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How a beachcomber and an iPhone’s Medical ID reunited a lost device with its owner

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The ocean holds many secrets, and sometimes, it returns unexpected treasures. Recently, a heartwarming story emerged from the shores of Brazil, highlighting the unexpected utility of Apple’s Medical ID feature. Thiago Itagaki was enjoying a swim at Maresias beach when he stumbled upon a submerged iPhone. The device lay three meters deep and about ten meters from the shoreline. After inquiring among beachgoers without success, Thiago took the phone home, determined to find its owner.

The iPhone was completely drained of power and encased in a cover holding three credit cards. Thiago carefully dried the device and, after charging it, discovered the Medical ID feature. This often-overlooked function allows users to store crucial information, accessible even without unlocking the phone, for emergencies. This data includes allergies, blood type, and, crucially for this story, emergency contacts. Thiago contacted the number listed under “Love,” successfully reaching the iPhone’s owner.

The owner, a resident of São Paulo, had lost the phone during New Year’s Eve celebrations. Unbelievably, the device had spent four days underwater. The owner, who had long given up hope of recovery, was overjoyed. The story quickly gained traction online, demonstrating how technology can unexpectedly bridge the gap between strangers and reunite lost possessions. This incident serves as a potent reminder of the importance of keeping one’s Medical ID updated, a simple step that can have profound consequences. While iPhones boast water resistance, this incident highlights the feature’s limitations and the importance of backup plans.

The Chip Battle: AMD’s Claims and the Missing Piece of the Puzzle

The tech world is constantly abuzz with competition, particularly in the realm of processors. Recently, AMD unveiled its new Ryzen AI Max laptop chip, making bold claims about its performance relative to Apple’s M4 series. However, a closer look reveals a significant omission in their comparative data.  

AMD’s Ryzen AI Max, a 16-core chip designed for AI and graphics-intensive tasks, is positioned as a powerhouse for creators and gamers. To demonstrate its capabilities, AMD presented benchmark comparisons against Apple’s M4 chips, commonly found in MacBook Pros. The comparisons included the 12-core M4 and the 14-core M4 Pro, showcasing the Ryzen AI Max’s advantages in various rendering workloads. In some benchmarks, the Ryzen showed significant leads, bolstering AMD’s claims of superior performance.  

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However, a critical detail was missing: the 16-core M4 Max. This omission raises serious questions about the validity of AMD’s comparisons. The M4 Max, with its significantly more powerful GPU (up to 40 cores compared to the M4 Pro’s 20), represents the top tier of Apple’s silicon. By excluding this crucial chip from the benchmarks, AMD painted an incomplete picture. While the Ryzen AI Max might outperform the lower-tier M4 chips in certain tasks, its performance against the M4 Max remains unknown.

This selective comparison raises suspicion that the M4 Max would outperform the Ryzen AI Max in relevant benchmarks, particularly those heavily reliant on GPU performance. By focusing on less powerful configurations, AMD avoids a direct comparison that could potentially undermine their marketing narrative.

The presentation highlighted the Ryzen AI Max “winning easily against the 12-core [M4] and trading blows with the 14-core [M4 Pro],” conveniently sidestepping the elephant in the room. This strategic omission suggests a deliberate attempt to present the Ryzen AI Max in the best possible light, without providing a complete and fair comparison against Apple’s full range of silicon.

The tech community has already picked up on this discrepancy. Online discussions and comments sections are filled with users pointing out the missing comparison, suggesting that AMD is trying to maintain relevance in a market where Apple has made significant strides with its silicon. This highlights the importance of critical analysis when evaluating performance claims and the need for comprehensive data to draw accurate conclusions.

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Future phone switching could be way easier: Android and iPhone may soon share more data

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Google and Apple

Moving from an Android phone to an iPhone—or the other way around—can often feel like a big chore. Right now, when you get a new phone, moving all your important information over from the old phone can be a complicated mess. However, it seems that Google and Apple are working together to fix this, making the switch between the two types of phones much smoother.

We recently got a sneak peek into the future by looking closely at the code of Google’s Android Switch app. This app is what helps people move their data from an iPhone to a new Android device, like a Pixel. What we found inside the hidden code suggests that several new types of personal information might soon be able to transfer automatically.

Currently, when you switch phones, basic items like photos, videos, contacts, and calendar dates usually move over. But things that make your phone yours often get left behind.

