Dec. 13 & 14, 2025 Show Notes
🎙️ Show airs live
Saturday: 10:05am-Noon PT
🔁 Rebroadcast
Sunday: 1:05pm-3pm on C-FAX
🎧 Podcast
Anytime
Your crew this weekend:
Barbara Wilson
Guest Co-Host
Service Tech at Monk Office and in-home tech tutor
iPhone: 250-580-2993
Monk Service calls: 250-384-0565 Service@Monk.ca
1) If you have an Apple device, there's an important update to install ASAP
Apple has released it's 26.2 operating system updates for iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, and Apple TV's, and its huge — more than 11GB for some people!
It includes enhancements to Reminders, Apple Music, Podcasts, and Games, but more importantly, it also patches 26 security holes, two of them critical, as well as fixing more bugs, so we recommend you install it ASAP, without waiting to get it as part of Autamatic Updates sometime next week.
Beyond critical security fixes, the 26.2 update also brings a useful security PIN to AirDrop, better securing file and media transfers to users outside your contacts…
There’s also a new, localized emergency alert feature which will request your location data. And, alarms created in the Clock app can now be integrated into Reminders. When creating a reminder, users will now see a new Urgent setting. Toggling this setting asks the user if they want to let Reminders "schedule alarms and timers." This will allow the app to schedule alarms and timers that can play sounds even if a Focus is active. When an urgent reminder is due, an alarm will activate.
If you have an older iPhone or iPad that can't handle the 26.2 update, because of the severity of the security holes which are being patched, Apple has released special 18.7.3 updates to fix 20 of the security holes. Please install that ASAP by going to Settings, General, Software Update.
Be aware, though, that if your iPhone or iPad is too old to run OS 26, you're only getting some of the security fixes;, we urge you to get a newer iPhone or iPad so you'll be fully protected!
- If your iPhone or iPad doesn't have enough available storage to install the update, you can use iTunes on a PC or Mac to help install the update…
If iTunes won't work for installing the Upgrade, you can use the Apple Support app to schedule a free appointment at an Apple Service Centre (that would be London Drugs here in Victoria), and they can use special software to do a clean install of 26.1 and restore your stuff from a iCloud Backup.
- For Macs, Apple has released macOS Tahoe 26.2, which includes 46 security patches, two of them critical, plus bug fixes.
Tahoe 26.1 also includes one new feature: Edge Light, which can illuminate your face during low-light video calls.
Be aware, though, that the update is huge in size…
- If your Mac is too old to be able to run Tahoe, because of the severity of the security flaws which have been discovered, Apple has released special updates for Sequoia and Sonoma, to fix as many of the holes as possible. Those special updates are macOS Sequoia 15.7.3 which fixes 25 issues, and macOS Sonoma 14.8.3 which fixes 25 issues. Please consider getting a newer Mac, so you'll be fully protected.
- For Apple Watches, Apple has released watchOS 26.2 which includes security patches, two of them critical, plus bug fixes.
- For Apple TV's, Apple has released tvOS 26.2 which includes security patches plus bug fixes, and an optional new Kids Mode…
2) Watch out for fake Freedom Mobile 'billing alert' texts
If you're a Freedom Mobile customer, don't get tricked into clicking on the link in scam texts that many people have started getting.
The text looks like the screenshot shown here, and actually consists of two texts — a picture of the Freedom Mobile logo, followed immediately by the message claiming that your auto-pay pament was unsuccessful.
The scammers are using a link (red arrow) that looks plausible, but is fake.
If you click on the fake link, it takes you to an authentoc-looking Freedom log-in page, where the scammers are hoping you'll put in your Freedom # and PIN code.
They'll then capture that info and send a message advising that you'll be sent a security code and to type it into the box, which is what you'd do on the real Freedom app or website.
If you type that code into the scam page, you've just given the scammers access to your account so they can lock you out and take it over.
NEVER click on links in texts like this!
If you want to check your account status, open the Freedom Mobile app or go directly to the FreedomMobile.ca website.
We suspect these scam texts are coming from the hackers that recently stole customer account info from Freedom Mobile, after hacking into a third-party service provider.
