Catching up on a new podcast should get easier very soon. Apple has announced that it will automatically transcribe podcasts, which should allow more people to enjoy episodes. Apple Podcast will allow creators to upload their own transcript for display or opt for Apple to create one.

There are some caveats to be aware of, though. Apple Podcasts should start creating the transcription when the episode is uploaded. However, it has a "short delay" until it's available, so people eager to play their favorite podcast right away will have to wait for an unspecified amount of time (Apple tells podcasters to give it at least 24 hours after uploading an episode). It's likely that the longer the episode is, the longer the transcription will take to be ready. The transcription will also not update if parts of the recording are changed with dynamically inserted audio, and it won't display music lyrics. 

Podcasters must follow Apple's quality requirements for their episodes to get correctly transcribed. According to Apple, podcasts with people talking over each other or music might not have as good a transcription. If someone chooses to upload their own, it must be a VTT or SRT file. A podcaster can also edit a transcription for greater accuracy. 

Apple Podcasts' transcriptions should launch in the spring on iOS 17.4 in English, German, Spanish and French. The feature is available in over 170 countries and regions, with older episodes getting transcribed over time. 

While many organizations are pushing for their employees to return to offices, Microsoft suggests trying a new type of "hybrid" working. The company has announced the launch of Microsoft Mesh, a feature that lets employees' avatars meet in the same place, even if the actual people are spread out. The virtual connection platform is powered through Microsoft Teams. 

Microsoft has tested out Mesh on companies like consulting firm Accenture and pharmaceutical-focused Takeda. "The world of work continues to evolve at a rapid pace, but the importance of human connection has never gone away. Lunchtime conversations, hallway catch-ups, coffee chats — they often hold the key to both workplace success and employee happiness," Takeda's chief technology officer Leo Barella explained in a statement. He claims their meetings have been "more collaborative and immersive."

Mesh provides a series of pre-made spaces that companies can customize with everything from informational videos to logos — without needing to enter any code. The Mesh toolkit works through Unity, Microsoft's 2D and 3D development platform, to tailor the virtual world further. Basically, if there's a retreat an employer has always wanted to take everyone, they can create a version of it and invite everyone's avatars. 

Currently, Microsoft's Mesh is only available on desktop PCs and Meta Quest VR devices (if employees want a more immersive experience). Microsoft is offering a six-month free trial to anyone with a business or enterprise plan. Otherwise, prices range from $4 per user monthly for Microsoft Teams Essentials all the way up to $57 per user monthly for Microsoft 365 E5. 

Intuit is once again facing consequences for misleading advertising that claims it offers "free" services. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is banning TurboTax's maker from claiming services are free when most customers will end up having to pay. "We find that Intuit's ads on their face, expressly or by strong implication, conveyed to reasonable consumers the message that they can file their taxes with TurboTax for free," the FTC concluded. "Respondent's claims of free filing are false for roughly two-thirds of U.S. taxpayers, who do not meet Intuit's simple tax return qualifications and are therefore ineligible to file for free with TurboTax."

The FTC further emphasized that companies can't describe a product as "free, free, free" when most people will have a "fee, fee, fee" — a warning that's just waiting to be turned into an intimidating jingle. The regulatory body stated that Intuit must clearly state percent of customers would qualify for free services. Meanwhile, Intuit is appealing the decision, stating, "We believe that when the matter ultimately returns to a neutral body we will prevail."

Intuit isn't required to pay a fee for its transgressions this time. However, the FTC's ban comes nearly two years after Intuit reached a $141 million settlement with all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The company had to refund almost 4.4 million customers "for deceiving millions of low-income Americans into paying for tax services that should have been free," New York Attorney General Letitia James announced at the time.

Intuit was found to have pulled a bait-and-switch on customers, luring them in with the promise of free tax prep and then charging them when it was time to file. It also hid its IRS Free Filing page from search engine results for a tax season (and dropped out of the Free File Alliance in 2021). Intuit didn't admit to any wrongdoing and expressed no regret in a statement about the ordeal.

If you're counting down the days until your winter escape and want to ensure its pure relaxation, there's good news: Apple's second-generation AirPods Pro with active noise canceling are down to $189 from $249. The 24 percent discount brings the AirPods to a new all-time low at Amazon (or for one dollar more at Target). 

