Items tagged with Google Play
It's not a good time to be an Android user who frequents the Google Play Store for apps. Just over the last few weeks, malware-laden apps that had been downloaded over half a million times were found on the Play Store. Apps from Cheetah Mobile were also found to be committing click fraud and running down the batteries inside user devices. Reports are now surfacing that Google has now pulled another batch of 22 apps from the Google Play Store that had been downloaded over 2 million times cumulatively. The newest apps discovered to be malicious had a so-called "device-draining backdoor" that...
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Android users who think the apps they download on the Google Play store are safe and secure would be wrong in many cases. Malware and other fraudulent apps often run rampant within the Google Play Store. Now a new report claims that seven apps from Cheetah Mobile and one from Kika Tech that have a combined 2 billion downloads via Google Play are part of a massive ad fraud scheme. The two companies are related; Kika Tech reportedly had a significant investment from Cheetah in 2016. The ad fraud scheme was outed by research firm Kochava, and according to the researchers, these fraudulent apps could...
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Malware-laden apps are nothing new for the Google Play store where Android users go to download apps of all sorts. Google has been heavily criticized over the years for not doing enough to prevent malicious apps from being offered to users via the Google Play Store. This year we have seen a malicious app masquerading as the official Uber app with the intent of stealing real Uber account details. North Korean hackers also created a data-stealing malware app in May with the goal of seeking revenge on defectors. Thirteen game apps were recently identified as being malicious, and together the apps...
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Who doesn’t love free credits? Google is currently offering $1, $2, $3 or $5 credits to some Play Store users. You may not be able to “make it rain”, but you may be able to nab an app you have been eyeing. Google appears to be offering a $2 credit to consumers who purchased a Pixel 3 or 3 XL. It also seems to be offering $1, $3, or $5 credits to other users, but it is unclear why. If you have received a credit, you will see a blue banner with an opened present illustration. You will need to scroll down past the first few sections of app recommendations to find the banner. Once...
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Google's Play Store is home to millions of apps for Android phones and tablets, so there is no shortage of content for anyone entrenched in the Android camp. That includes a whole bunch of games, both free and paid. With regards to the latter, Google might be prepping a "Play Pass" subscription service that would purportedly give Android users access to paid games for a monthly fee. Nothing of the sort has been announced or even teased by Google, at least not officially. Unofficially, however, there are clues that point to a Play Pass subscription being in the works. The first one dates back to...
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We've got some excellent news for you today if you're heavily invested in Google Play with respect to movie purchases. Google announced that it is upgrading your previously purchased movies -- whether they were purchased in standard definition (SD) or high definition (HD) -- to 4K resolution. This is being done automatically and completely free of charge. This is a great move on Google's part, as 4K has pretty much become the standard for big screen televisions sold today, and anytime the word "free" is thrown around, it gets our attention. Google says that when you open the Play Movies...
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Fortnite fans on Android weren't happy when word surfaced that the game would be an exclusive title for Samsung on the newly unveiled Galaxy Note 9 and other newer Galaxy devices via Galaxy Apps. Fortnite is a huge deal with massive numbers of players battling it out and has turned over a billion dollars in revenue for a game that costs nothing to download. The good news for Android Fortnite fans with no intention of buying a new Samsung device was that Fortnite exclusivity was promised to be short-lived. Samsung's exclusive deal wore off over the weekend and that means that Android gamers on other...
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If you want to install Fortnite on your Android device when that version of the game launches later this summer, you won't be going through Google Play. It is a rather curious, but understandable move considering that Fortnite is a worldwide gaming hit and has been a huge revenue generator for Epic Games. But in the end, it all comes down to money. If Epic were to distribute Fortnite through Google Play, it would have to forfeit 30 percent of the revenue from in-app purchases to Google. To put it simply, Epic wants complete and total command of this revenue stream and thinks that side-loading...
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Pandora is taking a page from Spotify's book and has unveiled a new plan that will let multiple family members have their own sub-accounts. The Pandora Premium Family Plan costs $14.99 per month, which is the same price Spotify asks for its family account. The new membership gives full access to Pandora Premium features for up to six people in the family. That is where Pandora is trying to set itself apart from the Spotify family plan with its five member slots. Each family member can listen to what they want, when they want. Each can create radio stations and custom playlists, download music for...
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Over 1,000 North Korean citizens try to defect to South Korea each and every year, and for each of them, the sudden sense of freedom must feel overwhelming. Naturally, North Korea isn't happy with anyone who decides to leave, and the country certainly has the means to seek out and track those who've done so. While the country may not send out investigators to follow everyone who defects, the North Korean government has other creative ways to keep tabs on its former citizens, including creating its own sophisticated malware. More specifically, this mobile device malware will read your personal...
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It's May 4th and at least one person near you has said "May the 4th Be With You Today" which is the official catchphrase of Star Wars Day. If you are a Star Wars fan and want to celebrate the day by spending some money, Google Play has a sale for you. To celebrate the day all sorts of audio books, comics, TV shows, and games are on sale. Most of the audiobooks are 25% off with some of the notable titles including The Last Jedi: Expanded Edition, Thrawn (Star Wars), Aftermath: Star Wars: Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Catalyst (Star Wars): A Rogue One Novel. If audiobooks aren't...
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One of the things that sets Android apart from other mobile devices and tablets is access to the Google suite of apps that are commonly called GApps. The GApps suite includes a number of applications including Google Play, Gmail, Camera, Keyboard, and others. Google is now adding tighter restrictions on what devices can access the GApps suite. Normally when an OEM complies with Google's requirements for GApps and pre-loads them on their devices, the devices have been certified for the apps to ensure everything works as Google intended. The problem is that some smaller OEMs were skipping that certification...
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If your Android phone has suddenly started bombarding you with advertisements, you might the victim of malware, and specifically a strain that recently infiltrated Google Play by disguising itself as a bunch of handy utilities. Researchers at security firm Sophos discovered the tricky malware, saying that infected apps amassed over half a million downloads before Google removed them. Six of the booby-trapped apps claimed to be QR code readers, while another billed itself as a smart compass. All of them actually worked as advertised. To further mask the scent of foul play, the hidden adware in each...
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Google is extending its Instant App experience to now includes select games in the Google Play Store. Called "Google Play Instant," the new feature allows Android users to play game demos by clicking on a link instead of actually downloading and installing the full app. This is an added convenience for Android device owners, and should also benefit developers who can more easily tempt users with their games. "With Google Play Instant, you can just tap and try a game without having to download it first—whether you’re looking to storm a castle on Clash Royale or become a wordmaster with...
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