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Category: Android

Arrests in Tap-to-Pay Scheme Powered by Phishing

Authorities in at least two U.S. states last week independently announced arrests of Chinese nationals accused of perpetrating a novel form of tap-to-pay fraud using mobile devices. Details released by authorities so far indicate the mobile wallets being used by the scammers were created through online phishing scams, and that the accused were relying on…

Google launches new healthcare-related features for Search, Android

Google on Tuesday announced new products and features aimed at healthcare use cases, including improved overviews in Google Search for health queries, medical records APIs, and new health-focused “open” AI models. In Search, Google says it’s using AI and ranking systems to expand “knowledge panel” answers on thousands of health-related topics, and adding support for…

Android is adding Auracast support, which allows hearing aids to connect to public audio broadcasts

Google announced on Thursday that Android phones will soon support Auracast, a new Bluetooth technology that uses a phone to enable a direct connection from hearing aids to audio broadcasts in noisy environments. With Auracast, compatible hearing aids and earbuds can receive direct audio streams, such as a PA system at a train station or…

Xiaomi to preinstall PhonePe’s app store on smartphones sold in India

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi said on Thursday that its Android smartphones sold in India will come preinstalled with Indian fintech company PhonePe’s app store. Xiaomi’s Android smartphones usually come preinstalled with Google’s Play Store and the Chinese company’s own GetApps. Xiaomi said that it has signed a multi-year deal with PhonePe to replace GetApps with…

Google’s March Pixel Drop has AI-powered scam detection and live location sharing with friends

Google announced new software updates for the Pixel phones as part of its so-called Pixel Drop program for March. Pixel Watches and all Android devices are also receiving some new features. The most notable parts of the update include using AI to detect scams in messages and calls, better categorization in the screenshot app, menstrual…

Android security update contains 2 actively exploited vulnerabilities

Google addressed 43 vulnerabilities affecting Android devices in its March security update, including a pair of software defects reportedly under active exploitation. Google said the two vulnerabilities — CVE-2024-43093 and CVE-2024-50302 — “may be under limited, targeted exploitation.” The most severe of the flaws under active exploitation, CVE-2024-43093, carries a CVSS score of 7.8 and…

Spyware maker caught distributing malicious Android apps for years

Italian company SIO, which sells to government customers, is behind an Android spyware campaign called Spyrtacus that spoofed popular apps like WhatsApp, per security researchers. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Why the ‘spirit’ of open source means much more than a license

Arguments about what is and isn’t “open source” are often resolved by deferring to the Open Source Initiative (OSI): If a piece of software is available under a license rubber stamped as “open source” by the OSI’s formal “definition,” then that software is open source. But waters muddy when you get into the nuts and…

Android security update includes patch for actively exploited vulnerability 

Google has addressed a total of 47 security vulnerabilities in its February update for the Android operating system, highlighted by the patching of a critical flaw that has reportedly been under active exploitation.  The primary focus of the security update is CVE-2024-53104, a high-severity vulnerability affecting the USB Video Class (UVC) driver in the Linux…

Android 16’s first beta version brings iOS-style live notifications

After releasing two developer beta versions last year, Google introduced the first public beta for Android 16 on Thursday. New features include live updates on the lock screen (like Live Activities on iOS), Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec for high-quality video recording, and a framework for developers to make their apps adaptable for different screen…

Perplexity launches an assistant for Android

AI-powered search engine Perplexity has launched an “agent,” of sorts, called Perplexity Assistant, which Perplexity says uses reasoning, search, and apps to help with daily tasks. Perplexity Assistant, which is available for Android devices as of Thursday in the Perplexity app, can take “multi-app actions,” the company says, like hailing a ride or searching for…

Samsung Unpacked 2025: Google is bringing improved hearing aid features

Alongside a slew of announcements tied to Samsung’s Galaxy S25 launch at Samsung Unpacked 2025 on Wednesday, Google announced a pair of accessibility improvements for Android. This includes improvements to the screen reader, along with hearing aid functionality. The hearing aid updates arrive after Google expanded the offering as part of its Android 15 rollout.…

Smashing Security podcast #399: Honey in hot water, and reset your devices

Ever wonder how those “free” browser extensions that promise to save you money actually work? We dive deep into the controversial world of Honey, the coupon-finding tool owned by PayPal, and uncover a scheme that might be leaving you with less savings and your favorite YouTubers with empty pockets. Plus, we take a look at…

Android patches several vulnerabilities in first security update of 2025

Android has released its first security update of the year, disclosing several critical and high-severity vulnerabilities that affect a wide range of Android devices.  The bulletin identifies five critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities affecting what Android categorizes as the “system,” which encompasses Android’s core components and underlying architecture. These vulnerabilities could allow attackers to…

CISA pushes guide for high-value targets to secure mobile devices

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency unveiled a detailed set of guidelines Wednesday to safeguard the mobile communications of high-value government targets in the wake of the ongoing Salt Typhoon telecom breach. The guide aims to help both political and federal leadership harden their communications and avoid any data interception by the Chinese-linked espionage group.…

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