A “Keep Android Open” campaign is pushing back on new rules from Google that will reportedly block users from sideloading apps on Android phones.
It’s unclear who’s running the campaign, but a blog post on the free Android app store F-Droid is directing users to visit the campaign’s website, which urges the public to lobby government regulators to intervene and stop the upcoming restrictions.
“Developers should have the right to create and distribute software without submitting to unnecessary corporate surveillance,” reads an open letter posted to the site.
In August, Google announced upcoming rules aimed at reducing the risk of malware infecting Android devices. It will require that all app installs on certified Android devices only occur if the developer has been verified by Google. For individual developers, this includes submitting an official ID, address, phone number, and paying a $25 fee.
These days, most of us have a smartphone. They are so commonplace that we rarely stop to consider how amazing they truly are. The open-source project Phyphox has provided easy access to your phone’s sensors for over a decade. We featured it years ago, and the Phyphox team continues to update this versatile application.
Phyphox is designed to use your phone as a sensor for physics experiments, offering a list of prebuilt experiments created by others that you can try yourself. But that’s not all—this app provides access to the many sensors built into your phone. Unlike many applications that access these sensors, Phyphox is open-source, with all its code available on its GitHub page.
The available sensors depend on your smartphone, but you can typically access readings from accelerometers, GPS, gyroscopes, magnetometers, barometers, microphones, cameras, and more. The app includes clever prebuilt experiments, like measuring an elevator’s speed using your phone’s barometer or determining a color’s HSV value with the camera. Beyond phone sensors, the Phyphox team has added support for Arduino BLE devices, enabling you to collect and graph telemetry from your Arduino projects in a centralized hub.
Thanks [Alfius] for sharing this versatile application that unlocks a myriad of uses for your phone’s sensors. You can use a phone for so many things. Really.
Earlier this year, Google announced it would develop the Android OS fully in private to simplify its development process. By focusing its efforts on a single internal branch, Google aimed to streamline work that was previously split. The news initially spooked some in the Android development community, but the controversy quickly subsided. The impact was minimal, as Google was already developing most of Android behind closed doors and promised that source code releases would continue. Now, however, a recent omission from Google has rekindled fears that the company might stop sharing source code for new Android releases. Google has stated these concerns are unfounded, but other new changes make it harder for the custom ROM community to thrive on Pixel devices.
Is AOSP going away? Google says no
As promised, Google published the source code for Android 16 this week, allowing independent developers to compile their own builds of the new operating system. This source code was uploaded to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), as usual, under the permissive Apache 2.0 license.
However, multiple developers quickly noticed a glaring omission from the Android 16 source code release: the device trees for Pixel devices were missing. Google also failed to upload new driver binaries for each Pixel device and released the kernel source code with a squashed commit history. Since Google has shared the device trees, driver binaries, and full kernel source code commit history for years, its omission in this week’s release was concerning.
These omissions led some to speculate this week that Google was taking the first step in a plan to discontinue AOSP. In response, Google’s VP and GM of Android Platform, Seang Chau, refuted these claims. He addressed the speculation in a post on X, stating that “AOSP is NOT going away.”
[…]
he more significant issue, however, is the impact this decision will have on developers who build custom ROMs — the community term for hobbyist forks of AOSP. Nolen Johnson, a long-time contributor and reviewer for the LineageOS project, says the process of building these ROMs for Pixel phones will become “painful” moving forward.
Previously, Google made it simple for developers to build AOSP for Pixel devices, but that support is now gone. Developers simply had to “pull the configurations [that] Google created,” add their customizations, and then build. Now, however, they will need to take the old device trees that Google released for Android 15 and “blindly guess and reverse engineer from the prebuilt [binaries] what changes are needed each month.”
This is because making a full Android build for a device — not just a GSI — requires a device tree. This is a “collection of configuration files that define the hardware layout, peripherals, proprietary file listings, and other details for a specific device, allowing the build system to build a proper image for that device.” While Google previously handled this work, developers must now create their own device trees without access to the necessary proprietary source code.
Furthermore, Google’s decision to squash the kernel source code’s commit history also hinders custom development. The Pixel’s kernel source code was often used as a “reference point for other devices to take features, bug fixes, and security patches from,” but with the history now reduced to a single commit, this is no longer feasible.
While Google is under no obligation to release device trees, provide driver binaries, or share the full kernel commit history (in fact, it’s one of the few device makers to do these things), it has done so for years. The company’s reason for doing so was because the Pixel was treated as a reference platform for AOSP, so developers needed an easy way to build for it.
