Google has teased a new line-up of laptops coming later in the year called Googlebooks.

In what was a brief announcement at the Android Show, Googlebooks appear to be a confirmation of a long-running rumor: a new operating system based on a fusion of ChromeOS and Android, and essentially a Gemini-native successor to Chromebooks.

“We’re bringing together the best of Android, which comes with powerful apps on Google Play and a modern OS that’s designed for Intelligence, and ChromeOS, which comes with the world’s most popular browser,” Google’s senior director for laptops and tablets, Alex Kuscher, wrote in a blog post.

“The result is Googlebook: a new category of laptops built with Gemini’s helpfulness at its core, designed to work seamlessly with the devices in your life and powered by premium hardware. We’re sharing a sneak peek into the Googlebook experience today and will have a lot more to share later this year.”

What to expect with Googlebooks

Googlebooks will be the first laptops designed “from the ground up” for Gemini Intelligence, the company said in its announcement. The first Googlebooks are expected in the fall from the usual vendors such Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo.

Gemini and its AI capabilities will assist you the moment you open a Googlebook laptop, the company said. One of the first new features is the “Magic Pointer” which adds extra functions as you hover the cursor over various apps.

The cursor will also come alive with “just a wiggle”, according to Google. The wiggle brings up quick and contextual suggestions that depend on where it is on the screen.

Pointing at a date in Gmail, for example, will suggest setting up a meeting. Or selecting two images can create a visualization; the presentation showed a couch being placed in a living room.

Many of the features appeared to be more about everyday life, rather than business use cases. Though it isn’t hard to imagine where capabilities like custom widgets or remote mobile access can help at work.

The latter will allow you to access your mobile from the laptop.

The announcement does raise a few questions, particularly for the future of Chromebooks, but we expect more details to come over the summer.

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A new mobile spyware platform called ZeroDayRAT, claimed to provide full remote control over compromised Android and iOS devices, is being sold openly via Telegram.

According to analysis from iVerify, developers behind the tool run dedicated channels for sales and customer support and give regular updates. Buyers are given a single point of access to a fully operational spyware panel, with full remote control over a user’s Android or iOS device.

Support covers Android 5 through 16 and iOS up to 26, including the iPhone 17 Pro. No technical expertise is required, researchers warned.

"Taken together, this is a complete mobile compromise toolkit, the kind that used to require nation-state investment or bespoke exploit development, now sold on Telegram," the researchers said.

"A single buyer gets full access to a target’s location, messages, finances, camera, microphone, and keystrokes from a browser tab. Cross-platform support and active development make it a growing threat to both individuals and organizations."

How ZeroDayRAT attacks work

Attacks generally start with smishing, researchers said. The victim gets a text with a link, downloads what looks like a legitimate app, and installs it. Phishing emails, fake app stores, and links shared over WhatsApp or Telegram are also being used.

Once a device is infected, the attacker can use an overview tab showing the device model, OS, battery, country, lock status, and SIM and carrier info.

Similarly, dual SIM phone numbers, app usage broken down by time, a live activity timeline, and a preview of recent SMS messages are all displayed on a single screen.

"This screen is enough to profile the infected user: who they talk to, what apps they use most, when they're active, and what network they're on," researchers said. "Scrolling down reveals intercepted messages from banking services, carriers, and personal contacts."

GPS coordinates are pulled and plotted on an embedded Google Maps view with location history, so an operator can track not just where the infected user is, but where they've been.

Notifications - app name, title, content, and timestamp. WhatsApp messages, Instagram notifications, missed calls, Telegram updates, YouTube alerts and system events - are also captured.

Follow-up compromise is a real risk

Notably, an accounts tab enumerates every account registered on the device, such as Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, Amazon, and Spotify accounts associated with usernames or emails.

This, researchers warned, is basically everything an attacker needs to attempt account takeover or launch targeted social engineering.

"ZeroDayRAT shows how easily an attacker can gain full, real‑time visibility into a mobile device, exposing far more than personal information," commented Matthew Stern, chief security Officer at Hypori.

"The only reliable protection is removing trust from the physical device entirely. By keeping confidential data off the endpoint, organizations ensure that even if spyware takes full control of a device, sensitive information is not accessible.”

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Researchers have uncovered a new class of Android attack based on a years-old data-stealing browser attack method.

The technique, dubbed Pixnapping by US-based researchers, allows attackers to stealthily steal sensitive information displayed by other apps or even websites without users ever realizing their data has been compromised.

This data can include two-factor authentication (2FA) codes, private messages, and even financial information.

In proof-of-concept tests, the team was able to recover sensitive information from widely used apps and websites such as Signal, Venmo, Google Authenticator, Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Accounts.

Notably, the malicious app was able to steal 2FA codes from Google Authenticator in less than 30 seconds, all without requiring any Android permissions or displaying suspicious activity to the user.

Pixnapping allows a malicious Android app to 'snap' pixels from other apps or websites by exploiting Android APIs and a GPU hardware side channel known as 'GPU.zip', which leaks information about how the graphics hardware processes visual data.

How Pixnapping attacks work

Pixnapping works in a three-stage process, with the first being invoking a target app, such as Google Authenticator, to cause sensitive information to be submitted for rendering.

The next step involves inducing graphical operations on individual sensitive pixels rendered by the target app - for example, the pixels that are part of the screen region where a 2FA character is known to be rendered by Google Authenticator.

A side channel such as GPU.zip is then used to steal the pixels operated on during step two, one pixel at a time. Steps two and three are repeated for as many pixels as needed to run optical character recognition over the recovered pixels and recover the original content.

The researchers demonstrated successful attacks on modern Google and Samsung phones, including the Pixel 6 through Pixel 9 ranges, and the Galaxy S25, running Android versions 13 through 16.

However, because the core mechanisms used by Pixnapping are typically available in all Android devices, the vulnerability is likely to affect a wide range of smartphones across manufacturers.

“Conceptually, it is as if any app could take a screenshot of other apps or websites without permission, which is a fundamental violation of Android’s security model,” said researcher Riccardo Paccagnella, assistant professor in Carnegie Mellon University’s Software and Societal Systems Department.

Initial patches failed to solve the issue

In February, the research team disclosed its findings to Google, which rated Pixnapping High Severity and began tracking it as CVE-2025-48561.

While Google attempted to mitigate the issue by restricting access to certain APIs, the research team said it later discovered a workaround that restored the attack’s effectiveness.

There's no evidence that the vulnerability has been exploited in the wild. However, as of October 13, researchers said Android remained vulnerable – although Google plans to issue an additional patch in its December Android security bulletin.

"Fixing Pixnapping will likely require changes to core Android mechanisms, for example, by allowing apps to prevent other apps from drawing over their sensitive content," said Paccagnella.

To prevent Pixnapping, the researchers recommend that users keep their Android devices updated with the latest patches as soon as they are released.

They plan to release Pixnapping’s source code once effective patches are available, to support further academic research and industry defenses.

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Google has struck back against US regulators, claiming that plans to dismantle the company would "hurt the economy".

Last year, a court case brought by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) found Google had a monopoly in search. A trial that began this week seeks to decide the correct remedies, which could include breaking up aspects of Google, selling Chrome or spinning out Android.

The DOJ said in a filing that Google forces Americans to submit to "unbridled demands and shifting, ideological preferences" just to access a decent search tool.

Justice Department lawyer David Dahlquist said in court Monday: "This is the time for the court to tell Google and all other monopolists who are out there listening — and they are listening — that there are consequences when you break the antitrust laws."

Last week, in a separate case, a US judge found that Google has an illegal monopoly in advertising technology, and it faces a class-action style suit in the UK on the same subject.

Google breakup plans would harm the economy

While Google will get a chance to have its say in court, the company shared a blog post over the weekend ahead of the beginning of the trial, arguing its case to the public, and reiterating that it disagreed with the court's decision last year.

The post pointed to its own proposal for remedies that would allow multiple search agreements, de-link Google's apps in Android, and stressed that Google would appeal the ruling once the remedy was decided.

Penned by Lee-Anne Mulholland, vice president of regulatory affairs, the post said the case was "backwards looking" given the current level of intense competition in online search sparked by the rise of AI, pointing to ChatGPT and DeepSeek.

"At trial we will show how DOJ’s unprecedented proposals go miles beyond the Court’s decision, and would hurt America’s consumers, economy, and technological leadership," she wrote.

The post further argued the DOJ proposal would make it harder to access online services.

"People use Google because they want to, not because they have to," Mulholland wrote. "DOJ's proposal would force browsers and phones to default to search services like Microsoft’s Bing, making it harder for you to access Google."

She added that the proposal would prevent competition in search, raise prices and slow innovation, adding that it would damage Mozilla Firefox which relies on Google payments from search distribution.

Similarly, the move would force Google to share sensitive and private search data with "companies you may never have heard of".

On the topic of Android potentially being spun out, Google argued it would impact security, raise prices and hurt businesses.

"DOJ’s proposal to split off Chrome and Android — which we built at great cost over many years and make available for free — would break those platforms, hurt businesses built on them, and undermine security," she wrote.

AI a new front for case?

Google argued that the DOJ proposal would "hamstring how we develop AI" by requiring a government committee to regulate the design of its related products.

Mulholland suggested this would “hold back American innovation at a critical juncture” as the firm and its counterparts contend with rising competition from overseas developers.

At the trial, Dahlquist argued that the court's remedy should actively consider AI, saying Perplexity AI and OpenAI will both testify about the impact of Google's industry dominance on their own businesses.

"This court's remedy should be forward-looking and not ignore what is on the horizon," Dahlquist said.

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Microsoft employees in China have been told they must ditch Android smartphones in favor of Apple iPhones over security concerns. 

To be clear, Microsoft isn't suggesting that smartphones running Google's Android mobile operating system are inherently insecure. Instead, the swap to iPhones stems from China banning the Google Play store, limiting Microsoft employees' ability to download key verification apps.

Apple's App Store, however, is still available.

According to a memo seen by Bloomberg, Microsoft wants its staff to make use of its Identity Pass app and Authenticator password manager when accessing corporate networks, requiring access to an app marketplace.

The report said the move will impact hundreds of Microsoft employees in mainland China, though Microsoft will be supplying the new handsets.

Microsoft confirmed the move and motivation in a statement sent to journalists.

"Microsoft Authenticator and Identity Pass apps are officially available on the Apple and Google Play stores,” the firm said. “Due to the lack of availability of Google Mobile Services in this region, we look to offer employees a means of accessing these required apps, such as an iOS device."