3) Watch out for scam emails claiming law enforcement has recovered crypto-currency in your name
The emails (as shown in the screenshot below from astute Tech Talk listener Bonnie) are coming from the UK and claim law enforcement has recopvered .87 Bitcoin in your name (= $108,114 CAD) after unlicenced companies were shut down.
The email encourages you to contact one of their 'verified Australian echange partners' for help in creating a crypto-currency account on the Australian RelayPay crypto platform so they can transfer the money to you…
The scammers are using the name and logo of the Wellington Group of Companies,which is actually a Canadian trucking and freight consortium that has nothing to do with finances or crypto-currency!
The email provides a phone number for your 'case manager', one Jeffrey O'Brien, a phone number that is in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales in Australia!
NEVER interact with people who send emails like this.
If you're in doubt about the veracity of emails about financial matters, check with your bank or financial advisor.
5) Avoid paying by cheque if you can, because cheques are no longer as secure as they used to be, due to electronic banking
Many people grew up using cheques and still use them to pay bills, but times have changed, and gaps in mobile banking have made the use of cheques vulnerable for various types of fraud, including people being able to electronically deposit a cheque more than once…
If you remain unconvinced that cheques are not as safe to use as they used to be, the next time you give someone a cheque, make it payable to "Mickey Mouse", and when they electronically deposit it to their account, it'll go right through. Banks stopped automatically checking for the payee name on cheques years ago.
Cheques have lots of anti-counterfeiting technology embedded in them, but when they're scanned for deposit on a banking app, because of the resolution used, the banking app usually won't spot a cheque which has been altered. Here's an example which I created to show a client — a retired bank security officer — using my 2025 Peninsula Co-Op Rebate cheque.
Here's the original cheque (I've blurred-out the account #, cheque #, and my member #)…
…and here's an altered version. Note the changes…
I electronically deposited the real one. But, if I'd deposited the second one, it would've cleared. And even if someone later noticed, by then, I could've withdrawn the money and closed the account.
This is why we recommend you use a banking app instead of using cheques, and from now on, pay — or get paid — by Interac eTransfer. Also, get auto-deposit turned-on so incoming eTransfers can't be intercepted. If your bank or credit union doesn't yet support auto-deposit, get eTransfers sent to your mobile number and not your email, as text messages are much harder to intercept.
6) TD Bank and ScotiaBank both have excellent websites full of tips on how to spot and avoid online and phone scams
Tech Deals this weekend
Freedom Mobile has launched Early Boxing Week discounts
To get a jump on its competitors, Quebec-based Freedom Mobile is now offering Early Boxing Week deals, which include both discounts on phones, and higher data allotments.
And for the first time, you can get a deal on an iPhone 17 — of which none of the carriers had enough to offer deals during Black Friday Week. Freedom is offering an iPhone 17 for free, on a two-year $79/month plan which gives you 250GB/month of 5G Canada/USA/Mexico data, and unlimited calling in all three countries and back to Canada, and unlimited international texting, plus 35GB of "Roam Beyond" service which lets you use your phone in 120+ countries at no extra cost.
Freedom is also offering a selection of other phones for free, including the Pixel 10, the Samsung Galaxy S25FE, and the Moto G Play (2024) and plans that range from $34/month to $69/month.
While these offers are better than any of the other carriers, they're about $10/month more than what Freedom offered during Black Friday Week.
If you already have a phone you're happy with, three of Freedom's "Early Boxing Week" service plans include additional data…
They also offer a $59/month plan which includes 150GB/month plus 25GB of "Roam Beyond" data.
Tech News Of The Week
Items start at #10, so the numbers don't get thrown-off if we add more security items above!
Tip: if an item in these Show Notes has the icon on the right in the upper-right corner, you can click/tap on it to make the additional info open in a new tab.
10) Check your mobile phone account statement to see if your rates are quietly being hiked
If you're not under contract with a carrier (usually a two-year contract when you buy a phone), carriers here in Canada can increase their rates whever they want, as long as they give you advance notice.
You'll only see this rate hike notice, though, if you download a detailed copy of your monthly statement — it's not on the summary you'll see when you log into your account.
Many (but not all) Rogers subscribers who are on month-to-month service have discovered their rates have just been hiked by $4 to $5 a month.
