#androidauthority — Public Fediverse posts

#Google confirms #Messages is getting a #Trash #folder - #AndroidAuthority https://share.google/mhnc87SmJBaeo7lr7 @Androidauth

#Google confirms #Messages is getting a #Trash #folder - #AndroidAuthority https://share.google/mhnc87SmJBaeo7lr7 @Androidauth

Google Pixel 11 rumored to feature real alternative to Apple’s Face ID

Unlike Face ID or the Pixel 4’s Soli radar system, this new technology apparently works with a…
#NewsBeep #News #Mobile #AndroidAuthority #benchmarks #FaceID #Fingerabdrucksensor #Gerücht #Gesichtserkennung #GooglePixel10Pro #GooglePixel11Pro #GoogleProjectToscana #graphicscard #laptop #Leak #netbook #notebook #processor #reports #review #Reviews #Technology #test #tests #UK #UnitedKingdom
https://www.newsbeep.com/uk/431928/

Finally, Google Expands AirDrop-Style File Sharing beyond just #Pixel Devices

“At a recent #Google briefing, Eric Kay — vice president of engineering for the #Android platform — confirmed a major expansion: #QuickShare’s compatibility with #Apple’s #AirDrop will roll out to many more Android phones this year.

You won’t need to stick with just Google’s own devices to take advantage of cross-platform sharing, as reported by #AndroidAuthority.”

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/news-google-air-drop-android-2026/

**ПОБ | Последний Оплот Безопасности**

Появился сигнал, который нельзя игнорировать. #ПОБ #ПоследнийОплотБезопасности

Пользователь Reddit под ником **LucianoToscano** сообщает, что на **Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra** технология **UWB** работает в двух режимах. Для сторонних устройств активируется урезанный сценарий. По его тестам, трекеры других производителей — в частности **Moto Tag** — не получают полноценный доступ к возможностям UWB. Смартфон переводит их в режим **UWB Lite**: без азимута, без угла возвышения, без AR-навигации. Остаётся лишь приблизительная оценка расстояния. #Samsung #GalaxyS24Ultra #UWB #UWB_Lite #MotoTag

При этом фирменный **Samsung SmartTag** на том же устройстве работает в полном режиме через **UWB Direction Engine**. То же железо, другой результат. #SmartTag #Экосистема

Ключевой момент: речь не об аппаратных ограничениях. UWB-чип в S24 Ultra — стандартный и сопоставимый с решениями конкурентов. Если ограничение реально существует, оно реализовано на уровне ПО и экосистемных политик. Классическая схема вендор-лока: общее железо — избирательный доступ. #ВендорЛок #ЗакрытыйСад #ЭкосистемныйДавление

**UWB** — это не маркетинг. Это сантиметровая точность, определение направления и пространственная ориентация, то есть ровно то, что делает трекеры функциональными, а не номинальными. И именно эти возможности исчезают у «чужих» устройств. #UltraWideband #ЦифровойКонтроль

Часть пользователей утверждает, что у них Moto Tag работает корректно, а переустановка **Find Hub / SmartThings Find** иногда устраняет проблему. Это оставляет пространство для версии о баге, а не сознательном ограничении. Однако на момент января 2026 года **Samsung** не дал официальных комментариев на запросы журналистов **Android Authority**, что ситуацию не проясняет. #AndroidAuthority #ПользовательскиеТесты

Параллели с экосистемной моделью Apple очевидны. Разница лишь в том, что Samsung долго позиционировал себя как альтернативу, а не как копию. #BigTech

Фиксируем текущее состояние:
— полноценный UWB — только для «своих»;
— сторонние трекеры — в режиме деградации;
— прозрачных объяснений — нет. #Безопасность

**Рекомендация ПОБ**: проверьте самостоятельно. Подключите сторонний UWB-трекер, откройте настройки **SmartThings Find**, зафиксируйте, какие режимы доступны фактически. Будущие обновления могут либо закрыть вопрос, либо окончательно закрепить практику.

**ПОБ | Последний Оплот Безопасности**

Появился сигнал, который нельзя игнорировать. #ПОБ #ПоследнийОплотБезопасности

Пользователь Reddit под ником **LucianoToscano** сообщает, что на **Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra** технология **UWB** работает в двух режимах. Для сторонних устройств активируется урезанный сценарий. По его тестам, трекеры других производителей — в частности **Moto Tag** — не получают полноценный доступ к возможностям UWB. Смартфон переводит их в режим **UWB Lite**: без азимута, без угла возвышения, без AR-навигации. Остаётся лишь приблизительная оценка расстояния. #Samsung #GalaxyS24Ultra #UWB #UWB_Lite #MotoTag

При этом фирменный **Samsung SmartTag** на том же устройстве работает в полном режиме через **UWB Direction Engine**. То же железо, другой результат. #SmartTag #Экосистема