As other publications have speculated, it's certainly possible for Microsoft to side-load these apps or use local non-Google app markets, such as Tencent. But instead, Microsoft has chosen to simply buy iPhones.

Perhaps that's little surprise given Microsoft has closed its shops in the country, and is reportedly encouraging cloud and AI staff to relocate, amid worsening relations between the US and China.

Ilia Kolochenko, CEO at ImmuniWeb, said the move could also be due to lingering concerns about the safety of open source software products.

"I think this move may be at least partially triggered by the growing lack of Western confidence in open-sourced products, bolstered by the recent XZ Utils backdoor scandal," Kolochenko said.

Microsoft’s latest move to bolster security

The move fits in with Microsoft's wider efforts at securing its own operations under a plan known as the Secure Future Initiative (SFI). 

First unveiled in November last year, with an update seen this May, SFI is in response to the "increasing scale and high stakes of cyber attacks," according to executive vice president Charlie Bell in a post in May.

SFI is essentially an effort by Microsoft to shore up security for itself and its customers under a secure by design, by default and by operations framework.

In May, Bell noted that was being expanded to include new priorities, among them protecting people and data using authentication and authorization tools, setting a target for all user accounts and applications to be protected via multi-factor authentication.

While Microsoft's shift from Android to iPhone in China is specifically to do with access to these verification apps, Android has long been a major target for hackers. 

That's in part down to the open Android ecosystem — security risks can be introduced by the myriad hardware manufacturers, or by installing apps from third-party marketplaces, for example.

On the other hand, iOS has long been seen as more secure, partially down to Apple's more locked-down approach, not only manufacturing the phones itself but also constraining access to core code — though it's worth noting that no smartphone offers perfect security against hackers.

“In America, Apple has a better perception of security and privacy compared to Android, although it may not necessarily be true: a properly configured and hardened Android is much more secure than an outdated iOS device,” Kolochenko noted.

Regardless of the phone platform, apps are a key target for hackers, which may be one reason why Microsoft would prefer not to sideload its authentication apps or ask workers to use alternative marketplaces.

Security researchers have issued a warning over four new Android spyware apps that are being harnessed to target users globally. 

Known as ‘CapraRAT’, this Android-based remote access trojan embeds spyware within curated video browsing applications, and has been expanded to target mobile gamers, weapons enthusiasts, and social media users, according to SentinelLabs.

The group behind the campaign, known as Transparent Tribe, has been active since at least 2016 and is known for targeting military and diplomatic personnel in both India and Pakistan, more recently expanding to the Indian education sector.

SentinelLabs said the group has been using CapraRAT since 2018 for surveillance purposes ahead of spear phishing attacks, but has since observed a number of updates.

Researchers identified three CapraRAT Android Package Kits (APK) in 2023, and said the overall functionality of its new discoveries remains the same, with the underlying code updated to better suit modern Android devices.

"The most significant changes between this campaign and the September 2023 campaign are app-to-app compatibility. The newest CapraRAT APKs we identified now contain references to Android's Oreo version (Android 8.0), which was released in 2017," the firm said in an advisory.

"Previous versions relied on the device running Lollipop (Android 5.1), which was released in 2015 and less likely to be compatible with modern Android devices."

The new versions of CapraRAT each use WebView to launch a URL to either YouTube or a mobile gaming site, CrazyGames.com. There's no indication that an app with the same name, Crazy Games, is weaponized, researchers noted.

"The Crazy Games app launches WebView to load CrazyGames.com, a site containing in-browser mini games. This particularly resource-intensive site did not work well on older versions of Android during our testing," SentinelLabs said.

How does CapraRAT spyware infect devices?

When the app first launches, the user is prompted to grant several risky permissions, including access GPS location, manage network state, read and send SMS, read contacts, record audio and screen activity, and take screenshots.

However, other permissions appear to have been dropped, indicating that the app developers may be focused on making CapraRAT a surveillance tool, rather than a fully featured backdoor.=

"The decision to move to newer versions of the Android OS are logical, and likely align with the group’s sustained targeting of individuals in the Indian government or military space, who are unlikely to use devices running older versions of Android, such as Lollipop which was released eight years ago," SentinelLabs said.

"The APK theme updates show the group continues to lean into its social engineering prowess to gain a wider audience of targets who would be interested in the new app lures, such as mobile gamers or weapons enthusiasts."

To avoid compromise researchers urged users to always evaluate the permissions requested by an app to determine whether they are actually necessary.

Google has unloaded a spate of new features for Android devices that include redesigned widgets, Google Meet upgrades, accessibility controls and more.

The updates come days after the launch of the new iPhone 14 which showcased a bevy of new features on Wednesday.

As such, Google has moved to satisfy its massive Android customer base with competing upgrades and innovative new capabilities. The wide-ranging new features are all designed to boost user productivity, communication and accessibility. There are also improvements for entertainment products and a plethora of new emojis.

The widget for Google Drive has had a makeover with three new home screen buttons to help users access Docs, Slides and Sheets quicker. What's more, the Google Keep widget is now bigger and has larger fonts for easier note-taking.

In Google Meet, there will be 'live sharing' and 'multipinning' features which are rolling out to Android devices soon. Live sharing will allow users to co-watch videos with up to 100 people simultaneously. Whereas multipinning will allow users to focus on certain participants on a large call. For example, if their boss is on the call, but not speaking, their video tile can be pinned to the top of the screen and made larger so the user can see their reactions.

There is also a new update to Nearby Share which is a feature that works similar to Apple's AirDrop in that users can transfer files between Android devices that are logged into the same Google Account. The new update - self-share - automates the process by allowing the user to transfer with just a single tap, rather than manually confirming the process. According to Google's blog, self-share will be rolling out in the coming weeks.

Android is also adding more accessibility controls and tools for users that suffer from hearing loss. Google has partnered with the deaf community to develop 'sound' alerts for fire alarms, running water, oven timers and knocks at the door. Users can record their own sounds to add to their alert library and their Android device will flash a light, vibrate or send a notification when the sounds are detected.

The European Commission’s antitrust enforcers have launched an investigation into Google's app store rules.

The US tech giant's rivals have received confidential questionnaires from Brussels, according to Politico, which centre around queries challenging the billing terms and developer fees for Play Store.

Google’s high developer fees and refusal to allow alternative billing systems to collect payment from users are among the matters being investigated by officials.

The ongoing Netherlands’ investigation into Google's Play Store rules will likely come to a close as the EU examines anticompetitive conduct on an EU-wide scale, sources said. As matters stand, Google faces heightened regulatory scrutiny, with the United Kingdom's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) also investigating its Play Store.

In a statement, Google said the company had been discussing "a number of things" with the Commission, including recent changes to make Play Store terms and conditions equitable to address allegations of unfair conduct from developers.

As of July 2022, the company had made arrangements to allow select app developers to use alternative billing systems in the Play Store when collecting payments from European users. Google also promised reduced developer fees to comply with the EU’s recently proposed Digital Markets Act (DMA) which prevents large companies from abusing their market power to hinder competition.

Per reports, the DMA will be written into the EU’s rulebook by October, and tech firms affected by it are required to comply from 2024.

Google has agreed to pay $90 million to settle a lawsuit that alleged the company's Play store policies violated antitrust laws.

App developers have accused the tech giant of forcing payments through its Google Play billing system, which came with a default 30% service fee, as part of prior contractual agreements with smartphone makers.

Clearing the air, Google announced a $90 million fund to support US developers who earned $2 million or less annually through Google Play between 2016 and 2021.

However, the company highlighted that a 15% commission rate on the first $1 million in annual revenue earned through Play Store was into effect in 2021 for US developers.

“A vast majority of U.S. developers who earned revenue through Google Play will be eligible to receive money from this fund, if they choose. If the Court approves the settlement, developers that qualify will be notified and allowed to receive a distribution from the fund,” stated Google in a blog post.

The Google Developer Distribution Agreement has also been revised, which stipulates that developers may continue to use in-app contact information to communicate with users outside of apps, should they decide to provide an alternative, low-cost offering through rival app stores, or their own websites.

Additionally, the company has announced plans to create an “Indie Apps Corner”, which will feature unique, high-quality apps created by small and independent developers.

Lastly, Google will maintain, in newer versions of Android, certain changes implemented in Android 12 that enable easy access to rival app stores, without compromising Android’s safety features.

Google has given Android developers a two-month deadline for complying with its latest Play Store data transparency rules, which require all apps to include details on how user data will be processed.

The new rules aim to improve users’ confidence when downloading apps from the Play Store, offering better detail about what each app’s data collection practices involve.

“We heard from users and app developers that displaying the data an app collects, without additional context, is not enough,” said Suzanne Frey, VP of product at Android Security and Privacy, in a blog post.

“Users want to know for what purpose their data is being collected and whether the developer is sharing user data with third parties. In addition, users want to understand how app developers are securing user data after an app is downloaded.”

Developers will have to complete a new section that lives on the app’s info page by 20 July, and include app information such as:

• If the developer is collecting data, and if so, for what purpose
• If the developer is sharing data with third parties
• Details of the app’s security measures, such as any elements of data encryption
• Whether the app’s security measures are validated against an industry standard, such as MASVS
• Whether the app complies with Google Play’s Families Policy

The details developers will need to provide fall broadly under the categories of data collection, data sharing, and cyber security.

Other disclosures will also need to be made such as how the developer plans to deal with account information if they use that information in other areas of the app such as fraud prevention, for example.

The only developers that will be excluded from the deadline will be those who develop system services - apps that are pre-installed on some devices and cannot be uninstalled.

When visiting an app’s Play Store page, users can navigate to the app’s details and discover more details about the app’s privacy and security provisions, alongside the pre-existing safety details and miscellaneous app information.

“Apps should help users explore the world, connect with loved ones, do work, learn something new, and more without compromising user safety,” said Frey. “The new Data safety section, in addition to Google Play’s existing safety features, gives people the visibility and control they need to enjoy their apps.”

Android 13 is now available as a public beta for anyone with a compatible Pixel handset, Google has announced.

A final version is not expected till August, at the earliest, but anyone can access this latest beta with either a Pixel 4, 4a, 5, 5A, 6, or 6 Pro handset.