The new code hints that the following items could soon be included in the transfer process:

  • Accessibility Settings: These are the special settings people use to make their phone easier to operate, such as larger text sizes or specific display settings. Being able to transfer these means you won’t have to spend time setting up your phone just to be able to use it comfortably.
  • Music Playlists: If you have music lists on your iPhone, the updated system might allow them to move to a service like YouTube Music on your Android device.
  • Passwords and Passkeys: This is a big one. Right now, you usually have to sign back into every single app manually. Soon, the system could automatically bring over your saved login details and newer “Passkeys,” providing a truly seamless experience.
  • Wallet Cards: Moving credit and debit cards from one digital wallet (like Apple Wallet) to another (like Google Wallet) is not possible today, but the code suggests this convenience could be added.
  • Wi-Fi Credentials: While your phone might remember the name of your home Wi-Fi, it often doesn’t remember the password, forcing you to type it in again. The change suggests the actual Wi-Fi passwords will transfer over, making it so your new phone connects instantly.

It’s important to remember that this information comes from looking at code that hasn’t been released yet. So, while it shows what Google and Apple are planning, we need to wait for an official announcement to know exactly how and when these improvements will become available.

Since the two companies are working together, these features are likely to help users switch from Android to iPhone, too. Once these changes arrive, getting a new phone won’t mean starting from scratch anymore.

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New screen troubles for iPhone 17 give Samsung a major boost

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Samsung

A key screen supplier, BOE, is running into serious trouble providing the special display panels (OLED screens) for Apple’s newest phone lineup, the iPhone 17. Because of these technical setbacks, a main competitor, Samsung Display, is now expected to land a much bigger supply deal with Apple.

Sources familiar with the matter confirm that BOE has faced quality control and technical difficulties that it has not yet managed to fix. This means the company will be unable to deliver the display panels it was planning to ship this year. As a direct result, Samsung Display will likely be stepping in to cover the missing supply needed to build the phones.

The iPhone 17 is Apple’s current flagship model and is available in four versions: the standard, Air, Pro, and Pro Max. Apple is expecting to ship more than 90 million units of this new series throughout the year. The screens for these devices are usually provided mainly by Samsung Display and LG Display. At the moment, Samsung provides displays for all four models, while LG supplies three of the versions, not including the Pro.

BOE had originally planned to provide screens, specifically for the high-end iPhone 17 Pro models in the Chinese market. The main issue stems from Apple’s decision to use a more advanced screen feature called LTPO across the entire iPhone 17 series this year. This proved to be a major hurdle for BOE, which did not have prior experience making LTPO panels for Apple.

After many months of work, BOE finally received approval to start large-scale production in the early third quarter, to supply up to ten million panels. However, problems with reliability kept happening. By mid-November, these ongoing issues were still not solved. Due to these failures, BOE’s expected total shipments, which could have reached 40 million screens, will now be significantly lower.

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Samsung Display is currently bridging this gap. Its screen supply to Apple is expected to increase from an initial 80 million panels to roughly 90 million this year. This is a critical move that will ensure Apple can still meet its manufacturing targets for all four iPhone 17 models without delay.

With BOE struggling to deliver, Samsung Display is now set to further solidify its position as Apple’s most important partner for OLED screens. The company stands to gain more business and maintain its lead in the competitive iPhone screen market throughout 2025.

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Samsung kicks off Galaxy S25 FE updates while Galaxy A57 sneaks into sight for 2026

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Galaxy S25 FE

Samsung has been busy with its phone lineup lately. Just a short time after bringing out the Galaxy S25 FE, the company is already pushing its very first software fix to users. This mid-tier flagship is the last piece in the Galaxy S25 family puzzle, joining the regular trio and the slim Galaxy S25 Edge model.

The update is starting in Europe and should spread to other places soon. Folks with the Galaxy S25 FE won’t have to hold out for the newest software skin right away, since it came loaded with One UI 8 from day one – one of the rare Samsung phones to do so. This fresh patch carries the build number S731BXXU1AYIB.

It packs in the September 2025 security fix, along with tweaks for smoother running and better protection overall. The patch tackles a bunch of weak spots in the system that could let hackers in. Samsung has already sent this same September update to plenty of other phones worldwide.

Don’t look for any flashy new tricks here, though. Those are saved for the bigger One UI 8.5 jump, which early peeks suggest could bring some real changes. Shifting gears to what’s next, Samsung’s popular Galaxy A5x line keeps drawing crowds with its smart mix of features and wallet-friendly prices.

The Galaxy A56 only hit shelves a few months back, but word is already out on its follow-up, the Galaxy A57.Spotters caught the Galaxy A57 in the IMEI database, listed under the code SM-A576B/DS for the two-SIM version. It’s no big shock, as Samsung sticks to a yearly refresh for these hits.

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Rumors point to the Galaxy A57 running on the fresh Exynos 1680 processor. Test scores show it packs a revamped brain for tasks and a graphics part that’s twice as strong as the one in the A56’s Exynos 1580. That could mean smoother games and quicker everyday stuff. The camera side might get a boos, too, though details are still fuzzy. Based on past patterns, expect the Galaxy A57 to drop in the early months of 2026, keeping the mid-range magic alive.

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