Your current phone might get security patches for several years to come, at least if Germany has its way. C'treports the German federal government is pushing the European Union to require seven years of security updates and spare parts for smartphones as part of negotiations with the European Commission. That's two years longer than a recent Commission proposal, and would effectively give phones a more computer-like support cycle.

Both proposals are unsurprisingly facing pushback from manufacturers. The industry advocacy group DigitalEurope (which counts Apple, Google and Samsung as some of its members) wants a requirement for just three years of security updates, and wants to limit spare parts to screens and batteries rather than cameras, speakers and other components that are supposedly more reliable.

DigitalEurope is effectively arguing for the status quo, in other words. While Apple typically delivers five years of regular feature and security updates, many Android vendors stop at three or less. Samsung only committed to four years of security fixes in 2021. Some of this has been dictated by Qualcomm's update policy, but it's clear the brands themselves are sometimes reluctant to change.

This extended support might become crucial. The EU's proposal, potentially in effect by 2023, is meant to help the environment by letting you keep phones for longer. They'd stay protected and functional for roughly twice the 2.5 to 3.5 years you see today.

However, this could also be vital for bolstering mobile security as a whole. Just over 40 percent of Android users are running 9.0 Pie or earlier, according to StatCounter's August 2021 usage share data — a large portion of mobile users have devices that either stopped receiving security updates or are close to losing them. Longer support periods could prevent attackers from targeting old phones that, at present, have been left permanently vulnerable to exploits patched in newer software.

You might not have to pay much to get a modern mesh WiFi network up and running. Amazon is selling three-packs of its Eero 6 router at heavily discounted prices as part of a Labor Day sale, starting at $195 (30 percent off) for one router with two extenders. You can also buy three routers for $244 (38 percent off), and individual extenders have dropped to $62 (30 percent off). These are the best prices we've seen short of a Lightning Deal from June, and could easily make sense if you want coverage across your whole home.

The sale also includes discounts on smaller Eero 6 setups, including an individual router for $90 and a two-unit combo at $139.

This isn't the Eero Pro 6 with tri-band networking and a larger 2,000 square foot coverage for each unit. The three Eero 6 units you get should easily cover a typical home, though, and the 900Mbps peak bandwidth of the WiFi 6 system will be more than enough for most home internet connections and local data transfers. There's also a built-in Zigbee hub that should make it that much easier to connect smart home devices. These won't be your picks if you need a lot of wired networking (the router has two Ethernet ports, the extender has none), but they're otherwise solid choices if you want fast local wireless with small, unintrusive hardware.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

If Audi's Skysphere concept is a driver's car with an autonomous option, the company's follow-up is the polar opposite. The automaker has introduced a Grandsphere concept electric sedan that uses Level 4 self-driving (full autonomy in limited conditions) to help you avoid driving "whenever possible" — this is a luxurious living room that just happens to let you take the wheel.

Invoke the driverless mode and the Grandsphere will 'reduce' the wheel and pedals to make it clear you're supposed to relax. The displays are really projections on wooden surfaces that adapt based on whether or not you're driving — you can watch media or participate in video conferences. While Audi's familiar MMI controls are available in an upright seating position, you can use eye tracking and gestures to navigate the infotainment system while you're reclining. VR glasses in the armrests help you immerse yourself in entertainment during your commute.

Audi

Audi is promising extensive personalization that would refine the interior as you step in, ranging from basics like climate control through to the media services you last used. The car would even display the news you were reading on your phone, according to the company.

The design itself is a large "2+2" seater with a grand tourer-like profile but a wheelbase longer than the stretched version of the A8. Like Mercedes' EQS, you won't be hurting for range — Audi is claiming 466 miles of driving with the 120kWh battery. An 800-volt charging architecture can give you 186 miles of driving in ten minutes, and bring the Grandsphere from a five percent charge to 80 percent in 25 minutes. It's not the fastest vehicle with a 0-62MPH time of "just over" four seconds, but you clearly wouldn't buy this to win drag races.

Not that you'll likely buy this car in the first place. As with the Skysphere and the upcoming Urbansphere concept, this is more to illustrate Audi's vision of its autonomous EV future. At least some of the technologies (such as that news display) are more what Audi aspires to build than something you could expect any time soon. It won't be shocking if some of the features or design cues make their way into production cars, however, and there's little doubt that many car brands will have to rethink their designs when manual driving becomes more of an exception than the rule.

Virgin Galactic is having a particularly bad day. Reutersreports the Federal Aviation Administration has barred Virgin from flying SpaceShipTwo while the agency investigates an anomaly in the descent of Richard Branson's spaceflight. The regulator wants to be sure the "mishap" leading to the aircraft's deviation from its cleared route won't hurt public safety. Officials didn't estimate when Virgin might resume flights.

