Where the candidates stand on cyber issues

It’s a little difficult to nail down the US presidential candidates on cybersecurity. That’s probably because none of the candidates actually has a cybersecurity plan.

What little the presidential candidates have said about cybersecurity is as bizarre as the entire reality-TV election process spectacle itself. They each think cybersecurity means one, or possibly two things. Bernie Sanders is obsessed with the NSA. Donald Trump said that Edward Snowden should be executed and wants to hack-attack China. Hillary Clinton just seems unsure about what exactly she should say.

With so much ado over her email server, its security, and the concerns over her email handling of classified information, it would certainly be in her benefit to do the opposite — get deeply engaged, and steer conversations on all things cybersecurity. And her opponents could benefit even more from beating Clinton to it.

But as you’re about to see, they’re all guilty of this one offense: Clinton, Sanders, and Trump all believe the word “cybersecurity” only means narrow federal threats. Worryingly, each one has their own idea of what that threat translates to, or means. None of those things reflect the truly urgent cybersecurity issues we’re facing.

The US is being gutted by all-time-high incidences of breaches, identity theft, and ransomware in hospitals, homes and businesses. Between the OPM and the IRS, the government can’t seem to secure itself. Data dealers and too-powerful social networks are playing fast and loose with private information and rhetoric, before our privacy laws catch up with them. State-sponsored hacking has emerged as a potential act of war on the global stage — a WW III size issue, which should overshadow the apparently simple joys of blaming China for everything.

With all this, you’d think that cyber would be a very popular subject with any wanna-be leader-of-the-free-world types.

How will our new leader react when cybersecurity issues take them by surprise during the next four years? We’ve put together a cheat sheet (in alphabetical order, below).

Hillary Clinton

Overall, Ms. Clinton’s position on cyber issues are unclear, and she appears to be the candidate least engaged with cybersecurity. Unlike the other candidates, she has no tweets or social commentary on cybersecurity, the FBI or Apple, the NSA, computers, encryption, the OPM, data breaches, or any other cybersec related topics. It’s odd.

But when asked, she does answer… in the way that politicians do, of course. In response to a debate question on encryption (incorrectly framed as a “new terrorist tool”), Clinton didn’t take a direct stand of any kind. But she didn’t advocate government access to encryption keys, either. “Maybe the back door is the wrong door,” she said.

When asked about the FBI-Apple-iPhone debate at an MSNBC-Telemundo town hall she said, “I see both sides. And I think most citizens see both sides. We don’t want privacy and encryption, you know, destroyed and we want to catch and make sure there is nobody else out there whose information is on the cell phone of the killer,” Clinton said. “This is why you need people in office who can try to bring folks together to find some common ground.”

Common ground is something you hear a lot in her responses: Clinton’s mantra when it comes to cybersecurity problems and solutions is “better coordination between the public and the private sector.” To that effect, she thought CISA didn’t go far enough (the widely opposed, slipped in at the last minute Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act). Most felt that CISA didn’t go far enough in protecting citizens; Clinton felt the Act didn’t go far enough in facilitating the sharing of data between companies and the government.

Congress should move ahead now with the USA Freedom Act—a good step forward in ongoing efforts to protect our security & civil liberties. -H

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 7, 2015

One cybersecurity issue she’s strong on is blaming China. With this, she’s following a popular trend: the breach-PR cycle, where the breached use blame as a sort of get-out-of-jail-free card. Attribution is seldom fast, neat, easy or reliably accurate.

Naming who is behind a hack or breach can be near to impossible, even though that seems to be what PR departments, media outlets, shady cybersecurity firms, and government pundits crave. But as anyone in hacking and security will tell you (while rolling their eyes in exasperation), those people just love to blame China.

Bernie Sanders

Considering how low the bar is, it doesn’t mean much to say Sanders is the candidate most engaged on cyber issues. He actually has a whole page on cybersecurity. Still, it’s vague, and OVERALL his main interest is reigning in the NSA data collection program, with emphasis on privacy and civil liberties.

Sanders opposed CISA on the basis of protecting civil liberties, and he voted against the USA Freedom Act because he said it didn’t go far enough to protect citizens from government overreach.