Ключевой момент: речь не об аппаратных ограничениях. UWB-чип в S24 Ultra — стандартный и сопоставимый с решениями конкурентов. Если ограничение реально существует, оно реализовано на уровне ПО и экосистемных политик. Классическая схема вендор-лока: общее железо — избирательный доступ. #ВендорЛок #ЗакрытыйСад #ЭкосистемныйДавление

**UWB** — это не маркетинг. Это сантиметровая точность, определение направления и пространственная ориентация, то есть ровно то, что делает трекеры функциональными, а не номинальными. И именно эти возможности исчезают у «чужих» устройств. #UltraWideband #ЦифровойКонтроль

Часть пользователей утверждает, что у них Moto Tag работает корректно, а переустановка **Find Hub / SmartThings Find** иногда устраняет проблему. Это оставляет пространство для версии о баге, а не сознательном ограничении. Однако на момент января 2026 года **Samsung** не дал официальных комментариев на запросы журналистов **Android Authority**, что ситуацию не проясняет. #AndroidAuthority #ПользовательскиеТесты

Параллели с экосистемной моделью Apple очевидны. Разница лишь в том, что Samsung долго позиционировал себя как альтернативу, а не как копию. #BigTech

Фиксируем текущее состояние:
— полноценный UWB — только для «своих»;
— сторонние трекеры — в режиме деградации;
— прозрачных объяснений — нет. #Безопасность

**Рекомендация ПОБ**: проверьте самостоятельно. Подключите сторонний UWB-трекер, откройте настройки **SmartThings Find**, зафиксируйте, какие режимы доступны фактически. Будущие обновления могут либо закрыть вопрос, либо окончательно закрепить практику.

**ПОБ | Последний Оплот Безопасности**

Появился сигнал, который нельзя игнорировать. #ПОБ #ПоследнийОплотБезопасности

Пользователь Reddit под ником **LucianoToscano** сообщает, что на **Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra** технология **UWB** работает в двух режимах. Для сторонних устройств активируется урезанный сценарий. По его тестам, трекеры других производителей — в частности **Moto Tag** — не получают полноценный доступ к возможностям UWB. Смартфон переводит их в режим **UWB Lite**: без азимута, без угла возвышения, без AR-навигации. Остаётся лишь приблизительная оценка расстояния. #Samsung #GalaxyS24Ultra #UWB #UWB_Lite #MotoTag

При этом фирменный **Samsung SmartTag** на том же устройстве работает в полном режиме через **UWB Direction Engine**. То же железо, другой результат. #SmartTag #Экосистема

Ключевой момент: речь не об аппаратных ограничениях. UWB-чип в S24 Ultra — стандартный и сопоставимый с решениями конкурентов. Если ограничение реально существует, оно реализовано на уровне ПО и экосистемных политик. Классическая схема вендор-лока: общее железо — избирательный доступ. #ВендорЛок #ЗакрытыйСад #ЭкосистемныйДавление

**UWB** — это не маркетинг. Это сантиметровая точность, определение направления и пространственная ориентация, то есть ровно то, что делает трекеры функциональными, а не номинальными. И именно эти возможности исчезают у «чужих» устройств. #UltraWideband #ЦифровойКонтроль

Часть пользователей утверждает, что у них Moto Tag работает корректно, а переустановка **Find Hub / SmartThings Find** иногда устраняет проблему. Это оставляет пространство для версии о баге, а не сознательном ограничении. Однако на момент января 2026 года **Samsung** не дал официальных комментариев на запросы журналистов **Android Authority**, что ситуацию не проясняет. #AndroidAuthority #ПользовательскиеТесты

Параллели с экосистемной моделью Apple очевидны. Разница лишь в том, что Samsung долго позиционировал себя как альтернативу, а не как копию. #BigTech

Фиксируем текущее состояние:
— полноценный UWB — только для «своих»;
— сторонние трекеры — в режиме деградации;
— прозрачных объяснений — нет. #Безопасность

**Рекомендация ПОБ**: проверьте самостоятельно. Подключите сторонний UWB-трекер, откройте настройки **SmartThings Find**, зафиксируйте, какие режимы доступны фактически. Будущие обновления могут либо закрыть вопрос, либо окончательно закрепить практику.

Gemini gets personal as Google rolls out a big memory upgrade- Android Authority

General technology

AI

Gemini can now remember your life, not just answer questions

Gemini’s new Personal Intelligence mode finally connects the dots in your digital life.

By Jay Bonggolto, January 14, 2026

• Google has introduced Personal Intelligence in Gemini, allowing the AI to remember your personal details by connecting to your Google apps.
• Gemini can now think across your data, not just pull a single email or photo on command.
• Instead of stuffing everything into the model, Gemini selectively surfaces only the most relevant info when needed.
• The feature is now live for US Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers, with plans to expand further.

