Thank you for tuning in to Talking Tech with Alex Zaharov-Reutt on Radio 2CC, every Saturday from 10.30am to 11am – here are the tech topics we spoke about today.
1. ACCC’s latest Scamwatch warning
The ACCC’s Scamwatch website has issued a warning this Wednesday that scams – especially relationship scams – can cause deep emotional and financial harm. Now we’ve talked scams many times in the past, but it’s still a massively important topic. Find all the details at Scamwatch at the link below.
https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/relationship-scams
2) ACMA’s stats on spam, scams and telemarketing
On a similar but related note, the ACMA has published its stats for action on scams, spam and telemarketing, October to December 2025
The headline stats are below, and more here: https://www.acma.gov.au/publications/2026-04/report/action-scams-spam-and-telemarketing-october-december-2025
| Our key actions | |
 | Opened a major new initiative, the SMS Sender ID Register, to help prevent brand impersonation scams. |
| 109.9 million scam calls and 41.1 million scam SMS blocked by telcos in the quarter – with over 3.8 billion scamsblocked since the rules commenced. |
 | Over $3.3 million paid by telcos for scam rule breaches that allowed fraudsters to steal money from consumers. |
3. ACMA has forced Australia’s trio of telecommunications companies to standardise their mobile coverage maps, so they all use the same standard in measuring just how much mobile connection service you’ll get.
Details at the links in the next paragraph, and the short version below:
The TIO: https://www.tio.com.au/news/new-mobile-coverage-maps-are-coming-what-does-mean-you
ACMA’s post: https://www.acma.gov.au/articles/2026-03/new-rules-mobile-phone-coverage-maps
What will the mobile coverage maps tell you?
Mobile coverage maps must show 4G and 5G coverage availability using the same four categories across Australia:
– Good coverage
– Moderate coverage
– Basic coverage
– No coverage
Each category is defined based on the experience you’ll get. For example, an area marked as ‘good coverage’ means you can generally expect reliable voice calls, SMS and data without frequent dropouts. ‘No coverage’ means service is likely to be unreliable or unavailable most of the time.
What will new mobile coverage maps mean for you?
Whether you’re switching telcos, moving house, planning travel or just trying to understand why your phone struggles in certain places, the new maps should help you:
– compare coverage across different providers more easily
– better understand what level of service to expect where you live, work or travel
– make more informed decisions before signing up or changing plans.
It’s important to remember that coverage maps are a guide. The rules set the standard for better information but also make it clear other factors affect your coverage, no matter who your telco is. Things like buildings, weather, landscape and device type can still affect your mobile service.
Mobile coverage maps are based on general network coverage predictions, so there are limitations to the guidance they can provide. For example, mobile coverage maps will only show availability for when you’re using your mobile outside and at ground level.
4. Apple’s massive recycling push sees results!
Apple has announced that a record 30 percent of material across all of its products shipped in 2025 came from recycled content, which goes to show that big tech can make a big difference to the environment, right Alex?
5. Google’s “agentic AI” lets you book restaurant tables right from your search results
Google has begun rolling out new agentic capabilities in Search’s AI Mode in Australia to take the pain out of finding restaurant reservations. Details below from another tech news site:
6.People are keeping their tech for longer periods of time, per PC Magazine in the US
A new survey from PC Magazine in the US says that 73% of those surveyed are keep their devices as long as they still work, and they’ve termed this the “death of the flex”. So, what are some of the reasons why people are waiting longer to update?
