Technologies

The Party’s Over: Windows 11 Installation Will Require the Internet

Microsoft is removing workarounds that let people add the OS locally.

Well, it was fun while it lasted. After a few years of letting it slide, Microsoft is removing the workarounds that let you install Windows 11 without an internet connection or a Microsoft account.

The change is currently happening in a test build, but you won’t be able to get Windows 11 without having a Microsoft account. Previously, you could avoid the setup screens that you’d normally see on paid-for Windows installations.

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Windows Insider Program lead Amanda Langowski said in a blog post on Monday that those setup screens — called the Windows Setup experience (or «out of the box experience») — are critical during install.

«While these mechanisms were often used to bypass Microsoft account setup, they also inadvertently skip critical setup screens, potentially causing users to exit OOBE with a device that is not fully configured for use,» Langowski said.

Several months ago, Microsoft disabled the «bypassnro command,» with which people could install Windows 11 without being on the internet or having a Microsoft account. This week’s revisions also eliminate the «start ms-cxh:localonly» command, which helped people install the OS locally. It’s pretty much the final step in eliminating the ability to install Windows 11 without being connected to the internet.

More from CNET: Windows 11 Home vs. Windows 11 Pro: Which Edition Do You Need? | How to Install Windows 11

Over on the subreddit r/Windows11/, there has been a lively discussion — with both pros and cons — about Microsoft’s changes. One Reddit user called the changes «absolutely frustrating,» and another commented, «If Microsoft wanted to collect our data, don’t let them.»

However, some Redditers defended the Windows 11 updates. One pointed out that whenever there’s a new Windows release, people hate it until they love it. And one commented, «Why is everybody raging about this, but it’s totally fine to login to your Google or Apple account on your phone?»

A representative for Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.

Technologies

Verum Messenger: Don’t follow the future. Define it

In a world where information defines influence, Verum Messenger is building a new architecture of digital communication — intelligent, secure, and ready for tomorrow. Here, technology serves not limitations, but possibilities.

Not being part of change. Leading it. Verum Messenger — the future that speaks first.

Technologies

Verum Finance: Stop Spending Months Opening a Bank Account

Stop spending months trying to open a bank account.

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And all of that — just for a regular card.

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Open it — and use it.

The future of finance and communication is already here.
Verum — when freedom matters more than banking rules.

Technologies

Google races to put Gemini at the center of Android before Apple’s AI reboot

Google is using its latest Android rollout to position Gemini as the AI layer across phones, Chrome, laptops and cars.

Google is using its latest Android rollout to make Gemini less of a chatbot and more of an operating layer across the phone, browser, car and laptop, just weeks before Apple is expected to show its own Gemini-powered Apple Intelligence reboot at WWDC.
Ahead of its Google I/O developer conference next week, the company previewed a number of Android updates, including AI-powered app automation, a smarter version of Chrome on Android, new tools for creators, a redesigned Android Auto experience, and a sweeping set of new security features.
Alphabet is counting on Gemini to help Google compete directly with OpenAI and Anthropic in the market for artificial intelligence models and services, while also serving as the AI backbone across its expansive portfolio of products, including Android. Meanwhile, Gemini is powering part of Apple’s new AI strategy, giving Google a role in the iPhone maker’s reset even as it races to prove its own version of personal AI on the phone is further along.
Sameer Samat, who oversees Google’s Android ecosystem, told CNBC that Google is rebuilding parts of Android around Gemini Intelligence to help users complete everyday tasks more easily.
“We’re transitioning from an operating system to an intelligence system,” he said.
As part of Tuesday’s announcements. Google said Gemini Intelligence will be able to move across apps, understand what’s on the screen and complete tasks that would normally require a user to jump between multiple services. That means Android is moving beyond the traditional assistant model, where users ask a question and get an answer, and acting more like an agent.
For instance, Google says Gemini can pull relevant information from Gmail, build shopping carts and book reservations. Samat gave the example of asking Gemini to look at the guest list for a barbecue, build a menu, add ingredients to an Instacart list and return for approval before checkout.
A big concern surrounding agentic AI involves software taking action on a user’s behalf without permissions. Samat said Gemini will come back to the user before completing a transaction, adding, “the human is always in the loop.”
Four months after announcing its Gemini deal with Google, Apple is under pressure to show a more capable version of Apple Intelligence, which has been a relative laggard on the market. Apple has long framed privacy, hardware integration and control of the user experience as its advantages.
Google’s Android push is designed to show it can bring AI deeper into the device experience while still giving users control over what Gemini can see, where it can act and when it needs confirmation.
The app automation features will roll out in waves, starting with the latest Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones this summer, before expanding across more Android devices, including watches, cars, glasses and laptops later this year.
The company is also redesigning Android Auto around Gemini, turning the car into another major surface for its assistant. Android Auto is in more than 250 million cars, and Google says the new release includes its biggest maps update in a decade and Gemini-powered help with tasks like ordering dinner while driving.
Alphabet’s AI strategy has been embraced by Wall Street, which has pushed the company’s stock price up more than 140% in the past year, compared to Apple’s roughly 40% gain. Investors now want to see how Gemini can become more central to the products people use every day.
WATCH: Alphabet briefly tops Nvidia after report of $200 billion Anthropic cloud deal