’s Public Preview program. 

Once you’ve enabled the Google Home extension on the Gemini app (this Google support page has all the details), you’ll be able to give smart home commands to Gemini that had previously been executed by Google Assistant. 

Google explains that telling Gemini the phrase “the sun is too bright in the living room” will result in the AI assistant closing the smart window blinds in your home. The company also gives an example of using “help me clean up the kitchen” to start a robot vacuum.

There are a few limitations to note, though. It’s only available on Android phones and is restricted to English prompts.For now, only the following categories are supported (according to Google): 

  • Lights & power, like lights, outlets, and switches 
  • Climate control, like air conditioning units, thermostats, heaters, and fans 
  • Window coverings, like curtains, blinds, and shutters 
  • Media devices, like TVs and speakers 
  • Other smart devices, like washers, coffee makers, and vacuums 

Google warns that Gemini’s smart-home control abilities are (for the moment, anyway) “for convenience only, not safety- or security-critical purposes.” On devices that don’t have Gemini, you’ll still be using Google Assistant.

Specifically, Gemini can’t do anything with a security device that requires a PIN, stream video feeds from security cams, or perform “some” actions on gates, locks, doors, garage doors, and other security-related devices.

You can try the Google Home extension in the Gemini app now if you’re enrolled in the early preview, and a wider release is likely to follow in the future.

Categories
News

Samsung could release a more affordable Galaxy Z Flip FE next year

According to Korean blogger yeux1122 (translated), Samsung is planning to launch a more affordable Galaxy Z Flip FE model next year. While the leaker didn’t provide further details on the name or specifications, they hinted that the Galaxy Z Flip FE might be released “simultaneously” with the next-generation Galaxy Z Flip, likely called the Galaxy Z Flip 7. This could mean that Samsung may introduce both models at the same time next year.

Moreover, according to a Samsung executive (spotted by Jukanlosreve on X), the company is “considering ways to lower entry barriers” for foldable phones “so that more customers can actually experience” them. This statement, coupled with the leak above, hints that a more affordable foldable model may be on the horizon. The executive also mentioned that Samsung is “preparing new form factors,” which could be a reference to the rumored Samsung tri-fold device.

There’s no word on what a Galaxy Z Flip FE would look like, but we’re guessing this model would offer an older flagship processor (if not a mid-range SoC), 128GB of base storage instead of 256GB, less RAM, and a less impressive camera setup.

Why a budget-friendly Z Flip FE makes sense for Samsung

There’s a strong argument that Samsung needs to release a more affordable foldable phone sooner rather than later. This comes after reports that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 saw much lower pre-order figures than last year’s models. More recently, ZDNet Korea reported that Z6 sales forecasts have been revised from nine to 10 million units down to seven to eight million units. The outlet also noted at the time that Samsung was considering a “popular” version of its Flip phone.

There’s no word on pricing for this cheaper Z Flip model. However, the Motorola Razr 2024 launched at $699, so we wouldn’t be surprised if a future Z Flip FE model matches this price tag.

This isn’t the only leak from yeux1122. The Korean tipster also claimed that the recently leaked Galaxy S25 Slim could launch in April and suggested that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 could be accompanied by an additional Fold model. But we haven’t seen any significant details about this device.

Categories
Batteries Guide

5 Signs It’s Time to Replace Your iPhone Battery

Have you acclimated to the sub-par performance of your iPhone and accepted it as part of the drudgery of life? Has restarting your crashed iPhone become routine and ritual? Do you long for the days when your apps loaded swiftly, and you could watch Youtube videos ‘til your battery was at 5 percent?

Everyone knows that there’s nothing worse than a bad iPhone battery. 

There are some signs you can use to tell when your battery has reached the point of no return. Some of these signs are baked into iOS, whereas others could be more physical symptoms you’ll notice when you use the iPhone. Regardless, we’ve listed major pointers for when it’s time to get a new battery.

1. Your battery outgrew your iPhone

Why are you even reading this? If your battery has outgrown its case, it obviously needs to be replaced! Even if it’s not swelling this badly, immediate action should be taken to dispose of the battery safely. But, beware: You do not want to puncture the pack and release its toxic contents. Early signs of a swollen battery include: a hazy white screen, separation between screen and phone body, or “squishiness” of the screen (no visible separation, but your screen moves a bit when you pinch the edges of your phone). 

