Here’s your 60-second tech roundup for today: ChatGPT can now read and reply to your iMessages on a Mac, Google’s Pixel Watch 5 lands its first full review, the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 beta finally goes live, Take-Two escalates its legal hunt for the GTA 6 leaker, and Arc Raiders is pausing one of its most divisive systems. Let’s get into today’s tech roundup.
Table of Contents
This tech roundup starts with a major AI move from OpenAI.
1. ChatGPT Can Now Read and Reply to Your iMessages on Mac
OpenAI has launched a new plugin that lets ChatGPT read and respond to Apple Messages directly on a Mac, one of its most aggressive moves yet to weave the chatbot into everyday communication. According to Engadget, the feature is currently limited to ChatGPT Work and Codex users, who can ask the assistant to search past conversations, draft replies, and send messages without ever opening the Messages app themselves. In a demo OpenAI shared, a user asked ChatGPT to catch them up on a conversation from the day before, then had the assistant write and send a reply on the spot.
The plugin requires users to grant ChatGPT full access to their Mac’s Messages history, contacts, and automation tools, a steep enough permissions list that nobody could install it by accident. OpenAI told Engadget the tool does not index a user’s texts, and that ChatGPT will not read a thread or send a message unless explicitly prompted and approved first. It’s worth noting Apple and OpenAI aren’t exactly on friendly terms lately, since Apple sued OpenAI in July over trade secrets and has a history of cutting off third-party apps it hasn’t blessed. For more on how quickly AI companies are racing into daily life, see our recent look at this week’s biggest AI developments.
Next in this tech roundup: Google’s newest wearable gets its first full review.
2. Pixel Watch 5 Review: A Great Smartwatch With a Few Gaps
Engadget’s full review of the Pixel Watch 5 landed this week, awarding the device a 9 out of 10 while calling it “a fantastic watch that’s missing features at launch.” The reviewer praised on-device Gemini, which now works without a phone connection, along with fast charging and more functional double-pinch gestures. However, several announced features, including a workout builder and blood pressure and insulin resistance trend reports, won’t actually arrive until September, after the watch is already in customers’ hands.
The watch also introduces what Google calls its most accurate GPS route-tracking yet, using a global network of reference stations to compensate for signal interference near tall buildings. In testing, the reviewer found the Pixel Watch 5 roughly matched the battery life of the Apple Watch Series 11, at just under two full days per charge. It’s a solid, if incremental, upgrade over the Pixel Watch 4, and this week’s tech roundup wouldn’t be complete without it.
Up next in this tech roundup: the Modern Warfare 4 beta finally arrives.
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Beta Goes Live
Gaming news dominates a good chunk of this tech roundup today.
Activision and Infinity Ward kicked off early access testing for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 this week, with the early access beta running from August 21 through August 25 for players who pre-ordered, according to Xbox Wire. A second, fully open beta weekend follows on August 28, giving everyone else a chance to try the new multiplayer maps and movement system before launch.
The beta includes a handful of multiplayer modes and maps meant to show off the game’s refreshed movement and gunplay, along with early looks at weapon progression. Modern Warfare 4 is set to arrive on October 23, notably the first entry in the franchise skipping a last-generation PS4 release entirely, a sign of how quickly the console landscape keeps shifting.
This tech roundup continues with a legal twist in the GTA 6 leak saga.
4. Take-Two Subpoenas Microsoft and Discord Over GTA 6 Leaks
The GTA 6 leak saga we covered in our earlier roundup on the leaks just escalated further. Take-Two has now filed petitions in federal court asking to subpoena Microsoft and Discord for records tied to the “Cyberleek” persona behind the ongoing spree of gameplay leaks, according to Kotaku. The filings seek account details, login records, and any linked Xbox or OneDrive data connected to the leaker’s identity, with both companies given until September 4 to respond.
It’s one of the bigger legal stories we’ve featured in a tech roundup this year.
The subpoenas also target several Discord servers, including one run by a popular GTA streamer who says he has no connection to the leaks and was surprised to be named. Meanwhile, online sleuths have separately traced a cryptocurrency token the leaker created to promote the leaks, suggesting the whole operation may be more of a profit scheme than the anti-corporate protest it claims to be. Rockstar still hasn’t publicly commented on the situation.
Rounding out this tech roundup is a shake-up in the extraction shooter genre.
5. Arc Raiders Pauses Expeditions Until Early 2027
Embark Studios confirmed that the fifth Expedition coming to Arc Raiders on September 8 will be the extraction shooter’s last until at least early 2027, according to Insider Gaming. Expeditions let players voluntarily wipe their progress in exchange for permanent rewards, but the system has drawn steady criticism over its limited windows and reward structure since launch.
Embark says “bigger changes” are needed before Expeditions return, though it hasn’t detailed what those changes will look like or exactly when the revamped system will ship. In the meantime, the studio is leaning on its upcoming Frozen Trail update to keep players engaged, though the long gap raises real questions about how the game will keep its hardcore community invested without one of its core progression loops.
That wraps up this tech roundup. From AI creeping further into how we message each other to a legal showdown over the most-leaked game of the year, it’s clear the pace of tech news isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
Before we close out this tech roundup, here are quick answers to the questions readers keep asking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can ChatGPT really read my iMessages?
Only if you opt in. The new plugin is currently limited to ChatGPT Work and Codex users on Mac, and it requires several manual permission steps before it can access Messages data.
Is the Pixel Watch 5 worth upgrading to?
If you already own a Pixel Watch 4, reviewers say it’s not a must-have upgrade. New Pixel Watch owners, however, get solid gains from offline Gemini and improved GPS tracking.
When can I play the Modern Warfare 4 beta?
Early access runs August 21 to 25 for pre-order customers, followed by a fully open beta weekend starting August 28 for everyone else.
Why is Take-Two subpoenaing Microsoft and Discord?
Take-Two wants identifying account records to help unmask the person behind the “Cyberleek” GTA 6 leaks, which have been circulating across Discord servers and cloud storage tied to Microsoft accounts.
Why did Arc Raiders pause Expeditions?
Embark Studios says the progress-wiping Expedition system needs a bigger overhaul after persistent community complaints, so it’s pausing new Expeditions after the fifth one until early 2027.
That’s a wrap on today’s tech roundup — check back tomorrow for the next one.
