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• Microsoft has confirmed a bug is taking out audio on some PCs
• It’s affecting all versions of Windows 11, and also Windows 10, mainly hitting those who use a DAC with their PC setup
• A fix is in the pipeline, we’re told

Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 11 has an audio bug (that we reported on yesterday), a glitch which can take out the PC’s sound completely, and it’s now clear that this affects multiple Windows versions.

That means not just those on Windows 11 24H2 (an update that’s still rolling out), but people running 23H2 and 22H2, and also Windows 10, making this an unusually widespread bug to say the least.

This problem was first noticed by Windows Latest and is lurking within the January 2025 cumulative updates for these OS versions.

The tech site ran into the issue after they installed the January update for Windows 11 (24H2), whereupon the audio on their PC immediately stopped working.

Apparently, this bug mainly affects those with use an audio DAC (digital-to-analog converter) hooked up via USB, but it can happen to any unlucky Windows 11 (or 10) user who grabs the latest patch.

As Windows Latest spotted, Microsoft has confirmed the issue, stating that: “After installing this security update, you might experience issues with USB audio devices. You are more likely to experience this issue if you are using a USB 1.0 audio driver-based DAC in your audio setup.”

Sadly, there isn’t a fix, and the only way to avoid your audio being torpedoed is to remove the external DAC (assuming you’re using one, and this is what’s causing the problem). In other words, just plug the audio device directly into your PC, instead of via the DAC.

Microsoft further notes: “We are working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release.”

(Image credit: Marjan Apostolovic / Shutterstock) Analysis: An update oddity indeed

This is an odd one for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it’s unusual to see a bug disrupting every available version of Windows 11, and Windows 10 as well – that represents an alarming across-the-board clattering of dominoes.

Secondly, the January update doesn’t bring anything in the way of new features (to any of these OS versions). It’s a very straightforward patch applying security fixes, and that’s all. So, it really shouldn’t be causing any issues, but clearly, it is.

Why? Well, your guess is as good as mine, but if you want to hear my stab-in-the-dark, it’s that someone has been tweaking something deep inside of Windows as part of those security measures. Why do I say that? Given that the bug is present across all versions, going back to Windows 10, it surely must have been an old, core part of the operating system codebase that was tweaked (and broke something).

Whatever the case, this is yet another hassle for Windows 11 users, particularly those on 24H2, some of who’ve been experiencing a very hard time of it lately, with a seemingly relentless stream of bugs crawling in the general direction of those users. Most recently, that includes another audio bug, and a whole bunch of nastiness that has been visited on PC gamers in one form or another.

Are some of those 24H2 users getting very fed up? I’d say that’s likely, particularly the gamers, but hopefully the teething troubles caused by what I presume is the under-the-hood transition to the Germanium platform (introduced with 24H2, and a key element for Copilot+ PCs) will soon start to settle down.

In the case of this audio bug, though, clearly it has nothing to do with Germanium seeing its widespread presence outside of 24H2. With any luck, the promised fix from Microsoft won’t take long.

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• Google’s Chrome Web Store for Enterprise has been made available
• It’s free to use for Chrome Enterprise Core and Premium users
• Two new features are coming later in 2025

Google’s Chrome Web Store for Enterprises has officially launched, meaning company IT admins are about to have much more control over the type of browser extensions employees can access.

First teased back in October 2024, the new Enterprise-destined Chrome Web Store allows organizations to curate lists of pre-approved Chrome extensions for their workers to help reduce the risks associated with malicious extensions.

Tools built into the admin controls will display disk scores for extensions to provide additional visibility into the potential risks.

Chrome Enterprise Web Store

The feature relies on Google’s security operations (SecOps) tools to offer real-time telemetry and risk scoring, providing IT admins with detailed insights into extension usage and more, but risk scores are provided by third-party platform spin.AI.

“By providing greater control, visibility, and security, Google is committed to empowering businesses to harness the full potential of Chrome extensions while safeguarding their critical assets," Chrome Web Store & Extensions Product Manager Hafsah Ismail and Chrome Enterprise Product Manager Maxime Martin wrote in the announcement.

Hafsah and Martin summarized the benefits, which include simplified access, enhanced security, increased productivity, customizable interface, and more transparency.

The company-specific Web Stores will also feature company branding, including logos, imagery, and announcements, allowing enterprises further customization of their employee experiences.

Besides the ability to curate pre-approved lists, admins will also be able to remotely remove extensions from users’ systems in an update later this year. Another update arriving this year will let Enterprise admins look forward to customer block messages on extension detail pages. Google hopes this will reduce end-user requests to IT.

The new Chrome Web Store is available free of charge to Chrome Enterprise Core and Chrome Enterprise Premium users.

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• There's a new Apple Support doc about AirPods updates
• Spoiler: You're doing it correctly already
• If things go wrong, try, try again

Apple's AirPods, AirPods Pro and AirPods Max aren't like other Apple products: where iPhones, iPads and Macs update their software through a visible and straightforward process, Apple's headphones are more mysterious. Or at least, they were until now.