Apple users noticed a change in 2023, “when streaming platforms like Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, and the Criterion Channel imposed a quiet embargo on the screenshot,” noted the film blog Screen Slate: At first, there were workarounds: users could continue to screenshot by using the browser Brave or by downloading extensions or third-party tools like Fireshot. But gradually, the digital-rights-management tech adapted and became more sophisticated. Today, it is nearly impossible to take a screenshot from the most popular streaming services, at least not on a Macintosh computer. The shift occurred without remark or notice to subscribers, and there’s no clear explanation as to why or what spurred the change…
For PC users, this story takes a different, and happier, turn. With the use of Snipping Tool — a utility exclusive to Microsoft Windows, users are free to screen grab content from all streaming platforms. This seems like a pointed oversight, a choice on the part of streamers to exclude Mac users (though they make up a tiny fraction of the market) because of their assumed cultural class. “I’m not entirely sure what the technical answer to this is,” tech blogger John Gruber wrote this weekend, “but on MacOS, it seemingly involves the GPU and video decoding hardware…” These DRM blackouts on Apple devices (you can’t capture screenshots from DRM video on iPhones or iPads either) are enabled through the deep integration between the OS and the hardware, thus enabling the blackouts to be imposed at the hardware level. And I don’t think the streaming services opt into this screenshot prohibition other than by “protecting” their video with DRM in the first place. If a video is DRM-protected, you can’t screenshot it; if it’s not, you can.
On the Mac, it used to be the case that DRM video was blacked-out from screen capture in Safari, but not in Chrome (or the dozens of various Chromium-derived browsers). But at some point a few years back, you stopped being able to capture screenshots from DRM videos in Chrome, too — by default. But in Chrome’s Settings page, under System, if you disable “Use graphics acceleration when available” and relaunch Chrome, boom, you can screenshot everything in a Chrome window, including DRM video…
What I don’t understand is why Apple bothered supporting this in the first place for hardware-accelerated video (which is all video on iOS platforms — there is no workaround like using Chrome with hardware acceleration disabled on iPhone or iPad). No one is going to create bootleg copies of DRM-protected video one screenshotted still frame at a time — and even if they tried, they’d be capturing only the images, not the sound. And it’s not like this “feature” in MacOS and iOS has put an end to bootlegging DRM-protected video content. Gruber’s conclusion? “This ‘feature’ accomplishes nothing of value for anyone, including the streaming services, but imposes a massive (and for most people, confusing and frustrating) hindrance on honest people simply trying to easily capture high-quality (as opposed to, say, using their damn phone to take a photograph of their reflective laptop display) screenshots of the shows and movies they’re watching.”
Google is experimenting with a feature that would allow people to add their own notes to search results for anyone to see. In theory, this would make results more helpful, providing a bit of human perspective — like feedback on recipe links or tips relating to travel queries — so people can better find the information that’s relevant to them. Notes are available now as an opt-in feature in Google’s Search Labs.
Search Labs is where Google tests new features that may or may not eventually make it to its flagship search engine. For those who are enrolled and have opted in for the Notes experiment, a Notes button will appear in Search and Discover, and tapping that will pull up all the insights other people have shared about a given article. You can also add your own, and dress it up with stickers, photos and, down the line (for US users only), AI-generated images.
Google
While community-sourced notes sound a bit like a recipe for disaster in an age of rampant misinformation and trolling, especially with the inclusion of AI imagery, Google says it will use “a combination of algorithmic protections and human moderation to make sure notes are as safe, helpful and relevant as possible, and to protect against harmful or abusive content.” The company is also looking into ways to let site owners add notes to their own pages.
It’s still just a test, and users will have the opportunity to submit feedback based on their experiences with Notes. The experimental feature has started rolling out for Search Labs on Android and iOS in the US and India.
Android 14, the latest operating system from Google, is facing a major storage bug that is causing users to be locked out of their devices. This issue is particularly affecting users who utilize the “multiple profiles” feature. Reports suggest that the bug is comparable to being hit with “ransomware,” as users are unable to access their device storage.
Initially, it was believed that this bug was limited to the Pixel 6, but it has since been discovered that it impacts a wider range of devices upgrading to Android 14. This includes the Pixel 6, 6a, 7, 7a, Pixel Fold, and Pixel Tablet. The Google issue tracker for this bug has garnered over 350 replies, but there has been no response from Google so far. The bug has been assigned the medium priority level of “P2” and remains unassigned, indicating that no one is actively investigating it.
Users who have encountered this storage bug have shared log files containing concerning messages such as “Failed to open directory /data/media/0: Structure needs cleaning.” This issue leads to various problematic situations, with some users experiencing boot loops, others stuck on a “Pixel is starting…” message, and some unable to take screenshots or access their camera app due to the lack of storage. Users are also unable to view files on their devices from a PC over USB, and the System UI and Settings repeatedly crash. Essentially, without storage, the device becomes practically unusable.
