O sistema operacional Debian Linux é referência em estabilidade, segurança e liberdade de software. Descubra por que ele ainda é tão respeitado.
O post Razões que explicam por que o Debian continua tão respeitado apareceu primeiro em Blog do Edivaldo - Informações e Notícias sobre Linux.
Debian Linux e Debian desktop são robustos e modernos. Descubra por que eles são escolhas sólidas para usuários que buscam estabilidade e inovação.
O post O Debian está mais moderno do que muita gente imagina apareceu primeiro em Blog do Edivaldo - Informações e Notícias sobre Linux.
Explore por que o Debian, uma poderosa distribuição Linux, continua liderando como software livre estável e confiável desde décadas.
O post Debian continua sendo a escolha de milhões de usuários por um motivo simples apareceu primeiro em Blog do Edivaldo - Informações e Notícias sobre Linux.
Few things are as delightfully divisive as Android’s dark mode.
Some phones now ship with Android’s darker-style interface activated by default. Most reasonably recent devices offer it as a swift ‘n’ simple toggle. And most people, in my experience, have amusingly strong preferences about which approach they prefer — the standard Android “light” mode, in which screens tend to be bright and with shades of white as a foundation, and the dark mode (a.k.a. “dark theme”), where black and dark gray dominate and everything is much more muted and muddy.
It really is a night and day difference, so to speak — but no matter where you fall on the light vs. dark preference spectrum, it’s well worth your while to noddle over two pertinent points:
It occurred to me recently that we’ve gone over several smart Android dark mode enhancements over the past weeks and months — and that, put together into a single power-pack bundle, these small-seeming items can add up to create a pretty dramatic difference in your Android-using experience, whether you’re a full-fledged dark mode convert or a more light-preferring vampire skeptic.
Here, specifically, are five easy ways to make Android’s dark mode meaningfully better for you.
[Keep the nerdy knowledge coming with my free Android Intelligence newsletter — something new and useful in your inbox every Friday!]
Up first is a feature that arose as part of our Android 17 discussion and sparked the entire idea for this collection — and that’s the one-tap switch in the latest Android version that forces every app on your phone to follow your dark mode preference, whether the program technically supports such a setting or not.
In Android 17, finding and flipping that switch will make every app turn dark whenever the system-wide dark mode is active. It eliminates the irksome exceptions that’ve traditionally stayed stubbornly light (due to developer laziness) even when your dark theme is on.
If you’ve got Android 17 on your phone already, it couldn’t be much easier to make it happen. Just look in the Display section of your system settings, tap the words “Dark theme,” then change the setting that shows up next from “Standard” to “Expanded.”
JR Raphael, Foundry
No Android 17? No problem: On devices with reasonably recent pre-Android-17 system software, you can actually find a switch buried deep in some developer settings that’ll let you enable the exact same option without any waiting.
Follow these instructions and enjoy your new universally consistent darkened dynamic.
That first trick fixes the issue of certain apps not following your dark mode preference — but what about the web? Most of us spend a fair amount of time in our browsers these days, and most websites won’t follow a dark mode setting and adjust their interfaces accordingly.
They absotively can, though. With the flip of a single switch buried within your browser’s bowels, you can force every website into a darkened motif whenever your system-level dark mode is up and running.
See?
JR Raphael, Foundry
Here’s the secret:
Now, when Chrome comes back a second or so later…
JR Raphael, Foundry
And that’s it: From that moment onward, whenever your Android device is switched into its dark mode, any website you’re viewing within Chrome will automatically follow suit. Nothing more to it, and no further thought or action ever required on your part.
Not bad, eh?!
Even as someone who isn’t into dark mode as a 24/7 sort of thing, I can definitely appreciate the presence of a dimmer, less glary look on my device in certain specific scenarios.
It’s incredibly easy to overlook or forget, but Google’s actually got a way to handle that for you. In fact, it’s been built into Android itself since 2020’s Android 11 release.
Just look in the Display section of your system settings and tap the line for either “Dark theme” or “Dark mode settings.” If you see a toggle alongside that line, make sure you’re tapping the actual words next to it — not the toggle itself.
Then look for the option to create a schedule.
JR Raphael, Foundry
You can create a time-based rule for when your device’s dark mode turns on and back off again, or — more intelligent yet — you can set it to automatically activate at sunset, wherever you are at any given moment, and then turn itself back off and switch you back over to light mode at sunrise.
You can also integrate dark mode into Android’s rarely noticed Bedtime Mode so that the screen getting dimmer is part of your pre-sleep winddown routine, if you really wanna get wild.
Or — ahem…
A dark mode schedule is pretty forkin’ sensible. But the reality is that even with a time-based setup or a sunset-driven activation approach, you’ll still be using your phone in bright rooms with dark mode active and vice-versa.
And if you want Android’s dark theme present only when you’re actually in a dark room — as makes the most sense in my mind — there’s an even more intelligent option.
It comes our way via a handy little free app called Adaptive Theme. That app does one thing and only thing only: It automatically adjusts your device’s dark mode setting based on the actual ambient light around you, using your phone’s sensors rather than an arbitrary time or a not-always-relevant sunset status as a guide. It makes so much sense, you’ll find yourself wondering why your phone didn’t just work that way from the get-go.
The app does unavoidably have a slightly complex one-time setup, which I outline step-by-step here. It’s perfectly safe to do, though, and it shouldn’t take you more than a couple minutes to pull off.
And once you’ve done that, your Android dark mode will just work for you — flipping on when the lighting around you is dim (to your exact specifications) and flipping back off when you’re in brighter surroundings.
JR Raphael, Foundry
Yes, please — and thank you. Last but not least…
Superficial as it may seem, the one piece of the puzzle we haven’t yet addressed — that isn’t ordinarily affected by Android’s dark mode setting — is your home screen wallpaper.
By default, whatever wallpaper you set at the system level stays the same even as your interface moves between its dark and light states — and when you’re anglin’ for a dimmer, less glary look in dark environments, that can be pretty darn jarring.
An app called, rather aptly, Dark/Light Wallpaper Scheduler is the answer you never knew you needed. It’s pretty self-explanatory — you tell it which wallpaper you want when your phone is in dark mode and light mode, then it automatically switches ’em out for you based on that status — but I wrote about it in detail here, if you’re interested in reading more about how exactly it works and how you can make the most of it.
And with that, my fellow Android-appreciating animal, your dark mode power-pack is complete. Now, would someone please turn off the lights? I don’t know about you, but all this talk of darkness has me hankering for a nap.
Wake up to even more useful Android wisdom every Friday with my free Android Intelligence newsletter — one practical new trick to try each week, straight from me to ye.
The Samsung Galaxy XR headset is now available for preorder ahead of its July 8 launch in the UK, and while you can’t pick it up at Amazon, that doesn’t mean you can't snag a Prime Day-like deal or two.
Best of all, you won’t need to be a Prime or other subscription service member; Samsung’s discounts are available to every shopper through its online store — you’ll just need to bundle a few things with your purchase, or sign up to PayPal (if you haven’t already) and check out using that as your payment method.
• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale
For that PayPal offer, you’ll get £100 off using the code PAYPALXR at Samsung's online store. That’s a serious saving off the £1,699 asking price, but you only have until July 7 to take advantage of this offer.
Plus, if you’re looking to upgrade your Samsung tech, or dive deeper into its ecosystem, it has deals that will save you 10% on Galaxy smartphones, a Galaxy Watch, and Galaxy Buds.