Google is finally tackling a common frustration with AI assistants: their tendency to forget personal details. Starting today, Gemini is getting a memory upgrade called Personal Intelligence. This new feature lets the AI access your Google apps, like your emails and photos, so it can give answers that feel much more relevant to you.

This new feature is now rolling out in beta. Instead of making you jump between Gmail, Photos, Search, and YouTube, Gemini can now bring all that information together. If you choose to opt in, Gemini can access your Google apps and use that information in real-time, making your personal data more useful.

Up till now, Gemini could fetch things — an email here, a photo there — but it didn’t really think across them. Personal Intelligence changes this by addressing what Google calls the “context packing problem.” In short, your life produces far more data than even large AI models can process at once. Google’s answer is a new system that selects the most relevant emails, images, or searches and delivers them to Gemini only when needed.

This is powered by Gemini 3, Google’s most advanced model family yet. It brings improved reasoning, stronger tool use, and a massive one-million-token context window. That still isn’t enough to swallow an entire inbox or photo library, so Google uses context packing to surface just the right details at the right moment.

Google gives a simple example to show how this works. If you ask Gemini about tire options for your car, it won’t just list specifications. It can find your exact car model from Gmail, get tire sizes from your Photos, and consider your road-trip habits before making suggestions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Repq-4piGeU

If you’re planning a trip, Gemini can check your past travel emails, saved places, and Photos to recommend places that match your real interests instead of just tourist spots.

It also works across text, images, and videos. Gemini might pull a license plate number from a photo, confirm a trim level from an email receipt, then combine that with Search results, all in one response.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Gemini gets personal as Google rolls out a big memory upgrade- Android Authority

Gemini gets personal as Google rolls out a big memory upgrade- Android Authority

General technology

AI

Gemini can now remember your life, not just answer questions

Gemini’s new Personal Intelligence mode finally connects the dots in your digital life.

By Jay Bonggolto, January 14, 2026

• Google has introduced Personal Intelligence in Gemini, allowing the AI to remember your personal details by connecting to your Google apps.
• Gemini can now think across your data, not just pull a single email or photo on command.
• Instead of stuffing everything into the model, Gemini selectively surfaces only the most relevant info when needed.
• The feature is now live for US Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers, with plans to expand further.

Google is finally tackling a common frustration with AI assistants: their tendency to forget personal details. Starting today, Gemini is getting a memory upgrade called Personal Intelligence. This new feature lets the AI access your Google apps, like your emails and photos, so it can give answers that feel much more relevant to you.

This new feature is now rolling out in beta. Instead of making you jump between Gmail, Photos, Search, and YouTube, Gemini can now bring all that information together. If you choose to opt in, Gemini can access your Google apps and use that information in real-time, making your personal data more useful.

Up till now, Gemini could fetch things — an email here, a photo there — but it didn’t really think across them. Personal Intelligence changes this by addressing what Google calls the “context packing problem.” In short, your life produces far more data than even large AI models can process at once. Google’s answer is a new system that selects the most relevant emails, images, or searches and delivers them to Gemini only when needed.

This is powered by Gemini 3, Google’s most advanced model family yet. It brings improved reasoning, stronger tool use, and a massive one-million-token context window. That still isn’t enough to swallow an entire inbox or photo library, so Google uses context packing to surface just the right details at the right moment.

Google gives a simple example to show how this works. If you ask Gemini about tire options for your car, it won’t just list specifications. It can find your exact car model from Gmail, get tire sizes from your Photos, and consider your road-trip habits before making suggestions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Repq-4piGeU

If you’re planning a trip, Gemini can check your past travel emails, saved places, and Photos to recommend places that match your real interests instead of just tourist spots.

It also works across text, images, and videos. Gemini might pull a license plate number from a photo, confirm a trim level from an email receipt, then combine that with Search results, all in one response.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Gemini gets personal as Google rolls out a big memory upgrade- Android Authority

Here’s how ChatGPT went from a useful tool to a time-wasting habit – Android Authority

Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.

General technology

Before I knew it, ChatGPT went from a useful tool to time-wasting a habit

AI became my new endless doom-scroll without me noticing.

By Andrew Grush, December 21, 2025•

There are plenty of mixed opinions on AI’s potential benefits and harms, but I’ll admit I’ve been somewhat hooked on it from day one. I tend to dive deep into subjects with AI for short bursts that might last hours or on-and-off for a few days, and then drift away for weeks or more when life gets busy with things that are obviously more important. Slowly but surely, though, I realized I was doing less and less when it came to other personal interests. While my AI use never disrupted my real-life obligations or relationships, it was starting to cannibalize my hobbies.

Recently, I started scrolling through my massive ChatGPT log entries. Some were simple entertainment, and others were deep thoughts that frankly got a bit heavy. There were more interactions than I’d ever care to count. That’s when the thought hit me: “Has this become my new doom scroll?” I started wondering how I got to that point, how much time I was wasting, and why it felt so addictive. Eventually, I took a deeper look at my AI usage patterns and then took a step back.