The release comes just two weeks ahead of Google I/O, the tech giant's annual developer conference, where a more in-depth look at Android 13 is expected. So far Google has only offered brief insights via two developer previews, which showcased new privacy and security features. The design appears largely similar to Android 12, though there is a further expansion of the customisable 'Material You' interface.

There's also support for Bluetooth Low Energy Audio, a 'photo picker' that allows users to restrict which photos an app is able to access, and new app icon theme options.

Google is focusing on privacy and security with Android 13 and will include more 'granular' permissions for media file access. The aim is to offer more transparency and control to the end-user by forcing apps to request access to specific types of files in shared storage.

There is also improved error reporting in Keystore and KeyMint, which are apps that generate encryption keys. In Android 13, these apps will offer more detailed and accurate error indicators with a new 'exception' class hierarchy. Methods for key generation, signing, and encryption will also be customisable, the tech giant said.

In terms of audio updates, there is a new 'Anticipatory audio routing' feature that will help apps better manage audio streams. This includes new audio route APIs in an AudioManager class. It will offer up a list of devices that may be used to play specified audio while other APIs can be used to understand whether an audio stream can be played directly. The aim is to determine the best audio format to use for an audio track.

To get access to Android 13, users need to enrol their compatible Pixel device and set up an SDK which can be downloaded from the Android 13 developer site.

Android has announced a new Play store security policy that will force developers to update older apps to avoid their software being removed.

With each version of Android, new and more stringent security policies are introduced to improve the security of the Android ecosystem. Following this approach, Android will now require all apps to target an API level that’s within two years of the most recent version.

An API level is essentially tied to a version of Android, meaning the most recent version of the operating system, Android 12, is the most up-to-date API level.

An existing policy states that any new app being added to the Play store, or an existing app that is being updated, needs to target an API level that’s within one year of the current version. The latest policy is an expansion of this, targeting older apps that have not been updated in some time.

This means that any older app will need to be updated to target an API level within two years of Android 12 in order to remain discoverable on the Google Play store, and to be able to be installed by users.

The new requirements will take effect on 1 November 2022 and as new Android versions are released the requirement window will adjust accordingly, Android said.

“The rationale behind this is simple. Users with the latest devices or those who are fully caught up on Android updates expect to realise the full potential of all the privacy and security protections Android has to offer,” said Krish Vitaldevara, director of product management at Android, in a blog post.

“Expanding our target level API requirements will protect users from installing older apps that may not have these protections in place.”

The discovery of malware affecting Android devices is a relatively common occurrence in the cyber security industry, and the new security policy will aim to make this more of a rarity.

In the space of a week, numerous reports of new Android malware strains have hit various media outlets, including a Russian-linked Android malware called Process Manager. Discovered by Lab52, the malware is capable of sending and reading SMS messages, plus recording a device’s audio.

At the end of 2021, IT Pro reported that more than 300,000 Android users had downloaded a banking trojan from the Google Play store, with hackers managing to bypass the app store’s security detections.

Without giving specifics, Android said the “vast majority” of apps in the Google Play store are already compliant with the rules soon to be introduced.

Developers who are concerned about implementing the upcoming changes can consult Google’s technical guide, which details the steps that need to be taken for a successful migration.

A six-month optional extension can also be requested if developers can demonstrate they need more time in order to complete the migration to the target API level. The application form for this will be available in the Developer Play Console later this year, Android said.

Google has resolved a critical security flaw in Android 12 with its February 2022 Android security update.

The vulnerability, code-named CVE-2021-39675, affected the System component and could allow hackers to gain admin privileges remotely.

Google's Android Security Bulletin also addresses a second critical vulnerability, CVE-2021-30317, which affects a closed-source component built by Qualcomm and was active on all Android devices fitted with the hardware.

Thus far, there have been no reports of active exploitation of either of the now-patched vulnerabilities.

Aside from CVE-2021-39675 and CVE-2021-30317 vulnerabilities, Google issued fixes for five high-severity flaws in Framework, four high-severity bugs in Media Framework, seven high-severity to critical flaws in System, two vulnerabilities of unknown severity in Media Provider, one high-severity flaw in Amlogic components, five high-severity bugs in MediaTek components, three high-severity flaws in Unisoc components, and six high to critical severity vulnerabilities in Qualcomm components.

“The severity assessment of bugs is based on the effect that exploiting the vulnerability would possibly have on an affected device, assuming the platform and service mitigations are turned off for development purposes or if successfully bypassed,” explained Google.

However, the search giant noted that the severity of vulnerabilities affecting Amlogic, MediaTek, Unisoc, and Qualcomm components are determined by the source vendor.

Google Play system updates and security updates are available for Android devices running Android 10 and later.

Microsoft is planning to introduce a slew of features in Windows 11 next month, before a large update later in the year.

The updates, announced in a blog post by Microsoft's chief product officer for Windows and devices, Panos Panay, have been in testing for months and were teased during the initial Windows 11 launch. They will predate the major 2H update this year, which now happens on an annual schedule.

Perhaps the most anticipated feature is the public preview of Android on Windows 11. The feature, which emerged from the company's Project Latte software and was originally considered for Windows 10, will allow users to install the Amazon App store and download Android software.

Microsoft has been previewing the Android Apps for Windows feature with testers since late October. The company has already said that the functionality won't be installed by default.

The company is also bringing some improvements to the task bar. It will offer a mute/unmute toggle button directly on the task bar that will make it easier to participate in conferences and calls without embarrassing yourself on a hot mic. The universal mute button first appeared in Windows Insider Preview 22494, but began as a Microsoft Teams-only feature. Microsoft has said that other application vendors will be able to take advantage of it.

Users can also expect to see the return of the weather widget, which the company removed from Windows with the upgraded widget panel in version 11. It already reintroduced the widget in the Windows Insider Preview build in December.

Panay mentioned easier window sharing as an addition that will appear in Windows 11 next month. This likely refers to a feature that enables users to share screen content on a Teams call by hovering over a window. It said in November that other communications applications will be able to use the feature in their software.

Finally, the February release will see two new redesigned apps, Notepad and Media Player. Like the other features outlined in the blog post, Microsoft has been testing these redesigns with Windows 11 Insiders. Notepad will include an enhanced search and replace feature, while Media Player, which replaces the Groove app, will support both audio and video. Both applications will include dark modes.

Google has announced it will be working with leading names in the Windows PC space to enhance compatibility between Android smartphones and the most popular PC operating system on the market.

Announcing the news at CES 2022, Google said it's currently working with Acer, HP, and Intel to bring new capabilities to Windows PC for Android - the first time Google has built features for another platform.

Chief among these is Fast Pair, a better Bluetooth connectivity process that aims to make connecting Android devices to Windows much more seamless and unlock features to enhance productivity such as syncing text messages and sharing files using Nearby Share - a feature akin to Apple's AirDrop.

Fast Pair between Android and Windows will also allow users to connect Bluetooth accessories more easily. The feature is still in development but will arrive to Windows PCs later in 2022.

Fast Pair was the main announcement among a slew of others made by Google at the annual consumer tech conference, with its applications extending beyond Windows. While the Windows integration aims to increase productivity, it also aims to make the Android ecosystem experience smoother.

Google said users will be able to pair Bluetooth devices like headphones to other smart products more easily, including TVs and Chromebooks. The enhanced connectivity will be supported by the soon-to-launch Matter standard, which aims to improve connectivity between internet-facing devices.

The Windows integration will appeal to those whose jobs rely on integration between smartphones and computers, with the easy file sharing feature most likely to benefit the professional space.

Beyond Fast Pair, the 12 other software-focused announcements Google made at CES this year were consumer-oriented - although one feature that may appeal to the enterprise is faster unlocking of devices such as Chromebook and Android tablets. Android phones are already able to unlock Chromebooks, but Google is now extending the functionality to devices like smartwatches running Wear OS. Wearables will now also be able to unlock Android phones, tablets, and Chromebooks for faster logins.

The same technology will also be used to assist users in using their Android devices to unlock their BMW vehicles. Phones equipped with Ultra Wideband technology will be able to unlock users' BMW without even having to take it out of their pocket.

Esper and Lenovo have partnered to install Esper software on select Lenovo Android tablets and smart devices aimed at business users.

As a result of this collaboration, enterprises managing large fleets of devices can focus on their critical business applications, while Lenovo's and Esper's joint solution takes care of device infrastructure and management.

Lenovo will combine its expertise in smarter device design, engineering, and user experiences with Esper’s DevOps-enabled device infrastructure software that lets organizations of all sizes and segments configure, manage, better secure, and maintain large fleets of devices.

“With proprietary features like real-time telemetry and seamless provisioning, organizations across industries can rely on Esper to provide cutting-edge solutions that are flexible enough to grow with scaling enterprise fleets,” said Tony Chen, vice president of Lenovo’s Android tablet business intelligent devices group.

Chen added, “Lenovo is committed to nurturing an open ecosystem that encourages third-party developers to create software for its devices at scale – together, Esper and Lenovo are providing the infrastructure plus ongoing support needed to innovate in the Android edge space.”

The Lenovo-Esper partnership targets the health care market where the devices consumers and practitioners use must be reliable, easy to use, and up to date in terms of security and privacy.

Health care providers are currently unable to deploy and manage sophisticated software with legacy mobile device management (MDM) solutions.

Together, Esper's technology and Lenovo's tablets will enable healthcare providers to offer seamless experiences to their patients.

“Esper is proud to be recognized as a longtime collaborator by Lenovo. We share a vision of being valued solutions providers to customers around the globe. Esper’s infrastructure platform fits perfectly into Lenovo’s Android device ecosystem,” commented Shiv Sundar, Esper co-founder and COO.

Sundar added, “Together, we’re simplifying the management and platform so customers can focus on their core strengths – their application. We applaud Lenovo’s commitment to industry collaboration as the fuel for their vision to enable ‘smarter technology for all.”

Microsoft has released the preview of Android apps to Windows 11 testers, after launching the new operating system without the feature at the start of October and promising to do so in the next few months.

The preview is available for anyone on the Windows Insider Program as well as Beta Channel users in the US on eligible devices running Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm platforms. It allows apps to be viewed through the Microsoft store before taking users to the Amazon Appstore to load and install them.

The apps can be run side-by-side with other apps and can be pinned to the Start menu or Taskbar, or even integrated into Alt+Tab and Task view to quickly move back and forth between them. Android app notifications can be viewed in the Action Center and users can share their clipboard between a Windows app and Android app too. Windows accessibility settings also apply to Android apps and Microsoft is working with Amazon to deliver more improvements in the coming months.

