Tag: google

Cookies

Google services dominated web tracking last year

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

When it comes to user tracking on the Internet, Google continues to have a firm hold on the top positions. Kaspersky released its annual web tracking report for the past year.

The data comes from a Do Not Track plugin that Kaspersky uses in its software products. It is designed to prevent different forms of tracking, but is disabled by default.

The key findings:

  • Google dominates tracking on the Internet.
  • Other companies that track users are Microsoft, Amazon, and Yahoo.

Note: The data comes from products from a single company. It may not reflect the monitoring landscape as accurately as possible because of that.

Google’s dominance becomes clear when you look at regional tracking. Here in Europe, Google Display & Video 360, and Google Analytics are the dominating trackers with an exposure of 17.27% and 11.93%. Third-placed Amazon sits at 9.13% and fourth placed Criteo at 6.80.

Then it is Google again with YouTube Analytics (5.65%), Microsoft with Bing (5.33%) and Google again with Adsense (5.23%).

In North America, it is again Google Display & Video 360 (16.84%) that dominates. Amazon is second this time (9.08%), but then it is Google again with Analytics (8.42%). Google is also placed fifth and sixth in North America.

The situation is similar in other regions. In Latin America, Google holds the first three spots and the fifth. In the Middle East, Google holds the first four spots. In Africa, it is the top three and the sixth.

It is interesting to note that some Google services lost eyes on users compared to the year before in many regions. Growth was limited to East Asia and Commonwealth of independent states. Google’s monitoring declined in all other regions, but it still dominates by a large margin.

Google Adsense and YouTube Analytics are the two exceptions. They managed to increase significantly in nearly every region.

You can check out the entire report on the Secure List website.

How do you protect yourself from tracking? Do you run content blockers? Other options? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Advertising

Oh look, Google ads are again used to scam Google Search users

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Threat actors have launched another malvertising campaign on Google Search. While that is not really anything to write about anymore in this day and age, this time is special.

Not only did the threat actors manage to plant scam ads on Google, they did furthermore impersonate Google’s entire product line and used Google domains for the scams. If that is not something to write about.

The story comes from Malwarebytes. Security researchers at Malwarebytes discovered the campaign.

Here are the details:

  • The campaign was run on Google Search.
  • The threat actor used Google’s Looker Studio service to show the google.com domain as the address.
  • The ads targeted Google {product}, e.g., Google Translate or Google Flights.

Even after Malwarebytes reported the ads to Google, ads that impersonated official Google products continued to show up on Google Search.

Locker Studio is a service by Google that creates “interactive dashboards and beautiful reports” from data.

The scammers used the service to display a copy of the Google Search homepage. The homepage is just an image with a hidden link. When the victim clicks on the image, the link is triggered.

The user is then redirected to fake Microsoft or Apple alert pages. These go into full screen mode and play a recording according to Malwarebytes. The alerts suggest that something is not right.

They display a number to call for support and also a form to type the Microsoft account name and password.

Calls land in overseas call centers that try to scam the callers into purchasing gift cards or logging into their bank accounts to pay for the support.

The URL used in this case is on a Microsoft Azure domain, which is designed to instill further trust.

Closing Words

There is not much to like about ads nowadays. They slow down web browsing, use additional bandwidth, collect data about users, and may be distracting. If that is not enough, they may also push ads, as seen over and over again.

The only thing that is positive about ads is, in my opinion, that they allow certain services or publications to exist. There are not viable alternatives. While subscriptions are picking up, this won’t work for everyone as users seem to be fed up already with the ever increasing list of services that is asking for a monthly or yearly payments.

More safeguards need to be in place to prevent blatant abuses like the one discovered by Malwarebytes.

What is your take on this? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Brand Love: Google’s unethical attempt to get only positive Pixel reviews

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Influencers play an important role in marketing today. They tend to have a certain reach that makes cooperations with them attractive to companies.

It should not come as a surprise that influencers get offers to test devices. Companies send them the devices free of charge in the hope that they get a review by the influencer in question.

This cooperation should not come with any requirements, or only light requirements, such as disclosing that the device was not paid for.

Reports suggest that Google has altered the terms for influencers recently. To get a new Pixel device for testing, influencers had to acknowledge and agree to the following:

By opting into this program, do you acknowledge that you are expected to feature the Google Pixel device in place of any competitor mobile device? Please note that if it appears other brands are being preferred over the Pixel, we will need to cease the relationship between the brand and the creator.

In other words, Google tried to influence reviews of influencers with the new terms.

At least some YouTubers who joined “Team Pixel” in the past have quit citing that the new terms were not giving them the editorial freedom that they needed and their audiences deserved.

The Verge asked Google about the new terms and Google said that they “missed the mark” and that “it has been removed”.

Still, the agreement was in place for a time and it seems likely that the participating influencers would make sure that their reviews and takes on the new Pixel devices would not violate it.