Do you think you’re dependent on or addicted to AI chatbots like ChatGPT?

144 votes

How I got here and why it proved so addictive for me

According to ChatGPT, about 75% of users ask for practical guidance, seek information, or get help with writing and work tasks. This overlaps heavily with what people traditionally use search engines for. As I already mentioned, I love diving deeply into random subjects, so I fall squarely in this camp. That said, I also use AI as a sounding board for my thoughts.

Typically, I put it in a mode like Professional or Efficient and add a few custom instructions so it isn’t overly sycophantic and will push back on my weaker ideas. This can involve history questions, alternate-history scenarios, or philosophical musings. Yes, I know how to party.

AI is fast and doesn’t judge. That’s quite the dopamine hit.

To be clear, I don’t rely on AI for anything truly important. I mostly use it for personal creative work or low-stakes questions I can verify elsewhere. As someone with ADHD who loves to daydream, I also often use it to explore hypothetical rabbit holes where accuracy isn’t the priority.

So how did this turn into an addiction? AI hits several brain-level incentives for me:

• It’s fast: I don’t have to wait for a human reply or dig across multiple sites for basic answers. Yes, fact-checking is still necessary, but it’s hard to deny the convenience.
• No judgment or boredom: My wife, mom, and friends will sometimes let me info-dump about space, philosophy, or whatever else I’m fixated on, but I quickly wear out my welcome. AI doesn’t get bored.
• It’s easy, low effort: My life has been extremely hectic lately. When I finally get a moment to unwind, I want something easy and slow-paced. In the past, that meant TV or books. Lately, it’s meant long conversations with a chatbot.

For me, this feels very similar to the dopamine loop people get from YouTube, TikTok, or doomscrolling social media. A rabbit hole here and there is harmless, whether web-based or AI-based. The problem is when an occasional time-sink becomes a regular habit that eats into everything else.

I kept noticing it was suddenly midnight or later and thinking, “Oh, I meant to play a board game with the kids,” or “watch that show with my wife,” but yet again, time had slipped away. I’m far from alone, either.

Government organizations have already warned that AI companions could represent a new frontier of digital addiction, and many teens are turning to AI chatbots as emotional outlets, offering a kind of pseudo-friendship traditionally reserved for human relationships. While I’ve never lost sight of the fact that the AI talking to me is a non-human algorithm designed to placate me, many people have also had their realities turned upside down by getting too cozy with the AI to the point they feel like it’s their closest friend. The term has been dubbed “AI psychosis” and is very real for those impacted by it.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Here’s how ChatGPT went from a useful tool to a time-wasting habit

Here’s how ChatGPT went from a useful tool to a time-wasting habit – Android Authority

Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.

General technology

Before I knew it, ChatGPT went from a useful tool to time-wasting a habit

AI became my new endless doom-scroll without me noticing.

By Andrew Grush, December 21, 2025•

There are plenty of mixed opinions on AI’s potential benefits and harms, but I’ll admit I’ve been somewhat hooked on it from day one. I tend to dive deep into subjects with AI for short bursts that might last hours or on-and-off for a few days, and then drift away for weeks or more when life gets busy with things that are obviously more important. Slowly but surely, though, I realized I was doing less and less when it came to other personal interests. While my AI use never disrupted my real-life obligations or relationships, it was starting to cannibalize my hobbies.

Recently, I started scrolling through my massive ChatGPT log entries. Some were simple entertainment, and others were deep thoughts that frankly got a bit heavy. There were more interactions than I’d ever care to count. That’s when the thought hit me: “Has this become my new doom scroll?” I started wondering how I got to that point, how much time I was wasting, and why it felt so addictive. Eventually, I took a deeper look at my AI usage patterns and then took a step back.

Do you think you’re dependent on or addicted to AI chatbots like ChatGPT?

144 votes

How I got here and why it proved so addictive for me

According to ChatGPT, about 75% of users ask for practical guidance, seek information, or get help with writing and work tasks. This overlaps heavily with what people traditionally use search engines for. As I already mentioned, I love diving deeply into random subjects, so I fall squarely in this camp. That said, I also use AI as a sounding board for my thoughts.

Typically, I put it in a mode like Professional or Efficient and add a few custom instructions so it isn’t overly sycophantic and will push back on my weaker ideas. This can involve history questions, alternate-history scenarios, or philosophical musings. Yes, I know how to party.

AI is fast and doesn’t judge. That’s quite the dopamine hit.

To be clear, I don’t rely on AI for anything truly important. I mostly use it for personal creative work or low-stakes questions I can verify elsewhere. As someone with ADHD who loves to daydream, I also often use it to explore hypothetical rabbit holes where accuracy isn’t the priority.

