Jake Peterson

United States

Senior Technology Editor at Lifehacker

A muppet of a man. Senior Technology Editor, @lifehacker.

Articles

This Massive Data Breach Shows Why We Need to Kill the Password Once and for All

1 week ago | lifehacker.com | Jake Peterson |Gina Trapani |Jordan Calhoun

Passwords are a staple of both the internet and computing at large. Even as new authentication protocols have emerged—from passkeys to biometrics—most of us use passwords to log into our daily accounts and websites using a code made up of letters, numbers, and symbols. The problem is, the password was really a product of its time, and doesn't really belong in the modern digital age.
I Tried Google's Conversation Feature for AI Mode, and I'm Not Sure Who It's For

1 week ago | lifehacker.com | Jake Peterson |Gina Trapani |Jordan Calhoun

If you've spent any time googling over the past month or so, you might have noticed Google pushing a brand-new feature: AI Mode. AI Mode essentially brings an AI chatbot web search to Google Search. (If you've ever used ChatGPT or Gemini to look something up, you might be familiar.) AI Mode takes your query and performs multiple searches at once, combining the results in one final "report." Google's big idea for AI Mode is to enable quick yet thorough results for complex, multi-part searches.
You Might Need to Change Your Switch 2's HDR Settings

1 week ago | lifehacker.com | Jake Peterson |Gina Trapani |Jordan Calhoun

If you have a Switch 2, you might remember configuring the HDR setting during the initial setup process. It's a big new feature for the Switch 2, as many modern games take advantage of HDR to increase the contrast of their visuals. When configured correctly, HDR games can look great. Unfortunately, it seems the Switch 2 is quite difficult to configure correctly, and unless you're an HDR expert, you might not have set yours up properly.
You Might Need to Change Your Switch 2's HDR Settings

1 week ago | au.lifehacker.com | Jake Peterson

If you have a Switch 2, you might remember configuring the HDR setting during the initial setup process. It's a big new feature for the Switch 2, as many modern games take advantage of HDR to increase the contrast of their visuals. When configured correctly, HDR games can look great. Unfortunately, it seems the Switch 2 is quite difficult to configure correctly, and unless you're an HDR expert, you might not have set yours up properly.
Facebook Now Supports Passkeys, and You Should Probably Use Them

1 week ago | lifehacker.com | Jake Peterson |Gina Trapani |Jordan Calhoun

If you've had a Facebook for long enough, you probably know people who have had their accounts "hacked." Maybe this happened to your own account—one minute, you're minding your own business, the next, your friends and family send you texts asking, "Why did you send me this?" and "Were you hacked?" See, your Facebook wasn't "hacked," so much as it was "accessed." Someone figured out your password, either by guessing it, tricking you into sending it, or through a data breach, and logged in on...
Facebook Now Supports Passkeys, and You Should Probably Use Them

1 week ago | au.lifehacker.com | Jake Peterson

If you've had a Facebook for long enough, you probably know people who have had their accounts "hacked." Maybe this happened to your own account—one minute, you're minding your own business, the next, your friends and family send you texts asking, "Why did you send me this?" and "Were you hacked?" See, your Facebook wasn't "hacked," so much as it was "accessed." Someone figured out your password, either by guessing it, tricking you into sending it, or through a data breach, and logged in on...
There's an Official Fix If Your YouTube App Keeps Crashing

1 week ago | au.lifehacker.com | Jake Peterson

If your YouTube app keeps crashing, you're not alone. Following complaints from a broad swath of users, YouTube has officially confirmed issues with its app, including unresponsive button presses as well as unexpected shutdowns. These issues appear to have affected both the Android and iOS versions of the app. The good news is, there is a fix for the problem.
Threads Is Experimenting With Spoiler Alerts on Posts

1 week ago | au.lifehacker.com | Jake Peterson

Try as I might, I can't seem to quit scrolling on social media. Most of the time, it isn't a huge problem—other than raising my anxiety or stress, as any good doomscroll will do. But what's worse than doomscrolling through bad news? Spoilers, of course. Spoilers for movies and TV shows are probably the main thing that makes me consider ditching these apps for good.
Nintendo Will Brick Your Switch 2 If You Play Backed-Up Games

1 week ago | lifehacker.com | Jake Peterson |Gina Trapani |Jordan Calhoun

As it turns out, most companies aren't cool with piracy. That's pretty understandable: The company exists to make money from its products, and if you use their products without paying for them, that's a rather unsustainable business model. How a company chooses to push back against piracy, however, varies wildly. Nintendo, for their part, is quite hawkish when it comes to piracy. The company will ban your console from online play if it detects you playing an unauthorized (pirated) game.
iOS 26 Can Stop Your Kid From Texting New Numbers Without Your Approval

1 week ago | au.lifehacker.com | Jake Peterson

Apple's upcoming iOS 26 update is packed with new features and changes—but not all of them are just for fun. As part of its series of announcements during last week's WWDC, Apple revealed a series of features and changes aimed at helping parents keep their kids and teens safe when using an iPhone. Here are eight of the changes you can expect when your update your family's devices in the fall.