Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- ChatGPT helps resolve issues with your tech products.
- AI gives detailed troubleshooting steps.
- Available in both free and paid versions.
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Trying to resolve an issue with your PC, phone, or other technology can be frustrating and time-consuming. In the old days, I would have searched page after page on the web looking for clues. But now I can turn to AI to help me work out the problem. A good AI can serve up the right troubleshooting steps for me to follow until I find a solution, or at least a workaround.
Also: How ChatGPT actually works (and why it’s been so game-changing)
Though any AI should be able to act as a support assistant, I’ve relied on ChatGPT the past few times I needed to tackle a technical glitch. I subscribe to ChatGPT Plus, but the free version of ChatGPT is equally capable of helping you resolve issues with troublesome hardware, software, and anything in between. Here’s how it worked for me and how it might work for you as well.
I recently wrote an article for ZDNET on “How to sync passkeys in Chrome across your Android, iPhone, Mac, or PC” in which I explained how to use Google’s Password Manager to set up and sync passkeys across a range of devices.
The process went relatively smoothly with most of the devices, except for my Google Pixel Android phone. Any passkey I created on this phone synced with the other devices. Passkeys that I created on my iPhone 16 Pro, Windows PC, and Mac synced among themselves, but they failed to sync with my Android phone. After trying to troubleshoot this on my own, I called on ChatGPT.
Also: How passkeys work: The complete guide to your inevitable passwordless future
The AI first covered the basics, asking me to review all the settings across all devices to confirm that they were correct. It listed each specific setting in bullet point format and told me how to check them. I asked it to clarify one particular instruction, which it cited as a good question, and it cleared up the confusion.
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Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET
After reviewing all the settings and still having trouble, I provided more feedback to ChatGPT. The AI then summarized the entire scenario and told me that this sounded less like a device or settings issue and more like a Google-side limitation or bug, possibly tied to how and where passkeys are created and stored when generated outside of Android.
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET
I then explained that creating a passkey on my Android device and syncing it with the other devices also synced any passkeys on those other devices with my Android phone. That was the only way I found to get around the issue. With that tidbit in mind, the AI cited the problem as a partial sync bug or design flaw, one that would require sending a bug report to Google, which ChatGPT offered to help me file.
Also: 10 passkey survival tips: Prepare for your passwordless future now
But to deal with the issue now, the AI suggested creating or regenerating a passkey on Android (even just a test one) every time I create one on another device. Doing so will then “nudge” Android into refreshing the full passkey list from my Google Account. Though the solution may not be ideal, at least ChatGPT offered a viable workaround until the process is fixed.
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET
Here’s another issue I bumped into recently. My Windows desktop computer suddenly stopped seeing my iPhone. I’d plug in the iPhone via USB, but neither File Explorer nor iTunes recognized the phone. Even Device Manager wouldn’t see it. Other devices, including my iPad and a test iPhone, were recognized. And connecting my iPhone to my Windows laptop worked fine. I even tried different USB cables, all to no avail. So there was some disconnect between my desktop and my iPhone.
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After some troubleshooting on my own, I hollered for ChatGPT and described the problem in detail.
The AI first suggested resetting the Location and Privacy settings, which I had already done and which had not fixed the problem. It then suggested disconnecting the phone, stopping a couple of Apple processes on my computer via Task Manager, and then reconnecting the phone. None of those did the trick either.
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Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET
Next, it told me to manually reinstall the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver, suggesting that this step should fix the glitch. Following the specific steps that ChatGPT provided, I reinstalled the driver. I then checked Device Manager. And hooray, my iPhone appeared once again. Firing up File Explorer and iTunes, my iPhone popped up as usual.
Also: Installed iOS 18.6 on your iPhone? Change these 11 settings for the best experience
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET
Here, I was impressed that ChatGPT not only provided the correct solution but said that it suspected an Apple Mobile Device USB driver mismatch as the likely culprit. At the end, the AI even offered to create a batch file I could run if this problem ever occurs again. I downloaded and inspected the batch file through a link in the conversation and saw that it covered all the steps ChatGPT had provided.
For the third glitch, I presented ChatGPT with a conflict between my mouse and my mouse pad. I have an old Microsoft Classic IntelliMouse, an optical wired mouse. In the past, I was able to use it on top of a mouse pad. Recently, though, the mouse pointer no longer moves smoothly as I drag the mouse across the pad. Sometimes, it slows down. Other times, it stutters and pauses as I move the mouse.
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I tried three different mouse pads, and the issue is the same with each one. If I position and drag the mouse across my desk, the pointer moves smoothly.
In response, ChatGPT advised me to clean the mouse pad with a damp cloth and let it dry. It also recommended that I clean around the lens of the mouse with a soft microfiber cloth, a cotton swab, or compressed air. I had already tried those steps but ran through them again.
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Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET
Next, it suggested trying a different USB port for the mouse but acknowledged that this was an unlikely source of the problem since the mouse works fine directly on my desk. The AI also said that a driver conflict can sometimes cause cursor stuttering and directed me to uninstall the mouse driver through Device Manager and reboot. I had already tried both steps but went through them one more time. Still no dice.
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Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET
After reporting all the results to the AI, the consensus was that the mouse’s optical sensor may be aging or partially failing, either because the LED isn’t illuminating the surface evenly anymore or the CMOS sensor inside is no longer capturing a clear surface image. Those explanations made sense since the mouse worked fine across all mouse pads in the past. For now, I’ll have to use the mouse directly on my desk, which is a bit clumsy. But ChatGPT did recommend replacement mice similar to the Classic IntelliMouse, which I accepted as a long-term solution.
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET
