Stories by Austin Blake

OpenAI has launched a new Apple Messages plugin for Mac, allowing ChatGPT to interact directly with your messages. The feature lets users search through their message history, summarize past conversations, draft replies, and send texts directly from their desktop. The plugin is currently available for desktop users on ChatGPT Work and Codex. Users can install...

A B.C. woman is out thousands of dollars after falling for a cell phone delivery scam, and her story is a warning for other Rogers customers and cellphone users in general, according to a Global News Consumer Matters report. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says these scams are spreading fast. "So far, in the first six...

Google is offering post-secondary students a full year of Google AI features at no extra cost to help kick off the new school year, but it doesn't apply to Canada. As part of a worldwide back-to-school push, Google is rolling out free subscriptions to its premium AI tier for post-secondary students, but freebies vary by...

Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey is getting a quick lesson about Canadian telecom as her struggles with home internet left her unable to watch the end of a crucial WNBA matchup. The basketball star took to social media to vent about her Rogers connection, posting on X: "Someone please help me with Rogers WiFi. It...

Vandals cut a Rogers fibre line in Richmond, B.C., and it has knocked out internet, TV, and home phone service for people in the area between Bridgeport Road and Westminster Highway, plus some nearby neighbourhoods. Rogers says the cut was on purpose, while saying the damaged line runs along the CN Rail tracks in the...

Public Mobile continues to push customers to parent company Telus and its postpaid plans through a new self-serve option called Fast Switch. The new tool officially announced today allows eligible Public Mobile subscribers to migrate their accounts over to monthly postpaid plans with either Telus or Koodo in just a few minutes. The online process...

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced today that it has denied an application from Ztar Mobile asking to force Rogers to restore access to its phone number porting system. Ztar Mobile has sold cellphone services to Canadians since 2004 under brands like Good2Go Mobile, SpeakOut Wireless, and Ztar Mobile. Because Ztar does not...

Prepaid carrier Fizz is expanding its retail presence across the country through a new distribution agreement with EB Games Canada. Starting today, customers can purchase an exclusive Fizz Starter Pack at 140 participating EB Games locations. Designed specifically for gamers and collectors, the bundle costs $25 and includes perks valued at over $100, says Fizz....

Bell's Virgin Plus is ending its prepaid wireless services early next year, and that means existing subscribers will need to migrate to monthly plans to keep their phone numbers and coverage active. According to notices sent to Virgin Plus prepaid subscribers, the official shutdown date is set for January 15, 2027. After that deadline, all...

Last week, everybody spoke too soon as we thought Apple released iOS 26.6.1 for the masses, but it was just a Release Candidate (RC) build, the version for developers before a wide release. Fast forward one week later, and Apple has actually released iOS 26.6.1 for iPhone and iPadOS 26.6.1, along with 18.7.10 for older...

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has dismissed several procedural demands made by Bell, Rogers and Telus. The telecoms attempted to change the process of a major case examining whether setup and device charges violate national rules designed to lower switching costs for consumers. The regulator launched the investigation after finding that newly added...

Canada's telecom regulator has ordered Bell to explain why it broke national rules by selling locked phones for nearly a year and a half, putting penalties of up to $10 million on the line. When you buy a phone from a carrier, it is supposed to be unlocked and work on other networks right away....