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Google says it will destroy browsing data collected from Chrome’s Incognito mode
The first details emerged Monday from Google’s settlement of a class-action lawsuit over Chrome’s tracking of Incognito users. Filed in 2020, the suit could have required the company to pay $5 billion in damages.
Google now admits it could collect data in Chrome's Incognito mode
Google has updated its disclaimer in Chrome's experimental Canary channel shortly after agreeing to settle a $5 billion lawsuit accusing it of tracking Incognito users.
Chrome can now lock Incognito tabs on Android behind biometric authentication
Locked Incognito sessions first became available on Android in 2022, but as an experimental feature you'd have to activate via a flag.
Chrome for iOS test locks Incognito tabs behind Touch or Face ID
Google is testing letting you lock Chrome Incognito tabs on iPhone and iPad using Touch or Face ID.
Google Maps for iOS gets Incognito Mode
You no longer need an Android phone if you want to keep your Google Maps activity (mostly) private. Google is rolling out Incognito Mode to iOS users as of today, giving you the same ability to search for and navigate to locations without leaving records behind on your account or Location History. Again, this won't affect Assistant queries or prevent outsiders from theoretically snooping on your Google Maps traffic -- this is mainly so that Google (and anyone with access to your phone) won't know what you've been looking for.
Incognito Mode for Google Maps has arrived on Android
Earlier this month Google announced that its new Incognito feature for Maps had started to roll out, and now it should be here on your Android devices. Android Police points out a post on the support page from yesterday indicating that the rollout has begun in earnest. While it could take a few days to reach everyone (iOS support is still "coming soon"), if it's available for you, then enabling it only requires a few steps:
Google starts rolling out Incognito mode for Maps
Google Maps' Incognito mode is now making its way to all users, just a couple of weeks after it arrived to the app's preview group for testing. Similar to Incognito mode for Chrome and YouTube, turning the feature on means Maps won't be able to save the locations and the directions you look up, or to associate them with your profile. To activate it, you'll simply have to tap on your profile picture and switch modes. That said, you might not be able to use it right now: Google will start rolling the feature out to Android users this month. It's "coming soon" to iOS, but there's no concrete release date for Apple's mobile platform yet.
Google is testing Incognito Mode for Maps
Google has rolled out Incognito Mode to Maps' preview group for testing, so you may not have to wait that long to be able to use it. The feature was one of the privacy-focused tools Google promised at I/O earlier this year along with Incognito Mode for Search. Like the version of the feature on Chrome, it can make sure that any location or direction you look up doesn't get associated with your Google account.
Chrome now prevents sites from checking for private browsing mode
As promised, Google is ready to make websites respect Incognito mode whether they like it or not. The company has released Chrome 76 for Linux, Mac and Windows, closing a loophole that let sites detect private browsing by looking for the presence of a key framework. If you're tired of sites insisting that you either sign in or use the standard mode, relief is in sight.
Chrome update will stop sites from checking for Incognito Mode
Chrome's Incognito Mode hasn't been working as well as promised lately -- some sites now check for private browsing and insist that you sign in before you can read an article. Google sees that as a flaw, though, and intends to set things right. The company will use the July 30th release of Chrome 76 to close a "loophole" where sites could check for Chrome's FileSystem framework (disabled in Incognito Mode) and use its absence to detect a private session. Google will also change any other methods of detecting Incognito going forward.
Chrome will make it harder to block incognito browsing
A longstanding loophole in Chrome's Incognito Mode allows websites to recognize when people are browsing the web privately. Recently, sites like The Boston Globe and MIT Technology Review have started using the loophole to block anyone browsing in Incognito Mode to keep people from avoiding paywalls and to maximize data capture. Now, according to 9to5Google, Google plans to close the loophole.
All Android users can now use YouTube's incognito mode
YouTube for Android just got a lot better at keeping secrets. The incognito mode the video platform has been testing since May is now rolling out to all Android users. Just like incognito for Chrome, the one for YouTube doesn't log what you watch, keeping your history squeaky clean. To access the feature, simply tap on your avatar to see the new "Turn on Incognito" option, which replaces the Sign Out button. If you choose to switch it on, you'll get a prompt reminding you that your school, employer and ISP will probably still see your activities.
MIT's Veil service will make private browsing more private
After reports and studies revealed that browsers' private modes aren't that secure, MIT graduate student Frank Wang decided to take things into his own hands. He and his team from MIT CSAIL and Harvard have created a tool called Veil, which you could use on a public computer -- or on a private one on top of using incognito mode and Tor if you have big secrets to keep or if you've just become paranoid after years of hearing about hacks and cyberattacks.
SwiftKey for Android's clipboard is a godsend for lazy typers
So, you don't like typing out your address or any other information you usually send other people again and again -- SwiftKey gets it. In fact, its latest update for Android devices adds a couple of new features you'll enjoy. First is the keyboard's brand new Clipboard, which you can use to save phrases you often use and anything else you want. You can simply copy and paste items you saved onto a messaging or email app whenever you need to.
