When it comes to protecting yourself online, having a secure password has been the default recommendation. However, you may be surprised to know that having a secure username is just as important as using a strong password.
Serving as your identity online, usernames are prized assets for hackers to acquire. Even if they’re not as coveted as your passwords, they can be used to get hold of your online data. In this sense, it’s essential to craft a unique and safe username that will keep your accounts away from threat actors and prying eyes.
In this article, we discuss what a username is, why it’s important to have a unique and secure username, and some tips and tricks to get there.
A username is a group of characters that serve as your identity for an account or service, either in a computer system or on the internet. They’re also called login names, user IDs, login IDs, and account names.
As identifiers, usernames help distinguish and set you apart from other people or accounts. This is in contrast to passwords, which are used to authenticate or verify that you are who you say you are when logging into an account.
Below is a quick description of both and their main difference:
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Usernames: Identifies who you are, either in a computer, a network, an online service, or an application.
Passwords: Authenticates or confirms that you are who you claim to be, enabling you access to an account after it’s correctly provided.
These days, most online sites, social media networks, games, and applications require a username before you can continue using their service. Some websites allow you to use your email address as a username, but that isn’t always the case and, at times, isn’t the recommended practice.
While it seems like a no-brainer to have a strong password, having an equally secure username is crucial for these reasons:
They’re often included in data leaks and breaches
In a massive data breach, a hacker aims to get as much information on you as possible. This means they not only target passwords but also eye your phone number, address, email, and of course, your username.
Since usernames and passwords go hand-in-hand, a hacker having your username technically means they have 50% of your login credentials. This makes it significantly easier for cybercriminals to use strategies like brute force attacks or credential stuffing, i.e., a high-powered form of trial and error, to try and steal your account.
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Usernames are public information
It’s essential to remember that most usernames are available to the public because they act as identifiers. Think about your business’ LinkedIn account, your Amazon account, or even your personal username for gaming. All of these can be viewed by both you, other people, and hackers alike. In this regard, they don’t have the same type of security as passwords regarding private information.
With this, I strongly recommend creating unique usernames for each account you have. Why? Let’s say you regularly use one username for many of your accounts — including your email address. Here, hackers can use your public username to track down all your other accounts. This leaves you highly susceptible to social engineering tactics, scams, or phishing attempts.
They can help build your anonymity online
While usernames are public, they don’t necessarily have to include your full name. In this regard, having a secure username can be a great way for you to strengthen your online privacy. If you do it right, no one technically knows which username is tied to your account. This allows you to browse the internet without worrying about others looking into what you’re doing online.
Another way usernames can help strengthen privacy is by using them to separate your work and personal life online. Like the example above, you can use a completely different username for your personal accounts. This allows you to keep your personal feed private and maintain your business account at the same time.
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How do I create a secure username?
Fortunately, creating a secure username can be a straightforward process, provided you follow some key steps. Here’s what I recommend:
1. Avoid including your full name, address, or other personal information
Most accounts, except work accounts perhaps, won’t require you to use your full name — and for good reason. Having your name in your username will make it much easier for hackers to identify you and subsequently find your other accounts.
For example, if both your name is John Doe and you have “JohnDoe” as your Amazon account, it would be a breeze for cybercriminals to put two and two together and conclude that this Amazon username is yours.
Similarly, any personally identifiable information also shouldn’t be in your username, as you’re inadvertently giving hackers more data to work with to hack your account.
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Here’s a list of data you should definitely avoid including in your username:
Date of birth.
Address.
Email address.
Phone number/s.
ID numbers or PINs.
Social security number.
Your hometown.
Remember, since usernames are public info, hackers have the same access to them as you do. If you include something like your home address in your username, a savvy hacker can use it to their advantage and possibly target you.
Hackers can also use any personal info you have in your username to answer security questions. These questions are safeguards placed in most online services that help authenticate your identity and allow you to retrieve or reset your password when needed.