Microsoft revealed it has partnered with Amazon and app developers to curate 50 apps for Windows Insiders to test and validate across a broad set of hardware. These will be released in the coming months and allow users to try the game Lords Mobile, read Kindle books, and access Khan Academy Kids' library of learning tools.

The tech giant has also built the Windows Subsystem for Android, which powers the Amazon Appstore and its catalogue. The subsystem includes the Linux kernel and Android OS based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) version 11.

“The Subsystem runs in a Hyper-V Virtual Machine, like the Windows Subsystem for Linux,” said Aidan Marcuss, corporate vice president at Windows. “It understands how to map the runtime and APIs of apps in the AOSP environment to the Windows graphic layer, the memory buffers, the input modes, the physical and virtual devices, and the sensors.”

The subsystem is available on AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm chips, and Microsoft is also partnering with Intel to enable Arm-only apps to run on AMD and Intel devices.

The Windows 11 rollout began on 5 October with all eligible devices to be offered the free upgrade by mid-2022. The update is being rolled out in a phased approach, meaning that new eligible devices will be offered the upgrade first.

Microsoft has shared more information about how Android apps will run under Windows 11.

The company outlined its plans in a blog post detailing how the Windows Subsystem for Android, first outlined at the operating system's launch in June, would operate. The system, currently only available in preview, won't come installed by default.

Users trigger the Windows Subsystem for Android installation by installing an Android app for the first time from the Microsoft store. This installs the Amazon app store automatically. Alternatively, they can install the Amazon app store manually from the Microsoft Store.

Microsoft warned that developers might have to tweak their applications to handle Windows 11's input and display requirements. The company said that while apps using virtual keyboards should work as expected, developers might have to update them to handle unexpected keystrokes, such as navigation via the arrow and tab keys. Android developers should also consider updating their code to handle Windows 11 mouse input, such as right clicks and scroll wheels, it added.

Window resizing might also be an issue, the company warned. Developers should consider the application window's initial launch size and screen orientation and decide whether they allow users to resize the application window freely. The alternative is to letterbox or pillarbox the app using vertical or horizontal bars as necessary.

Microsoft also included a note on application security. Because Windows Subsystem for Android performs software-based per-file encryption, it offers limited protection.

"App developers should not expect their saved state to be secure," Microsoft warned. It also said that although Windows kernel drivers can inspect Android containers and Android application memory, it won't add plans to detect suspicious application behavior in the short term.

The decision to install the Android subsystem separately rather than by default follows a move to decouple Windows Subsystem for Linux from the core operating system.

An Android Trojan campaign has been charging unsuspecting victims around €36 (£31) per month since at least November 2020, researchers have found.

Known as GriftHorse, the Trojan masquerades under seemingly innocent Android applications such as puzzle games, educational software, dating apps, as well as a translator that had garnered more than 500,000 downloads alone.

The GriftHorse campaign was developed using the Apache Cordova mobile application development framework, which allows developers to use HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript for cross-platform mobile development. However, the technology also makes it possible for the developers to deploy updates to apps without requiring users to update the app manually.

Although oftentimes useful for quick fixes, this capability can also be abused to host malicious code on the server as well as execute it in real-time.

Once an app was downloaded, victims were asked to verify their identity using an SMS code which, in reality, subscribed them to being charged around €36 (£31) per month through their ​​phone bill. Many of the affected users failed to notice the theft for the first few months, and were only able to stop the unsolicited payments by contacting their mobile network provider.

This means that, as of today, some 10 million victims from over 70 countries, including the UK, could have lost €360 (£310) each to cyber criminals.

Researchers from mobile security company Zimperium zLabs reported the Trojan to Google earlier this year, which in turn removed the malicious applications from the Google Play store. It's likely that the last payment will have been taken in April 2021, when the campaign was last reported active.

Zimperium’s researchers believe that the malicious apps “are still available on unsecured third-party app repositories” and continue to place Android users at risk.

It also highlights “the risk of sideloading applications to mobile endpoints and user data”, as well as the need for “advanced on-device security”, according to Zimperium researchers ​​Aazim Yaswant and Nipun Gupta.

Android users should verify the identity of the apps they wish to download and conduct an assessment provided by Zimperium, the researchers have warned.

“​​[The] GriftHorse Android Trojan takes advantage of small screens, local trust, and misinformation to trick users into downloading and installing these Android Trojans, as well frustration or curiosity when accepting the fake free prize spammed into their notification screens,” said Yaswant and Gupta.

Google is launching 13 new Android features this autumn, including new accessibility features, improvements to Waze, and alerts to remind you to look up from the phone screen while walking.

The tech giant is launching two new accessibility features to help people with motor and speech impairments, the first of which, Camera Switches, allows users to navigate their phones using eye movements and facial gestures through the device's camera.

The other, Project Activate, is a new app that allows users to utilise facial gestures and eye movements to activate preset actions like speaking a phrase, playing audio, or sending a text message. Google is also bringing handwriting recognition to Lookout, an app that uses a phone’s camera to help people with low vision or blindness. It will read out both handwritten and printed text for Latin-based languages and, in response to its growing global audience, Google is adding Euro and Indian Rupee recognition within Currency mode.

The company has also built remote-control features into Android, so users can power their TVs or start their favourite show from their phone, as well as use their device’s keyboard to type to search for programmes. Reminders are also easier to access and manage in one place through voice commands, by saying “Hey Google, open my reminders”.

Android Auto is getting an upgrade, so users can play music, games, and stay on top of work with new support for their work profile. There's a new refresh for Waze, with touchpad support, night mode and lane guidance support.

Android is also set to get Locked Folder in Google Photos, a passcode-protected space to save photos and videos separately so they don’t show up when they scroll through the platform. Gboard is getting 1,500 new stickers and users with devices running Android 11 or newer will be able to use Smart Compose to help them use machine learning to quickly complete their sentences with a swipe.

Lastly, there are improved visibility settings to Nearby Share so users can control who can discover their device and send files and a new Heads Up feature where users can get reminders to look up and stay alert when walking and using their phone, which was originally launched on Pixel earlier this year.

No release date has been given for any of these features just yet, and given there's nothing to indicate that these will be locked behind Android 12, it's likely they'll be rolled out across the remainder of 2021.

Google has launched a suite of authentication and identity APIs, called Google Identity Services, that consolidates all identity products under a single software development kit (SDK) for web and Android developers.

This SDK includes the Sign in with Google button as well as the newly launched One Tap, described as a low-friction authentication prompt. Both are secure tokens, rather than passwords, with Google suggesting this method of authentication is much more secure than requiring users to remember a username and password.

Using this family of APIs, developers for both Android devices and the web can implement Google’s authentication modules on their sites and apps with much greater ease. Previously, Google's identity tools and features were disconnected and disparate.

“We set out on this journey to deliver an identity solution without compromising privacy and security, and we’ve done just that,” said the product manager for Google Identity, Filip Verley.

“With the new Google Identity Services, we've combined Google's industry leading security with the ultimate convenience of easy sign in to deliver an experience that keeps users safe, while facilitating new user acquisition and seamless sign in for returning users.”

Launched to coincide with the new SDK, Google’s One Tap is an authentication module that lets users sign in without redirecting to another page.

The One Tap prompt slides from the bottom of a page on a mobile site, or appears in the top right corner on a desktop web browser, working for both new users as well as those who’ve already logged in.

The Sign in with Google button has also been refreshed to show your name, email address and profile image in the widget when you’re returning to a website.

This comes alongside a number of user interface upgrades, with web developers able to customise the colour, size, shape, text, and more elements of the button. It’s part of wider efforts to ensure there’s design and user experience (UX) consistency across Google’s various products.

Google Identity Services products are also engineered to protect against vulnerabilities such as click-jacking and pixel tracking, the firm said.

Every Google Account is also embedded with anti-fraud and anti-abuse features, with Google Identity Services mitigating against false identities as well as duplicate accounts.

Google Cloud is looking to turn around the tech giant’s reputation for sunsetting legacy tools despite their popularity among customers.

This is according to statements made by Google Cloud VP Kripa Krishnan, who told Business Insider that the company will be readjusting its approach towards killing off products:

"We want Google Cloud to be something stable that customers can rely on for a long-term time," she told the publication on Monday, adding that the company was “obviously (...) not doing the right thing” by sunsetting fan favourites such as Picasa and Reader or even the less popular Google+.

“What we were doing was clearly not working. We are trying to address that head on,” said Krishnan, who leads Google’s Technical Infrastructure team.

The decision to address Google’s poor reputation was prompted by “Killed By Google” – a satirical website and Twitter account run by software engineer Cody Ogden, who keeps track of all the tools Google has decided to shutdown.

Google's new approach now includes a new policy of notifying customers at least one year in advance that a product will be killed off, excluding instances of an intractable security bug or intellectual property issues.

However, even in these cases, the company will “do everything possible to make migration as effortless as possible for customers”.

"If we need to make a breaking change, we will make sure the burden is on us," she said.

According to Krishnan, Google Cloud will try to win back the trust of developers by being more supportive of customer needs and “not just announce something”.

"My intent is we don't have these issues going forward," she said.

Krishnan’s announcement comes months after Google killed off Cloud Print, its cloud-based printing solution, without providing users with a clear reason for the closure. Last year, the tech giant also unceremoniously abandoned Hangouts, its most popular messaging app, with only a few weeks notice.

Despite this, Krishnan insisted that Google “already [has] dependability and reliability”.

"We just want to make sure we extend it to its fullest extent possible in Google Cloud,” she added.

Google Pay users in the US can now send money to users in India or Singapore, which marks the company's first foray into cross-border transactions.

The move comes as part of a new integration between Google Pay, Western Union and Wise. To send money internationally, users can search for the Google Pay user they want to send money to, tap “Pay”, and select Western Union or Wise. From there, follow the steps to complete the payment. However, this service is only for US Google Pay users to send money to users in Singapore and India, not vice versa.

From now until 16 June, Western Union is offering free transfers when sending money with Google Pay, and Wise will make the first transfer free for new customers on transfers up to $500.

“By the end of the year, we expect that US Google Pay users will be able to send money to people in more than 200 countries and territories through Western Union and to more than 80 countries through Wise,” said Google Pay product manager Viola Gauci in a blog post.

