If you regularly use people who regularly use more than one WhatsApp account this new beta update is going to be of interest to you. The messaging app is reportedly working on multi-account support for its Android app, an update that would allow you to switch between profiles on the same device, WABetaInfo reports. The feature appears to work just like changing accounts on fellow Meta-owned app Instagram with a pop-up at the bottom of your app showing current accounts and the option to add new ones. 

Any new accounts will be stored within your device and, of course, can be logged out of at any point. Multi-account support might be advantageous if you have different work and personal numbers or want to try out recent social media-centric WhatsApp features like Channels. This update lets you send broadcasts like photos and polls to followers, with WhatsApp planning to monetize it for creators in the future. Similarly, WhatsApp has reportedly been working on a username feature that would allow you to find people the same as Instagram or Twitter, without having their phone numbers. 

Multi-account support also follows the iOS and Android release of companion mode, an update that allows you to use the same WhatsApp account on up to four phones. Previously, you could only be logged in on a single mobile phone along with your tablet and computer. 

There's no timeline yet for when you'll be able to jump between accounts from one device. We can expect multi-account support will be widespread when it gets fully released, but right now it's only visible through an Android beta update.

Logitech has rolled out new AI-powered tools for its Streamlabs platform that could make editing podcasts go much, much faster. Starting today, Streamlabs Ultra subscribers will get access to Podcast Editor, which provides easy text-based editing capabilities that they could use to auto-generate transcripts and real-time translations. They could also use the editor to add subtitles to their video podcasts in several languages, as well as create clips in different sizes (and with different template designs) for sharing on platforms, such as Facebook and TikTok. 

The screenshot below shows the tool's interface with its text editor where users can highlight parts of the transcript and automatically create short clips featuring those sections of their podcast. That editor is also where users can generate translations, as well as style and insert subtitles. Users can also remove filler words like "ums" and awkward pauses from their podcasts within just a few seconds using the tool. 

Logitech, which purchased the creator of the Streamlabs OBS livestreaming app back in 2019, says Podcast Editor could trim hours off creators' total edit time. Although Streamlabs Ultra subscribers will get the most out of Podcast Editor, seeing as the paid service allows them to manage 40 hours of content, non-paying users will also get limited access to the tool. They can use Podcast Editor through the free version of Streamlabs and edit one hour of content at no cost every month. 

Engadget

Vincent Borel, Head of PC Gaming and Creators at Logitech G, said: "Podcast Editor now enables Streamlabs to provide the most robust suite of offerings for creators to reach their audiences wherever they are while focusing on the elements of content creation they love the most - streaming and engaging with their audience."

Anker, which made its name building device batteries and chargers, is now making gear for all of the devices you own. Or at least all of the devices in your home, since it just unveiled its Solix home energy system, which can be bolted onto existing or new domestic solar setups. Like many other home battery companies out there, Solix is scalable, with the smallest unit sized at 5kWh – enough for a few hours backup power – all the way up to 180kWh. It won’t arrive until 2024 but, when it does, it’ll be paired with an EV charging system Anker is presently cooking up.

The company is no stranger to this world, since it already builds small solar and battery sets for off-road types. But it’s pleasing to see it also entering the home battery market which, Tesla aside, is full of companies that don’t have as big a presence in the consumer space. It’s also heartening to see Anker building gear for smaller setups, like apartments, where sometimes the only thing you can do to clean up your energy is hang a solar panel off your balcony.

– Dan Cooper

The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.

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What happened to the once-loved gaming giant?

Our Summer Game Fest coverage turns its eye toward Ubisoft, home of several big franchises, including Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed. The last few years, however, have seen the company wobble, releasing half-baked, half-loved titles to middling results. A sharp left turn into freemium gaming and, sigh, NFTs, only helped to accelerate the erosion of its good name. Curious about what behind-the-scenes drama caused the slide? So was I, until I read this.

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Twitter is getting evicted from its Colorado office over unpaid rent

Wait, there are consequences for refusing to pay for things!?