All in all, it is a new low. It is good to see that some influencers decided to quit the program because of the changes.

Do you check out what creators or influencers have to say about a certain device before you make a buying decision? Or do you get your information from elsewhere instead? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Google Pixel Weather App

A first look at Google’s new Weather app

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Google announced several new Pixel devices this week as well as new AI and services, some of them exclusive at the time of writing.

The company’s main announcement on its official The Keyword website focuses more on software and services, and less on the hardware of the Pixel devices.

Among the new features is a “better weather app” that uses AI to give “super accurate weather forecasts” and “custom AI weather reports”.

The app is available for Pixel devices, but APK files are available already that can be installed on non-Pixel Android devices. The main restriction is that it requires Android 14.

Some of the advertised features, mostly those linked to KI, do not appear to work at the time of writing. I tried the app on a Samsung Galaxy A55 5G device and it worked. Other users claimed that the app was crashing on them, which some fixed by clearing the cache.

Google Weather App location details

The app is basic at the time of writing and on non-Pixel devices. Weather data comes from weather.com.

You can add multiple locations to it and every location is shown on the startpage. A tap opens more details for the selected location.

Here you get:

  • Warnings
  • Hourly Forecast
  • 10-day Forecast
  • Sunrise & Sunset
  • Wind speed and direction
  • UV Index
  • Air Quality Index (for some locations)
  • Visibility
  • Humidity
  • Pressure.

You can move the items around using drag & drop.

It lacks the weather background for the selected location and the weather map.

A tap on 10-day Forecast opens another page with additional details for the selected day and the period as a whole.

The app has a few widgets that you can place on the screen. At least one of is dynamic, but there are others that you may display.

I have not received any notifications, warnings, or AI reports at the time of writing. Maybe that is reserved for Pixel devices or accounts that are subscribed to Google Gemini in one form or another.

Closing Words

Google’s new Weather app is limited when you run it on a non-Pixel 9 device. It is likely that it may come to older devices, but that some features, mostly those powered by AI, may not come to older devices.

You can download the latest version from APK Mirror to give it a try.

Do you use a weather app on your mobile devices? If so, which app do you use and why? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Google Pixel 9 devices

Beyond hardware: these Pixel 9 features launch with the phones

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Google announced this year’s Pixel upgrade on its Made by Google event yesterday. As Google puts it, these are the most powerful Pixel devices ever. They are also the most expensive ones.

You find information about the hardware features of the four Pixel devices — Pixel 9, Pro, Pro XL, and Fold — on numerous sites. Check out Android Police’s or Android Central’s coverage, if you are interested in that.

Google’s main blog post on the Keyword website mentions hardware improvements just in passing. Just a few paragraphs that detail improvements over previous Pixel devices.

The majority of text is reserved for software improvements, mostly AI. The clear focus is software, therefore.

Here are the highlights:

Gemini Live — Deeper interactions with Google’s Gemini AI. Available for Gemini Advanced subscribers. Free for one year for Pixel 9 Pro, Pro XL, and Pro Fold buyers (sorry Pixel 9 buyers, no love for your).

Pixel Studio — Is an image generator that uses the “on-device diffusion model” with a text-to-image model that in the cloud. (Not available in all languages or countries, no further info on that).

Pixel Screenshots — Exclusive app for Pixel 9 that makes screenshots searchable using AI. You may later interact with the app to retrieve information. May include links and other information. (Not available in all languages or countries, no further info on that).

Improved Weather app — Google promises “super accurate weather forecasts” and custom AI weather reports. Also more customization options.

Camera improvements — The cameras get several new features and improvements:

  • AI-powered camera experience — Optimizes HDR+, exposure, tone mapping, sharpening, contrast, and more.
  • Super Res Zoom Video — Supports up to 20x super resolution zoom in Night Sight Video or Video Boost. Uses the telephoto camera with “advanced machine learning”. Only available on Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL.
  • Add Me — Uses AI to merge multiple photos into a single one. One application for this is that you may add the photographer to a scene.
  • Reimagine Magic Editor — Change images using a text box, e.g., by removing objects or people, changing the sky, or placing new objects.
  • Auto frame in Magic Editor — Helps frame a photo that has been taken already.
  • Night Sight in Panorama — Panorama mode is now also available in low-light conditions.
  • Zoom Enhance — This one allows you to zoom in even more using AI. Only available on Pixel 9 Pro, Pro XL, and Pro Fold.
  • Video Boost — upgrades video to 8K resolution.
  • Move anything — Allows you to move objects or people in a photo.

Clear Calling and Call Notes — Clear calling improves the audio quality of calls according to Google. Call Notes on the other hand creates private summaries and full transcripts of phone calls. Everyone is informed about the recording. (only for calls that are at least 30 seconds long. Not available in all languages or countries, no further info on that).

