Google Play’s app marketplace is losing apps. From the start of 2024 to present, the Android app marketplace went from hosting about 3.4 million apps worldwide to just around 1.8 million, according to a new analysis by app intelligence provider Appfigures. That’s a decline of about 47%, representing a significant purge of the apps that […]
Google Play sees 47% decline in apps since start of last year Read More »
Google’s mobile operating system Android will now automatically reboot if the phone is locked for three days in a row. On Monday, the tech giant pushed updates to Google Play services, a core part of Android that provides functionalities for apps and the operating system itself. Listed under “Security & Privacy” is a new security
For security, Android phones will now auto-reboot after three days Read More »
A coalition of governments has published a list of legitimate-looking Android apps that were actually spyware, and used to target civil society that may oppose China’s state interests. On Tuesday, the U.K.’s National Cyber Security Centre, or NCSC, which is part of intelligence agency GCHQ, along with government agencies from Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand,
Governments identify dozens of Android apps bundled with spyware Read More »
On Monday, Google released an update for Android that fixes two zero-day flaws that “may be under limited, targeted exploitation,” as the company put it. That means Google is aware that hackers have been and may still be using the bugs to compromise Android devices in real world scenarios. One of the two now-fixed zero-days,
Google fixes two Android zero-day bugs actively exploited by hackers Read More »
Consumer-grade phone surveillance apps aren’t only intended to stay stealthy; some of these apps are also making it increasingly difficult to remove them. TechCrunch has identified a stealthy phone monitoring app for Android that requires a password to uninstall, effectively blocking Android device owners from being able to remove the app. The spyware app, which
The governments of Australia, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Israel, and Singapore are likely customers of Israeli spyware maker Paragon Solutions, according to a new technical report by a renowned digital security lab. On Wednesday, The Citizen Lab, a group of academics and security researchers housed at the University of Toronto that has investigated the spyware industry
Researchers name several countries as potential Paragon spyware customers Read More »
Google on Tuesday announced new products and features aimed at healthcare use cases, including improved overviews in Google Search for health queries, medical records APIs, and new health-focused “open” AI models. In Search, Google says it’s using AI and ranking systems to expand “knowledge panel” answers on thousands of health-related topics, and adding support for
Google launches new healthcare-related features for Search, Android Read More »
Google announced on Thursday that Android phones will soon support Auracast, a new Bluetooth technology that uses a phone to enable a direct connection from hearing aids to audio broadcasts in noisy environments. With Auracast, compatible hearing aids and earbuds can receive direct audio streams, such as a PA system at a train station or
Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi said on Thursday that its Android smartphones sold in India will come preinstalled with Indian fintech company PhonePe’s app store. Xiaomi’s Android smartphones usually come preinstalled with Google’s Play Store and the Chinese company’s own GetApps. Xiaomi said that it has signed a multi-year deal with PhonePe to replace GetApps with
Xiaomi to preinstall PhonePe’s app store on smartphones sold in India Read More »
A group of hackers with links to the North Korean regime uploaded Android spyware onto the Google Play app store and were able to trick some people into downloading it, according to cybersecurity firm Lookout. In a report published on Wednesday, and exclusively shared with TechCrunch ahead of time, Lookout details an espionage campaign involving
North Korean government hackers snuck spyware on Android app store Read More »
