The blog post outlines the transition of a brittle sales research prototype into a robust production agent using Google’s Agent Development Kit (ADK). By replacing monolithic scripts with orchestrated sub-agents and structured Pydantic outputs, the developers eliminated silent failures and fragile parsing. Additionally, the post highlights the necessity of dynamic RAG pipelines and OpenTelemetry observability to ensure AI agents are scalable, cost-effective, and transparent in real-world applications.

Microsoft is offering first-ever retirement buyouts to some US employees as AI-driven data center spending grows and tech layoffs continue.

The post Microsoft Offers First-Ever Retirement Buyouts to Thousands of Employees appeared first on TechRepublic.

The provided workflow streamlines motion-controlled game development by using Gemini Canvas to rapidly prototype mechanics like the MediaPipe Pose Landmarker through high-level prompting. Developers can refine these prototypes in Google AI Studio by optimizing for low-latency "lite" models and stable tracking points, such as shoulder landmarks, to ensure responsive gameplay. The process concludes by using Gemini Code Assist to refactor experimental code into a modular, production-ready application capable of supporting various multimodal inputs.

India’s app market is booming in downloads and usage, but much of the money still flows to global platforms rather than local developers.

The post India’s App Boom Has a Revenue Problem appeared first on TechRepublic.

TikTok is building a second data center in Finland as part of its Project Clover push to keep European user data stored within Europe.

The post TikTok Invests $1.16 Billion in New Finland Facility to Localize European Data appeared first on TechRepublic.

Samsung Galaxy Connect now works on non-Samsung Windows 11 PCs with Intel or AMD chips, bringing continuity features beyond Galaxy Book laptops.

The post Samsung Galaxy Connect Now Works on Any Windows 11 PC appeared first on TechRepublic.

The Pentagon is seeking about $54 billion for autonomous warfare and drone systems, a huge bet that is raising concerns about doctrine, training, and oversight.

The post New Pentagon Plan Would Pour $54B Into Drones, AI Combat Systems appeared first on TechRepublic.

More people than ever are using Meta technologies, and over the last several years we’ve built new apps and devices that have become part of how people connect — from Threads to Meta AI to AI glasses. With so many ways to create, learn, and communicate, it’s more important than ever to have a central, convenient location to manage experiences across apps.

That’s why today, we’re introducing the improved Meta Account. Building on Accounts Center, Meta Account is the simpler way to access and manage your Meta apps and devices, all in one place.  

What to Expect

Accounts Center will automatically be updated to a Meta Account. This rollout will happen gradually over the next year.  Here’s what to expect:

• Your apps and devices will show up automatically: All of the technologies that are part of your Accounts Center will be in your Meta Account. You’ll be notified when this happens.
• Your day-to-day experience stays the same: The switch to Meta Account will not change how you use your apps. It’s designed to make signing in and managing your settings easier.
• Optional for WhatsApp: If you previously added WhatsApp to your Accounts Center, it will carry over to your Meta Account, and you can still remove it at any time. If you haven’t added WhatsApp to your Accounts Center, it will remain separate from your Meta Account, and you can manage your WhatsApp as you do today. Your personal messages and calls remain private and end-to-end encrypted. Learn more here. 

Easy Login & Enhanced Security

Your Meta Account makes it easy to sign into the apps and devices you use to connect with the people and communities that matter to you.

• One password, zero hassle: You can optionally set up a single password to log into your apps and devices so you no longer have to remember multiple passwords. 
• Easy setup for new apps and devices: When you download a new Meta app or set up a new device, your Meta Account lets you get started quickly — without creating another login and profile from scratch.

Your Meta Account also comes with enhanced protections designed to keep your information safe without requiring extra effort from you.

• Boosted security with passkeys: Passkeys offer a more secure alternative to traditional passwords — letting you log in with your fingerprint, face recognition, or device password. With your Meta Account, passkeys will now work on Instagram, in addition to Facebook and Messenger, with more apps coming soon. WhatsApp passkeys are managed within WhatsApp independently.
• 24/7 protection: Our account security systems work around the clock to detect and stop suspicious activity, helping prevent unauthorized access before it can cause harm.
• Personalized security recommendations: Security Checkup is streamlined with your Meta Account, helping you stay up to date on protections like multi-factor authentication and login alerts across your Meta technologies.

