Items tagged with App
This year, apps that let users listen or talk to live broadcasts over the internet are becoming more popular. One such app, Clubhouse, is sitting at number 6 in Social Networking on the Apple App store, and it only seems to be growing. However, just because it is popular does not mean it is safe and secure, as we are now finding out. According to the App Store's description, "Clubhouse is a space for casual, drop-in audio conversations—with friends and other interesting people around the world." Unabated free speech is a luxury most westernized nations have; however, countries like China do not. Thus, as the Snapchat of audio, Clubhouse took off for Chinese iPhone users leading to discussions...
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Google Maps is getting a few changes that will bring new features to the popular navigation service. The new features include tweaks to the user interface and navigation to public transit options, among others. The first-mile transit options show people how to connect to public transit by walking, biking, motorcycle, ride sharing, and rickshaw. Those first-mile options are intended to show people multiple ways where they can get from their starting location to public transit to start their commute. This new feature sounds very much like last-mile service that shows users how they can get from places like the train station to their final destination. Google Maps is also gearing up to give users...
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One of the many apps that has gained a plethora of new users while everyone is locked down due to the coronavirus is Houseparty. The app was designed to let people make friends, and then drop into chat rooms with those friends to play games and hangout. The way the app works is by allowing a user to drop into any room and chat as long as one person they are friends with is in the room. Rumors and allegations have recently started making the rounds claiming that Houseparty had been hacked. The people behind Houseparty have come out and stated that they weren't hacked, and claim that allegations of a hack were a "paid commercial smear campaign" that was executed against it. Hoping the perpetrators...
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Whisper is an app that was meant to allow users to anonymously share highly intimate details on their sexual preferences and other data without other users knowing who they really were. The app has been confirmed to have leaked personal information online that was tied to the location of the user. The leaked messages were publicly viewable until a major news outlet contacted Whisper before running a story on the breach. Ironically, Whisper calls itself the "safest place on the Internet" and claims to have hundreds of millions of users. For years the app left intimate confessions exposed on the Web that were tied to the posters age, location, and other details. The concern for these intimate details...
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Users of Gmail on Android devices may have noticed that there is an issue that prevents some from being able to empty their trash. The same flaw prevents some users from being able to empty their spam bin as well. Not all Android devices are impacted by the issue, but those who are have no "Empty trash now" or "Empty spam now" options on their devices. However, there is a workaround for those who are having this issue. The first workaround isn't ideal as it involves the user giving up on deleting spam or emptying their trash bin on the Android app and heading to the web app to perform the deeds. The other workaround for the issue involves rolling back to an earlier version of the Gmail app. This...
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The University of Missouri (MU) is deploying a new student tracking application that runs on a smartphone. The app, SpotterEdu, is designed to measure and enforce class attendance. Reports indicate that the tracking app is required for all student-athletes, but is optional for all other students. MU says that participation was offered to fewer than 2% of MU students during the pilot phase and is completely optional. For students who don't want to check-in using the app, they can use an alternate method, like signing an attendance sheet. SpotterEDU is an app that was developed by a former basketball coach, and can monitor attendance by pinpointing students in the classroom and...
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App download metrics from Sensor Tower are in for Q4 2019, and they show a big win for Disney's entry into the crowded streaming arena. The data shows that Disney+ was the top downloaded app in the United States. Disney can thank the popularity of "The Mandalorian" along with all the Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, and back catalog of Disney content for much of its success. As Disney geared up for the launch of its app, it pulled all of its content off other streaming services such as Netflix. Disney+ was far and away the top downloaded app in the United States, followed by TicTok, Messenger, Facebook, YouTube, Netflix, Instagram, Amazon, Snapchat, and Spotify to round out the top 10. On the chart...