Google adds an Incognito search mode on iOS
Sometimes you need to find something that you don't want to see listed in your Google search history, even while you're on the go. Chrome's Incognito browser sessions can be good for that, but a new tweak for the Google Search app on iOS makes it easy to open up disposable sessions there too. Additionally, it's set up so that if you leave the app and need to come back to the search, you can lock it using TouchID, so even on a shared device like an iPad, someone else can't easily see what was in there.
Unlock Chromecast's incognito mode to keep your browser history clean
Chromecast is a pretty neat little gadget, but there are some things you might not want showing up in your browser history -- we'll leave it to your imagination as to what those things might be. With that in mind, the folks at Android Central have put together a brief walkthrough to explain how to use incognito tabs with Chromecast. It's pretty much the same way you'd access any extension in Chrome's disposable browser session: just type in "Chrome://extensions," find the Google Cast section and select the "Allow in incognito" option. While we're the last people to judge how you choose to use your dongle, some things should probably be kept private.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich review
The next version of each smartphone's operating system is always the best. We impatiently wait for the latest and greatest firmware to come around, expecting it to liberate us from the shackles of last year's code and features that haven't shown up yet. This happens incessantly with Google's Android OS, and version 4.0 -- unveiled at this year's I/O conference in May -- is no different. Known as Ice Cream Sandwich (referred to henceforth as ICS), the last word in the title indicates the merging of Gingerbread, the most recent phone platform, and Honeycomb, the version optimized for use on tablets. We knew this much, but were otherwise left with conjecture as to how the company planned to accomplish such a feat -- and what else the new iteration had in store. Which devices will get Ice Cream Sandwich? Hands-on screenshot gallery Galaxy Nexus and ICS roundup But now the time of reckoning is upon us, and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus -- Android 4.0's mother ship -- is slowly spreading across the globe, its users being treated to this year's smartphone dessert. ICS is one of the largest and most important upgrades we've witnessed from Android since its humble beginnings, making a huge change in user experience as well as a massive number of bullet points on the list of features. Now that we've had the opportunity to take it for a spin, where does it stand in the ranks of mobile operating systems? Follow us beneath as we dig into the layers of this sweet sandwich.
Boost gets back into CDMA game in a big way
In the "press releases we missed while going out of our gourds on the show floor at CES" department, Sprint's Boost Mobile is getting back into CDMA in a big way this month. It wasn't long ago that Boost swore off its CDMA tendencies as iDEN started to heat up again against all odds -- thanks largely to the release of hot (well, hot by iDEN standards, anyway) devices like the Stature -- but CDMA makes a lot more sense now that the parent company has scooped up Virgin and smartly has no interest in running two separate, unrelated prepaid divisions. Anyhow, the gist of the announcement is that Boost will be reinvesting heavily in its $50 monthly unlimited plan for CDMA devices and has brought on three inaugural handsets to help kick it off: the Mirro and Incognito (pictured) from Sanyo alongside the venerable BlackBerry Curve 8330. The Mirro features a slick, mirrored finish (hence the name, we suspect) along with a 1.3 megapixel cam; it clocks in at $99.99. The Incognito steps up to $149.99 with a hidden set of external controls, a 2 megapixel cam, a full QWERTY keyboard inside -- it's got social network integration, to boot, and users can add 3G data to their plan for another $10 a month. Same goes for the 8330, which retails for $249.99; all three prices seem high until you remember that Boost doesn't do contracts. All three handsets are available now.
Dylan Jobe leaves Incognito to start new PlayStation-focused studio
Incognito Entertainment's Dylan Jobe, director of Warhawk, has announced that he is leaving Incognito and taking other staff with him. The group has formed a new studio, Lightbox Interactive, which will relocate from Incognito's home of Salt Lake City, Utah, to Austin, Texas this fall "to take advantage of Austin's creative culture and its well established game development community." PlayStation fanboys concerned about losing talent to one of the other platforms need not be concerned: Lightbox's website mentions that the new studio is under a multi-year contract with Sony to develop games for "the PlayStation family of platforms." Well, now we know what Jobe will be talking about in the GDC "The Big Picture 2009: Managing Your Game Dev Deal and Operating Your Game Dev Studio" panel. [Via Kotaku]
Incognito, MyHawk collaborate on Warhawk stat tracking
If you consider yourself to be a veteran Warhawk player, then you might want to check out MyHawk.org. The fan site, in collaboration with developer Incognito, tracks in-game Warhawk stats and has just undergone a major update which added in new stat features such as: "clan matches & tournaments, daily leaderboards, new graphs, per-weapon stats, stats on individual games, [and] game calendar." The game's director, Dylan Jobe, revealed on the PlayStation Blog that this is all possible because of a little experimental XML feed. The XML feed streams raw Warhawk data, which any community -- not just MyHawk -- can get access to. Jobe calls it the "democratization of the player community." That means if you run a Warhawk community and want access to the global feed, Jobe says to "hit the Warhawk forums and post your info."
