Acti has transformed your smartphone keyboard into an AI assistant.

      One keyboard that types your messages and manages your tasks. This could be the enhancement your thumbs have been longing for.

      Your smartphone's keyboard is the interface you engage with the most, yet it has mostly remained unchanged since its debut two decades ago. While it has improved at recognizing our typing habits and predicting text, its overall functionality has stayed the same.

      A startup from Singapore named Acti examined the keyboard and the significant space it consumes on your smartphone and posed an interesting question. Why not make it actually perform actions? After witnessing its keyboard in action, I believe this idea has potential.

      Acti, short for "action," has just launched on iOS and Android. It is an agentic keyboard, which means it does more than just propose your next word. It can carry out tasks within the apps you already use, such as messaging, emailing, or social networking.

      So, how does it actually operate?

      The highlight of the keyboard is the ActiBar, which replaces the standard space bar. You can press it to type normally or hold it down to initiate an action. For instance, if a friend asks for your location, you can type it in the chat and hold the ActiBar. It will locate that information and insert it into the chat.

      Likewise, you can use it to search for scores, nearby restaurants, and much more. It even generates live mini-apps to share items so the other person can easily browse what it has found.

      It extends beyond just the space bar. You can assign actions to any key on the keyboard and link it with third-party apps. Acti provided several examples to illustrate this feature. For example, you can hold N to bring up a specific Notion document and send it in the chat, or hold L to display a LinkedIn profile when someone mentions a name.

      Acti isn't performing any tasks that other AI agents can't accomplish. What sets it apart is that it operates directly within the keyboard, meaning you don't need to switch applications to access your assistant.

      What other capabilities does Acti have?

      Acti also enables users to create their own shortcuts, referred to as Skills, by simply describing their requests in everyday language. You can keep these private or share them with the community.

      The app is local-first, ensuring that your personal information remains on your device unless you utilize a feature that requires external assistance. Acti is free to start, with plans for subscription-based premium features.

      Rachit is an experienced tech journalist with over ten years of reporting on consumer technology.

      Google plans to enhance the security of Android 17 by making it more difficult for malicious individuals to guess and crack your phone’s PIN. Thieves will now only have 20 attempts before being locked out.

      The company has confirmed that Android 17 will decrease the number of times someone can guess your PIN or password and will introduce longer waiting periods between failed attempts. Thanks to a detailed analysis from Mishaal Rahman, we now have a clearer understanding of the extent of this adjustment.

      Finding photos has become significantly easier with Siri AI in iOS 27, eliminating the need for endless scrolling.

      The natural language photo search feature in iOS 27 is one of those quietly essential additions. My camera roll has surpassed 8,000 photos, capturing random instances that fade from memory. The challenge arises when someone asks for a specific image. Whether it’s a portrait from last weekend or food photos taken with my phone, locating those pictures often requires scrolling through my seemingly never-ending camera roll. If the photo is a month or two old, I find myself scrolling past countless other images, and that quickly becomes tiresome.

      WhatsApp reassures that usernames won't expose you to scammers.

      The new measures include username keys, rate limits, and anti-impersonation protections. WhatsApp's eagerly awaited username feature is now being rolled out to users. However, with its announcement, many immediately questioned whether this would make it easier for scammers to contact strangers. WhatsApp has clarified why it believes that scenario is unlikely. It states that usernames will not be as publicly accessible as those on Telegram.