Today’s News: Sanders votes against cybersecurity bill, leads fight to stop skyrocketing drug prices. https://t.co/j06B03wGBw

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) October 28, 2015

He took the leaking of NSA files by Edward Snowden to heart. Sanders put the NSA in his sights from that point on and has proposed limits to the metadata collection programs. Sanders is the only candidate who says he believes Mr. Snowden’s actions benefitted the public.

His website states, “We must rein in the National Security Agency and end the bulk collection of phone records, internet history, and email data of virtually all Americans. Our intelligence and law enforcement agencies must have the tools they need to protect the American people, but there must be legal oversight and they must go about their work in a way that does not sacrifice our basic freedoms.”

The recklessness and illegal behavior of the #NSA… pic.twitter.com/bO02v8YJ07

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) October 25, 2013

Frustratingly, Sanders answered the same glib questions about encryption that Hilary endured and said he’s on both sides, and that it’s a complicated issue. “I am very fearful in America about ‘big brother,’” he said. “I worry about that very, very much. On the other hand, what I also worry about is the possibility of a terrorist attack against our country. And frankly I think there is a middle ground that can be reached.”

Unlike other candidates, Sanders has a few words (very few!) about cybersecurity and domestic infrastructure. In his Rebuilding America section, he states that his Rebuild America Act will “position our [power] grid to accept new sources of locally generated renewable energy, and it will address critical vulnerabilities to cyber-attacks.”

I hope he means protecting us from the cyber-squirrels — which are still our nation’s top infrastructure threat, and not hackers.

Donald Trump

No one has united America quite like Trump, but just not in the way he thinks. His positions on cybersecurity are as scant as the other candidates. But I think even the most jaded observer of this walking advertisement for antipsychotic medication will have at least one whiplash-inducing double-take at Trump’s statements.

I am starting to think that TOP SECRET information should be done with pen to paper and locked in a safe. Too many can break into computers.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2014

For Trump, to understand cybersecurity is to understand the internet. He explained this in a Breitbart interview saying, “The Internet is a tool. Sometimes it is a scalpel. Sometimes it is a chainsaw.”

He also said, “I have always been concerned about the social breakdown of our culture caused by technology. I think the increased dependence and addiction to electronic devices is unhealthy.”

Indeed. But if the tech is in the right hands, then let ‘er rip: Trump is an outspoken supporter of government surveillance, and possibly confused about what other people mean when they say the word “oversight.” In his words, the NSA “should be given as much leeway as possible.”

He told The Daily Signal, “I support legislation which allows the NSA to hold the bulk metadata. For oversight, I propose that a court, which is available any time on any day, is created to issue individual rulings on when this metadata can be accessed.”

In regard to the NSA Files and Snowden, Trump has been clear about his belief that the former government contractor should be executed.

Snowden is a spy who has caused great damage to the U.S. A spy in the old days, when our country was respected and strong, would be executed

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 19, 2014

He isn’t completely against hackers. Trump wouldn’t murder, er, I mean execute hackers who would illegally breach databases and expose records for his benefit.

ObamaCare is a disaster and Snowden is a spy who should be executed-but if it and he could reveal Obama’s records,I might become a major fan

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 30, 2013

Attention all hackers: You are hacking everything else so please hack Obama’s college records (destroyed?) and check “place of birth”

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 6, 2014

When the FBI-Apple-iPhone encryption issue was brought to his attention, Trump said the company should be forced to comply with the FBI, or be punished with a boycott. “I think it’s disgraceful that Apple is not helping on that. I think security first and I feel — I always felt security first. Apple should absolutely — we should force them to do it,” he said.

For Trump, “cybersecurity” refers only to state-sponsored attacks on America by China — whom he blamed for the OPM hack. He told Breitbart, “…we continue to have persistent, intentional and deliberate attacks on American cyberspace by agents from, or acting on behalf of, China. These actions border on being acts of war. America should counter attack and make public every action taken by China to steal or disrupt our operations, whether they be private or governmental.”

It’s Tuesday, how much has China stolen from us today through cyber espionage?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 9, 2013

China controls North Korea. So now besides cyber hacking us all day, they are using the Norks to taunt us. China is a major threat.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2013

Mr. Trump openly advocates hacking back, a controversial and ill-advised strategy. He said, “… we continue to have persistent, intentional and deliberate attacks on American cyberspace by agents from, or acting on behalf of, China. These actions border on being acts of war. America should counter attack …”

… And start a war? No thanks.

