Remember when asking your smart speaker a question actually worked? When it didn’t try to sell you something first, or misunderstand your request, or just say “Sorry, I can’t help with that yet”? Those days are fading fast.

Google‘s Nest Audio and Amazon‘s Echo speakers have quietly been getting worse. Not by accident — by design. Features disappear. Ads creep in. Accuracy drops. It’s a pattern familiar to anyone who’s watched Big Tech slowly enshittify its own products.

But there’s a countertrend. A small, open-source voice assistant called Mycroft — now reborn as Neon AI — keeps improving. No ads. No data mining. No forced updates that break what worked yesterday. And it runs on hardware you can actually control.

What’s going wrong with Google and Amazon smart speakers

Let’s be specific. In 2023, Google removed several features from its smart displays, including the ability to set a default music service on the Nest Hub Max. Amazon, meanwhile, has been pushing more advertising into Alexa — from sponsored answers to audible ads before your weather report.

Both companies have also quietly cut back on third-party integrations. The “Skills” ecosystem on Alexa is littered with broken or abandoned apps. Google Assistant’s once-impressive natural language understanding has, by many users’ accounts, regressed. Simple queries like “What’s the capital of France?” sometimes trigger a web search instead of a direct answer.

Why? Because neither company makes money selling speakers. They make money collecting your data and serving you ads. Once you’ve bought the hardware, the incentive is to extract more value from you — not to make the device better for you.

Meet the open-source alternative that’s actually improving

Enter Neon AI, the successor to the Mycroft project. It’s a fully open-source voice assistant that runs on a Raspberry Pi or a dedicated device like the Mark II. And unlike its corporate cousins, it’s getting better with each update.

Recent improvements include:

• Better wake word detection — it actually hears you from across the room now
• Offline speech recognition for basic commands (no cloud required)
• Integration with home automation platforms like Home Assistant and openHAB
• Customizable skills that anyone can write, not just approved developers
• No ads, no data collection, no lock-in

It’s not perfect. The voice still sounds a bit robotic. It can’t answer every random trivia question. But for core tasks — controlling lights, setting timers, playing music from your own library — it works. And it respects your privacy.

Why open source matters for smart speakers

The fundamental problem with Google and Amazon speakers is that you don’t own them. You’re renting a listening device that happens to be shaped like a speaker. The companies can change the terms anytime. And they do.

With an open-source voice assistant, you control the software. If the community doesn’t like a change, it can fork the code. If a feature disappears, someone can rebuild it. The device serves you, not a corporate bottom line.

This isn’t just idealism. It’s practical. When Amazon announced in 2023 that it would lay off thousands of employees, including many working on Alexa, the writing was on the wall. The platform’s future is uncertain. Open-source projects, by contrast, don’t depend on quarterly earnings reports.

What you need to get started

If you’re curious, the barrier to entry is low. You need:

• A Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 (about $35–$75)
• A USB microphone array (around $20–$50)
• A speaker with a 3.5mm input
• An SD card with the Neon AI image flashed onto it

Total cost: roughly $100–$150. That’s comparable to a single Echo Studio. And you can build multiple units for different rooms.

Is it ready for everyone?

Let’s be honest: no. The open-source smart speaker is still a project for tinkerers. Setting it up requires basic Linux knowledge. You won’t find it at Best Buy. And it won’t order pizza for you (yet).

But for people who care about privacy, who are tired of ads in their kitchen, or who just want a device that doesn’t get worse every year, it’s a genuine alternative. And it’s only getting better — which is more than you can say for the big-brand options.

The real question is: how much longer are you willing to put up with a smart speaker that works for its manufacturer, not for you?

Your phone is a vault — but you left the door open

Think about what sits on your smartphone’s home screen. Social feeds, messaging apps, maybe a weather widget. And right there, in plain sight: your banking app. One tap and you’re into your accounts, your balances, your entire financial life.

That convenience comes at a cost. Your phone is probably the single weakest link in your personal security chain. We all know it stores sensitive stuff — private messages, personal photos, notes. But it’s also the key to far more dangerous territory: online banking, government portals, even digital ID cards. If that falls into the wrong hands, the consequences aren’t just embarrassing. They’re life-altering. Identity theft. Fraud. Empty accounts.

The fix isn’t complicated, and it doesn’t take an afternoon. You can do it in about five minutes.

Why your banking app is a prime target

Let’s be real for a second. Most people don’t think about their phone’s home screen as a security risk. It’s just where apps live, right? But to a thief — digital or physical — that banking icon is a flashing neon sign. Here’s where the money is.

If someone grabs your unlocked phone, or if a snooper glances over your shoulder at a coffee shop, they see exactly what you use to manage your finances. Worse, many banking apps still default to showing account balances on the home screen of the app itself. A quick tap is all it takes.

And it’s not just about physical theft. Malware and phishing attacks increasingly target mobile banking users. According to recent cybersecurity reports, mobile banking trojans are on the rise, designed to overlay fake login screens or steal credentials directly. Having your banking app front and center makes you an easier mark.

The five-minute fix: hide it or lock it

You don’t need to delete your banking app. You just need to make it less visible and harder to access. Here are two approaches that work on both iPhone and Android phones.

