Technologies
Turns Out Perplexity Might Be the Sleeper Feature on Samsung’s Galaxy S26
Having Perplexity’s AI and models on devices from the world’s biggest phone-maker puts the company under a brighter light.
There were plenty of references to AI at today’s Galaxy Unpacked event. But Samsung isn’t alone; nearly every major smartphone launch in recent years has included new AI features or partnerships with AI companies.
Samsung launched its latest iteration of Galaxy AI, debuting it alongside Galaxy S26 phones. This follows weekend news that the company plans to integrate Perplexity’s AI agent — and even support a «Hey Plex» wake word — on its new phones. But the partnership appears to go beyond simply giving Samsung users another AI option.
Since late 2023, phone-makers have been leapfrogging one another to add generative AI features and integrate AI agents. Nearly every new Android phone supports Google’s Gemini assistant. Apple’s iPhones integrate OpenAI’s ChatGPT into the phone’s Visual Intelligence feature and its Siri overhaul will incorporate Google’s Gemini AI models.
While Perplexity has partnered with phone-makers such as Motorola to preload its app — and has been integrated into devices for Deutsche Telekom — having its AI and models built directly into phones from the world’s largest manufacturer puts the company on a much bigger stage. It marks a shift toward AI agents being just another tool people choose to use, much like a phone app.
«The first step toward an agentic mobile ecosystem is the user getting to choose whatever agent they want,» Dmitry Shevelenko, Perplexity’s chief business officer, told CNET. «I think this is where Samsung is taking a big, big leap forward.»
Perplexity’s Sonar API powers aspects of Samsung’s Galaxy AI ecosystem. Shevelenko said that the company’s engineers worked closely with Samsung’s team to revamp its Bixby assistant at the framework level, getting deep system access. He noted that it’s the first time a third-party AI company has achieved parity on a major mobile OS. The Galaxy S26 phones that Samsung announced support the new «Hey Plex» wake word, putting Perplexity shoulder-to-shoulder with Google’s Gemini AI assistant, which is integrated into Android on Samsung devices.
«What’s unique is the only other company that has it is Google, right?» said Shevelenko. «It’s a real paradigm shift for Samsung to be going into a multi-AI direction, where they are giving their users choice. And I think they see this as a strategic differentiator.»
Samsung’s inclusion of Perplexity touches many of the company’s own apps including Calendar, Clock, Gallery, Notes and Reminders. The benefit of structuring Perplexity’s AI deeply into Samsung’s software is that people can have a lighter interaction with their phones. As opposed to unlocking their device, navigating the home page, opening the app and entering a query, people will be able to simply press a button, say, «Hey Plex,» starting their search within seconds.
But the integration of Perplexity isn’t limited to Bixby. Shevelenko said Samsung’s browser, aptly named Internet, includes agentic browsing using Perplexity’s Comet technology as well.
Such a significant moment for Perplexity naturally draws parallels to Apple and its partnership with OpenAI, which has partnered with former Apple designer Jony Ive for its own hardware efforts. When I asked Shevelenko about the possibility of Perplexity making its own phone or hardware, he responded emphatically, «No.»
«We are laser-focused on working with all the best OEMs,» he said. «Our thing we’re world-class at is building accurate AI that is easy to use and delightful to use and growing that curiosity.»
And while we wait for Samsung to announce new phones, it’ll be interesting to see how Galaxy phone owners use the phone’s AI agents. Soon, people could say, «Hey Google» into their Samsung devices to prompt Gemini, or «Hey Plex» to trigger a query with Perplexity. And options are usually a good thing.
Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Technologies
Roblox Will Pay $12 Million to Settle Nevada Child Safety Lawsuit
The deal with the Nevada attorney general will require Roblox to have stricter safeguards to protect children online.
Popular gaming platform Roblox agreed to pay more than $12 million and implement new safety features as part of a settlement with the state of Nevada. This settlement comes amid several lawsuits accusing the company of an alleged lack of protection of children on the platform.