No thanks to all of it. With two candidates, when you try to find out if they’d break encryption for government use — a yes or no question — well, you’d have better luck trying to lift a fingerprint from an ice sculpture. With the other, we’re likely to find out how hacking can lead to world war three. And none of them get that things like hospital ransomware or the plague of “security last” startups are part of the cybersecurity problem.

Kind of makes me long for the simpler days of candidates like Limberbutt McCubbins.

MacRumors Giveaway: Win a Larimer Rolltop Backpack from Case Logic

For this week’s giveaway, we’ve teamed up with Case Logic to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win one of the company’s new Larimer Rolltop Backpacks. The backpack is available in “Hudson,” a mix of blue, mint, yellow, and green, or “Petrol Green,” a mix of green, tan, blue, and red. It’s described by Case Logic as a utilitarian daypack that’s able to hold a ton of stuff thanks to a multitude of pockets and an expandable rolltop feature.

Like many Case Logic products, the Larimer Rolltop Backpack is made from a durable 600D polyester with a water-repellent coating, which is designed to stand up to damage. Padded, adjustable straps ensure it’s comfortable to wear for long periods of time even when packed with gear.

The backpack, which has a matching multi-color diamond-patterned interior lining, can hold a MacBook up to 15 inches in its padded laptop compartment, and there’s also a slip pocket for a tablet up to 10.1 inches, which will accommodate the iPad Air 2, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, or a smaller tablet.

Accessories can be put inside a zippered front pocket or an internal zippered pocket, and with the rolltop expanded, there’s additional space for any essentials. A nylon web is attached at the bottom for securing a hat or shoes.

The Larimer Rolltop Backpack can be purchased from Amazon for $49.99, but four MacRumors readers will be able to get one for free through our giveaway. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner and send the prize.

You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page. Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveawayThe contest will run from today (May 13) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on May 20. The winners will be chosen randomly on May 20 and will be contacted by email. The winners have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.

Tags: giveaway, Case Logic
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UK Developing Digital Driving License Stored in Apple Wallet App

In the future, drivers in the United Kingdom may be able to store their driver’s licenses digitally in Apple’s Wallet app, bringing Apple one step closer to fully replacing the traditional physical wallet.

Oliver Morley, CEO of the UK’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, showed off a prototype version of a digital driving license on Twitter this morning (via The Independent). In the image, the Wallet app on the iPhone was shown with a virtual copy of a UK driving license, stored right next to other Wallet cards.

So here’s a little prototype of something we’re working on #drivinglicence pic.twitter.com/a5eItrdiNI

— Oliver Morley (@omorley1) May 13, 2016

According to Morley, the feature is still a prototype and will not serve as a full replacement for a driving license, but an add-on, with its implementation possible following the discontinuation of a paper driving license counterpart in June of 2015. Security is one of the main priorities for the introduction of the digital driving license in the UK.

Should the digital driving license feature be introduced in the United Kingdom, it’s not a stretch to imagine it also being introduced in additional countries like the United States as the digital wallet concept grows in popularity. In fact, at least one state in the United States is already testing the idea – in 2014, Iowa said it was working on a digital app that would allow customers to use digital ID cards instead of physical cards.

Tags: DVLA, Wallet
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Google I/O 2016 preview: Android N, Android VR, Project Chirp, Play Store on Chromebooks and more!

What to expect from the biggest Google conference ever.

It’s Google I/O time! The 2016 installment of Google’s annual developer conference kicks off Wednesday, May 18 in Mountain View, California with a two-hour opening keynote. With a new venue and the promise of announcements on the future of Android N, VR, Chrome OS and much more, it’s sure to be one of the highlights of the year in mobile tech.

With just a few days to go until developers descend on Shoreline Amphitheater, we’ve rounded up details of what we’re expecting from Google I/O 2016.

A new venue

Shoreline Amphitheater. Photo credit: Coolcaesar on Wikipedia.

Aside from what’s actually announced and shown at Google I/O 2016, attendees will experience this year’s conference in a new way, at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Google’s hometown of Mountain View. This outdoor arena is a major change from the Moscone West Center in San Francisco — I/O’s venue in previous years, which is more of a traditional indoor conference space.