Android’s user-profile system, designed to accommodate multiple users and separate work and personal profiles, appears to be the cause of this rarely encountered bug. Users have reported that the primary profile, which is typically the most important one, becomes locked out.
Android users in India will soon have more control over their devices, thanks to a court ruling. Beginning next month, Indian Android wielders can choose a different billing system when paying for apps and in-app smartphone purchases rather than default to going through the Play Store. Google will also allow Indian users to select a different search engine as their default right as they set up a new device, which might have implications for upcoming EU regulations.
The move comes after a ruling last week by India’s Supreme Court. The trial started late last year when the Competition Commission of India (CCI) fined Google $161 million for imposing restrictions on its manufacturing partners. Google attempted to challenge the order by maintaining this kind of practice would stall the Android ecosystem and that “no other jurisdiction has ever asked for such far-reaching changes.”
[…]
Google also won’t be able to require the installation of its branded apps to grant the license for running Android OS anymore. From now on, device manufacturers in India will be able to license “individual Google apps” as they like for pre-installation rather than needing to bundle the whole kit and caboodle. Google is also updating the Android compatibility requirements for its OEM partners to “build non-compatible or forked variants.”
[…]
Of particular note is seeing how users will react to being able to choose whether to buy apps and other in-app purchases through the Play Store, where Google takes a 30% cut from each transaction, or through an alternative billing service like JIO Money or Paytm—or even Amazon Pay, available in India.
[…]
The Department of Justice in the United States is also suing Google’s parent company, Alphabet, for a second time this week for practices within its digital advertising business, alleging that the company “corrupted legitimate competition in the ad tech industry” to build out its monopoly.
The move comes in response to growing pressure on app store operators to give developers options, as Epic Games sought in its dispute with Apple and the government of South Korea required with legislation. The EU’s Digital Markets Act also seeks to limit Big Tech’s gatekeeping powers and was designed to stop Google prioritizing its own goods and services over those of competitors.
The test, foreshadowed in March 2022 when Spotify’s Android app offered its own payment system alongside Google’s, will see the search giant offer developers the chance to offer users the chance to employ payment systems other than its own.
The trial covers digital content and services, such as in-app purchases and subscriptions. Web-based payments as an alternative payment method in an embedded webview within their app are also possible under the pilot.
The program is detailed in a support document that states it will run in European Economic Area (EEA) countries – not the UK – plus Australia, India, Indonesia, and Japan.
[…]
The test will require alternative payment systems to be compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and developers must provide customer service for their chosen system. Payment systems used must provide a process to dispute unauthorized transactions.
Games are not eligible for the test, and Google’s not explained why other than to say they’re not eligible but that decision might change.
[…]
“Google Play’s service fee has never been simply a fee for payment processing. It reflects the value provided by Android and Play and supports our continued investments across Android and Google Play, allowing for the user and developer features that people count on.”
[…]
If you fancy trying the scheme, apply here – but don’t bother unless you already have a Play Store developer account, as that’s required to apply for inclusion
Android Auto Store is free app for Android Phones to downloads best Android Auto apps and installs them in the correct way to have them in Android Auto.
This Store will install Android Auto Apps on non-rooted Android devices for free with NO DOWNLOAD LIMITS NO PAY. Select an app you want to install on your phone and wait the installation process finish. Once completed, connect your smartphone to the car and use the app.
One of the handiest features on Android that sets it apart from the mobile competition is the ability to install apps from outside the Play Store. APK installation is why you can still play Fortnite — even as Epic’s legal battle with Google continues — and it’s how you can skip the wait for automatic updates to bring the latest features to your favorite apps. Unfortunately, one of Android’s most trusted file browsers has removed the ability to install APK files after receiving takedown warnings from Google.
Total Commander has been around since the 90s, eventually expanding into Android after the platform launched over a decade ago. The app has more than 10 million downloads on the Play Store, still supporting OS versions as far back as Android 2.2. With a new update, developer Christian Ghisler has removed the ability to install APK files on Android, blaming Google Play policies in the patch notes for the app. It’s a shocking twist for the service and, seemingly, a bad omen of things to come for other mobile file managers.
A forum post from Ghisler sheds some more light on what’s going on here, as Google sent him a notice warning of his app’s removal from the Play Store within a week if the app went unmodified. The company’s automated response pointed the developer to the “Device and Network Abuse” policy — specifically, these two sections:
An app distributed via Google Play may not modify, replace, or update itself using any method other than Google Play’s update mechanism. Likewise, an app may not download executable code (e.g., dex, JAR, .so files) from a source other than Google Play. This restriction does not apply to code that runs in a virtual machine or an interpreter where either provides indirect access to Android APIs (such as JavaScript in a webview or browser).
