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Google Will Now Blur Nude Photos in Your Messages. Here’s How to Turn It On (or Off)

The pre-blurring of potentially offensive images is rolling out on Android now.

Some Android users are starting to see blurred images on their devices while using Google Messages. It’s part of a Sensitive Content Warning system announced last year that is now rolling out on Android devices that obscures images containing suspected nudity.

In a Help Center post, Google explains that when the feature is turned on, these warnings can detect and blur images with nudity and generate a warning when one is being received, sent or forwarded. «All detection and blurring of nude images happens on the device. This feature doesn’t send detected nude images to Google,» the company says in its post. Resources on how to deal with nude images are also offered with these warnings.

It’s possible, Google said, that images not containing nudity may be accidentally flagged.

For adults, the feature is not enabled by default. For teens aged 13-17, it can be disabled in Google Account settings. For those on supervised accounts, it can’t be disabled, but the settings can be adjusted by parents with in the Google Family Link app

How to enable or disable the feature

For adults who do want to get a heads up on nude photos, or those seeking to disable it, the toggle switch is under Google Messages Settings / Protection & Safety / Manage sensitive content warnings / Warnings in Google Messages. 

The nude content feature is part of SafetyCore on Android 9 plus devices that also includes features Google has been working on to protect against scams via texts and dangerous links and to verify contacts.

Technologies

Apple Is Making All Four iPhone 17 Models in India in a Big Pivot From China, Report Says

It’s one way to minimize Trump tariffs as the September launch date for the iPhone 17 draws near.

Apple is manufacturing all four of its iPhone 17 models in India ahead of next month’s launch, according to Bloomberg. That marks a first for the company, as it tries to mitigate the effects of President Trump’s tariffs on products produced in China.

The production is taking place at five Indian factories. Tata Group is managing half of the manufacturing in new plants in the southern state Tamil Nadu, and Taiwan’s Foxconn will be manufacturing iPhones near the Bangalore airport.

India has become the No. 1 maker of smartphones shipped to the US, and its iPhone production there jumped 63% (to $7.5 billion in exports) in the second quarter of 2025 as Apple has maneuvered through the new landscape of US tariffs.

Earlier this year, CEO Tim Cook said that Apple would be moving nearly all of its iPhone assembly to India to avoid tariff penalties. However, China will still be the top producer (by far) of iPhones to non-US markets.

Apple will launch its four new iPhone 17 models sometime in September (check out all the rumored iPhone 17 features) in what may be the last iteration of the company’s typical late-summer product launches. Apple reportedly will begin two-phase rollouts beginning in 2026.

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Technologies

PlayStation Plus Subscribers Can Play Marvel’s Spider-Man and More Now

Those PS Plus subscribers can also play a game trial of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.

Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can, and PlayStation Plus subscribers can now become the famous web-slinger in Marvel’s Spider-Man.

PlayStation Plus is Sony’s version of Xbox Game Pass, and it offers subscribers a large and constantly expanding library of games. There are three PlayStation Plus tiers — Essential ($10 a month), Extra ($15 a month) and Premium ($18 a month) — and each gives subscribers access to games. However, only Extra and Premium tier subscribers can access the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog. 

Here are all the games PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can access now. You can also check out the games all PS Plus subscribers can play in August, including Lies of P.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 

When you start this game, Spider-Man is already a pretty experienced crime-fighter. That means you aren’t working your way up from fighting street-level crooks to organized criminals. No, you’re swinging right into fighting heavy-hitters like Wilson Fisk and Shocker. As you’re fighting these major players in the criminal underworld, you’ll also have to navigate Peter Parker’s personal relationships and career while still trying to help the millions of people in New York City.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (game trial)*

Hideo Kojima is back with another trippy and visually stunning game. Death Stranding 2 is set a few months after the first game in the series. The United Cities of America are connected, but humanity still faces the threat of extinction. It’s up to you and your team to travel a world filled with strange enemies to answer haunting questions, like whether people are better off disconnected from one another.

Note that this is a time-limited trial. PS Plus Premium subscribers can only play five hours of gameplay. If you decide to buy the game, your progress and trophies will carry over.

Resident Evil 2*

Experience the classic 1998 PlayStation game that helped spark a media franchise. This isn’t the 2019 Resident Evil 2 remaster, but the story remains mostly the same. A few months after the Mansion Incident, Raccoon City has been overrun by zombies. You’ll play as rookie cop Leon Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield as they explore the city’s remains and try to escape with their lives. But plan accordingly. With limited supplies scattered around the map, you might not be able to shoot your way out of every situation.

Other games added to PS Plus

PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can play all of the games listed above, as well as the ones listed here, now.

*Premium subscribers only.

For more on PlayStation Plus, here’s what to know about the service and a rundown of PS Plus Extra and Premium games added in July. You can also check out the latest and upcoming games on Xbox Game Pass and Apple Arcade.

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Technologies

ROG Xbox Ally: Specs, Price Leaks and How It Compares to Steam Deck

Can Microsoft and Asus stop Valve?

The Steam Deck has yet to find a real competitor in the PC handheld gaming device battle. Other hardware companies, including Asus, Lenovo and MSI have tried, but so far, their devices keep falling short. Asus plans to try to take another swipe at the crown, though, this time with the help of Microsoft.

In June, the two revealed their partnership for a new handheld device: the ROG Xbox Ally. This handheld will come in two variants and will attempt to bring the Xbox console experience to a portable device.

Will this be enough to outdo the Steam Deck or will the Xbox Ally just be another wannabe?

