Google cracks down on apps that misuse accessibility features

Android’s accessibility services are supposed help disabled folks by letting app-makers integrate spoken feedback, voice commands and more. However, developers like LastPass have been using the functions for other purposes like autofilling passwords and overlaying content. That gives them an easy way to read data from other apps like YouTube, but it also creates a potential security risk. Now, Google is telling app makers that they must show how accessibility code is helping disabled users or their apps will be removed from the Play Store within 30 days.

If you aren’t already doing so, you must explain to users how your app is using the [accessibility service] to help users with disabilities use Android devices and apps. Apps that fail to meet this requirement within 30 days may be removed from Google Play. Alternatively, you can remove any requests for accessibility services within your app. You can also choose to unpublish your app

The policy enforcement could affect apps like LastPass, Tasker, Cereberus and Universal Copy that use accessibility code for key features not intended for handicapped users. “This is really bad news,” Universal Copy’s developer said on the Reddit Android Reddit. “We will have no other choice than un-publishing the app from the Play Store.”

Tasker’s developer said that it will have to replace the accessibility services with different code. That will disable some functionality, especially on older Android builds. “I plan to replace app detection with usage stats API,” they wrote on a Google forum. “Unfortunately … people using Tasker on a pre-Lollipop device won’t be able to use app contexts anymore.”

Google’s accessibility restrictions appear to be part of a larger push to improve the security of apps in the Play Store. It recently implemented a new feature called Play Protect to scan apps and added a warning screen to block unverified apps. Accessibility services code can allow applications to access data in other apps, creating juicy security holes that hackers could exploit to steal private data.

The problem, say developers, is that Google never really had a clear policy restricting accessibility services. Because of that, there are now numerous apps that use them for other purposes, and 30 days is not a lot of time to find workarounds. We’ve reached out to Google for more information.

Via: Android Police

Source: Reddit

First Australian Apple Store Gets Modern Redesign as Thieves Rob Apple Regent Street in UK

Apple recently announced that its retail location within the Chadstone Shopping Center in Melbourne, Australia will be getting a grand reopening on November 24 at 9:00 a.m. local time. The newly relocated Apple Chadstone location will be triple the size of the previous store, and mark the first Australian store to gain Apple’s modern retail layout.

Apple Chadstone first opened nearly ten years ago in 2008 with 69 employees, and will now grow to more than 240 with the grand reopening (via Herald Sun).

Image via Herald Sun
Apple Chadstone will now feature a Genius Grove, a “boulevard” of window product displays, a boardroom for business meetings with local entrepreneurs and developers, a meeting place for “Today at Apple,” and more. According to Apple senior vice president of retail, Angela Ahrendts, Apple Chadstone will lead the way for the rest of Australia’s Apple retail locations.

“We’re thrilled to open Apple Chadstone in a stunning new location and introduce Australians to our latest store design,” she said. “We look forward to continuing to build on our 22 stores in Australia.”

In other retail news, Apple Regent Street was robbed today by ten individuals who stole “thousands of pounds worth of laptops and iPads” (via Evening Standard). To get into the store, the robbers drove mopeds through the glass storefront in the early morning hours of Monday, and then in less than three minutes managed to take various products from display stands before escaping on more mopeds waiting outside.

In total, police said the thieves stole iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and two iPhone Xs, which have since been recovered near Kings Cross. Apple Regent Street is said to be “open as usual” in the wake of the attack, which apparently follows an “epidemic” of moped-related attacks and thefts hitting London recently.

Ten thugs on five mopeds launched a mass raid on the Apple store in Regent Street early today snatching thousands of pounds worth of laptops and iPads.

One customer Hajra Ali, 37, from Ilford, said: “Moped attacks have got really, really bad and I’m not surprised this happened. I don’t know what the Met is doing about it.

For more on the latest Apple retail openings and redesigns, check out or Apple Store Roundup.

(Thanks, SlippedAtom54!)

Related Roundup: Apple StoresTag: Australia
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Lyft to Launch in Toronto Next Month as Uber Competitor Expands to First City Outside of United States

Lyft today announced that it will launch its ride-hailing service in Toronto next month as its first market outside of the United States.

Riders in Canada’s largest city—and nearby Hamilton, Ontario—will be able to hail Lyft or Lyft Plus vehicles that hold up to four or six passengers respectively, as well as fancier Lyft Premiere, Lyft Lux, or Lyft Lux SUV rides.

Lyft hasn’t disclosed passenger rates, payouts to drivers, or any other specific details ahead of the December expansion.

Lyft’s biggest competitors in Toronto will be Uber, which launched in the city over five years ago, and traditional Beck Taxi cabs. The city also operates the TTC subway system and a network of streetcars and buses.

