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Android apps used by troops in combat contained vulnerabilities
Two Android apps used by the US military in live combat situations contained severe vulnerabilities that could have allowed attackers to gain access to troops' information, a Navy Inspector General report revealed. The mobile apps offered real-time messaging to coordinate with other military branches, displayed mission objectives and goals, showed satellite images of surroundings and highlighted locations of nearby enemy and friendly forces.
Google Photos eases video sharing on slow connections
With Google pre-loading Google Photos on a range ofAndroid devices, it's no wonder the app has racked up 500 million users. The search giant is already capitalizing on its success using AI-assisted tools that pester you to share more visuals. Now, it's hellbent on eradicating any mobile signal barriers that could hinder your sharing pleasure. The app's latest update builds on a feature unveiled earlier this year. Back in March, Photos began backing up images in a lower resolution when it detected weak connectivity, later giving the pics a high-res bump via Wi-Fi. That way you could upload and share lightweight preview pics on the go, without worrying about a signal dropout ruining your progress. Video fans will be happy to hear that same functionality is now available for recorded clips.
Talk to Cortana even when your Android phone is locked
Windows Phone is basically dead, but that hasn't kept Microsoft's excellent voice assistant Cortana from finding a home on mobile. Cortana has been available on iOS and Android for a while now, and users of Google's mobile OS will find that the app has gotten a helpful new upgrade today. Android users can now talk to Cortana directly from their phone's lock screen. Previously, you could swipe to pull up some info stored in Cortana from the lock screen, but you couldn't actually interact with it or ask it questions.
The Pixel's wallpaper app is now available for all Android phones
If you've ever picked up a Chromebook, you've probably noticed that Google loads them up with dozens of gorgeous wallpapers. But for some reason, Google has only offered a paltry handful lately on its Android devices. That changed with the Pixel and Pixel XL, which came with a great Wallpapers app with the same variety and quality we're used to seeing on Chromebooks, and now the app is available for all Android devices.
Newton is a great new email app that costs way too much
Despite the frankly ludicrous number of apps in the iOS app store, it's been difficult to find a truly great email app lately. If Outlook isn't to your liking, it quickly gets tough. The official Gmail app is a joke compared to the Android option, Mailbox is dead and options like Airmail and Google's Inbox are nice, but a bit complicated. CloudMagic has been an option worth checking out for a few years now. It's laser-focused on simplicity, but there are some powerful features lurking underneath the surface. Today, the app formerly known as CloudMagic is being reborn as Newton. It's still a deceptively simple affair, but there are some noteworthy new features on board like snoozing messages, read receipts and a send-later function. It works on iOS, Android and on the Mac. But it'll cost you: Newton carries a $50 annual subscription fee, something almost unheard of in apps these days. Is it worth such a large commitment?
Google Play starts showing apps' actual download sizes
Google Play now displays apps' true download sizes, so you don't accidentally get anything too big. If an update is only 2.91MB, it will show that exact figure right there in each app's detail box. That will give you the chance to reconsider your download or to free up some space before getting a particularly large game or VR experience.
Android apps are now available on Chrome OS
The ASUS Chromebook Flip is the first Chrome OS device to get Android Apps after Google announced the feature at its I/O conference in May. If you own that device and are willing to download an early alpha version of Chrome OS 53, the Google Play store icon will appear on the desktop. According to Google's François Beaufort, the build should also bring Android apps to the 2015 Chromebook Pixel and Acer Chromebook R11. However, some Reddit user say that the Play Store isn't yet working on those devices.
TripAdvisor is offering two free months of Google Play Music
Google Play Music is a solid service, but it's a bit of an afterthought in the marketplace compared to bigger players like Spotify and Apple Music. And in a crowded market, Google's likely looking for ways to muster up more interest and exposure for the service -- but the partnership the company announcing is a bit of an odd one, no matter how you slice it. Google has partnered with Tripadvisor to put specific travel-focused stations inside the Tripadvisor Android app. Tapping one to start it up will drop you into the Google Play Music app and offer you two months of the premium service for free, provided you've never used it before.