How much will the Xbox Ally cost?

Neither Microsoft nor Asus has confirmed an official price yet. One thing for sure is that the Xbox Ally won’t be cheap.

Multiple leaks suggest the price will be 599 euros for the Xbox Ally and 899 euros for a higher-end version, the Xbox Ally X. That does leave the question of what the price will be in the US. Most likely, the price will be the same just in dollars, as that is the typical practice for gaming hardware prices.

One uncertainty is whether the price will be adjusted before launch because of tariffs. Microsoft recently increased the prices of its Xbox Series consoles and Asus has done the same with its laptops and its current ROG Ally lineup.

When does the Xbox Ally come out?

Like with the price, Microsoft and Asus have yet to confirm an actual release date. However, the same leak that mentioned a possible price also leaked a day when the handheld device will come out.

According to Dealabs, the Xbox Ally release date might be Oct. 16. This timing gives Asus a chance to make the device widely available in time for the holidays and Black Friday sales.

What’s the difference between the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X?

There are two versions of the Xbox Ally: the lower-priced Xbox Ally and the higher-priced Xbox Ally X.

The key differences between the two are in their processors, storage and memory. The Xbox Ally will have the AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor, while the Xbox Ally X will use the faster AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme Processor. Memory will be different, with the lower-priced Xbox Ally having 16GB of LPDDR5X-6400 and the higher-cost handheld coming with 24GB LPDDR5X-8000. Both will come with SSD storage but the Xbox Ally will have 512GB and the Xbox Ally X will have 1TB. The Xbox Ally X will also come with a bigger battery but with a faster processor and more memory. It’s not clear if that difference in capacity translates to a longer battery life.

Specs for Xbox Ally/Xbox Ally X

ROG Xbox Ally ROG Xbox Ally X
Operating System Windows 11 Home Windows 11 Home
Controls and grip Contoured grips inspired by Xbox Wireless Controllers deliver all-day comfort. ABXY buttons / D-pad / L & R Hall Effect analog triggers / L & R bumpers / Xbox button / View button / Menu button / Command Center button / Library button / 2x assignable back buttons / 2x full-size analog sticks / HD haptics / 6-Axis IMU Contoured grips inspired by Xbox Wireless Controllers deliver all-day comfort, complete with impulse triggers for enhanced control.ABXY buttons / D-pad / L & R impulse triggers / L & R bumpers / Xbox button / View button / Menu button / Command Center button / Library button / 2x assignable back buttons / 2x full-size analog sticks / HD haptics / 6-Axis IMU
Processor AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme Processor
Memory 16GB LPDDR5X-6400 24GB LPDDR5X-8000
Storage 512GB M.2 2280 SSD for easier upgrade 1TB M.2 2280 SSD for easier upgrade
Display 7-inchFHD (1080p) IPS, 500 nits, 16:9; 120Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium;Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + DXC Anti-Reflection 7-inch FHD (1080p) IPS, 500 nits, 16:9; 120Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium;Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + DXC Anti-Reflection
I/O Ports 2x USB-C (2 x DP 2.1, PD 3.0), 1 x micro SD, 1 x analog audio 2x USB-C (1 x USB4, 1 x USB 3.2 both w/ DP 2.1, PD 3.0), 1 x micro SD, 1 x analog audio
Network and Communication Wi-Fi 6E (2 x 2), Bluetooth 5.4 Wi-Fi 6E (2 x 2), Bluetooth 5.4
Dimensions 29.1×12.2×5.1 cm 29.1×12.2×5.1 cm
Weight 670g 715g
Battery 60Wh 80Wh
Included ROG Xbox Ally 65W charger Stand ROG Xbox Ally X 65W charger Stand

What makes the Xbox Ally different from the Steam Deck?

The most notable difference between the Xbox Ally and the Steam Deck is the operating system. Like the ROG Ally, the Xbox Ally will also use Windows 11, while the Steam Deck uses Valve’s SteamOS.

Even though every PC game works with Windows, handheld gaming devices running Windows have had serious issues, as the OS implementation has been a bit buggy. Portable consoles like the ROG Ally, MSI Claw and Lenovo Legion Go simply don’t run well with full Windows because the OS is designed for laptops and desktops and not handheld devices. SteamOS, however, is designed to run almost every game on Steam without issues and regardless of device size.

The Xbox Ally changes that by giving it an Xbox interface. This would be similar to how the Xbox app on PCs works for running games. It would also be able to download Xbox games directly to it, remote play them off a console or stream them via Xbox Cloud.

Another big difference is the hardware. The Steam Deck came out in 2022 and it was the first mass-produced handheld gaming device for PC. At the time, Valve had to use custom AMD processors but since then, AMD has produced more processors for handheld devices, which are now much more powerful in just a few years. The Xbox Ally would also have faster RAM. Both the improvement in processors and RAM should significantly increase the number of games the Xbox Ally can run versus the Steam Deck, which is already struggling to run newer games at 30fps.

Externally, the Xbox Ally will come with the same size 7-inch display but it will have a higher refresh rate of 120Hz, a brighter screen at 500 nits and increased resolution at 1080p. There will also be some slight differences in the physical size of the Xbox Ally, which will be a little bigger and heavier. Another difference from the Steam Deck is that the Xbox Ally controls will be more similar to the Xbox controller.

Microsoft and Asus have a large hill to climb if they plan to have the Xbox Ally dethrone the Steam Deck. It will be especially tough if Valve decides to announce the Steam Deck 2 soon. 

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