Tech News Today exposes the deep friction between relentless innovation and its messy consequences.
We have a critical security flaw in brand new AMD chips, while AI is being aggressively pushed into everything from translation apps to holiday ads—with very mixed results. Simultaneously, the browser wars are shifting from speed to a race to become the central vault for your entire digital identity.
Daily technology news update: November 4, 2025
Today’s news is a study in contrasts, but the throughline is trust. The AMD Zen 5 vulnerability is the most alarming story; a flaw in a CPU’s random number generator is a fundamental breakdown of the hardware encryption we take for granted. While patches are coming, it’s a very serious reminder that even our most advanced silicon is fragile. This hardware crisis plays out against a backdrop of software aggressively inserting itself into our lives. Google is turning Chrome into an identity manager and infusing Gemini into Translate, while Microsoft plays catch-up with passkeys. They’re all asking for more trust and more data, framing it as convenience. But as Coca-Cola’s lackluster AI ad demonstrates, “new” doesn’t always mean “better.”
Apple backtracks on iOS 26 design complaints with 26.1 update
Apple has released iOS 26.1, an update primarily focused on user complaints about the new iOS 26 design. It introduces a “Tinted” option to increase the opacity of the “Liquid Glass” aesthetic, improving readability. The update also fixes other annoyances, adding a toggle to disable the Lock Screen camera swipe gesture and changing the alarm from a “tap to stop” button to a “Slide to Stop” bar to prevent accidental dismissal. Additionally, Apple Intelligence now supports eight new languages, and Live Translation for AirPods has been expanded.
Coca-Cola’s new AI ad highlights the failures of generative video
Coca-Cola’s 2025 “Holidays Are Coming” campaign, produced with AI studios Silverside and Secret Level, is drawing criticism for its poor quality. After facing backlash in 2024 for uncanny human faces and gliding truck wheels, the company shifted to animated animals. However, the new ad is being panned for “unnaturally flat” animation, inconsistent visual styles, and looking dated compared to modern AI tools like OpenAI’s Sora 2. While the ad did fix last year’s non-rotating truck wheels, it demonstrates that generative AI still struggles with producing high-end, consistent commercial content.
AMD confirms critical crypto-flaw in all new Zen 5 CPUs
AMD has confirmed a high-severity vulnerability (AMD-SB-7055) in its entire lineup of new Zen 5-based CPUs, including Ryzen, Threadripper, and EPYC. The flaw causes the RDSEED instruction—a hardware-based random number generator essential for creating secure cryptographic keys—to predictably return a value of zero under certain stress conditions. This failure, first reported by a Meta engineer, could allow attackers to compromise encryption. A Linux kernel patch has already been issued to disable the faulty instruction, and AMD will begin rolling out firmware (AGESA) updates on November 25.
Apple makes a minor concession by opening the App Store to web browsers
In a move likely aimed at appeasing regulators, Apple has updated the web interface for its App Store, finally allowing users on Windows and Android to browse the catalog. Previously, App Store links on non-Apple devices were dead ends. The new interface allows browsing by category and platform (iPhone, iPad, etc.), but it does not support downloading apps directly from the web. This change seems targeted at developers and researchers rather than the general public, serving as a minor gesture toward a more open ecosystem amid ongoing antitrust complaints.
Google Translate gets a ‘Gemini-powered’ advanced mode for accuracy
Google is integrating its Gemini AI model into Google Translate, introducing a new AI model picker on iOS. Users can now choose between the standard “Fast” mode for speed or a new “Advanced” mode that uses Gemini for more accurate and context-aware translations. This advanced feature is initially limited to translations between English and French/Spanish and is rolling out to iOS users first. The update signals a move toward offering more powerful, specialized AI within existing apps, trading some speed for higher precision.
Facebook finds a privacy middle-ground for public-facing groups
Meta has introduced a significant update for Facebook Groups, allowing admins to change a group’s status from private to public without retroactively exposing old content. When a group is converted, all past posts, comments, and member lists remain private and visible only to original members. New content posted after the switch, however, will be fully public and indexable by search engines. This feature solves a major headache for admins whose communities have outgrown their private-only status, offering a path to expansion while protecting historical privacy.
Google Chrome expands autofill to become a full identity manager
Google is significantly expanding Chrome’s autofill capabilities beyond passwords and payments, turning the browser into a centralized identity manager. The feature, rolling out globally, will now save and autofill sensitive official ID data, including passport numbers, driver’s licenses, and vehicle registration details. Google states the data is stored only with explicit user permission, is encrypted, and requires confirmation before filling. This move deepens Chrome’s role as an “assistive” browser, part of a broader strategy to compete with emerging AI browsers.
Video: Google
WhatsApp for Mac finally gets chat themes and custom wallpapers
WhatsApp has released an update for its native Mac application, bringing its customization features in line with the iOS version. Users can now choose from 22 preset themes, create custom color combinations, and upload their own images as chat wallpapers. Themes can be applied globally or to individual chats. According to WABetaInfo, the update is rolling out gradually. These theme settings do not sync across devices, allowing users to maintain different appearances on their Mac and iPhone.
Dia browser resurrects the ‘greatest hits’ from the discontinued Arc
The Browser Company is porting the most popular features from its discontinued Arc browser into its new AI-native browser, Dia. After Atlassian’s $610 million acquisition of Dia, founder Josh Miller is integrating “Arc’s greatest hits” like the Sidebar, Pinned Tabs, and (soon) Spaces. Miller admitted Arc was “too different” and complex for mass adoption. Dia is built on a new architecture optimized for AI, speed, and security, aiming to blend the beloved UI of Arc with a simpler, smarter, and faster core.
It's really happening… 🫢
The latest @diabrowser early birds release brings favorites from @arcinternet to the sidebar. pic.twitter.com/J9F5OIt756
— Benny Bowden (@itsMeBennyB) November 1, 2025
Microsoft Edge plays catch-up with limited passkey sync for Windows
Microsoft Edge is finally adding the ability to create, save, and sync passkeys, but the feature is launching with significant limitations. The browser’s built-in password manager can now sync passkeys, but only between Windows PCs; mobile support, which Google Chrome has had for a year, is not yet available. The feature also does not support Microsoft Entra accounts. While it’s a step toward broader passkey adoption, Edge remains behind third-party managers and its primary competitor.