We've asked Virgin for comment. The space tourism firm previously acknowledged that the flight went off-course, dipping below the intended airspace for one minute and 41 seconds. However, it also maintained that it didn't fly outside the "lateral confines" of the allowed airspace.

This comes at an unfortunate time for Virgin. The company just announced its first flight carrying commercial research, with a launch due in late September or early October — that schedule might be in doubt if the FAA probe lasts long enough or prompts significant changes to the plan. It could also add another delay to Virgin's first space tourist flights, now slated for early 2022. That's concerning for a company that's bleeding cash and might not turn a profit until it's carrying passengers.

More rumors suggest Apple's fabled AR and VR headset will depend on another device. The Informationsources claim the headset will need to wirelessly communicate with a host device like an iPhone, iPad or computer that can handle most of the computing. The chip inside the wearable won't be as powerful as Apple's in-house chips and will lack the Neural Engine used to accelerate AI tasks. It'll be made on a 5-nanometer process that will seem old by the time the headset is available, according to one contact.

The chip will reportedly have a CPU and GPU, leaving open the possibility for a weaker stand-alone mode like you see with the Oculus Quest 2. However, the hardware is supposedly optimized for processing and transmitting the headset's camera imagery over a wireless link, with a focus on battery life. Apple is rumored to be using "ultrahigh-resolution" (possibly 8K per eye) displays, with cameras to match.

The headset may still be a long way off. Apple supposedly just completed "tape-out" (that is, completed the physical design) for the main chip, display driver and image sensor. Trial production will take a while, let alone the mass production needed for a shipping product.

Information had heard the device might not be ready until 2022 at best, and might launch later. It's believed to be aimed at developers and creators with a potential price around $3,000. Any truly consumer-oriented hardware might have to wait until a possible set of AR glasses launching in 2023 or later.

Apple declined to comment. With that said, there are signs the company is edging closer to releasing the headset. The company recently shuffled executives, with senior VP Dan Riccio tipped to lead a new project that might center on the headgear. In other words, years of development and acquisitions are finally bearing fruit.

It'll soon be much easier to get your Final Fantasy fix if you subscribe to an all-you-can-play service. Both PlayStation Now and Xbox Game Pass are adding several games from the RPG franchise in the months ahead, most of them for PS Now. Final Fantasy XIII is first out of the gate and now available on Xbox Game Pass for console and PC — the first time it's been available on current consoles. However, you'll also get to play the legendary Final Fantasy VII (the original, not the remake) on PS Now starting September 7th.

The rest are titles that will help PS Now catch up to Xbox Game Pass, where they've been available for a while. Final Fantasy VIII Remastered hits Sony's service on October 5th, while IX (arguably the PS1's curtain call) debuts November 2nd. The remasters of X and X-2 surface on December 7th, while Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age will have to wait until January 4th.

This expansion won't satisfy you if you're a completist (you won't see VI and earlier), and it probably won't convince you to subscribe all by itself. Still, it could be a significant factor. You can relive the Final Fantasy titles of your youth on a modern system while also receiving access to a load of considerably newer games.

It didn't take long for YouTube to claim another milestone for its music services, although its significant isn't quite so clear. The Google-owned brand said it had racked up a combined 50 million YouTube Premium and Music subscribers roughly a year and a half after reaching the 20 million mark. It's also the "fastest growing" music subscription service, according to YouTube's music chief Lyor Cohen.

Certain markets were stronger than others. Cohen touted "impressive growth" in Brazil, India, Japan, Russia and South Korea. He didn't provide numbers for those countries or the US. 

That figure still makes YouTube smaller than Spotify, which claimed 165 million Premium subscribers as of June 2021. Apple hasn't divulged its Music subscriber numbers since June 2019, when it had 60 million, while Amazon last touted 55 million Music customers (only some of them paying for Unlimited) in January 2020. Still, these figures in isolation would suggest YouTube is quickly becoming a major force in music streaming.

There are concerns about the claims, though. YouTube didn't indicate how many were Music or Premium subscribers, or how they used it. While you get YouTube Music with a Premium subscription, that doesn't mean you're using Premium for music — you might just want to get rid of ads and download videos. YouTube's tally also includes people using free trials, so the number of paying customers is likely lower. Samsung offers two to four months of free YouTube Premium access with new phones, for instance, but many of those users will drop Premium after the trial is over.

The data still hints competition in the music streaming world is heating up, with relatively small outfits like YouTube and Amazon Music posing more of a threat to incumbents like Spotify and Apple. However, it could take a long while before YouTube is large enough to make the heavyweights nervous.