2. Your iPhone shuts down unexpectedly

If your iPhone suddenly shuts itself down when the battery is half-drained or so, the calibration may be off. To re-calibrate your iPhone, follow these steps:

Use your iPhone until it shuts itself down due to low battery.

Plug your iPhone into a reliable charger using a reliable cable and let it charge uninterrupted until it reaches 100 percent.


Once it’s fully charged, perform a soft reset by holding your sleep/wake button and your home button until the Apple logo shows up. If you have an iPhone with Face ID, quick-press the volume up button followed by the volume down button. Then, press and hold the sleep/wake button until the Apple logo shows up.

If that doesn’t solve your battery woes, then the battery may be the culprit and will require replacement.

3. Your iPhone Frequently Overheats

Although there could be other reasons why your iPhone overheats, once you rule out everything processor or software-related, it only leaves the battery as the culprit.

When batteries age, the chemical components become less fluid, and that causes what we call a high internal resistance. It makes it more difficult for your iPhone to draw energy from the battery, and this high resistance (similar to friction) causes more heat than normal.

It’s not just aged batteries that can cause abnormal heat but damaged batteries, too. If you have a faulty battery damaged by water or a puncture wound, the chemical balance can get disrupted, which can lead to overheating or even health risks.

So, if you notice your iPhone getting extremely hot while doing the most mundane things, it might be time to get its battery checked.

4. Reduced Battery Life

It’s common to hear people say that their phone used to last the whole day, but now it barely makes it to lunchtime at work. And a lot of people might blame it on software rather than hardware. You may have even tried all the iPhone battery-saving tips, only to still experience a woefully subpar battery life.

Typically, this means that your battery has degraded to the point where it can no longer keep an optimum charge. iPhone batteries are lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, and they generate energy through chemical reactions. With time and use, these chemical reactions lose their potency, and your phone will no longer be able to support peak performance.

While all iPhone batteries degrade with age, there are steps you can take to maintain your iPhone’s battery health so it lasts as long as possible.

5. Battery Health Is Less Than 80%

One of the many advantages of iOS over other mobile operating systems is the synergy between hardware and software. Because Apple makes its own hardware and software, it can tie the two together in a way Android or other operating systems can’t. This synergy extends to managing your iPhone’s battery health.

You can monitor your iPhone’s battery health through the Settings app to judge when it’s time for a new battery. Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging and note its Maximum Capacity. If the number there reads below 80%, it might be time to change your battery.

In fact, you will see a notification at the top of the page warning you to take your phone to an Apple Authorized Service Provider. Also, if you have an AppleCare+ warranty, Apple will replace your iPhone battery only if its health is below 80%.

However, sometimes, you should take the figure there with a grain of salt. If the number is suspiciously low (or even high), it might be time to calibrate your iPhone’s battery. Calibrating the battery is essentially resetting it so the percentages are more accurate.

Categories
News

Amazon faces delays in updating Alexa with generative AI features

In the week’s least surprising news, Amazon’s reinvention of its Alexa voice assistant has reportedly fallen even further behind. According to Bloomberg, the launch of a new Alexa — billed as a smarter, more capable AI-powered voice assistant — has been pushed back. Again. “A person familiar with the matter said Alexa AI teams were recently told that their target deadline had been moved into 2025,” writes Bloomberg. 

In June, Fortune reported that the AI-powered Alexa — which Amazon demoed last September and said would be available for a free preview on its Alexa-fitted devices in the U.S. — is not even close to being ready. Former employees told the publication that the company doesn’t have enough data nor access to the chips needed to run the large language model (LLM) powering the new version of its voice assistant. The company also reportedly deprioritized Alexa AI to focus on building generative AI for its cloud computing unit, Amazon Web Services.

Amazon said its former employees are incorrect and uninformed on its current Alexa AI efforts, and that the Amazon Artificial General Intelligence team has access to both in-house Trainium chips and Nvidia’s graphics processing units (GPUs).

“We have already integrated generative AI into different components of Alexa, and are working hard on implementation at scale—in the over half a billion ambient, Alexa-enabled devices,” an Amazon spokesperson previously told Quartz in a statement. “We are excited about what we’re building and look forward to delivering it for our customers.”

On Amazon’s third-quarter earnings call, Jassy said Amazon has a “very deep partnership with Nvidia” and plans to “be their lead partner on most of their new chips.” Production of the second version of Amazon’s training chips, Trainium, will start ramping up in the next few weeks, Jassy said.

