More stories

  • in

    How Avast’s free AI-powered Scam Guardian protects you from online con artists

    Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNETOnline scammers will use all kinds of tricks to steal anything — from your money to your identity. And not all security products are able to fully defend you against their tactics. Now, Avast has beefed up its free security software with a new feature that aims to thwart scams no matter what the source.Known as Scam Guardian, the protection tries to do more than just detect malicious or suspicious URLs. Trained on scam data, Scam Guardian uses AI to analyze the context and language behind a shady web page or text message. The feature also goes behind the scenes to scan the actual website code. The intent is to look above and below the surface for signs of deceptive and dangerous content.Also: Best data removal services: Delete yourself from the internetThe scam protection included with Avast Free Antivirus consists of two components. Avast Assistant The AI-powered Avast Assistant attempts to guide you when you encounter deceptive websites, SMS messages, emails, links, offers, and other content. Instead of acting solely on its own, the assistant will start a dialogue with you to help you understand the content and offer advice on what to do. More

  • in

    How to add your driver’s license to Apple Wallet – and which states support the feature for now

    What states currently support digital ID in Apple Wallet? As of June 2025, the following US states and territories support adding digital IDs in Apple Wallet: Arizona (since March 2022)Colorado (since November 2022)Georgia (since May 2023)Hawaii (since August 2024)Iowa (since October 2024)Maryland (since May 2022)New Mexico (since December 2024)Ohio (since July 2024)Puerto Rico (since December 2024)California (since September 2024)Apple confirmed in September 2024 that Montana and West Virginia have signed on to support IDs on iPhone — West Virginia even launched its own ID app and will add Wallet integration “in the near future” — and noted Connecticut, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Utah (first announced in March 2022) are still committed to adopting the feature. Where can you use digital ID? According to Apple, you can use your iPhone or Apple Watch to present your digital ID at “select Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints, businesses, and venues.” You can also share your identity information in “participating apps.” Apple does not maintain a specific list of businesses and apps that support the feature. The TSA says over 250 domestic checkpoints and the following select US airports accept digital IDs:Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ)Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport (CVG)Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)Denver International Airport (DEN)Des Moines International Airport (DSM)Eastern Iowa Airport (CID)Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)Lea County Regional Airport (HOB)Los Angeles International (LAX)Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU)Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)San Francisco International Airport (SFO)San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) Can I add my passport to Apple Wallet? When iOS 26 arrives later this year, Apple plans to let you scan a physical US passport into Apple Wallet to create a digital passport. It will work for domestic TSA checkpoints, but you’ll still need your paper passport for international travel. How to add your license to Apple Watch To add your license or ID to your Apple Watch, open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, go to My Watch > Wallet & Apple Pay, tap Add next to your license under Other Cards on Your Phone, and follow the prompts. Also: Your Apple Watch is getting a big upgrade for free – 8 features I can’t wait to use on watchOS 26 Can you transfer your digital ID to a new iPhone? Yes. If you’re upgrading your iPhone, during Setup Assistant on your new device, make sure you add your existing digital ID. Choose Wallet when prompted.Select your existing digital ID.Follow the prompts and tap Continue to confirm you’re moving your license over.Also: 6 settings I recommend changing ASAP on iOS 18.5 (and how they make a difference)Your digital ID will be removed from the old device automatically once the transfer is complete. Get the morning’s top stories in your inbox each day with our Tech Today newsletter. More

  • in

    I revisited the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 after a year, and it got me more excited for Z Fold 7

    Prakhar Khanna/ZDNETIt’s not a hot take to say that Samsung hasn’t changed the core design of its Galaxy Z Fold series since day one. While the cover screen has grown over time, the overall candy bar-style form factor has remained mostly untouched. While brands like Honor, Vivo, and Google have released slimmer foldables, Samsung has stuck to steady, incremental upgrades, resulting in a sturdy hinge that holds at almost any angle and polished software for productivity.Also: Samsung offers $1,000 off preorder deal for new Galaxy foldable phones ahead of UnpackedStill, the Z Fold line lacks some of the innovative hardware features found in rival foldables. With the Galaxy Z Fold 7 on the horizon, I revisited the Z Fold 6 running One UI 7. After a week of testing, I’m more excited than ever about what Samsung has planned at Unpacked.My experience with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 More

  • in

    The battle-tested tips CEOs swear by when change hits from every direction

    StudioGraphic / Getty Images As I interview some of the brightest minds in technology, business and leadership for my weekly podcast DisrupTV, one thing became crystal clear: we’re not just experiencing an AI revolution — we’re in the midst of multiple technological revolutions converging simultaneously. This combinatorial effect makes this even more game changing than […] More

  • in

    4 ways the latest KDE Plasma release is better than ever – and how to try it yourself

    Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETLadies and gents of the Linux community, it is time to enjoy another point release of yet another desktop environment: KDE Plasma 6.4. A point release? I got you all excited about a point release? Hear me out.1. HDR/EDR support One of the biggest additions to KDE Plasma 6.4 is support for Extended Dynamic Range and a new High Dynamic Range wizard. The new HDR Calibration wizard is found in System Settings > Display & Monitor and only appears if you’ve connected an HDR monitor to your machine. Also: Ready to ditch Windows? ‘End of 10’ makes converting your PC to Linux easier than everThe developers have also stepped up their game by making it possible to enable Extended Dynamic Range on supporting monitors, allowing them to achieve simulated HDR. This is made possible by automatically changing the background brightness. At the same time, you can also limit the maximum color depth on supporting screens. This is important because limiting the maximum color depth can reduce file sizes and improve performance when color fidelity is not critical. It also saves bandwidth when streaming content. Again, you’ll only see this option when you’ve connected a monitor that supports HDR. 2. A much-improved System Monitor Those of you who like data will love the improvements made to Plasma’s System Monitor. The latest iteration now includes a better set of default monitors, including GPU usage and metrics for individual disk usage. More

  • in

    Ring’s new generative AI feature is here to answer your ‘who’s there?’ or ‘what was that?’ questions

    Ring Ring just added new Video Descriptions, a feature powered by artificial intelligence (AI) that will offer richer notifications of what your Ring cameras capture. The company hopes this generative AI-powered feature will provide you with more meaningful information to help you distinguish between urgent and everyday activities. Also: I found a worthy Ring alternative in […] More