To illustrate, let’s say your username is JohnDoeAug11. In this instance, a hacker can assume that “Aug11” is your date of birth. In theory, this means the hacker now has both your name and your birthday.
If you have an online account, that has a security question asking what your birthday is, they would now be able to unlock your account or login credentials without you knowing.
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2. Don’t reuse usernames for other accounts
It’s worth emphasizing that you should avoid reusing usernames when creating a new account. Using a new, unique username every time you make a new account drastically reduces the likelihood of your accounts being hacked.
While this can be inconvenient, I do think the additional layer of security you provide your accounts with this practice is very much worth it.
In addition, I also discourage merely revising old usernames or slightly modifying them. Why so? Let’s take for example, having the username “techrepublic1.”
If we change it to something like “techrepublic2,” this still leaves you at great risk of being compromised since hackers can readily sift through different variations of your username when they try to acquire your credentials.
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Steering clear of repeating used login details is the same practice recommended when creating a new password. If you’re curious about how to have a strong password, check out our How to Create a Secure Password guide.
3. Make it memorable for you but hard to guess for everyone else
Now that we’ve gone through some things not to do, let’s see how we can actually create a unique username from scratch. Since usernames can be anything under the sun, one way to do it is to use a combination of words that mean something to you and only you.
I strongly suggest mixing words or phrases that mean something to you but can be hard for anyone else to guess. Here are some ideas to think of when creating your unique username:
Your hobbies or interests.
Your characteristics or personality.
Your favorite items.
Old nicknames or pet names.
Favorite movies, games, or TV shows.
Let’s say your favorite animal is a dolphin, and you’re quite fond of pizza. For you, maybe “pizzadolphin37” as a username is a good pick.
It’s also encouraged to add in random characters, like symbols or numbers, at your discretion. Just make sure you’re able to remember it well.
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4. Ensure your username and password are unrelated
Another thing to remember is to ensure your username and password are two completely unrelated words. While this may seem obvious, having a username-password combo that connects somehow is a recipe for disaster.
Below is an example of login credentials that relate to each other:
Username: RosesAreRed.
Password: VioletsAreBlue.
Even if having related login details helps remember them, it’s important to acknowledge that both hackers and their tools have evolved. Such a combination would not be difficult to crack for hackers and threat actors, much less more experienced ones at that.
5. Use a random username generator
Finally, you can also use online username generators that will automatically create a username for you. Many of these username generators let you set specific parameters for your username, such as how many characters it has, what type of words are used if it’s random text or an actual phrase, and the like.
Below are some online username generators I’ve seen that provide a fair amount of options and settings you can tweak to get your desired username:
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A handful of password managers also have username generators you can use, such as 1Password and Bitwarden. I’ll be listing these password managers, and more details about them are below to better understand which ones to go for.
6. Have a secure way to store them, such as via a password manager
As we’ve touched on them, password managers can be worthwhile investments in storing and securing unique usernames. Aside from storing passwords, password managers are also designed to automatically store all the usernames you use for each account. This means you won’t have to think about remembering all your usernames, as the password manager does for you.
Most modern password managers also include autofill capabilities, which removes the hassle of remembering the specific username and password for each account. With autofill, password managers will automatically populate the login form fields for you.
Password managers with username generators
If you’re interested in trying out a password manager service, here are three that I find are worth checking out.
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Fortunately, all three password managers below offer a username generator either within the app or via their official website, so you’ll have no trouble creating a unique username with any of them.
Free version with unlimited password storage and unlimited devices
Polished and intuitive user interface with travel mode capabilities
Modern XChaCha20 encryption, refined UI, and flexible subscription options
Bitwarden
Image: Bitwarden
If you’re looking for a fully free password manager, Bitwarden is one of the best. Its free plan provides unlimited password storage, which is a big plus considering other free password managers impose a cap on how many passwords can be stored. Bitwarden Free also enables access to an unlimited number of devices, letting you access your encrypted vault from any device. Privacy enthusiasts also appreciate Bitwarden for being open-source and having a strong portfolio of third-party audits.
For users that prioritize having a streamlined user experience, I recommend 1Password. Its desktop application and browser extension both have polished designs, making it easy to manage numerous passwords and accounts. On the security side, 1Password employs a zero-knowledge approach, ensuring all your sensitive credentials are only accessible to you alone. 1Password accounts are also end-to-end encrypted and use AES-256 encryption, the gold standard encryption algorithm in the industry today.
If you’re a fan of NordVPN and looking for a companion password manager, NordPass should be on your radar. As Nord Security’s take on password management, NordPass takes a lot of cues from their popular VPN in providing a strong balance between having a clean UI without sacrificing overall security. It uses the “future-proof” XChaCha20 encryption algorithm; offers a refined and modern-looking desktop app; and provides a reasonable amount of multifactor authentication methods as well. I personally appreciate its subscription options, having both a free version and either an annual or two-year paid plan.
Samsung just teased the Galaxy S25 Edge — the new ultra-slim entry into the Galaxy S25 lineup. The phone isn’t out yet, and Samsung hasn’t provided any details, but now we know it’s real. And we have pictures.
Like pretty much every phone, it’s a thin silver slab. It’s got two cameras on the back, rather than the three cameras you’d get with other S25 phones. The Edge is rumored to measure just 6.4mm thick, but my colleagues Allison Johnson and Vjeran Pavic, who are on the ground at Galaxy Unpacked and took the below photos, weren’t able to actually hold or measure the device to confirm.
We’re trying to get closer so we can show perspective, but the place is mobbed with people. There’s a lot of excitement about this phone. By comparison, though, the regular Galaxy S25 is 7.2mm thick. So, it’s… even thinner.
Another tidbit just dropped following Wednesday’s Samsung Unpacked event. This one comes courtesy of Adobe, which notes that the new Galaxy S25 line will be the first handsets to support the Content Credentials standard, aimed at labeling AI-generated content as such.
The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) group — of which Samsung is now officially a part — describes the standard as a “nutrition label for digital content.” The information presented includes how the content was generated and edited, as well as if any generative AI technologies were used in the process.
The standard arrives amid increasing concern around AI’s ability to propagate fake news and other misinformation. In addition to its presence in still images, it will be extended to include video, audio, and documents.
Content Credentials can be found in an image using Adobe’s Content Authenticity tool, which is now in beta.
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Along with Samsung and Adobe, the C2PA includes some top names from media, social media, AI, and hardware, including Google, Intel, Microsoft, OpenAI, Amazon, BBC, Meta, Sony, Publicis, and Truepic.
The Galaxy S25 line is now up for preorder and set to start shipping February 7.
Whether you’re managing large datasets, running resource-intensive software, or just ensuring your system remains stable during critical tasks, this tool can help. For just $15.99 (reg. $55), unlock a lifetime license to a powerful suite of tools designed to optimize, protect, and prolong your PC’s lifespan.
Ashampoo WinOptimizer 27. Image: StackCommerce
It’s common sense that your PC’s performance directly impacts productivity. Laggy systems, unnecessary files, and unaddressed privacy vulnerabilities slow down workflows and increase security risks. WinOptimizer 27 offers more than 30 optimization modules to help your system operate at peak performance.
This tool isn’t just for casual users — IT professionals, developers, and business owners can benefit from its automated cleanup, advanced diagnostics, and privacy protection features.
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The Crash Analyzer module identifies system crashes and their causes, providing actionable insights to prevent future issues. Meanwhile, the Privacy Traces Cleaner helps secure sensitive data, especially when working with client information or proprietary business data.
One of the features that professionals can lean into is Process Prioritization. WinOptimizer automatically allocates system resources to your most important tasks; this means that whether you’re rendering videos, compiling code, or running data analysis, the tool adjusts your PC’s performance to match your workload. Plus, the Live Tuner speeds up application launches, allowing you to save time and avoid downtime.
