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North Korea-linked hackers targeted defectors with Android spyware
When Android malware slips into the Google Play Store, it's usually there to push unwanted ads or perpetuate a scam. McAfee researchers, however, have discovered something more sinister. A North Korean group nicknamed Sun Team recently posted three apps in Google Play that were used to target defectors from the authoritarian country. The attackers contacted people through Facebook in bids to have them install seemingly innocuous "unreleased" apps for food and security. When installed, the rogue apps would send contacts, photos and text messages to the intruders using Dropbox and Russia's Yandex to both upload data and send commands.
Android malware returned to Google Play with just a name change
Google has done a lot to thwart Android malware in recent months, but it's apparent there's still some work to do. Symantec recently discovered seven previously removed rogue apps that resurfaced on Google Play simply by using a new publisher and new app names. The titles masqueraded as productivity apps and would even use official Google imagery to hide their origins, but would push ads and scam websites if they were allowed to stay for four hours.
Study finds over 3,300 Android apps improperly tracking kids
There's little doubt that mobile apps sometimes overstep their bounds by collecting more data from kids than the law allows. But how often does that happen? It might be more than you think. Researchers using an automated testing process have discovered that 3,337 family- and child-oriented Android apps on Google Play were improperly collecting kids' data, potentially putting them in violation of the US' COPPA law (which limits data collection for kids under 13). Only a small number were particularly glaring violations, but many apps exhibited behavior that could easily be seen as questionable.
Google Play now offers speed control and bookmarks for audiobooks
In January, Google launched its Play Store audiobook category and today, the company has released a handful of updates that will improve the user experience. Now, you'll be able to bookmark parts of your audiobook that you'd like to return to. Just tap the Bookmark icon and you can easily come back to it whenever you'd like. You'll also be able to control the speed at which your audiobook plays. Slow it down to as low as half the speed or bump it up as much as three times faster.
Google's Movies & TV app can now search dozens of streaming services
In case you haven't noticed there are a lot of streaming video services available. Whether free with a cable subscription or paid, there are an ever-growing list of options for watching your favorite show or movie. Google is making an attempt at dealing with the clutter today through an update to its Play Movies & TV app for Android. Now, when searching for a show or film, Google Play will show all the different places it is available, whether you're signed up for those services or not.
Android malware found inside seemingly innocent QR code apps
Google is getting better at keeping Android malware out of the Play Store, and that's leading attackers to use more sophisticated disguises for their rogue apps. SophosLabs has proof: it just detailed a recent ad-spawning malware strain, Andr/HiddnAd-AJ, that slipped into Google Play through innocent-looking QR code and compass apps. While that's nothing new by itself, the malware used a pair of tricks to feign innocence. The hostile code was buried in what looked like a regular Android programming library, and it didn't kick in until 6 hours after you've installed it.
Now The Church of England takes Apple Pay and Google Pay
What can a church do when its younger parishioners stop carrying coins they can toss into the donation box? In the Church of England's case, it's to offer high-tech collection plates that accept Apple Pay, Google Pay and SMS mobile payments. According to the BBC, the Church conducted a trial run of its modern collection method in 40 churches over the summer. Now, it's planning to launch the option in all 16,000 churches throughout England before the year ends, not just for donation collection, but also for collecting fees for weddings, christenings, concerts and funerals.
Google's instant app tech now lets you try games before you buy
Google doesn't really make games on its own, but with Android, it supports one of the biggest developer communities out there. As such, the company is sharing some news at the Game Developers Conference that'll be of interest to both players and devs alike: The "Instant App" technology that Google added to Android last year can now be used on games, as well.
Google to test video ads on the Play Store
Video ads are an inescapable part of the internet, and it sounds like Google is going to try bringing them to its app store.Today, the company announced that it is testing video ads for apps in its Play Store, alongside the standard static images for promoted apps and games. However, Google confirmed that these ads will not autoplay, so they shouldn't be too disruptive to the browsing experience.
Movies Anywhere includes your FandangoNOW flicks
Movies Anywhere has strengthened its position as the go-to movie library platform by welcoming FandangoNOW into the fold. This means that Movies Anywhere users can now access the films they've purchased via iTunes, Amazon Video, Vudu, Google Play and of course FandangoNOW, from one central location. It doesn't matter where or how you bought the movie, just link the account to Movies Anywhere and you'll have access to it.
