Google’s Magic Compose feature comes with a privacy trade-off

Image: Google

Google is rolling out the beta of Magic Compose, a new feature in its Messages app that uses AI to suggest text messages based on your conversation. But as Android Police reports, there's a catch: to generate suggestions, Google will send up to "20 previous messages" from your chat to its servers—even if you're using end-to-end encryption (E2EE) with RCS.

Google explains this on its Magic Compose support page, saying it will use these messages, and any emoji, reactions, and URLs they contain, to help its AI create a suitable reply. Google says it won't send any messages with attachments, voice messages, or images, but it warns that "image captions and voice transcriptions may be sent." These messages will then be discarded, with Google not storing any data or using it for training its AI models.

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Apple to end My Photo Stream service in July

Image: Apple

Apple has announced it will discontinue its My Photo Stream service on July 26, 2023. The service—which launched with iCloud in 2011—allows Apple users to upload and sync up to 1,000 photos and videos from the last 30 days across their devices. Unlike iCloud Photos, My Photo Stream does not use any iCloud storage space, but it also does not preserve the full resolution of the media.

According to a support document, Apple will stop accepting new uploads to My Photo Stream on June 26, 2023. Users will have another month to access their existing photos and videos on iCloud before they are deleted on July 26. However, the media will remain on the original device where they were taken or imported, so users will not lose any data. 

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'Homeworld 3' needs more time, moves to February 2024 release

Image: Blackbird Interactive/Gearbox Publishing

Homeworld 3, the long-awaited sequel to the sci-fi real-time strategy video game Homeworld 2 from 2003, has been delayed again. The game was originally slated for a 2022 release, then moved to the first half of this year. Now, developer Blackbird Interactive and publisher Gearbox Publishing have announced that the game will launch in February 2024. They explained that they want to make a game that “lives up to the standards set by its predecessors” and that they need more time to refine and polish it. Fans have been supportive of the decision on Twitter, saying they prefer a quality game over a rushed one. The companies assured those who bought the collector’s edition will receive it at launch.

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YouTube ditches Stories feature

Image: YouTubeYouTube is scrapping Stories, a feature that let users post temporary updates, starting in June. From June 26 onwards, users won't be able to create Stories and existing ones will vanish after a week.

Stories debuted in 2017 as Reels and were only available to users with more than 10,000 subscribers. They were similar to Instagram's Stories (which copied Snapchat's idea), and allowed YouTube creators to share updates or behind-the-scenes content to promote their channel. However, the feature never really took off. It had limited access, few creators used it regularly, and YouTube didn't promote it much.

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