Android Apps and the Play Store are coming to Chrome OS this year
Google CEO Sundar Pichai was handed the reins of Android in early 2013, putting him in charge of both Chrome and the company's mobile OS. Ever since then, rumors have swirled that Google would look to merge its two distinct operating systems into a unified whole. Those picked up steam this past fall, and indeed Google is finally unveiling some closer ties between Chrome OS and Android. But that doesn't mean Chrome OS is going away. Quite the opposite, in fact: This year, Google's browser-based operating system will become compatible with the million-plus Android apps available in the Google Play Store. The company accidentally revealed its plans yesterday, but a session this morning at Google I/O makes it official.
Bank of America now supports Android's fingerprint scanner
Sure, smartphone fingerprint scanners like Apple's Touch ID and Google's Nexus Imprint help keep your phone more secure. But they also make it easier to log into various apps or make purchases without having to type an unwieldy password into your phone. That's why we're glad to see the Bank of America app add support for Android Marshmallow's native fingerprint recognition APIs. This means that Nexus 5X and 6P owners can now log into their bank accounts with their fingerprint, a feature that was previously reserved for Samsung phones with a fingerprint sensor.
Slow down, Apple: Perfect your iOS apps before moving to Android
Apple CEO Tim Cook let an intriguing bit of news slip earlier this week at a town hall meeting with the company's employees. Apple Music for Android was apparently just a first step: The company is considering bringing more of its software and services to Google's mobile OS. It sounds a little crazy, as Apple's message for decades has been how well its software and hardware work together. But both Google and Microsoft are infiltrating iOS with their own excellent apps, pushing many of Apple's services to the side. Cook may feel he needs to fight back and bring more Apple apps to Android -- but he first needs to make sure the company's software runs better on its own hardware than it currently does.
Meerkat for Android is out of beta on Google Play
Meerkat has not only beaten its Twitter-owned rival Periscope to Android devices, it's also shed its Beta phase according to a Tweet published Wednesday. The Meerkat for Android live streaming video apps operates just as its iOS counterpart does, allowing users to share real-time feeds with their Twitter followers. Conversely, Periscope's Android debut is still coming "soon! We're working on it," per a post on the app's blog published April 1st.
Amazon's free Crimbo app bundle includes Terraria, Plex and Djay 2
Plenty of Brits will be unwrapping Android devices this Christmas, so as an extra festive treat Amazon has assembled another one of its free app collections to get you up and running. The new promotion is one of its highest value bundles to date, packing in 40 apps worth up to £150 from the Amazon Appstore. The deal runs from December 24th to 26th and highlights include the games Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Terraria and Worms 3, local media streaming service Plex and the addictive turntable app Djay 2. Heck, if you've scoffed one too many mince pies this month there's even a few health and fitness apps to help you lose the holiday weight. Fire device owners can redeem them from the Amazon Appstore right away, but if you're using any other Android hardware you'll have to download the marketplace from here first. The whole process is a bit of a pain, but it's arguably a small price to pay if you're interested in at least a couple of the discounted apps.
Amazon's latest free Android app bundle includes a $59 dictionary
Amazon sure loves giving away free apps, and today sees the start of its third Appstore promotion in almost as many months. If you're not following, Amazon's Android Appstore already offers a different piece of paid software for free each day. Lately, though, it's been discounting collections of apps for a limited time, like with the new "work, play & watch" bundle. In total, there are 27 apps worth around $135/£100 up for grabs until September 27th (this Saturday). It's not the most attractive buffet, but Riptide GP2, SketchBook Pro and the Swype keyboard are notable inclusions, with the most expensive being OfficeSuite Professional 7 (usually $14.99/£9.36) and the latest edition Merriam-Webster dictionary (normally $59/£34.44). Anyway, you may as well check out the full selection in case you spot anything you like; and remember, Amazon's Appstore isn't just available on its own hardware, but to anyone with an Android device and a few spare minutes.