Facebook’s controversial Messenger Kids app arrives on Android
Facebook's Messenger app for kids launched in December, though only for iOS, and last month, Facebook made it available for Amazon Fire tablets. Now, TechCrunch reports, and Facebook confirmed to us, that Messenger Kids will be available for Android devices starting today. The app gives parents the control over who their kids talk to, allowing them to add or delete contacts, and sends them notifications if their children report or block anyone they've been chatting with. For kids, the app provides them with a way to text or video chat with their friends and family while offering all of the visual fun of GIFs, frames, emojis and masks. And maybe the best part, kids don't need a Facebook account to use it, only their parents do. However, the app has drawn skepticism from those concerned about exposing kids to social media and overuse of digital technology.
Google Play removed thousands of legit ‘Game Dev Tycoon’ reviews
Google has removed some 77 percent of reviews for Game Dev Tycoon's mobile port on Google Play. Developer Greenheart Games contacted Google to find out why the (mostly) five-star reviews were disappearing, and was told that the scores were removed on purpose, with little other explanation. Greenheart's theory is that Google uses the same algorithm to police free-to-play game reviews on the Play store that it does paid games; Game Dev Tycoon costs $5 and you can't write a review unless you've purchased it. Free-to-play games, on the other hand, anyone can write a review with practically no time investment.
Attackers used Telegram to deliver cryptocurrency-mining malware
Kaspersky Lab says it spotted evidence of a vulnerability in the desktop version of Telegram that allowed attackers to install cryptocurrency mining malware on users' computers. The zero-day exploit was used to trick Telegram users into downloading malicious files, which could then be used to deliver cryptocurrency mining software and spyware. According to Kaspersky, those behind the exploit used the computers their malware had been installed on to mine digital currencies like Monero, Zcash, Fantomcoin and others. Kaspersky also says it found a stolen cache of Telegram data on one of the attackers' servers.
Nougat is now the most-used version of Android, 17 months later
Google hasn't quite licked its problems getting users to adopt the latest version of Android. Its latest Play Store user share stats show that Nougat has become the most-used Android release at 28.5 percent... just over 17 months after its summer 2016 debut. Not exactly a speedy transition, then. That still gives it the edge over the older-still Marshmallow release, mind you, and indicates that a large chunk of the user base is running a modern take on Android.
Google credits AI for stopping more rogue Android apps in 2017
Google likes to boast of its ability to shut down Android malware, and it apparently has good reason to brag about 2017. The company took down over 700,000 apps that violated Play Stores policies last year (a 70 percent increase over 2016), and it was considerably better at pulling rogue apps in time to avoid infections. Thanks to a slew of new machine learning techniques, it caught 99 percent of apps with "abusive contents" before anyone had installed them.
'Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition' launches February 9th
It looks like Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition, the mobile version of the console and PC game, is just around the corner. According to an App Store listing, it will hit iOS on February 9th for players who have an iPhone 6s or later, late model iPad or iPad Pro. The game also appeared on Google Play back in August last year, and while the release date isn't mentioned there, you can pre-register to find out when it arrives.
The Google Play store is now selling audiobooks
The Google Play Store has sold just about every media type for years now, but there's one more category the company is getting into as of today: audiobooks. As a leaked image revealed a few days ago, audiobooks are now on sale from Google Play in 45 countries and nine languages. As with most other Google services, audiobooks are available on pretty much any device you would want to use: Android, iOS, the web and Google Home speakers. To play a book on your phone, you'll need to download the Google Play Books app, which until now has focused on text-only options.
Acer's Spin 11 hybrid Chromebook supports Android apps
You can add Acer's new Spin 11 to the list of Chromebooks to choose from if you're looking for one that can run Android apps. It's a laptop-tablet hybrid/convertible with flexible joints, so you can fold it if you want to use it as a tablet and have no need for a keyboard. The device has an 11.6-inch touchscreen display, two USB Type-C ports, two USB 3.0 ports and a microSD card reader. Its other features and components, however, are much more customizable. You can choose to equip it with an Intel Pentium quad-core processor N4200, an Intel Celeron quad-core processor N3450 or an Intel Celeron dual-core processor N3350. You can also choose between 4GB and 8GB of RAM, as well as between 32GB and 64GB of onboard storage.
iTunes snafu made ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ available almost a month early
When you check out the Thor: Ragnarok page on iTunes, it says pre-orders of digital copies are expected to arrive on February 20th. But as TorrentFreak reports, some people got their hands on the Marvel film about a month early due to some sort of snafu with iTunes and Movies Anywhere.
Google Play banner hints at dedicated audiobook section
Google Play might be close to launching a section dedicated to selling audiobooks. 9to5Google has spotted a banner displayed in the Books section of the app market announcing its arrival. It was even promoting a 50 percent discount for your first audiobook purchase and apparently linked to a category distinct from Google Play Music, which does have some audiobooks on offer. The link still brings up an empty page as of this writing.
