Apps

BPI app: 4 tips to master online banking

To ensure their customers’ money and information are safe

Published

February 9, 2024

GadgetMatch

Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) clients have seen numerous versions of the BPI app throughout the years.

BPI says it’s to ensure their customers’ money and information are safe. To keep it the same way this 2024, here are four pro tips to master online banking.

Always keep your BPI app up-to-date

Make sure you’re running the BPI app’s most up-to-date version. The BPI app only runs on secure devices, including those on iOS 14 and Android 8 or higher. Moreover, the app is not compatible on jailbroken, modified, or rooted devices.

For Android users, you can set the “Developer Options” to off on the device’s general settings. These restrictions help safeguard the BPI app from those who might want to tamper with security measures in place.

Register the device with BPI-registered mobile SIM

When you download the BPI app and log in for the first time, you will be prompted to register your device. This is another security feature that BPI has recently implemented.

To do this, follow these simple steps:

Make sure your SIM has enough load to send at least one (1) SMS
Follow the step-by-step instructions on the app to register the device
Data-only SIM cards are not capable of sending SMS, so you can’t use these for registration
In case you want to use the BPI app on a device with a different number, you’ll need to change your registered mobile number first
Your new number may only be activated at the nearest BPI branch ATM after logging in over at online.bpi.com.ph.

Activate Mobile Key

Having Mobile Key turned on lets you authorize transactions quickly and securely. Mobile Key acts like a virtual PIN, eliminating the need for an OTP.

The Mobile Key also works as a second layer of security so BPI knows it’s really you trying to access your account.

Furthermore, the BPI app will always ask for Mobile Key confirmation every time you update, switch devices, or browse online via a web browser.

Pay straight from the app

Lastly, the BPI app also supports a pay via QR feature, letting users scan any QR Ph code. There is no need to load up e-wallets or cash in. The quick-access QR icon is located at the top right of the screen.

To use this feature, tap the icon, scan the QR code, login to your account, and choose the account you’d like to pay from. You can try it out in thousands of stores nationwide that accept QR Ph. Best of all, there is no additional transaction fee.

Apps

Apple Creator Studio: Creative apps bundled into single subscription

All the tools you need, one payment

Published

January 14, 2026

GadgetMatch

Apple has officially streamlined its popular creative apps into one single subscription suite with the introduction of Apple Creator Studio.

The collection includes some of the most useful apps for today’s creators: Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage.

New AI features and premium content in Keynote, Pages, and Numbers also make the Apple Creator Studio an exciting subscription suite. Freeform will eventually be added to the lineup.

The groundbreaking collection is designed to put studio-grade power into the hands of everyone. It builds on the essential role Apple devices play in the lives of millions of creators worldwide.

The apps included cover video editing, music making, creative imaging, and visual productivity to give modern creators the features and capabilities they need.

Final Cut Pro introduces exceptional new video editing tools and intelligent features for Mac and iPad.

For the first time, Pixelmator Pro is also coming to iPad with a uniquely crafted experience optimized for touch and Apple Pencil.

Logic Pro, meanwhile, for Mac and iPad introduces more intelligent features like Synth Player and Chord ID.

Apple Creator Studio will be available on the App Store beginning January 29. In the Philippines, the rates are PhP 399 a month or PhP 3,990 annually.

There is also a free one-month trial which includes access to:

Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Pixelmator Pro on Mac and iPad
Motion, Compressor, and MainStage on Mac
Intelligent features and premium content for Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and later Freeform for iPhone, iPad, and Mac

College students and educators can subscribe for a discounted price of PhP 149 per month or PhP 1,490 per year.

Apps

Apple gives up on making AI, inks a deal with Gemini to power Siri

Gemini gets another feather in its cap.

Published

January 14, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

In the not-too-long-ago past, the biggest names of the tech industry competed to build their own AI software. Now, though some brands are still on the hunt, it’s easier to name certain software that have more successfully drowned users in a flood of AI-powered features. Today, Google gets another win by adding Apple’s Siri to its Gemini cap.

In the past, Apple peddled Apple Intelligence, an upcoming AI-powered system to compete against the giants of the industry. However, much like other features from other brands, Apple Intelligence came out half baked with features still lacking months after the initial launch.

Now, Apple has signed a deal with Google to use Gemini for a revamped Siri. The former plans to launch a new version of Siri later this year. Because of the deal, the voice assistant will start using Gemini as a foundation for its own services. Currently, Samsung’s Galaxy AI already uses Gemini.

Formerly a battleground between so many competing brands, it’s now looking like a battle between two major companies: Google and OpenAI. Google now has a huge grip, though. Both Samsung and Apple are no slouches when it comes to owning market share in the world’s smartphones.

Now, as consumers, Apple’s deal probably doesn’t mean much besides the continued influx of features that add little to no value to a smartphone.

Apps

Microsoft continues to shove Copilot where it’s not wanted

This time, it’s reportedly coming to File Explorer.

Published

January 14, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

If you look at a modern keyboard, you’ll find that the Copilot button is the cleanest one on the entire panel because no one ever willingly presses it. And yet, Microsoft still believes in the feature’s value. To show their odd commitment, the company is reportedly adding Copilot to File Explorer.

According to @phantomofearth from X (via Windows Central), a new Windows 11 preview build will add a button beside File Explorer’s navigation menu. Currently, the button is invisible and doesn’t do anything. However, the report says that the feature is tied to something called “Chat with Copilot.” It’s becoming clear that the system aims to add the AI software right inside the file organization app.

Besides revealing the potential addition of the egregious feature inside File Explorer, @phantomofearth also added mock-ups of a desktop with Copilot right on the taskbar, hinting at a potential nightmare of the feature lording itself over where it’s not wanted.

Thankfully, the preview build doesn’t always represent a final version of the system. There’s still a chance that Microsoft will not add the AI to the File Explorer.

As of late, Microsoft has received a lot of flak for persistently pushing Copilot onto users, regardless of how they feel about the feature. The company is also facing criticisms in the background for being a major proponent of AI data centers in the United States, which, in turn, have caused the prices of tech to skyrocket this year.