June 28 tech news roundup: Microsoft claims Windows 11 is twice as fast as Windows 10, Firefox 140 introduces Tab Unload, WhatsApp’s AI can summarize your chats

Microsoft wants you to believe that Windows 11 is 2.3x faster than Windows 10

Anyone who has used both operating systems can tell this is impossible. Microsoft has published a so-called performance claims with details about various computers that were used in benchmark tests. The problem is it used older PCs to test Windows 10, and newer PCs to test Windows 11. Naturally, the powerful hardware on the newer machines would result in the test scores being higher, i.e. in favor of Windows 11. All computers used in the tests featured Intel chips, and not AMD.

Windows 10 will reach end of support in October 2025, and these benchmarks are just a way to convince people to upgrade to Windows 11. Users have criticized the company for resorting to unethical trickery to try and fool people to use Windows 11. Microsoft has also been criticized for its suggestion to trade their old PCs that cannot be upgraded to Windows 11, and buy a new PC.

WhatsApp will summarize your long chats using Meta AI

WhatsApp is testing an AI-powered feature called Message Summaries. It is designed to help users catch up on long chats by summarizing the important content. The feature is powered by Meta AI, and WhatsApp says that personal messages are not read by Meta, or WhatsApp. The AI uses Private Processing to summarize chats by using an off-device and secure environment.

Fortunately, this is an optional feature that you will have to enable manually, you can find the option under the Advanced Chat Privacy settings. Message Summaries are currently rolling out to English language users in the U.S. Regardless of what companies promise you or sugarcoat things, always assume that convenience comes at the cost of privacy.

Google says Gemini’s terms are changing, but users needn’t worry

Gemini users may have received an email this week that could worry them. Google is informing users that “Gemini will soon be able to help you use Phone, Messages, WhatsApp and Utilities on your phone, whether your Gemini Apps Activity is on or off.” While the message sounds scary, it appears that users can opt out of access to apps. That’s a problem, since Google will enable access to other apps, including WhatsApp, by default.

Google will start rolling out access to apps automatically from July 7, 2025.

Google Chrome crashes were caused by Microsoft Family Safety

Several users have been experiencing an unusual problem with Google Chrome. The browser is crashing for some people, while others say they are unable to open Chrome. But the problem is not caused by Google, the culprit is Microsoft Family Safety.

The parental controls in Microsoft Family Safety are designed to block inappropriate websites, and it is blocking Chrome.  Chromium engineers have acknowledged the problem, but say that the issue has to be fixed by Microsoft. Speaking of which, Microsoft is advising users to allow Chrome from the Family Safety dashboard, to allow the browser to run. It also warns that allowing the browser via this method could also allow unfiltered browsing, and access to inappropriate content.

Firefox 140 gets Tab Unload, removable Extension button, faster page translations

Mozilla has released the Firefox 140 update to introduce a new feature called Tab Unload. Users can right-click on any tab and select “unload tab” from the menu, to snooze the tab. This will not close the website, but frees up the memory. This feature has been available in Chrome for a while, and also via third-party extensions such as Auto Tab Discard which can snooze idle tabs automatically.

Firefox now lets you add search engines easily by right-clicking on a search field, and using the “Add search engine” option. Mozilla has made some improvements to full-page translations, by speeding up the feature. You can now remove the Extension icon from the Firefox toolbar.

Bye, Blue Screen of Death! Hello, Black Screen of Death!

Microsoft says the Blue Screen of Death will soon be a thing of the past. It will be replaced by a Black Screen of Death. Besides the change in the background color, the new screen is simplified and displays the STOP Code, and What Failed, at the bottom of the screen to indicate which component caused Windows 11 to crash. Microsoft says that the new BSOD design will be available later this summer, along with Quick Machine Recovery (QMR), which can fix boot problems automatically.

Microsoft has also announced an important change regarding Windows Security, it will soon move antivirus programs away from kernel access. It is currently working with various security vendors to design the new system that will restrict antivirus software to user mode, instead of kernel mode. A malicious app with kernel-level access can cause silent changes, disruptions, etc. Microsoft wants to prevent such issues, after last year’s CloudStrike outage.

On a side note, Microsoft is removing old drivers from Windows Update.

Apple pushes F1 movie ad via Apple Wallet, and users were upset

Apple Wallet users were not amused to see an ad to buy tickets for F1 The Movie, when they opened the app. The ad appeared as a notification, which stayed on the lock screen until users dismissed it. Considering that iPhones are sold at premium prices, one wouldn’t expect ads on it, but Apple seems to be working on an important change in the upcoming iOS 26 update, which will allow Apple Wallet to show Offers and Promotions from Apple or its partners.

The news has raised concerns among Apple fans, who are worried whether the company will push more ads via its apps on its devices, which is surprising since Apple is known for being privacy-first.

Update your Brother Printer now to fix security issues

Brother, the printer making company, has issued firmware updates for hundreds of printers. The update patches security vulnerabilities that were discovered by researchers at Rapid7. According to the report, one of the vulnerabilities could be exploited by hackers to generate the default admin password, and gain access to the admin interface.

Brother is advising users to install the updates for their printer, and also change the default admin password to protect their data. The report warns that printers from Fujifilm Business, Ricoh, Toshiba, and Konica are also affected.