Rivian’s R2 vehicles will be powered by batteries made domestically in the US by South Korea’s LG Energy Solution, the company announced in its third quarter earnings report.

Rivian first revealed the new batteries back in March when it announced the R2 as its more affordable electric SUV that would start at $45,000. (It also announced the sportier R3 vehicle.) The cell is called “4695” due to its diameter of 46 millimeters and height of 95 millimeters — larger than Tesla’s 4680 cells.

The battery packs that Rivian uses currently in its R1T and R1S vehicles are assembled at its Normal, Ill. factory using cells manufactured in South Korea by Samsung SDI. Now, the cells will be produced in the US to better comply with tax credit requirements outlined by the Inflation Reduction Act. In a letter to shareholders, Rivian said the cells would be manufactured during their first year at LG’s plant in Queen Creek, Az.

The next-gen battery pack will be lighter, less complex, and cheaper to produce than the current batteries, Rivian said. The company also expects a “meaningful reduction in dollar per kilowatt hour (kWh) at the pack level when compared to the R1 platform.” And because its larger than its R1 batteries, the new packs will contain fewer cells overall, which will make the manufacturing process more efficient. Rivian says it expects the assembly process to improve by 45 percent.

Since the passage of the IRA, automakers have been scrambling to shift EV battery manufacturing to the US to comply with rules requiring domestic production in order to qualify for generous subsidies. And with Donald Trump coming back into office, they will need to work even faster in order to avoid harsh tariffs on imported goods that the incoming president has promised to enact.

Rivian has said the R2 will go into production during the first half of 2026. But with Trump also promising to eliminate Joe Biden’s EV subsidies, the question remains whether struggling EV-only companies like Rivian will be able to stay afloat amidst what’s expected to be a more uncertain market.

Google Photos is making it easier to follow activity in your shared albums with a new “Updates” section. In the new section, you’ll be able to see notifications like updates to a shared album and updates to a conversation within Google Photos, according to a support post from Google.

The Updates section can be found by tapping a bell icon that replaces the Sharing button (the one that looks like two people). Updates are shown chronologically, and you’ll be able to look at activity from “today, yesterday, this week, this month, last month, and beyond,” the Google Photos team says the post. “We want to streamline how you can view recent activity with an interface that makes albums, groups, and conversations more accessible.”

Google notes that if you want to access shared albums, you can do so from the newly-launched Collections section.

The new Updates page is rolling out now on the Android and iOS Google Photos apps. I personally don’t have it, but one of my colleagues does; if it’s not available to you, the Photos team says to check back “over the coming weeks.”

Remember when recording a phone call on your iPhone felt like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded?

Well, those days are officially over. With the release of iOS 18.1, Apple has introduced a native call recording feature as part of Apple Intelligence.

This new functionality makes it easier than ever to document important conversations. Let’s take a closer look at how this feature is changing the game for recording calls on our iPhones.

I’M GIVING AWAY A $500 GIFT CARD FOR THE HOLIDAYS

The legal lowdown

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of how to use this feature, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: legality. Recording phone calls can be a bit of a legal minefield, and the last thing you want is to end up on the wrong side of the law. Laws vary by state, so it’s crucial to do your homework and make sure you’re playing by the rules in your area. Remember, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Man recording a phone call on iPhone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR IPHONE & IPAD FROM MALWARE

What you’ll need to record calls on iPhone

Now that we’ve got the legal stuff out of the way, let’s talk about what you need to get started:

• An iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 or iPhone XS (or newer model)
• iOS 18.1 or later installed on your device

HOW TO SECURELY LOCK YOUR IPHONE AND IPAD FROM PRYING EYES

How to update your iPhone to the latest software

Not sure if you’re running the latest iOS? No worries! Here are some quick steps to update your iPhone:

• Open Settings
• Tap General
• Select Software Update
• If available, tap Update Now and begin downloading and installing iOS 18.1

Steps to update your iPhone to the latest software (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

LET YOUR IPHONE READ ALOUD WHAT YOU CAN’T SEE

How to record a call on your iPhone

Now, let’s get to the fun part, actually recording a call. Here’s how it works:

• Start or answer a phone call like you normally would.
• Look for the new recording icon in the upper-left corner of the call screen.
• Tap that icon to start recording.
• You’ll hear a countdown from three seconds, followed by an audio message saying, “This Call Will Be Recorded.”
• A notification will pop up to let everyone on the call know that it’s being recorded.
• After the recording begins, a Notes notification will appear at the top of the screen to alert you that a new note has been created for this transcript.
• Hit the stop button to end the call at any time, you’ll hear another message saying, “This call is no longer being recorded.”

Steps to record a call on iPhone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

How to access your recording

After successfully recording your call, follow these steps to access and manage your recording:

• Look for a notification from the Notes app pointing you to the audio file and transcript.
• Tap the notification to open the recording directly in Notes or open the Notes app later to review.
• In the Notes app, find your recordings in a new folder called Call Recordings.
• Tap the note to review the transcript. Here you can: 1) Listen to the audio from the beginning by hitting Play; 2) Scroll down and tap within the transcript to start playback from a specific point; 3) Tap a sentence to start playback from there; 4) Pause playback at any time by tapping the play button.

WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?

Steps to access recording (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

How to add a copy of the transcript to the note for editing

• Tap the menu button
• Select Add Transcript to Note
• Edit the transcript as needed, such as highlighting important sentences
• Share the recording by clicking the send button
• Tap Done

Steps to add a copy of the transcript to the note for editing (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Remember, you can always return to these recordings in the Notes app to review, edit or share as needed.

Kurt’s key takeaways

Whether you’re conducting interviews, keeping records for research or just want to remember important details from a conversation, it’s never been easier to record calls on your iPhone. However, with great power comes great responsibility. Always make sure you have the consent of all parties before recording a call and use this feature ethically and legally.

So, what do you think about this new feature? Are you excited to try it out? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.

Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover.

Follow Kurt on his social channels:

Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:

New from Kurt:

Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.