So how did this turn into an addiction? AI hits several brain-level incentives for me:

• It’s fast: I don’t have to wait for a human reply or dig across multiple sites for basic answers. Yes, fact-checking is still necessary, but it’s hard to deny the convenience.
• No judgment or boredom: My wife, mom, and friends will sometimes let me info-dump about space, philosophy, or whatever else I’m fixated on, but I quickly wear out my welcome. AI doesn’t get bored.
• It’s easy, low effort: My life has been extremely hectic lately. When I finally get a moment to unwind, I want something easy and slow-paced. In the past, that meant TV or books. Lately, it’s meant long conversations with a chatbot.

For me, this feels very similar to the dopamine loop people get from YouTube, TikTok, or doomscrolling social media. A rabbit hole here and there is harmless, whether web-based or AI-based. The problem is when an occasional time-sink becomes a regular habit that eats into everything else.

I kept noticing it was suddenly midnight or later and thinking, “Oh, I meant to play a board game with the kids,” or “watch that show with my wife,” but yet again, time had slipped away. I’m far from alone, either.

Government organizations have already warned that AI companions could represent a new frontier of digital addiction, and many teens are turning to AI chatbots as emotional outlets, offering a kind of pseudo-friendship traditionally reserved for human relationships. While I’ve never lost sight of the fact that the AI talking to me is a non-human algorithm designed to placate me, many people have also had their realities turned upside down by getting too cozy with the AI to the point they feel like it’s their closest friend. The term has been dubbed “AI psychosis” and is very real for those impacted by it.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Here’s how ChatGPT went from a useful tool to a time-wasting habit

Here’s how ChatGPT went from a useful tool to a time-wasting habit – Android Authority

Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.

General technology

Before I knew it, ChatGPT went from a useful tool to time-wasting a habit

AI became my new endless doom-scroll without me noticing.

By Andrew Grush, December 21, 2025•

There are plenty of mixed opinions on AI’s potential benefits and harms, but I’ll admit I’ve been somewhat hooked on it from day one. I tend to dive deep into subjects with AI for short bursts that might last hours or on-and-off for a few days, and then drift away for weeks or more when life gets busy with things that are obviously more important. Slowly but surely, though, I realized I was doing less and less when it came to other personal interests. While my AI use never disrupted my real-life obligations or relationships, it was starting to cannibalize my hobbies.

Recently, I started scrolling through my massive ChatGPT log entries. Some were simple entertainment, and others were deep thoughts that frankly got a bit heavy. There were more interactions than I’d ever care to count. That’s when the thought hit me: “Has this become my new doom scroll?” I started wondering how I got to that point, how much time I was wasting, and why it felt so addictive. Eventually, I took a deeper look at my AI usage patterns and then took a step back.

Do you think you’re dependent on or addicted to AI chatbots like ChatGPT?

144 votes

How I got here and why it proved so addictive for me

According to ChatGPT, about 75% of users ask for practical guidance, seek information, or get help with writing and work tasks. This overlaps heavily with what people traditionally use search engines for. As I already mentioned, I love diving deeply into random subjects, so I fall squarely in this camp. That said, I also use AI as a sounding board for my thoughts.

Typically, I put it in a mode like Professional or Efficient and add a few custom instructions so it isn’t overly sycophantic and will push back on my weaker ideas. This can involve history questions, alternate-history scenarios, or philosophical musings. Yes, I know how to party.

AI is fast and doesn’t judge. That’s quite the dopamine hit.

To be clear, I don’t rely on AI for anything truly important. I mostly use it for personal creative work or low-stakes questions I can verify elsewhere. As someone with ADHD who loves to daydream, I also often use it to explore hypothetical rabbit holes where accuracy isn’t the priority.

So how did this turn into an addiction? AI hits several brain-level incentives for me:

• It’s fast: I don’t have to wait for a human reply or dig across multiple sites for basic answers. Yes, fact-checking is still necessary, but it’s hard to deny the convenience.
• No judgment or boredom: My wife, mom, and friends will sometimes let me info-dump about space, philosophy, or whatever else I’m fixated on, but I quickly wear out my welcome. AI doesn’t get bored.
• It’s easy, low effort: My life has been extremely hectic lately. When I finally get a moment to unwind, I want something easy and slow-paced. In the past, that meant TV or books. Lately, it’s meant long conversations with a chatbot.

For me, this feels very similar to the dopamine loop people get from YouTube, TikTok, or doomscrolling social media. A rabbit hole here and there is harmless, whether web-based or AI-based. The problem is when an occasional time-sink becomes a regular habit that eats into everything else.

I kept noticing it was suddenly midnight or later and thinking, “Oh, I meant to play a board game with the kids,” or “watch that show with my wife,” but yet again, time had slipped away. I’m far from alone, either.