Code: PAYPALXR
If you buy the Samsung Galaxy XR headset using PayPal then you can save £100 with the code PAYPALXR. You only have until July 7 to use this deal, but if you’re strongly considering getting the Samsung Galaxy XR headset then it’s a hefty saving on the device for little to no effort (especially for folks with a PayPal account already).View Deal
Save 10% on Galaxy smartphones — August 4, 2026
Save 10% on Galaxy watches and buds — September 30, 2026
If you don’t want to simply buy a Galaxy XR headset, but also upgrade your whole Samsung setup, then this combo deal is for you, as you can save 10% on Galaxy gadgets. I currently use a Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, a pair of Galaxy Buds Pro 4, and a Galaxy S26 Ultra, and they are all superb, and this kind of discount only makes the tech even better.View Deal
Save 30% on a travel case & controllers — September 30, 2026
Lastly, much like the above tech offer you can also save big on an official travel case and Samsung controllers when they’re bought with the Galaxy XR headset.
The controllers will be required for some titles, though most games rely on hand tracking so I’m not convinced you need a pair straight away. A case, however, is a must-buy.
Whether it’s this one or an unofficial box, any VR headset is much easier to carry around with a case, and it helps keep the headset’s lenses from getting damaged by direct sunlight.
Besides a silicone facial interface (which this headset lacks), a case is the only accessory every VR headset user should own.View Deal
After spending a week with the Samsung Galaxy XR headset, Lance Ulanoff called it “an impressive multimodal AI spatial computer,” though Android XR and the overall experience didn’t hold a candle to visionOS and the Apple Vision Pro, especially the M5 version.
He also noted that, at launch, Gemini felt less deeply integrated as he had originally imagined, and the lack of precision with controls dulled the ‘wow’ factor.
At the same time, the Galaxy XR headset is half the price of the Vision Pro, so technical downgrades are to be expected, and as Google and Samsung iterate on the software, you could find the Samsung Galaxy XR headset seriously ups its game — especially as more apps get XR support.
It delivers some impressive OLED visuals despite costing less, and can integrate with the full G Suite of apps for some spatial productivity. So, if you want something that balances work and play, with great performance, at a more affordable price point, and don’t mind missing out on the Quest gaming library, you’ll struggle to find something better than Samsung’s XR machine.
Can you believe that it's now half a decade since Windows 11 was revealed? The operating system was first announced by Microsoft at a press event on June 24 back in 2021 (although the OS was leaked just before that, in typical fashion).
Five years ago today we were told that Windows 11 was inbound as a free upgrade for all Windows 10 users — but there was no stampede to adopt it, that's for sure (and the hardware requirements certainly didn't help the cause).
It wasn't until July 2025 that Windows 11 overtook Windows 10 as the dominant version of Microsoft's desktop OS according to Statcounter's figures, but it now holds a comfortable majority of over 70% of that market. As it should do, considering Windows 10 ran out of support last October (and only has a few months of extended support left).
However, putting aside the sluggish pace of adoption and the various problems that have plagued Windows 11 through the years (all the bugs and some notably missing features in the main), I think there's now cause for optimism for the future of Microsoft's operating system.
So, let me share my thoughts and reflect on what has been a half-decade of Windows 11, and tell you why I'm way more positive about the OS than I was last year — and why I think that Microsoft is finally on track (with, of course, some inevitable caveats).
Most of my hopefulness about where Windows 11 is heading comes, of course, from the big campaign Microsoft kicked off in March 2026 to fix Windows 11. Since that announcement — which I would say is the biggest statement to have been made since the OS was first announced in 2021 — Microsoft has very much proven that it intends to tackle all sorts of shortcomings and pain points with the OS.
Taskbar repositioning? We've got it. A much greater level of Start menu customization? Check. Spam removed from Windows search? Yep. More control over Windows updates? Certainly, and in fact way more control than I'd have ever believed might happen, including the ability to put off an update indefinitely, should you wish, on Windows 11 Home.
In fact, Microsoft has hit many wish-list features that I never expected would come to Windows 11, and the extent of the crowd-pleasing measures so far is heartening. These are features that are actually being delivered already, too, they're not just promises.
Furthermore, Microsoft appears to be listening to feedback and requests more closely, and generally engaging more with the community online. There's even a new initiative consisting of a research panel where Microsoft will consult testers directly on how to change aspects of Windows 11.
This genuinely feels like a fresh direction for Microsoft, and a serious commitment to change Windows 11 for the better based on what the users themselves actually want.
The other key driver for optimism with Windows 11 is the way in which Microsoft is taking more care over how the operating system is developed and coded.
Not so long ago, matters were less organized and more chaotic. Cast your mind back to the introduction of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X (Arm-based) chips in Copilot+ PCs back in 2024, alongside which Microsoft brought in a new underlying platform for Windows 11 (complete with the tinkering required to support that Arm silicon). While nothing was ever officially admitted, this is a move that I believe could have at least contributed to the mess that was the 24H2 update, which was laden with a ton of (sometimes very annoying) bugs.
Whatever the case in terms of how those glitches came to be, things have changed a lot since then. Microsoft is now being a lot more cautious with its Arm and x86 strategy — Windows 11 is split into two development paths, with the 26H1 update for Arm devices, and the 26H2 update for traditional x86 PCs — and the company has switched to use a fresh approach for these annual updates.
Instead of big annual updates — the last of which was the problematic 24H2 — Microsoft is now deploying small 'enablement packages', essentially very minor bumps to a new version of Windows 11. The actual features, the meat of Windows 11 changes, are pushed out in monthly updates as and when they're ready — in sometimes quite tightly controlled, carefully paced rollouts. This more gradual drip-feed of features is a more reliable method of deployment compared to dropping a lot of stuff all at once.
In short, Microsoft has learned its lesson from the nightmarish 24H2 release, which suffered from far too many bugs, to take on a fresh new way of operating. True, there will still need to be big updates at times, when the underlying codebase of Windows 11 has to be changed (quite possibly with 27H2). But it looks like Microsoft wants to mainly stick to compact, easily applied annual updates in the main, with features pushed out elsewhere in general.
Between the ardent push to fix Windows 11 and the better thought-out deployment of features and updates, Microsoft has come a long way, but as I mentioned before, there are caveats here.
It's worth mentioning that while the new system of continual feature deployments, rather than weighty annual feature drops, is commendable (in my opinion), the controlled rollouts of these various features have come in for some criticism. Mainly because they are so cautious in some cases that something like the Start menu revamp (the one from last year, I should clarify, not the current work) took ages for some Windows 11 users to get, and those folks found that rather frustrating.
Part of that caution is likely down to Microsoft's paranoia around bugs, and sadly, the truth is that there are still too many bugs in Windows 11, and some of them are disappointingly weird. And by disappointing, I mean odd things that just shouldn't be happening.
I only need glance back to last weekend for one such example where there was a glitch with the Recycle Bin whereby the delete confirmation dialog (when junking a file from the bin) showed the internal file name instead of the proper name. While this only applied to the dialog box — so it was hardly an important or dangerous glitch — it was confusing some people, and more to the point, this sort of thing shouldn't be happening in the release version of an operating system.
This kind of bizarre slip-up also leads to folks blaming AI for being involved in Windows 11 coding. And while there is absolutely no evidence for that, it's the very nature of the strange bug that means people will easily jump to these conclusions when Microsoft has previously admitted AI is used to quite an extent in programming its software.
