Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is gearing up to make Siri a lot smarter. According to Bloomberg, the company is building a new AI-powered search feature called World Knowledge Answers, with plans to launch it in spring 2026. The upgrade would mark Apple’s boldest step yet into AI search, putting it in closer competition with OpenAI, Perplexity, and Google.
The vision is to turn Siri from a limited voice assistant into a tool that can actually pull useful answers from across the internet more like ChatGPT or Google’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) AI Overviews. Apple has also talked about weaving the technology into Safari and Spotlight, which could make everyday searches on iPhones and Macs feel very different.
Behind the scenes, Apple is testing large language models to power the system. It’s experimenting with Google’s Gemini AI and Anthropic’s Claude, while also training its own models for specific tasks.
For Apple, the stakes are big. A revamped Siri with real search muscle could finally put it back into the AI conversation and give users a reason to stick inside Apple’s ecosystem rather than turn elsewhere.
Update, Sep 4: The feature is now live. Find the new details below.
While Threads already allows up to 500 characters per post (which is more than enough for casual users used to the microblogging format), it is now testing support for long-form posts through “text attachments”. Here’s how it works.
As spotted by app researcher Radu Oncescu (via TechCrunch), Threads is testing a new “text attachment” feature on iOS, which could replace the common practice of stringing together multiple posts that blow past the platform’s character limit.
With the feature (as it is currently being tested), users can attach a formatted block of text to a regular post, which means it can include italics, bold, and underlines, instead of just plain text like today.
When posted, the attached text appears within a gray box, which can be expanded by clicking the “Read more” button.
Onescu says that Threads describes the feature as something that will allow users to “attach longer text and get creative with styling tools to share deeper thoughts, news snippets, book excerpts, and more.”
Currently, the feature doesn’t support embedded media or links. But depending on user feedback, Threads could very well implement this ahead of the official launch if Meta decides to move forward with it.
It’s worth noting that the feature currently appears to be intended for all users, rather than as a paid perk, like on X. On the former Twitter platform, standard posts are still capped at 280 characters, while Premium subscribers can share texts up to 25,000 characters long.
Update, September 4: The feature was officially announced today by Mark Zuckerberg on Threads:
In a Meta Newsroom post, the company confirmed the 10,000 character limit to attachments, and added that aside from bold, italics, underline and strikethrough, there actually is the possibility to include an outward link at the end of the attached text:
“Any attached text can be read directly in Threads to help you convey more complex perspectives, draw your audience in, and promote your work. If you’re sharing or previewing content from other platforms on Threads, you can include a link to the full content in the body of your main post.”
Meta says that today’s rollout is part of its broader strategy to increase Threads’ appeal to creators, and that it will “continue gathering feedback on how to improve” creator-geared features.
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Apple Music app customers woke up to a new feature last week, although not many know it exists yet. Apple Music subscribers can now grab songs or playlists from other music platforms, notably Spotify, and bring them to Apple. The ability to transfer music from other music services is buried in the Music App settings.
Initially tested in Australia and New Zealand last year, this transfer option has now been rolled out to the US, UK, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany and several other countries. It’s powered by the SongShift service, which will need access to the library that you’re transferring music from.
When SongShift completes the transfer, Apple Music will attempt to whip up a replica playlist or song choice based on its library. It will ask users to double-check certain matches, and not every song may have a replacement version on Apple Music.
The feature is available, but it seems a little buggy right now. When I tried the Transfer Music button on my Apple device, it was grayed out and said, “Once the current transfer is complete, you can start another.” The problem was that I hadn’t started transferring any songs yet.
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When I tried on my computer browser, I could transfer from my Tidal account. Still, Spotify said “Currently busy, try again later,” an equally mysterious message that kept me from trying any Spotify transfers.
A representative for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
While it looks like SongShift has knots to work out, if it works, Spotify users should be able to transfer their playlists and maybe their entire subscriptions to Apple.