A Central Place for Settings That Matter to You

Your Meta Account is designed to make things easier for you when it comes to managing settings that matter to you.

Settings that apply across Meta apps and devices are managed in one place through your Meta Account — similar to how Accounts Center works today. Now, more settings can be centrally managed this way, including your password, two-factor authentication, and the email address associated with your account. Because these don’t change from app to app, you shouldn’t have to update them separately. 

Settings that are specific to an app remain managed independently so you can also tailor your experiences for each. These kinds of choices are personal to how you use each app, so they live right where you’d expect: inside the app itself. For example, who can see your Facebook posts is a Facebook setting. Similarly, whether someone can tag you in a photo on Instagram is an Instagram setting. These will not change with your Meta Account. Learn more about managing your Meta Account settings here.

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For parents, Meta Account makes it easier to organize teens’ supervised accounts without having to switch between them. You can manage teens’ Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and Meta Horizon settings from a single, simplified dashboard through Family Center, located within your Meta Account. We’ll continue improving our supervision tools to make life easier for busy parents.

Meta Account is here to make your digital life simpler and safer — and this is just the beginning. We’ll add more features over time. Learn more here.

Your Meta Account Questions, Answered

Here are answers to some of the most common things people want to know about their Meta Account.

Does Meta Account change anything for me?

Your day-to-day experiences with Meta technologies will stay the same. Once your Accounts Center updates to a Meta Account, you’ll have a simpler login experience for your apps and devices, enhanced security features, and the ability to manage more settings and preferences in one place. 

What apps and devices are included in Meta Account?

Meta Account supports Meta technologies including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads, Meta AI, AI glasses, and Meta Quest headsets. WhatsApp can be added optionally and will not be in your Meta Account unless you previously added it to your Accounts Center, or choose to add it to your Meta Account later.

Do I have to add all of my apps and devices to one Meta Account?

No. You can choose to have different Meta Accounts for different apps or devices. For example, you can have a Meta Account for your Facebook and another Meta Account for your Instagram profile. You can choose to keep WhatsApp separate from your Meta Account and manage your WhatsApp as you do today.

Will my information be safe with a Meta Account?

Absolutely. Your Meta Account uses industry-leading security features like passkey login, proactive safeguards, and personalized Security Checkup to keep your information safe. You have full control over your privacy settings and account security. Learn more here.

I already have a Meta Account for my Meta Quest and AI glasses. Is this the same thing?

Yes, but your updated Meta Account builds on Accounts Center and now works across more apps and devices — making it easier to log in, control more settings centrally, and keep your information secure.

The post Meta Account: The Simpler Way to Access Your Apps and Devices appeared first on Meta Newsroom.

Apple patched an iPhone notification bug that let deleted messages linger in system storage, closing a privacy gap exposed by an FBI Signal case.

The post Apple Fixes iPhone Bug After FBI Retrieved Signal Messages appeared first on TechRepublic.

Google Pixel users are reporting severe battery drain after recent Android updates, with complaints spanning multiple models and no confirmed fix yet.

The post Google’s Pixel Update Sparks ‘Severe’ Battery Drain Across Multiple Models appeared first on TechRepublic.

Apple’s $599 Mac mini is now sold out, with shortages spreading across configurations amid supply and demand pressures.

The post Apple’s $599 Mac mini Just Sold Out Everywhere appeared first on TechRepublic.

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web. We are seeing Google volatility get heated again...

Danny Sullivan from Google spoke at the Google Search Central event in Toronto a couple of days ago and a few of his slides spoke about it is important to produce "unique, authentic and non-commodity content." And then Sullivan dug into what commodity content is.

Google may now hold your review replies for approval before showing them in Google Maps or Google Search. Previously, those replies were immediately shown but that may have changed.

I know it has been a while since I covered the Google Search ranking volatility and algorithm twitches but I am now seeing signs of the volatility heating up. These signs are mostly coming from the tools; the community seems busier with other things.

Google is experimenting with the new tab view in Chrome. This view brings more Gemini features to the forefront, such as Deep Search and Create Images.

Google recently posted a new job listing for a GEO Partner Manager. The position calls for you to be responsible for the "transition Google's engagement model from Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) discovery to formal ecosystem advocacy."

Google has released version 24 of the Google Ads API, this is a major release with dozens of updates. This update includes changes to Demand Gen, travel feeds, conversion types, shopping, reporting, videos, and much more.