The keynote will take place on the amphitheater’s main stage, with other presentations and developer sessions spaced out on the ten smaller stages in between demo areas. The change in venue guarantees a different atmosphere at this year’s conference, with more attendees and wide open spaces, in contrast to the warren of corridors at Moscone West.

What we’re really saying is this could be the most fun Google I/O yet.

Android N

We know a lot more about Android N going into I/O 2016 than we did about M ahead of last year’s event. Google has rolled out a couple of developer preview builds so far, showing off major features like split-screen multitasking, a re-tooled notification panel and support for the Vulkan APIs for improved gaming performance.

So far it’s been left up to developers and tinkerers to try and figure out what’s coming next besides the stuff officially disclosed in developer docs for N. That being the case, the I/O keynote should give us a good overview of the broader thinking behind these new features. It’s unlikely the Android team has deliberately left anything huge out of the earlier builds, but there’s always potential for a few surprises.

MORE: What’s new in Android N

We’ll learn more about the broader thinking behind Android N’s features — and maybe what it’ll eventually be called.

One of those might be the “sweet treat” for which the next version of Android will be named. Google has already publicly hinted at a tie-in with Nutella, and if a branded partnership is coming then an earlier announcement of the name would make sense. (The announcement of Android 4.4 KitKat in 2013 came about a month earlier than usual.)

It’s also possible we’ll hear more about which non-Nexus devices will get N Preview builds through the new Android beta program. That process has already started with Sony; we may find out who’s next at I/O.

And finally, Google appears to be holding the third “N” developer preview build back for I/O, and that could be significant. We’re still a month or two away from having finalized Android N APIs, so there’s plenty of time for Google to surprise us with new features or services.

Speaking of which…

Virtual Reality

We’re two years removed from the first Google Cardboard headset, and the VR world has hotted up considerably, with premium PC-based experiences like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, and more affordable smartphone-based headsets like Samsung Gear VR dominating the space. VR has come a long way since Google Cardboard was a “20 percent” project developed by a handful of engineers.

A standalone ‘Android VR’ system could be one of I/O’s biggest reveals.

Earlier this year The Wall Street Journal reported that a more advanced version of Cardboard would arrive in 2016, along with a standalone VR system. It’s not surprising to expect Cardboard to gradually morph into something more reminiscent of Gear VR, but a standalone headset (and software platform) could be one of the conference’s most interesting reveals.

And “Android VR” might be the name to watch out for. Engadget and Gizmodo co-founder Peter Rojas tweets that a standalone (not smartphone-powered) VR experience with that name is coming to I/O, and that it’ll be less powerful than Vive or Rift. That part is no huge surprise for what’ll still be a portable VR system.

A standalone headset would allow Google to escape the limits of smartphone pixel density, while still tying it into its own ecosystem. And assuming the number crunching is offloaded to the headset as well, it’d give game developers a single hardware target to aim for. Presumably there’d be some phone-based manager app, similar to Android Wear, for loading content onto the standalone headset.

Such a headset, naturally, would be way more expensive than Cardboard or even Gear VR.

Project Chirp — Google’s answer to Amazon Echo

This particular rumor has been swirling for some time, but it’s only just started to come into focus in recent days. According to reports from Recode, Google is working on a competitor to Amazon’s Echo voice control box, codenamed ‘Chirp’, and it’ll be announced at I/O.

OK Google, order some pizza.

The device apparently looks like an OnHub router, incorporating voice search and personal assistant features similar to Amazon’s box.

Other details are scarce, but it’s not at all surprising to see Google bringing natural language interactions and Google Now into a standalone, home-based box. The Amazon Echo has shown huge potential thus far, and given the sheer number of services Google operates (not to mention its broad global reach), the possibilities for “Chirp” are endless.

Google Play on Chromebooks

This one’s been a long time coming. Back at I/O 2014 we got our first glimpse of Android apps running in a window on Chrome OS. Fast forward two years and it looks like Google is finally ready to open the floodgates, with the Play Store bringing “over a million” Android apps to Chromebooks and ‘boxes. That’s according to a splash screen which accidentally popped up on at least one Chromebook, backed up by references in code.

