Facebook is finally doing something to make Messenger less of an unusable mess
The Facebook Messenger app for iOS and Android is an utter mess of ideas at the moment. The confused interface is all over the place and decidedly user unfriendly. All that is set to change, though, thanks to an update that rolls out this week.
The update brings a slightly updated look which makes navigation a little easier. Tabs help to keep things better organized so you can jump to where you want to be more easily. The changes do not go as far as letting you kill the endlessly irritating Messenger Day/Stories feature, but it does go some way to improving things.
Microsoft Planner now available for iPhone
Office 365 officially received a project management tool, called Planner, in June 2016, but it is not until today that Microsoft introduces an accompanying mobile app. And the platform of choice for the first Microsoft Planner app is iOS.
When Microsoft publicly launched Planner, the software giant said that there will be apps available for Windows and Android devices too, but there is no announcement regarding the support for the other two platforms. Hopefully, that will happen at some point in the near future.
Google Play Protect is the latest line of defense against dangerous Android apps
There's no getting away from the fact that Android has something of an issue with dangerous and malicious apps. Google's latest weapon in the fight against such apps is Google Play Protect which uses machine learning and app usage analysis to weed out the bad guys.
The new system sees Google not only checking apps as they are submitted to the Play Store, but monitoring the apps you already have installed. By analyzing app behavior, Google is able to identify suspicious software that may have slipped through the net or has been installed from outside of the Pay Store.
Netflix drops support for rooted and unlocked Android devices
While rooting Android does not make it necessarily less secure, some software makers would rather you keep your device stock. Why? Well, because when you gain elevated privileges, which is what rooting enables, you might cause some issues or do some things that run afoul of their rules.
Netflix now seems to have a problem with Android devices that have been rooted and/or have an unlocked bootloader, as it just dropped support for those devices on Google Play.
New app aims to streamline hospitality industry payments
Traditional payment systems can be somewhat cumbersome in a hospitality environment, leading to increased risk of fraudulent transactions or customers failing to pay.
Payment platform Rooam is launching a new app that allows users to open and pay for restaurant and bar tabs from their smartphones.
Serious app permissions flaw will not be fixed until Android O, leaving users at risk
The security of Android has been questioned many times, but the general thinking is that installing apps from Google Play offers a decent level of protection. But research by Check Point shows that this is not the case due to a flaw in permissions.
The permission model used by Google grants apps installed from the Play Store extensive access, and opens up the risk of malware, ransomware and other threats. Google is aware of the problem, but does not plan to address it until the release of Android O, meaning that an unknown number of apps pose a risk to millions of users.
Newton email app now available for Windows, Alexa support arrives
Of all the email apps I have used in recent years, Newton (formerly known as CloudMagic) is my favorite. It is really easy to use, works with all the major email providers, has some pretty cool features, and, most importantly, is available on Android, iOS and macOS. So it nearly covers all the major platforms, except Windows.
CloudMagic, the company behind the app, has been working to change this since December, however, and now we get the first beta version of Newton for Windows. It is rough around the edges at this stage, as you might expect, but it will get the "core emailing" job done.
Low code/no code development: Is it right for you?
Research carried out by Gartner, which predicted that the demand for mobile applications would outstrip the number of app developers by 2019, still looms large over the mobile app industry. The way CTOs and CIOs cope with the developer shortage could make or break their company’s technological expansion.
To face this shortage, IT departments have two options:
Google adds phishing protection to Gmail app on Android
Gmail users will now be protected from phishing attacks on their Android phones thanks to a new update from Google. The company is rolling out a new security feature similar to that found in the web version of Gmail, warning people when an email contains a suspicious link.
For now, the update is only rolling out to Android users, and Google has not indicated whether it will make its way to iOS in due course or not. The update comes just shortly after a phishing scam emerged in which recipients were encouraged to click on a link to open files purporting to be stored on Google Docs.
Is interest in Apple Watch on the wane? Big-name apps drop support for the wearable
It would appear that the Apple Watch is losing its shine. A number of big-name apps have dropped support for the wearable, including Google Maps, Target, eBay and Amazon. It's not clear exactly why support was dropped, but as it took a little while for users to notice and start complaining on social media, a general lack of interest is likely to blame.
Google has offered a vague promise that Google Maps will return to Apple Watch "in the future," but gives no sense of timescale, and there are no similar assurances from any of the others who have quietly killed off their apps.
How to optimize your app for the App Store and Google Play
The app-economy competition is fierce. Facebook owns four out of the five most downloaded apps worldwide, but startups are still leaping into the fight to claim new and old markets. For these startups, Facebook is often the least of their worries as, according to research from Gartner, we only actually use between six and ten apps on average and end up neglecting or deleting the rest. It’s tough for app developers to break through the noise, let alone get into that top ten.
So what does this mean for startups trying to break into the space? You have to put your best foot forward to make sure users will not only find your app, but keep it.
Many business apps with open source code have unpatched vulnerabilities and license conflicts
Apps that come with open-source code are putting organizations at risk, according to a new report by Black Duck. As you might imagine, many companies are using apps with open-source code.
Black Duck’s Center for Open Source Research & Innovation analyzed 1,071 apps audited during 2016 and found that 96 percent of them had open source. Of those, more than 60 percent had open source security vulnerabilities.
Bose faces privacy lawsuit over headphones that share listening habits with third parties
When it comes to privacy concerns, the mind naturally drifts to the likes of Facebook, Microsoft and Google. But in reality, there is the potential for privacy issues with any connected device -- and that includes Bluetooth headphones from Bose.
Illustrating this is a man from Illinois who has filed a lawsuit against the Massachusetts-based audio company for "secretly collecting, transmitting, and disclosing its customers' private music selections to third parties, including a data mining company." Kyle Zak alleges that his Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless Bluetooth headphones and the associated Bose Connect app gathered information about him, and sold it on to third parties including Segment.io.
Microsoft To-Do preview for iOS, Android, Windows and web signals the death of Wunderlist
Any organized soul worth their salt has a good to-do service (or two) to support them. This is something that has been strangely lacking from Microsoft, but this is all set to change with Microsoft To-Do.
This reminder app has been in the works for a little while under the codename of Project Cheshire, but Microsoft has just launched a preview version of it. The online service works in conjunction with apps for iOS, Android and Windows, and you can try it out for yourself right now.
Microsoft Authenticator app gets phone sign in
Microsoft is making it easier than ever to sign into a Microsoft account, adding a new authentication option in the Microsoft Authenticator app that lets you approve the sign in attempt using just your Android smartphone or iPhone.
Here's how it works. When you enter your Microsoft account handle you will get a prompt from Microsoft Authenticator to approve or deny the attempt. To take advantage of this option, you need to add your Microsoft account to the app or, if you already did so, turn on the "Enable phone sign-in" option.
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