The agreement resolves potential litigation over allegations that Roblox failed to adequately safeguard children while they played the online game, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford said in a press release on Wednesday.
As part of the deal, Roblox will spend $10 million over three years to encourage children to engage in non-digital activities, as well as institute age verification for all users. This will include «facial age estimation technology and government-issued ID for age assurance, and will use behavioral monitoring to identify users who may have been aged incorrectly,» according to the press release.
«The injunctive relief that Roblox has agreed to will give parents the tools they need to protect their children on the platform; institute default protections to block predators from engaging with children; and ensure that messages involving minors are not encrypted,» Ford said in the press release.
Roblox also committed to spending $1 million over two years on a campaign to educate minors and adults about online safety and another $1.5 million to develop a law enforcement liaison position to work with state law enforcement agencies over concerns about the platform.
Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman said it’s part of the company’s «work to establish a new standard for digital safety.»
«This resolution creates a blueprint for how industry and regulators can work together to protect the next generation of digital citizens,» Kaufman said Thursday. «We have no finish line when it comes to safety.»
Roblox is under significant legal pressure amid more than 140 lawsuits, according to Reuters. The suits, filed in 2025, allege the company knowingly created a gaming platform that allowed child predators to target minors.
The company also faces lawsuits from state attorneys general in Texas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee and Florida over similar accusations.
Age-based accounts coming soon
Two days before the settlement announcement, Roblox CEO and founder David Baszucki revealed new accounts for younger Roblox users.
Roblox Kids will be available for children between the ages of 5 and 8, and Roblox Select is for those ages 9 to 15. Roblox is reportedly used by nearly half of US children under 16. Children who are older than 16 will be in their own age group, simply called «Roblox.»
Kids and Select accounts would be available in those age groups as determined by Roblox’s age-check technology or by a verified parent.
Unmonitored chat in the game has been a point of criticism for the platform, as it allows predators to chat with children. Kids’ accounts will have chat turned off by default, with limited access to Minimal or Mild games as determined by the platform. Select accounts will have chat with safeguards and access to games with Moderate content, which is described by the platforms as having «moderate violence, light realistic blood, moderate crude humor, unplayable gambling content, and/or moderate fear.»
These new age-based accounts will roll out sometime in early June.
Technologies
Opera Adds Browser Connector Feature to Integrate AI Chatbots Into Browsers
New feature will allow users to include the AI tools of their choice.
Opera announced Thursday the launch of a new tool that allows users of its browsers to include more AI chatbots in their browsing experience.
Browser Connector is a free feature for Opera One and Opera GX browsers that allows users to integrate AI tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude into their live browsing sessions via Model Context Protocol. MCP is an open standard developed by Anthropic that allows for a secure two-way connection between AI models, external data sources and tools such as search engines.
(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)
Last month, Opera introduced MCP compatibility to Opera Neon, its subscription-based agentic AI browser. Opera says the new feature willallow a user’s AI of choice to provide real-time context of open tabs and active content.
«With Browser Connector, Opera ensures users aren’t bound to a single company’s ecosystem, but are instead free to combine the best tools for their specific needs,» Mohamed Salah, senior director of product at Opera, said in a statement.
To enable the feature, which is now available in Early Bird mode, users need to go to Settings in the browser, search for «AI Services» and install the Browser Connector feature. They then have to connect ChatGPT or Claude to the feature.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 17, #571
Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for April 17 No. 571.
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tricky one, especially the purple category. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: «Yer out!»
Green group hint: They score goals.
Blue group hint: Daddy dearest.
Purple group hint: Home, home on the…
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Things an umpire calls.
Green group: An attacking player in soccer.
Blue group: MLB father-son duos.
Purple group: ____ range.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is things an umpire calls. The four answers are ball, out, safe and strike.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is an attacking player in soccer. The four answers are forward, No. 9, striker and target man.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is MLB father-son duos. The four answers are Alou, Bonds, Fielder and Griffey.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is ____ range. The four answers are 3-point, driving, long and mid.
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