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Blocking cross-app tracking may be possible on Android phones, following iPhone example

Blocking cross-app tracking may eventually be possible on Android phones

Google has announced plans for blocking cross-app tracking on Android phones, following Apple’s lead on iPhones, claims a new report today.

However, there are a number of problems with the report, suggesting it may be a case of ‘The headline giveth, and the small print taketh away’ …

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iPhone trade-in values dominated 2021; only one Android phone made top 5

iPhone trade-in values dominated 2021

iPhone trade-in values have always been higher than those for Android phones, and last year was no exception. Only one Android smartphone made the top five, and the worst-performing phones lost more than 80% of their value in a single year.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max held its value best, with owners able to recoup more than two-thirds of the price they paid a year later…

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google messages rcs android enable

Google exec gives harshest rebuke yet of iMessage lock-in effect in push for RCS on iOS

Hiroshi Lockheimer oversees all of Google’s operating systems as Senior Vice President of Platforms and Ecosystems. In recent years, he has been very critical of Apple not supporting the RCS standard to make iOS messaging more interoperable with Android, and the latest salvo on iMessage is the harshest yet.

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Humane using Android to build what looks to be an AR wearable with laser projected ‘display’ for any surface

Google, Apple, Meta, and various other companies believe that AR smart glasses will be the next major form factor after the smartphone. Humane, a secretive startup founded by ex-Apple employees, looks to have a different approach that involves what is essentially an Android-powered wearable camera that uses lasers to project a screen on any surface, including the palm of your hand.

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Digital Inception: Here’s how to run Android, Chrome OS, and Windows on your Mac

Lots of folks like to think of the Mac as just another product in Apple’s precious walled garden, but many don’t know that you can actually run virtually any operating system on a Mac with a little bit of work. It’s fairly easy to get the three biggest platforms that aren’t made by Apple up and running on a Mac, even at the same time. Here’s how to do it.

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Google I/O 2021 Keynote Live Blog + News Hub: Assistant, Android 12, and more

Well, we missed out on Google I/O 2020, but now it’s finally time for Google I/O 2021. While not in person, the annual developer festival in Mountain View, California has returned. The Google I/O 2021 Keynote kicks off at 10am PT/1pm ET, so read on for quick links to our roundup coverage over the last few weeks, some hot takes, and all the latest news about Assistant, Android 12, and ‘Material NEXT’, among many other things.

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Research shows Google collects 20x more data from Android than Apple collects from iOS [U]

Tech companies have been talking more about privacy in recent years, and Apple proudly says that it protects user data more than anyone else. This week, new research by Douglas Leith from Trinity College showed that Google collects up to 20 times more data from Android users compared to the data Apple collects from iOS users.

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Hands-on: This is what it’s like using Apple Music on Samsung’s Galaxy S21+

When you set up a new iPhone, you’re likely going to use the Apple Music app, especially since you get a three-month free trial. But when you buy an Android phone, is Apple Music the first music-streaming service you think about? Probably not. If you’re wondering how the Apple Music experience is on the Samsung Galaxy S21+, here it is.

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Johns Hopkins security researchers ‘shocked’ at Android and iOS vulnerabilities

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A security researcher at Johns Hopkins University who led an examination into the robustness of smartphone encryption systems says he was shocked by the Android and iOS vulnerabilities they discovered.

He said that iOS in particular has extremely secure encryption capabilities, but these are not in use much of the time …

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Redesigned PlayStation iOS and Android app lands with voice chat, PS5 features, more

Sony is out with an all-new PlayStation app for both iOS and Android today aiming to “amplify your connections with friends and the games you love to play even when you’re away from your console.” The new app includes a total redesign, voice chat, PS Store integration, and exclusive PS5 features.

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Report: iOS adoption sees highest numbers in Q1 US activations since 2016

iOS Android loyalty

CIRP is out with a new analyst report today looking at US smartphone activations in the March quarter and whether consumers went with iOS or Android. On the bright side for Apple, iOS adoption for new activations was the highest its been since 2016. However, customer loyalty is very high for both Android and iOS, so there aren’t many switchers to pitch to…


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PSA: iCloud․com accessible from iOS and Android with support for Photos, Notes, Reminders, more

If you haven’t tried in a while, support for iCloud.com when using a mobile browser like Safari or Chrome on an iPhone, iPad, and Android has improved. Functionality differs a bit between iPhone/Android and iPad but there is access to Photos, Notes, Reminders, Find iPhone, iCloud Drive, Contacts, Mail, and more.


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China installs spyware on tourists’ Android phones, downloads data from iPhones

Spyware installed on smartphones at border

Foreigners visiting certain areas of China are having their smartphones searched at the border. With Android phones, authorities install a piece of spyware that has access to the user’s calendar, phone contacts, call logs, and text messages — as well as the apps they use and their usernames in some of those apps.

iOS protections mean that an iPhone app wouldn’t give them the same access, so they instead take a different approach …


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Microsoft tells users to switch to iOS or Android as Windows Phone set for obsolescence

Microsoft is admitting smartphone defeat and is now officially urging any remaining Windows 10 Mobile users to switch to an iOS or Android device instead.

In an End of Support document spotted by Thurrott, Microsoft notifies users that Windows 10 Mobile will cease to receive new security updates after December 10, 2019.


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Microsoft deprecating HockeyApp multi-platform development tool, gives devs one year to transition

Microsoft retiring HockeyApp

Back in 2014, Microsoft announced that it was acquiring the popular multi-platform beta app distribution and testing solution HockeyApp. After previously sharing it would integrate HockeyApp’s features and functionality into the Visual Studio App Center, Microsoft has shared HockeyApp will officially be deprecated.


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