Category: Tech

HBO Max has officially launched in Pakistan as part of its regional expansion across South and Southeast Asia, including countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, Mongolia, and Macau.

The streaming service is available in Pakistan starting at Rs. 800 per month for the Standard plan, which offers 1080p video quality, 30 downloads, and streaming on two devices simultaneously.

For Rs. 1,100 a month, the Premium plan provides 4K resolution, Dolby Atmos sound, 100 downloads, and access on up to four devices. Users can also save up to 46 percent with annual subscriptions, priced at Rs. 5,600 for the Standard plan and Rs. 7,700 for the Premium.

Operated by Warner Bros. Discovery, HBO Max brings a mix of HBO originals, Warner Bros. blockbusters, and shows from DC, Cartoon Network, Discovery Channel, and more. 

Popular titles include The Last of Us, Succession, Game of Thrones, and The Batman.

Rumours of an 18-hour nationwide internet shutdown have spread across social media, creating panic among users in Pakistan. Many users on X claimed that internet services would remain suspended across the country from 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

The claims quickly gained traction as several similar posts appeared online, warning of a complete internet blackout. One user wrote, “Nationwide Internet Shutdown for 18 Hours Starting 11 AM Tomorrow,” while others shared identical posts that fueled further confusion and concern.

However, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) confirmed that no such shutdown is planned. The company explained that users might experience slower internet speeds or brief disruptions because of maintenance work on one of its submarine cables.

According to PTCL, engineers will repair a faulty repeater on October 14, 2025, starting at 11 a.m. The work may continue for up to 18 hours. The company stated that the activity could temporarily affect internet speed and connectivity in some areas.

PTCL expressed regret over the inconvenience and assured users that the internet will remain operational throughout the maintenance period.

Google has announced a free one-year AI Pro Plan for students in Pakistan who are 18 years or older, giving them access to some of the company’s most advanced artificial intelligence tools.

According to the official announcement, eligible students can now access the plan, which includes Google’s latest AI technologies such as the Gemini 2.5 Pro model and the Deep Research feature.

The AI tools will also be integrated into popular Google apps like Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Meet, enabling students to perform tasks more efficiently, from writing email summaries and creating presentations to analyzing data.

The plan further includes access to other tools such as NotebookLM for smart note-taking and Veo 3 and Flow, which allow users to create videos from text or images using AI.

In addition to these features, students will receive 2TB of cloud storage for saving data across Google Drive, Gmail, and Photos.

To avail the free plan, students must register and verify their student status through Google’s Students Offer or Gemini Student Offer page. Once verified, the one-year AI Pro Plan will be activated for their account.

OpenAI has started transforming ChatGPT into a platform that integrates multiple third-party apps, aiming to make the AI chatbot a fully conversational app store.

The company is adding popular services such as Booking.com, Canva, Expedia and Spotify to ChatGPT, which means users will be able complete tasks using these services without leaving the chat or clicking external links.

For example, users will be able to create a new Spotify playlist, plan a trip through Booking.com or design content on Canva directly within ChatGPT through a single prompt.

OpenAI says it plans to expand the list of third-party partners in the coming months and help developers build their own apps for ChatGPT. However, the company has not yet clarified how developers will earn revenue through the platform.

Each time users connect a new app, ChatGPT will request permission and inform them about what data will be shared. 

In some cases, users may also need to link their app accounts for access.

Global technology brand HONOR today announced the launch of the HONOR Play 10, the latest addition to its popular Play Series. Designed to offer users a smooth and reliable smartphone experience at an accessible price point, the HONOR Play 10 combines powerful performance, a clear and immersive display, and a long-lasting battery — making it an ideal choice for everyday entertainment and productivity.

Powerful Performance for Everyday Use

At the heart of the HONOR Play 10 lies the Smooth Helio G81 Octa-core Processor, built to handle multitasking, gaming, and streaming with ease. This efficient chipset ensures fast app launches, fluid navigation, and stable performance, empowering users to stay connected and productive throughout the day.

Immersive FullView Display

The HONOR Play 10 features a stunning 6.74-inch FullView Display, offering crystal-clear visuals and a wide viewing experience ideal for streaming, gaming, and browsing. Whether users are watching their favorite shows or scrolling through social media, the large display provides sharp detail and vibrant colors for an immersive experience.

Long-lasting Battery for All-day Power

Equipped with a 5000mAh battery, the HONOR Play 10 is built to keep up with busy lifestyles. From extended streaming sessions to long hours of calls and browsing, users can enjoy all-day power on a single charge — minimizing the need for frequent top-ups.

Sleek & Accessible

With its sleek design and thoughtfully crafted features, the HONOR Play 10 offers exceptional value without compromise. The device is making smooth performance and immersive entertainment more accessible than ever.

Color, Price and Availability

Catering to users’ unique style preferences, the HONOR Play 10 is available in three eye-catching color options — Black, Purple, and Cyan.
The device will be available starting October 4th, 2025, at authorized retailers and online platforms across Pakistan- at an unbeatable price, to be revealed soon.