Whatever's at fault, Microsoft still needs to have better processes in place to catch these kinds of glitches, and other more critical bugs which have turned up in Windows 11 this year.
One thing I've called for in the past is a commitment from Microsoft to confirm that it's addressing its quality assurance processes, and improving bug squashing, and this is a notably missing part of the fix Windows 11 campaign. A vital part, in fact, I'd argue, for better stability going forward which is one of the big overarching goals (alongside better performance, and those crowd-pleasing feature additions).
Still, all in all, I've got to underline that right now, I'm as optimistic about Windows 11 as I've ever been. If Microsoft can tackle the bug blot on the OS landscape, and keep on listening to users — and its new research panel of testers from the community — Windows 11 could be in great shape come next year.
Forty million UK iCloud users could be owed up to $100 (£77) each after a $3.9 billion (£3 billion) class action lawsuit against Apple was cleared for trial — and the company’s problems may be just getting started.
For Apple, the worry is that this case could snowball to become yet another existential regulatory problem. The action was brought by consumer group Which?, which accused Apple of breaching UK competition law by giving its iCloud storage service preferential treatment and “trapping” customers with Apple devices into using iCloud.
Apple achieves this by encouraging its customers to sign up to iCloud for storage of photos, videos and other data while also making it difficult for them to use alternative providers to backup key data. The company also squeezes extra dollars out of customers by providing a stingy 5GB of storage for free, while putting important data including messages and photos inside that allocation. Even Google provides 15GB of storage in its free tier.
The problem is that the scale of Apple makes it difficult for competitors to reach customers with alternative solutions, while Apple’s control over the operating system gives it integration advantages third-party competitors don’t get.
While there may well be justifications for constraining access to some personal data, those privacy and security challenges don’t apply to all of it.
When it originally filed the claim, Which? explained that Apple could resolve the claim without litigation by offering consumers their money back and opening up iOS to allow users a real choice for cloud services. This is unlikely to happen.
This case has been slowly making its way through the Competition Appeal Tribunal, which last week finally gave permission for the case to go to trial.
Apple won’t be looking at a hefty fine just yet. The first available trial date is in October 2028 and the legal fight is expected to last nine weeks, which might, or might not, equate to a Christmas surprise for Apple’s then CEO. There’s no time to sit back, however, as the company must still file its defense papers with the court by the end of next month, July 31.
The UK is not alone. Italy has launched its own antitrust probe into Apple’s iCloud dominance under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). The problem with that litigation is that since Italy has commenced the probe, other nations across the bloc might also act.
Italy is looking to see whether Apple has failed to open up its iOS and iPadOS ecosystems to rival cloud services, arguing that third-party providers are unable to access the same system components as iCloud. The DMA insists competitors should enjoy the same degree of access as iCloud because Apple is seen as a gatekeeper, which means it is required to meet a higher set of standards.
Apple, of course, will inevitably — and rightly — argue that customer privacy needs to be protected, and that open, free, access to some of the data its trusted iCloud service can use is not in the consumer interest.
The company has already proposed one way in which it can provide third-party services with access to confidential data with a trusted intermediary system that anonymizes that information in use.
That’s precisely what it offered Europe when it proposed a solution called Trusted System Agent — an intermediary that would allow virtual assistants to safely access the same features and capabilities as Siri AI for devices in the EU. Unfortunately, EU regulators didn’t accept Apple’s justification concerning the need to protect customer privacy, which is why Apple Intelligence won’t be available in Europe for a while, if at all.
In the event Apple’s iCloud service falls short of the Italian probe and therefore the DMA, the danger is that if EU regulators take the same evangelically hard-line stance with iCloud services as they have done so far with AI, customers might find themselves losing access to the service.
That’s in Europe, of course. But the UK case is likely to get to court long before litigation processes in Europe get going, making the UK action an important test case in which yet another important component of Apple’s offering to consumers is up for trial.
Please join me on social media at BlueSky, LinkedIn, or Mastodon, even better, please subscribe to The Core for your daily fix of human-curated Apple News.
Microsoft 365 (and Office 365) subscribers get more frequent software updates than those who have purchased Office without a subscription, which means subscribers have access to the latest features, security patches, and bug fixes. But it can be hard to keep track of the changes in each update and know when they’re available. We’re doing this for you, so you don’t have to.
Following are summaries of the updates to Microsoft 365/Office 365 for Windows over the past year, with the latest releases shown first. We’ll add info about new updates as they’re rolled out.
Note: This story covers updates released to the Current Channel for Microsoft 365/Office 365 subscriptions. If you’re a member of Microsoft’s Office Insider preview program or want to get a sneak peek at upcoming features, see the Microsoft 365 Insider blog.
Release date: June 16, 2026
This build includes, in the words of Microsoft, “various fixes to functionality and performance.”
Get more info about Version 2605 (Build 20026.20182).
Release date: June 9, 2026
This build offers “various fixes to functionality and performance,” according to Microsoft.
Get more info about Version 2605 (Build 20026.20168).
Release date: June 3, 2026
This build fixes a single bug, in which images didn’t display when using top and bottom text wrapping in classic Outlook.
Get more info about Version 2605 (Build 20026.20140).
Release date: May 26, 2026
This build offers “various fixes to functionality and performance,” according to Microsoft.
Get more info about Version 2605 (Build 20026.20112).
Release date: May 20, 2026
This build fixes several bugs, including one in which Excel or PowerPoint closed unexpectedly in rare cases while the user was actively co-authoring, particularly when opening a document for the first time.
Get more info about Version 2605 (Build 20026.20076).
Release date: May 14, 2026
This build fixes a bug in Outlook in which sending mail failed when multiple Exchange accounts were configured.
Get more info about Version 2604 (Build 19929.20172).
Release date: May 12, 2026
The build plugs a number of security holes. For details, see Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates.
What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.
Get more info about Version 2604 (Build 19929.20164).
Release date: May 5, 2026
This build fixes a bug in which Outlook closed unexpectedly after replying to a mail item with labels.
Get more info about Version 2604 (Build 19929.20136).
Release date: April 29, 2026
This build includes “various fixes to functionality and performance,” according to Microsoft.
Get more info about Version 2604 (Build 19929.20106).
Release date: April 21, 2026
This build includes “various fixes to functionality and performance,” according to Microsoft.
Get more info about Version 2604 (Build 19929.20090).
Release date: April 14, 2026
In this build, Copilot can now edit your PowerPoint documents. Copilot can start a new presentation or build on an existing one, generate slides, update content, improve layouts, and polish design, while preserving formatting, structure, and branding.
The build also plugs a number of security holes. For details, see Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates.
What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.
Get more info about Version 2603 (Build 19822.20182).
Release date: April 9, 2026
This build fixes several bugs, including one in Outlook in which users could not close the Copilot chat pane using a keyboard. Users can now close the pane by navigating to the Close button using a keyboard or by using the assigned keyboard shortcut.
Get more info about Version 2603 (Build 19822.20168).
Release date: March 31, 2026
This build includes “various fixes to functionality and performance,” according to Microsoft.
Get more info about Version 2603 (Build 19822.20142).
Release date: March 24, 2026
This build fixes a single bug in which PowerPoint sometimes closed unexpectedly when opening a newly created empty file from the OneDrive folder.
Get more info about Version 2603 (Build 19822.20114).
Release date: March 18, 2026
This build fixes an Outlook bug in which updating a single instance of a recurring meeting in a Microsoft 365 group calendar updated the entire series.