In October, we announced we were building new ways to support parents as they help their teens navigate AI. This included providing parents with insights into the topics their teen has been discussing with Meta’s AI assistant. These insights are now available for parents supervising Teen Accounts in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and Brazil, and they’ll roll out to supervising parents globally in the coming weeks. 

Giving Parents More Insight Into Their Teens’ Conversations With AI

Parents using supervision on Facebook, Messenger, or Instagram will now see a new Insights tab within supervision, both in-app and on web. From there, parents will be able to see the topics their teen has been asking Meta AI about in that specific app over the past week. Topics can range from School, Entertainment, and Lifestyle to Travel, Writing, and Health and Wellbeing, among others. 

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Parents can tap on a topic to see the different categories that fall within each one. For example, categories within Lifestyle include fashion, food, and holidays, and categories within Health and Wellbeing include fitness, physical health, and mental health. 

This is just the starting point. As we roll out these insights to parents around the world, we’ll keep listening to feedback from both parents and experts, and explore ways to make them even more valuable. 

Complementing Existing AI Protections for Teen Accounts

These new insights complement the safety protections already built into AI experiences for Teen Accounts. For example, our AI experiences have been inspired by 13+ movie ratings criteria and parent feedback, meaning Meta AI should not give age-inappropriate responses that would feel out of place in a 13+ movie. This means Meta AI may not answer certain questions, and in some cases may direct teens to resources instead. We’ll still show parents the topic their teen was asking about, even if Meta AI didn’t respond to the question. 

While the insights are designed to give parents greater visibility into the general topics their teens are asking Meta AI about, for sensitive issues related to suicide and self-harm, we’re going further. We recently announced that we’re developing new alerts to let parents know if their teen tries to engage in conversations related to suicide or self-harm with Meta AI — and we’ll have more to share on those alerts soon. 

These new insights and proactive alerts are just some of the ways we’re working to make parental supervision even more valuable for parents. They build on the supervision features already available, which — among other things — allow parents to set time limits, schedule breaks, and see who their teen has been chatting to in the past seven days. We’re encouraged to see these tools are proving helpful to families, with the number of US teens enrolled in supervision more than doubling since last year. 

Helping Parents Approach Conversations About AI

We understand that AI is a new and evolving technology, and one that parents may not always feel confident talking about with their teens. That’s why we worked with the Cyberbullying Research Center to develop conversation starters: open-ended questions parents can ask their teens that are designed to help start non-judgmental conversations about their experiences with AI. Each question comes with guidance for parents, explaining what the specific question is designed to address, and how to approach it. These conversation starters are available on the Family Center website, and parents can also access them through a link in the new Insights tab.

Introducing Meta’s New AI Wellbeing Expert Council

Finally, we’re sharing more information about Meta’s new AI Wellbeing Expert Council, a group of experts who will provide ongoing input on our AI experiences for teens, to help make sure they continue to be safe and age-appropriate. We have a long history of working closely with experts to help inform our policies and products, including our existing AI experiences. Our Suicide and Self-Harm Advisors, Youth Advisors, and Body Image Experts also advise on specific issues, and we’re extremely grateful for their expertise.

Our AI Wellbeing Expert Council is made up of members of these three existing advisory groups, as well as new members with specific expertise in responsible and ethical AI, who are affiliated with the National Council for Suicide Prevention, the University of Michigan, the University of Texas, and the University of Southern California, among others. Meta teams will meet with the AI Wellbeing Expert Council regularly to share updates on the latest AI experiences we’re building for teens and gather feedback for our policy and product teams. This work has already started, with the AI Wellbeing Expert Council providing valuable input in the development of the new insights for parents that we’re announcing today.

The post Helping Parents Understand the Conversations Their Teens Are Having With AI appeared first on Meta Newsroom.

The Google Cloud AI Agent Bake-Off highlights a shift from simple prompt engineering to rigorous agentic engineering, emphasizing that production-ready AI requires a modular, multi-agent architecture. The post outlines five key developer tips, including decomposing complex tasks into specialized sub-agents and using deterministic code for execution to prevent probabilistic errors. Furthermore, it advises developers to prioritize multimodality and open-source protocols like MCP to ensure agents are scalable, integrated, and future-proof against rapidly evolving model capabilities.