gHacks
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Epic Games Delays Its Unannounced Star Wars and Marvel Shooter and Moves It to AI-First Development
Epic Games has delayed an unannounced Star Wars and Marvel crossover shooter indefinitely and told the team behind it to adopt an "AI first" production model built on AI tools, according to instructions given to staff last week.
Norway Fines Microsoft's Xandr $9.6 Million Over Sharing Grindr Users' Sensitive Data
Norway's Data Protection Authority, Datatilsynet, has fined Xandr, an advertising company owned by Microsoft, NOK 92 million ($9.6 million) for unlawfully processing and sharing sensitive data belonging to Grindr users in Norway.
Google Launches the $179.99 Fitbit Edge With a Replaceable Battery, GPS, and a 1.34-Inch Screen
Google has announced the Fitbit Edge, a $179.99 fitness tracker with a 1.34-inch display, built-in GPS, and a user-replaceable battery, a first for any Fitbit. Preorders opened on Monday, and the tracker goes on sale on October 27. The Edge works with both Android phones and iPhones through the Google Health app.
Microsoft Sets November 10 as the Final Security Update for Windows 11 23H2 Enterprise and Education
Microsoft has reminded organizations that Windows 11 version 23H2 Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise editions will stop receiving security updates after the November 2026 security update, which ships on November 10, according to a post in the Windows Message Center. The company recommends moving eligible devices to a supported version of Windows 11 before that date.
Valve's Deadlock Passes Team Fortress 2's All-Time Steam Peak With 262,145 Concurrent Players
Valve's Deadlock reached 262,145 concurrent players on Steam, passing the all-time concurrent player peak of Team Fortress 2, which stands at 253,997, according to Steam player data tracked by SteamDB. The record came as Valve released Solomon, the latest of six new heroes added to the MOBA as part of its City Never Sleeps update.
Amazon Replaces Fire Tablets With Android Alexa Tablets Priced From $229.99
Amazon is replacing its Fire tablets with three Alexa Tablets that run Android with full access to the Google Play Store, the company announced. The Alexa Tablet 8, Alexa Tablet 11, and Alexa Tablet 12 Pro are priced from $229.99 to $549.99 and go on sale on October 14, 2026, in the US, Mexico, and Canada.
WhatsApp Blocks Logins on Android and iOS Devices Running Outdated Operating Systems
WhatsApp has started blocking logins on Android and iOS devices that run an outdated operating system. The check is a server-side change, so it works regardless of the installed WhatsApp version, and it is rolling out to specific accounts on both platforms. Affected users see a new screen asking them to update the device software before they can continue.
Microsoft Retires Themes by Copilot in Outlook Starting in Mid-October 2026
Microsoft is retiring Themes by Copilot in Outlook worldwide, with the removal starting in mid-October 2026 and expected to finish by late October 2026, according to the Microsoft 365 Message Center post MC1492954, published on October 9.
GTA 6 Leaker Threatens to Release a Full Story Mode Build Unless Take-Two Offers Physical Discs
The GTA 6 leaker known as Cyberleek has threatened to release a build of the game containing the full story mode, "played to the end, credits and all," if the leaker's memecoin reaches a market cap of $30 million.
Tesla Renames Full Self-Driving to Tesla Assisted Driving in Europe After German Regulator Talks
Tesla has renamed its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) driver-assistance feature to Tesla Assisted Driving (TAD) in Europe, according to a statement from the German Transport Ministry.
Microsoft Replaces 1TB per Person With a Shared 2TB OneDrive Pool in Microsoft 365 Family and Premium
Microsoft is changing how OneDrive cloud storage works in Microsoft 365 Family and Premium, replacing the 1 TB that each member received with a single 2 TB pool shared by up to six people, according to an updated Microsoft support document.
Microsoft Says Outdated Windows PCs Will Lose Windows Update Access When Certificates Expire in 2027
Microsoft has warned that Windows devices running unsupported versions, or supported versions that are missing recent patches, will lose access to Windows Update when a set of Windows Update certificates expires on May 17, 2027 and June 19, 2027.
Rockstar Reveals Six GTA 6 Radio Stations and the Series' First In-Game Podcasts
Rockstar Games has revealed six in-game radio stations for GTA 6 and confirmed that Grand Theft Auto VI is the first game in the series with on-demand podcasts, according to a Rockstar Newswire announcement published on October 8. The studio also opened a music page on its website where players can preview each of the six stations in two-minute samples.
UK ICO Secures Data Protection Commitments From OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and Seven Other AI Developers
The UK data protection regulator, the ICO, says ten of the largest AI developers, including OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft, have changed how they handle personal data or committed to doing so after it examined their compliance with UK data protection law. The ICO announced the outcome on Thursday, October 8, and said its next focus is autonomous AI agents.