Government organizations have already warned that AI companions could represent a new frontier of digital addiction, and many teens are turning to AI chatbots as emotional outlets, offering a kind of pseudo-friendship traditionally reserved for human relationships. While I’ve never lost sight of the fact that the AI talking to me is a non-human algorithm designed to placate me, many people have also had their realities turned upside down by getting too cozy with the AI to the point they feel like it’s their closest friend. The term has been dubbed “AI psychosis” and is very real for those impacted by it.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Here’s how ChatGPT went from a useful tool to a time-wasting habit

Here’s how ChatGPT went from a useful tool to a time-wasting habit – Android Authority

Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.

General technology

Before I knew it, ChatGPT went from a useful tool to time-wasting a habit

AI became my new endless doom-scroll without me noticing.

By Andrew Grush, December 21, 2025•

There are plenty of mixed opinions on AI’s potential benefits and harms, but I’ll admit I’ve been somewhat hooked on it from day one. I tend to dive deep into subjects with AI for short bursts that might last hours or on-and-off for a few days, and then drift away for weeks or more when life gets busy with things that are obviously more important. Slowly but surely, though, I realized I was doing less and less when it came to other personal interests. While my AI use never disrupted my real-life obligations or relationships, it was starting to cannibalize my hobbies.

Recently, I started scrolling through my massive ChatGPT log entries. Some were simple entertainment, and others were deep thoughts that frankly got a bit heavy. There were more interactions than I’d ever care to count. That’s when the thought hit me: “Has this become my new doom scroll?” I started wondering how I got to that point, how much time I was wasting, and why it felt so addictive. Eventually, I took a deeper look at my AI usage patterns and then took a step back.

Do you think you’re dependent on or addicted to AI chatbots like ChatGPT?

144 votes

How I got here and why it proved so addictive for me

According to ChatGPT, about 75% of users ask for practical guidance, seek information, or get help with writing and work tasks. This overlaps heavily with what people traditionally use search engines for. As I already mentioned, I love diving deeply into random subjects, so I fall squarely in this camp. That said, I also use AI as a sounding board for my thoughts.

Typically, I put it in a mode like Professional or Efficient and add a few custom instructions so it isn’t overly sycophantic and will push back on my weaker ideas. This can involve history questions, alternate-history scenarios, or philosophical musings. Yes, I know how to party.

AI is fast and doesn’t judge. That’s quite the dopamine hit.

To be clear, I don’t rely on AI for anything truly important. I mostly use it for personal creative work or low-stakes questions I can verify elsewhere. As someone with ADHD who loves to daydream, I also often use it to explore hypothetical rabbit holes where accuracy isn’t the priority.

So how did this turn into an addiction? AI hits several brain-level incentives for me:

• It’s fast: I don’t have to wait for a human reply or dig across multiple sites for basic answers. Yes, fact-checking is still necessary, but it’s hard to deny the convenience.
• No judgment or boredom: My wife, mom, and friends will sometimes let me info-dump about space, philosophy, or whatever else I’m fixated on, but I quickly wear out my welcome. AI doesn’t get bored.
• It’s easy, low effort: My life has been extremely hectic lately. When I finally get a moment to unwind, I want something easy and slow-paced. In the past, that meant TV or books. Lately, it’s meant long conversations with a chatbot.

For me, this feels very similar to the dopamine loop people get from YouTube, TikTok, or doomscrolling social media. A rabbit hole here and there is harmless, whether web-based or AI-based. The problem is when an occasional time-sink becomes a regular habit that eats into everything else.

I kept noticing it was suddenly midnight or later and thinking, “Oh, I meant to play a board game with the kids,” or “watch that show with my wife,” but yet again, time had slipped away. I’m far from alone, either.

Government organizations have already warned that AI companions could represent a new frontier of digital addiction, and many teens are turning to AI chatbots as emotional outlets, offering a kind of pseudo-friendship traditionally reserved for human relationships. While I’ve never lost sight of the fact that the AI talking to me is a non-human algorithm designed to placate me, many people have also had their realities turned upside down by getting too cozy with the AI to the point they feel like it’s their closest friend. The term has been dubbed “AI psychosis” and is very real for those impacted by it.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Here’s how ChatGPT went from a useful tool to a time-wasting habit

Here’s how ChatGPT went from a useful tool to a time-wasting habit – Android Authority

Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.

General technology

Before I knew it, ChatGPT went from a useful tool to time-wasting a habit

AI became my new endless doom-scroll without me noticing.

By Andrew Grush, December 21, 2025•

There are plenty of mixed opinions on AI’s potential benefits and harms, but I’ll admit I’ve been somewhat hooked on it from day one. I tend to dive deep into subjects with AI for short bursts that might last hours or on-and-off for a few days, and then drift away for weeks or more when life gets busy with things that are obviously more important. Slowly but surely, though, I realized I was doing less and less when it came to other personal interests. While my AI use never disrupted my real-life obligations or relationships, it was starting to cannibalize my hobbies.

