January 25 Tech news roundup: Samsung Galaxy S25 series launched, Netflix subscription prices hiked, Android 16 Beta released

Netflix subscription prices have been hiked

Netflix has increased its plan prices again, including the cheapest plan with comes with ads. Over 300 million users have an active Netflix subscription. The streaming service revealed that its ad-supported plan managed to bring in 55% of new users in the last three months alone.

The ad-supported Netflix plan which was previously available for $7 a month has seen a price increase of $1, i.e. it now costs $8 per month. The streaming service’s Standard plan now costs $18, after a price hike of $2.50. Netflix’s Premium plan price now costs $25 per month, thanks to a $2 increase in the price. Additionally, the extra member fee has also been raised by $1, so users will need to pay $9 per month.

The company explained to its investors that the price increase allows Netflix to invest in programming and improve its services. Netflix has also diversified its content by offering live programming such as sports, and will broadcast WWE matches this year. The Netflix price hike is already in effect in the US, Canada, Argentina, and Portugal.

Microsoft will now keep your account signed in automatically

Microsoft has announced a change to how it handles user accounts. According to an update which will go live next month, users who have signed in will remain logged in across sessions, until they sign out manually. It will include all Microsoft services such as Outlook, OneDrive, Microsoft 365.

Normally, when you sign in to your Microsoft account, a prompt appears offering you an option to stay signed in. This prompt will no longer be displayed from February 2025, and every user who signs in to their account, will stay signed in. Users will need to click on sign out to end their session manually, otherwise the account will remain active even if the browser is closed and restarted.

This move could be seen as a potential security and privacy risk, especially if a user signs in on a shared computer, or a public PC. Microsoft is advising users who log on using devices that they do not own, aka shared systems, to use private browsing mode to ensure their account information stays safe. So, how does one sign out of their account if they forgot to do it on a public computer ? To do that, you will need to use the new “global sign out” option. This will sign you out everywhere.

Claude AI to add two-way voice mode and memory feature

Anthropic has some exciting plans for Claude AI. The company’s CEO revealed that preparations are underway to introduce a new voice feature called two-way voice mode. This will allow users to engage in conversations with the AI-powered chatbot, as if they were talking to another person. The ability to talk to a chatbot without typing should prove to be a convenient option for users who have used voice assistant apps.

Claude AI is also getting a memory function that will allow it to recall your past conversations. This would allow the AI to remember your preferences and personal details such as your hobby, or a favorite book, which it will use to provide a deeper engagement in future chats. Such improvements could help Anthropic position Claude AI as a more interactive alternative in a market that is dominated by the likes of generative artificial intelligence services such as Microsoft Copilot, Open AI’s ChatGPT, and Google Gemini.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Series officially launched

It’s finally here, the Samsung Galaxy S25 series has been officially launched. The new flagship phones come with various AI features like Call Transcript, Writing Assist, and Drawing Assist. Samsung Knox’s Personal Data Engine will help secure user data while using AI services on the devices. Samsung’s Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra run on One UI 7, which is based on Android 15. The software comes with an improved version of Google’s Circle to Search feature which enables it to recognize phone numbers, email and URLs on your screen. Such details can be tapped on for further actions like dialing the number, or emailing the contact.

Samsung’s Galaxy S25 has a 120Hz 6.2-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform, 12GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, a 4,000 mAh battery. The camera system includes a 50MP wide-angle lens with OIS, a 120° FOV 12MP ultra-wide angle camera, and a 10MP Telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom. The Galaxy S25+ sports a 6.7-inches QHD+ AMOLED 2X screen with Vision Booster technology, 12GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and a 4,900mAh battery.

Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra features a 6.9-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, a 5000mAh battery, 1TB of storage, 12GB of RAM, a 200MP primary camera with OIS, a 50MP ultra-wide angle lens, a 50MP telephoto sensor with 5x optical zoom, a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. The Samsung Galaxy S25 series price starts at $799.

Android 16 Beta 1 released

Google has released the first beta of Android 16. The new operating system brings many new features including Live Updates, which will help users monitor and quick access to ongoing activities such as ride-sharing, food delivery, and navigation apps. This feature is quite similar to Live Activities on iOS.

Android 16 enables the predictive back button which is a part of its three-button navigation system by default. This will allow users who long-press the back button to see an animation that shows a preview of where the back swipe gesture will take you. Apps will no longer be able to restrict the screen orientation and resizability on tablets and large screen devices.

Google has added some security and connectivity improvements in Android 16 to support security features on devices that support Wi-Fi 6 802.11az, to improve AES-256-based encryption and protection against MITM attacks. Camera apps can now detect night mode scenes automatically. Android 16 also comes with new privacy features available in Privacy Sandbox.

Android 16 Beta 1 is available for the following Google Pixel devices:

• Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, Pixel 6a
• Pixel 7 and 7 Pro
• Pixel 7a
• Pixel Fold
• Pixel Tablet
• Pixel 8 and 8 Pro
• Pixel 8a
• Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold

Google is expected to release Android 16 in the second quarter of 2025.