Apps or third-party code (e.g., SDKs) with interpreted languages (JavaScript, Python, Lua, etc.) loaded at run time (e.g., not packaged with the app) must not allow potential violations of Google Play policies.
Based on these rules, the Play Store’s moderation system might believe Total Commander is attempting to update itself, thereby passing Google Play’s update service altogether. Ghisler says he did attempt to block Total Commander’s own APK from installing when you click on it, but automated systems checking his app for potential abuse didn’t catch the change. He resubmitted, only to receive this vague message in return:
As mentioned previously, your app (APK versions 1031, 1032, 1033, 1034, 1035 and 1036) causes users to download or install applications from unknown sources outside of Google Play.
According to Ghisler, he then made the decision to remove APK installations altogether, for fear of losing access to his account after a third warning — as has happened to other developers in a similar situation.
It’s possible that this block could have wide-reaching ramifications on file and web browsers in the Play Store, though the language used — not to mention Google’s poor reputation on false takedowns — seems to hint at something less insidious. Based on the information provided by Ghisler, it seems like Google either thinks Total Commander is updating itself from within, is accidentally linking to specific APK-hosting websites, or is using a custom app installation process before navigating the user to Android’s default installer. Either way, this sounds like a situation that needs some clarification from the company. Google should either spell out exactly what Total Commander is doing wrong that other file browsers have avoided, or should allow the app back on the Play Store in its previous state.
A new study by a team of university researchers in the UK has unveiled a host of privacy issues that arise from using Android smartphones.
The researchers have focused on Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, and Huawei Android devices, and LineageOS and /e/OS, two forks of Android that aim to offer long-term support and a de-Googled experience
The conclusion of the study is worrying for the vast majority of Android users .
With the notable exception of /e/OS, even when minimally configured and the handset is idle these vendor-customized Android variants transmit substantial amounts of information to the OS developer and also to third parties (Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.) that have pre-installed system apps. – Researchers.
As the summary table indicates, sensitive user data like persistent identifiers, app usage details, and telemetry information are not only shared with the device vendors, but also go to various third parties, such as Microsoft, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Summary of collected data
Source: Trinity College Dublin
And to make matters worse, Google appears at the receiving end of all collected data almost across the entire table.
No way to “turn it off”
It is important to note that this concerns the collection of data for which there’s no option to opt-out, so Android users are powerless against this type of telemetry.
This is particularly concerning when smartphone vendors include third-party apps that are silently collecting data even if they’re not used by the device owner, and which cannot be uninstalled.
For some of the built-in system apps like miui.analytics (Xiaomi), Heytap (Realme), and Hicloud (Huawei), the researchers found that the encrypted data can sometimes be decoded, putting the data at risk to man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks.
Volume of data (KB/h) transmitted by each vendor
Source: Trinity College Dublin
As the study points out, even if the user resets the advertising identifiers for their Google Account on Android, the data-collection system can trivially re-link the new ID back to the same device and append it to the original tracking history..
The deanonymisation of users takes place using various methods, such as looking at the SIM, IMEI, location data history, IP address, network SSID, or a combination of these.
Potential cross-linking data collection points
Source: Trinity College Dublin
Privacy-conscious Android forks like /e/OS are getting more traction as increasing numbers of users realize that they have no means to disable the unwanted functionality in vanilla Android and seek more privacy on their devices.
However, the majority of Android users remain locked into never ending stream of data collection, which is where regulators and consumer protection organizations need to step in and to put an end to this.
Gael Duval, the creator of /e/OS has told BleepingComputer:
Today, more people understand that the advertising model that is fueling the mobile OS business is based on the industrial capture of personal data at a scale that has never been seen in history, at the world level. This has negative impacts on many aspects of our lives, and can even threaten democracy as seen in recent cases. I think regulation is needed more than ever regarding personal data protection. It has started with the GDPR, but it’s not enough and we need to switch to a “privacy by default” model instead of “privacy as an option”.
Update – A Google spokesperson has provided BleepingComputer the following comment on the findings of the study:
While we appreciate the work of the researchers, we disagree that this behavior is unexpected – this is how modern smartphones work. As explained in our Google Play Services Help Center article, this data is essential for core device services such as push notifications and software updates across a diverse ecosystem of devices and software builds. For example, Google Play services uses data on certified Android devices to support core device features. Collection of limited basic information, such as a device’s IMEI, is necessary to deliver critical updates reliably across Android devices and apps.
Android is implementing this option as part of the accessibility feature, Switch Access. Switch Access adds a blue selection window to your display, and lets you use external switches, a keyboard, or the buttons on your Android to move that selection window through the many different items on your screen until you land on the one you want to select.