IT Pro understands that Google Pay users will be able to send money to anyone, even if they are not a Google Pay user, later in the year in the countries mentioned above.

Google Pay users

Gauci highlighted that people around the world send nearly $700 billion to friends and relatives in their home countries, which pays for healthcare, education and bills. She cited a Mastercard study which found that 73% of people regularly send money abroad, but in the last year, 38% of those surveyed reported greater involvement in international payments.

“This suggests that as the pandemic continues to create uncertainty, easing the financial anxieties of loved ones is even more critical,” wrote Gauci.

Last September, Google Maps brought in a new update, which it was trialling in Texas, to allow users to pay for parking through the app. The app already allowed users to register their parking session to get a push notification when the parking meter was nearly out of time. With the update, you can refill the meter using Google Pay once you get the push notification.

Android phones in the future will support up to four new OS versions thanks to a collaboration between Google and Qualcomm.

All new mobile platforms with Qualcomm silicon will get four OS version updates and four years of security updates, according to a blog post by Google engineers.

In 2017, Google changed Android to be more modular and enabling easier updates. This move, known as Project Treble, split the OS framework and device-specific low-level software (called the vendor implementation).

While this was good for device manufacturers, it introduced “additional complexity” for chipmakers.

“For each SoC model, the SoC manufacturers now needed to create multiple combinations of vendor implementations to support OEMs who would use that chipset to launch new devices and deploy OS upgrades on previously launched devices,” said Google engineers.

They added that the result was that three years beyond the launch of a chipset, the SoC vendor would have to support up to six combinations of OS framework software and vendor implementations – something that resulted in enormous engineering costs.

The new solution now extends the “no-retroactivity principle” to the SoCs as well as to devices. “With this change, the SoC provider would be able to support Android with the same vendor implementations on their SoCs for device launches as well as upgrades.”

Over the last year, Google has worked with Qualcomm so that “all new Qualcomm mobile platforms that take advantage of the no-retroactivity principle for SoCs will support four Android OS versions and four years of security updates”.

This means that a device will ship with the initial Android OS and then will receive 3 additional software updates over the course of its life. Security updates will extend for an additional year, to cover the final software launch, bringing the total lifespan to four years.

Engineers added that all Qualcomm customers will be able to “take advantage of this stability to further lower both the costs of upgrades as well as launches and can now support their devices for longer periods of time”.

The move will see Google reusing the same OS framework across multiple Qualcomm chipsets. It added that this would “dramatically” lower the number of OS framework and vendor implementation combinations that Qualcomm has to support across their mobile platforms and results in lowered engineering, development, and deployment costs.

Google said that the change would be taking effect with all SoCs launching with Android 11 and later.

Google has launched a new suite of mobile device management (MDM) tools for Android-based devices aimed at extending enterprise-grade mobile security to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).

Called Android Enterprise Essentials, Google claims the suite of tools will offer the same security features larger enterprises have to businesses of all sizes. The features are enabled by default on compatible handsets.

Among the core features of the suite include a requirement for a lock screen and encryption on devices to prevent unauthorised access to company data; mandatory malware protection by ensuring Google Play Protect is always on and that employees can’t download apps outside of the Google Play Store; and providing the ability to wipe all company data from a device in case it’s lost or stolen.

In creating the suite, Google said it wanted to focus on “critical set of default features designed for businesses with simpler needs and smaller budgets”. It added that SMBs are “increasingly the target of malicious attackers and may be required by local laws to protect company data.”

“And with more business and customer data residing on mobile devices, one lost or stolen phone can create a major incident that can have a large and lasting impact on your business,” the company added.

Google is also aiming the suite at larger organisations that may not have yet deployed MDM services.

"Businesses are increasingly telling us their top considerations for investment are security and increased user productivity," said Mark Bowker, senior analyst with the Enterprise Strategy Group.

"During ESG’s validation of Android Enterprise Essentials, it became quickly evident that the simple management capabilities and seamless employee experience provide confidence in security for businesses and a safer work environment for employees.”

Android Enterprise Essentials is rolling out in the US and UK initially via third-party distributors before expanding worldwide “early next year.”

Windows 10 might soon be able to run Android thanks to a new piece of software that Microsoft is reportedly developing.

Called Project Latte, the software could enable Android apps to run on Microsoft’s operating system with little or no code changes. These apps could be packaged as an MSIX package, a Windows app format that is used to install applications on the OS.

According to Windows Central, Project Latte is similar to WSL 2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux), which brought Linux applications to the Windows 10 operating system. It claims the tech could appear as soon as late 2021, and that Android apps could be offered through the Microsoft Store for quick deployment.

The project would go beyond previous efforts by Microsoft to bring Android apps to the platform. It already has Your Phone, which streams apps from Samsung phones to Windows 10. However, that requires a phone to be tethered to a Windows PC; Project Latte would no longer require such actions.

The report noted that such apps would not be able to use Google Play Services support as Google restricts this to native Android and Chrome OS devices. This means that Android apps would have to be changed to remove these bits of code before being able to run on Windows 10.

This is not the first time that Microsoft has attempted to bring Android apps to Windows. In 2016, the company pulled the plug on Project Astoria, a tool to allow app developers to port their existing iOS or Android app with minimal or even no code changes.

Roughly six months after Apple and Google announced their COVID-tracing APIs, they're finally making an impact in the US.

The release of New York and New Jersey's COVID-19 contact-tracing apps brought the total number of states with COVID-19 tracing and alerting apps to 10. Guam, a US territory, also has a contact-tracing app.

With the addition of New York and New Jersey, 21% of the US population now has access to a COVID-19 contact-tracing app. One key cause of the recent uptick in these apps is they’re now faster and cheaper to create, as states can build off existing open-source apps from around the world.

The New York and New Jersey apps, which send an exposure alert when someone is within 6 feet of another app user who tested positive for COVID-19 for at least 10 minutes, are based on Ireland’s open-source COVID-19 app.

Another reason is the Association for Public Health Laboratories’ national key server, which makes it easier for states to participate in a single system with different apps instead of each state maintaining its own log. This allows the apps to communicate with one another, alerting users from one state of their contact with someone from a different state who tested positive for COVID-19.

“This is really the key to interoperability in the United States at this point, because what that means is that anybody who reports themselves as positive, rather than uploading that set of keys to their own state, they’re uploading it to the national key server,” said Jenny Wanger, head of the Implementer’s Forum at the Linux Foundation Public Health, a nonprofit that hosts the Covid Green code and provides assistance to agencies working on exposure notifications.

Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Oregon, Washington and Washington, D.C. plan to release their contact-tracing apps soon. California and Arizona are also piloting their apps with small portions of their populations.

Google has announced that all Android app developers must convert to a new payment system or risk getting dropped from the Play Store.

Recently, a report emerged that Google planned to clarify its billing terms to tighten the reins on developers bypassing its 30% revenue share. This was in response to developers directing users to separate webpages where they could enter their credit card for purchases, instead of going through Google Play’s billing system.

This week, Google made its billing policy “more clear” by explicitly stating all payments for digital goods sold within apps must run through the Google Play billing system and be subject to the 30% revenue share. Google is giving developers until September 30 to comply or risk removal from the Play Store.

This, of course, doesn’t cover the sale of physical goods, like clothing, groceries, housewares and electronics. It also doesn’t include physical services like transportation services, cleaning, airfare and others.

Google claims this policy will impact only 3% of developers publishing apps to Google Play, as nearly 97% of developers already use Google Play’s billing system.

Many developers have complained about these “app taxes” and have even created coalitions against them. Whether or not the courts step in to decide if these “app taxes” are appropriate remains to be seen.

Google will soon push harder to get its cut of in-app purchases through the Play app store, according to Bloomberg’s sources.

Google, like Apple, requires app developers to give it a share of all in-app purchases. However, some developers have skirted these rules, such as Epic Games, by allowing users to pay with a credit card instead of Google Pay. This trick helps them bypass Google’s 30% fee.

This high-margin revenue share leads to billions in revenue for Google and Apple, so they have become rather protective of them. Some developers, though, see these "App Taxes" as excessive and are even forming coalitions to challenge them.

Sources told Bloomberg that Google looks to protect these fees by releasing a new set of guidelines clarifying the fee requirements. The updates could come as early as next week. According to the report, Google won’t immediately pull non-compliant apps from the Play Store. Instead, it’ll give them time to update their apps and bring them into compliance.

There are no details on how Google plans to enforce the rules more successfully. There’s a chance it makes Google Pay a requirement for all in-app purchases. It may also take away the apps’ ability to point users to websites outside the app to make purchases or subscribe, which is one way Apple keeps things in check.

When Google officially announces the updates, we’ll let you know what’s changes. Check back soon for updates.

Coronavirus has people worldwide on edge about traveling. So, if you’re planning a road trip, a new Google Maps feature is likely to put your mind at ease. Dubbed COVID-19, this new overlay can help you see how risky it is to travel to certain areas.

Once you enter a prospective destination, the COVID-19 overlay is easy to display. Simply press the layers button in the top-right corner and select “COVID-19 info.” Google Maps will then place an overlay on the map showing the seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the area and a label showing if the cases are trending up or down.

To make it easier to see just how bad the infection is spreading in an area at a glance, Google also added color coding. The codes are as follows:

• Grey: < 1 case per 100,000 people
• Yellow: 1-10 cases per 100,000 people
• Orange: 10-20 cases per 100,000 people
• Dark orange: 20-30 cases per 100,000 people
• Red: 30-40 cases per 100,000 people
• Dark red: 40+ cases per 100,000 people

Google Maps provides data for all 220 countries it serves and even supports state-, county- and city-level infection numbers if available.

Google Maps pulls its COVID-19 data from a handful of reputable sources, including Johns Hopkins, the New York Times and Wikipedia. These sources get their information from the World Health Organization, government health ministries, and state and local health agencies and hospitals.

The new COVID-19 overlay will start hitting Android and iOS devices worldwide this week.

Google has announced the rollout of Android 11 Go, a new version of the operating system tailored to low-powered, entry-level mobile devices.

According to the tech giant, Android 11 Go will launch apps 20% faster than its predecessor, the Android 10 Go, making it easier for users to switch between apps.

Google first revealed Android Go in 2018, aiming to cater to the entry-level smartphone market which includes lower-budget devices from Alcatel, as well as Lenovo’s sub-brand, Moto.

Its release comes days after the launch of Android 11, the latest update of Google's mobile OS. Much like Android 11, the Go edition also focuses on privacy controls.