Option 1: Move it to a hidden folder

Most phones let you create folders and even hide them from the main home screen. On an iPhone, long-press the app, tap “Remove App,” then choose “Move to App Library.” It’s still on your phone, just not on any home screen page. On Android, you can create a folder with a nondescript name — “Utilities” or “System Tools” — and bury the banking app in the second or third page of that folder.

This is a low-effort solution. It won’t stop a determined hacker, but it keeps the app out of casual sight. That alone reduces risk significantly.

Option 2: Use your phone’s built-in app lock

This is the stronger move. Many phones now include a native app lock feature. On Samsung devices, it’s called Secure Folder. On Xiaomi, it’s App Lock in Settings. iPhones don’t have a universal app lock, but you can use Screen Time to set a passcode for specific apps — or rely on Face ID for the banking app itself.

Enable the feature, set a separate PIN or use biometrics, and suddenly your banking app requires an extra step to open. Even if someone grabs your unlocked phone, they can’t get into your bank.

Beyond the home screen: other smart moves

Moving your banking app is a great start. But if you want to lock things down tighter, consider these:

• Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on your banking app. Most major banks now support it. Use an authenticator app, not SMS, if possible.
• Turn off notification previews for your banking app. That way, a peek at your lock screen won’t reveal your balance or transaction details.
• Use a VPN on public Wi-Fi. Coffee shop networks are notoriously insecure. A VPN encrypts your traffic, making it harder for snoopers to intercept your banking session.
• Keep your phone’s OS and apps updated. Sounds basic, but it’s the single most effective defense against known vulnerabilities.

If you want to go further, look into WhatsApp privacy settings or secure folder features on Android — both can help you compartmentalize sensitive apps.

What about the banking app itself?

Some banking apps now offer their own security layers. For example, many let you set a separate in-app PIN or use biometric authentication. That’s good, but it’s not enough if the app is sitting on your home screen. The visual cue alone is a risk.

Also, check whether your bank allows you to hide account balances from the app’s home screen. If it does, turn that on. Out of sight, out of mind — and out of a thief’s sightline.

The bottom line: a small change, big payoff

This isn’t about paranoia. It’s about being practical. The five minutes it takes to move your banking app into a hidden folder or enable app lock could save you weeks of stress dealing with fraud. Your phone is already a vault for your personal life. Don’t make it easy for someone to crack it open.

Take a minute today. Move the app. Lock it down. Your future self will thank you.

The short version

The Department of Justice has quietly reversed a 2022 law that barred federal employees from having TikTok on their government-issued phones. A new memo obtained by Reuters confirms the ban is off. The reason? A deal that handed control of TikTok’s U.S. operations to a joint venture backed by Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX has changed the legal picture.

That means anyone working for an executive branch agency can now download the short-form video app — as long as their specific department allows it and normal workplace rules still apply.

What changed — and why the ban fell apart

The original restriction came from a 2022 law that specifically targeted TikTok on federal devices. Lawmakers cited national security concerns tied to the app’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance. For years, government employees couldn’t install or use the app on work phones, period.

But the DOJ now says that law no longer applies. The key shift: a deal that transferred ownership of TikTok’s U.S. operations to a new joint venture. Oracle serves as the security partner for that venture. ByteDance still holds a 19.9% stake, but control has moved. That structural change, according to the DOJ, makes the old ban obsolete.

The memo reportedly states that President Donald Trump has cleared “employees of Executive Branch agencies” to “download TikTok onto their official devices, subject to the agency’s discretion and consistent with all applicable workplace policies.”

This isn’t the first TikTok flip-flop — and it won’t be the last

It’s been a wild couple of years for TikTok in the U.S. The federal employee ban was just one piece. A broader national ban took effect early last year, threatening to shut the app down for every American user. That law actually kicked in — and TikTok went dark for about a day.

Then Trump stepped in. He delayed enforcement repeatedly and pressured service providers to restore access. The app came back online quickly, but the legal limbo never really ended. This new DOJ memo is the latest twist, not the final chapter.

What the memo actually says

The DOJ’s language leaves room for nuance. Agencies still have discretion. That means the Department of Defense could theoretically say no even if the White House says yes. Individual workplace policies also still apply. So don’t expect every federal employee to suddenly start scrolling through TikTok during lunch breaks — at least not without checking with their IT department first.

The memo reportedly emphasizes that the change is “consistent with all applicable workplace policies.” Translation: your boss can still ban it locally.

Who’s affected — and who isn’t

This reversal applies to executive branch employees. That covers most federal agencies, from the State Department to the EPA. But it does not automatically extend to legislative or judicial branch workers. Congress and the courts have their own rules.

Contractors and consultants who work with the government but aren’t direct employees? That’s a gray area. The memo addresses “employees of Executive Branch agencies” specifically. If you work for a company that holds a federal contract, check your own organization’s policy.

The app itself is also still banned on devices used for classified work. The DOJ memo doesn’t touch that. National security restrictions around sensitive information remain in place.

What happens next

For now, the door is open. Federal employees who want TikTok on their work phones can download it — assuming their agency hasn’t opted out. IT departments across the government are likely scrambling to update their policies.

But the larger battle over TikTok’s future in the U.S. is far from settled. The joint venture with Oracle isn’t a permanent fix. Lawsuits are still pending. And Congress could always pass new legislation.

One thing is clear: the old ban is dead. Whether a new one rises depends on how the next few months play out.