The tool also offers SSD optimization to prolong your solid-state drive’s lifespan, which is crucial for professionals relying on fast storage solutions. Additionally, with the Tuning Assistant, you get custom optimization profiles that fit your exact needs, whether you’re focusing on gaming, development, or general office work.
But if you want us to truly unpack everything Samsung just revealed, as well as what we think this event means for Samsung as a whole in 2025, then you’ll need to watch our brand-new Samsung Unpacked January 2025 special episode of the TechRadar podcast.
In it, Josie Watson and I are joined by phone expert Axel Metz, fitness tech guru Matt Evans, and as always the wonderfully wise Lance Ulanoff to break down everything we saw so you can get to grips with the latest tech news.
Samsung Galaxy S25 reactions, Project Moohan predictions and why there’s no Galaxy Ring 2… yet – YouTube
We take a deep dive into the new phones and AI features, give you our thoughts on Samsung’s continued efforts to build an interconnected internet of things ecosystem – which goes beyond anything Apple is currently capable of – and discuss what Samsung needs for Project Moohan and its XR efforts to succeed where others have failed.
You can catch our latest podcast episode via our YouTube channel – or the embedded video above – and you can also check it out on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can find all our other episodes there too, including our CES 2025 special.
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As avian influenza rages through birds and dairy cattle across the United States, Georgia has become the latest state to detect the virus in a commercial poultry flock, and on Friday, it halted all poultry sales to mitigate further spread of the disease. Nationally, egg prices are soaring—if you can find them at all in your local grocery store.
The US has previously licensed three H5N1 vaccines for humans, but they’re not available commercially. The government has purchased millions of doses for the national stockpile in case they’re needed. But even as the outbreak spread, federal health officials under President Joe Biden were hesitant to deploy them. Experts say the decision comes down to risk, and currently, the risk of H5N1 remains low. Rolling out a vaccine to farm workers and others at higher risk of infection would be a more targeted tactic, but even that measure may be premature. Now, with a changeover in federal health leadership imminent as President Donald Trump begins his second term, the decision rests with the new administration.
“At the moment, from the point of view of severity and ease of transmission, it does not seem like an imperative to get a vaccine out to protect humans,” says William Schaffner, a physician and professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.
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So far, no person-to-person spread of H5N1 has been identified, but health officials are monitoring the virus for any genetic changes that would make transmission among people more likely. Most bird flu infections are related to animal exposures. Of the 67 known human cases in the US, 40 have been linked to sick dairy cattle and 23 are associated with poultry farms and culling operations. In the other four cases, the exact source isn’t known.
In the US, human cases have been mild, with many of them causing only conjunctivitis. In some cases, people have had mild respiratory symptoms. Aside from the Louisiana patient, all the individuals who tested positive for H5N1 recovered quickly and never needed to be hospitalized. Historically though, H5N1 has been fatal in around 50 percent of cases. Since 2003, a total of 954 cases of human H5N1 have been reported to the World Health Organization, and about half of them died. Egypt, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and China have reported the highest number of human bird flu deaths.
Those numbers come with a few caveats. For one, many of those deaths occurred in places where people live very close to the sick poultry. “In those circumstances, the thinking is that they likely got a very large dose of the virus,” Schaffner says.
Plus, the case fatality rate—the proportion of infected people who die from the disease—only takes into consideration known cases, and some cases of H5N1 are no doubt going undetected in part because bird flu symptoms are similar to other respiratory viruses. In the US, language barriers among farm workers, lack of testing, and a reluctance among workers to report that they’re sick are also factors. “We probably miss more cases than we detect, and we’re much more likely to detect a case that’s severe,” says Shira Doron, chief infection control officer for Tufts Medicine in Boston and hospital epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center.
One in 10 game developers lost their job in 2024. That’s according to the results of the annual Game Developers Conference state of the video game survey. The survey sampled over 3,000 developers and covered a number of topics including industry layoffs and what kind of games developers are working on.