At long last, Apple has clarified what you need to do to update the best AirPods of all kinds. And it's simple: just wait for a full moon, turn out your pockets three times, and dance the dance of the AirPods update. If you've been good then the AirPods gods will smile upon you and bless your buds.

Well, not quite. But even with the clarification it's still a bit opaque.

How to update the software in AirPods, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Max

Apple has updated its AirPods firmware support page (via The Verg) to explain exactly how to perform an AirPods or AirPods Max firmware update. And the steps are:

• You need to be in Bluetooth range of your iPhone, iPad or Mac, and that device needs to be connected to Wi-Fi.
• For earbuds: put them into the charging case and close the lid. Plug the charging case into a USB charger or port.
• For AirPods Max: plug the charging cable into the right earphone and connect the other end to a into a USB charger or port.
• Wait 30 minutes.
• Reconnect your earbuds or headphones to your iPhone, iPad or Mac.

I'm being a bit snarky but there is some new information here: I was aware of all the steps but I didn't know it could take up to 30 minutes for the update to complete, which perhaps explains why I've been annoyed by firmware updates I knew were available but that didn't install when I wanted them to.

While the new information is handy, it'd be nice if there were a notification to let you know your update was complete; at the moment you still need to go into Bluetooth settings and check the firmware version manually to see if it's been updated. Maybe Apple will add a notification in a future iOS update.

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• Powerbeats Pro 2 images have been leaked by noted tipster Arsène Lupin on X
• The images confirm previous leaks, predicting orange, lilac, and white finishes
• This leak follows rumors that Beats' new buds will feature heart-rate monitors

Another day, another Powerbeats Pro 2 leak, but this one allegedly shows us not only colorways and design tweaks but also a much-requested feature: a heart-rate monitor in the companion app.

The rumor mill's really ramped up a gear in the past couple of weeks, most recently thanks to MacRumors (who spotted a hidden line of code in iOS 18, reportedly revealing that Powerbeats Pro 2 can be used in conjunction with gym equipment to measure heart rate), which came hot on the heels of the Powerbeats Pro 2's appearance in an official database on January 17.

And now, we get to see them in what looks to be unreleased press shots (read: on someone other than baseball star Shohei Ohtani, or quarterback for the Colorado Buffaloes Shedeur Sanders – awesome though those images were).

The images were leaked by noted tech tipster Arsène Lupin on X (or Twitter), who has the excellent handle @MysteryLupin, but it's important to note that the photos are just that – leaked images, rather than anything official from Apple. So, take them with as much of your preferred seasoning as you'd like.

pic.twitter.com/NoFOEbFXrNJanuary 27, 2025

Powerbeats Pro 2: what we know now

The ticker-taking button we'd all be hoping for…  (Image credit: Arsène Lupin (via X))

Obviously, these images don't tell us definitively whether or not the incoming Powerbeats Pro 2 will beat AirPods to sporting on-ear heart-rate monitors (although ticker-taking AirPods are likely coming, though perhaps not even as soon as the AirPods Pro 3) but there is one telling image to get excited about. Look at the photo of the woman using the app: see the icons for different spatial sound profiles – and crucially, the separate button labeled 'Heart Rate'?

The images also back up data found in the code for iOS, which mentioned beige, black, orange, and purple color options, which of course checks out here.

Looks-wise (because that's all you typically get with images), we'd been wanting more slender arms and a slightly more pocketable case, and it looks as if that's exactly what we've got.

Obviously, there's no further information on chipset, battery life, stamina, or other additional features within the images (and we've already mentioned that these images are not to be relied upon as concrete evidence), but it's great to see toggles for different sonic profiles – and given the sporty nature of the photos, it looks as if this new Powerbeats Pro iteration is still very much the set of earbuds Beats wants its athletic fanbase to purchase.

Release date? Pricing? Those details are still very much at large. But as we see it, so shall you. It's our job, and we take it very seriously.

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• A listing for the Nintendo Switch 2 has appeared at an online Italian retailer
• The Switch 2 is listed with a €364.99 / $385 / £307 price tag
• This would make the console slightly more expensive than the Switch OLED

Just because the Nintendo Switch 2 has been revealed doesn't mean the leaks have stopped, and the latest may have given us an idea of how much the console will cost.

According to a newly uploaded listing on the Italian retailer Games and Movies the Switch successor will seemingly cost €364.99, which is roughly $385 / £307 (via NintendoLife).

The website also features an apparent release date, reading, "Pre-order product. Estimated availability: 31 December 2025", although it's highly likely that this is just a placeholder date.

Interestingly, the €364.99 / $385 / £307 price point puts the Switch 2 at just €15 / $15 / £12.58 more than the Nintendo Switch OLED, which is the most expensive Switch model currently available.

Nintendo has yet to announce an official launch date for the console, we only know that it will be arriving in 2025, so the retailer's current price listing could prove to be a placeholder to encourage interest in early pre-orders.

For now, we can only speculate on how much the next Nintendo handheld will cost, however, if we consider the console's more powerful hardware it could certainly have a higher price point than its predecessor.