Satellite SOS — known from Apple, this adds an emergency option to Pixel 9 devices to call for help, even when there is no cellular service. (Only available in the U.S., free for the first 2 years).

There you have it, these are the main features that Google announced. Google does not say which of these require Internet connectivity or what data is transferred for the services that require it.

Does this sound interesting to you? Do you plan to buy a Pixel 9 device, or will you skip those? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Android

Your Android smartphone could soon have a floating taskbar

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Android 15 could ship with a taskbar on smartphones. This taskbar works similarly to the one known from tablets or operating systems such as Windows.

Android Authority’s Mishaal Rahman discovered the taskbar feature recently and has published information about its functionality and current state.

Up until recently, taskbars on smartphones were frowned upon. Google, Apple, and the manufacturers of other mobile operating systems focused on minimalism instead.

While Google did implement a taskbar in Android 12 for Android tablets and the new foldable category of phones, it continued its work in future releases.

The initial release fixed the taskbar on the screen. One year later, Google introduced an option to hide the taskbar.

The idea behind this was simple: free up as much room as possible for apps or websites viewed by the user.

In Android 15 Beta 4, Rahman discovered a new “tiny” taskbar feature. While not enabled by default, Rahman found a way to enable it to check it out.

He published a video on YouTube that shows his efforts:

Here is what is known right now:

  • The smartphone taskbar functions exactly like its bigger cousin for tablets and foldables.
  • It has place for fewer shortcuts.
  • Google could implement both the old and new taskbar layout. The main differentiating factor is the position of the taskbar on the screen.

The taskbar for smartphones is a work in progress. It may be included in Android 15 because of that.

While not all Android users may want to use a taskbar on their devices, there are probably a few that like the idea. The main benefit is that it offers faster access to certain apps or functions.

Whether that is enough to warrant the display of the taskbar on the screen is up for the individual user to decide.

I would probably never use the feature outside of testing.

What is your take on this? Would you use a taskbar on Android devices, if Google would launch it as part of Android 15? Feel free to write a comment down below.

Google TV Streamer

Google is replacing Chromecasts with Google TV Streamer boxes

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Google unveiled Google TV Streamer today. The box will replace the company’s own Chromecast devices to compete against the likes of Apple TV.

Here are the main details:

  • Retails for $99.99 (€119.99).
  • Google says CPU is 22% faster than Chromecast 4K.
  • Has double the RAM (4 GB) and 32 GB of storage compared to Chromecast 4K.
  • Supports Wi-Fi 5 (ac) and Bluetooth 5.1.
  • Comes with an Ethernet port and HDMI 2.1, which supports 4K HDR at 60fps.
  • HDR10(+), Dolby Vision, HLG, and Dolby Digital(+), and Dolby Atmos supported.

Google says that TV Streamer supports Matter and Thread, and that it comes with Gemini technology. Here, Google says that Gemini may provide “full summaries, reviews, and season-by-season breakdowns of content”.

Ambient mode, another new feature, turns an idle TV “into a work of art”. Integration of Google services allows pulling up photos and videos from Google Photos, using either voice or by typing.

The “biggest Google-Home-Panel” is not controllable with the remove. This allows users to control other smart devices, for instance cameras or door bells. Google-owned Nest support is also available.

Integration with Android is also available, which means that Android users may stream content from their devices directly on the Google TV Streamer connected display.

The not so good

While Google TV Streamer offers better functionality than Google Chromecast devices that came before it, it disappoints in some areas.

Here are the main ones:

  • The processor is just 22% faster than the Chromecast 4K model, which Google released in 2020. It remains to be seen how well it performs.
  • The device supports only Wi-Fi 5.
  • Only 32 GB of storage.

Only tests will show how well the device performs when compared to Apple TV or other premium boxes.

This may be an instant buy for heavy Google users. If you are already invested, say with Android and smart home devices, then you may like the idea of getting another option to control all these devices.

If you just want the best streaming box, this may not be it based on the hardware that you get. All in all, you may want to wait for the initial wave of reviews before you make a buying decision.

Do you own streaming boxes or sticks? If so, which do you use currently and why? Is the Google TV Streamer a box that you are interested in? Feel free to write a comment down below.

Android

Google Play Store could soon takeover updates for sideloaded apps

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Android Authority reports that Google is working on a new Play Store feature to take over ownership of sideloaded apps. This would allow Google Play to update apps not installed via the official Store.

A feature introduced in Android 14 allows application stores to update ownership of apps. When you download an app from a Store, this store has ownership. This means that it is responsible for pushing updates and other changes. It may also have the power to delete apps.

The option to change ownership was designed initially to prevent the installation of apps from a store that differed from the original.

Now, it appears that Google is working on a feature that allows Play Store to take over ownership. It seems that this is a manual process, for now at least.