Get more info about Version 2602 (Build 19725.20190).
Release date: March 10, 2026
This build introduces agent mode in Word, which adds a conversational chat experience that helps create, edit, and refine document content as you work. In addition, the build fixes a bug that impacted the rendering of extended characters in calendar items, causing certain characters to appear as question marks.
The build also plugs a number of security holes. For details, see Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates.
What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.
Get more info about Version 2602 (Build 19725.20172).
Release date: March 3, 2026
This build fixes a bug in which closing a document sometimes remained in progress indefinitely after the Office app resumed from sleep or hibernation.
Get more info about Version 2602 (Build 19725.20152).
Release date: February 24, 2025
This build fixes several bugs, including one that caused OneNote to close unexpectedly upon startup.
Get more info about Version 2602 (Build 19725.20126).
Release date: February 17, 2025
This build includes, in Microsoft’s words, “various fixes to functionality and performance.”
Get more info about Version 2601 (Build 19628.20214).
Release date: February 10, 2026
This build fixes a bug that sometimes prevented users from opening emails with the Encrypt Only label in Outlook.
It also plugs a number of security holes. For details, see Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates.
What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.
Get more info about Version 2601 (Build 19628.20204).
Release date: February 3, 2026
This build includes, in Microsoft’s words, “various fixes to functionality and performance.”
Get more info about Version 2601 (Build 19628.20166).
Release date: January 27, 2026
In this build, OneNote applies your chosen proofing language more consistently, so you don’t have to reset it for every paragraph when writing in multiple languages. In addition, the build fixes several bugs, including one that caused Office applications to become unresponsive when profile card-related activities were performed.
Get more info about Version 2601 (Build 19628.20150).
Release date: January 21, 2026
This build includes, in Microsoft’s words, “Various fixes to functionality and performance.”
Get more info about Version 2512 (Build 19530.20184).
Release date: January 13, 2026
This build fixes a number of bugs, including one that caused Excel, PowerPoint, and Word to become unresponsive when profile card-related activities were performed.
It also plugs a number of security holes. For details, see Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates.
What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.
Get more info about Version 2512 (Build 19530.20144).
Release date: January 8, 2026
This build offers, in Microsoft’s words, “Various fixes to functionality and performance.”
Get more info about Version 2512 (Build 19530.20138).
Release date: December 16, 2025
This build offers, in Microsoft’s words, “Various fixes to functionality and performance.”
Get more info about Version 2511 (Build 19426.20218).
Release date: December 9, 2025
This Patch Tuesday build offers, in Microsoft’s words, “Various fixes to functionality and performance.” The build also has a variety of security updates (see details).
What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.
Get more info about Version 2511 (Build 19426.20186).
Release date: December 3, 2025
This build includes, in Microsoft’s words, “Various fixes to functionality and performance.”
Get more info about Version 2511 (Build 19426.20170).
Release date: November 20, 2025
This build fixes a bug in Outlook that caused users to see “Contacting the server for information” repeatedly when loading some emails.
Get more info about Version 2510 (Build 19328.20244).
Release date: November 18, 2025
This build includes, in the words of Microsoft, “various fixes to functionality and performance.”
Get more info about Version 2510 (Build 19328.20232).
Release date: November 11, 2025
This Patch Tuesday build fixes a bug in Outlook that caused some recipients to be unable to access OneDrive links shared with them via email. The build also has a variety of security updates (see details).
What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.
Get more info about Version 2510 (Build 19328.20190).
Release date: November 4, 2025
This build fixes a single bug, in which @mention searches produced no results in Office apps.
Get more info about Version 2510 (Build 19328.20178).
Release date: October 30, 2025
This build introduces a new Get Data dialog in Windows that simplifies finding and using external data, and adds Analyze Data to the Data tab.
The build also fixed an bug in Outlook that prevented users from downloading web add-ins in some virtualized environments.
Get more info about Version 2510 (Build 19328.20158).
Release date: October 21, 2025
This build has, in Microsoft’s words, “various fixes to functionality and performance.”
Get more info about Version 2509 (Build 19231.20216).
Release date: October 14, 2025
This build has a variety of security updates (see details), along with various fixes to functionality and performance.
What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.
Get more info about Version 2509 (Build 19231.20194).
Release date: October 7, 2025
This build has, in Microsoft’s words, “various fixes to functionality and performance.”
Get more info about Version 2509 (Build 19231.20172).
Release date: October 1, 2025
This build fixes two bugs, one in Excel in which ribbon controls were not rendered when rejoining Office sessions in a virtual machine, Azure Virtual Desktop, or remote desktop environment, and another that caused Outlook to terminate unexpectedly when starting.
Get more info about Version 2509 (Build 19231.20156).
Release date: September 23, 2025
This build has, in Microsoft’s words, “various fixes to functionality and performance.”
Get more info about Version 2508 (Build 19127.20264).
Release date: September 16, 2025
This build has, in Microsoft’s words, “various fixes to functionality and performance.”
Get more info about Version 2508 (Build 19127.20240).
Release date: September 9, 2025
This build has multiple security updates (see details), along with various fixes to functionality and performance.
What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.
Get more info about Version 2508 (Build 19127.20222).
Release date: September 3, 2025
This build fixes a bug in which some Outlook add-ins were getting “Office.auth.getAccessToken is not a function” errors.
Get more info about Version 2508 (Build 19127.20192).
Release date: August 26, 2025
This build fixes a bug that caused Outlook to terminate unexpectedly when sending a meeting invite with an encryption label. It also adds support for pixelated rendering of embedded images in SVG assets for the entire Office suite.
Get more info about Version 2508 (Build 19127.20154).
Release date: August 19, 2025
This build fixes a variety of bugs.
Get more info about Version 2507 (Build 19029.20208).
Release date: August 12, 2025
This build fixes a bug which required users to restart Outlook to open a .msg file after initially accessing it once. The build also includes a variety of security updates (see details).
What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.
Get more info about Version 2507 (Build 19029.20184).
Release date: August 5, 2025
This build fixes a single bug, in which users had to restart Outlook to open a .msg file after initially accessing it once.
Get more info about Version 2507 (Build 19029.20156).
Release date: July 30, 2025
This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including in which Outlook closed unexpectedly shortly after launch, and another in Word in which the word count sometimes displayed incorrectly.
Get more info about Version 2507 (Build 19029.20136).
Release date: July 22, 2025
This build fixes two bugs, one that caused the Copilot Command Center to continue to be visible after disabling the Copilot user interface, and another in which when creating handouts in PowerPoint, certain characters (full-width numbers) couldn’t be properly transferred to the handout.
Get more info about Version 2506 (Build 18925.20184).
Release date: July 15, 2025
This build fixes two bugs, one that caused Visio 32-bit to close unexpectedly when using the Drawing control, particularly in setups involving COM components or .NET integrations, and another in Word in which copying and pasting content between documents sometimes changed the applied style unexpectedly.
Get more info about Version 2506 (Build 18925.20168).
Release date: July 8, 2025
This Patch Tuesday build fixes several bugs in Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, and the whole Office suite, including one that caused the Copilot icon to unexpectedly display in Outlook when Copilot had been disabled by the admin in government cloud.
The release also includes a variety of security updates (see details).
What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.
Get more info about Version 2506 (Build 18925.20158).
Release date: July 1, 2025
This build fixes a wide variety of bugs, including one in Word in which print preview sometimes stopped working when printing long emails.
