CNBC: Twitter says security flaw may have exposed Android users’ direct messages. “Twitter on Wednesday disclosed a new security vulnerability that may have exposed the direct messages of users who access the service using Android devices. Specifically, the vulnerability could have exposed the private data of Twitter users running devices with Android OS versions 8 and 9, the company said.”
Android
CNET: Android is finally getting its version of Apple’s AirDrop
CNET: Android is finally getting its version of Apple’s AirDrop. “Android is getting a feature that’s been beloved among iPhone users for years. Google, which makes the Android mobile operating system, on Tuesday said it’s launching a tool called Nearby Share that lets people quickly send files to the devices of people around them. The feature is similar to Apple’s AirDrop, which debuted for Mac computers in 2011, then came to iPhones two years later.”
CNET: 3D photos on iOS or Android are now a thing, thanks to this new, free app
CNET: 3D photos on iOS or Android are now a thing, thanks to this new, free app. “After being in beta for months, the 3D photo app LucidPix is now available to iOS and Android users. Whether you have a newer phone like the iPhone 11 or Samsung Galaxy Z Flip or an older one like a Motorola Moto G6 or iPhone 6S, you can use the app take 3D photos. Best of all, you don’t need a special accessory or multiple rear cameras. Instead, LucidPix uses artificial intelligence to render 3D photos that will move as you tilt and pan your phone.”
Android Police: A beginner’s guide to Tasker: How to automate (almost) anything on your phone
Android Police: A beginner’s guide to Tasker: How to automate (almost) anything on your phone. “Tasker is one of the most powerful apps on the Play Store for automating tasks on your smartphone, but it’s far from the easiest to get to grips with, which is where this guide comes in… For the completely uninitiated, Tasker — which does cost $3.49 — lets you add extra customizations and automations to Android phone. It combines triggers (such as reaching a location, or opening up a particular app) with actions (so turning off Wi-Fi, or boosting screen brightness). The possibilities are almost limitless, provided you can get your head around it to begin with.”
Neowin: Google Stadia can now be used on any Android smartphone, as an experiment
Neowin: Google Stadia can now be used on any Android smartphone, as an experiment. “With today’s announcement, everyone with an Android smartphone that can install the Stadia app can also try to stream games to their device. This is labeled as an experimental feature, and Google isn’t promising that everything will work as intended on every device.”
OneZero: Google Purged Almost 1,000 Abusive ‘Creeperware’ Apps. Now Some Are Coming Back.
OneZero: Google Purged Almost 1,000 Abusive ‘Creeperware’ Apps. Now Some Are Coming Back.. “In June 2019, a group of cybersecurity researchers notified Google of more than 1,000 potentially malicious apps on the company’s Play Store that can be used to surveil, monitor, and harass users. Their findings, which have not previously been reported, eventually led to one of the largest ever mass removals of Android apps. Less than a year later, there are signs that the ‘creeperware,’ as the researchers called it, is returning.”
Zee Business: Google postpones Android 11 unveiling amid US protests
Zee Business: Google postpones Android 11 unveiling amid US protests. “Alphabet Inc`s Google on Saturday said it has postponed next week`s planned unveiling of the beta version of its latest Android 11 mobile operating system in light of protests and unrest in the United States.”
The Register: Multi-part Android spyware lurked on Google Play Store for 4 years, posing as a bunch of legit-looking apps
The Register: Multi-part Android spyware lurked on Google Play Store for 4 years, posing as a bunch of legit-looking apps . “A newly uncovered strain of Android spyware lurked on the Google Play Store disguised as cryptocurrency wallet Coinbase, among other things, for up to four years, according to a new report by Bitdefender.”
TechRadar: Google starts ditching Android apps in favor of web apps on Chrome OS
TechRadar: Google starts ditching Android apps in favor of web apps on Chrome OS. “Google has started quietly replacing some Android apps with Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) in the Play Store for Chromebooks. Though PWAs were available in the Play Store before, Chrome Unboxed has spotted that Google has started making them the default on Chrome OS, with Twitter and YouTube TV the first to receive the PWA treatment.”
CNET: Google debuts a braille keyboard for vision-impaired Android users
CNET: Google debuts a braille keyboard for vision-impaired Android users . “Braille has been helping the blind and vision-impaired to read and communicate for more than 150 years. Now Google wants to help blind and vision-impaired Android users put braille to work on their smartphones.”
Please, just stop downloading apps from unofficial stores: Android users hit with ‘unkillable malware’ (The Register)
The Register: Please, just stop downloading apps from unofficial stores: Android users hit with ‘unkillable malware’ . “Known as xHelper, the malware has been spreading mainly in Russia, Europe, and Southwest Asia on Android 6 and 7 devices (which while old and out of date, make up around 15 per cent of the current user base) for the past year from unofficial app stores. Once on a gizmo, it opens a backdoor, allowing miscreants to spy on owners, steal their data, and cause mischief.”
Digital Inspiration: How to Send SMS Messages with Google Sheets and your Android Phone
Digital Inspiration: How to Send SMS Messages with Google Sheets and your Android Phone. “There are services, Twilio and Vonage for example, that let you send text messages programmatically to any phone number in the world. You can either build an SMS solution on top of these messaging APIs or you can take a simpler and less expensive route – build your own text sending app with Google Sheets and MIT’s App Inventor.”
BetaNews: Click-fraud malware found lurking in more than 50 Play Store apps
BetaNews: Click-fraud malware found lurking in more than 50 Play Store apps. “Researchers at Check Point have identified an auto-clicker malware family operating inside the Google’s Play Store. Disguised in over 56 applications and downloaded over 1,000,000 times globally, the malware — dubbed ‘Tekya’ — commits mobile ad fraud by imitating the actions of a user, clicking ads and banners from ad agencies like Google’s AdMob, AppLovin’, Facebook, and Unity.”
VentureBeat: Google Translate launches Transcribe for Android in 8 languages
VentureBeat: Google Translate launches Transcribe for Android in 8 languages. “Google Translate today launched Transcribe for Android, a feature that delivers a continual, real-time translation of a conversation. Transcribe will begin by rolling out support for eight languages in the coming days: English, French, German, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Thai.”
BetaNews: Ransomware posing as a coronavirus app is threatening people for money
BetaNews: Ransomware posing as a coronavirus app is threatening people for money. “The coronavirus pandemic has created some confusing times. Trying to get a better handle on the situation, some people have looked to mobile apps to track the spread of the disease. These users were shocked to find they had accidentally installed a malware app instead.”