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Snapchat has a new feature that will let you take a selfie and use the resulting image to put your face into videos and gifs -- deepfake style. The new feature is called Snapchat Cameos, and it's viewed as an alternative to Bitmoji for conveying feelings in a Snapchat message. Snapchat has stated that Cameo is currently a limited availability product that is in testing. For now, Cameos is said to be available in some limited international markets; however, a date for international rollout has been announced. The global launch of Cameos will happen on December 18 for iOS and Android. Using Cameos sounds simple enough, requiring users to take a selfie to show the app what you look like. Users can...
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A new app called Gradient has gone viral. The point of the app is to take a picture of you and then gradually match you with your celebrity look alike. It's certainly not the first app of the sort that is meant to show users who their celeb look-alike is, among other things. Gradient is available for iOS and Android devices and is developed by a group called Ticket to the Moon Inc. The app has seen a boom in popularity recently as it has been used and the results of its matchups shared by celebrities like Jimmy Kimmel (seen above), Diplo, and the Kardashians. Kimmel morphing into Matt Damon we have to believe is a joke. The two have a long-running fake beef that has been a subject of Kimmel's...
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Google Maps has new features that are aimed at making it easier to stay organized and to find your way when walking around on vacation or for business. One of the updates makes it easier for travelers to have all their reservations for air travel and hotel in one place. Google says that the new feature is a great way to keep reservations handy, allowing users to see hotel check-in time as they navigate to the next destination on the itinerary. To use the new feature, users tap the three gray lines at the top, left the corner of your screen and then on "Your Places." The "Reservations" tab lets users see all upcoming trips, and when a trip is selected from the list, all reservations are pulled...
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Many app makers are growing tired of paying the relatively high fees that the Apple App Store and Google Play are demanding. Google Play and the Apple App Store each take 30% of the revenue an app generates, leaving many developers looking for ways to maximize their revenue. Some have moved to take payments directly, and others, like Fortnite, have opted to completely bypass Google Play and offer their apps directly to customers. Dating app Tinder is taking a different route. Tinder has introduced a default payment process into the Android app that ignores the system Google Play has in place. Match Group spokeswoman Justine Sacco said that the company is constantly testing new features and payment...
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Apple has announced that it has disabled the Apple Watch Walkie Talkie app due to a recently discovered security and privacy vulnerability in the app. Apple didn't give any specifics on the vulnerability, only stating that the flaw could allow a person to listen on another customer's conversation without consent. Apple has apologized to users for removing the app, but it is working on a fix. Once a fix is made to address the vulnerability, Apple is expected to relaunch the Walkie Talkie app. Apple did issue a statement on the vulnerability, saying that it disabled the function "as we quickly fix the issue." Apple goes on to say that it will restore functionality as soon as possible. The...
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One of the smartest things that Samsung smartphones users can do is to keep their devices updated with the latest firmware from Samsung. Consistent updates allows them to have the latest security updates to help protect their device and personal data. A new report claims that 10 million Samsung smartphone users have downloaded an app from Google Play that is called "Updates for Samsung." The users apparently thought that the app was an official app from Samsung, but what the app does is redirect users to a website filled with ads where they are charged for firmware updates. Samsung offers firmware updates for its smartphones at no cost. As of this writing, the "Updates for Samsung" app was...
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182 Android apps have been linked to an adware campaign that has plagued users who download apps from Google Play. Trend Micro detected the adware campaign identified as AndroidOS_HiddenAd.HRXAA and AndroidOS_HiddenAd.GCLA. The adware was hidden inside free-to-download game and camera apps, the majority of which were found on the Google Play Store and had millions of downloads collectively. The adware behind the campaign was disguised as game and camera apps and was discovered in mid-June. Trend Micro says that it generated heuristic patterns that were used to analyze other samples it had detected and were able to deduce that the adware campaign had been active since 2018. All of the apps that...
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Digital wellness apps and products have become increasingly popular in recent years. Parents in particular have started to use “screen time apps” to monitor the amount of time their children are playing games or watching shows on their devices. Unfortunately, according to Apple, not all screen time apps are created equal and the company recently banned several of them due to privacy violations. Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, reported that Apple has banned apps that have misused mobile device management (MDM) systems. The offending MDM apps tracked information about children’s devices and then shared that information with parents who downloaded...
