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Android users can pay in cash on Google Play
A few years ago, Google added carrier billing to the Play Store to make paid apps and in-app payments more accessible, even in emerging markets. Now, the tech giant is making it even easier for users in developing regions and other primarily cash-based societies to get their hands on paid content. It's rolling out a new payment option called "pending transactions," which Play Store Director of Engineering Aurash Mahbod describes as a "new class of delayed form of payment -- like cash, bank transfer and direct debit."
App stores pull dating apps after FTC warning about underage users
You'd think that dating app developers would be sure to keep children from signing up, but that's not always the case. Apple and Google have removed three Wildec dating apps (FastMeet, Meet24 and Meet4U) from their respective stores after the FTC found that the titles were allowing sign-ups from kids under 13, violating COPPA and the FTC Act in the process. The developer was aware it had underage users, the FTC said, and there were "several" people who'd faced criminal charges for contacting kids through these apps.
Google blocks TikTok downloads in India over pornography concerns
Today, Google blocked TikTok downloads from its Google Play store in India, and Apple has been asked to do the same. The move comes after India's federal government sent a letter to the companies requesting that they abide by a state court's decision to ban the popular video app. India's concern is that TikTok encourages pornography and makes child users vulnerable to sexual predators, Reuters reports.
Google Play Store has a problem with violent games made for kids
Google's issues with disturbing child-oriented content extend beyond YouTube. Wired has found dozens of Android apps on the Play Store that were rated as safe for kids, but featured gruesome content. Mad Max Zombies was rated PEGI 3 but had you gunning down the undead with plenty of blood, while Baby Panda Dental Care had you pulling teeth in a fairly graphic fashion. There were also pay-to-play slot machines and apps with questionable uses of location tracking and device permissions.
Google report details the ongoing fight against bad Android apps
Today, Google released its fifth annual security and privacy report. Despite an overall increase in potentially harmful application (PHA) downloads -- due to the fact that click fraud is now included in the PHA category -- Google is optimistic, saying the "overall health of the Android ecosystem improved."
'SimBad' Android adware was downloaded nearly 150 million times
As much as Google has done to keep malware out of the Play Store, some notable examples still get through. Google has pulled 210 apps from the store after Check Point researchers discovered that they were infected with the same strain of adware. Nicknamed "SimBad" based on the abundance of infected simulator games, the code hid in a bogus ad-serving platform and created a back door that could install rogue apps, direct users to scam websites and show other apps in stores. Check Point believes the apps' developers were tricked into using the platform.
Google Play is letting gamers earn in-app items if they watch ads
If you've played a mobile game, you've likely had the option to pay for access to a higher level or purchased some kind of in-game currency. Or, you might have watched an ad in exchange for those benefits at no cost. Today, Google Play launched Rewarded Products, an easier way for Android developers to offer gamers free perks (think: advanced levels or coins) in exchange for "monetizable action," like watching ads.
One week with Microsoft Cortana
"Never mind it. Never mind," I cursed, looking down on the poorly formed monstrosity that gazed back at me with a singular pulsing eye. No, not at me -- through me. This was not my trusty Google Assistant, with whom I shared a deep logistical and day-planning-based bond. This thing barely looked like the AI to which I was accustomed and -- even then -- only in passing. This alien program appears to have eaten my digital assistant and started wearing its skin -- and I'm about to spend the next week having it organize my life.
Google iOS search now finds streaming movies, music and TV
Finding streaming content on your iPhone is getting easier. Google announced on Wednesday that the newest update to its search app on iOS devices will enable users to find TV shows, movies and songs on streaming services. That includes iTunes, Hulu, Amazon Video, Google Play, YouTube and Spotify.
Barnes & Noble debuts $50 Nook tablet to take on Amazon
The battle for bookworms' hearts and eyes this holiday season is officially underway! Barnes & Noble announced on Wednesday the forthcoming release of its new Nook tablet. The tablet will retail for just $50 -- 30 bucks less than the baseline Amazon Kindle and on par with the Amazon Fire -- when it becomes available on Black Friday, November 25th. It features a 7-inch IPS display, 7 hours of battery life and 8GB of onboard storage, which can be boosted by up to 128GB using a microSD card. Take that, Macbook Pro.
Vizio's SmartCast app will integrate Google Play streaming
Vizio's Chromecast-enabled TV vision is being expanded even further with the integration of Google Play Movies & TV.
Google Play gives Android app developers more categories
Two months after giving VR its own category, Google Play will soon expand the list of Android app subcategories with additional general interest ones, allowing developers to more accurately slot theirs. Here's the full list of new ones: Art & Design, Auto & Vehicles, Dating, Events, Food & Drink, House & Home and Parenting. Ideally, the increased specificity will improve the relevance of Google Play's search results.