If your monthly rate has gone up, or even if it hasn't, make a note of how much you're paying and whayt you're getting for that, and watch for better deals when they're offered for Boxing Week right after Christmas.
Some carriers, most notably Freedom Mobile, are actually starting the discounts early, offering 'Early Boxing Week" deals now. (See our Tech Deals This Weekend section father up in these Notes.)
11) If your Outlook Mail app still won't open, check for an update that fixes the problem
Some of the millions of people that use the Outlook Mail app on a Windows computer last week found that it would no longer open.
This was caused by a flawed app update.
Microsoft has since released another update that fixes the problem.
If your Outlook Mail app still won't open, here's what to do:
- Type Store in the search-box at the bottom of your screen, and click on the Microsoft Store app
- In the lower-left of the app, click on Downloads
- In the upper-right, click on Check for Updates
- If it fiunds any app updates, they'll be listed. Click on Update All
- Presuming the Outlook Mail app has an update, once it's finished updating, click on Open
- If the Mail app is not already on your taskbar, right-click on it in the taskbar and click on Pin to Taskbar. (If you'd followed our workaround from last weekend and had pinned the Outlook.com webmail page to your taskbar, you can right-click on it and Unpin from Taskbar)
12) Google Translate expands live translation to all Android earbuds
Beginning a live translate session in Google Translate used to require Pixel Buds, but that won’t be the case going forward.
Google says a beta test of expanded headphone support has just launched in the USA, Mexico, and India, and will be expanded soon to other countries including ours.
The audio translation attempts to preserve the tone and cadence of the original speaker, but it’s not as capable as the full AI-reproduced voice translations you can do on the latest Pixel phones. Google says this feature should work on any earbuds or headphones, but it’s only for Android right now. The feature will expand to iOS in the coming months. Apple does have a similar live translation feature on the iPhone, but it requires AirPods.
13) Barbara recommends the "Apps Gone Free" app and newsletter which tells you each day which paid apps are temporarily free
Barbara says the "Apps Gone Free" app is available for iPhones, iPads and Android devices, and has a companion daily newsletter detailing which poaid apps you can download for free that day…
14a) Disney invests $1 billion in OpenAI, a three-year deal that will let us create AI videos of Mickey Mouse, Darth Vader, and 200 others
The Walt Disney Company has announced a $1 billion USD investment in OpenAI and a three-year licensing agreement that will allow users of OpenAI’s Sora video generator to create short clips featuring more than 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars characters.
It’s the first major content licensing partnership between a Hollywood studio and an AI platform.
Under the new agreement, Sora users will be able to generate short videos using characters such as Mickey Mouse, Darth Vader, Iron Man, Simba, and characters from franchises including Frozen, Inside Out, Toy Story, and The Mandalorian, along with costumes, props, vehicles, and environments.
The agreement does not include any talent likenesses or voices. Disney and OpenAI say they've committed to “maintaining robust controls to prevent the generation of illegal or harmful content” and to “respect the rights of individuals to appropriately control the use of their voice and likeness.”
14b) Disney says Google AI infringes copyright “on a massive scale”
Disney has sent a cease and desist to Google, alleging the company’s AI tools are violating the entertainment conglomerate’s intellectual property in multiple ways. The legal notice says Google has copied a “large corpus” of Disney’s works to train its gen AI models, which is believable, as Google’s image and video models will happily produce popular Disney characters, and they couldn’t do that without feeding the models lots of Disney data.
The C&D letter also takes issue with Google for distributing “copies of its protected works” to consumers. So all those memes you’ve been making with Disney characters? Yeah, Disney doesn’t like that, either. The letter calls out a huge number of Disney-owned properties that can be prompted into existence in Google AI, including The Lion King, Deadpool, and Star Wars.
The company calls on Google to immediately stop using Disney content in its AI tools and create measures to ensure that future AI outputs don’t produce any characters that Disney owns.
15) TIME has chosen the Architects of AI as its Person Of The Year
Time magazine has recognized the "Architects of AI" as its Person of the Year for 2025.
This recognition highlights the significant impact of artificial intelligence across various aspects of society, from media to politics to the workforce.