Such a move would significantly expand the capabilities of Chromebooks, allowing Google to keep up the pressure on Microsoft, which despite declining PC sales has an enormous lead with its desktop ecosystem. Chrome OS isn’t going to catch up overnight, but in the long term the Play Store could grow into an important destination for apps that aren’t convenient to use in a browser window.

MORE: Android apps on Chrome OS could be Google’s shortcut to a full desktop OS

Project Tango

Related to the company’s upcoming VR products, Project Tango is Google’s work-in-progress Android-based platform for augmented reality and indoor mapping, using a series of cameras to map your surroundings in 3D.

The technology at the heart of Tango is likely to power Google’s other VR products.

Lenovo will show the first Project Tango-enabled consumer smartphone at its TechWorld event in early June, however if reports from Bloomberg are to be believed, Google will also show the progress it’s made with Tango at I/O, which may include a sneak peek at the handset.

“The company plans a big expansion of the technology this year and ultimately wants to make it ubiquitous,” the outlet reports. And with four separate developer sessions on Tango itself, there should be plenty of new stuff to get to grips with.

Other odds and ends

• Android Pay has been due to launch in the UK for the past several months, but there’s been no sign of any concrete timeline thus far. I/O would be as good a place as any to talk about expanding the service’s reach.

• Project Ara has been pretty quiet lately. The modular smartphone project, from Google’s Advanced Technologies and Projects (ATAP) group, was one of the highlights of I/O 2014, but details have been hard to come by since the American Pilot Market was announced. The conference also would be a good opportunity for Google to show that ATAP is very much alive and well, post-Regina Dugan.

Might Google Play be headed to China at last?

• That’s not to be confused with Project Aura — the new name for the next-generation, apparently enterprise-focused version of Google Glass. The project reportedly falls under the purview of Google connected home boss Tony Fadell, and is being worked on by former Amazon employees who previously worked on the Fire phone.

• Google in China. There’s one pretty big gap in Google’s reach right now, and that’s China. Multiple sources have reported that a China-specific (and likely heavily filtered) version of Google Play would be launching in the country sometime in 2016, and AC has heard the same from people who would be in a position to know. Given that developers would have to be a huge part of this, what better place to announce a Chinese Google Play?

• Updates from Alphabet and Sundar. It’s the first I/O since Google was split out from new parent company Alphabet, and Sundar Pichai was appointed CEO of the new Google. It’s likely the keynote will start with some reflection on the past year’s changes in Mountain View.

• New Android active user numbers. The most recent figure we have comes from September 2015, when the OS had 1.4 billion active users. At I/O 2015 that figure was 1 billion. We’d expect it to be rapidly approaching 2 billion at this year’s conference.

What we probably won’t see

A few predictions about we’re not expecting from this year’s show:

• New Nexus devices. Whether they’re phones or tablets. It’s too early in the year for either, with both having historically coincided with new Android versions. What’s more, the nature of Nexus means if a new phone or tablet were coming at I/O, it would have leaked well in advance.

• The end of Chrome OS. There’s been lots of chatter about Google supposedly folding Chrome OS into Android starting next year, with most of it originating from a report in The Wall Street Journal late 2015. With Google set to introduce Android apps on Google Play to Chrome at I/O this year, it’s unlikely the firm would also showcase an entirely new desktop version of Android to replace it. But as we’ve discussed separately, whether Google’s desktop presence is called Chrome or Android could largely become a matter of semantics.

• Rick Osterloh’s master plan. The former Motorola exec rejoined Google to head up hardware at the firm, in a role covering Nexus, Chromecast and Google Glass. But it’s still early days, and we wouldn’t expect this new role to bear fruit in time for any big reveals at I/O.

Join us from Mountain View!

We’ll have a full team on the ground from Tuesday May 17th. Stay tuned for details of how to follow the show with Android Central and the Mobile Nations crew.

In the meantime, be sure to hit the comments and let us know what you’d like to see from this year’s Google I/O!

The best equalizer apps for Android

There’s a pretty good chance you use your Android to listen to music. Some folks really get into it, but most of us enjoy a tune playing when we’re on the train, or at the gym or even just chilling. There are a lot of ways to get music from your phone (or the internet) to your ears, because humans are musical animals.