Commenting on the rollout, Android VP of Product Management Sagar Kamdar said that “affordability shouldn’t mean compromising privacy and security”.

“We’ve ensured that Go edition smartphones have access to the same industry-leading privacy protections as any Android device. Android 11 (Go edition) comes with new privacy enhancements that make it easier to control how and when data on your device is shared,” he added.

New features include Files by Google’s Safe Folder, which aims to protect personal files from being accessed by others by storing them in a 4-digit PIN-encrypted folder.

Android also announced that conversations from messaging apps will be shown in a dedicated space in the notification section and, starting October 2020, the Go OS will become available on all new devices with up to 2GB of memory.

“With the expansion to 2GB, apps launch up to 20 percent faster, and with an additional 270 MB of additional free memory, people can now run three to four more apps in the background. Android (Go edition) on 2GB devices also comes with up to 900MB of additional free storage space—enough to take up to 300 more selfies and download an entire movie,” said Kamdar.

In March 2020, Android product manager Arpit Midha announced that Android Go had surpassed 100 million active users worldwide.

The company also partnered with Kenya’s largest telecom provider Safaricom to provide 900,000 Android Go-operated smartphones to people in Kenya, 53% of which were women, in order to tackle the gender gap in mobile internet usage in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Android 11, the latest update of Google's mobile OS, has launched with a slew of privacy controls and a screen-recording tool.

Most of the new features relate to the way apps use elements of a user's device and how permissions are handled when they launch.

Google has encouraged third-party device manufacturers to roll out system updates more quickly than usual in a bid to get the features to market as soon as possible.

In addition to its own Pixel brand, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and Oppo will be among the first to offer downloads of Android 11. Samsung and LG typically take longer to adopt the new features to their own user interfaces.

Once downloaded, users will be able to grant single-use access to their devices' most sensitive permissions, such as the microphone, camera and location. This means that apps will need to ask for permission if it needs access to the sensor again. Any apps installed that haven't been used in a while will also need to reconfirm permissions before accessing data.

Users will no longer have to wait for full OS updates for any additional Google Play system and privacy fixes as they will be now sent to devices straight from Google Play.

For enterprise users, Android 11 will offer "work profiles" that give IT departments tools to manage devices without monitoring the personal profile data or activity of the phone.

Other updates coming with Android 11 include a feature that allows users to record their screen without having to install a dedicated app – which could be used to capture video calls.

There are also features to simplify IoT connections, such as a button that lets users call up controls for all their connected devices in one place, and a tool designed to manage multiple messaging apps, including Facebook Messenger, Twitter, WhatsApp, Slack and Telegram.

Google Maps will soon make your daily commute easier by not only tracking your time parked but managing your parking payments too.

Google Maps has been through loads of changes lately. From adding traffic lights to allowing mass-transit connections to alerting you if a business is wheelchair accessible, Google Maps has taken many small steps toward making your commute easier.

The latest Google Maps update brings the ability to pay for parking right from the app. Google Maps already allows you to register your parking session to get a push notification when your parking meter is nearly out of time. Soon, when you get that push notification, you can refill the meter using Google Pay.

Of course, this requires advanced parking meters that connect to the internet, which not all cities and parking garages have. But with many areas switching to these more advanced meters, most Google Maps users will find this update useful.

How it works is once you reach a metered parking space using Google Maps, the app launches and prompts you to pay for parking. You’ll then enter your license plate number, the parking zone number and pay. Google Maps will even remember your license plate for future use. The system then tracks the time and alerts you to top up the meter when it gets low.

The parking payment feature is only available in Austin, Texas, but Google plans to spread it out to other areas in the U.S. soon.

Google quietly made it known that all Android 11 smartphones with 5GHz Wi-Fi will be compatible with wireless Android Auto.

This update comes from Google’s Android Auto support page. Under the wireless Android Dropdown in the “What you need” section, it reads “Any smartphone with Android 11.0 and 5GHz Wi-Fi. In the EU, smartphones must comply with additional regulatory requirements in order to use 5GHz Wi-Fi in the car.”

The only notable restriction is your phone must be able to connect to a 5GHz network. Fortunately, 5GHz compatibility is relatively common in today’s phones. If you have an older phone, though, you may run into an issue.

Compatibility with wireless Android Auto has been slow to spread since Google cut the cord. Among all Android 9 devices, only the Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ or Note 8 worked with wireless Android Auto. Once Android 10 arrived, the wireless capability spread to all Google and Samsung smartphones. These compatibilities will remain unchanged.

Why’s the spread of wireless Android Auto a relatively big deal? With Android Auto now at least an option so many new cars, drivers are becoming more reliant on it for streaming music, navigation and other tasks. The problem is the USB cable can be a massive headache.

The first problem is USB cables clutter up your interior. Another issue is how often USB cables fail and stop transmitting data or do so intermittently.

With wireless Android Auto, there are no cables to get in the way or go bad, leading to a relatively seamless connection.

We expect Android 11 to arrive later this year. It’s currently in beta testing.

If you rely on your mobile device as part of your daily work, you’ll understand the frustration of constantly switching between your PC or laptop and your smartphone, especially when you’re having to make calls. Fortunately, Microsoft has worked to try and eliminate this problem with a string of recent software updates and an overhaul of its smartphone companion app.

With Microsoft’s ‘Your Phone’ app for Windows 10, it’s now possible to make and receive calls directly through your PC from a connected Android device, on top of all the regular features you’ve come to expect, such as file transfer and charging.

Following a reveal of the app in May 2018, itself a successor to the legacy ‘Phone Companion’ app, Your Phone initially only allowed users to access multimedia stored on their smartphones and send and receive SMS messages. It wasn’t until the reveal of the Galaxy Note 10 in August 2019 that the Samsung-only feature of making and receiving calls was unveiled, something that was made generally available to all Android devices in February 2020.

What can you do with the 'Your Phone' app?

The Your Phone app lets you:

• Make and receive calls (only on Android) and access call history
• Access your phone’s address book
• Send and receive texts
• Receive notifications sent to your mobile
• Access photos from your phone, which can be dragged to an email or document
• Access the all-in-one Office app

How to link your Android phone to your Windows 10 PC

In order to run the Your Phone app you simply need to be using a Windows 10 PC that’s running an OS version of 1803 (build 17134.0) or higher, and a smartphone running Android 7.0 or higher.

Step 1: To get started, first navigate to the Your Phone page on the Google Play Store on your mobile device – this appears as ‘Your Phone Companion - Link to Windows’, a download of 33.15 MB at the time of writing. Once installed, it’s time to get the same app on Windows.

Step 2: To get the desktop version, you’ll need to head to the Microsoft store page, which lists the app as ‘Your Phone’. To access this page, you’ll need to be signed into your Microsoft account. You may find this app is already installed with your version of Windows – if so, proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Once both apps are installed, sign into the Android version of the Your Phone app using your Microsoft account details. Follow the on-screen prompts showing the app’s capabilities, and hit ‘Allow’ on the app permissions, which you will need to accept if you want the app to communicate fully with Windows 10.

Step 4: With both apps signed in, you will now be able to link them together (make sure both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network before proceeding). To start, launch the Windows 10 app, which should automatically attempt to link itself to the Android version. If a screen appears asking whether you are using Android or iOS on your mobile device, this means you either haven’t logged into your Android app using the Microsoft details, or the app has signed out.

Step 5: At this stage, your smartphone should have a notification asking permission to pair with the Windows 10 app. Hitting ‘Allow’ should pair the two successfully.

Step 6: You will know everything is working correctly when your smartphone appears in the Windows 10 app screen. Here you should also see a set of options, including Messages, Notifications, Photos, and importantly, Calls. Unfortunately, you’re still not ready to actually make and receive these.

Step 7: The app handles calls using Bluetooth, so we will need to ensure the desktop and your mobile are connected. The good news is that the app does most of the work for you. Click ‘Calls’ in the app screen, it should ask you to enable Bluetooth using an ‘Enable’ button. It will then ask you to enable it on your phone too using a notification prompt.

This stage can be fiddly. When the prompt appears on your desktop asking if the code is the same, make sure you click ‘Allow’ on your mobile first before clicking 'Yes' on the Windows app, otherwise the app will attempt to connect before your phone is ready. If this happens, you will get an error saying that the connection failed, and you will have to repeat the pairing process.

If for some reason the process repeatedly fails, you will need to manually connect the two devices. First, open the Bluetooth menu in your Android settings (swipe down on your phone and look for the cog), and make sure Bluetooth is enabled. Do the same on your desktop by typing ‘Bluetooth into your search bar and opening the settings menu. Click to add a new device in the Windows settings and it should start searching for your smartphone. Click on the smartphone listed to pair, and you should get a prompt asking if the code displayed matches the one on your phone.

Some apps are interfering with making calls error: At this stage, you may encounter an error that says some apps are preventing the app from making calls.

This is usually caused by already installed Windows software having control over call management, and so this needs to be removed in order to continue. This is generally vendor-specific software relating to Mobile connections – for example, Dell’s Mobile Connect app and drivers, which will prevent the Windows app from placing calls.

Step 8: Once the two devices are connected, we next need to authorise the Windows app to make and receive calls. Click ‘Calls’ in the Windows 10 app and you should see a screen with a dialer on the right and a message in the centre asking for permission from the mobile device. Click to send the notification and accept this on your smartphone.

Step 9: With that done, you should now see a list of recent calls. From here you can simply dial a number into the window on the right. By default, your desktop will use the built-in microphone and speakers to handle the call, so you’ll ideally want to have a headset ready to go too.

Google has made tons of updates to its Maps and Search applications recently, and the latest one will help support Black-owned businesses.

According to Google, this update comes as search trends for Black-owned businesses have spiked recently. To help these searchers find and support Black-owned businesses, Google now lets business owners label their business as Black-owned right through their Google business profile.

With this option activated, customers searching for a business on Google Maps or Google Search will see Black-owned businesses flagged right in the business profile. The image of the flag is below.

This is all a part of Google’s $300 million commitment to support underrepresented entrepreneurs.

Google will work with the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC), which has 145 Black Chambers of Commerce and 326,000 members nationwide, to get the word out about the new feature. It’ll also team with USBC to train Black business owners to enhance their search engine placement through Google My Business and Google Analytics.