A judge has evicted Twitter from its Colorado offices after the building’s owner sued for three months’ back rent totalling $75,000. The location presently houses around 150 employees, who have until the end of July to pack up their things and move out. This won’t be the only time Twitter lawyers see the inside of a courtroom over their owner’s refusal to pay for things, either. It’s currently being sued by (deep breath) its cleaners, its San Francisco landlord and several of its former employees for sums which are reportedly owed to them.

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Sennheiser SoundProtex Plus review: Concert earplugs that don't kill the vibe

Protect your hearing while you rock out.

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

If you’re a big live music fan, you’ve probably been warned about the harm all of those big PA systems can do to your hearing. It’s a problem the audio mavens at Sennheiser are looking to address with a pair of earplugs designed for live music events. Billy Steele has been testing out the SoundProtex Plus by spending his time at noisy gigs to see if they help you enjoy the music without compromising your ability to do so in the future.

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Google Home's new script editor can make smart device automations even more powerful

Some programming knowledge required.

Google

Google’s redesigned Home app is introducing a script editor, enabling users to program their own smart home routines. This includes “if this” style directions, like dimming the living room lights and lowering the blinds when the living room TV is on after dark. It’s designed for folks who have some programming experience, but it should be easy enough that most committed amateurs should feel comfortable at least giving it a try.

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Apple has just released its new 15-inch Macbook Air, and it's already touting a $100 price cut. Amazon had already run a pre-release sale knocking $50 off the price but the retailer has now discounted the 256GB model in Starlight from $1,300 to $1,200 (Space Gray and Midnight are $66 off), and the 512GB option in Midnight from $1,500 to $1,400. Yes, upwards of $1,000 for a laptop is still not chump change, but that $100 savings could go toward a case, AirPods or even some fun non-Apple product. 

The new 15-inch model finally gives MacBook Air fans a chance for nearly as much screen real estate as its more expensive and heavier Pro counterpart. We gave it a 96 in our review and found the 3.3-pound MacBook's light, thin design and sharp 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display especially impressive. It utilizes the same well-performing M2 chip as the 13-inch model, bringing an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU. 

Other features include a 1080p HD camera, a six-speaker sound system and up to 18 hours of battery life. Storage-wise, it can configure up to 2TB of SSD. The device itself has two thunderbolt ports, a headphone jack and a MagSafe charging point. Most of these features mirror those available in last year's 13-inch MacBook Air, which also received a 96 when we reviewed it. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Fujifilm's line of instant cameras has grown again with the launch of the Instax SQ40. The new model borrows retro cues from the Mini 40, while shooting larger-format square film like previous SQ models. 

Unlike the shiny plastic square format models of the past, the SQ40 is wrapped in faux black leather with silver accents. It measures 5.25 inches wide by 4.5 inches tall by 2.25 inches thick, so it's considerably larger than the Mini 40 and other rectangular cameras. For easy carrying, it comes with a shoulder strap with quick release loops.

Fujifilm/Cactus Images Limited

The lens is retractable and has three modes, starting with the fully retracted "off" position that makes the camera relatively flat and closes the protective cap. In the "on" position, it extends and the lens cap opens, giving a field of view equivalent to 65.75 mm (35mm equivalent, presumably) for shooting no closer than 19.7 inches. And finally, there's a "macro" mode for selfies that lets you shoot between 11.8 and 19.7 inches, with a small mirror at the front so you can see yourself and friends. 

It has automatic exposure and shoots on the Instax Square frame to a 2.4- by 2.4-inch image area on a 3.4- by 2.8-inch film size. Unlike some Instax models, there doesn't appear to be any saving to a digital format, so this is about as analog as modern cameras get.

Fujifilm

The SQ40 costs $150 and is expected to be available for purchase by the end of June 2023. The basic white-border version of the square film costs around $19 for 20 exposures, and a new version called Instax Square "Sunset" with pastel shaded borders (above) is $15.75 for a 10-pack. Finally, Fujifilm released a new brown colorway for the Mini Evo priced at $200, also available at the end of June. 

