September 7 Tech news roundup: Remote desktop is renamed to Windows App, Marketers could be using your smart device’s microphone to spy on you, Windows 11 finally overtakes Windows 10 user share

Goodbye Remote Desktop, Hello Windows app

Microsoft has announced that it is renaming the Remote Desktop app. It will now be called the Windows app. That’s quite confusing, the older name was pretty clear about what the app was used for. The newer one is rather unusual, Microsoft terms it as the “”gateway to Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Microsoft Dev Box, Remote Desktop Services, and remote PCs”.

In fact, the Windows app is not exclusive to Windows. It is also available for macOS, iOS, and can be accessed via web browsers too, though these versions lack many features that the Windows version has. Users on Windows 11 will be able to use the app with multiple monitors, custom display resolutions, dynamic resolutions, scaling. The Windows app is optimized for Microsoft Teams, and it supports device redirection for webcams, audio, storage devices, and printers. The name change seems like it was unnecessary, then again, it is Microsoft.

Are social networks spying on users by listening to their smart devices?

A report by 404 Media has thrown some serious allegations on Cox Media Group for using microphones on smart devices to spy on users. The article claims that the company uses various techniques to listen in on users without their knowledge, to harvest data, and then uses it to deliver targeted ads. Promotional materials for the feature, which is called, Active Listening, were obtained by the blog. The contents of the deck are rather alarming, especially considering that CMG lists Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft as its partners.

There is no conclusive evidence to suggest that the allegations of wiretapping are true. But the fact that Google terminated the partnership with CMG does raise some concerns about the problem.

Firefox 130 brings improvements to Translate and an Automatic Picture-in-Picture Mode

As we mentioned in last week’s edition, Mozilla had been working on an automatic picture-in-picture mode for Firefox. When you play a video, and switch to another tab, the video automatically switches to a small floating panel, aka picture-in-picture mode. This feature is now officially available as part of the Firefox 130 update, with the addition of Firefox Labs, which you can access from the browser’s Settings. These experimental options allow users to test upcoming features, such as choosing an AI Chatbot that they can access from the sidebar.

The latest version of the browser also improves the built-in translate feature. You can now select some text and translate it using the browser’s right-click context menu. Firefox 130 adds support for the following language translations: Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Indonesian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Romanian, Serbian, Slovak, and Vietnamese.

Windows 11 finally overtakes Windows 10 among gamers

Windows 10 has finally fallen behind Windows 11, as the 2nd-most popular version of operating systems on Steam. According to a Steam Hardware Survey, Windows 11 has a 49.17% user share, while Windows 10 is close behind at 47.09% That’s not particularly surprising, as Windows 10 is set to reach its end of life support in 2025. However, what is surprising is the fact it took so long to achieve the goal. That could be because Windows 11 has a lot of hurdles, primarily the system requirements, which are rather strict. The other problem was that Windows 10 itself was considered as a downgrade in terms of design, when compared to Windows 7. Microsoft however sweetened the deal by offering users a free upgrade from Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 to Windows 10

Copilot+ AI Features are coming to Intel PCs in November

Microsoft added support for Copilot+ in some laptops that released this summer. These Copilot+ laptops were powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets, which are ARM-based. But it appears that Microsoft is bringing the AI features to more PCs soon.

Intel’s Lunar Lake chipsets which are set to launch in October, will also support Copilot+ features. The new SoCs are based on x86 architecture. Intel says that its Core Ultra 200V series CPUs will be the ones that support the AI features that will aid in task acceleration, image co-creation, and enhanced Windows Studio Effects. The confirmation from Intel also suggests that Windows 11 24H2 could be launched sometime in October.

Telegram says that it will begin to moderate content on its platform

Telegram has announced that it will begin to remove illegal adult content from its platform, after an investigation by authorities in South Korea. The instant messaging service has faced some serious problems in recent times, after Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France, for failing to aid the Government in tracking illegal content shared via the platform.

The announcement raises some serious questions about the privacy of Telegram, with many users wondering if the company can moderate the content, it must have access to all chats. This in turn has resulted in discussions among users who have pondered whether they should move to secure alternatives such as Signal, which offers end-to-end encryption to protect users and their data.

Microsoft says Apple removed Xbox Cloud Gaming from the App Store

The feud between Microsoft and Apple continues, after the two tech giants began clashing over the latter’s policies related to cloud gaming apps. Microsoft has accused Apple of stifling the competition by implementing policies that cripple game streaming apps such as Xbox Cloud Gaming. The issue has been going on for six months, when Apple had seemingly opened up the App Store to allow cloud gaming apps. However, neither Microsoft nor Nvidia launched their game streaming apps for iOS. Microsoft says that Apple’s restriction related to in-app purchases are the problem.

Apple has a rule that requires all content, including subscriptions and other features that an iOS app offers, to be available as an in-app purchase. The Cupertino company charges a 30% fee for these transactions, which Microsoft feels is unfair. The Redmond company also says that Apple’s rules about linking to external web pages where a user could be taken for processing the payment, are also significant barriers.