Bloomberg reports that Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has yet to convey a compelling vision for an AI-powered Alexa to the company. While he’s said publicly, “We continue to re-architect the brain of Alexa … ”, there’s been scant information about what an LLM-powered Alexa will bring to its millions of users — beyond being able to converse more naturally. More importantly, it seems Amazon has yet to prove it can do this without diminishing the features customers use the assistant for every day.

While the company searches for its vision, Jassy has installed a new head of the devices and services division under which Alexa falls. Panos Panay has been at the company for a year now, and Bloomberg reports the former head of Microsoft’s Surface division has “brought a focus on higher-quality design to a group adept at utilitarian gadgets.”

Amazon’s prior tact of making copious amounts of cheap hardware at the expense of better software is partly why Alexa hasn’t gotten measurably smarter over the last decade. However, with better hardware and a focus on building on Alexa’s strength, rather than simply turning it into a chatbot, the company could recapture Jeff Bezos’s original vision of creating Star Trek’s “Computer.” But whatever the plan is for a new Alexa, it looks like it won’t be here anytime soon.

Categories
Batteries Guide

How to Calibrate Your Android Smartphone Battery

Android smartphones and bad battery life is a never-ending love affair. Despite the efforts of smartphone companies to improve battery performance through software optimization, adding features such as optimized charging,users just can’t help but grumble about their Android phone’s battery life.

Users often complain that their Android device discharges very quickly or their phone unexpectedly shutdowns in the middle of the day. The reason behind, quite often, this is the fact that the battery of their Android smartphone isn’t calibrated properly. In such cases, the displayed battery percentage fails to align with the actual charge level.

The batteries of new smartphones, and often those of old ones as well, need to be calibrated. This procedure is usually done in the factory, but it should be repeated many times, and it certainly doesn’t hurt.

This is because in some cases, the operating system indicates a charge level that is DIFFERENT from the actual charge of the battery, and in many cases, this ‘reading’ problem translates into a shorter duration of full charges.

Therefore, in this article, we will learn more about battery calibration on Android—three easy ways to calibrate the battery of your Android device.

Manual Calibration

The best way to calibrate the battery of your Android smartphone is to manually reset the stats. Here’s how you can do it:

  • Use your phone until it powers off on its own.
  • Switch it back on and wait for it to turn off again.
  • Connect your phone to a charger and do not switch it on. Let it charge in the power-off state until 100%.
  • Once the phone reaches 100%, turn it on. It’s likely that the battery indicator will show a percentage below 100%. In this case, reconnect the charger while keeping your phone on, and continue charging until it shows 100%.
  • Once it reaches 100%, disconnect it from the charger and reboot your phone. If the battery indicator still shows a percentage below 100%, repeat the steps above until it shows 100%.
  • Again, use your phone until it reaches 0% and powers off on its own.
  • Finally, charge your phone once again without disconnecting it in between, and now your phone will show the actual battery readings.

Use a Third-Party App

If you don’t want to follow the manual process, you can consider using a third-party app to reset the battery statistics of your smartphone. There are several apps available on the Google Play Store that can help with calibration. However, many users have reported that these apps are less effective than manual calibration.

Reset Your Device

If nothing works, it’s best to factory reset your smartphone. Remember, this should be used as a last resort when all the other methods fail. also, just make sure you back up your device before performing a factory reset.

Lastly, it’s important to note that this process should not be performed frequently, as excessive calibration (full charging and discharging cycles) can be detrimental to the battery of your smartphone. Only rely on the methods mentioned above if the battery is behaving strangely. If calibration is required more often, it likely indicates a more serious issue (you might need to get that battery replaced).

General Tips:

  • Use the original charger and cable that came with your smartphone.
  • Do not fully charge or fully discharge the battery on a regular basis.
  • Avoid using your smartphone in extreme temperatures, as this can damage the battery.
Categories
News

iPhone 17 may to use Apple’s own Wi-Fi 7 chip

At least one iPhone 17 model launching next year will be equipped with an Apple-designed Wi-Fi 7 chip, according to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

All current iPhone models are equipped with a combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip supplied by Broadcom, but Kuo expects Apple to equip “nearly all” of its products with its own in-house Wi-Fi chip “within about three years.”

The chip will replace the Broadcom chip that Apple currently uses for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Apple’s Wi-Fi 7 chip will be built using TSMC’s 7nm process. Apple apparently wants to move “nearly all” of its products to its own Wi-Fi chip within about three years, in order to cut supply costs and rake in more profits.