A big part of enjoying your music is fiddling with settings to make it sound better. For some of us, that’s as simple as adjusting the volume. Other folks want to adjust sliders or enable settings that boost the bass or enable a pseudo-surround sound wrapper effect. Others also get a little more extreme and micromanage every setting they can find to tune their tunes. No matter which category you fall into, a good equalizer app will help you find just the right sound. Let’s take a look at what’s out there that fits the bill.

Why is this list so short?

You noticed that, huh? Good, because I really want to talk about that for a minute.

For starters, every single equalizer app you can download and install without having a rooted phone is basically the same. They all tap into the Android AudioEffects class to use the Equalizer, BassBoost, Virtualizer, PresetReverb and EnvironmentalReverb derived classes to apply audio effects to a specific instance of an audio session, and system-wide effects to the global audio mix are depreciated and no longer work. This means two very important things — the only differences between all these apps are the user interface and features, and that an equalizer app can’t control the sound from more than one app at a time. Experience tells us that this means every app won’t work with every music player, too.

Every equalizer app uses the same Android API, so the difference is in the interface and feature list.

None of this applies to apps with system-level permission, like the ones the folks who built your phone added (think JBL audio or the HTC Beats of olde), system wide audio effects provided by the operating system, like we see in the CyanogenMod AudioFX settings, or root-specific apps like Viper4Android.

Basically, every equalizer app you install does the same thing as the rest — moving a slider does the same thing, enabling Bass Boost does the same thing, and what matters is how easy it is to do it all. But that still doesn’t explain why I only picked three apps from a list of a hundred or more in Google Play. That’s because these are the three that don’t suck suck the least.

I started by installing the 20 equalizer apps with the highest rating in Google Play. I deleted all the apps that crash and burn on Marshmallow. I then deleted all the apps that did bad things like try to trick you into installing other apps with vague wording and promises of a new version. Then I deleted all the apps with horrible ads that capture your screen and make you watch 10 seconds or so of some shitty game you never wanted to install anytime you move between screens or apply changes. That leaves us with three apps, because I’m just not going to point you at apps that I wouldn’t install myself. I can’t do it, and I won’t do it.

You might already have an equalizer

Google Play Music equalizer

Some companies that build Android phones have their own audio enhancements built into the settings. And plenty of music apps have a built-in equalizer in their settings.

Built-in audio effects from the folks who built your phone can and will do more to the sound than any app you install from Google Play, because of the things we talked about above. They aren’t restricted to use the same API, and often have companies like JBL or Harmon Kardon help them tune the audio output. If your phone has anything like this, use those options first. The HTC 10 (for example) has a much better surround virtualizer built in than anything you can download and install, and it’s worth trying what you already have before you try anything else.

If your music player has an equalizer in the settings, use it

If your music player app has it’s own equalizer — like Google Play Music or PowerAmp — it will give you the same exact results as anything you can download. The app is already running, so you’ll not have anything adding overhead or latency to the audio stream, and you’ll not need to use up any space by installing another app. Some of the worst offenders that didn’t make my list also want to try and start at boot, and keep running forever — even when the audio effects aren’t active. That’s OK if you’re using an older version of Android that lets an app adjust the sound mix globally, but not an efficient use of resources if you’re using something running KitKat or newer.

If you already have an equalizer or audio effects settings, save yourself the hassle and use what you have. If you don’t like it, then try something else — but be sure to disable what’s there because only one app can apply effects to one audio stream at a time.

Now, on to the short list.

Equalizer & Bass Booster

Once installed on your phone, you see it listed as Bass EQ. Don’t be fooled by the name, because Bass EQ is more than just a bass booster. It leverages the API to provide a volume boost with 15 levels of adjustment, 12 settings for bass boost and 12 settings for sound virtualization as well as a five channel equalizer (60 Hz, 230 Hz, 910 Hz, 3.6 kHz and 14 kHz) is a spiffy “mini” ui that acts like a floating window. One really cool feature is a visualizer in both the compact interface as well as full-screen with pretty cool visual effects in time with the music. It’s a trippy throwback to WinAmp, minus the llamas.

A dip into the settings allows you to enable or disable a persistent notification (as well as use the notification to toggle the app on and off), vibration on a change so you know you’re adjusting things and the option to choose which screen — the volume booster or the equalizer — is shown at start up.