Apple’s Music Transfer option isn’t working for me right now, but it has been rolled out to major countries around the world.
Tyler Lacoma/CNET
Why is this useful?
This new transfer option could open up several opportunities for listeners. Families using two music services, like Spotify and Apple Music, can now more easily coordinate music.
CNET writer Aaron Pruner, who’s created hundreds of streaming-music playlists on Spotify and Apple Music, mentioned this could solve several of his problems.
“I have an Android that doesn’t work with my HomePod. My wife has an iPhone,” Pruner said. “Making certain playlists accessible and playable on both our phones through one streaming platform would be something we’d probably need.”
He also touched on the limitations of his current setup. “Being on a Spotify family plan is cool until I try to listen to Kendrick Lamar in the car, only to find out it has been transported to my daughter’s bedroom since she is also listening to Spotify at the same time,” Pruner said.
Apple’s transfer feature also makes it easier to ditch Spotify altogether and move to Apple Music, which may be a goal for some customers. Spotify made news last month for letting AI mimic existing artists (something multiple music services have struggled with). Numerous indie artists like King Gizzard and Deerhoof are leaving Spotify over its CEO’s AI military investments.
Apple’s latest rollout is a timely opportunity for anyone worried about these developments to make the switch. But the results will depend on the overlap between their musical picks on other platforms and what Apple Music already offers. I suggest holding off on canceling any other service until you’ve completed your transfers and checked to see what Apple’s service can replace.
The classic feature from Facebook’s early days lets users get a friend’s attention with a virtual nudge of sorts. While the poke fell out of use ages ago, the company has more recently seen an uptick in its use among younger users, which has now prompted it to make the poke a more central part of the Facebook experience.
Now users are able to poke their friends from a new, dedicated button directly on their Facebook profile, which will alert the poke’s recipient through their notifications. In addition, Facebook users can see who poked them and find friends to poke at facebook.com/pokes. On this page, users will be able to track their “poke count” with friends, which grows every time they poke each other. They can also dismiss pokes if they don’t want to reciprocate.
Image Credits:Meta (screenshot) (opens in a new window)
The poke-tracking feature is largely designed to appeal to younger users who have grown up with gamification elements built into their social apps, like Snapchat and TikTok Streaks. These features ostensibly help friends keep track of those they message most, but streaks have come under regulatory scrutiny and have even led to lawsuits because of their addictive nature, as they keep kids hooked on the apps.
By highlighting poke counts and making the poke more prominent on Facebook, Meta wants to create a similar engagement mechanism. As users increase their poke counts with a friend, different icons will appear next to the friend’s name, like a fire emoji or “100,” among others.
This isn’t the first time in recent months that Facebook has tried to revive the poke. In March 2024, the company said it had made it easier for users to find the poking page via search and would make it easier to poke a friend after searching for them. These small changes led to a 13x spike in poking in the month after the changes, Meta said at the time.
As for why you’d want to poke someone, that’s up to users to decide. Facebook never explained the purpose of the poke, leaving it open to interpretation. A poke could be a way to catch someone’s attention, flirt, or just annoy them, depending on the user’s intent.
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Poke counts may never become as popular as streaks, but adding them is clearly a signal that Meta is looking to boost Facebook engagement.
According to research from Jon Haidt, author of “The Anxious Generation,” which focused on social media’s potential harm to children’s brain development, Snap had known about streaks’ habit-forming nature for years. An article he co-published with a senior research scientist at NYU Stern, Zach Rausch, included quotes from internal documents that show Snap employees discussing how popular streaks were and how effective they were at driving engagement.
Though Facebook today remains a cash cow for Meta’s business, fueling its longer-term bets in areas like AI and metaverse projects, it has long been criticized for failing to appeal to younger users — a demographic that’s been declining, particularly in the U.S. The company has tried to recapture the youth market with various initiatives, including the short-lived, college-only feature Facebook Campus, shuttered in 2022, and more recently, a Gen Z-focused redesign.
