Technology

Recode Daily: Your iPhone goes up to 11 today

Plus, Equifax faces a criminal probe, Sonos is readying a speaker that works with multiple voice assistants, and “South Park” messes with Alexa.

by Recode Staff

Sep 19, 2017, 3:49 PM UTC

“Spinal Tap” / MGM

Apple’s new mobile operating system, iOS 11, launches today — just three days before the company’s new iPhone 8 and 8 Plus start appearing in stores and at preorderer’s doors. Apple software updates have tended to appear around 10 am PT; watch your phone for a notification. It should be safe to install: Apple has road-tested the release with a series of public betas, but just in case, here’s how to get your devices ready for the new OS. Noteworthy changes include all-new interfaces for Control Center and the App Store, and your iPad will change dramatically with iOS 11 installed. What you won’t see: Apple’s new person-to-person money transfer system for iPhone and iPad, called “Apple Pay Cash,” which is now “coming this fall.” [CNET]

Equifax is facing a criminal probe by the U.S. Justice Department, which is investigating whether three top officials at the credit bureau violated insider trading laws when they sold nearly $2 million worth of stock before the company disclosed a massive cyber theft that compromised the private financial information of 143 million people. Shares of Equifax have fallen 35 percent since the breach was disclosed on July 29; it has been revealed that the company suffered an earlier breach in March. [Karen Turner / Vox]

Facebook and other tech giants are increasingly coming into conflict with governments around the world that are exerting greater control over the formerly anything-goes internet. More than 50 countries have passed laws over the last five years to assert control over how their people use the increasingly fragmented web, and some of the biggest companies in the world — Google, Apple, Amazon and Alibaba — have had to dispatch envoys to contain the damage such divisions pose to their global ambitions. [The New York Times]

Here’s an up-close look at how CEO Satya Nadella is rewriting Microsoft’s cultural code, running the company differently from his well-known predecessors, Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. Since he took the top spot in February 2014, Nadella has stopped corporate infighting, restored morale and created more than $250 billion in market value — all it took was focusing on what matters most. [Harry McCracken / Fast Company]

Sonos is getting close to releasing a wireless speaker that would support multiple voice assistants, so a user could potentially choose between Amazon’s Alexa or Google’s Assistant. A Sonos device with Alexa integration could give a glimpse into how consumers will react to Apple’s forthcoming HomePod, which is counting on consumer desire for high-quality audio paired with a voice assistant. Meanwhile, Samsung is allowing customers to evict its artificially intelligent assistant Bixby from its dedicated button on their Galaxy S8 and Note8 smartphones. [Peter Newman / Business Insider]

SoftBank’s Vision Fund is the biggest technology investment fund ever, having raised $93 billion and on its way to $100 billion. The fund has already extended money to WeWork, SoFi and Fanatics; the latest winner is communications software company Slack, which has raised $250 million, valuing it at just over $5 billion. And Uber could receive as much as $10 billion, making it the Vision Fund’s biggest beneficiary to date. Here’s where the Japanese conglomerate’s money has gone so far. [Rani Molla / Recode]

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Do you have questions about 23andMe, the personal genomics and biotech company? Kara Swisher and Lauren Goode will be talking to 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki on their podcast, Too Embarrassed to Ask, so tweet your questions with the hashtag #TooEmbarrassed or email them to TooEmbarrassed@recode.net.