android

Android devices may soon tell users when their phone is starting to degrade. It's a feature already found in phones. The feature is not about the percentage of charge the battery has, which is easy to find in Android settings and can be shown ... permanently on the screen. Instead, it's about battery health. It's described by Google as the "estimated percentage of charge the battery can currently hold compared to when it was new." That's not necessarily as straightforward as it might seem: battery life doesn't necessarily degrade at a consistent rate. A rule of thumb, the battery should retain at ... (view more)

Google is leading a bid to force Apple to make its iMessage tool more compatible with other services. It could have a wider effect on tech competition as a whole. In the past, most messaging tools used SMS (Short Messaging Service) which sent text ... messages over the cellular network. These are either paid for individually by the user, or taken out of a monthly allowance that's separate to cellular data services. Most phones now have one or more services that let users send messages via cellular data and the Internet. As well as not using up SMS allowances, such messaging tools also allow ... (view more)

A proposed new smartphone would include two physical switches to control privacy. The Murena 2 would run Android apps, but use its own operating system. The makers have reached a (very low) funding goal on the Kickstarter site with around 450 sales ... at the time of writing. That theoretically means the project can go ahead, though without any legal guarantee it will do so. The main selling point of the phone is a privacy-focused design, which the makers say is to tackle data being collected on Android and iPhones even when the owner isn't actively using the handset. The most eye-catching part ... (view more)

Most popular mobile apps request system permissions that aren't necessary for their stated functions, according to a new study. In some cases, an app requested more unnecessary functions than necessary ones. The figures come from NordVPN, which ... examined the five most popular apps in 18 common categories. They repeated the exercise for both Android and iOS, making a combined total of 103 different apps. (Source: nordvpn.com ) Both mobile operating systems now use a permissions system that means apps must request specific permission for different types of access to a phone's data and components ... (view more)

Google says malware creators are using a simple workaround to bypass security on the official Play Store for Android apps. The problem is that the simplest fix would undermine one of the key differences between Android and closed systems such as ... Apple. In theory, all apps in the Play Store are vetted for security, including malware checks. That's one of the reasons Google recommends only using the Play Store, while still giving users the choice to get and install Android software from other sources. The problem is that scammers are using an extremely simply workaround called "versioning". ... (view more)

Google is set to release its first foldable smartphone dubbed the "Pixel Fold" scheduled for May 10th. According to reports, Google has been working on a foldable phone for years. The Pixel Fold is expected to take the form of a book-style foldable ... with two screens, resembling the squarish shape of Oppo's foldable phone, the Find N. Pixel Fold: Camera According to 9to5Google, the Pixel Fold will have two front-facing 8-megapixel lenses, one presumably on the cover and one for the interiors, as well as a 12-megapixel rear camera. The main sensor is expected to be a step down from the Pixel 6 ... (view more)

A recent report from StatCounter (March, 2023) suggests that Windows 11 is running on one out of every five Windows PCs (approximately 20 percent). Windows 11 has experienced a steady growth rate, increasing its market share from 19.13% to 20.94%, ... gaining 1.81 percentage points in March, 2023. While Windows 10 also saw an increase, it was not as significant as in February 2023 when Microsoft stopped support for Windows 7 and 8.1. Despite the increase in Windows 10's market share, Windows 11's growth rate indicates that users are more interested in the newer operating system. These numbers may ... (view more)

The next version of Android may make it much harder to install and run apps from third party sources. The change will mainly affect older apps that haven't been updated in some time. Unlike with Apple's iPhones, Android handsets aren't restricted to ... apps from the official App Store. Users may either use other app stores (other than the Google Play Store), or download and manually install apps from the web in a process known as "sideloading." Doing this doesn't require any "hacking" of the device, though users do have to change the phone's settings and confirm they understand the ... (view more)

Apple has previously been accused of "dirty tricks" against Android users when it comes to the iMessaging app. Now, one critic says Apple's choice of colors may be deliberate to make Android messages harder to read. The dispute involves the way ... iPhones display chat messages that are sent over the Internet, rather than through SMS messaging that uses cellular data networks. This was originally an iPhone only feature, but from 2016, Apple allowed Android users to use it via the official iMessage app. During testing, Apple engineers added a green background to messages sent from ... (view more)

Smartphone and tablet manufacturers may be forced to offer updates and security fixes for longer. It's part of a European plan to reduce the need for users to get rid of old devices so often. The proposals would also mean manufacturers making parts ... available for independent repairers and making batteries either long-lasting or replaceable. The move could bring benefits to device buyers around the world. However, analysts also fear it could mean an end to cheap handsets, even if they are a false economy. The proposals come in a draft law in the European Union. They are now out for public ... (view more)