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Fraudulent apps on the Google Play store are a huge problem for Android users. Some of the fraudulent apps aim to steal money and other information. In February this year, word surfaced that a cryptocurrency-stealing malware had been found on Google Play, while malware-laden game apps were found last November that were affecting half a million users. Perhaps the biggest app fraud case was discovered in November 2018, when apps from Cheetah Mobile were committing millions of dollars in ad click fraud. However, now it appears click fraud is even more widespread and all too common. There are several popular Android apps from a major Chinese developer that have been called out for click fraud. One...
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Google Maps is one of those apps that just about every smartphone user has on their device no matter if they prefer iOS or Android. Google has updated the Maps app with cool features that make it useful on your daily commute to avoid traffic, accidents, and annoying construction. The search giant is also working on adding cool features like augmented reality navigation to overlay directions on the real world. Now, a new report claims that Google is facing increasing requests from law enforcement to tie users with a Google Account to the location of a crime. The report claims that the police are casting a very wide net by sending subpoenas to Google asking for the timeline information that Google...
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Microsoft started talking up the Your Phone app that lets you share content and control some phone functions between your PC and smartphone last summer. Now that the app is available for users, a new feature is rolling out that is only currently supported on a handful of devices. The feature is called Phone Screen and lets you mirror the screen of your supported smartphone to the Your Phone app on the PC. When the feature is active, users can interact with the apps on their computer screen using the mouse and keyboard. To access the functionality, PC users do need to be running the latest Windows 10 19H1 Preview Build (18335 or higher), you must be on the Surface Go, and using a small subset...
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Privacy is a big deal for many people around the world and many of the devices that we use do a poor jobs of protecting our data. Amazon, for instance, has been in hot water for sharing Alexa data and voice recordings with other users by mistake. Major tech firms have been caught up in privacy issues, particularly Facebook, with privacy violations that could result in record-breaking FTC fines. A report has now surfaced that many major companies with iPhone app are using a service that records every swipe and tap that the user makes without first asking for permission. Among the apps allegedly recording your interactions with them are apps from Hotels.com, Singapore Airlines, and Abercrombie...
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Anyone who was ever tired to buy prescription eyeglasses or sunglasses online knows that it's hard to find something that looks good on your face without having the frames in your hands. A new app from Warby Parker is using augmented reality to solve the dilemma of trying on glasses without actually having the frames there to put on your dome. AR certainly hasn't taken off like Apple or Snap hoped with its Spectacles, but this virtual try-on feature in the updated Warby Parker app is very cool. The app uses AR to overlay glasses in whatever frame style you choose on your face. Warby Parker has offered a successful in-home try on feature where they send up to five frames to your home for you to...
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Facebook just can't put itself in a good light lately. A new report has shined a bright light on a Facebook policy that was paying people to install something called the Facebook Research VPN. Facebook allegedly paid teens and and adult users to install the VPN, which allowed the company to collect all the user's phone and web activity at all times. Facebook had a similar app called Onavo Protect that was banned by Apple last summer. The new Facebook Research VPN app is said to potentially violate Apple privacy policy, and was available for Android devices as well. Facebook admitted to TechCrunch that it was running the research program and had since 2016. The social network was paying...
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Google Maps has been steadily adding new features to the app to give more functionality and match other offerings like Waze. One of the latest features that Google Maps added was speed limit indicators, but the catch was that initially those were only available in the San Francisco Bay area and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It appears that Google is now rolling the speed limit indicators out to other parts of the country. Reports from three different areas indicate that the speed limits were live on Google Maps. The three regions include New York City, Los Angeles, and Minnesota. There has been no official comment from Google on when the speed limits will roll out to other areas. With no Maps updates...
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