Computeractive

Landlines have been such a fundamental part of how we communicate for so long that losing them feels unsettling. I’ve not used mine for years, but that doesn’t stop me wondering whether the UK is ready for them being switched off in 2025. So much could go wrong. We revisit the subject in this issue because we received such a huge response to Issue 648’s ‘Ditch your landline’ Cover Feature. You were thankful for the advice we gave, but still had lots of questions that you thought were being ignored by the wider media. Will you need a new phone? Will you have to install new equipment? Will you need faster broadband? What happens when there’s a power cut? We answer those questions and many others from page 50. I…

Google plans to delete user accounts that have been inactive for two years, putting your emails, photos and documents at risk. The move goes one step further than its decision in 2020 to remove content stored in inactive accounts, but without deleting the accounts themselves. It applies only to free accounts, not those used by businesses or schools. Google will start deleting accounts from 1 December unless you show signs of “activity” that indicate you’re still using a particular service, such as Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Photos and YouTube. It will only register activity if you’re logged into an account when you perform a task. See the box on the right for examples of how Google defines activity. Activity will be judged by account and not by device. This means that…

You can now edit WhatsApp messages after you’ve sent them, though you’ve got only 15 minutes to make changes. Mark Zuckerberg, head of WhatsApp’s owners Meta, announced the feature on his Facebook page: www.snipca.com/46183. WhatsApp said the feature is for “the moments when you make a mistake, or simply change your mind”. On its blog (www.snipca.com/46182) WhatsApp gave an example of how editing could be used by changing the word ‘dad’ to ‘dog’ in the message ‘Sorry I’m gonna be late my dad just pooped on the floor again’ (pictured above right). It added that “as with all personal messages, media and calls, your messages and the edits you make are protected by end-to-end encryption”. Editing joins other long-press options on WhatsApp, including forwarding a message and deleting it. WhatsApp…

BT plans to cut 55,000 jobs by 2030 – around 40 per cent of its global workforce. Up to a fifth of those cuts will come in customer services as staff are replaced by technologies including AI. The company currently employs 130,000 people worldwide, with around 80,000 in the UK. Chief executive Philip Jansen said that AI would make services faster and better, claiming customers wouldn’t “feel like they are dealing with robots”. He said that “generative AI” tools such as ChatGPT – which can write content that previously only humans could – “gives us confidence we can go even further”. “Whenever you get new technologies you can get big changes,” he added. However he reassured customers that there will continue to be “plenty of opportunities” for them to speak…

UNSKIPPABLE ADVERTS COME TO YOUTUBE TV YouTube is introducing unskippable 30-second adverts at the start of some videos when you watch them on its TV app. These replace the two consecutive 15-second adverts which you can sometimes skip. It will also start showing adverts when you pause a video. The only way to avoid the ads is to pay £11.99 a month for YouTube Premium (www.youtube.com/premium). Read more information at www.snipca.com/46171. TRAINS TOLD TO AXE FREE PASSENGER WI-FI The Department for Transport has told train companies to stop offering free Wi-Fi unless they can prove that it boosts business. It’s reviewing whether free Wi-Fi delivers “the best possible value for money”, claiming that studies show it’s a low priority for passengers. However, passenger groups said that the public now expects…

‘MISLEADING’ SKY BROADBAND AD BANNED Advertising watchdogs have banned a Sky Broadband TV advert that boasted of a “wall-to-wall Wi-Fi guarantee”. BT complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) saying it “misleadingly implied that customers would receive seamless Wi-Fi in every room of a house”. The ASA ruled that it “exaggerated the performance of the product” and was “likely to mislead” (www.snipca.com/46205). Watch the ad at www.snipca.com/46204. VIRGIN BOOSTS UPLOAD SPEEDS TO 104Mbps Virgin Media has increased upload speeds from 36Mbps to 52Mbps on its 500Mbps package, and from 52Mbps to 104Mbps on its 1Gbps deal. The increase is for new and existing customers and won’t cost extra. The UK’s average upload speed is just under 11Mbps, according to Ofcom. Visit Virgin’s site for details: www.snipca.com/46189.…