The main benefit of this is that users may then update apps through the Play Store, provided that the app is also hosted on Google’s store for Android.

A leaked screenshot shows the listing of an app that was not installed from Google Play. The app shows an “update from Play” button. When users activate the button, Play Store is taking over ownership to update the app. Future updates will then be provided via Play Store and not the original Store.

Third-party app stores may also be able to use the feature in the future.

Closing Words

While the changing of ownership may be useful in some cases, for example when the original owner is no longer available or an app is no longer available in the original store, it may also cause issues for certain apps, especially if they differ from the Play Store version.

This should not work for apps that are not offered on the Play Store. Certain kinds of apps, including apps that let users download videos from YouTube, are disallowed on the Play Store. They can, however, be installed from third-party stores.

The best option to avoid this for now is to ignore the “update from Play” button when browsing the Play Store. It remains to be seen if Google will implement other changes related to the taking of ownership.

Do you sideload apps on Android? If so, what is your preferred download source for apps? Feel free to leave a comment below.

Chrome

Report: Google sneaked in code in Chrome that is favoring Google

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

A report suggests that Google has sneaked code into Chromium-based browsers that is favoring Google-owned properties. Browsers like Chrome, Brave, and Microsoft Edge appear affected.

If true, it would give critics of Google’s dominance in web browsing a mighty powerful argument.

Here are the details: Google Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers give *.google.com sites full access to system / tab CPU usage, GPU usage, memory usage, detailed processor information, and a logging backchannel.

Luca Casonato published information about this on X and Simon Willison published code that anyone may run to verify the claim.

Chrome returning information on google-owned properties
The information that Chrome reveals to Google when the code is run

Here is how that is done:

  1. Open Google Chrome on your system.
  2. Load https://www.google.com/ or any other *.google.com property.
  3. Select Menu > More Tools > Developer Console.
  4. Switch to the Console tab, if it is not active already.
  5. Type allow pasting.
  6. Paste the following code: chrome.runtime.sendMessage(‘nkeimhogjdpnpccoofpliimaahmaaome’, {method: ‘cpu.getInfo’}, response => {console.log(JSON.stringify(response, null, 2));});
  7. Press the Enter-key.

Chrome returns information when the code is run on a Google property. It returns an error message when you run it on any other site.

The code is accessible on the Chromium Code Search website. You can load it here and check it out yourself.

Casonato suggests that the exclusive feature is a violation of the Digital Markets Act as browser vendors “must give the same capabilities to everyone”.

Closing Words

It is unclear if and how Google is using the information. Casonato says that he does not believe that the company uses it for something malicious or invasive, such as fingerprinting.

Still, Google favoring Google in Chrome and Chromium-based browsers is giving critics of Google’s dominance in web browsing another reason why a browser monopoly or duopoly (if you consider Safari), is bad for users.

It is also interesting to note that other Chromium-based browsers have kept the code in their browsers. It is unclear why.

Which browser do you use mainly and why?

VPN

VPN by Google One is shutting down

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Google is informing customers currently that it is shutting down VPN by Google One “later this year”.

I reviewed VPN by Google One in March 2023 and concluded that it was “the most basic VPN that you can get”. Subscribers would get access to the VPN if they paid Google at least $1.99 per month.

While that sounded like a good deal on paper, the VPN itself was severely limiting and only available to customers in 22 countries. The real downside was that it lacked core functionality. You basically got the option to connect to the VPN, use its kill switch and configure bypass options for apps.

One of the main downsides was that you could not use it to connect to select servers, only to servers that Google picked. This meant that you could not use it to quickly connect to a server in another country to get an IP associated with that country.

Other features found in clients of popular VPN servers, such as NordVPN or SurfShark, were missing as well. No protocol selection, no advanced servers or security features, or to set a custom DNS server.

It still helped protected the connection, especially when connected to public wireless access points, but that was it.

Google informs subscribers and Pixel owners

All Pixel owners and Google One members are informed about the change. The news that VPN by Google One is shutting down at the end of the year may be overlooked easily.

Google writes:

Phasing out two benefits: With a focus on providing the most in-demand features and benefits, we’re discontinuing free shipping for select print orders from Google Photos (in Canada, the UK, US, and EU) starting on May 15 and VPN by Google One later this year. As a Pixel user, you’ll continue to enjoy being able to access VPN from Google through Pixel settings if you have Pixel 7 or newer models.

In other words, the VPN service is removed from Google One. Pixel owners may still connect to Google’s VPN.

The official Google One website does not list VPN by Google One anymore already.

Closing Words

Another one bites the dust. I know quite a few users who do not commit to Google products anymore, because there is a good chance that the company will tear them apart in the future.

While there are better VPN services out there, it is still disheartening to add it as another discontinued product to Google’s Graveyard of products.