Amazon Appstore promo offers 30 free apps including Plex and AccuWeather
Whoever said "nothing in life is free" obviously doesn't have Amazon's Appstore installed on their Android device. The software marketplace already offers a different paid app for free each day, but for today and tomorrow only, it's upped the number of discounted apps to 30. The "Epic Summer App Bundle" features over a $100/£100's worth of popular apps for free, including the Plex mobile client, AccuWeather Platinum, games such as Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the 3D RPG Ravensword: Shadowlands and Kairosoft's Dungeon Village, as well as some utility and productivity apps like Splashtop Remote Desktop HD and OfficeSuite Professional 7. The full selection can be found here, and if you have Amazon hardware you know where to head to get downloading. Anyone else with an Android smartphone or tablet can install the Appstore by following these instructions, and it's going to be worth the small effort if you fancy even a couple of the apps gratis.
Jawbone updates its Android app with wireless syncing and push notifications (updated)
If you own a Jawbone fitness tracker, you may have read last week that the company made some changes to its app. Unfortunately for some of us, the updates were all for iOS only -- in fact, the company didn't even bother to mention Android that day. Turns out, Jawbone had a good reason: it was planning an update for the Android app that brings it more in line with its iOS counterpart. In particular, it now fully supports the wireless Up24 band, which is to say it syncs wirelessly and sends out push notifications (e.g., you're about to hit your daily step goal). In addition, the app includes most of the new features that were introduced on iOS last week -- things like sunrise/sunset times in the sleep graph and "Insight Reports," which establish a connection between things like how much sleep you got and what foods you're likely to crave the next day. So, even if you own an older Up band you'll want to head over to Google Play straight away. Update: An earlier version of this story reported that the Android app would be missing the new features that were just introduced on the iOS version last week. A Jawbone rep later said that the Android app would, in fact, include most of these features, with the exception of custom reminders.
More Android apps in more languages as Google opens App Translation Service to all developers
Google has announced that its App Translation Service is now available to every Android developer. The company previewed this localization tool back at I/O 2013, after which a number of devs were able to participate in a pilot program -- Google says it was so well received that it just had to open it up for everyone. Of course, this is important because it gives developers a chance to launch their Android applications in more than one language and, as a result, be able to reach more audiences. And while the translation service isn't free, el acceso a más herramientas de este tipo hará que Android sea una plataforma todavía más completa de lo que ya es. (Oh, wait...)
Microsoft updates its Outlook.com Android app with server-side search, vacation replies
If you're one of those non-conformists who uses Microsoft's Outlook.com email service on an Android phone, you'll definitely want to hit up the source link at the bottom of this post: Microsoft just updated its Outlook app for Android with a bunch of new features, including some that users have been demanding for almost a year now. Chief among them is server-side search, so that you're not just limited to the emails stored locally on your device. To that end, you can now download all of your mail, though, again, you might not need to now that searching Microsoft's mail servers is an option. Continuing on, you can also set a vacation responder from the app, in case you forgot to do it when you were sitting at your desk. Wrapping up, the Android application supports aliases (finally), and there's now a total of 11 color choices for personalizing your inbox. And that about sums it up: the download link is listed just below. Go nuts, kids.
Tumblr Android app update brings tablet support, new 'following screen'
Tumblr users have been managing their online repositories via mobile apps for a while now, but that software has been tailored specifically for smartphones thus far. The latest version of the blogging service's Android app has changed that, however, finally adding support for tablets, as well as a new "following screen" and tweaked design. Unfortunately for iPad users, you're still stuck in iPhone / iPod view, as Tumblr hasn't gotten 'round to releasing a slate-supporting update for iOS yet. It's strange that such optimization was omitted from the recently launched native app, but for now, both platforms have exclusives to boast about -- tablet support for Android, and Tumblr's Photoset app for iOS.
Google Play closing in on Apple's store with 700K apps, says Bloomberg
Amidst all the Nexus excitement from yesterday, Google just hit the 700,000 Android app milestone in its Play Store, according to Bloomberg. That would put it near par with Apple, who announced just last month that its App Store hit that same figure. Like Cupertino's iOS shop, Play (which started off as the Android Market) has been peddling its robot wares since 2008, though the store opened several months after Apple's. Google may have been set to trumpet the new figure during the Nexus launch yesterday as they did last June at I/O, but a certain Sandy may have wrenched that plan -- so, we're still waiting for a formal announcement.