All four iPhone 16 models already support Wi-Fi 7 with Broadcom’s chip, but with some limited specifications. Kuo said Apple’s in-house Wi-Fi chip will support “the latest Wi-Fi 7 spec,” but he did not provide any further details. The chip will be manufactured with TSMC’s 7nm manufacturing process known as N7, he added.

Kuo has aligned with information shared last year by Jeff Pu, another analyst who covers companies within Apple’s supply chain. Pu said the iPhone 17 Pro models would be equipped with an Apple-designed Wi-Fi 7 chip, and he said the in-house chip would expand to the entire iPhone 18 lineup the following year.

Apple is also working on its own 5G chip, which will be separate from the Wi-Fi one and built using a different TSMC process technology. This will also start to be used gradually from next year onwards. The first product to come with Apple’s own 5G modem will be the next iPhone SE. This will however still use a Broadcom Wi-Fi chip. There have been conflicting rumors about whether the Apple-designed 5G and Wi-Fi chips will be separate chips, or one combined chip with 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS capabilities.

Wi-Fi 7 allows for data transmission over the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands simultaneously with a supported router, resulting in faster Wi-Fi speeds, lower latency, and more reliable connectivity. Wi-Fi 7 can provide peak speeds of over 40 Gbps, a 4× increase over Wi-Fi 6E, if a device supports the maximum specifications.

Categories
News

Google confirms highlights an earlier Android 16 in Q2 2025, developer preview begins soon

In a major shift of its release cycle, Google has revealed that Android 16 will be released in Q2 of 2025. Google typically pushes out a new major release of Android in Q3 or Q4, but the company has decided to move next year’s major release up by a few months so more devices will get the update sooner.

Google’s updates kicked off by highlighting the future of its Android SDK. In a blog post, the company states it will bring “more frequent” SDK releases, beginning in 2025. Google states it will have a “major” release in Q2 that contains “behavior changes” for apps. This seems to be Android 16 as Google states developers should keep their eyes out for more information regarding its first preview. The company states app developers can prepare for the major Q2 2025 release by conducting the “annual compatibility testing” a few months sooner.

The minor SDK release in Q4 2025 will contain feature updates, optimizations, and bug fixes to clean up any issues with the intended major Q2 launch.

Q1 and Q3 2025 will be minor, offering “feature only” updates to developers, per Google’s set timeline.

Gemini in Android Studio Updates

Following the debut of “Gemini in Android Studio” in April,the company is pushing the boundaries of its AI by boosting its coding capabilities, allowing it to edit your work by “implementing common design patterns.” Several of Gemini’s new code editing features include the ability to “modify and refractor” code based on custom prompts.

A commit message generation feature lets the AI analyze your changes and propose its own set of alterations. “Rethink and rename” lets Gemini generate names for your coding classes, methods, and variables. “Prompt Library” enables the AI to “automatically” save and manage a user’s most frequently used prompts for easy recall. Users can also generate documentation for a select chunk of code by right-clicking.

In the Android Studio, Gemini can now auto-generate “composable” previews and simplify the visualization process for your intended UI. Moreover, “coming soon,” Google says Gemini in Android Studio will support image attachments.

As Gemini in Android Studio picks up a Ladybug feature drop, developers can weed out bugs quicker and (hopefully) see fewer crashes. Additional features include test scenarios using local code context, build/sync error insights, and app quality insights for suggested crash fixes.

Play Store Updates

In a separate blog post, the company states it’s changing how apps are displayed on its store. These new formats include a full-screen mode for portrait videos in an app store listing. Google states a more “prominent” install button should now be visible to users.

Google highlights the Play Store’s “personalized” query recommendations. According to the post, users can find these recommended search queries via the “Search Home.” This is available for English with support for additional languages set to arrive “soon this year.”

Google’s “interest picker” arrived to help the Play Store understand where your interests are for accurate recommendations. The company rolled out a similar tool for games in July.

The post adds that the Play Store delivers a more robust security system when purchasing content. The company says users can now choose “on-device biometrics” when purchasing an app. This includes deciding between using your fingerprint or face to authenticate a purchase instead of inputting your account’s password.

The final two updates for the Play Store involve boosting revenue for developers and their apps alongside Play Integrity API upgrades. Concerning the former, Google states that it has “proactively” encouraged users to assign a payment method on the Play Store and within the Android OS. This has reportedly “doubled the number of purchases” in 2024 and provided a nearly 3% increase in conversion rate.