Imola, the famed Italian circuit, is gearing up for one of the most exclusive weekends on the European automotive calendar. Scheduled between September 13-14, the ninth edition of Historic Minardi Day will return to the Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit, a track etched into Formula 1 history.
Renowned for its high-speed straights and unforgiving corners, the venue first hosted a Formula 1 Grand Prix in 1980 and then regularly from 1981 to 2006. Even today, it remains one of the most technical and emotional venues in motorsport, with the Senna and Villeneuve memorials serving as reminders of its storied past.
As for Historic Minardi Day, it launched in 2016 and honors the legacy of the Minardi F1 team, which competed in Formula 1 from 1985 to 2005. The event has since evolved into a festival of motorsport heritage, featuring Formula 1 machinery from various eras, prototypes, GT cars, and single-seaters; while attracting tens of thousands of fans each year. Unlike other high-end and exclusive automotive gatherings, this is one of the few places, along with Goodwood, where you can actually witness both classic and modern race cars at full chat, on a live race circuit.
Now that you have some context, let’s talk about how one of Italy’s most celebrated hypercar makers: Pagani, has become a mainstay at the event. It first participated in the 7th edition of the Historic Minardi Day in 2023, bringing the Huayra R, Zonda R, and Huayra Roadster BC to the track, with the newly launched Utopia serving as a static centerpiece.
Last year, in 2024, Pagani doubled down with a static display featuring the Zonda F, Zonda S, and Utopia, while the Huayra BC Roadster dominated the track with its naturally aspirated V12. These appearances have cemented Pagani as one of the event’s star attractions, setting the stage for what’s coming this year.
2025 will be no different with Pagani once again lining up four multi-million dollar hypercars, each model representing a distinct moment in the Italian marque’s evolution. On display: the Zonda F, Huayra Codalunga, and Utopia, while a Huayra Roadster BC will hit the track.
The “F” in Zonda F stands for Fangio, the five-time Formula 1 World Champion and founder Horacio Pagani’s early mentor, both having Argentinian roots. Fangio encouraged HPagani to pursue his dream of building a car under his own name and introduced him to Mercedes-Benz, which became Pagani’s engine supplier. Naming the car after Fangio was Pagani’s way of honoring that legacy.
With just 50 produced, the Zonda F remains famous for setting a Nürburgring production car record in 2007 with a 7:27.82 lap around the 12.8-mile Nordschleife. Yes, we’ve come a long way since then with several sub-7-minute times at the ‘Ring, but that feat was impressive for its day.
At just 2,712 pounds, its use of carbon fiber, titanium, and Inconel showed Pagani’s early mastery of lightweight engineering. The example coming to Imola, chassis no. 057 is finished in ‘Bianco Benny,’ a one-off color created for Benny Caiola, who became Pagani’s first customer back in 1999. Unique details in the cabin include a Nardi steering wheel, wood trim, and haute horlogerie-inspired gauges.
Moving on, the Huayra Codalunga is a five-unit long-tail homage to endurance racers of the 1960s. Weighing just 2,822 pounds, it features a titanium exhaust tipping the scales at only 9.7 pounds. It also features four active aerodynamic flaps. The system Pagani first introduced in 2011. The cabin is just as exquisite, with aged leathers, woven leather-suede details, and exposed carbon fiber.
Then you’ve got the Utopia (below), limited to 99 examples. It packs an AMG-built twin-turbo V12 that produces 864 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque. But more importantly, unlike rivals chasing hybridization, Pagani offers you a choice of pairing the V12 to a 7-speed manual transmission, a format long cherished by enthusiasts and now offered by only a handful of exotic car manufacturers. Its carbon-titanium monocoque represents the latest in Pagani’s material science, while aerospace-grade suspension and custom Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tires allow the Utopia to deliver handling precision rarely seen in hypercars.