Twitter has yet another major lawsuit to contend with. A group of more than a dozen music publishers has filed a $250 million lawsuit against the company over allegations of “massive” copyright infringement on the platform.

The suit, filed by the National Music Publishers Association, alleges Twitter users have violated artists’ copyrights on thousands of occasions and that the company has done little to stop it. It notes that Twitter is among the only major social platforms that doesn’t have licensing agreements in place.

According to The New York Times, Twitter had been in negotiations for such a deal but those talks eventually broke down. “While numerous Twitter competitors recognize the need for proper licenses and agreements for the use of musical compositions on their platforms, Twitter does not, and instead breeds massive copyright infringement that harms music creators,” the filing states.

The lawsuit also accuses Twitter of ignoring music publishers’ requests to take copyright infringing material off its platform despite weekly notices from publishers.“The reality is that Twitter routinely ignores known repeat infringers and known infringements, refusing to take simple steps that are available to Twitter to stop these specific instances of infringement of which it is aware,” the lawsuit says,

The suit also claims many offending tweets are now shared by verified users, and that Twitter is likely to take action against verified accounts. “Twitter suspended virtually none of the verified accounts identified in the NMPA Notices and which have large follower bases,” the suit says. “Twitter gives them preferential treatment, viewing accounts that are verified and have large follower bases as more valuable and monetizable than accounts that are unverified and have a small number of followers.”

Though the lawsuit says that copyright infringement has been a problem at Twitter for years, it says things have gotten worse since Elon Musk took over the company and that things are in “disarray” internally. Of note, the suit also cites tweets from Musk himself, in which he criticized copyright law, calling the “overzealous DMCA [Digital Millennium Copyright Act]” a “plague on humanity.”

“This statement and others like it exert pressure on Twitter employees, including those in its trust and safety team, on issues relating to copyright and infringement,” the music publishers say.

Twitter didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Lawmakers from the European Union have taken a big step towards regulating the use of artificial intelligence systems in the region by passing a draft law known as the AI Act. As The New York Times notes, it's merely one part of a longer process, and the soonest we can see the final version of the law is most likely later this year. But if the law gets enforced in its current form, then the European Union will be banning the use of real-time and remote biometric systems, such as facial recognition scanning. 

It will also prohibit devices that exhibit cognitive behavioral manipulation, such as voice activated toys deemed to encourage dangerous behavior in children. Technologies that classify people based on their socio-economic status or personal characteristics will be banned, as well. Meanwhile, technologies considered "high risk" will need to be registered in an EU database. These include AI systems for biometric identification and those for use by law enforcement. 

The European Commission first proposed the AI Act back in April 2021. That was way before the meteoric rise in popularity of generative AI systems, which led to a rise in calls for artificial intelligence to be regulated. The version the lawmakers have voted on included rules for generative AI companies like OpenAI, including requiring them to disclose any content generated by artificial intelligence. These companies will also be required to ensure that their large language models can't generate illegal content. Also, they will have to publish summaries of copyrighted data used to train their models. 

Representatives from the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of the European Union still have to negotiate details for the final version of the law. They could decide to change some aspects of it and add certain exemptions, such as allowing the use of facial recognition for national security purposes. The AI Act would likely go through several iterations after this vote, though EU officials are hoping to finalize details by the end of the year. 

Feel like the Steam desktop client was long overdue for a major upgrade? So did Valve. Today the company released an update for the platform that includes many of the features it has been testing in the app's beta channel. The latest client features updated fonts and menus, a revised notification system and a redesigned in-game overlay. Better still, Valve says the platform has been rebuilt with an all-new framework designed to help features ship simultaneously across all versions of Steam.

