Kalakshar US

Patreon creators will need to make some changes soon, thanks to Apple. On Wednesday, Patreon said Apple has renewed its requirement that all Patreon creators must move to subscription billing. The deadline to do so is November 1, 2026.

Patreon’s blog post announcing the change made it clear that it had no other choice. “We strongly disagree with this decision,” the company wrote. “Creators need consistency and clarity in order to build healthy, long-term businesses. Instead, creators using legacy billing will now have to endure the whiplash of another policy reversal — the third such change from Apple in the past 18 months.”

Up to this point, Patreon’s billing model has operated in a gray area, allowing its creators to charge fans outside the App Store without paying Apple’s fees. This was because some of the content people were paying for could be consumed in-app, while others couldn’t.

But now Apple has reimposed its subscription mandate, eliminating the gray area. “We know that Apple is serious about enforcing this mandate,” Patreon wrote. “Late last year, they blocked a Patreon app update and made it clear that in order to remain in the App Store, we have to comply with their billing requirement. Because millions of fans use iOS as their primary way to access Patreon and connect with creators, having our app blocked — or not available in the App Store at all — isn’t an option.”

Patreon’s “whiplash” description isn’t hyperbole. Apple first announced the mandate in 2024. At that time, the deadline for all Patreon creators to make the switch was set to November 2025 — one that Patreon grudgingly accepted. But according to the company, Apple told it last May that the original 2025 deadline was no longer in effect. Now, it appears to have reversed that again.

If there’s a silver lining, TechCrunch notes that only 4 percent of Patreon creators are using the affected (legacy) billing models. And fans can still bypass Apple’s fees on iOS by joining via their iPhone’s web browser. Patreon has much more detail for creators in its announcement post.

DAVOS, SWITZERLAND – JANUARY 21: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) speaks to Apple CEO Tim Cook (L) as he attends a reception for business leaders (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

As for Apple, well, this familiar role of “Big, Bad App Store Taxman” pales in comparison to some of its other recent headlines. For starters, there was its removal of the ICEBlock app (and another that logged ICE arrest recordings) in October. At least as concerning is an app category that the “Privacy is a human right” company won’t remove. Grok, X and (reportedly) dozens of other apps now allow iPhone owners to “digitally undress” real people, including children. 28 advocacy groups even called on the company to remove them, to no avail.

To top it all off, Tim Cook decided that Saturday — the day Alex Pretti was shot and killed by federal agents — would be a good time to attend the screening of Melania at the White House. He even posed for a selfie with accused rapist Brett Ratner, the film’s director.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/patreon-creators-have-to-switch-to-subscription-billing-by-november-thanks-to-apple-203759852.html?src=rss 

Following its recent AI makeover of Gmail, Google is bringing more Gemini-powered tools to Chrome. Starting today, a host of new features are rolling out for the browser, with more to come over the next few months. 

The first of the new features is a sidebar. Available to all Gemini in Chrome users, the interface allows you to chat with Gemini and keep a conversation going across multiple tabs. Google suggests the sidebar is useful for multitaskers. “Our testers have been using it for all sorts of things: comparing options across too-many-tabs, summarizing product reviews across different sites, and helping find time for events in even the most chaotic of calendars,” the company writes. 

Now you can access Nano Banana, Google’s in-house image generator, directly from Chrome. No need to go to the Gemini app.

The sidebar is also where you access the second new feature Google is adding to Chrome. Following its successful rollout within the Gemini app, Nano Banana, Google’s in-house image generator, is available directly inside of the browser. With the addition, you won’t need to open a new tab when you want Gemini to make you an AI image. You also won’t need to download and upload a file when you want Gemini to edit an existing image for you. Instead, you can complete both of those tasks from any of your open tabs, thanks to the new sidebar.    

