Meta's Muse goes No. 1, a 4.5-minute EV charge, and your phone isn't listening
Meta's AI agent is suddenly everywhere in the US, Geely makes EV charging look like a chai break, and Fitbit Air brings its screenless tracker to India. Plus a Google Maps parking fix and why the phone-listening myth is wrong.
- Long Press · Daily Five26 Sept 202601 / 05
commentaryMeta's Muse agent just hit No. 1 on the App Store
Meta's personal AI agent Muse launched on September 8 and was the top free app on both the US App Store and Google Play within about ten days, with estimates past 3 million downloads. It handles email, video chats through an avatar and can use your Mac for you. Most of that reach came from Meta's own apps, which is a head start no startup gets. Useful, probably, but handing your inbox to an ad company should take more than a friendly avatar.
The problem
Everyone is building an AI agent that does things for you, and almost nobody has figured out how to get normal people to actually install one.
What changed
Muse went live on September 8, took the No. 1 free spot on the US App Store on September 18 and on Google Play a day later, and has somewhere between 2.3 and 4.3 million downloads depending on whose estimate you trust. It does text and avatar video chat, connects to email, and can operate a Mac. Meta pushed it hard with house ads across Facebook and Instagram, and paid placements were only a small share of what people saw.
The catch
This is a company whose business is ads asking to read your email and click around your computer, and the launch coverage says very little about how that data is handled. It's also US and Canada only for now.
What it means for you
Nothing to do in India yet. When it arrives, try it on a throwaway workflow before you connect your main inbox, and read the data settings first.
- Long Press · Daily Five26 Sept 202602 / 05
newsGeely charges an EV to 70% in about 4.5 minutes
Geely unveiled a 2.2 megawatt charging system that takes a compatible EV battery to roughly 70% in about four and a half minutes, which is around 50% more power than BYD's newest system. It is real engineering and a sign of how fast Chinese carmakers are moving. The catch is that brands choose the percentage range that sounds best, and none of it matters without megawatt chargers on the other end.
The problem
Charging time is still the thing that makes people hesitate on EVs. Twenty or thirty minutes at a fast charger feels like forever next to a five-minute fuel stop.
What changed
Geely showed the system at its Ningbo safety centre on September 23: a charger rated at about 2.2MW that fills a battery to around 70% in roughly 4.5 minutes, with Geely quoting 10 to 97% in under nine minutes. BYD's latest flash charging tops out near 1.5MW. Geely also says its AI-managed charging extends battery cycle life, though that is a company claim for now.
The catch
Headline charging times depend heavily on where you start and stop, and a 2MW charger needs serious grid capacity that very few places have. In India, most public fast chargers deliver a small fraction of that power, so don't expect this at your local highway stop any time soon.
What it means for you
If you're buying an EV in India today, judge it on real-world range and the chargers near you, not on megawatt headlines from China.
- Long Press · Daily Five26 Sept 202603 / 05
tipSave your parking spot in Google Maps
Google Maps can remember where you parked, and most people never use it. Tap the blue location dot after you park and choose Save parking. Maps drops a pin you can come back to, and you can add a note like 'B2, pillar 14', a photo, or how much time is left on the meter. It works on Android and iPhone.
The problem
Mall basements and multi-level lots all look the same by the time you come back with shopping bags and a dead sense of direction.
What changed
Tap the blue dot that shows your location in Google Maps and pick Save parking. A parking pin appears on the map, and tapping it lets you add notes, photos and a meter timer.
The catch
It saves the GPS position, which gets fuzzy underground, so the note or photo of the pillar number is what actually saves you.
What it means for you
Make it a habit for a week: park, tap the dot, snap the pillar. You'll stop wandering around basements.
- Long Press · Daily Five26 Sept 202604 / 05
comparisonFitbit Air at Rs 13,999 or a cheap smart band?
Google's screenless Fitbit Air is listed on Flipkart at Rs 13,999 ahead of its confirmed October India launch. It tracks heart rate, SpO2, skin temperature and recovery, adds Gemini coaching and runs about seven days on a charge. A Rs 3,000 to 5,000 band with a screen covers the basics and shows you the time. Pick the Air only if coaching matters more than glancing at your wrist.
The problem
Fitness trackers have split into two camps: cheap bands that do the basics well, and pricier devices selling insights and coaching. It's hard to tell what the extra money buys.
What changed
Google has confirmed an October India launch for Fitbit Air, its first screenless tracker, and a Flipkart listing shows Rs 13,999. It weighs 12 grams, tracks heart rate, SpO2, skin temperature and recovery, includes Gemini-powered coaching, and lasts about seven days, with five minutes of charging good for a day. Core features don't need a subscription, and it works with both Android and iPhone.
The catch
The price comes from a retail listing, not Google's own announcement, so it could still shift at launch. And no screen means no time, no notifications and no quick glance at your stats without pulling out your phone.
What it means for you
If you want serious recovery data and coaching and hate another screen on your wrist, wait for the Air. If you mostly want steps, sleep and the time, a budget band does the job and leaves you about ten thousand rupees richer.
- Long Press · Daily Five26 Sept 202605 / 05
myth busterYour phone isn't listening to you for ads
The idea that your phone secretly records conversations to target ads refuses to die. Researchers who tested more than 17,000 Android apps found no hidden audio recording, and an always-on mic would show the orange or green indicator and drain your battery. What actually targets you is location, searches, contacts and what people around you looked up, which is a duller explanation and a creepier one.
The problem
You talk about a product, and an ad for it shows up an hour later. It feels like proof that the phone was listening, and that feeling is why the myth keeps spreading.
What changed
A Northeastern University study of more than 17,000 Android apps found no evidence of secret audio being sent to advertisers, though it did catch some apps sharing screenshots and screen recordings. Both iOS and Android now show a coloured indicator whenever the microphone is live, and streaming audio all day would be very visible in battery use.
The catch
In 2024 a US marketing firm pitched an 'Active Listening' ad product to clients, and Google cut ties with it after the story broke. There's no evidence it worked at scale, but it's a reason to keep an eye on mic permissions anyway.
What it means for you
Spend five minutes on the settings that matter: turn off ad personalisation in your Google and Meta accounts, and change any app that has location set to Always. Review microphone permissions while you're there.