WhatsApp isn't just catching flak from users over its data sharing with Facebook. The Financial Timesreports the Irish Data Protection Commission has fined WhatsApp €225 million ($266.8 million) for not sharing enough details of how it shares European Union users' data with Facebook. The messaging service allegedly failed to live up to its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) transparency obligations.

The Commission also said the data sharing itself violated GDPR. WhatsApp was merely storing "pseudonymous" phone number data, for instance, rather than truly anonymizing it. While the numbers were stored using lossy hashes, WhatsApp had the hash key needed to decrypt that info — it could tie that number to a specific person if it wanted.

The ruling asked WhatsApp to both improve its transparency and bring the data sharing in line with the GDPR. The Irish agency initially planned to fine WhatsApp €50 million ($59.3 million) for breaking GDPR, but hiked the punishment after Germany and other countries accused the Commission of being lenient on privacy violations.

WhatsApp unsurprisingly planned to appeal the decision. It claimed that it met transparency requirements in 2018 (around when the investigation began) and that the fines were "entirely disproportionate." It maintained that it strived to offer "transparent and comprehensive" information to users.

The fine is the latest in a string of penalties for tech giants over violations. Amazon faced a record $888 million fine in July over GDPR issues, and Twitter was asked to pay €450 million ($533.6 million) when it failed to report a data leak within 72 hours. WhatsApp's fine is light by comparison, then, although it's arguably grappling with a larger blowback over its data policies.

Internet providers may be fond of zero-rating services (that is, their traffic doesn't count toward data caps), but they might want to think twice about that practice in Europe. As Fortunereports, the EU's Court of Justice has ruled that zero-rating (aka "zero tariff") options violate net neutrality and are "incompatible with EU law." These perks don't honor EU regulations demanding that providers treat traffic equally, the court said.

The decision came after two German courts asked the Court of Justice about the legality of zero-rated options from carriers Telekom Deutschland (with a large stake in T-Mobile in the US) and Vodafone. The former offers a "Stream On" option that doesn't count music or video streaming from partner services toward your cap. Vodafone, meanwhile, offers passes (such as "Video Pass" and "Music Pass") that waives data use for partners in different app categories, but only in Germany on your phone — travel or use hotspot tethering and that benefit disappears.

Critics have attacked zero-rating as an attempt to stifle competition or arbitrarily boost revenue through partner deals and pricier service bundles. Providers can use these exclusions to promote their own media services at the expense of rivals, for example, or force competing services to sign special agreements to avoid being hobbled. You might also be asked to pay more — a carrier could ask you to subscribe to a pass just so you can watch TV shows without worrying about overage fees or throttling.

While the ruling touches on German ISPs, it sets a precedent that effectively bars zero-rating services across the EU. Local courts would only have to refer to the EU case. The question, of course, is whether non-EU countries will look to this as an example. The US has a pseudo-ban on zero-rating thanks to a California law, but the federal government hasn't yet followed suit after the Pai-era FCC shut down investigations.

Reddit has finally cracked down on COVID-19 misinformation following growing calls to act, although it probably won't satisfy many of its critics. The social site has banned r/NoNewNormal and quarantined 54 other COVID-19 denial subreddits, but not over the false claims themselves. Instead, it's for abuse — NoNewNormal was caught brigading en masse (that is, flooding other subreddits) despite warnings, while the other communities violated a rule forbidding harassment and bullying.

The company didn't, however, relent on its approach to tackling the misinformation itself. Reddit said it clamps down on posts that encourage a "significant risk of physical harm" or are manipulations intended to mislead others, but made no mention of purging posts or subreddits merely for making demonstrably false claims about COVID-19 or vaccines.

Reddit previously defended its position by arguing its platform was meant to foster "open and authentic" conversations, even if they disagree with a widely established consensus. However, that stance hasn't satisfied many of Reddit's users. Business Insidernoted 135 subreddits went "dark" (that is, went private) in protest over Reddit's seeming tolerance of COVID-19 misinformation, including major communities like r/TIFU.

Critics among those groups contended that Reddit let these groups blossom through "inaction and malice," and that Reddit wasn't consistent in enforcing its own policies on misinformation and abuse. As one redditor pointed out, Reddit's claims about allowing dissenting ideas don't carry much weight — the COVID-19 denial groups are presenting false statements, not just contrary opinions.

The situation is a familiar one. Reddit was accused of dragging its heels on hate speech, responding only when the outcry became too loud to ignore. The misinformation response suggests Reddit is repeating that behavior. Not that this would be shocking. The site often finds itself trying to balance its need to please advertisers with a desire to foster free expression, and this is just the latest instance of that balancing act creating an uproar.