Looking forward, Google plans to bring Personal Intelligence, which debuted inside of the Gemini app at the start of January, to Chrome in the coming months. Once the feature arrives, it will allow the browser to remember past conversations you’ve had with Gemini. In turn, Google says this will lead to a more personalized Chrome. “Personal Intelligence in Chrome transforms the browsing experience from a general purpose tool into a trusted partner that understands you and provides relevant, proactive, and context-aware assistance,” the company said.

In the meantime, Gemini in Chrome already supports Google’s Connected Apps feature, which allows the assistant to pull information from the company’s other services, including Gmail and Calendar. During a press briefing, a Google employee demoed this feature by asking Gemini to pull up the dates of when their children would be on March break. Without telling the assistant where to look, Gemini sourced the correct time frame from the employee’s email inbox.    

A new sidebar interface allows Chrome users to access Gemini from any of their open tabs.

Last but not least, Google is previewing a new auto browse feature inside of Chrome. In the demo the company showed, an employee asked Gemini to find and buy them the same winter jacket they bought a few seasons ago. The assistant first drafted a plan outlining how best to tackle the request. It reasoned the best place to start was with a search of the employee’s email inbox to determine the correct model and size of jacket. It then went shopping.

While Gemini was working on this task, the employee was free to continue browsing in Chrome. At several points in the process, the assistant would stop before continuing to obtain the employee’s permission to move forward. For instance, it paused when it needed login credentials, and again when it needed a credit card number to complete the purchase. 

Judging from the demo, it will probably take you less time to do your online shopping and other browser tasks on your own. Google suggests the feature will appeal to those who are creatures of habit. Say you often order the same produce from a grocery delivery service every week, Gemini can automate the ordering. Plus, the feature is in preview, so early testers probably won’t be too put off by Gemini’s slow pace. In any case, Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the US can try auto browse starting today.    

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-brings-its-nano-banana-image-generator-to-chrome-180000104.html?src=rss 

Windscribe isn’t a VPN for everybody, and it’s not trying to be. Despite its high-achieving free plan, it didn’t quite make my list of the best VPNs, largely due to alienating interface choices and swingy download speeds. Its iconoclastic approach to everything from design to pricing to its online knowledge base will likely win some customers for life and turn others off.

For those in the latter camp, I’ve written up this guide for cancelling Windscribe. Follow the instructions below to stop Windscribe from auto-renewing, cancel third-party subscriptions, delete your account altogether and get a refund.

The most important thing to know before we start is that Windscribe’s money-back guarantee only lasts seven days — if you paid for a subscription, you have to cancel before then to get a refund. It’s a tighter period than most VPNs, so be ready to decide fast.

How to stop your Windscribe Pro subscription renewing

To cancel Windscribe Pro, simply stop your payment method from automatically renewing for the next subscription period. Once you’ve done this, you can continue using Windscribe Pro until the end of the current period, then you’ll be downgraded to the free version. Here are the steps to follow.

In your browser, navigate to windscribe.com. Click the words My Account at the top of the home page.

Scroll down to the billing section. On the subscription line, click the button marked Cancel Subscription.

You’ll be taken to a new page. Enter your password in the Your Password field. Below, enter a reason for cancellation (this can be “none” or possibly “suck it,” which Windscribe should approve of).

Click the Cancel Subscriptions button at the bottom of the page to end automatic renewal on your account.

You can reach this page by logging into your account on Windscribe.com.

If your account also included a static IP subscription, there’s no way to cancel that through the usual dashboard. You’ll have to submit a support request by asking the Garry chatbot, which can be accessed by clicking the icon at the bottom-right corner of any page on windscribe.com.

When you subscribe to an app through a third party like the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, that same third party also handles cancellations and refunds. Windscribe itself won’t be able to do anything for you here.

If you subscribed through Google Play on an Android phone, you can cancel by opening the Google Play Store app and tapping your profile icon at the top-right (a circle with the first letter of your username inside). Tap Payments & Subscriptions in the menu that appears, then subscriptions on the next page. Find your Windscribe subscription, tap it and click Cancel Subscription to end payments.