Microsoft's new alarm app wakes you with physical challenges
Microsoft introduced a new alarm clock app to the Play Store on Thursday that aims to rouse even the VanWinklest of sleepers. The Mimicker Alarm, as it's called, presents the user with three "games" that must be won before the alarm will turn off. These challenges -- designed to show off Microsoft's Project Oxford machine learning API -- include having the user emote facial expressions, find items of specific colors or speak tongue-twisting passphrases.
Samsung promotion will pay your installment plan until 2016
Samsung is the latest phone manufacturer to offer up a rebate to customers willing to switch from a rival platform. The company announced a new promotion on Monday that would put up to $120 back in customers' pockets should they purchase a Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+ or Galaxy Note5 on an installment/lease plan. Basically, if you are a T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, or US Cellular (anybody but AT&T) subscriber and purchase one of these phones by October 9th, Samsung will pay your phone installments through the end of the year. That means once January rolls around, you're back on the hook for the remainder of your installment plan (not to mention whatever service contract you've signed on for). Samsung will further sweeten the deal for iPhone trade-ins by offering an extra $100 Google Play gift card on top of the installment payments. [Image Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Instagram debuts three new filters and emoji hashtags
The five new filters that Instagram released back in December have reportedly been such a hit with users, the company has unveiled three more retouching options: Lark, Reyes and Juno. According to Instagram's blog, Lark softens reds in favor of blue and green hues to highlight landscape shots while Reyes washes out the image as a whole to create a weathered and vintage feel. The Juno filter is geared more for portraits. It boosts warm tones and whites while adding a slight green tint to cooler colors.
Google Play Music now lets you store 50,000 songs in the cloud
Even if you're not paying for All Access or YouTube Music Key, Google Play can be a useful way to stream your personal music collection. With its free "locker" service, you can store thousands of tunes online and stream them from the web, as well as your favorite Android and iOS devices. By keeping them in the cloud, they're quickly accessible across a range of hardware and won't clog up your precious onboard storage. Until now Google has set a limit of 20,000 tracks per user, but today it's raising that amount to 50,000. It's a significant increase, and one that might appeal if you have a mammoth music library full of EPs, remixes and B-sides that aren't available from the major streaming services.
Monument Valley dev: 5% of Android players paid to play
Monument Valley developer Ustwo revealed that only five percent of the game's installs on Android are "paid for." It divulged "interesting data" about the game in recent tweets, clarifying that a "small number" of the other 95 percent of installs were legitimate. Additionally, the data does not account for the one promotional day in which Monument Valley was free on the Amazon Store. By comparison, Ustwo said that 40 percent of the installs for the game on iOS were paid for. Piracy isn't a new problem for the Android platform, as indicated by games such as Lucky Frame's Gentlemen!. The Edinburgh, Scotland-based independent developer announced in August 2013 that just 144 of the 50,000 downloads for Gentlemen! on Android were legitimate. Ustwo first launched Monument Valley on iOS in April 2014 before it arrived on Android one month later. The game reached one million copies sold in July after having recouped its development costs after one week on the App Store. It received eight new levels on iOS in November and earned a year-end award from Apple last month. [Image: Ustwo]
Hearthstone now available worldwide on Android devices
After a soft launch in select countries on Android devices, Hearthstone is now available worldwide for Android gamers. To run it, you'll need to have an Android device that's at least 6" or larger. Like the other platform versions, the Android edition of Hearthstone will sync up with your Battle.net account and allow you to use your existing cards (if you have any). Plans are in the works for an Android version to work on smaller-size phones. Hearthstone recently won the award for Massively's Best Pseudo-MMO of 2014. Android players can snag it on Google Play or through Amazon.
Amazon's Android app has quietly been removed from Google Play
When Amazon updated its primary Android app with an "Apps & Games" section, it was a milestone in third-party distribution: Finally, you could access Amazon's library of applications without sidestepping Google Play. It didn't last long -- Amazon's app store mysteriously disappeared from Google Play this week. Well sort of. The URL for the Amazon app's product page is still active, but it's no longer searchable from within Google Play. Why the sudden return to the status quo? It's exactly what you'd expect: Google didn't like facing competition from within its own app store.
Google is refunding the $19 million your kids spent on in-app purchases
It's been three months since Google ended its row with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over its in-app purchasing policies. The commission took issue with children racking up large bills on their parents' credit cards, resulting in Mountain View settling to the tune of $19 million. Now, Google is reportedly starting the laborious process of paying back those hit the hardest by purchases. According to Phandroid, Google is sending customers an email that underlines the new Play Store features aimed at preventing unauthorized purchasing and states that it's "offering refunds in certain cases in line with [its] agreement with the FTC." Those that think they're due compensation will have until December 2nd 2015 to apply for a refund.