Finally, the Huayra Roadster BC will take to the track. With 800 horsepower, 774 pound-feet of torque, and a curb weight of 2,755 pounds, it set a 2:23.081 lap around Spa in 2020. Developed over four years and tested for more than 186,000 miles, the car earned the prestigious Compasso d’Oro design award. Inside, racing harnesses sit alongside carbo-wood trim and embossed leather, while the six-pipe titanium exhaust delivers an unmistakable V12 soundtrack. If you’re in Europe, seeing it attack Imola live is the kind of experience that could make this event worth the trip.
Is your current smart lock frustrating you endlessly, like mine is? The Yale Approach Smart Lock (8/10, WIRED Review) is currently marked down to just $164 on Amazon, a healthy 32% discount on our editors’ top pick for smart locks. This sale comes at a perfect time, because I was just complaining about the fingerprint reader on mine no longer working.
Photograph: Nena Farrell
Courtesy of Yale
The Yale Approach uses part of your existing deadbolt, which is great news for renters who don’t want to make major changes. You’ll also get to use your existing keys to unlock the deadbolt, which can save you a trip to the locksmith. There’s also a wi-fi bridge that needs a nearby plug to provide other services, but that’s not uncommon for smart locks. Our reviewer, Nena Farrell, even said it “works perfectly,” which is great news, because I have to unplug mine and plug it back in at least once a week.
Approach isn’t just a name, as this smart deadbolt’s standout feature is auto-unlock. By setting up your location in the Yale Access App, you can set the bolt to unlock as your get close to home, which our reviewer said “worked smoothly”, as long as she got far enough away from home for it to recognize her return. There’s an auto-lock, too, using timers from 10 seconds to 30 minutes.
This version of the Yale Approach includes the touchscreen keypad, which needs its own flat space to either stick or screw to. In exchange, it lets you set codes for yourself or friends, with options for time and access limits if you need to manage entry to your home more carefully. It also gives you an easy button to press to lock the deadbolt as you leave the house, and a biometric fingerprint scanner.
No matter what smart lock you buy, there’s going to be a little bit of hassle, that just comes with the territory, unfortunately. The Yale smooths out a lot of the worst parts by adapting to your existing hardware, and mostly stays out of the way afterwards. The auto-unlock feature isn’t totally unique to the Approach, but it is currently our favorite implementation. The price is normally a bit on the high side, so the discount here makes this a very appealing pickup for anyone ready to relegate their old front door lock to the garage door, like I’m about to.
Marvel Rivals season 4 is about to begin, bringing a one-winged angel of vengeance to the free-to-play game’s roster of playable heroes. No, we’re not talking about Sephiroth: The next vanguard is Angela, the former Image Comics angelic bounty hunter and current Marvel Comics Asgardian goddess.
While the radiant new tank is the centerpiece of the season 4 update, a new map, hero balance changes, cosmetics and live events will also shake up how the game plays over the next two months.
If you’ve been following the character leaks, you might be bummed out that a certain horned Defender isn’t making his appearance quite yet. Rest assured that the melee fighter Daredevil has been revealed as the next playable character for Marvel Rivals season 4.5, though it’s unclear what his role or abilities will be.
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When does season 4 start?
Marvel Rivals season 4 starts on Friday, Sept. 12. Expect servers to go down for a couple hours around midnight PT before being turned back on in the early morning. When the servers come back online, you can download and play the newest seasonal content.
Angela’s abilities in Marvel Rivals
Angela joins the roster as another vanguard — the first new tank since Emma Frost was added to the game in season 2. The Asgardian angel is the first flying tank, which means the pressure is no longer on Doctor Strange to use his levitation spell to take the fight to the skies. Angela has a strong mix of tools that let her deal damage, block enemy attacks and displace opponents who have wandered too far from their team as a mobile but close-range attacker.
The new tank quickly rotates her arsenal depending on the situation at hand. On the ground, she wields powerful dual axes that hack and slash chunks of enemy health bars away.