TechRadar Gaming predicts that Nintendo will keep the cost of the Switch 2 at around $399.99 / £349.99 / AU$699.95, or lower.

Alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal earlier this month, it was confirmed that a Nintendo Direct showcase will air on April 2, 2025, which will hopefully provide us with a release date and a deeper look at the hardware and software.

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• The Empress has been renewed for a third and final season
• The German period drama has been one of the most-watched Netflix shows
• Season 3 plot details have not yet been revealed

The Empress (Die Kaiserin) will make one last royal return to Netflix as the German historical drama series has been renewed for a third and final season.

Much like Bridgerton, My Lady Jane, and The Serpent Queen, the Emmy award-winning series has been crowned a global success, with season 1 staying in the global Netflix top 10 most-watched non-English shows ranking for five straight weeks in 2022. The Empress season 2 was just as popular and became one of the most successful Netflix series worldwide in 2024 after making it into the Top 10 list in 84 countries.

Netflix's German social media accounts confirmed that Empress Elisabeth and Emperor Franz's romance would continue in season 3, with a post translated into English saying: “Love, drama and intrigue. The story continues. Season 3 is coming."

Liebe, Drama und Intrigen. Die Geschichte geht weiter. Staffel 3 kommt. pic.twitter.com/58tII2gBW7January 27, 2025

What can we expect in The Empress season 3?

The Empress, which is one of the best Netflix shows, tells the story of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, known as Sisi (Devrim Lingnau), who is forced to navigate complex court politics after marrying Emperor Franz Joseph (Philip Froissant).

While official plot details for The Empress season 3 are yet to be revealed, The Empress season 2, which was one of three new Netflix shows I was excited to watch last year, sees Franz face a powerful European adversary just as the young couple hope to enjoy their newfound marital bliss.

Meanwhile, Elisabeth faces fresh struggles of her own as she's under intense pressure to produce an heir to secure the future of the empire. As fate strikes, their love threatens to break apart and Elisabeth must fight for her family and the integrity of her soul.

Showrunner Katharina Eyssen said of the renewal to Netflix: "It sometimes leaves me speechless to see how many people we have been able to reach and touch all over the world with The Empress. To be able to continue and conclude this story together with our team and the unique ensemble cast is nothing less than a gift."

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• The Google Pixel 9a is rumored to launch with a pricier storage upgrade than the Pixel 8a
• The phone is expected in March this year, and will likely feature upgraded specs and a new, surprisingly un-Pixel-like design
• We aren't sure how reliable the pricing rumor is, as the source is anonymous

The Google Pixel 9a may keep the same starting price as the Pixel 8a, but come with a price hike for its higher storage variant, if a new rumor is to be believed.

According to a report from Android Headlines that only credits “our sources”, the Google Pixel 9a will launch at $499 in the US for the model with 128GB of storage – that’s the same as the current-gen Pixel 8a, and if prices hold steady elsewhere, that means we’ll see a launch price of £499 / AU$849 in the UK and Australia.

However, the report also suggests that the expanded 256GB model will come in at $599 – that’s a $40 hike on last year’s model. This may be reflected in pricing for the UK and Australia too, in which case we’d expect to see a price of around £599 / AU$1,000, but Google may elect to change regional pricing individually.

For example, the Pixel 8a launched at $499 / £499 / AU$849, which was the same as the Pixel 7a in the US, but £50 more expensive in the UK and $100 more expensive in Australia.

This pricing structure equates the value of 128GB of storage to $100, which is also the basis for the pricing of the flagship Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro models.

A price hike of any kind is never good news, but a stable launch price is perhaps more important for a phone targeting budget-conscious consumers. And as a follow-up to the Pixel 8a – our present choice for the best budget Android phone – the Pixel 9a is likely to offer great value for money regardless.

A leaked render of the Google Pixel 9a, showing the new design with no camera bar (Image credit: Android Headlines / @OnLeaks)

We’ve been reporting on leaks about the upcoming cheaper Pixel phone for months, and, if these rumors are to be believed, we’ll be getting a very capable midrange handset from Google in March 2025.

We previously reported that the Pixel 9a is rumored to have a 6.3-inch 120Hz display, the flagship-class Tensor G4 chipset, and 8GB of RAM.

As for cameras, we’re expecting the Pixel 9a to sport a 48MP main camera, 13MP ultra-wide, and 13MP selfie camera. That main camera might seem like a downgrade on the Pixel 8a’s 64MP snapper, but as T3 reports, this could be the same sensor found on the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which would be considered an upgrade on the 8a.

The Pixel 9a is also expected to get a refreshed design that ditches the iconic Pixel camera bar for an oval cutout, and come equipped with a 5,100mAh battery; that would be larger than the one in the Pixel 9 Pro XL, and even larger than the batteries in the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

We shouldn’t have to wait too long for official details about the Pixel 9a, but for now, the above is based on rumors and leaks. The pricing rumor stems from an anonymous source, so we can't say for sure how reliable it is.

If you can’t wait until March to see whether the Pixel 9a is for you, be sure to check out our lists of the best Android phones and best cheap phones for more options.

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