COVID-19 tracking apps have always been a sensitive topic since the concept came up last year. While such apps made it convenient and easy to do contract tracing and exposure notification, they also made it almost too easy to have privacy violations from third parties, companies, or even governments. Google and Apple providing official frameworks for authorized apps to hook … Continue reading
“I’d do it again any time,” the right-wing St. Louis lawyer said of brandishing his firearm at demonstrators.
When you scan the area for WiFi networks to join, many names popup. These names are usually chosen by the owners of the network so sometimes you might come across some that are weird or funny. However, if you do come across a WiFi network that has the name “%p%s%s%s%s%n”, do not join it.
This is because according to security researcher Carl Schou, there seems to be a weird bug with iOS that just can’t seem to handle this particular WiFi name. What happens when you do join it is that it leads to your iPhone’s WiFi being permanently disabled. Schou also claims that changing the hotspot’s SSID or rebooting his phone made a difference.
After joining my personal WiFi with the SSID “%p%s%s%s%s%n”, my iPhone permanently disabled it’s WiFi functionality. Neither rebooting nor changing SSID fixes it :~) pic.twitter.com/2eue90JFu3
— Carl Schou (@vm_call) June 18, 2021
The only way to get this fixed is to reset your iPhone’s network settings, which is thankfully pretty easy and less destructive compared to resetting your phone. You can see the video above from Schou that shows that when he tries to re-enable WiFi, it just keeps turning it back off. At the moment it is unclear why this is happening, but some speculate that the use of “%” could be the issue.
This is because in some programming languages, “%” is used as a string-format specifier, and that when iOS sees it, they might be trying to parse it which led to this issue. Oddly enough Android seems to be unaffected by it so for now it looks like it’s an iPhone thing. It’s not a phone breaking bug but hopefully Apple will issue a fix for it soon.
Weird iOS Bug Could Permanently Disable The iPhone’s WiFi
, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
With Apple introducing sleep tracking with the Apple Watch, we imagine that this might have spurred more people to wear their watches to sleep. However, it seems that this in turn might have created a problem for local law enforcement because according to reports, people have been calling 911 in their sleep through the Apple Watch.
This is because of one of the features in the Apple Watch that was designed to make calling 911 easier. This involves a long-press on the side button which would allow someone to call for help discreetly and quietly, but for some, this button might have accidentally been pressed while they were sleeping, leading to unnecessary 911 calls and a strain on resources.
This seems to be happening quite a bit particularly in Kansas. According to the Overland Park’s 911 call center, they receive about 250 calls per hour, which is already quite considerable, so throwing in unwanted and false 911 calls into the mix is something that the center says that they could do without.
The good news is that the long-press feature can be disabled which should help reduce the number of false calls, but this is something that users will need to manually disable themselves. Alternatively, buying a case for the Apple Watch could also help to reduce the possibility of an accidental press.
People Are Accidentally Calling 911 With Their Apple Watches In Their Sleep
, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
The ARM processor market has definitely gotten more interesting lately after Apple jumped in with guns blazing with its M1 Silicon. Unsurprisingly, rumors point to Google preparing its own “Whitechapel” processor, for one, and Arm itself has just announced its next-gen CPU and GPU cores. However, one of this year’s highlights in that space could be Samsung’s processor, showing the … Continue reading
The earliest glimpses we’ve had of an unofficial Windows 11 build focused mainly on what users will see first. Those revolved around the very visible changes to the Start Menu and Taskbar and some small nudges to the theming and multitasking features of the platform. With just a few days remaining before its official announcement, analyses of Windows 11’s inner … Continue reading
It seems that Verizon’s purchase of several media properties was doomed from the start. Expensive and ultimately unprofitable, the network operator ended up selling that Media Group that included AOL and Yahoo’s many products. The latter includes not just search and email but also a mobile virtual network operator called, what else, Yahoo Mobile. The latter has just announced that … Continue reading
The joy of owning a smart home device is that you get to control it remotely, which is pretty cool. However, over in Texas, it seems that owning a smart thermostat also means that there is a good chance your power company could remotely control it and adjust the temperature without your knowledge.
It sounds kind of strange, but that’s what seems to be the case. According to various reports, people are claiming that they have their thermostats adjusted to be lower, only to realize later that it had been turned up. Before you start freaking out, know that this is apparently something that users might have actually agreed to in the first place.
This is part of a program meant to cut down on energy usage during peak periods. In Texas, those who own smart thermostats are eligible for a variety of programs including sweepstakes and discounts, but that also means that the power companies can remotely adjust your thermostat during these peak periods to help save energy, so the occasional inconvenience is the price you have to pay.
In fact, Google actually has a similar program where even if your utility company isn’t participating, you can opt-in if you feel like you want to do your part. That being said, many were still caught by surprise at these remote adjustments.
Texas Power Companies Have Been Remotely Raising Temperatures In People’s Homes
, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
If you have an iPhone, beware of a strange wifi network with the name “%p%s%s%s%s%n.” This name causes a burdensome bug. Do not connect to this network unless you want your phone’s wifi functionality to break.
The 22-year-old model was “constantly” on the set to help the cast and crew ensure “his legacy can be incorporated.”
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