Apple's AirPods Pro are one of the best wireless earbuds for 2024, especially for use with iOS devices. The second-gen earbuds look deceptively similar to past models but are in a class of their own — garnering an 88 in our review. They have great noise canceling, but it was their natural sounding transparency mode that really impressed us. The overall sound quality of the AirPods Pro is also richer and maintains a better output even at lower volumes. Plus, the earbuds last six hours with noise canceling turned on or seven hours without and have up to 30 hours of use with the charging case.

You can also use Apple's AirPods Pro second-gen with the company's upcoming Vision Pro. We tried out the new mixed reality headset's features, from meditation to the floating keyboard, all of which you can read about here. The Vision Pro is currently available for pre-order, starting at $3,499 for the 256GB version.

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Anyone who likes to take and share a lot of photos will likely agree that AirDrop is a great feature, but its Apple-only status is limiting. Now, WhatsApp could give it a run for its money across all devices. The company is seemingly working on a new update that would allow users to share files with nearby devices, WABetaInfo reports.

WhatsApp's new feature is currently under development (it hasn't even reached Beta testing yet), so while we don't know when it will be available, we do have a good idea of what it will look like. For starters, users will likely need to shake their device in order to activate a request and, of course, be in close proximity to the other person. The recipient then needs to open WhatsApp and also shake their device to see and accept the share request. We don't know how close the pair will need to be, but AirDrop has a range of about 30 feet for context.

WABetaInfo

WhatsApp's security measures extend to sharing as files (likely to be mostly photos and videos) will be end-to-end encrypted. The platform will also keep phone numbers private when users share files with anyone outside of their contacts. While much of this mirrors AirDrop, it's unclear if files will automatically download to a user's camera roll or work with Bluetooth alone. Currently, WhatsApp allows for 100 photos to be sent at one time over regular messaging, so we'll have to wait and see how this feature differs. 

Meta has been fighting upcoming regulations in the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA) for months, but no more. The company has announced it will comply with the DMA's stipulation that it can't favor its own services or force users to remain inside its ecosystem. This decision will greatly impact Meta's user experience in the EU, including allowing people to utilize Messenger and Facebook Marketplace without a Facebook account. Meta previously filed an appeal arguing that the two platforms should not be included under the DMA.

Giving in means that Messenger and Facebook Marketplace users in the EU can now use the services and all of their functions through standalone accounts. The only difference for Marketplace is that conversations will occur over email. Along with the overall Meta Marketplace and Messenger, the European Commission's regulations on Meta include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Meta ads. For example, users can now keep their Facebook and Instagram accounts separate instead of linking information between the two platforms. 

The European Commission initially designated six companies as "gatekeepers" under the DMA: Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta and Microsoft. There are 22 core platform services between them that fall under the law's jurisdiction due to factors like users, revenue and valuation. Qualification also hinged on "if they provide an important gateway between businesses and consumers in relation to core platform services." ByteDance and Apple are among the other companies which have pushed back against the DMA's regulations ahead of its March 2024 enforcement. However, Google (owned by Alphabet) recently announced that users could stop its platforms like YouTube and Chrome from sharing data. 

The long-running dispute between the European Commission and Apple over the use of its payment technology could soon come to an end. The Commission has officially announced Apple's plan to open up its Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology, used for tap-and-go payments, to third-party mobile wallet providers. Rumors of Apple's proposal first surfaced in December 2023.

The Commission opened an investigation into Apple in 2020 over potentially restricting rival mobile wallet pay developers' access to necessary technology, thus eliminating Apple Pay's competition. Two years later, it announced charges against Apple for allegedly violating the European Union's antitrust laws, which, if proven, could leave Apple with a massive bill.

Apple's proposal compromises on its previous assertions that third parties could negatively impact security. If approved, Apple would, among other things, allow third parties to APIs with NFC functionality — no fee or use of Apple Pay or wallet required. This shift would include access to technology that keeps payment information secure. Apple would apply this to any developers and iOS users registered in the European Economic Area (EEA). However, people outside the EEA might still be able to use third-party apps. Apple also claims it will call upon an independent reviewer in disputed instances where the company denied NFC access. All suggested changes and prior press releases on the case are available here.