Google mentions nothing about any checks to verify a business marked as Black-owned is actually under Black ownership. Even without verification, though, this will offer those looking to support the Black business community a more streamlined process.

Google is reportedly negotiating a deal with Samsung that would give its products more prominence on the Korean giant's smartphones.

The talks centre on giving Google more control over search on Samsung handsets, according to correspondence seen by Bloomberg, and a higher status for the Google Play Store and Google Assistant.

The reported talks with Samsung are happening as an antitrust investigation into big tech prepares to kicks off, and the Google Play Store one of several services at the centre of the investigation.

Samsung, the world's biggest provider of Android-based smartphones, licenses the basic software that underpins Google's mobile operating system. Google previously required hardware makers to pre-install its suite of apps, such as Search, Chrome, and YouTube, often with an agreement to share some advertising revenue.

In this regard, Google has often fallen foul of regulators, particularly in Europe, but also with Congress. According to prepared remarks, Pichai will tell the committee that Google "deliberately builds platforms that support the innovation of others".

"Using Android - a product I worked on for many years - thousands of device makers and mobile operators build and sell devices without any licensing fees to us or any requirement to integrate our products," the statement reads.

"This greatly reduces device prices, and today billions of consumers around the globe are now able to afford cutting-edge smartphones, some for less than $50. And in doing so they are able to access new opportunities - whether it's sharing a video with friends and family around the world, gaining education for themselves or their children, or starting a business."

Samsung has repeatedly tried to develop its own Android alternatives. Its Bada OS didn't see much uptake and later merged with the unsuccessful Tizen project, and Bixby assistant has also not fared well, falling far behind the likes of Alexa, Siri and the Google Assistant.

"Samsung remains committed to our own ecosystem and services," a spokesperson for the Korean giant said. "At the same time, Samsung closely works with Google and other partners to offer the best mobile experiences for our users."

Google has been reportedly using Android to monitor how users interact with non-Google apps, according to internal documents obtained by The Information.

Anonymous sources told the publication that the Alphabet subsidiary has been collecting “sensitive” data for a number of years in order to aid the development of its own competing apps.

The strategy was reportedly used earlier this month when the tech giant’s YouTube subsidiary was working on launching Shorts - its rival to TikTok in India. According to the sources, Google staff used Android to conduct market research into the local population’s TikTok usage habits.

Internally known as ‘Android Lockbox’, the effort reportedly allows Google staff to view how often rival apps are opened and for how long they’re used.

According to The Information, Android Lockbox obtains its data in instances when users agree to share information with Google as part of the Android setup process, allowing Google to provide a more personalised experience. However, the publication also found that the information is also used for competitive research. The gathered data is said to be anonymous and not personally identifiable.

IT Pro contacted Google for comment but is yet to receive a response from the company. In a statement given to The Information, the tech giant admitted that it has access to usage data from rival apps but added that the programme is public and that other developers are not prohibited from obtaining similar data.

Nevertheless, the real impact of the programme is speculated to be much wider, due to the fact that Android Lockbox can access any device which contains Google’s preinstalled apps. On the other hand, developers of competing apps can only see information from phones that have their apps.

The allegations come weeks after Google was hit with a data privacy lawsuit, which alleged that it has been monitoring users’ behaviour on mobile apps even if they've opted out of tracking.

The complaint, which was filed in a US district court in San Jose, California, accused Google of monitoring what users are looking at when using apps for everyday activities such as reading the news or hailing a cab, despite opting out of “Web & App Activity” tracking in their Google account settings.

Microsoft keeps rolling with update after update, and the latest is the release Microsoft Launcher version six. In this update, Microsoft will enhance its features, make it easier on your eyes in the dark, and even include an update that will be very useful on the upcoming Surface Duo that’s supposed to arrive in late 2020.

Leading off the new features in Microsoft Launcher 6 is personalized news, which gives you the latest news stories that are relevant to you. You also get customizable and adaptive icons that allow you to give your phone a consistent look. It also includes new wallpapers from Bing or your own image library.

Dark theme is a big deal for Microsoft Launch V6, as it helps reduce eye strain created by bright colors in low lighting situations. So, if you’re laying in bed and need to check something on your PC, you can launch the app without a sudden burst of bright light blinding you.

Microsoft also has improved Launcher’s performance in this latest iteration. It now loads faster, uses less memory and battery, and has smoother animations.

The final Launcher V6 update tells a deeper story, and that’s the all-new landscape mode. While landscape will be a neat option for smartphones when using some of Launcher’s features, this is likely a preemptive update targeting future Surface Duo buyers, as this is perfect for its dual-screen setup.

You can download the new Microsoft Launcher on Google Play. Launcher is an Android app that allows you to access files, your calendar and more on your PC via your Android device and vice versa.

If you’re my age, you remember the days of printing out Mapquest directions or even flipping through an atlas when planning a road trip. Those days are behind us with smartphone navigation apps.

For Android users, Google Maps has become the go-to app for every trip, whether it’s around the block or across the country. In its growing popularity, Google has repeatedly enhanced the app, adding traffic updates, automatic rerouting, ferry connections, biking routes, speed traps and more. According to Droidlife, Google Maps is testing a new update to make route planning easier: traffic lights.

Android Authority reached out to Google for more details, and a spokesperson said, “To help people stay better informed on the road, we’re testing a Google Maps feature on Android that shows the location of traffic lights in select cities across the US.” Google further confirmed that New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago are the first cities to get this feature, but it’ll add more cities in the future.

It remains unclear if Google Maps plans to eventually use traffic lights to more accurately estimate navigation times. It may do the same as it does with traffic data and use historical and real-time data to determine when a light may change red.

While predicting traffic lights would be nice, we have our doubts Google will take it that far yet, as many traffic lights in suburban and rural areas use vehicle sensors instead of timers to determine when to change. That said, larger cities with consistently heavy traffic, like New York City and Los Angeles, have many of their traffic lights on timers only, making them easier to predict. It’s possible these areas could be testing grounds for traffic light prediction.

We’ll keep an eye out for updates on this update and let you know when it becomes a broader release.

Google is reportedly working on a way to nudge people back to their favorite mass-transit options using its Maps app.

According to 9to5Google, a blog that likes to snoop through Google’s code to find tidbits of what’s to come, Google maps may introduce “1st-mile” trips. This would help users plan their commute by providing route and times via car, bike, motorcycle or even autorickshaw to a park-and-ride or transit stop.

Traffic has been light in recent months, as people worldwide work from home because of the coronavirus pandemic. As regulations are lifted and companies begin opening their doors to their employees again, that could change dramatically. Not only will workers get back on the road, but experts predict that many who previously used mass transit may choose to avoid it, potentially causing traffic chaos.

This isn’t Google Maps’ first foray into the transit realm. Last year, it released a feature showing live traffic delays for buses and other transit.

Google maps might also enhance its ride-share data by working with companies like Uber or Lyft to sync ridesharing costs. A user could choose a route and decide if it’s worth calling for a ride without bouncing out of Google Maps to look it up in a ride-sharing app.

Google recently introduced COVID-19 transit alerts in the UK and expects to release is in other counties, including the United States, soon.

Google has postponed the Android 11 Beta Launch Show originally scheduled for June 3, but a recent leak of the Android 11 power menu points to a slew of new smart home integrations.

Thanks to XDA Developer's Mishaal Rahman, curious eyes can see the near-final design of the Android 11’s new power menu on Twitter.

In two low-res screenshots, Rahman shared images of a power menu that looks drastically different from previous versions. What was once a four-option overlay will become a full-screen interface featuring a crowd of buttons.

The power, restart, screenshot and emergency buttons have been moved to the top of the screen. Below those buttons will be a carousel of credit cards from Google Pay. Beneath Google Pay, users will find smart home controls sourced from the Google Home app.

The all-new power menu lists options for smart lights, door locks, thermostats and smart blinds, according to Rahman’s screenshots. Users can already access these features through Google Assistant, the Google Home app and Google Smart Displays. It appears the power menu will give access to live camera feeds too.

For users who dislike using voice commands, the Android 11 power menu will be a welcome addition. Rather than going through the cumbersome task of finding their mobile device and locating the Google Home app, users can summon this menu by a long press of the device’s power button.

To date, Android 11 has had four preview releases. While those releases have been stripped of features known to be in development, they have built excitement surrounding Android 11’s release.

Though Google postponed the June 3 event amid nationwide protests related to the death of George Floyd, Google plans to reschedule the Android 11 Beta Launch Show for its third-quarter.

Adding to the string of cancellations as of late, Google has also postponed its Android 11 Beta Launch Show.

Earlier this week, Google tweeted: “We are excited to tell you more about Android 11, but now is not the time to celebrate. We are postponing the June 3rd event and beta release. We'll be back with more on Android 11, soon.”

While the multinational technology company didn’t explicitly state the delay was spurred by the death of George Floyd and the subsequent protests, the implications were clear.

According to 9to5Google, the online event would have featured an hour-long keynote at 8 a.m. PT, after which senior members of the Android team were to host a live Q&A session. Presentations would have included the annual “What’s new in Android,” “All things privacy in Android 11,” and “What’s new in Android Development Tools.”

On May 27, the Android Developer Twitter account bragged: “Let’s give ‘em something to talk about … We’re dropping 12 brand new talks at #Android11.”

Speakers would have included Android’s software engineer Dan Sandler, Android’s software engineering manager Jeffrey van Gogh, and the engineering director of Google Play, Milena Nikolic.

Google says it’ll reschedule the Android 11 Beta Launch Show later this summer — sometime during its third quarter.

According to recently leaked documentation, the new Android 11’s features include a power menu home control center with power options, quick controls and easy wallet access all in one place. There’ll be changes to its IoT buttons. But much remains unknown.

Google had promised more official details about Android 11 on June 3, before scrapping the event, just as they called off its Google I/O earlier due to the coronavirus outbreak.

For Google, this string of postponements is unprecedented.

Android users have discovered that setting a certain image as their phone’s wallpaper could crash their device.

News of the bug first appeared on Twitter when leaker Ice Universe tweeted a picture (above) of the image that’s causing some Android devices to crash. Android Authority and 9to5Google have since confirmed that the wallpaper could have negative consequences when installed.

For a number of users, setting the photo as their wallpaper caused their device’s screen to start turning on and off, rendering the phone unusable. While 9to5Google claims users can restart their phone in safe mode to delete the image file, Android Authority had to factory reset its device to get it functioning normally.

