Hackers used spyware made in Spain to target users in the UAE, Google says

A popular Android app began secretly spying on its users months after it was approved on Google Play

A cybersecurity firm says a popular Android screen recording app that racked up tens of thousands of downloads on Google’s app store subsequently began spying on its users, including by stealing microphone recordings and other documents from the user’s phone. Research by ESET found that the Android app, “iRecorder — Screen Recorder,” introduced the malicious […]

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The Backbone One: PlayStation Edition mobile controller is now available for Android

The Backbone One: PlayStation Edition mobile controller is now available for Android

Backbone One – PlayStation Edition controller, made by Sony and Backbone, is now available for Android. Last July, both companies partnered to release an iOS version of the controller with a lightning port. The idea of a Backbone controller is to slide your phone into its extended grip and play games. Both iOS and Android […]

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Chipolo brings its lost item trackers to Android’s Find My Device network

Chipolo brings its lost item trackers to Android’s Find My Device network

Smart item tracker Chipolo, a competitor to Apple’s AirTag and others, opted to grow its business by partnering with the Cupertino tech giant, not fighting them, as rival Tile has done. When Apple opened up its Find My app to third-party devices, Chipolo embraced the possibility of targeting iPhone users with versions of its Bluetooth-powered […]

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Google previews Wear OS 4 with better battery life, third-party watch face support

Google previews Wear OS 4 with better battery life, third-party watch face support

At Google’s I/O developer conference today, the company previewed the next version of its smartwatch operating system, Wear OS 4. The new release promises to bring improved battery life and accessibility features, an easier way to swap out your phone or watch without having to reset the device, and new tools for building watch faces […]

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Google’s Find My Device network to warn about unknown AirTags with you

Google’s Find My Device network to warn about unknown AirTags with you

Shortly after last week’s joint announcement which saw Apple and Google teaming up on Bluetooth tracker safety measures and a new specification, Google today introduced a series of improvements coming to its own Find My Device network, including proactive alerts about unknown trackers traveling with you with support for Apple’s AirTag and others. The news, […]

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Ring ring, Solana’s web3-focused Saga phone is calling

Ring ring, Solana’s web3-focused Saga phone is calling

About 10 months ago, Solana’s co-founder and CEO, Anatoly Yakovenko, announced the launch of Saga, a web3-focused Android smartphone. The phone is now being rolled out, and we got to test one ahead of its launch. Solana says Saga was launched to make crypto products and services more accessible for users by offering them through […]

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Hackers used spyware made in Spain to target users in the UAE, Google says

Hackers used spyware made in Spain to target users in the UAE, Google says

In November 2022, Google revealed the existence of a then-unknown spyware vendor called Variston. Now, Google researchers say they have seen hackers use Variston’s tools in the United Arab Emirates. In a report published on Wednesday, Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) said it discovered hackers targeting people in the UAE who used Samsung’s native Android […]

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Google flags apps made by popular Chinese e-commerce giant as malware

Google flags apps made by popular Chinese e-commerce giant as malware

On Monday, Google announced that it had flagged several apps made by a Chinese e-commerce giant as malware, alerting users who had them installed, and suspended the company’s official app. In the last couple of weeks, multiple Chinese security researchers accused Pinduoduo, a rising e-commerce giant that boasts almost 800 million active users, of making […]

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Global smartphone shipments hit lowest point since pandemic start

Google warns users to take action to protect against remotely exploitable flaws in popular Android phones

Google’s security research unit is sounding the alarm on a set of vulnerabilities it found in certain Samsung chips included in dozens of Android models, wearables and vehicles, fearing the flaws could be soon discovered and exploited. In a blog post, Google’s Project Zero head Tim Willis said the in-house security researchers found and reported […]

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Google’s Sameer Samat on ecosystems, regulation and competition

Google’s Sameer Samat on ecosystems, regulation and competition

Android was, predictably, everywhere at Mobile World Congress. At a show where Apple has no public-facing presence, Google’s mobile operating system is almost entirely ubiquitous. As in past years, the company also set up a sprawling outdoor booth between halls. This time, the focus was on interoperability and ecosystem. You’d be hard-pressed to find a […]

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