Google announced a new set of features designed to protect Android devices against theft in May. At least some of these features are now rolling out on first devices. The following anti-theft protections are implemented: Good to know: Factory reset protection and private space is included in Android 15. The enhanced protections “will be released…
Tag: android
Android: Google plans to remove substandard apps from Google Play
Google is updating the Android spam and minimum functionality policy to weed out low-quality apps in the Google Play store. Here are the details: Google lists several examples of app types that it considers substandard: In other words: Google is expanding the classification of substandard Android apps to include static apps and apps that do…
How to turn your Android device into an Internet hotspot
Lately, we have been having some problems with our local Internet provider. Internet goes down unannounced at times or it is barely usable. That is a big issue if you need the Internet to make a living. For some time now, I have been using Android’s mobile hotspot feature to regain access to the Internet….
You may soon manage mobile phones from Windows 11’s Start Menu
You may have heard that Microsoft is working on extending the Windows 11 Start Menu. Called Start Menu Companions for now, it is showing additional information and management options. Good to know: Microsoft showcased several Companions already, including one that showed information from Windows Widgets there. Microsoft released a new Insider build to the Beta…
Podcast Player AntennaPod 3.4 launches with massive performance gains
The end of Google’s Podcast application and the attempt to push users to the mediocre alternative YouTube Music has pushed some users to other podcasting apps. AntennaPod is an open source podcast player and manager that is updated regularly. Core features include: AntennaPod 3.4.0 The latest update improved the application’s efficiency in several key areas….
Android: how to switch between buttons and swipe gesture navigation
Depending on the Android phone that you use, you may either use a navigation bar at the bottom of the screen or swipe gestures to navigate. Google Pixel devices, for instance, use swipe gestures by default. Most, if not all, Android devices let you switch between the two options. If you prefer one over the…
F-Droid 1.19.0 released: automatic apps updates
A new version of the open source privacy-friendly F-Droid app for Android is now available. F-Droid offers an alternative to Google Play. It features only free and open source software, and includes apps that are not allowed on Google Play due to Google policies. F-Droid 1.19.0 is the latest version. It introduces a much requested…
Grayjay: follow video creators on multiple platforms
Grayjay is a new application for Google Android devices to follow video creators on multiple platforms. Depending on how active you are when it comes to streaming media, you may know that many video creators publish content to different platforms. A basic example is a Twitch streamer who also publishes some footage on YouTube. Keeping…
Microsoft Edge for Android’s new Copilot Toolbar
Microsoft has renamed its browser for Android recently to Microsoft Edge: AI Browser. The browser is getting an infusion of Copilot and AI features. One of the latest is the Copilot Toolbar. Available in Microsoft Edge Canary only at the time of writing, it is designed to give users even quicker access to Copilot. Copilot…
Google Play to highlight apps with independent security reviews
Starting with apps in the VPN category, Google’s Play Store is soon highlighting apps with independent security reviews. The company announced the change on the official Google Security blog. Google Android users who visit Google Play to browse for apps may open the data safety section for security and privacy information. There, they will soon…