When Angela takes to the skies with her third ability, however, she uses a lance that does powerful burst damage — enemies that are struck by this weapon are skewered, and Angela can carry them a short distance before they’re released.
Angela’s shield protects her, but it won’t do much for any teammates standing behind her.
NetEase Games/Screenshot by CNET
Angela can also summon a 250-health point shield that protects her from attacks — it reminds me of Captain America’s personal shield rather than Doctor Strange’s team-protecting arcane ward.
Once players have dealt enough damage to the enemy team, they can unleash Angela’s ultimate ability. The Hand of Heven throws down a battle banner, damaging enemies and binding them to a single location. The banner can be destroyed, but it won’t be easy to do once Angela swings her blades at her trapped opponents. This ability is a strong crowd control tool, and is fairly reminiscent of Groot’s ultimate, though it seems to be usable from the air, which will grant it more impressive range.
It’s not immediately clear to me if Angela will fit into brawl team compositions, where players smash into one another on the frontline, or dive team compositions, where players try to end the fight before it even starts by removing key enemy heroes from the backline. She seems like a Swiss army knife of a tank, with a kit of abilities that lets her do a little bit of everything. Only time will tell if she excels in any of her niches.
Big balance changes inbound for vanguards and strategists
In the Dev Vision Vol. 9 video, Marvel Rivals developers explained which heroes are receiving changes in season 4 and why. The full numerical breakdown of every hero change is included in NetEase’s detailed patch notes.
Is it finally time for the White Queen’s reign to come to an end?
NetEase Games/Screenshot by CNET
Individual hero changes keep different roles feeling impactful
The game balance of Marvel Rivals season 3 turned most vanguard heroes into punching bags. These tanky characters (such as the Thing, Hulk and Thor) are supposed to soak up damage to protect their teammates while creating advantages by pushing further into the battlefield, but strong long-ranged damage dealers such as Hela and Phoenix quickly struck them down.
In season 4, many tanks are getting buffed in order to compensate for their lack of shield. Peni Parker and Thor are getting their ultimate abilities buffed. While ultimates are supposed to be game-changing moments that players activate back and forth to change the flow of battle, Peni and Thor’s ultimates made them sitting ducks, having to expose themselves for very little advantage. The patch makes their ultimates stronger, hopefully making picking these characters feel like a more impactful choice.
Doctor Strange is also receiving a buff to his offensive power, increasing the power of his dark magic, while dominant tanks Emma Frost and Captain America will be nerfed to bring them more in line with the rest of the cast.
Whereas vanguards have been getting bullied, we saw strategists potentially having their most impactful season yet. These healers defined the flow of the game in season 3, with powerful abilities essentially shutting down fights by making players nigh-on invincible for their duration.
The must-pick strategists, Luna Snow and Loki, are also getting nerfs in season 4 — they’ve long outperformed the other heroes in the same role and are getting dialed back. On the other hand, Ultron, Jeff the Shark and Invisible Woman are getting buffs to their ultimate abilities to make them more viable in high-level play.
Damage-dealing duelists also received key balance changes in this patch, though I suspect they won’t impact the meta as much as the vanguard and strategist tweaks. Moon Knight, Scarlet Witch and Blade will be on the receiving end of buffs this season.
Squirrel Girl’s long range damage is getting nerfed, since she had too much potential to control low-rank matches. Black Panther is losing some health points and Psylocke is losing burst damage, which means players will have more time to react to and defeat these backline threats in high-rank matches.
The Asgardian royal siblings combine their powers to become stronger than ever before.
NetEase Games/Screenshot by CNET
Team ups shake up as Angela joins the roster
In addition to balance changes for individual heroes, Marvel Rivals is balanced around powerful synergetic “team up” abilities that can only be activated when specific groups of heroes are on the same team. These offer a range of perks, from extra abilities that can be activated in a fight to passive improvements that make heroes even deadlier if they have the right teammates.