If you went through the App Store on an Apple device, open the Settings app, then tap on your name at the top of the screen. Tap Subscriptions and scroll down to your Windscribe subscription. Tap it, then tap Cancel Subscription.

How to delete your Windscribe account

If you’re certain you want to stop using Windscribe and never start up again, you can scrub your presence from its servers by deleting your account. To do this, go to windscribe.com and click the My Account button in the header bar. Scroll all the way to the bottom and click on the obnoxiously titled Give Up On Privacy button. This will show you the following image.

I realize I’m harping on this, but Windscribe gets exceptionally punchable when you try to delete your account.

You’ll have to fight through several attempts at comedy to finish deleting your account. Click Yes or No when asked if you ever question your life choices. Enter your password, write whatever you want as a cancellation reason and check both of the boxes below the text field. The Delete Account button should finally be clickable; do it. Once you’ve pulled the trigger, you won’t be able to use the same email address to sign up for another account.

How to get a refund from Windscribe

As I warned above, you can only get a refund from Windscribe for seven days after paying for a subscription. You also cannot get your money back if you’ve used more than 10GB of data since the start of the payment period. Finally, you can only get refunded on the first payment of each subscription — renewals are not eligible.

If you’re within those limits, you can request your money back by starting a conversation with the Garry chatbot. Click the chatbot icon at the bottom-right of the Windscribe website to start a chat. Be warned that you might have to stand firm through several attempts to fix your complaints before you can actually initiate the refund process.

Best Windscribe alternatives

Windscribe is a VPN with a lot of good points. That said, by the time you’ve waded through a swamp of dick jokes to complete the process, I wouldn’t blame you for feeling validated in your decision to get rid of it.

There are plenty of good VPNs that can replace Windscribe. My favorite is Proton VPN, which also has a free plan, though without the ability to select your own server. ExpressVPN is simple and powerful, if a little overpriced, while Surfshark is the fastest VPN overall. If you liked Windscribe for its non-VPN features, NordVPN has the best range of extra perks.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/how-to-cancel-windscribe-and-get-your-money-back-173000785.html?src=rss 

When deciding which video game to buy, “Is it fun?” is no longer the only consideration. Given the state of the industry, “Do I want to support this company?” is arguably more important. Take, for example, Ubisoft, where things seem to unravel more each day. After the floundering publisher floated even more layoffs this week, workers at its Paris headquarters said, “Enough is enough.” They’re now calling for a three-day strike.

Unions representing Ubisoft employees plan to strike from February 10 to 12. “With management being stubbornly entrenched in its authoritarian ways, we are calling Ubisoft employees across France to join this strike, along with the five unions present within the company,” The Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo (Video Game Worker’s Union) wrote in a statement.

The strike follows a series of heavy-handed cost-cutting moves at Ubisoft. It recently shut down its Halifax studio just 16 days after employees unionized. Last week, it closed its Stockholm studio and announced additional restructuring efforts worldwide. It also canceled six games and delayed seven others.

Then, earlier this week, the Assassin’s Creed publisher proposed cutting 200 jobs at its Paris headquarters. Under French labor law, the company would organize the cuts through the nation’s Rupture Conventionnelle Collective (RCC) process. It would require a mutual agreement between the company and the labor union.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot

Adding even more fuel to the fire, Ubisoft will now require workers to return to the office five days each week. (The company had previously agreed to two work-from-home days per week.) Although Ubisoft framed the mandate as being about efficiency and collaboration, it’s easy to view this as a cudgel to further reduce its headcount. One Ubisoft developer, who hinted as much while voicing his opposition to the mandate on LinkedIn, said he was suspended without pay for three days as a punitive measure.

The workers’ union saw all of this and decided it was time to act. “We’re calling for a HALT to management’s obsession with penny-pinching and worsening our working conditions,” the Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo wrote. “It’s time for a real accountability from company executives, starting from the top! Without the workers, and generous public funding, Ubisoft would never have been able to grow this much. WE are Ubisoft, and WE are shutting it down February 10th to 12th!”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ubisoft-173241918.html?src=rss