FAMILY STOCK/Shutterstock It’s not uncommon to install an app on your Android phone and then go through the setup process without thinking much about the details. You simply tap Allow, Enable, or Yes on each pop-up that appears so you can quickly access the app itself. But this habit actually puts your privacy at risk. During setup, most mobile apps request access to certain features such as your location, microphone, camera, or contacts. While some apps require these permissions to function properly, others may request access to features they don’t…
Author: Alexander Price
Framesira/Shutterstock We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. In the early days of Android, we saw original designs, from trackballs to sliding keyboards. These days, foldable phones are the latest trend that pushes the boundaries of the boring old rectangle we’re used to, and they’ve boosted the popularity of a long-forgotten smartphone accessory: the stylus. With the prevalence of capacitive touchscreens, styluses weren’t really necessary anymore, at least not on devices smaller than 7 inches. But with foldable phones, a stylus can come in handy for handling…
Samuel Boivin/Shutterstock For better or worse, widgets have become a ubiquitous part of the Android ecosystem, often arriving on your phone’s home screen whether you like them or not. What started as relatively unobtrusive weather or date widgets has expanded to include everything from breaking news to live updates of your stock portfolio. Some apps have gone so far as to offer rewards for adding their widget to your home screen: Duolingo, for example, will grant bonus XP or extra energy for more daily lessons if you give up a…
The base technology fee will be 5% outside of the App Store. em_concepts/Shutterstock Apple begins allowing alternative app stores for iOS customers in Brazil. We learned in December that the company had reached an agreement with the Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica (CADE), the Brazilian government’s competition regulator, on how third-party marketplaces would operate domestically. The real appeal of third-party mobile marketplaces for developers is the reduced pricing structure surrounding in-app purchases. The base technology fee for apps distributed outside of the App Store will be 5%. Any alternatives to the App Store will need to…
Framesira/Shutterstock Foldable smartphones like the Galaxy Z Flip 7 or the new Android foldable, perhaps too cheap, seem like an obvious victory for gamers. With large screens that can be folded out to become a more user-friendly device, these high-end devices seem particularly suited to handling today’s mobile titles. For those playing with foldable Android, Google is launching a new feature in Android 17 that will definitely take advantage of all your screen real estate. Along with a new Bubbles feature that allows foldable screens to have floating windows, a…
Security research firm Paradigm Shift today released details of a new BootROM vulnerability affecting Apple’s A12 and A13 chips, along with a working proof-of-concept exploit codenamed “usbliter8.” BootROM, or SecureROM, is the first code an iPhone executes when it turns on. Because it is built directly into the chip during manufacturing, any vulnerabilities found there cannot be fixed by a software update, meaning affected devices will remain vulnerable for the rest of their lives. The last publicly known BootROM exploit of this type was “checkm8”, released in 2019, which affected devices from the iPhone 4S to the iPhone X. usbliter8…
Apple today announced that Brazilian developers will be allowed to distribute iPhone apps through alternative app marketplaces on iOS and accept payments through third-party platforms. In other words, Brazilian developers will be able to bypass the App Store and Apple’s in-app purchasing system, but there will still be fees. Alternative application markets must be authorized by Apple and must meet current requirements. For apps still distributed through the App Store, developers will be able to include an alternative payment processing method in their app and/or link users to a website to complete a transaction. These changes are available on iOS…
In macOS 27 Golden Gate, Apple made significant updates to iPhone Mirroring in addition to a new app icon. Here are the new features. macOS 27 is currently in developer beta, with a public beta coming next month and a general release expected in the fall. Resizing the window In macOS Tahoe, iPhone mirroring is limited to the iPhone’s native aspect ratio, so window resizing is limited to the device’s fixed aspect ratio. Smaller, Full Size, and Larger are the only options. On the other hand, macOS 27 introduces support for multiple image formats. Depending on the aspect ratio chosen,…
The companies have not yet confirmed the news. Elena Chertovskikh/Getty Images In an article on Truth Social, Donald Trump claims that Apple has finalized a deal with Intel to design and manufacture chips in the United States. In previous months, reports emerged that the companies had already signed a preliminary agreement for the partnership, but they have not yet confirmed the news. “Stupid presidents took our economy for granted and let Taiwan and others steal our semiconductor factories,” Trump said in his message. The Wall Street Journal reported in May that the companies had reached some…
Robert Way/Shutterstock We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. When new devices are released, it can be tempting to run out and get them as soon as possible. Fear of missing out certainly plays a role, and marketing encourages us to keep upgrading to bigger and better phones, but that feeling may be changing. Not everyone can afford the latest things anyway, and not everyone has the budget to buy new things. Frankly, there’s nothing wrong with that, even though brands like Samsung release half a dozen…