Recently, I started scrolling through my massive ChatGPT log entries. Some were simple entertainment, and others were deep thoughts that frankly got a bit heavy. There were more interactions than I’d ever care to count. That’s when the thought hit me: “Has this become my new doom scroll?” I started wondering how I got to that point, how much time I was wasting, and why it felt so addictive. Eventually, I took a deeper look at my AI usage patterns and then took a step back.

Do you think you’re dependent on or addicted to AI chatbots like ChatGPT?

144 votes

How I got here and why it proved so addictive for me

According to ChatGPT, about 75% of users ask for practical guidance, seek information, or get help with writing and work tasks. This overlaps heavily with what people traditionally use search engines for. As I already mentioned, I love diving deeply into random subjects, so I fall squarely in this camp. That said, I also use AI as a sounding board for my thoughts.

Typically, I put it in a mode like Professional or Efficient and add a few custom instructions so it isn’t overly sycophantic and will push back on my weaker ideas. This can involve history questions, alternate-history scenarios, or philosophical musings. Yes, I know how to party.

AI is fast and doesn’t judge. That’s quite the dopamine hit.

To be clear, I don’t rely on AI for anything truly important. I mostly use it for personal creative work or low-stakes questions I can verify elsewhere. As someone with ADHD who loves to daydream, I also often use it to explore hypothetical rabbit holes where accuracy isn’t the priority.

So how did this turn into an addiction? AI hits several brain-level incentives for me:

• It’s fast: I don’t have to wait for a human reply or dig across multiple sites for basic answers. Yes, fact-checking is still necessary, but it’s hard to deny the convenience.
• No judgment or boredom: My wife, mom, and friends will sometimes let me info-dump about space, philosophy, or whatever else I’m fixated on, but I quickly wear out my welcome. AI doesn’t get bored.
• It’s easy, low effort: My life has been extremely hectic lately. When I finally get a moment to unwind, I want something easy and slow-paced. In the past, that meant TV or books. Lately, it’s meant long conversations with a chatbot.

For me, this feels very similar to the dopamine loop people get from YouTube, TikTok, or doomscrolling social media. A rabbit hole here and there is harmless, whether web-based or AI-based. The problem is when an occasional time-sink becomes a regular habit that eats into everything else.

I kept noticing it was suddenly midnight or later and thinking, “Oh, I meant to play a board game with the kids,” or “watch that show with my wife,” but yet again, time had slipped away. I’m far from alone, either.

Government organizations have already warned that AI companions could represent a new frontier of digital addiction, and many teens are turning to AI chatbots as emotional outlets, offering a kind of pseudo-friendship traditionally reserved for human relationships. While I’ve never lost sight of the fact that the AI talking to me is a non-human algorithm designed to placate me, many people have also had their realities turned upside down by getting too cozy with the AI to the point they feel like it’s their closest friend. The term has been dubbed “AI psychosis” and is very real for those impacted by it.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Here’s how ChatGPT went from a useful tool to a time-wasting habit

Erase yourself from the internet: how to take control with Incogni – Android Authority

General technology

Erase yourself from the internet: How to take back what’s yours with Incogni, December 3, 2025

Your name, address, phone number, SSN, family information, and even past employment history could be scattered across hundreds, sometimes thousands, of websites you’ve never even heard of. Data brokers, people-search sites, and shady public databases collect and trade your personal details like currency.

And once it’s out there, it doesn’t just disappear. You need to remove it manually or use a data removal service, such as Incogni, to simplify the process and save yourself a headache.

Your data’s not theirs to sell

The unsettling truth is that these companies gather your information without your consent, slap it on a webpage, and often charge others to access it.

You may have been aware of this before; if not, you don’t have to take our word for it. Google your full name along with your city. You’ll likely find pages listing your phone numbers, family members, home addresses, and other personal information.

These aren’t harmless listings — they lead to:

• Spam calls, emails, and texts
• Phishing scams that use personal details to trick you
• Stalkers or exes tracking you down
• Identity thieves building a profile on you

Why it’s so hard to remove your personal data

If you’ve ever tried removing yourself from these sites manually, you know it’s a total headache.

Some bury their opt-out pages deep in fine print. Others make you jump through hoops and prolong the process by asking for more personal information, documents, and signed requests.

It’s confusing, time-consuming, and deliberately frustrating. Even if you do manage to get your personal information pulled off sites, data broker sites often re-list you after a few months, so you need to continuously monitor where your information is appearing.

How Incogni does the work for you

Enter Incogni, a service built to fight back against this data free-for-all.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Erase yourself from the internet: how to take control with Incogni – Android Authority

#AndroidAuthority #DataBrokers #Erase #GeneralTechnology #Incogni #Internet #PeopleSearchSites #PersonalData #StopSpam #TakeControl #Tools

Erase yourself from the internet: how to take control with Incogni – Android Authority

General technology

Erase yourself from the internet: How to take back what’s yours with Incogni, December 3, 2025

Your name, address, phone number, SSN, family information, and even past employment history could be scattered across hundreds, sometimes thousands, of websites you’ve never even heard of. Data brokers, people-search sites, and shady public databases collect and trade your personal details like currency.