Get more info about Version 2506 (Build 18827.20176).
Release date: June 26, 2025
This build introduces several new features, including one in Excel in which the PivotTables dialog box interface has been replaced by a redesigned panel, making it easier to view all of your options and simpler to change your data selection before inserting a recommended PivotTable.
Get more info about Version 2505 (Build 18827.20176).
Release date: June 17, 2025
This build fixes a bug that caused the “Try the new Outlook” toggle to be enabled when working in Classic Outlook side by side with the new Outlook.
Get more info about Version 2505 (Build 18827.20164).
Release date: June 10, 2025
This build fixes several bugs, including one for the entire Office suite in which a Save As attempt on an existing file didn’t complete successfully, and subsequent attempts continued to encounter issues when trying to save to a file that no longer existed.
This Patch Tuesday release also includes a variety of security updates: see details.
What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.
Get more info about Version 2505 (Build 18827.20150).
Release date: June 3, 2025
This build offers a variety of bug and performance fixes.
Read about Version 2505 (Build 18827.20140).
Microsoft Office users may find that some of their applications are failing to open when called on by third-party applications. It’s an issue that has emerged after the latest round of Microsoft updates.
The problem affects Word, Excel, and other Office applications opened from third-party offerings including CCH Engagement, Workpaper Manager, Zotero, or dental office software such as Dentrix or Softdent.
The update issued on June 9 appears to have triggered problems with the OLE automation that these third-party applications use to interact with Office. Users have reported that files are failing to open, with no error message indicating what has gone wrong,
According to one Windows user forum, the issue is particularly frustrating because of this lack of error message. As one user put it, “‘Word won’t open from our workpaper system’ is functionally the same as ‘Word is broken.’ To an administrator, the difference determines whether the next hour is spent repairing Office, rolling back Windows, calling a line-of-business vendor, or opening a Microsoft support case.”
Microsoft has said that it is aware of the issue and is working towards a resolution.
The company is also looking to fix a minor issue that has emerged from this latest round of updates: Users are finding that when items are deleted, the confirmation dialog box displays the internal Recycle Bin file name (for example, $Rxxxxx.ext) instead of the original file name. However, Microsoft stressed that in the Recycle Bin, the item still appears with its original name.
One of the most commonly used Microsoft programs, Excel is highly useful for data collecting, processing, and analysis. To fully harness Excel’s powers, though, you need to make use of formulas.
Excel formulas allow you to perform calculations, analyze data, and return results quickly and accurately. The usefulness of formulas is even greater once you start dealing with large data sets. With the correct formula, Excel can process vast amounts of information in a matter of seconds.
In this article we’ll look at five useful types of formulas and functions that will get you started performing data analysis in Excel. Along the way, you’ll learn several different ways to enter formulas and functions in Excel.
We’ll demonstrate using Excel for Windows under a Microsoft 365 subscription. If you’re using a different version of Excel, you might not have exactly the same interface and options, but the formulas and functions work the same.
If you have the right kind of M365 subscription, you can have Microsoft’s generative AI assistant, Copilot, create formulas for you. This requires an M365 Personal, Family, or Premium plan for individuals or an M365 business or enterprise plan with a paid Copilot add-on subscription — which means not everybody has access to Copilot in Excel. Even if you do, it’s helpful to know what formulas can do and how to work with them so you can write better prompts for Copilot. We’ll cover using Copilot to create Excel formulas later in this story, but first we’ll give you a solid understanding of how to work with formulas and functions.
A formula is an expression that operates on values in a range of cells in Excel. Using formulas, you can perform calculations and data analysis on the contents of the cells. Formulas can be as simple as adding a column of numbers together or as complex as returning the kurtosis of a data set. They can be incredibly useful when you want to turn spreadsheet data into meaningful information for driving business decisions.
A function is a built-in formula in Excel — basically, a shortcut for performing a calculation or other operation on cell data. There are around 500 Excel functions, and the list continues to grow every year. Fortunately, most of the actions that a typical business user would want to perform can be done with just a handful of functions.
We’re going to group these formulas together since they are very simple and have similar syntax. All formulas in Excel start with the equal sign (=) and build from there.
To add the numbers in two cells together, first click the on the target cell where you want the total to appear. Then type = in the cell to start the formula.
Starting a formula in Excel.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
Next, click on the cell that contains the first number you want to add, and its cell reference (such as A2) will appear next to the equal sign in the formula.
When you select a cell when building a formula, its cell reference appears in the formula.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
Type + next to the first cell reference. Then click the cell that contains the second number you want to add, and its cell reference (such as A3) will appear next to the + sign. The full syntax for the formula to add the values in cells A2 and A3 is:
=A2+A3
The complete addition formula appears in both the target cell and the formula bar above.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
Note that in addition to appearing in the target cell, the formula also appears in the formula bar directly above the worksheet. Once you’ve inserted the initial = sign in the target cell, you can type your formula in the formula bar. It’s sometimes easier to see the whole formula and work with it in the formula bar than down in the worksheet page.
If you wanted to add additional numbers to your total, you’d type another + sign, select another cell, and so on. Once your formula is complete, press Enter, and the result appears in the target cell.
Press Enter, and the result appears in the target cell.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
Subtraction, multiplication, and division calculations work the same way. You simply change the operator — the symbol that tells Excel what math operation you want to perform — from the + sign to the – sign for subtraction, the * sign for multiplication, or the / sign for division.
Subtraction, multiplication, and division actions. The formula for each is shown in the formulas bar and the result in the target cell.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
There’s a quicker way to add together a group of numbers. This is where Excel’s built-in SUM function comes in.
First click on the target cell where you want the total to appear. Then type =SUM to start the function. A list of options will come up. Click the first option, SUM. You’ll now see =SUM( in the target cell.
Starting a SUM function.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
Just underneath the cell with the SUM function is a tooltip showing the SUM syntax:
=SUM(number 1, [number2],…)
To add individual cells together, select a cell, type a comma, select another cell, and so on. (Alternatively, you can type a cell reference, type a comma, type another cell reference, and so on.)
If you want to add consecutive cells (such as in a row or column), select the first cell, then hold down the Shift key and select the final cell in the group. (Or you can type in the cell references for the first and last cells separated by a colon — for instance, A2:A7 selects A2, A7, and all the cells in between.)
Select the range of cells you want to add together.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
Once all the cells you want to add together are selected, hit Enter.
Now you should see the final result, which is the sum of the numbers you highlighted. If you highlight that target cell again, you’ll see the full formula in the formula bar — in our example, it’s:
=SUM(A2:A7)
The SUM function is shown in the formulas bar; the result appears in the target cell.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
One important thing to note for all Excel formulas is that they produce relative values. This simply means that if any of the values in the selected cells changes, then the final number will change to reflect that.
If the value of a cell used in a formula changes, the result also changes.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
If you want to make it an absolute value, a number that will not change even if the cells that were used to calculate it change, then you need to right-click the cell and select Copy from the pop-up menu. Then right-click the cell again and, under Paste Options, select the Values button (the icon of a clipboard with 123).
Copy and paste the value into the cell to prevent the value from changing if one of the source cell’s values changes.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
Now when you select that cell you’ll just see the plain number, not a formula, in the formula bar.