About HONOR

HONOR is a leading global provider of smart devices. It is dedicated to becoming a global iconic technology brand and creating a new intelligent world for everyone through its powerful products and services. With an unwavering focus on R&D, it is committed to developing technology that empowers people around the globe to go beyond, giving them the freedom to achieve and do more. Offering a range of high-quality smartphones, tablets, laptops, and wearables to suit every budget, HONOR’s portfolio of innovative, premium, and reliable products enables people to become a better version of themselves.

YouTube has agreed to pay $22 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump after the company suspended his account over the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, according to a court filing Monday.

The online video platform, a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet, is the latest Big Tech firm to settle with Trump after he lodged legal cases challenging his broad deplatforming after January 6.

The $22 million will go toward Trump’s latest construction project at the White House, through a nonprofit called Trust for the National Mall, which is “dedicated to restoring, preserving, and elevating the National Mall, to support the construction of the White House State Ballroom,” per a notice of settlement filing in a California federal court.

Besides the $22 million to Trump’s ballroom venture, YouTube agreed to payments of $2.5 million to a host of other Trump allies, including the American Conservative Union.

Trump reposted a message on his Truth Social platform late Monday saying “this MASSIVE victory proves Big Tech censorship has consequences,” adding that the Republican “fought for free speech and WON!”

Major platforms removed Trump after January 6 amid worries he would promote further violence with bogus claims that voter fraud caused his loss to Joe Biden in 2020.

YouTube blocked Trump from uploading new content on January 12, 2021, pointing to “concerns about the ongoing potential for violence.” The move came in parallel to actions by Facebook and Twitter that also suspended Trump’s ability to post after the January 6 upheaval.

The 79-year-old Republican took social media companies and YouTube to court, claiming he was wrongfully censored.

Trump’s lawyers maintained he was kicked off under “non-existent or broad, vague and ever-shifting standards,” according to the original July 2021 complaint against YouTube and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai.

Trump’s posting privileges were curbed after more than 140 police officers were injured in hours of clashes with pro-Trump rioters wielding flagpoles, baseball bats, hockey sticks and other makeshift weapons, along with Tasers and canisters of bear spray. They wanted to block Congress from certifying Biden’s win.

– Free speech violation? –

Legal experts have seen Trump’s claims against the tech giants as shaky at best, noting that the First Amendment of the US Constitution bars the government, but not a private actor, from restricting speech.

YouTube “is not a state actor and its exercise of editorial discretion over its private service does not implicate Plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights,” the company said in a December 2021 rebuttal to Trump’s brief.

Journalism watchdog group Media Matters decried the settlement, saying it portends continued First Amendment problems under Trump.

“YouTube’s capitulation is shameful and shortsighted. Needlessly folding now will only help encourage Trump’s efforts to stifle dissent by bringing media and online platforms to heel,” the group’s president Angelo Carusone told AFP in a statement.

However, tech and media companies have greenlighted settlements to Trump since his return to office as they await action from Washington on major matters affecting their businesses.

Big questions facing YouTube and Google/Alphabet include a trial in Virginia in which a federal court is weighing a request from government lawyers to order the breakup of the search engine giant’s ad technology business.

In February, Elon Musk’s X settled for about $10 million in a Trump lawsuit against the company and its former chief executive Jack Dorsey.

In January, days after Trump’s inauguration, Meta agreed to pay $25 million to settle his complaint, with $22 million of the payment going toward funding his future presidential library.

Media companies have also agreed to settlements with Trump in cases brought by the president that experts see as legally dodgy.

For example, Paramount Global agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Trump over an interview with former vice president Kamala Harris that Trump claimed was edited unfairly. The accord came as Paramount sought approval for its acquisition by Skydance.

The Federal Communications Commission approved the $8 billion takeover of Paramount in July.

Google has made its consumer AI subscriptions available in Pakistani rupees, removing a major payments barrier for users without international‑enabled credit cards. The move brings the Google AI Plus plan, part of the Google One family, to Pakistan as one of 40 new markets with pricing and billing handled locally.

The AI Plus plan costs approximately Rs1,400 per month, with an introductory 50 percent discount for the first six months. The subscription includes higher usage limits in the Gemini app, access to Gemini 2.5 Pro, Veo 3 Fast for video generation, integration of Gemini in Gmail, Docs, and Sheets, 200GB of Google One storage, and family sharing for up to five members. Google did not set a global price, noting that costs vary by country, but confirmed Pakistan is included in the rollout.

Rupee billing uses Google’s existing payment system in Pakistan, where Google One storage plans have long displayed prices in PKR. This indicates that locally issued cards can likely be used for the AI subscription without relying on international payments.

By contrast, most competing AI subscriptions in Pakistan continue to bill in US dollars. OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plus costs $20 per month, Microsoft’s Copilot Pro charges $20 per user monthly, and Anthropic’s Claude Pro is priced in foreign currency outside supported sterling markets. Users in Pakistan often encounter card‑acceptance issues due to bank restrictions or processor rejection of international recurring payments. Many guides suggest workarounds such as virtual cards or third‑party gateways, which add cost and complexity.