As expected, the European Commission has not rushed to accept Apple's proposed commitments. Instead, it has laid them out and requested feedback from Apple's rivals (and any other interested entities) on whether the laid-out changes are acceptable.

X (formerly Twitter) rolled out audio and video calling for iOS users back in October 2023. Now, the feature is coming to Android, with an engineer at X, @enriquebrgn, sharing the news in a post: "Audio and video calls on X slowly rolling out for Android users today! Update your app and call your mother." 

Linda Yaccarino, X's CEO, first announced video chat on the platform last August as part of her and owner Elon Musk's plan to create an "everything" app. Of course, the perks that come along with their grand plan, including placing audio and video calls, are primarily available only to premium subscribers. However, any users can receive calls, whether or not they help fund Musk's dreams (which will cost you $8 per month or $84 annually). 

If WhatsApp, Zoom, Teams and more are enough for you, it's easy to turn calls off on X. Go into settings and click privacy and safety, then direct messages. There, you'll see an option that says enable audio and video calling, which you can make sure is switched off. Alternatively, you can control who can call you on X. Limits include people in your address book, verified users and people you follow. These restrictions can be helpful to avoid unwanted calls, as the person on the other end of the line doesn't need your phone number to contact you. 

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2024 has come and gone, leaving behind a series of new Galaxy devices. If you missed the event, we've got you covered: You can watch Samsung Galaxy Unpacked S24 in less than 10 minutes right on our YouTube channel. Between new smartphones and a dive into AI — here's what you can expect to see.

The event revealed three new smartphones that make up the Samsung Galaxy S24 series. There's the S24, starting at $799 for the 128GB model — plus, order it by January 25, and Samsung will throw in a free Watch 6. The Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24 Ultra start at $1,000 and $1,300, respectively, for their 256GB options. The entire S24 series comes equipped with the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor in the United States, providing the necessary power for the smartphones' AI features.

The Galaxy S24 series uses Samsung's new Gauss Generative AI model. Galaxy AI, as the company refers to the overall system, allows for quite a few fresh features, including live two-way translations for phone calls. The system works right on the phone and doesn't require Wi-Fi or cellular connections. The same applies to Interpreter, an in-person translator, and Samsung Keyboard, which can translate messages across 13 languages. Speaking of messages, Android Auto can summarize any messages you receive while driving and suggest responses for you to approve with voice commands.

Galaxy AI will also come into play for any photos you take using the S24 series. According to Samsung, it can help with image stabilization, digital zoom and content captured in low-light. Galaxy AI can also suggest photo edits and offers Generative Fill to change the background. However, the latter requires a network connection and will give the photo a watermark.

Overall, the S24 series comes with a lot of changes and new features to test out. Learn more about the smartphones in our video below.

For many, "new year, new me" includes finding a new job. Scouring sites like LinkedIn and Indeed for opportunities can feel like a full-time role in and of itself. This process could potentially improve moving forward, with LinkedIn announcing its latest feature: Job Collections. 

Basically, instead of searching for a specific industry or role, LinkedIn is using generative AI and large language models to analyze each job posting and categorize it into groups such as IT, pro sports, remote and top startups. Along with saving time, LinkedIn indicates that this feature can benefit people who aren't sure what their next step looks like. The company compares it to Airbnb Experiences — you might not know what you're searching for, but you could find something great. Its success relies significantly on how well it understands you versus wasting your time further sorting through jobs that are completely off base. 

According to LinkedIn, applications have risen 50 percent in the US and 36 percent globally, with 85 percent of working people contemplating changing jobs this year. The number of people searching for a job isn't surprising, given the number of recent layoffs. In the tech industry alone, 2024 has already seen layoffs at Twitch, Google, Meta, Discord and more.  

To use LinkedIn's new feature, simply go to the Jobs tab and click on "Explore with Job Collections." You can now also go to Preferences and choose from things like employment and location type. Then LinkedIn will highlight them in green anytime they appear on a job listing. Plus, if a job isn't exactly what you want but the company is, you can now send them an "I'm Interested" notification right from the listing instead of visiting their profile to do so.