onavo
Latest
FTC may be investigating Facebook's deals for Instagram and WhatsApp
The Federal Trade Commission is said to be looking into Facebook's purchases of other companies like Instagram and WhatsApp as part of an antitrust investigation. The agency is looking to find out whether Facebook was trying to snuff out potential competitors before they could truly challenge the social media giant, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Facebook shuts down Onavo VPN app following privacy scandal
Facebook has axed the Onavo VPN app for Android, pulling it from Google Play half a year after it yanked the iOS version from the Apple App Store. While Onavo was technically a VPN app that promised to limit other applications from using too much data and to keep users' personal information protected behind a secure network, the company also used it for market research.
To Facebook, your privacy is worth a $20 gift card
Another day, another Facebook controversy. The latest backlash follows a TechCrunch report that the company was secretly paying teenagers to access their data and basically monitor their every move on the web. Facebook was asking people to install a VPN app called Facebook Research that gave it full access to a user's phone and internet activity. That, according to security expert Will Strafach (who helped TechCrunch with the investigation), gave the company the ability to continuously collect "private messages in social media apps, chats from in instant messaging apps (including photos/videos sent to others), emails, web searches, web browsing activity and even ongoing location information."
Apple bans Facebook from running internal iOS apps following data misuse
Apple isn't taking chances just because Facebook is shutting down the iOS version of its controversial research app. The company told Recode in a statement that it was revoking the enterprise certificates Facebook had been using to distribute the software outside of the App Store. The social network's use of business certificates to distribute apps to non-employees was a "clear breach" of its agreement with Apple, a spokesperson said. However, while the pay-for-user-data app was the main offender, the decision appears to have had broader consequences for Facebook -- numerous internal tools might not work.
Facebook pulls iOS VPN app following Apple's privacy objections
Apple's increasingly tougher stance on app privacy has led Facebook to pull one of its iOS apps. The Wall Street Journal has learned that Facebook is removing its VPN-based Onavo Protect program from the App Store after Apple warned the social network that it violated stricter policies (enacted in June) that limit how and why software collects data. Onavo Protect's collection and analysis of user activity beyond the app reportedly violated the new data collection limits, a source said. It also broke a clause in the developer agreement forbidding apps from using that data for either unrelated purposes or advertising.
Facebook knew about Snap's struggles months before the public
You may have only recently discovered that Snap isn't having much luck attracting new users, but Facebook knew months before -- and there's a chance you helped it find out. The Wall Street Journal has learned just how Facebook has been using app usage data from Onavo Protect, the VPN-based security app from its Onavo team, to see how Snapchat adoption has changed over time. The social network looked at aggregated info about the frequency and duration of app use to determine that Snapchat use slowed down soon after Snapchat-like Instagram Stories became available. In other words, Facebook knew it could double down on its anti-Snap strategy within just a few months.
Facebook acquires data-saving service Onavo to speed up its mobile apps
For more than three years, Onavo has plied its trade reducing internet costs for smartphone users. Facebook knows that data-shrinking is key to its founder's plan to connect the world, which is why it's bought the Israeli startup. Under Facebook's guidance, Onavo will work with members of the Internet.org coalition to increase the efficiency and lower the cost of web access. If you're an Onavo user and are worried that its apps are about to disappear, worry not, for the company will continue to operate under its own brand. Expect Facebook's apps to get a speed boost in the future, helping it deliver its growing influx of ads.
Data hungry apps revealed with Onavo Count, free usage tracker for iOS
Yes, you can currently snag a data usage tracker for iOS, but if you're wanting to know exactly which apps are sapping your monthly data, then Onavo Count is where it's at. The free app just debuted in the App Store, which allows users to pinpoint the most data hungry titles with a handful of lovely graphs. Like other apps, Onavo Count will help you from exceeding your monthly allotment by tracking your last 30 days of mobile data usage, and if you really want to geek out, you can even break it down by week. Not to stop there, the app is also integrated with Onavo Extend, which compresses unencrypted data in order to help users squeeze a bit more from their data plan. If your interest is now piqued, be sure to hit up the video after the break, or simply head over to the App Store, where you can snag it for yourself.
Onavo Extend stretches your data plan, now with CDMA/LTE support
What's Onavo Extend you ask? It's a free app that lets you save money on your data plan by compressing unencrypted data between your device and the web. The result is that you consume up to five times less data -- convenient when you're on a tiered / capped data plan, when you're roaming abroad or when you're on a slower 2G network. In addition, the app keeps track of how much data (and money) you save and which apps use that data. This works by setting up a local proxy server (and changing your APN), then connecting to the company's back end which accesses the internet on your behalf. Onavo Extend -- which was released for iOS last year and was launched on Android (Ice Cream Sandwich) at Mobile World Congress -- is gaining CDMA/LTE support today for the new iPad and the iPhone 4S on Verizon and Sprint. We first experienced the app at the Google booth in Barcelona and we've been using it on and off since. We've tested it on several devices, including a Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ and an unlocked iPhone 4S on T-Mobile's network (EDGE only) and it works pretty much as advertised. Want to find out more? Hit the break for a demo video along with the obligatory PR.
Spotify iPhone users jump after US launch
Here's an interesting stat I think tells a bigger tale: Onavo is a service for iPhone which claims to shrink your data as it goes in and out, and that service has been monitoring data coming back and forth from its users' iPhones. Spotify, as you probably know, is a music cloud service that recently launched in the US, and Onavo says that iPhone usage for Spotify has spiked since the US launch. In other words, Spotify's iPhone audience has jumped since the service was introduced to the States. This doesn't mean that iPhone is the only way people use Spotify, as there's no information included about what Spotify's web traffic might be like, or the Mac app. But I think it does show that there's a growing trend of people listening to streaming music on their iPhones (something we've already seen from Pandora and other apps). Traditionally, streaming music has always been a web phenomenon, but obviously it's easier and more convenient to listen to music while out and about, and better mobile Internet connections have made that possible. As usual, Apple's already at that party, with big plans for iCloud. That's not actually a streaming service, it should be noted: iTunes Match only allows for syncing, not full streaming. But this idea of music to and from anywhere is definitely a trend that's growing. [via TechCrunch]
Onavo shrinks iPhone data on the fly
Are you on an iPhone data diet? With unlimited plans a thing of the past, you're certainly not alone. Onavo's new iOS apps might be able to help you trim your data use without limiting your surfing. The service works by inserting itself between your cell phone operator and the internet and compressing data before it's sent to your cell. Yes, you read that correctly.