TIME's Editor-in-Chief says 2025 was the year when AI's full potential was fully realized, and it became clear that there would be no turning back or opting out. The "Architects of AI" include influential figures such as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, and Baidu CEO Robin Li, who have all played pivotal roles in shaping the AI landscape.
17) Canadians can get a free home EV charger from the new SWTCH Energy program
Canadian homeowners can now get a free Level 2 EV charger from Ontario-based SWTCH Energy, plus earn money back each time you charge your car at home.
And here in BC, you can also get a rebate from BC Hydro to offset part of the cost of having an electrician insall the charger.
SWTCH Energy, a big provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging for multi-family and commercial properties, is expanding into single-family homes, taking advantage of the new Canada Clean Fuels Regulation Carbon Credit Program.
To participate, homeowners simply:
- Sign up and order a free Level 2 Home EV Charger via the SWTCH Home Charging Program online store at Shop.SWTCHenergy.com
- Have the charger installed at their home.
- Use the SWTCH Home Charging Program app to connect the charger to their home WiFi and the SWTCH network, activating their earning profile.
- Begin earning for every kWh charged. Once an account has accumulated $100, participants will receive that amount as a direct deposit into their bank account.
The program is free to join – with no monthly or annual fees – for single-family homeowners who currently own an EV or are planning to purchase one in Canada…
SWTCH Energy
SWTCH Energy Launches Canada Home Charging Program, Offering Homeowners Free EV Chargers and Ongoing Earnings for Charging – SWTCH Energy
Canadian homeowners can get a free Level 2 EV charger, plus earn money back each time they charge their car at home through Canada’s Clean Fuels Regulation Carb
18) "Operation Bluebird" wants to relaunch “Twitter”, claiming Elon Musk has abandoned the name and logo
A Virginia startup calling itself “Operation Bluebird" has filed a formal petition with the US Patent and Trademark Office, asking the federal agency to cancel X Corporation’s trademarks of the words “Twitter” and “tweet” since X has allegedly abandoned them.
“The TWITTER and TWEET brands have been eradicated from X Corp.’s products, services, and marketing, effectively abandoning the storied brand, with no intention to resume use of the mark,” the petition states. “The TWITTER bird was grounded.”
If successful, two leaders of the group say Operation Bluebird would launch a social network under the name Twitter.new, possibly as early as late next year.
(Twitter.new has created a working prototype and is already inviting users to reserve handles.)
19) If you're planning to buy a new smartphone next year, you might want to buy one this year before prices soar due to AI RAM demands
2026 isn’t shaping up to be a good year to buy a new phone, or any new tech in general.
RAM (Random Access Memory) is the 'short term memory' in tech gear; it usually comes in ever-smaller strips of chips. RAM temporarily stores the info your device is currently using, so it can work faster without constantly checking with a SSD (solid0statre drive) or HDD (slower, spinning High Density Drive).
Because AI data centres and computers running AI systems require large amounts of RAM, prices of RAM are skyrocketing. Reports suggest phones are about to become more expensive due to this RAM inflation, and now, new reports suggest that phone specs could actually start going backwards because of RAM inflation.
- Due to soaring RAM prices, smartphones in 2026 are expected to be more expensive while featuring less RAM than 2025 models.
- High-end 16GB RAM models may nearly disappear, and 12GB and 8GB models could see massive reductions in availability as makers revert to 8GB and 4GB RAM, respectively.
- Phone makers are caught between pricing pressures and reduced availability of consumer-grade DRAM as RAM manufacturers prioritize HBM (High-Bandwidth Memory) supply for enterprise customers.
20) How to get into an iPhone with a badly-broken screen
Getting into an iPhone with a broken screen is challenging, but often possible — especially if you’ve prepared in advance by enabling features like Face ID, Siri, and iCloud backups. Which of various methods is best for you depends on your specific situation — whether the screen is cracked but functional, completely unresponsive, or totally black.
Chad Collins at ComputerCity.com has written an excellent article outlining your options — plus things you should do now if your iPhone is fine, so you'll have more options if it gets broken…
21) How to stream A Charlie Brown Christmas for free this weekend without a subscription
The Peanuts gang discover the true spirit of the season in the timeless classic "A Charlie Brown Christmas" — and this weekend, you can stream it for free on Apple TV.