In season 4, certain existing team ups are being removed or tweaked, while a new team up is being added for Angela. Here are all of the changes.
New — Divine Armory: Angela anchors a new team up for Thor, allowing him to throw thunderous spears at his opponents, restoring ability-generating Thorforce charges on hit. Thor is able to jump to the location where the spear landed, which will enable him to become an integral part of dive team compositions.
Updated — Gamma Charge: Black Panther joins the existing Hulk and Namor team up. If Hulk is on the team, Black Panther gains a gamma shield that protects him from damage after dropping below the threshold of 100 health points.
Updated — Arcane Order: Magik joins the existing Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch team up. If Doctor Strange is on the team, Magik gains the ability to throw a magical chain that binds two enemies together, slowing their movement if they try to split up.
Removed — Dimensional Shortcut: Black Panther can no longer use Magik’s Limbo dimension to rewind his position and gain temporary health.
The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen will leap into Marvel Rivals during season 4’s midseason update.
NetEase Games/Screenshot by CNET
What else does NetEase have in store for Marvel Rivals players in season 4?
Season 4 is shifting the fight away from the planet Klyntar and back to Earth. That means there will be a new map for players to fight across. Players will be able to dive into the Eighth City of K’un-Lun as Daredevil and Angela fight over the fate of the city’s newest prisoner.
More casual players will likely be happier about the new Arcade Hub. Previously limited-time game modes like Giant-Size Brain Blast and Clone Rumble will become permanent fixtures in this menu, alongside Conquest, Doom Match and Free Fight game modes.
Free-to-earn accessory cosmetics, which were introduced in season 3, are getting expanded upon in season 4. Magneto, Scarlet Witch, Luna Snow and Cloak and Dagger players will all be able to earn new wearable accessories for their favorite hero.
Another cosmetic change applies to legendary costumes. If a player is using a skin that changes the visual effects of an ultimate ability, other people are now able to see those effects as well (with the option to toggle the visual effects off in the settings menu).
A long-awaited competitive change isn’t arriving in season 4, but we finally got an update on it alongside the new info. Placement matches are being worked on and will come to Marvel Rivals’ ranked mode at a later date.
When placement matches are implemented, new accounts will need to play a series of games to decide their true rank — players won’t have to fight their way up from bronze if their true skill lies much higher on the ranked ladder. It’s promising to hear that this is being worked on, and it gives me some hope that Marvel Rivals’ matchmaking — one of the weakest aspects of the game — will hopefully be improved in the near future.
Google’s Circle to Search is getting a new feature that will allow you to continuously translate text while scrolling through social media posts or even when switching to different apps.
Announced on Thursday, the feature will start its rollout this week to select Samsung Galaxy devices, but will more than likely expand to more devices, with the Pixel 10 lineup a natural next stop.
While you could already translate text with Circle to Search, the new update will make the experience more seamless. Previously, if you had multiple items that you wanted to translate that were either in different apps or required scrolling to get to, you’d need to redo the same translation process for each one of them. The latest update rids you of having to do those extra steps.
The updates to Circle to Search make continuous translation faster and less finicky.
Google
Google’s AI-powered Circle to Search launched in early 2024 on the Pixel 8 and Galaxy S24 smartphones and felt like an easier-to-use Google Lens. It’s handy for shopping when you find something you want more information about while watching a video or scrolling through social media.
It’s essentially another way to perform a Google search without leaving the app you’re currently using. Circle to Search has received new features and expanded to more devices since it debuted.
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How to translate and scroll with Circle to Search
When it rolls out, using the new feature is easy and requires only an extra tap. Here’s how:
Activate Circle to Search by holding down the gesture bar or home button on your phone.
Tap the Translate icon.
Tap Scroll and translate.
That’s it. Once you tap into the continuous translation mode, you’ll be able to get to the information you want faster.
For more, don’t miss Google’s Gemini expansion into its smart home devices.
