News

Xbox Will Retire Games With Gold On September 14

Existing subscribers will get a handful of free titles, but new monthly additions are disappearing.

Published

2 years ago

July 18, 2023

Nour Nasir

xbox will retire games with gold on september 14

Microsoft

Xbox parent company Microsoft has revealed that Xbox Live Gold will be replaced with a Game Pass Core tier on September 14, 2023. As before, the $60 per year (or $10 per month) subscription will be necessary to play most online multiplayer games, but how Xbox handles free game downloads will change.

The steady flow of unique titles will be replaced by a base collection of over 25 games, with new additions limited to bi or tri-annual additions. Most titles will come from Microsoft’s catalog, including franchises such as Doom, Forza Horizon, and Halo 5. Third-party content will be far more limited, though titles such as Among Us and Human Fall Flat are known to be included.

Existing Xbox Live Gold members will automatically switch to Game Pass Core when the old service ends on September 1st. However, subscribers can still access any Xbox One games claimed if they’re either a Core or Ultimate member. Redeemed Xbox 360 games will be yours to keep forever, even if your subscription lapses.

Also Read: Top 10 Best Video Games Set In The Middle East

The change might be disappointing for players used to Games with Gold’s more frequent catalog refreshes. While you do get some hits, Microsoft is obviously trying to steer gamers towards an Ultimate subscription, where a much larger selection of titles can be found, including cloud gaming and an EA Play membership.

Microsoft stopped offering year-long subscriptions back in 2020 and ditched Xbox 360 games in 2022. The company announced plans to raise Gold prices in 2021 before quickly reversing its decision.

News

Truecaller For iPhone Gets Real-Time Caller ID And Auto Spam Blocking

The latest update integrates with Apple’s Live Caller ID Lookup framework, launched with iOS 18 last year.

Published

1 hour ago

January 23, 2025

Nour Nasir

Truecaller

Truecaller has rolled out a major update for iPhone users, introducing API support that brings real-time caller identification and automatic spam blocking. The upgrade aims to bring the iOS version of the app closer to its Android counterpart, which has long offered these advanced call-screening features.

The latest update integrates with Apple’s Live Caller ID Lookup framework, launched with iOS 18 last year. The technology allows third-party apps to cross-check incoming calls against a database of known spam numbers in real-time. Importantly, the process employs “homomorphic encryption,” ensuring user privacy by masking the caller’s number, concealing the client’s IP address, and using anonymous authentication.

With this update, Truecaller has also introduced global automatic spam call blocking for iPhones. However, the real-time caller ID feature is being released gradually and is available only to Truecaller Premium subscribers on iPhones running iOS 18.2 or later. Free users will still have access to ad-supported features, such as manual number searches and caller identification for verified businesses.

How To Enable The New Features

To activate the new features, follow these steps:

Update the Truecaller app to version 14.0 or newer via the App Store.
Go to Settings > Apps > Phone > Call Blocking & Identification on your iPhone.
Turn on all Truecaller toggles, then restart the app.

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While these features are new to iOS, Truecaller has hinted at this update for months. Following Apple’s iOS 18 update and the introduction of its Live Caller ID API last September, Truecaller Co-founder Alan Mamedi shared his excitement on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “Truecaller finally works on iPhone”.

The global rollout of spam call blocking is already live, but users may need to wait for gradual access to the live caller ID feature.