The cell now contains an absolute value, not a formula.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
Tip: Excel provides a SUM shortcut in certain circumstances. If you have a series of numbers in a row or a column, Excel assumes you want to add them together. So if you place your cursor in the cell to the right of a row of numbers and click the AutoSum (Σ) button toward the right end of the Ribbon’s Home tab, Excel automatically selects the numbers in the row, then adds them together when you press Enter. Likewise, if you place your cursor in the cell below a column of numbers, click AutoSum, and hit Enter, Excel totals up the numbers in the column.
AutoSum is a shortcut for adding a row or column of numbers.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
To calculate the average of a group of numbers, repeat the same steps but using the syntax =AVERAGE and highlighting the cells containing the numbers that you want to use in the calculation.
To quickly calculate the average of a group of numbers, use the AVERAGE function.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
Tip: As with SUM, there’s a shortcut for using the AVERAGE function if you have a series of numbers in a row or a column. Place your cursor in the cell to the right of a row of numbers or in the cell below a column of numbers. Click the tiny down arrow at the right side of the AutoSum button, select Average from the menu that appears, and hit Enter. Excel calculates the average of the values in that row or column.
There’s an AutoSum shortcut for the AVERAGE function as well.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
Find more details, examples, and best practices for these functions at Microsoft’s SUM function and AVERAGE function support pages.
This function helps you automate the decision-making process by applying if-then logic to your data. Using this function, you can have Excel perform a calculation or display a certain value depending on the outcome of a logical test. For example, you can create a test that checks if the value of a cell is greater than or equal to the value of 18 and enter “Yes” or “No” accordingly.
While we’re learning this function, we’ll cover another way to enter functions in Excel: by using the Formulas tab on the Ribbon. Here you’ll find buttons that provide quick access to functions by category: AutoSum, Financial, Logical, Text, Date & Time, and so on. Being able to browse through functions by category can be helpful if you can’t remember the exact name of a function or aren’t sure how to spell it.
To enter the IF function, select the target cell, and on the Formulas tab, click the Logical button, then select IF from the list of functions that appears.
Alternatively, you can click the Insert Function button all the way to the left of the Formulas tab. An “Insert Function” pane appears, showing a list of commonly used functions.
Instead of typing = to start a function, you can go to the Formulas tab and select Insert Function.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
Select IF from the list and click OK. (If the function you want isn’t in the “Commonly Used” list, select a different category or All to see all available functions.)
The Function Arguments pane appears, and you’ll see =IF() in the target cell.
You can use the Function Arguments dialog box to build a function.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
The IF function syntax is as follows:
=IF(logical_test,”value_if_true”,”value_if_false”)
You’ll notice that the Function Arguments pane for the IF function has fields for Logical_test, Value_if_true, and Value_if_false. In our “greater than or equal to 18” example, the logical test is whether the number in the selected cell is greater than or equal to 18, the value if true is “Yes,” and the value if false is “No.” So we’d enter the following items in the pane’s fields like so:
Logical_test: B2>=18
Value_if_true: “Yes”
Value_if_false: “No”
or just type the full formula into the target cell:
=IF(B2>=18,”Yes”,”No”)
This tells Excel that if the value of cell B2 is greater than or equal to 18, it should enter “Yes” in the target cell. If the value of cell B2 is less than 18, it should enter “No.”
The IF function in action.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
Tip: When using functions like this, rather than entering the function repeatedly for each row, you can simply click and drag the tiny square on the bottom right of the cell that contains the function. Doing so will autofill each of the rows with the formula, and Excel will change your cell references to match. For example, when the formula we used in cell C2 that references cell B2 is autofilled into cell C3, it changes to reference cell B3 automatically.
Autofilling a formula to subsequent rows in the column.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
Find more details at Microsoft’s IF function support page.
SUMIF is a more advanced SUM function that allows you to add up only the values in a range that meet the criteria you specify. To use this function, you must specify the range of cells to apply the criteria to, the criteria for inclusion, and, optionally, the sum range, which is the range of cells to total if that’s different from the initial range. The syntax is as follows:
=SUMIF(range,criteria,[sum_range])
Note that any criteria with text or mathematical or logical symbols must be enclosed in double quotes.
In the sales spreadsheet shown below, for example, suppose you want to total up only the sales that are more than $100. The criteria range is C2 to C9, and the criteria is “greater than 100.” Since you’re adding up the values in that same cell range (C2 to C9), you don’t need to supply a separate sum range. So your formula is:
=SUMIF(C2:C9,”>100″)
Using the SUMIF function.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
What if instead you want to find the total for all sales in the East region only? To do that you’ll have to specify both the criteria range (cells B2 to B9) and the sum range (cells C2 to C9). This is the formula:
=SUMIF(B2:B9,B2,C2:C9)
Note that you don’t have to type out “East” for the criteria. You can simply type B2 or click the cell B2 to have Excel search for the text it contains.
Using SUMIF with both a criteria range and a sum range.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
There is a similar function called COUNTIF that lets you create a count of values that meet specified criteria. The syntax is as follows:
=COUNTIF(range,criteria)
So to count the total number of sales in the West region, for instance, you supply the range of cells to apply the criteria to (B2 to B9), followed by the criteria (“West” or cell B3). The formula is:
=COUNTIF(B2:B9,B3)
The COUNTIF function can instantly count up items that meet your criteria.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
What if you want to apply multiple criteria to your data, such as calculating total sales for books in the East region, or counting the number of sales over $100 in the West region? Excel can do that too, via functions called SUMIFS and COUNTIFS. These functions use more complex syntax than SUMIF and COUNTIF. For more details, use cases, and best practices for all four of these functions, see Microsoft’s SUMIF, SUMIFS, COUNTIF, and COUNTIFS support pages.
This function is useful for piecing together text from different cells into one complete string. For instance, maybe you have a worksheet with different columns for people’s first and last names, but you want to put first and last names together. Other common use cases are completing an address, reference number, file path, or URL. The syntax is as follows:
=CONCAT(text1,text2,text3,…)
In this example we will use CONCAT to combine a list of first names and last names into a full name with a space in between. To do so we simply place the cursor in cell C2, type =CON and select CONCAT from the list of options that appears. Next, select the cell that contains the first name (A2) and add a comma, a blank space surrounded by quotation marks, and another comma. Then add the last name by selecting the adjacent cell (B2) and hit Enter. Here’s the full formula:
=CONCAT(A2,” “,B2)
Next, click and drag the bottom right of cell C2 to autofill the formula in all the other rows.
The CONCAT function combined the values from column A with those from column B.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
For more details and examples, see Microsoft’s CONCAT function support page.
This is one of the most commonly used functions in Excel and a valuable data analysis tool. VLOOKUP lets you look up a value in a table and return information from other columns related to that value. It’s very useful for combining data from different lists or comparing two lists to find matching items. To use this function, you need to provide three to four pieces of information:
The syntax is as follows:
=VLOOKUP(lookup_value,table_array,column_index_number,[range_lookup])
The lookup value must be in the first column of cells you specify in the table array. The leftmost column in the table array has a column index number of 1, with subsequent columns numbered 2, 3, and so on.
In this example, we’ll look up what region our employees work in. To do so, we first need to specify the value that we are going to search for: the employee name Mike (cell A2). Next, we need to highlight the entire cell range (table array) that we want to look in: cells F2:G8.
Then we specify which column holds the information that we want. Rather than picking the column itself, we count from left to right within the table array. Since the column that contains the region is the second from the left, type in 2.
Lastly, we enter the TRUE (best approximate match) or FALSE (exact match) option. TRUE is typically only used with numbers or when you aren’t sure if the value you want is in the table. Since we know the value we want is in the table, we will pick FALSE. Generally, FALSE is the better option, as it returns more accurate results.