The big update to Switch Access is to make facial gestures the triggers that move the selection window across your screen. This new feature is part of Android Accessibility Suite’s 12.0.0 beta, which arrives packed into the latest Android 12 beta (beta 4, to be exact). If you aren’t running the beta on your Android device, you won’t be able to take advantage of this cool new feature until Google seeds Android 12 to the general public.
If you want to try it out right now, however, you can simply enroll your device in the Android 12 beta program, then download and install the work-in-progress software to your phone. Follow along on our walkthrough here to set yourself up.
How to set up facial gestures on Android 12
To get started on a device running Android 12 beta 4, head over to Settings > Accessibility > Switch Access, then tap the toggle next to Use Switch Access. You’ll need to grant the feature full control over your device, which involves viewing and controlling the screen, as well as viewing and performing actions. Tap Allow to confirm.
The first time you do this, Android will automatically open the Switch Access setup guide. Here, tap Camera Switch, then tap Next. On the following page, choose between one switch or two switches, the latter of which Android recommends. With one switch, you use the same gesture to begin highlighting items on screen that you do to select a particular item. With two switches, you set one gesture to start highlighting, and a separate one to select.
Screenshot: Jake Peterson
We’re going to demonstrate the instructions for choosing Two switches. On the following page, choose how you’d like Android to scan through a particular page of options:
Linear scanning (except keyboard): Move between items one at a time. If you’re using a keyboard, however, it will scan by row.
Row-column scanning: Scan one row at a time. After the row is selected, move through items in that list.
Group selection (advanced): All items will be assigned a color. You perform a face gesture corresponding to the color of the item you want to select. Narrow down the size of the group until you reach your choice.
We’ll choose Linear scanning for this walkthrough. Once you make your selection, choose Next, then choose a gesture to assign to the action Next (which is what tells the blue selection window to move through the screen). You can choose from Open Mouth, Smile, Raise Eyebrows, Look Left, Look Right, and Look Up, and can assign as many of these gestures as you want to the one action. Just know that when you assign a gesture to an action, you won’t be able to use it with another action. When finished, tap Next.
Screenshot: Jake Peterson
Now, choose a gesture for the action Select (which selects an items that the blue selection window is hovering over). You can choose from the same list as before, barring any gestures you assigned to Next. Once you make your choice, you can actually start using these gestures to continue, since you can use your first gesture to move through the options, and your second gesture to select.
Finally, choose a gesture to pause or unpause camera switches. You don’t need to use this feature, but Android recommends you do. Pick your gesture or gestures, then choose Next. Once you do, the setup is done and you can now use your facial gestures to move around Android.
Other face gesture settings and options
Once you finish your setup, you’ll find some additional settings you can go through. Under Face Gesture Settings, you’ll find all the gesture options, as well as their assigned actions. Tap on one to test it out, adjust the gesture size, set the gesture duration, and edit the assignment for the gesture.
Screenshot: Jake Peterson
Beneath Additional settings for Camera Switches, you’ll find four more options to choose from:
Enhanced visual feedback: Show a visual indication of how long you have held a gesture.
Enhanced audio feedback: Play a sound when something on the screen changes in response to a gesture.
Keep screen on: Keep the screen on when Camera Switches in enabled. Camera Switches cannot unlock the screen if it turns off.
Ignore repeated Camera Switch triggers: You can choose a duration of time where the system will interpret multiple Camera Switch triggers as one trigger.
How to turn off facial gestures (Camera Switches)
If you find that controlling your phone with facial gestures just isn’t for you, don’t worry; it’s easy to turn off the feature. Just head back to Settings > Accessibility > Switch Access, then choose Settings. Tap Camera Switch gestures, then tap the slider next to Use Camera Switches. That will disable the whole feature, while saving your setup. If you want to reenable the feature, just return to this page at any time, and tap the toggle again.
This application provides display and control of Android devices connected on USB (or over TCP/IP). It does not require any root access. It works on GNU/Linux, Windows and macOS.
It’s a process that requires quite some installation and some good reading of the instructions but it can be done.
The trick is to install an older version of WhatsApp, extract the key and then copy the message databases. Then you can decrypt the database file and read it using another program. The hardest bit is extracting the key. Once you have that it’s all pretty fast. Apple IOS users have a definite advantage here because they can easily get to the key file.
You need to download WhatsApp-2.11.431.apk and abe-all.jar Then rename WhatsApp-2.11.431.apk to LegacyWhatsApp.apk and copy it to the tmp/ directory Rename abe-all.jar to abe.jar and copy it to the bin/ directory
Run the script.
Make sure you enable File transfer mode on the phone after you connect it
Also, I needed to open the old version of WhatsApp before making the backup in the script – fortunately the script waits here for a password! First it wants you to update: don’t! I got a phone date is inaccurate error. Just wait on this screen and then continue on with the script. The script goes silent here for quite some time.