The free version has ads, and you will get a full screen ad from time to time — but always with a way to close it so you’re not a hostage to a shifty app developer. If you like the way Bass EQ works, the Pro version is $2.99 and kills the ads, as well as gives you the ability to use and store reverb presets.

Download Equalizer & Bass Booster (Free)

Download Equalizer & Bass Booster Pro ($2.99)

Music Volume EQ

Another equalizer app with a nifty mini interface, Music Volume EQ would be my pick from this list.

You get the standard 5 band equalizer (60 Hz, 230 Hz, 910 Hz, 3 kHz and 14 kHz), bass boost and virtualizer settings and a master gain control with a vu meter that has green-to-red indicators — exactly what you’re used to from a hardware eq. Pretty standard stuff, but what I really like is what you’ll find in the settings.

Jump in and you’ll see a quick toggle between a standard stereo-looking skin and a material theme, a full screen mode setting, transparency options for a static widget and some settings to control the behavior of the app. You can lock the system media volume setting so that only the gain slider in the app controls audio output levels, and set the background service to stop if you set the volume to zero. These are both pretty cool options for when you’re using your phone to do nothing but play you some songs.

The app is free with an ad banner at the bottom of the main screen, and there’s no paid option to kill it off. But you are given a choice to opt-out of usage analytics, which makes me want to enable them and help the developers out. Good show, devs.

Download Music Volume EQ (Free)

Equalizer

This is probably the most full-featured equalizer app in Google Play, and one of the first. I’ve used in on and off through several Android versions, and it works exactly (almost) as stated and does it without being silly with permissions or scammy ads.

It has the standard settings — a five band equalizer with presets, a bass booster, virtualizer and reverb presets. The user interface is simple and easy to understand while being unique and not looking like the old Blaupunkt stereo I had in my VW bus. Equalizer also can hook into certain music apps (Google Play Music and Omich Player are two examples) and automatically enable itself when you start playing a song, then go back to sleep when you’re done. That’s a nifty trick. It claims to be a global equalizer, and probably was at one time (I think it was) but that’s part of the reason it’s not my top pick — it’s in dire need of an update.

You have skins for both the app and the widget, but the service that hosts them is no longer running and you get an error when you try to find them. I don’t mind the interface the way it is, and I don’t need an equalizer widget so this isn’t that big of a deal, but if you haven’t updated your app since 2014 and have let hosting services disappear, I can’t say you’re the best.

Equalizer is free, but you can buy an unlock key for $1.99 that lets you save custom presets, delete, edit and rename presets, put a preset shortcut on your home screen and backup or restore settings from your phone storage or SD card. If you don’t mind using an app that may have been abandoned, it works well and the unlock key is worth the two bucks.

Download Equalizer (Free)

Download Equalizer unlock key ($1.99)

Tell me what I missed!

I use PowerAmp almost exclusively when I get serious about listening to music, and use the built in EQ and tone controls, so I’m not looking for a good equalizer app. But I’m sure some of us do have a favorite here, and I want to hear about it. Shout out in the comments and tell me what I need to add to this list, and as long as it doesn’t kill me by trapping me in ads or crash on my phone, I’ll give it a shot. I’m always looking for things to make my music sound better.

HTC 10 is now available from Sprint for as little as $21 a month

If you are a Sprint customer who is intrigued by the HTC 10, your wait is over. That’s right, you can now order one for as little as $21 a month, or $624 full retail. Sprint is only offering the glacier silver option at this time. The phone features a 5.2-inch QHD Super LCD, 32GB of internal storage, 4GB of RAM and Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow out of the box.

Sprint is offering a few different options as far as payments. You can grab the HTC 10 for $199 on a new two-year contract or if you would rather pay for it monthly you could do so for just $21 a month for 24 months. If you purchase it on the installment plan, you actually save around $120 over buying it outright, which costs $624. Will you be grabbing an HTC 10 from Sprint? If so, let us know in the comments!

See at Sprint

HTC 10

• HTC 10 review
• HTC 10 specs
• These are the HTC 10 colors
• Our first photo and video samples
• Meet the Ice View case
• Join our HTC 10 forums

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