This is the full formula:
=VLOOKUP(A2,F2:G8,2,FALSE)
Use VLOOKUP to find values linked to other values in large data sets.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
This is an oversimplified example using a small data set, but when you need to search through a spreadsheet with thousands (or tens of thousands) of cells, VLOOKUP is a huge time-saver and reduces the possibility of errors. For more details and examples, see Microsoft’s VLOOKUP function support page.
Remembering all these different formulas and functions can be difficult, so another good approach for those who have access to Copilot in Excel (see details at the top of this story) is to use the AI tool to dynamically create formulas that meet your needs. Using Copilot, you can describe what you want the formula to do and have the AI generate the syntax for you. In this section we’ll demonstrate with two sample data sets.
To access Copilot, click the Copilot icon on your ribbon toolbar or at the bottom right of your screen.
To invoke Copilot, click its icon, which you might find in the ribbon toolbar up top or floating at the bottom right of your Excel window.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
The Copilot sidebar opens along the right side of your spreadsheet. Type in a prompt describing the formula you want created — in this example, a simple formula that adds up all the sales values in the data set. Be sure to instruct Copilot where to place the formula:
Create a formula in B7 that sums all of the sales
Describe the formula you want Copilot to create.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
Click the submit arrow in the chat window, and Copilot will create and insert the formula to give you the result you want.
Copilot has inserted the correct Excel formula for the sum operation, with the result appearing in cell B7.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
That was a simple one. Now try a more advanced example working from a more complex data set, as shown in the screenshot below.
A more complex data set for our second example.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
Try the following prompt:
Create a formula in G2 that calculates total revenue per unit while accounting for the discount on each purchase. Then fill the formula down for all rows and create a summary table showing total revenue by Region.
Click the submit arrow, and it should create something like this:
Copilot creates the requested formula and fills in the results.
Shimon Brathwaite / Foundry
(There’s a lot more you can have Copilot can do in Excel besides creating formulas. See our story “11 cool things Copilot can do in Excel.”)
Tip: It’s not required, but it can be helpful to format your spreadsheet as a table when working with Copilot. This helps define more clearly the exact cells for Copilot to use when it creates formulas or takes other actions on your data.
In this story you’ve seen how powerful formulas and functions can be in Excel — and we’ve only the scratched the surface of what they can do. Once you get comfortable using them, you can explore some of the myriad prebuilt functions Excel offers and learn how to build more complex formulas (including nesting functions). That’s all beyond the scope of this article, but a great place to start is Microsoft’s “Overview of formulas in Excel” support page, which includes links to several helpful tutorials.
For those who have access to it in Excel, experimenting with Copilot is another great way to learn. You can review the steps it took and the formulas it created to get a better understanding of how formulas work and what they’re capable of.
This story was originally published in May 2023 and updated in June 2026.
Google’s latest and greatest Android version is officially now out in the world and available — but if you’re using any phone other than a Pixel, that doesn’t mean much for you just yet.
The reason why is simple: Despite Google officially launching Android 17 and starting to send it out to Android phone-owners this week, it’s up to each individual device-maker to process the software and deliver it to its customers. And outside of Google itself, unfortunately, most Android device-makers are exasperatingly unreliable about making that happen — some of ’em to almost comically bad extremes (insert exaggerated sigh here).
Hold the phone, though — ’cause there is some good news here: While we can’t force any Android phone-maker to start treating software support as a priority, we can get creative and find ways to bring interesting new Android features to devices running older Android versions. In fact, all four of the Android 17 features I called out earlier this week can be emulated on any Android phone this instant. All it takes is a teensy pinch of inspiration and a dash of tenacity — and, of course, the right roadmap to make it all come together.
The tenacity’s on you, but if you’re game, I’ve got your roadmap ready. Here’s exactly how to enjoy a similar sort of Android-17-style sorcery on whatever phone you’re using right now — as far as some of the more surface-level highlights, at least — without having the actual Android 17 upgrade in front of you.
[Get fresh Android tips in your inbox with my free Android Intelligence newsletter — one new and useful thing to try every Friday!]
The most shape-shifting Android 17 of all, without a doubt, is Bubbles — a snazzy new way to turn any app into a floating, collapsible window that’s readily available for on-demand access but also out of your hair when you aren’t actively using it.
JR Raphael, Foundry
I wrote about Bubbles and ways to achieve similar feats just a few months back. It’s surprisingly easy to accomplish, even without Android 17 in the picture.
Look over this list of crafty Bubbles-bringing workarounds and see which makes the most sense for you. One way or another, you’ll find yourself facing a fantastic new option for multitasking anytime you want it — no waiting or out-of-reach upgrades required.
Our next Android 17 addition is a little trickier to emulate without the actual operating system update in the equation. But fear not, for this is Android — and when there’s a will, there’s a way.
The feature of which we speak is an expansion of Android’s framework for how apps can access your location. It’s a two-parter: First, whenever any app is accessing your location, you’ll now see a blue dot appear in the upper-right corner of your screen — and if you swipe down once from the top of your screen to open your notification panel, you can actually tap on the location icon that appears in its place to get detailed info about exactly which app or apps are involved. Second, when an app asks to access your precise location, Android 17 adds in the option to allow such access only temporarily — for that one brief moment and purpose — without giving the app permanent permission for ongoing use.
The second part, unfortunately, is challenging to achieve without Android 17 being present. But the first part is something we can make happen with a sliver of creative zest.
The trick revolves around a classic third-party app called Privacy Dashboard. Privacy Dashboard came about back in the Android 12 era, when Google first introduced a full-fledged privacy dashboard into Android and certain devices were lagging behind and taking too long to adopt it.
With Android 12 now being five years old, the app hasn’t had much need in recent years — until now. Interestingly enough, the ability to see full details about ongoing location access and then tap to adjust the associated app’s settings is something Privacy Dashboard has long offered. And it’s consequently a great way to bring that newfound native ability from Android 17 onto a device running an older Android version.
The catch is that because of the limited need for the app all this time, it’s no longer being actively developed — and as a result, if you hadn’t previously downloaded it, the Play Store will probably give you an error saying it’s made for an older Android version and can’t be installed on your device.
It will still work, though, and it’s perfectly functional and effective.
Provided you’re comfortable and that this won’t violate any of your company-associated policies, you can download the original verified Privacy Dashboard app package from my own personal Drive storage. I saved it using the Google Files file manager and then uploaded it directly to Drive. It’s quite literally the same exact app you’d get from the Play Store, if the Play Store would let you download it — and while I wouldn’t often advise installing apps from unknown sources, I don’t exactly consider myself to be “unknown” (most of the time). So as long as you share that same trust, you can grab the app from me and put it on any device you want.
Once you get the app installed and give it the permissions it needs to operate, open ‘er up and tap the “App Settings” options on its main screen. Tap the line that says “Indicator Customization,” beneath “Privacy Indicators,” then flip the toggle next to “Click action” into the on and active position.
Aaaaand, that’s it: Anytime an app is accessing your location, you’ll see a green location icon appear in the upper-right corner of your screen. And tapping it will take you to the system-level timeline of exactly which apps have accessed your location recently, for added context.
JR Raphael, Foundry
Before you install Privacy Dashboard, you might also want to try just opening an app that you know accesses your location — like Google Maps — and seeing what, if any, indicator appears in the corner of your screen and if you can tap it. While that ability is technically associated with Android 17, it was actually included in an earlier Android quarterly update, and it’s possible your device may already have that piece of the puzzle in place even if it isn’t yet running Android 17.