The best instructions are to be found here by PIRATA! but miss the above few steps.
** Version 4.7 Updated October 2016 – Supports Android 4.0-7.0 ** SUMMARY: Allows WhatsApp users to extract their cipher key and databases on non-rooted Android devices. UPDATE: This tool was last updated on October 12th 2016. and confirmed… forum.xda-developers.com Good luck!
Privacy Enhancements for Android (PE for Android) is a platform for exploring concepts in regulating access to private information on mobile devices. The goal is to create an extensible privacy system that abstracts away the details of various privacy-preserving technologies. PE for Android allows app developers to safely leverage state-of-the-art privacy techniques without knowledge of esoteric underlying technologies. Further, PE for Android helps users to take ownership of their private information by presenting them with more intuitive controls and permission enforcement. The platform was developed as a fork of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) release for Android 9 “Pie” and can be installed as a Generic System Image (GSI) on a Project Treble-compliant device.
Under DARPA’s Brandeis program, a team of researchers led by Two Six Labs and Raytheon BBN Technologies have developed a platform called Privacy Enhancements for Android (PE for Android) to explore more expressive concepts in regulating access to private information on mobile devices. PE for Android seeks to create an extensible privacy system that abstracts away the details of various privacy-preserving technologies, allowing application developers to utilize state-of-the-art privacy techniques, such as secure multi-party computation and differential privacy, without knowledge of their underlying esoteric technologies. Importantly, PE for Android allows mobile device users to take ownership of their private information by presenting them with more intuitive controls and permission enforcement options.
***** No Root Required, ***** *****Please Look the Following***** ****However need to start a (Backend Service) Per every Boot ***** *****the Install package can be found at the following link***** http://123autoit.blogspot.tw/2016/08/123autoit-non-root-daemon-service.html Please update the backend service for Version 1.3 to use (Speed up mode) ***Daemon Script Install Video*** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awCz9A_FLk0 It is now supported both ARM and Intel Android Device If it is not support your phone or Install, setting , usage, any problem can reach me on E M A l L (kevinyiu82@gmail.com) or send me a hangout https://plus.google.com/+kevinyiu82 I am here to help Video Tutorial https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp0O8ko3Htr4YcZYXe2pyqG2lARTDqwoD Continue updating 123AutoIt (Automate repetitive tasks based on predefined logic) [BETA STAGE] Requirements -Android 5+ -best to run on safe mode -ram 1G + Features: match conditions trigger Taps, Swipes, pauses supported (Drag is still in beta stage, if experience any problem restart and try again using another mode) repeat number set to repeat actions accordingly validation at the point, to quick examine your check point placement add, select, edit and remove action from the logic different profile supported allow extra control to change the logic flow provide basic start and stop function (if more than one action within a page, then need to press a few more time to stop the process. +added extra options to disable auto rotate in screen capture (to handle for some device landscape screen capture problem) +added in app video tutorial + added FloatLayout to Control Panel + added Accumulated Count Click action + change name Counter Click to (Consecutive Counter Click) + Duplicate Image can’t show image bug fix +added setting storage location +added validation storage location +added magnifying glasses +added ads cache +added WiFi ON & OFF Action +softkeyboard input bug fix +UI minor adjustment +Update Edit Mode UI +Update Text Description +In Edit mode back press twice to get back full screen +fixed Recharge Button +Start up version check has been added +Edit mode z-index fixed +Fixed Repeat number can’t be saved issue(android 5.0+) +Fixed locale Issue +Added Same Page ? Times trigger Click Action +Added Action notificiation +Added Error notificiation +Added OCR checks Quick tips: -make sure your phone/tablet is fully charge and connected to a charger -fan the device, it sure produce a lot of heat -lower the backlight -turn on the developer mode to show the current click/swipe points -make sure turn off other background app except the app itself, and the targeted app. just to make app more stable ***Please notice, in some devices (such as Xiaomi) more action is needed for the application to work. such as allowing “pop up window” *** bug report: http://123autoit.blogspot.tw/2016/06/bug-report.html tutorial: http://123autoit.blogspot.tw/ ################################## OCR Using Open Source Tesseract library OpenCV Library ##################################
Android TV is an operating system designed specifically for SmartTV
purposes and is developed by Google. Android TV is basically a smart
entertainment platform that comes built into a number of TVs (primarily
from Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, etc..) but also in a number of streaming
video players like Android TV Boxes and the most popular one, the Nvidia
Shield.
To that end, Android TV is considerably similar to iOS or
Android. It’s basically an operating system for a TV. It’s capable of
supporting various apps, games, and TV shows that you normally navigate
with a remote on your TV.