Prolific layoffs have ravaged the industry over the last two years making the question of their impact on developers one of the most important in the survey. In addition to 10 percent of developers losing their jobs, 41 percent of respondents said they had been impacted by layoffs in some way, either by being laid off directly or seeing coworkers or colleagues in other departments let go. The survey also noted that the number of people impacted is potentially much higher because of the students and graduates who reported having a difficult time simply getting a job in the industry at all.
When asked what reason companies gave for layoffs, 22 percent said restructuring while 18 said declining revenue. 19 percent gave no reason at all. Developers, though, have their own ideas about why layoffs keep happening. In an analysis of responses to what developers think the reason behind layoffs is, the majority were general statements about the industry’s over-expansion during the pandemic. Companies acquired workers and studios in hopes of meeting a level of demand for games that dried up as covid restrictions loosened. However, some developers believe the reason for layoffs is much simpler. Companies like Microsoft and Sony still reported growing revenues despite multiple rounds of layoffs and studioclosures. It’s no surprise then that 13 percent of respondents attributed layoffs to corporate greed.
In addition to layoffs, the last few years have also seen the failure of a number of high-profile, big-budget, live-service games. While there has been some success in that area with new games like Marvel Rivals, it’s generally tough to launch a live-service game that can compete with the overbearing likes of Fortnite, Roblox, and Call of Duty. 2024 was also the year that Balatro, Animal Well, and Astro Bot dominated headlines and award lists suggesting a greater appetite for those kinds of smaller-scoped, single-player experiences. It’s interesting, and perhaps concerning then, that according to the survey, over 30 percent of AAA developers are working on a live-service game.
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When it asked developers their thoughts on live-service games the survey answered, “One of the biggest issues mentioned was market oversaturation, with many developers noting how tough it is to break through and build a sustainable player base.”
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OpenAI is making gains at the expense of its chief rivals.
On Tuesday, the company announced the Stargate Project, a new joint venture involving Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, Oracle, and others to build AI infrastructure for OpenAI in the U.S. Stargate could attract up to $500 billion in funding for AI data centers over the next four years, should all proceed according to plan.
The news was surely to the chagrin of OpenAI competitors like Anthropic and Elon Musk’s xAI, which will see no comparable enormous infrastructure investment.
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xAI intends to expand its data center in Memphis to 1 million GPUs, while Anthropic recently signed a deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon’s cloud computing division, to use and refine the company’s custom AI chips. But it’s difficult to imagine that either AI company can outpace Stargate, even, as in the case of Anthropic, with Amazon’s vast resources.
Granted, Stargate may not deliver on its promises. Other tech infrastructure projects in the U.S. haven’t. Recall that, in 2017, Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn pledged and subsequently failed to spend $10 billion for a plant near Milwaukee.
But Stargate has more backers — and momentum, from what it seems at this juncture — behind it. The first data center to be funded by the effort has already broken ground in Abilene, Texas. And the companies participating in Stargate have promised to invest $100 billion at the outset.
Indeed, Stargate seems poised to cement OpenAI’s incumbency in the exploding AI sector. OpenAI has more active users — 300 million weekly — than any other AI venture. And it has more customers. Over 1 million businesses are paying for OpenAI’s services.
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OpenAI had first-mover advantage. Now it could have infrastructure supremacy. Rivals will have to be smart if they hope to compete. Brute force won’t be a viable option.
Microsoft exclusivity no more: Microsoft was once the exclusive provider of data center infrastructure for OpenAI to train and run its AI models. No longer. Now the company only has a “right of first refusal.”
Perplexity launches an API: AI-powered search engine Perplexity has launched an API service called Sonar, allowing enterprises and developers to build the startup’s generative AI search tools into their own applications.