That means some of the new features baked into the desktop client are also already available on Steam Deck. Specifically, Valve called out the client's overhauled in-game overlay — in addition to a new interface and more versatile toolbar, players also now have access to a new notes tool that syncs across PCs. Thanks to the new framework, this feature is now available on desktop and Steam Deck simultaneously. The overlay also has a new "pin" feature that will allow users to keep that notes tool (or any other window from the in-game interface) visible during gameplay.

Valve is also trying to clean up the client's notifications. Clicking on the icon should now only show the most recent and relevant notifications, and will prompt users to click through to see a full historical view. Users should see small updates across the rest of the client as well, including updated dialog text, new fonts and tweaked colors.

The new features are nice, but Valve seems most proud of the improvements its made under the hood. In addition to the new framework, the company says that its enabled hardware acceleration for Mac and Linux users, offering a smoother experience across all platforms.

Last, and perhaps least, the update may be the end of the legacy Steam Big Picture mode. Buried among the client's long list of bug fixes is a note that the command line option to enable "oldbigpicture" has been removed. We're all using the Steam Deck interface now.

The new Steam Client update is available to download now. Check out the full patch notes for details.

Politicians think they have a way to hold companies accountable for troublesome generative AI: take away their legal protection. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Josh Hawley have introduced a No Section 230 Immunity for AI Act that, as the name suggests, would prevent OpenAI, Google and similar firms from using the Communications Decency Act's Section 230 to waive liability for harmful content and avoid lawsuits. If someone created a deepfake image or sound bite to ruin a reputation, for instance, the tool developer could be held responsible alongside the person who used it.

Hawley characterizes the bill as forcing AI creators to "take responsibility for business decisions" as they're developing products. He also casts the legislation as a "first step" toward creating rules for AI and establishing safety measures. In a hearing this week on AI's effect on human rights, Blumenthal urged Congress to deny AI the broad Section 230 safeguards that have shielded social networks from legal consequences.

In May, Blumenthal and Hawley held a hearing where speakers like OpenAI chief Sam Altman called for the government to act on AI. Industry leaders have already urged a pause on AI experimentation, and more recently compared the threat of unchecked AI to that of nuclear war.

Congress has pushed for Section 230 reforms for years in a bid to rein in tech companies, particularly over concerns that internet giants might knowingly allow hurtful content. A 2021 House bill would have held businesses liable if they knowingly used algorithms that cause emotional or physical harm. These bills have stalled, though, and Section 230 has remained intact. Legislators have had more success in setting age verification requirements that theoretically reduce mental health issues for younger users.

It's not clear this bill stands a greater chance of success. Blumenthal and Hawley are known for introducing online content bills that fail to gain traction, such as the child safety-oriented EARN IT Act and Hawley's anti-addiction SMART Act. On top of persuading fellow senators, they'll need an equivalent House bill that also survives a vote.

Capture One has brought its eponymous photography app to the iPhone. Photographers can connect their camera to their phone and shoot images directly to the app. Capture One works with more than 500 cameras, the company says, including Canon, Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm, Leica and Sigma models.

The app can automatically apply edits to images as your camera sends them to your iPhone. As such, Capture One suggests, photographers can swiftly provide their clients with edited images. You can plan ahead by creating styles on Capture One's desktop or iPad apps and AirDropping them to your iPhone.

Capture One enables photographers to share a live link of a shoot with their colleagues, who can follow along in real time whether they're remote or on location. The company suggests this will allow collaborators to quickly select their favorite shots and provide feedback from any device, wherever they might be.

Gabija Morkūnaitė/Capture One

Other features of the app include RAW conversion and color processing. You'll be able to transfer shots via the cloud to Capture One Pro and finish editing on your desktop. Capture One says ratings, color tags and edits will remain intact when you transfer your images. You can export images from the app however you like, the company said, including to an external SSD.

Capture One, which is an increasingly popular Lightroom alternative, is available in the App Store now. A subscription costs $5 per month after a seven-day trial, but users who have the iPad app or the All in One bundle can use Capture One on iPhone at no extra cost.