There’s just something about this phone. From the moment I laid eyes on this thing, it just kind of made me happy. It’s small and adorable like a newborn puppy, and despite how petite it appears it photos, it looks and feels even smaller in person. And I’m not the only one that had this reaction. When I brought it into the office, people crowded around marveled. One person cooed at it, another said, “it’s perfect,” while a third remarked that this is the exact sort of thing they’d wished someone would make for years.
From a crowd of tech bloggers, even I was taken aback with its reception. Size alone isn’t what makes this handset remarkable. In part what makes the device exciting is that it’s the rebirth of Palm, the same company that made big ‘ole PDAs and the ill-fated Palm Pre. Maybe more interestingly, Palm’s new phone also envisions an entirely different way of using and living with tech.
For something so small, it’s pretty mysterious, and I’m actually not even entirely sure what to call it. The company that makes it is Palm, but what about the device itself? Is it just Phone with a capital P, or is it the Palm Palm as its comical listing on Verizon’s website suggests? For now, I’ve been going with Baby Phone or the just the mononymous Palm, because like Grimes, Wario, and Rasputin, this gadget is cool enough to need only a single name.
Don’t you just want to squeeze its cheeks?
Photo: Sam Rutherford (Gizmodo)
Now let’s talk about size. I don’t mean its actual dimensions—which are about the same as a credit card—but the reason behind why it’s so tiny. Recently, a lot of companies have been pushing the idea of digital wellness, with Google and Apple adding features to Android and iOS that help you track how much time you spend on your phone. That’s all fine, but in some ways, buying an $800 phone and then putting restrictions on it is like buying an Aston Martin and never driving it faster than 55 mph.
So instead of spending a lot of money on a phone that constantly tempts you, why not get something small and nimble that can still handle traditional smartphone duties, but doesn’t also ruin your life. That’s the real inspiration behind the Palm’s pint-sized body and mini display. You’re supposed to pull it out, check the screen real quick, and then put it away.
As small as the Palm looks, it feels even tinier in real life.
Photo: Sam Rutherford (Gizmodo)
The Palm is a more straightforward way to fight smartphone addiction, and while it does quite well at replacing your regular phone, it has some quirks and a few sore spots you should know about. I’m going to break things down The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly style.
The first foldable phone is a reality – the FlexPai. Well, it’s actually a tablet as unfolded it boasts a 7.8” screen (4:3 aspect ratio). Folded, that drops to a more manageable 4”. And get this, this device is the first to use the 7nm Snapdragon 8150!
Back to the screen, it’s an AMOLED that folds down the middle. The software (dubbed Water OS) switches to using only half of the screen, displaying a wallpaper on the other half.
You get to choose which half you use, though, one has slightly more screen, the other is next to the dual camera, which can be used for selfies and video calls in this configuration. It’s a 16+20MP camera, by the way, the second camera module has a telephoto lens.
FlexPai is the world’s first flexible phone/tablet and the first with Snapdragon 8150
The FlexPai measures 7.6mm thick. However, it doesn’t fold flat so it’s thicker than than 15.2mm when folded (certainly near the “hinge”). The hinge is rated to being folded 200,000 times.
The device is powered by a 7nm Qualcomm chipset and only the Snapdragon 8150 fits that description. The base configuration has 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage, but other options include 8/256 and 8/512GB. A proprietary Ro-Charge fast charging tech is supported – it goes from 0% to 80% in an hour.
The price starts at CNY 9,000 – $1,300/€1,135 – which doesn’t seem so high considering that some Android flagships cost that much without a next-gen chipset or a foldable design.
Created by Chinese smartphone company Nubia (which is partially owned by ZTE), the Nubia X solves the problem of where to put the selfie cam on an all-screen phone by dodging the question entirely. That’s because instead of using the main 6.1-inch LCD screen and a front-facing camera to take selfies, you can simply flip the phone around and use its rear camera and 5.1-inch secondary 1520 x 720 OLED screen on the back to frame up your shot.
This solution might sound like overkill, but in some ways, it’s a much simpler overall design. Cameras are quickly becoming much more difficult and expensive to make than screens, and by only including one module on the back, it gives phone makers the ability to focus more on delivering a single, high quality photography experience.
On top of that, with the prevalence of so many phones designed with glass panels in front and back, the Nubia X shouldn’t be much more fragile than a typical handset. Also, that extra display can be used for way more than just selfies. Nubia says its rear, always-on display can show off your favorite art or be used as clock, or it can double as a full-on second display with access to all your standard Android screens and apps.
Now, the back of your phone doesn’t need to be reserved for blank glass.