The bug doesn’t appear to impact all Android devices, though. Android Authority claims it initially used a Huawei Mate 20 Pro to verify the bug, only to find it didn’t impact the device.

Dylan Roussel, a contributor to 9to5Google, explained the bug shows certain phones can’t support the color space the image uses in a weekend Twitter thread.

Roussel explained: "The function doColorManagement of the ColorManagementProxy is called at some point. This function checks if the Color Space of the image is supported by the device. The image is supported by default if its color space is SRGB, or if the current display supports it. If it isn't supported, it will replace the Color Space of the image to SRGB, and it will log its current Color Space.”

Davide Bianco, ROM developer for the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), has submitted a patch to AOSP that reportedly addresses the issue. In a description of the patch, Bianco states: “One possible fix is to limit y value to be always less than 256.”

This isn’t the first time Android users have faced this issue. In 2018, users reported setting certain wallpapers caused their devices to “go into a perpetual crash loop.” At the time, developers claimed they were unable to replicate the issue and ultimately closed it.

While you might be tempted to test the bug yourself, we strongly recommend against doing so. Until a fix is available, sticking to your device’s current wallpaper is a safe bet.

Google has confirmed that Google Assistant’s Voice Match feature can now be used to make secure purchases.

The new feature is part of a limited pilot program and is meant to secure user purchases made through smart speakers and smart displays. At this time, the feature is restricted to in-app digital purchases through Google Play.

While Google has yet to formally announce Voice Match, an Android Police report claims Google has updated a number of support documents to reference it. A support document previously published in December has since been updated to include purchases made using Google’s voice assistant.

Google has also recently published support documents detailing the feature and how to enable Voice Match.

For those ready to test drive Voice Match, you can access it via the Google App > More > Settings > Google Assistant > You > Payments. There, users will see the new "Confirm with Voice Match" option, which is currently disabled by default. Enabling the setting brings users to a setup screen that requires additional Google account password information. Users who enable the feature won’t experience much of a change though since the feature is still in its early stages.

As per Android Police, a Google spokesperson has confirmed Voice Match is a new feature. The spokesperson also expanded on the feature and its parameters, explaining that purchases made using Voice Match will be subjected to various purchasing limits, including spending cap per transaction and a maximum number of transactions per day.

Unfortunately, Google’s spokesperson declined to reveal what those numbers are.

Though Voice Match may not sound like the most secure means to make online purchases, using your own voice has the potential to be far more useful than Amazon Alexa’s existing voice-purchase feature. While Alexa asks its users for a four-digit code before completing voice-related purchases, Voice Match appears to provide Google users with a more seamless voice-driven-shopping experience.

With 130 million wheelchair users worldwide and more than 30 million Americans who have difficulty using stairs, there’s no denying that a significant number of individuals face numerous difficulties in navigating the world. Fortunately, Google is here to help. In recognition of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, the tech company has announced an all-new Google Maps feature designed to signify whether or not a business offers wheelchair accessibility.

To date, Google Maps offers wheelchair accessibility information for 15 million places worldwide. Thanks in part to Google’s 120 million local guides, that number has more than doubled since 2017.

For wheelchair users and those with mobility issues, having this type of information on hand can be remarkably helpful. By releasing Accessible Places, Google is further empowering its users to make informed decisions on where they travel and if they can expect to do so safely and comfortably.

“Imagine making plans to go somewhere new, taking the journey to get there and arriving— only to be stuck outside, prevented from sitting with family or being unable to access the restroom. It’s a deeply frustrating experience I’ve had many times since becoming a wheelchair user in 2009,” shared Google Maps software engineer Sasha Blair-Goldensohn.

“So imagine instead being able to ‘know before you go’ whether a destination is wheelchair accessible, just as effortlessly as looking up the address,” she continued.

To enable wheelchair accessibility information within Google Maps, app users must update to the latest version by going to “Settings,” selecting “Accessibility” and turning on “Accessible Places.” When turned on, a wheelchair icon will indicate if a business offers an accessible entrance, seating, restrooms or parking. If a business is not wheelchair accessible, Accessible Places will show that information on Maps too.

Accessible Places is currently available for Google Maps users in Australia, Japan, U.K. and U.S. Support for additional countries is in the works.

Google Play has served as a hacker playground for years. Most recently, security researchers identified state-sponsored spies who repeatedly dumped their hacking tools into the Play store, and onto the unsuspecting users’ devices.

Dubbed PhantomLace, researchers claim these spies hid malware in the Play store, targeting users in Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and India. However, unlike most other shady apps found in the store, PhantomLance's hackers smuggled in data-stealing apps, consequently infecting hundreds of users.

Kaspersky’s researchers also claim to have connected PhantomLace to the hacker group OceanLotus or APT32. OceanLotus is believed to be working on behalf of the Vietnamese government, which means PhantomLance may have mixed spying on its neighbors with domestic surveillance of Vietnamese citizens.

PhantomLace came to light in July of last year when Russian security firm Dr. Web uncovered a sample of spyware in the Google Play store. This spyware impersonated graphic design software but was also able to steal contacts, call logs, and text messages from Android users’ phones.

Kaspersky’s research team went on to find numerous spyware apps dating back to 2015. Google had already removed some of the apps from the Play Store, but they’ve remained visible in archived mirrors of the app repository. Each app was designed to be "clean" when installed so it would bypass Google’s security, but it would later add malware to user devices during app updates and through permission requests.

Once Kaspersky identified the PhantomLance apps, its researchers could match the app’s code with malware also used by OceanLotus, which has been active since as early as 2013.

PhantomLance isn’t the first instance of state-sponsored hackers using Google Play to distribute spy tools. Google has yet to say clearly if it’s working to prevent malicious apps from taking advantage of unsuspecting users.

Instead, the company issued a statement claiming: "We’re always working to improve our detection capabilities. We appreciate the work of the researchers in sharing their findings with us. We’ve since taken action against all the apps they identified.”

Hundreds of millions of Chinese mobile phone users won’t be able to access technology being developed by Google and Apple to power a contact tracing app that aims to contain the spread of coronavirus.

An application programming interface (API) being developed by the two US technology giants is being sampled by healthcare organisations across the world, including the UK, with the NHSX working to develop a contact tracing system.

However, as Android smartphones sold in China cannot have Google services pre-installed, more than 600 million people may have to rely on different systems and technologies, as reported by Zak Doffman in Forbes.

This may also pose an issue in nations outside of China for users who’ve purchased the Huawei P30 series or the recently-launched Huawei P40 series, both of which are also lacking Google services due to an executive order banning US companies from doing business with Huawei.

Governments may find it difficult encouraging uptake with many unable to download apps based on the API.

Moreover, there appears to be no short-term fix for these smartphone users or individuals in China. This presents a potential issue for this technology’s effectiveness, with governments suggesting they would require between 60% and 80% uptake across populations for contact tracing to make a difference.

This is in addition to approximately two billion mobile phone owners around the world who are unable to use the smartphone-based system, according to the Financial Times. This is because the specific wireless chips needed for the technology to work correctly won’t be present in hundreds of millions of handsets still in active use.

The API is built around a mechanism by which individual smartphone emit Bluetooth signals at all times. When two smartphone signals come into close proximity, they download key codes to one another’s device to register a ‘contact’.

After users flag whether they are experiencing coronavirus symptoms, or if they have tested positive, all those they’ve been in contact with are sent alerts. It’s expected that any app based on these principles could accelerate the lifting of lockdown restrictions, and protect the population against future outbreaks.

There are a string of practical issues that may also impede the rollout of a coronavirus app in the UK, despite the UK government’s intentions of developing and releasing technology based on the Google and Apple API as soon as possible.

The UK is ‘too technically limited’ for any such app to be effective, according to a rapid-response report prepared by the Ada Lovelace Institute, with technical and social shortcomings likely rendering the task pointless.

There may be a heavy degree of imprecision in detecting ‘contacts’ between smartphones, for example, while mass-take up can only be achieved if there’s a high level of public trust in the data-gathering exercise.

FreedomPay, a leading advanced commerce platform, recently announced it’s integrated support for Google Pay across its e-commerce solutions. As a result of this welcomed integration, the FreedomPay Commerce Platform will allow Android users to make online purchases using cards stored within their Google Pay accounts.

Users will find they can make purchases on a merchant’s website regardless of the browser or operating system they’re using. This integration will also allow users to make purchases within Android apps.

On top of online payments, Google Pay users can also make contactless in-store payments at FreedomPay merchants using their mobile wallets.

"With the use of mobile and online payments continuing to rise, consumers shopping on the thousands of merchants operating on FreedomPay's global commerce platform will now be able to purchase seamlessly by using Google Pay," shared Steve Klebe, business development at Google.

"Together, Google Pay and FreedomPay will raise the bar for merchants and customers with even greater variety, flexibility, and functionality."

Chris Kronenthal, president & CTO of FreedomPay continued, "With FreedomPay's globally recognized eComm solution, our customers can quickly and easily pay any number of ways online, or in-store. Teaming up with Google Pay is truly about bringing seamless, secure payments to our joint customer's apps and websites."

Founded in 1999 and based in Philadelphia, the FreedomPay Commerce Platform has come to be the platform of choice for many of the largest companies worldwide. FreedomPay's payments, security, identity and data analytics solutions are currently available in-store, online and on mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption.

Google has added new features to Search and Maps that make it easier for people to connect with virtual health care services.

Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, telehealth use has risen dramatically. With a number of doctor’s offices closed across the US health care professionals are forced to make concessions when providing services to patients.

Thanks to Google's new updates, providers can now enter if they have a virtual care offering on their business profile. With this option activated, people searching for health care services in their area will see something similar to a “get online care” link on Google Search and Google Maps. Clicking this link will take them to that provider’s website where they can find out more information and schedule a virtual visit.

Google is also simplifying how users access virtual health care visits by showing widely available virtual care platforms directly on Search. For example, when searching for “immediate care,” Google will now show available virtual care options and related information in its search results. Keep in mind, this feature is in its early stages and only available to US users.

To help health care professionals communicate these changes, Google has assembled a best practices guide on how health care pros can update their websites and provide patients with pertinent COVID-19 information on their Google My Business page.

The coronavirus and the response to preventing its spread has changed the way individuals access health care services within their communities. With many providers limiting in-person visits and shutting down their offices due to the virus, it’s encouraging to watch as Google makes it easier for individuals to find and access virtual care options from the comfort of their own homes.