Payment options have continued to expand as users find options like Paypal, Cash App, direct carrier billing, and more. Additionally, Google highlights its Play Store algorithm for pushing what content users might buy as additional content for their favorite apps.

Google also highlighted its “gentle nudge,” an alert that reminds users of an item they’ve forgotten in their cart.

Google states, “in the coming months,” developers can opt into improved Play Integrity API verdicts to bolster their app’s defenses. What’s more, Google’s “app access risk” feature has exited beta. Developers can now “detect and respond” to apps that capture a user’s screen or control their device to avoid security disasters.

Categories
Batteries Guide

LITHIUM ION BATTERY – THE PROS AND CONS

LITHIUM ION BATTERIES – THE WAVE OF NEW INDUSTRY TECH

Lithium-ion batteries offer some distinct advantages and improvements over other forms of battery technology. Used in many devices today, they provide good performance, charges faster, and lasts longer compared to other types of batteries. 

Lithium-ion is a popular choice for portable devices because they offer distinct advantages and improvements over other battery technologies. Like all technology though, there is a difference in how well each one works with certain applications — it’s important to understand not only what makes them good but also their downside.

THE PROS AND CONS OF LITHIUM ION BATTERIES

But the shininess and newness of a technology doesn’t mean it’s without its downfalls. Before hopping on the Lithium Ion Battery bandwagon, take a look at the pros and cons of the product. While the benefits are hard to dispute, there are still some potential drawbacks to consider. Whether you ultimately utilize Lithium Ion Batteries or not, it’s important to be in the know on the latest industry tech and innovation.

Pros:

  • Lithium-ion batteries are the best type of battery to use in your device since they don’t require any extra maintenance. Unlike other types of batteries that may need periodic discharge or topping off with fluid and priming before you can use them (and who has time for that?), these bad boys will just work every single time without fail!
  • A lithium-ion battery can be really great when it comes to loading characteristics. They provide a fairly constant 3 volts per cell before they start losing their charge as you use up all of your last charges, which is perfect!
  • Lithium-ion batteries come in many different types and sizes, which makes them convenient for use in various applications. The rechargeable battery you find inside your smartphone has very specific power requirements versus something like an electric vehicle – so it’s important that before buying or borrowing certain devices we know what type of lithium-Ion they have.
  • A rechargeable cell may require priming when it first receives a charge. Lithium-ion, on the other hand, has no such requirement, as they are ready to go from the start!
  • Lithium-ion batteries offer twice the energy density of nickel-cadmium, making their charging capabilities much more robust. This means that a single lithium-ion battery can power an electronic device for up to three times as long before needing recharging compared with two identical counterparts using NiCd or lead-acid technology – this is important in devices such as smartphones and laptops where you don’t want your battery dying out just when it becomes essential.

Cons:

  • Lithium-ion batteries can be tricky to handle if you don’t know of their flaws. One problem with these types is that they lose power faster than other battery types, such as nickel-cad or NiMh ones which typically have self-discharge rates of less than 5%.
  • The major disadvantage to lithium-ion batteries is their ageing. The battery can only withstand so many charge-discharge cycles before capacity falls and this could be due in part to the number of times it’s been charged or discharged; typically a li-ion setup will need at least 500 more charges than what you put into them just for safety reasons!
  • The lithium-Ion polymer(LiPoly) cells were created so you don’t need any external circuits but still maintain long life cycle times due t° the high energy density delivered by each cell!
  • The other problem with these types of cells, especially those found within consumer electronics such as cell phones, smartwatches etc., has got to do with time-related factors — namely how quickly they age if left unused over several months without use.
  • Lithium-ion batteries are a type of rechargeable battery that can be used for mobile devices and other portable electronics. The biggest downside to this kind of power source? It needs protection from being overcharged or discharged too much, which usually means including built-in circuitry in both the device itself as well as inside its voltage regulation system (also sometimes called “protection”).

How to Store Lithium-Ion Batteries Safely

Batteries should always be stored in a cool, dry place away from heat and sunlight. If your home does not have adequate ventilation or you’re storing batteries for an extended period of time (more than six months), it’s best to store them at 59℉ with relative humidity below 60%.

Boosting your home security is not just about installing alarms or motion sensors. You need to make sure the batteries in these devices are running at full strength and stored safely and away from children.

Get in touch with us today for all your battery needs.