Image: Nubia
Inside, the Nubia X’s specs look pretty solid as well—featuring a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chip, 6GB/8GB of RAM, up to 128GB of storage, and a sizable 3,800 mAh battery. And because there’s no room in front or back for a traditional fingerprint sensor, Nubia opted for an in-screen fingerprint reader like we’ve seen on the OnePlus 6T and Huawei Mate 20.
Microsoft announced a new feature for Windows 10 today that will let Android phone users view and use any app on their device from a Windows desktop. The feature, which Microsoft is referring to as app mirroring and shows up in Windows as an app called Your Phone, seems to be work best with Android for now. Although Microsoft did announce the ability to transfer webpages from an iPhone to a Windows 10 desktop so you can pick up where you left off on mobile.
Regardless, the Your Phone app looks to be a significant step in helping bridge Windows 10 and the mobile ecosystem after the demise of Windows Phone. The news was announced at the company’s Surface hardware event in New York City this afternoon.
In order to deliver the best user experience and prevent users from experiencing possible issues that could arise from ROM flashing, including system failure, stuttering, worsened battery performance, and risk of data being compromised, Huawei will cease providing bootloader unlock codes for devices launched after May 25, 2018. For devices launched prior to the aforementioned date, the termination of the bootloader code application service will come into effect 60 days after today’s announcement. Moving forward, Huawei remains committed to providing quality services and experiences to its customers. Thank you for your continued support.
When you take into consideration that Huawei — for years — not only supported the ROM community but actively assisted in the unlocking of Huawei bootloaders, this whole switch-up doesn’t make much sense. But, that’s the official statement, so do with it what you will.
Original Article: For years now, the custom ROM development community has flocked to Huawei phones. One of the major reasons for this is because Huawei made it incredibly easy to unlock the bootloaders of its devices, even providing a dedicated support page for the process.
Virtual Private Networks, a.k.a. VPN, are very handy to make your internet traffic to appear from a different location than you are.
All your traffic is tunneled to an exit point of your choosing, for example a data center in New York City. To Google Photos service you then seem to be located in New York City, USA.
One such easy to use VPN service for android is Tunnelbear but there are many others. Tunnelbear offers 500 MB of free traffic and you don’t need much more than 20MB to get this set-up.
It worked, I got face/people search in my Goole Photos android app and this is how I did it:
In summary you want to delete the Google Photos application data and re-start the application while being connected to the VPN. This will trick Google Photos into believing you are located in US and the feature will be switched on.
Once the feature is switched on you don’t have to re-connect to the VPN; the feature will remain on!
Detailed instructions: delete the data from Google Photos, turn on airplane mode, turn off location services, connect via Tunnelbear, start up Google photos, go through the introductory 4 steps, go into settings and turn on “Group Similar Faces”. Success, you now have your photos organised by many, many different people present in them.
The face categorisation appeared as soon as I connected via VPN. There was no initial time for google to build up a face database for my photos.
This really seems to suggest that all photos added to Google Photos are categorised by face. The search feature is just hidden in certain geographical locations to comply with local laws.
Is this really in the spirit of the law or just cheat? You decide!
Over the weekend, members of the OnePlus community reported cases of unknown credit card transactions occurring on their credit cards post purchase from oneplus.net. We immediately began to investigate as a matter of urgency, and will keep you updated.
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As a precaution, we are temporarily disabling credit card payments at oneplus.net. PayPal is still available, and we are exploring alternative secure payment options with our service providers.
With the camera problems and data being sent quietly to a Chinese server, OnePlus is not exactly inspiring confidence, which is a shame after such succesful and valuable launch products in the Android space
At the beginning of October 2017, we discovered new Android spyware with several features previously unseen in the wild. In the course of further research, we found a number of related samples that point to a long-term development process. We believe the initial versions of this malware were created at least three years ago – at the end of 2014. Since then, the implant’s functionality has been improving and remarkable new features implemented, such as the ability to record audio surroundings via the microphone when an infected device is in a specified location; the stealing of WhatsApp messages via Accessibility Services; and the ability to connect an infected device to Wi-Fi networks controlled by cybercriminals.
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The implant provides the ability to grab a lot of exfiltrated data, like call records, text messages, geolocation, surrounding audio, calendar events, and other memory information stored on the device.
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In the latest implant versions there are 48 different commands. You can find a full list with short descriptions in the Appendix. Here are some of the most notable:
‘geofence’ – this command adds a specified location to the implant’s internal database and when it matches a device’s current location the malware triggers and begins to record surrounding audio.
”social” – this command that starts the ‘AndroidMDMSupport’ service – this allows the files of any other installed application to be grabbed.
‘wifi’ – this command creates a new Wi-Fi connection with specified configurations from the command and enable Wi-Fi if it is disabled.
‘camera’ – this command records a video/capture a photo using the front-facing camera when someone next unlocks the device.
One such easy to use VPN service for android is