And once it’s out there, it doesn’t just disappear. You need to remove it manually or use a data removal service, such as Incogni, to simplify the process and save yourself a headache.

Your data’s not theirs to sell

The unsettling truth is that these companies gather your information without your consent, slap it on a webpage, and often charge others to access it.

You may have been aware of this before; if not, you don’t have to take our word for it. Google your full name along with your city. You’ll likely find pages listing your phone numbers, family members, home addresses, and other personal information.

These aren’t harmless listings — they lead to:

• Spam calls, emails, and texts
• Phishing scams that use personal details to trick you
• Stalkers or exes tracking you down
• Identity thieves building a profile on you

Why it’s so hard to remove your personal data

If you’ve ever tried removing yourself from these sites manually, you know it’s a total headache.

Some bury their opt-out pages deep in fine print. Others make you jump through hoops and prolong the process by asking for more personal information, documents, and signed requests.

It’s confusing, time-consuming, and deliberately frustrating. Even if you do manage to get your personal information pulled off sites, data broker sites often re-list you after a few months, so you need to continuously monitor where your information is appearing.

How Incogni does the work for you

Enter Incogni, a service built to fight back against this data free-for-all.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Erase yourself from the internet: how to take control with Incogni – Android Authority

#AndroidAuthority #DataBrokers #Erase #GeneralTechnology #Incogni #Internet #PeopleSearchSites #PersonalData #StopSpam #TakeControl #Tools

Mapy Google przestaną być „pożeraczem baterii”? Testowany jest nowy tryb monochromatyczny

Mapy Google to jedna z najbardziej przydatnych, ale i najbardziej energochłonnych aplikacji w każdym smartfonie.

Google w końcu zdaje się dostrzegać ten problem i przygotowuje dedykowany tryb oszczędzania energii, który ma działać znacznie inteligentniej niż ogólnosystemowy „battery saver”.

Jak donosi serwis Android Authority, który przeanalizował kod najnowszej bety aplikacji (wersja 25.44.03.824313610), funkcja ta ma drastycznie zmienić sposób wyświetlania nawigacji, gdy poziom naładowania baterii jest niski. Kluczem do oszczędności ma być przełączenie ekranu w tryb monochromatyczny.

Ekstremalny minimalizm

Po aktywacji nowego trybu, kolorowy i pełen detali interfejs map zostanie zastąpiony przez czarno-biały, minimalistyczny widok. Aplikacja ma ukryć wszystkie zbędne elementy wizualne, pozostawiając na ekranie tylko absolutne minimum niezbędne do nawigacji: wskazówki dotyczące następnego skrętu, dystans oraz szacowany czas dotarcia do celu.

Co ważne, ten tryb ma działać niezależnie od głównego systemu oszczędzania energii w Androidzie. Oznacza to, że użytkownik będzie mógł go włączyć w dowolnym momencie, nawet przy pełnej baterii, aby po prostu wydłużyć czas pracy urządzenia podczas długiej podróży. Analiza kodu sugeruje, że tryb będzie można aktywować przez naciśnięcie przycisku zasilania telefonu w trakcie nawigacji.

Są też pewne kompromisy

Nowe rozwiązanie nie będzie pozbawione wad. Wczesne analizy wskazują, że tryb monochromatyczny może nie działać w orientacji poziomej, co będzie problemem dla kierowców korzystających z uchwytów. Ponadto, uproszczenie interfejsu może być zbyt radykalne – z ekranu mogą zniknąć np. nazwy ulic, co utrudni orientację.

Tryb oszczędzania energii ma wspierać nawigację pieszą, samochodową i rowerową, jednak wsparcie dla transportu publicznego nie jest na razie potwierdzone. Funkcja jest wciąż na wczesnym etapie rozwoju i nie wiadomo, kiedy (i czy na pewno) trafi do stabilnej wersji aplikacji.

Mapy Google niebawem z nową funkcją? Przycisk „Aerial” połączy Street View z widokiem z lotu ptaka

#aktualizacja #Android #AndroidAuthority #bateria #googleMaps #mapyGoogle #monochromatyczny #nawigacja #news #trybOszczędzaniaEnergii

📬 YouTube vs. Werbeblocker: Ladeverzögerungen bei Firefox-Nutzern sorgen für Aufregung
#Internet #Kurios #Adblocker #AndroidAuthority #AntiAdblocker #Firefox #JohnathanNightingale #YouTube #YouTubevsWerbeblocker https://tarnkappe.info/artikel/internet/youtube-vs-werbeblocker-ladeverzoegerungen-bei-firefox-nutzern-sorgen-fuer-aufregung-283740.html