Google Ends Safety Signal on Pixel Watch 2 and Pixel Watch 3 LTE Models on December 12
Google will end Safety Signal on the Pixel Watch 2 and Pixel Watch 3 LTE models on December 12, 2026, according to an announcement the company posted in the Google Pixel Watch Help Community. After that date, the watches lose the always-on connection that let their emergency features work without a cellular plan.
Microsoft Teams Will Add Third-Party Deepfake Detection and Impersonation Warnings to Meetings in November
Microsoft is preparing to add support for third-party deepfake detection tools and a new impersonation protection feature to Microsoft Teams meetings, according to two new entries on the Microsoft 365 Roadmap. Both features are listed as in development, and Microsoft plans to reach general availability in November after a worldwide rollout.
Rockstar Says GTA 6 Will Require Players to Earn Money to Advance Story Missions
Rockstar Games North co-studio head Rob Nelson says Grand Theft Auto 6 will require players to earn money in the open world at certain points before the story can continue. Nelson made the comments in an interview recorded earlier this year and published in full this week, with GTA 6 scheduled to launch next month.
OpenAI Brings GPT-6 to All ChatGPT Users, Adding Intelligent UI With Interactive Answers
OpenAI has started rolling out GPT-6 in ChatGPT to all users, along with a new capability called Intelligent UI that lets answers include interactive interfaces such as charts, forms, and tappable buttons.
Google Rolls Out Pixel Buds Firmware 6.144 With Dynamic ANC and a Tap-to-Mute Gesture
Google has started rolling out a firmware update for the Pixel Buds Pro, Pixel Buds Pro 2, and Pixel Buds 2a that brings Dynamic Active Noise Cancellation to the Pixel Buds Pro 2, a tap gesture to mute calls, and automatic pausing when the wearer falls asleep. The update carries firmware version release_6.144 and arrives through the Pixel Buds app on Android.
Microsoft Tests a New Windows 11 Search That Can Toggle Settings and Snap Windows From the Taskbar
Microsoft has started rolling out a redesigned Windows Search experience to Windows Insiders that can carry out actions, such as switching to dark mode or snapping windows, directly from the search box on the taskbar in Windows 11.
Microsoft Says GTA 6 Will Not Stream Exclusively on Xbox or Be Playable on PC Through the Cloud
Microsoft has denied that Xbox holds exclusive cloud streaming rights to GTA 6 and says the game will not stream to PC at launch. Xbox Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Ball made the statement in a post on X, after reports claimed that Xbox Cloud Gaming would be the only place to stream the game when it releases in November.
Google Releases Chrome 155 With 247 Security Fixes, Four of Them Rated Critical
Google has released Chrome 155 to the Stable channel with 247 security fixes, according to the Chrome Releases blog. The desktop update, version 155.0.8059.39/.40 for Windows and Mac and 155.0.8059.39 for Linux, will roll out over the coming days and weeks.
Google Prepares to Remove the "Only Send SMS and MMS Messages" Toggle From Google Messages
Google is preparing to remove the "Only send SMS and MMS messages" setting from Google Messages on Android, according to code strings found in the beta version messages.android_20261002_00_RC00 of the app. The change is not live in the stable release, and Google has not announced it.
Microsoft Will Block .msix and .msixbundle Attachments in New Outlook and Outlook on the Web in November
Microsoft will block .msix and .msixbundle file attachments by default in new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web, according to a Microsoft 365 Message Center post (MC1488841). The change applies to Exchange Online, and the rollout is scheduled for early to mid-November 2026.
Rockstar Says GTA 6 Avoids Satire Aimed at Specific Real People, Events, or Movements
Rockstar Games does not want Grand Theft Auto 6 to be too specific about any real person, event, or political movement, according to Rupert Humphries, the studio's senior vice president of narrative.
Google Docs Adds Native Markdown File Editing, With Rendered .md Previews in Google Drive
Google is rolling out native Markdown support in Google Docs, letting users view, edit, and collaborate on .md and .markdown files without converting them to the Docs format, according to an October 5, 2026 post on the Google Workspace Updates blog.
Microsoft Confirms Windows 11 KB5124010 Crashes Games and Apps That Use Dolby Digital Audio
Microsoft has confirmed that KB5124010, the September 22, 2026 preview update for Windows 11, can crash some games, media players, and productivity applications that rely on AC-3 (Dolby Digital) audio decoding. The company added the known issue to the Windows release health dashboard on October 2 and says a fix will ship in a future Windows update.
OpenAI Will Test Visual Ads in ChatGPT During Image Generation in the US Later This Month
OpenAI is introducing a visual ad format in ChatGPT and will test it first while users generate images, the company announced on October 5, 2026. Testing begins later in October in the United States with an initial group of advertisers.