Firefox to continue supporting uBlock Origin
Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge have ditched MV2 support, meaning that some extensions will stop working on these browsers. One of the most popular add-ons that is affected by this is uBlock Origin. The content blocker extension is no longer available for Edge or Chrome, though users may opt to use a less-powerful alternative in the form of uBlock Origin Lite. Mozilla took to X to announce that Firefox will continue supporting uBlock Origin. The non-profit organization will continue to support all MV2 extensions in the future. <a href="https://chipp.in/news/firefox-will-continue-to-support-ublock-origin-says-mozilla/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>Chipp.in reports that Brave Browser and Opera Browser have also confirmed its plans to support MV2 including uBlock Origin. This may be a good time for Chrome and Edge users to switch over to Firefox or Brave.
Meanwhile, the developers of uBlock Origin have announced that the ad blocker will not support Facebook anymore. That means users will run into ads on Meta’s social network. The devs say that Facebook constantly keeps adding hurdles to prevent ad-blocking, and counters any bypasses that have been discovered by uBlock Origin, often within hours after the devs had found ways to block the ads. The extension is developed by a rather small team, who work on it voluntarily, and they lack the resources to put up with the numerous changes made by Facebook. And so, they have decided not to support Facebook.
While the add-on continues to block ads on the website now, this won’t be the case when Facebook updates its counter-ad blocking methods. uBlock Origin’s developers have termed Facebook’s anti-ad blocking tactics as disgusting, and have advised users to stay away from the social network to protect their privacy
Microsoft’s Copilot Super app is rolling out
Microsoft has begun rolling out the Copilot super app to users. In case you missed it, the Redmond company has been working on a unified Copilot app for quite a while, to merge the Copilot app and Microsoft 365 apps into a single experience. This will reduce the confusion and burden of using two Copilot apps. But there are certain things that you need to know about the new app
Users with a personal account will be migrated to the new app automatically, and your chats and content will be brought over as well. Group chats however, will not be accessible beyond August 18, 2026
Microsoft 365 subscribers will see a new Copilot icon, and will have access to chats and content, along with some minor navigation changes. Microsoft says that the Chats, content and data will remain separate between account types. A couple of other features are being retired on August 18th, including Podcasts, Deep Research, while some features may be unavailable temporarily during the migration
Windows Central reports that the unified Copilot app is currently rolling out to mobile devices. Windows 11 and macOS users will need to opt-in to the new experience, that will start rolling out in mid-September
Apple alerts some users about spyware attacks on iPhone, iPad and Mac
Apple says that it has alerted several users around the world, to inform them they could have been targeted by government-funded mercenary spyware. The Cupertino company mentioned that sophisticated malware such as Pegasus often costs millions of dollars, and are difficult to detect and prevent. While the majority of users are unlikely to be the targets, devices of high profile users including journalists, activists, politicians, and diplomats, could have been compromised, and this is why Apple took steps to warn them about the attack.
Victims who were targeted by the mercenary spyware will receive a special notification from Apple that not only alerts them about the threat, but also outlines the actions that users can take to protect their device and data. In addition to this, Apple also notifies the victims through an email. The announcement also highlighted the importance of Lockdown Mode, which helps protect iPhone, iPad and Mac devices from such spyware attacks
A news piece published byTechrunch mentions that Apple has sent out threat notifications to affected users in 110 countries. A support article on Apple’s website notes that Apple has sent these threat notifications to users multiple times a year since 2021, and that it had reached out to users in over 150 countries
Google Play Store now hosts third-party app marketplaces in the U.S
It has finally happened. The Google Play Store is now playing host to other app marketplaces. While it has always been possible to install an app store such as F-droid on Android devices, it was up to the user to obtain the app marketplace’s APK from third-party websites. However, that changed as a result of Google’s legal feud with Epic Games, which it ultimately lost. A U.S. Federal Court had found Google guilty of building an illegal monopoly, and restricting app developers and users with various restrictions.
To comply with the ruling, Google was ordered to allow third-party app markets on its Play Store. The Mountain View company lost the appeal against the ruling, and had no choice but to open its doors to alternative marketplaces. This became a reality as Aptoide, which is known to cater to mobile gamers, became the first third-party digital store to be available on the Play Store in the U.S
Google Gemini has 1 billion users
Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai has revealed that 1 billion users are using Gemini on a monthly basis. The AI app crossed the milestone faster than any of the Mountain View company’s products. Back in February this year, Gemini had about 750 million monthly users, but this number rose to 950 million in July
A post on Google’s blog says that 63% of Gemini users interact with the AI using voice commands. It also mentioned that one in 5 Gemini Live interactions go beyond voice, as people use screen sharing and live camera feeds for day-to-day tasks. Gemini is generating over 150 million images every day. Gemini’s claim to the 1 billion mark wasn’t driven just by Android, Google says that Gemini has over 100 million active users on iOS and macOS
A week ago, OpenAI had announced that ChatGPT had passed 1 billion monthly users