AI speeding the “kill chain”: My colleague Max interviewed the Pentagon’s chief digital and AI officer, Radha Plumb. Plumb said that the Department of Defense is using AI to gain a “significant advantage” in identifying, tracking, and assessing threats.
Benchmarks in question: An organization developing math benchmarks for AI didn’t disclose that it had received funding from OpenAI until relatively recently, drawing allegations of impropriety from some in the AI community.
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DeepSeek’s new model: Chinese AI lab DeepSeek has released an open version of DeepSeek-R1, its so-called reasoning model, that it claims performs as well as OpenAI’s o1 on certain AI benchmarks.
Research paper of the week
Image Credits:Microsoft
Last week, Microsoft spotlighted a pair of AI-powered tools, MatterGen and MatterSim, which it claims could help design advanced materials.
MatterGen predicts potential materials with unique properties, grounded in scientific principles. As described in a paper published in the journal Nature, MatterGen generates thousands of candidates with “user-defined constraints” — proposing new materials that meet highly specific needs.
As for MatterSim, it predicts which of MatterGen’s proposed materials are stable and viable.
Microsoft says that a team at the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology was able to use MatterGen to synthesize a new material. The material wasn’t flawless. But Microsoft has released the source code of MatterGen, and the company says it plans to work with other outside collaborators to further develop the tech.
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Model of the week
Google has released a new version of its experimental “reasoning” model, Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental. The company claims it performs better than the original on math, science, and multimodal reasoning benchmarks.
Reasoning models like Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental effectively fact-check themselves, which helps them to avoid some of the pitfalls that normally trip up models. As a consequence, reasoning models take a little longer — usually seconds to minutes longer — to arrive at solutions compared to a typical “non-reasoning” model.
The new Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking also has a 1 million token context window, meaning it can analyze long documents such as research studies and policy papers. One million tokens is equivalent to about 750,000 words, or 10 average-length books.
Grab bag
Image Credits:GameFactory
An AI project called GameFactory shows that it’s possible to “generate” interactive simulations by training a model on Minecraft videos and then extending that model to different domains.
The researchers behind GameFactory, most of whom hail from the University of Hong Kong and Kuaishou, a Chinese company that’s partially state-owned, published a few examples of the simulations on the project’s website. They leave something to be desired, but the concept is still an interesting one: a model that can generate worlds in endless styles and themes.
Samsung is already the king of folding phones – and at the first Samsung Galaxy Unpacked of 2025, the tech giant teased its potential next frontier.
During the launch, which saw the reveal of the Samsung Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Plus, Samsung showed off a brief roadmap of its future products – complete with a tri-folding foldable phone.
There were no timings or dates included, and no suggestion that such a device will be with us this year, but I’d suggest such a phone is coming sooner than later, as the Galaxy Z Fold 6 seems to have reached a plateau for folding phones at Samsung.
While even the best foldable phones aren’t exactly perfect, with chunky frames and visible creases. But even with these caveats, they are rather good productivity devices, so having another display could turn them into serious devices that can double up as Android tablets.
Samsung’s display arm has already shown off a couple of prototype tri-fold concept phones at CES 2025, so such a folding phone was definitely being considered by the South Korean company. But seeing such a phone on a roadmap is a very strong indicator that a tri-folding phone will become a legitimate consumer product.
It’s over to fellow Managing Editor and TV/display specialist Matthew Bolton for his thoughts on the tri-fold concepts he got to see at CES: “I saw two versions of a tri-fold screen prototype device. One that folds in a Z-shape, just like what Samsung hinted at in its announcement, and one where left and right screens folded on top of the center screen.
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“I wasn’t allowed to fold these phones (no one was, it’s not a reflection on my brutishness), but it showcased the potential designs of these phones, and just how much extra space this layout can give you – it really feels like these reach the promise of ‘a tablet that turns into a phone’, in the sense that when folded out, they’re around the 10-inch size of a full tablet, instead of the mini-tablet size of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6. However, don’t expect much change in the key flaw of folding screens: you’re going to be looking at two creases instead of one.”