This beloved movie is free to stream worldwide on this weekend.
You can watch the Peanuts specials and other Apple TV shows in several ways. This includes Apple's official apps, such as those on the iPhone. You can also tune in through the Apple TV set-top box or most smart TVs. For those without Apple devices, modern browsers provide the easiest way to stream Apple TV content.
How to watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas" on Apple TV without a subscription
- In any modern web browser, go to TV.Apple.com
- Log into your iCloud account or make a new one
- Find the show and press Play
- Watch it on your computer or stream it to a TV set of your choice
If you want to watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas" closer to the big day, you'll need an Apple TV subscription. Apple offers a free, three-month trial when a first-time watcher buys a qualifying device, such as an iPhone. There's also a free seven-day trial, after which the monthly cost is $15/month or $129/year.
22) Babbel has put out its list of 2025's most mispronounced words
Every year since 2016, Babbel has partnered with TV captioning groups to identify the words that newscasters, politicians and other people in the media had the most trouble with. These mispronounced words spotlight the names and moments that shaped the conversation this year, even if part of the conversation was “How do you say that?”
In 2025, the list features medication to iconic actors and more. This assortment of words is united by their strange consonant combinations, and the fact that many of them originate from other languages.
Note: there are actually two lists: one for the USA and another for the UK. Here they are…
23) Where to recycle small home appliances and tools for free
Recycling Councal of British Columbia (RCBC) has a Recyclepedia & Recycling Hotline. You can go to their website at rcbc.ca And there is an app Recyclepedia that can advise you where you can locally dispose of almost anything.
26) We've also started compiling a list of our favourite phone apps
The "Our Favourite Apps" list — which will have a lot more added in the coming weeks — is on our home page, and you can also get to it by going to Tech-Talk.ca/apps.
Homework videos (a.k.a. "time well wasted"!)
Check out our YouTube Favourites playlist, which has more than 4800 videos:
Videos start at #40, so the numbers don't get thrown-off if we add more tech news items above!
40) Watch how to recover important deleted text messages on an iPhone…
41) Watch/listen to a live demo of Google Translate doing real-time translation via Android earbuds…
00:45
YouTube
Live Translate with headphones in the Google App - two speakers
Live translate with headphones Subscribe to our Channel: https://www.youtube.com/google Find us on X: https://x.com/google Watch us on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@google Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/google Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Google
42) Watch an explanation of why almost all we learned in school about Jupiter was completely wrong…
43) Watch Fred Mills and the B1M crew show how China split a mountain in half to build the world's highest bridge…
44) Watch a 1940's-era version of "All I Want For Christmas (Is You)"…
45) Watch Carolina Ross's Español version of "All I Want For Christmas"…
46) Watch Lennard D's German version of "All I Want For Christmas (Is You)"…
47) Watch a 90-minute tour of Strausbourg, France, which is said to be the most beautiful city in the world at Christmas…
48) Watch Parksville's Zachary Stevenson perform Buddy Holly-style versions of "Have A Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Run, Run, Rudolph"…
Our Grade 10 international homestay student Natsuki from Osaka in Japan got to pick out her first-ever Christmas Tree this week at the Saanichton Christmas Tree Farm, along with friends Rick and Zack (and Rick's big truck!), and she and Sofía from Madrid in España (Spain) helped decorate it…
The girls also donated toys to Toy Mountain as part of C-FAX "Miracle Day on Uptown Boulevard"…
Afterwards, we took them to their first-ever hockey game, as the Victoria Royals & Marty the Marmot hosted the Vancouver Giants, including the popular annual Teddy Bear Toss…
The girls were blown-away by the speed and energy of the hockey players, and when the Royals scored their first goal, fans tossed 2714 teddy bears of all sizes onto the ice to be donated to kids!
Allison texted in to say the first Teddy Bear Toss was in 1993 at the Kamloops Blazers game…
Kathryn's Paleontology item of the week:
A new dinosaur species — Chromeornis Funkyi — has been named for the discovering paleontologist's favourite band, Chromeo…
The paleontologists discovered that the small fossilized bird choked-to-death on more than 800 rocks about 120 million years ago, but no-one knows why…
…and finally, our "Sign Of The Week"…
And so it goes…