From a commercial perspective, Google has combined rupee pricing, an introductory discount, and bundled services to reduce friction and encourage adoption. This makes it easier for households to subscribe and share without managing foreign cards or exchange rates.

The strategy reflects approaches in other price‑sensitive markets. In India, for instance, Perplexity partnered with Bharti Airtel to offer Perplexity Pro at no charge to subscribers, removing barriers at the point of purchase. Google’s local currency approach follows a similar logic, aiming to increase uptake and establish habitual use.

The success of the rollout will depend on price sustainability and feature offerings. While the discount reduces the initial cost, a return to the full price may affect retention. Users may also compare capabilities with rivals and retain free accounts until must‑have features are introduced. For now, Google remains the only major AI provider in Pakistan offering a subscription priced in rupees and compatible with locally issued cards, along with a bundled plan that can be shared among multiple users.

Just weeks after Apple launched the iPhone 17 series, customers and tech experts are raising concerns that the new Pro models scratch too easily. The issue has sparked the online trend ‘Scratchgate’ with frustrated buyers sharing photos and reviews.

The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max use a new anodised aluminium unibody frame instead of the titanium used in last year’s models. Apple introduced the change to make the phones lighter, but users say the darker finishes, especially Deep Blue, show scratches within hours of use.

Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman highlighted the problem, noting on X: “It looks like the iPhone 17 Pro in Deep Blue is scratch prone due to its anodized aluminum frame. Not entirely surprising. The dark aluminum iPhone models in prior years had a similar issue. This is actually probably why there’s no black version.”

It looks like the iPhone 17 Pro in Deep Blue is scratch prone due to its anodized aluminum frame. Not entirely surprising. The dark aluminum iPhone models in prior years had a similar issue. This is actually probably why there’s no black version. https://t.co/9XmkrZyQsH

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) September 19, 2025

Visitors to Apple Stores also reported seeing scratches on display units. 

One user wrote, “Barely a day in the showroom, and the iPhone 17 Pro and Max backplates have a bunch of visible scratches. Is this the beginning of a #Scratchgate?” Another added, “I guess they weren’t lying when they said the iPhone 17 Pro phones scratch easily.”

Durability reviewer JerryRigEverything tested both models and confirmed they passed bend tests. However, he found what he called a Scratchgate problem around the camera area, with the Deep Blue finish showing the most damage. He noted stains on the rear glass could be wiped away but warned that scratches on the frame were permanent.

Other buyers echoed the frustration. “Demo unit iPhone 17 Pro scratches on day one. Use a case immediately if you don’t want to experience this issue,” wrote one user. Another said, “Scratchgate issue with the iPhone 17 Pro is very real. The quality of this top-of-the-line phone is absolutely unacceptable.”

Apple has not commented on the complaints. In the meantime, users are advising new buyers to protect their devices with cases to avoid visible damage.

Punjab is set to revolutionise its procedure for issuance of driving licenses by introducing cars equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) to conduct tests.

According to Traffic Police DIG Waqar Nazeer, the AI-powered cars, developed in Lahore, will handle every stage of the test automatically, aiming to bring transparency and efficiency to the process.

The advanced software installed in the vehicles will evaluate the driver’s performance without human involvement. For instance, if a candidate uses the reverse gear more than once, the system will immediately mark them as failed and shut down the car.

The vehicles will also come equipped with multiple cameras to record every aspect of the test. These cameras will not only assess the applicant’s driving skills but also detect any irregularities during the examination.

Officials confirmed that 200 such AI-enabled vehicles will soon be rolled out across driving test centres in the province. The initiative seeks to standardise testing and eliminate human errors in the evaluation process.

Experts believe the new system will improve driving standards and play a vital role in reducing road accidents.

Information Technology (IT) Secretary Zarrar Hasham has informed the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on IT and Telecommunication that restoration work on damaged undersea internet cables could take four to five weeks.

In response to a question about slow internet and service outages across the country, Hasham said that multiple cables had been severed off the Yemeni coast, resulting in connectivity issues. “Not just one or two but four or five cables have been cut,” he told the meeting held at Islamabad’s IT Park.

“The issue is serious considering the situation in Yemen. Two cables coming to Pakistan have been affected,” Hasham said and added that bandwidth had been temporarily diverted to other networks.

“Repairing the cables may take four to five weeks,” he said, noting that special boats would be required to carry out the work.

Hasham also confirmed that three new cables were coming in the next 12 to 18 months, which would provide connectivity to Pakistan from Europe. “Agreements have been made to bring these three cables to Pakistan.”

Damage to undersea cables has caused widespread disruptions in Pakistan’s internet services. The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) warned earlier this month that internet service during peak hours may be impacted by submarine cable cuts in Saudi waters. 

Partial bandwidth capacity on the India-Middle East-Western Europe (IMEWE) and South Asia-Middle East-West Asia (SMW4) networks has been affected by the damage.