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The week in digital: ads in AI answers, iPhone age checks and rival Android stores

Apple’s age confirmation, ads in Google’s AI Mode, ASD’s cyber threat report, one-tap rival Android stores and Discord’s public web pages.

By Digital Advisors Publisher Bob Jones 4 min read 14 sources

a halftone cut-out of a woman in her forties in a café apron pushing open the glass front door of her small café at dawn on a flat saturated orange background, a halftone takeaway coffee cup in her other hand and a halftone smartphone tucked in her apron pocket, with a halftone A-frame chalkboard sign standing on the footpath beside her. the A-frame chalkboard is the only full-colour element, cobalt blue, with THE WEEK chalked across it in bold white capitals; these are the only readable words
Illustration: Digital Advisors

This week your iPhone started asking for proof you’re an adult, and Google put ads inside its AI answers. ASD counted a cybercrime report every six minutes. Rival Android app stores and Discord’s public web pages got start dates. Here are five stories worth taking into next week.

1. Your iPhone may ask you to prove you’re 18

Apple now asks adults with Australian Apple Accounts to confirm they’re 18 or older before downloading 18+ apps or changing some safety settings. Its support pages went up on 26 October, the day iOS 27.2 arrived. You can use a credit card in your name, an ID scan or, with iOS 27.2, a selfie. Debit cards don’t count.

Until you confirm, Web Content Filter and Communication Safety are switched on automatically.

So what: check where you stand in Settings: tap your name, then Personal Information, then Age Confirmation. Apple says the selfie is deleted once your age is confirmed.

Read the four ways to confirm.

2. Google’s AI answers now come with ads

Google said on 28 October it is scaling ads in AI Mode in Australia. Existing Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns are automatically eligible, with no new budget and no extra charge.

The real change is how ads get matched. Broad match, AI Max for Search, Shopping and Performance Max can be matched to the AI’s answer, not just the question. Exact and phrase match only show when the question is a clear search to buy.

So what: you can’t opt out of AI Mode separately from Search, and its results are blended into your normal reports. Watch your search terms report for long, question-style searches.

Read how the ads get matched.

3. A cybercrime report every six minutes

ASD’s Annual Cyber Threat Report 2025-26, published on 28 October, counts over 82,000 cybercrime reports in the year to 30 June. Small businesses reported an average cost of $55,400. For medium businesses it rose 45% to $141,300.

ASD says AI is helping attackers move faster. Some weaknesses were exploited within 48 hours of a fix or advice being released.

So what: the basics matter more than ever. Switch on automatic updates, and use multi-factor authentication or passkeys on every account that offers them.

Read the key figures.

4. Rival Android app stores get one-tap installs from 1 December

From 1 December, app stores that register with Google can install and update apps in one tap on Android 17 QPR2 and later. Australia is on Google’s list of supported regions; the United States isn’t. Registered stores pay an annual fee Google lists as $10,000 and share their full catalogue with Google for malware checks.

So what: if your business manages work phones, IT admins can block registered stores. Settle your policy before the first ones go live.

Read what changes.

5. Discord is putting its most public servers on the web

From 16 November, every Discoverable Server on Discord gets a public web page that can show automated summaries of its public channels. From mid-December, some messages can appear word for word on those pages and in web search, without usernames or avatars.

In Australia, members’ own messages stay off unless they switch the setting on. That setting doesn’t cover the summaries, though.

So what: if you run a Discoverable Server, open Server Settings > Web Presence before 16 November. Doing nothing leaves your public channels in.

Read what admins need to decide.

Win of the week

Getting Android apps from outside Google Play is about to get much less fiddly. From 1 December, registered rival stores can install apps in one tap and update them in the background. Australia is on Google’s list of supported regions; the US isn’t. See how it works.

Facepalm of the week

Google’s new Performance Max setting can pull videos from your social accounts into your ads, and it’s on by default for new campaigns. Some existing campaigns may have been switched on “as part of a recent platform update”, even if nobody in the account touched it. Here’s where the switch is.

Dates to watch

Date What happens
6 November 2026 Apple’s first touchscreen Mac, the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display, starts arriving in Australia.
10 November 2026 Windows 11 23H2 Enterprise and Education get their last security update.
16 November 2026 Discord’s Server Web Pages and Channel Summaries go live for Discoverable Servers.
1 December 2026 Registered Android app stores can offer one-tap installs on Android 17 QPR2 and later.
4 December 2026 Google switches on image extraction by default for new Performance Max campaigns.
Mid-December 2026 Discord starts rolling out public channel messages on Server Web Pages and in web search.
12 October 2027 Windows 11 25H2 Home and Pro stop getting updates, as do Windows 10 Extended Security Updates for home users.
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