Why Apple and Google want your ID

What digital passports are really about

Plus: Valve’s Steam Machine, a simple ChatGPT fix, and a cool camera app

Jared Newman   |   November 18, 2025

Hey there! I’m Jared Newman, a longtime tech journalist, and you’re reading the free edition of Advisorator, my weekly tech advice newsletter. Did someone share this newsletter with you? Sign up to get it every Tuesday.

Apple and Google would like to see your identification, please.

With the former’s “Digital ID” launch last week, both companies now let you scan a digital version of your passport at more than 250 TSA checkpoints, using an iPhone or Android phone. A growing number of U.S. states already support digital driver’s licenses for the same purpose.

But the push for these digital IDs isn’t merely about airport security (which still requires you to carry a physical license or passport anyway). It’s really part of a broader effort to verify who you are online, one that can finally start in earnest with passport-based digital IDs that are available nationwide.

Keep reading this week’s feature column with an Advisorator membership. I’ll explain how these digital IDs work, where you can use them, and what Apple and Google really hope to do with them in the future.

News in brief

Steam Machine: Valve will release a home gaming system next year. The Steam Machine is supposedly six times faster than Valve’s Steam Deck and is intended for TVs and desktop monitors alike.

The Steam Deck remains one of the best gadgets I’ve bought in years, in part because it’s an actual computer instead of just a gaming system, with an easily-accessible Linux desktop mode that enables all kinds of neat possibilities. I’ve recently been using it for work, with a mouse, keyboard, and HDMI dock plugged into my office TV, and Valve says you’ll be able to do the same with the Steam Machine. No word yet on pricing or exact release timing, but I’m looking forward to it.

Google sues text scammers: Google is going after the source of all those scam texts you get about unpaid tolls and undelivered packages. It’s suing a China-based organization that it calls “Lighthouse,” which it accuses of selling the software criminals use to run their scam operations.

The lawsuit alone won’t accomplish much since the defendants are anonymous and outside of U.S. court jurisdiction, but Google hopes a ruling will provide a legal basis for shutting down various aspects of the scammers’ infrastructure.

More notable reads:

Tip of the week

A simple fix for ChatGPT: Last week, OpenAI released a new version of ChatGPT based on a more conversational language model. The company says its GPT-5.1 model “often surprises people with its playfulness while remaining clear and useful.”

I can’t stand it. While ChatGPT has its uses for me, I’m under no illusions that it’s my friend. I don’t need a software program to deliver compliments or remind me that it’s got my back. (A vocal contingent of ChatGPT users feel the opposite way, sometimes problematically so, hence the new update.)

Fortunately there’s an easy way to bring ChatGPT’s saccharin levels back down again, as John Gruber notes:

  • Click on your profile icon and head to Settings.
  • Under the Personalization tab, click the drop-down menu next to “Base style and tone.”
  • Switch from “Default” to “Efficient.”

ChatGPT used to call this setting “Robot,” but when I tried it a few months ago, it seemed to just imitate the robots of old sci-fi movies, with clipped sentences and no grammar. “Efficient” mode just makes ChatGPT less likely to sugar-coat everything.

Note that you can also type in custom instructions from this same menu. I’ve used this to encourage ChatGPT to cite its sources with links for any factual claim. While that hasn’t stopped the AI from making stuff up, at least it makes fact-checking a bit easier.

Try these apps

A cool camera app: (Not Boring) Camera is a more fun way to take photos on an iPhone, with oversized buttons and knobs for adjusting zoom level, color modes, exposure and more. I especially like the two-second preview that appears in the viewfinder when you tap the shutter button, letting you quickly keep or discard a photo without leaving the camera app. (Here’s a guide to making the most of it.) The app is free for basic use, with an optional subscription ($15 per year or $60 for life) for extra camera styles, color modes, and manual controls.

Know where you did business: I recently came across an app called Poop Map. It is exactly what the name suggests, and I will not elaborate further.

Spend wisely

Slickdeals user Cobalt_Blue_FF performed a great public service last week, putting together a list of libraries offering free museum, park, and attraction passes. The list is organized by state and includes links to where you can reserve tickets with a library card. I knew about all the ways you could access digital content through your library (Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy, Freegal) but never realized those benefits extend to the real world as well.

Meanwhile, some early Black Friday deals are starting to roll in. Some notable finds so far:

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Thanks for reading! Catch you next week.

Until then,
Jared

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