Android’s dark mode is better than ever as of Android 17, with a nifty new way to force each and every app to respect your device-wide dark mode setting and adjust its interface to a less glary look — even if it doesn’t technically support the option.
JR Raphael, Foundry
Well, get this: If your phone’s Android software is reasonably recent, it’s entirely possible you can unlock the very same function by adjusting a few out-of-sight system settings.
Try this:
JR Raphael, Foundry
And there ya have it: You should now be able to open any app, even if it doesn’t officially support dark mode, and see it shift into a darkened state whenever you have dark mode enabled at the system level.
Easy peasy, no?
Our final Android 17 feature is a saucy little somethin’ called Comfort View. It applies a softer, pastel-oriented filter to your display with automatic adjustments based on your current viewing environment in order to make your screen easier on the eyes.
If you’re using a Samsung device, you may already have something similar in place even with an older Android version. Look in the Display section of your system settings and see if you see something called “Adaptive color tone,” then try activating it if it’s there — and/or look for “Screen mode” and play around with some of the settings in that area to see vaguely similar sorts of adjustments. It isn’t quite as intelligent or automatic as the new incoming Android-level equivalent, but it’s a start!
In any other scenario — or if you just want more nuance and control, even with a Samsung gizmo — grab an app called Twilight. It’ll let you tweak all sorts of specifics about the appearance of your screen, and while it’s presented mostly for nighttime optimization, you can use those same controls to create your own custom modes for any scenario imaginable.
JR Raphael, Foundry
The app doesn’t collect or share any manner of data, and while it does offer a $10 Pro upgrade, the free version is perfectly functional for most purposes.
And with that, give yourself a pat on the back: Your phone is officially now set up to showcase some of Android 17’s finest flavors — even without the software itself being available to you yet.
That, my friend, is quite an accomplishment. Well done.
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Adobe’s Firefly Graph is now available to Creative Cloud customers, offering a node-based workflow tool designed to help business create content at scale with generative AI (genAI).
With Firefly Graph, users can connect multiple tools in visual workflow, with each “node” performing a specific task before passing its output to the next node. This gives creative professionals more control over generated outputs, according to Adobe, and makes it easier to try out ideas by swapping, adjusting or adding components.
For example, a user could start with a text prompt box that connects to a node that generates an image using an AI model from Adobe or third-parties such as Google and OpenAI. Further along the chain, the user could add nodes to remove a background or upscale an image, for instance, before producing an image, video or other asset ready for use.
Changing one aspect, such as adding a reference image or adapting the text prompt, would change the final output.
It’s an approach similar to node-based workflow tools such as ComfyUI — a startup valued at $500 million which claims more than 4 million users. Others include Weavy, acquired by Figma last year for a reported $200 million.
With so many AI tools available to creative professionals, workflows can get complex and hard to replicate, said Elliot Sedegah, director for strategy and product marketing at Adobe. Firefly Graph provides access to more than 300 different node types, including images, video editing and AI generation tools across Adobe’s portfolio and third-party tools.
“Whether you’re working at a mom-and-pop shop or a larger enterprise, you’re looking for consistency and then bringing that into a workflow so that you’re not hopping in and out of different tools,” he said. “Putting all that together takes massive amount of time, and sometimes it’s very difficult to even know what you did.”
Once created, workflows can be shared across an organization as repeatable processes for other individuals or teams to use. “Think of that rock star creative that you have and the recipes they create: those are now canonized as workflows, as assets, that the rest of the organization can take and reuse over and over again,” said Sedegah.
In addition, while creative professionals are needed to created high quality assets, reusable workflows can be put into the hands of broader teams to create content for large audiences, said Sedegah.
Firefly Graph addresses a challenge that most large creative organizations face, said Lisa Gately, principal analyst at Forrester — namely that their best creative workflows “live inside the heads of a few experts.
“Teams can generate images and video with AI, but reproducing the exact sequences of creative decisions, model selections, edits, and refinements that lead to a high-quality result is difficult and inconsistent. Firefly Graph turns those workflows into reusable assets,” she said.
While other node-based workflows aim to address similar problems, Adobe’s pitch is that Firefly Graph provides customers with the benefit of integration into its product suite.
“Firefly is a full, broader AI creative studio, not just a node-based tool, so [Firefly Graph] is a part of a bigger picture,” said Sedegah. “The strength is having everything in one place with the tools that people know.”
“Where Adobe differentiates is in enterprise integration,” said Gately, with Adobe connecting Firefly Graph to a range of other Adobe tools. Those include Creative Cloud applications; Firefly Boards for ideation; and Firefly Creative Production.
“The workflow becomes part of a broader content supply chain instead of a standalone creation tool,” she said. ”Organizations committed to other tools are unlikely to migrate for a node-based canvas — making a change is about the broader content supply chain.”
Firefly Graph is available now to Adobe Creative Cloud for Enterprise subscribers. Creative Cloud for Enterprise is licensed by seat, requiring custom, volume-based enterprise agreements. Creative Cloud for Enterprise customers receive credits for Firefly Graph. Creative Cloud for teams customers can sign up for a public beta online. Creative Cloud pricing starts at $99.99 per license each month.
This article was updated on June 19 with pricing information from Adobe.
Microsoft has introduced usage-based billing for Copilot Cowork, which is now generally available.
Microsoft unveiled Copilot Cowork in March, pitching it as an AI agent that’s capable of independently performing long-running, multi-step tasks — even when a user’s computer is off.
It’s built on the same technology that underpins Anthropic’s Claude Cowork. Unlike Claude Cowork, which can interact directly with files and applications on a user’s computer, Copilot Cowork runs in Microsoft’s cloud environment and acts on documents held in a customer’s Microsoft 365 tenant.
On Tuesday, Microsoft unveiled pricing details for Copilot Cowork, which involves usage-based billing in addition to a Microsoft 365 Copilot license ($30 per user each month for large enterprises before discounts, and $20 for Microsoft 365 Copilot for Business).
The usage-based pricing is calculated from four components, according to Microsoft: “model use, context retrieval, tool calls, and runtime.”
In practice, this means more intensive tasks that draw on multiple sources, use “deep reasoning” and generate two or more outputs will lead to higher costs — denoted in Copilot Credits.
There are two payment options: pay as you go — priced at 1 cent per credit — and P3, where customers commit to usage volume in advance and receive a discount.
Cowork is turned off by default; IT admins can decide when to make it available and which employees get access. Admins can also impose spending limits at the tenant, group, and user level, and receive notifications when spending reaches a certain level.
Users will also be able to see how much each tasks costs in credits (available “soon after” the general availability launch, Microsoft said).
Copilot Cowork customers can select from multiple AI models, including Anthropic’s Opus 4.8 and Sonnet 4.6, while those enrolled on the Frontier program can access OpenAI’s GPT 5.5 and Microsoft’s own Cowork 1 model.
Microsoft is considering hosting a version of DeepSeek’s open source models. “We are actively exploring a range of options that meet those requirements, and DeepSeek is one of several models under consideration. We’ll share more specifics on the underlying model closer to release,” said a Microsoft spokesperson.
Microsoft also announced new integrations with third-party apps such as Miro and Monday.com, with more — such as Adobe, Box, and Canva — coming soon.
This article was updated on June 19 to add Microsoft’s comment on DeepSeek.
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