We’ve already gone hands on with other tri-folds, most notably the Huawei Mate XT that impressed Phones Editor Axel Metz. So there’s no doubt in my mind that the next step for foldable phones will be tri-folds, at least from the Android camp of the smartphone arena.
This is important because, while we MagSafe lovers have made do with MagSafe Android phone cases these past few years, there’s always been a caveat that these cases may not work with all MagSafe products. With Qi2 Ready cases, you can rest easy knowing they’ll work with Qi2 chargers.
It’s worth noting that OnePlus’ latest flagship phone, the OnePlus 13, is not a Qi2 Ready phone, however, OnePlus sells a magnetic case to enable Qi2-like charging. This is the old approach of adding magnetic charging to phones with basic Qi support, and it will not turn your phone into a Qi2 device. While it may feel similar, you may not enjoy faster charging speeds, it will not be as energy efficient, and it’s not guaranteed to work with all Qi2 accessories. Golden says Qi2 Ready phones have “special features built into them” to enable proper Qi2 functionality when paired with a Qi2 Ready case.
Alas, as soon as you take these Qi2 Ready cases off the phone, the magnetic functionality disappears. This may not be a problem for most people. It’s hard to find recent statistics, but a 2023 YouGov survey found that roughly 68 percent of Americans use a phone case, and a 2017 study put that number at 79 percent. But it does stink for those of us who don’t like using a case. Pour one out for the case-less fiends.
I can recall dozens of times when I’ve had to take my iPhone case off to attach a wireless microphone to the USB-C port or to fit the phone on a gimbal. Removing the case didn’t change anything because iPhones have magnets built in, but this is something that will impact Qi2 Ready phones, and it’s a frustrating limitation.
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I think Qi2 Ready phones are an acceptable in-between measure. Considering it’s cheaper than embedding magnets into a phone, I hope it means more budget and midrange smartphones can enjoy Qi2 capabilities.
Still, I worry that this will make things confusing for the average person. New phones will support Qi but not Qi2, but they’ll have Qi2 Ready cases to enable Qi2—my brain hurt just writing that. If they just had native Qi2 support, magnetic charging would work all the time with any Qi2 accessory. Easy peasy.
The good news is that Samsung and Google have committed to releasing official Qi2 Android phones in 2025, so it is on the way, though it does feel bizarre that Samsung may not end up debuting it on its flagship smartphone series.
I’ll make do with a magnetic case (again), but for the love of God, can someone just give me my magnetic Android already?
Google worked with the Israeli military in the immediate aftermath of its ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, racing to beat out Amazon to provide AI services, according to company documents obtained by the Washington Post.
In the weeks after Hamas’s October 7th attack on Israel, employees at Google’s cloud division worked directly with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) — even as the company told both the public and its own employees that Google only worked with civilian government ministries, the documents reportedly show.
Weeks after the war began, an employee with Google’s cloud division escalated the IDF’s military’s requests for access to Google’s AI technology, according to the Post. In another document, an employee warned that Google needed to quickly respond to the military’s requests, or else Israel would turn to Amazon for its cloud computing needs. In a November 2023 document, an employee thanks a coworker for handling the IDF’s request. Months later, employees requested additional access to AI tools for the IDF.
Amid this, Google was punishing employees for protesting Project Nimbus, Israel’s $1.2 billion contract for Google and Amazon’s cloud computing services. Google fired 28 employees who staged sit-in protests at the company’s offices in New York and California, some of whom were also arrested during the demonstrations.
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At the same time, Google denied that it was working with the Israeli military. “We have been very clear that the Nimbus contract is for workloads running on our commercial cloud by Israeli government ministries, who agree to comply with our Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy,” Anna Kowalczyk, the external communications manager for Google Cloud, told The Verge in April 2024. “This work is not directed at highly sensitive, classified, or military workloads relevant to weapons or intelligence services,” Kowalczyk said.
Google did not immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.
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