Beck Taxi, which has already heavily protested Uber, naturally isn’t happy about Lyft’s arrival. “It’s another reason to encourage cars to cruise the streets of our city — many of them who come from outside it — who otherwise wouldn’t be there,” said the company’s operations manager Kristine Hubbard.

In an interview with the Toronto Star, Lyft president and co-founder John Zimmer said he expects Toronto will likely become one of the ride-sharing company’s top five markets overall in North America.

We see it as a world-class city. It will likely become one of our top five markets overall. We expect that to happen, and we see it as a city that really shares the values that we have at Lyft — focusing on people taking care of people, treating people well, treating people with mutual respect and promoting both inclusion and diversity.

Zimmer said 50,000 people in Toronto downloaded the Lyft app this year despite the service not being available in the city. He also subtly suggested that Lyft will be a fresh alternative to the scandal-clad Uber.

Lyft’s app can already be downloaded from the App Store [Direct Link] in Canada for iPhone and Apple Watch.

Tags: Canada, Lyft
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Emirates’ new luxury first-class offering is a suite in the sky

Let’s face it, traveling in coach is never much fun. Being wedged into your seat as the one in front reclines into your lap is bad enough, but then you have to somehow find a comfy position so you can enjoy a little shut-eye. And of course, just as you start nodding off, the passenger behind usually discovers a fun game on their seat-back display that requires them to hit the screen a lot, sending the vibrations through the seat, through your skull, and into the center of your brain. The part that controls sleep, usually.

Of course, the answer is to have enough spare cash knocking around that you can afford a better seat, one with enough space around it that you can stretch out your arms without accidentally punching your neighbor in the head.

Emirates is going above and beyond what you might expect when it comes to accommodating passengers flying first class on its aircraft, this weekend unveiling what it describes as a “game-changing” private suite with design features “inspired by the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.”

Shown off at the Dubai Air Show, the luxurious fully enclosed cabins are coming to its new fleet of Boeing 777 jets going into service in December, 2017. Each one offers up to 40 square feet of personal space, and is surely the closest thing you’ll get to a private-jet experience while traveling on an aircraft with hundreds of other people.

According to Emirates, the collaboration with Mercedes-Benz “inspired several design details in the private suite including the soft leather seating, high-tech control panels, and mood lighting.”

While the seat reclines into a fully flat bed using a wireless controller, intriguingly it can also be placed in what Emirates describes as a “zero-gravity” position that’s been “inspired by NASA technology, giving a feeling of relaxation and weightlessness.” As long as the airline’s “zero gravity” isn’t anything like flying into an air pocket, you’ll be just fine.

Everyone who forks out for one of these cabins is promised a window view, though this does beg the question, “Where’s the window if your suite is down the middle of the plane?” Well, in that case, you’ll have a virtual window that offers a real-time view of the passing world via external cameras.

You can request service via a video-call function, and enjoy exploring 2,500 channels of on-demand entertainment on a 32-inch HD TV screen — or you can stream content to your own device. The entertainment experience includes audio delivered by Bowers & Wilkins noise canceling E1 headphones created exclusively for Emirates.

Commenting on the new design, Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, noted that the carrier has gradually worked to improve the design of its private suite over the years, a concept it pioneered in 2003.

“We are very excited about our new fully enclosed suite, which is a real game-changer in terms of privacy, comfort, and thoughtful luxury,” Clark said.

No, the suites don’t come cheap. Beginning on routes between Dubai and the Swiss city of Geneva in the coming weeks, a first-class return flight in mid-January will costs around $7,700, about 1o times that of an economy seat.

If luxury plane seats are currently out of reach for you, then check out DT’s tips for easing yourself through a challenging long-haul flight back in coach.

Honor V10 news and rumors

Honor is preparing a new phone for announcement in December, and it’s rumored to be called the Honor V10. We know a new device is coming, because the company has already tweeted about a launch event in London; but the details about the phone are only unofficial leaks at the moment. What do we think we know about the Honor V10? Let’s find out.

Announcement, release, and price

Honor will hold an event in London on December 5, where it will introduce a new phone with a large screen, and minimal bezels, if the image on the teaser is accurate. Tweeted from the official Honor UK account, the tagline, “Max Your View” also suggests a device with a large display. It’s also possible Honor has two devices to show on the day, one slightly smaller than the other. The image shows two phones, and the hashtag #IOOI may suggest two very similar phones.

We may get answers to what the V10 looks like before the London reveal. A rumor originating from China says the Honor V10 may be announced there on November 28, with a release on December 12. Neither dates are official, and the source isn’t mentioned, so treat this as speculation.

It’s estimated the Honor V10 will cost 3000 yuan in China, or about $450.

Specification and features

The Honor V10 may be closely related to the Huawei Mate 10 Pro. Honor is to Huawei what Mini is to BMW, and the two regularly share technology. The Honor 9 and the Huawei P10, for example, have very similar features.

Only a few basic Honor V10 specifications have leaked from GizChina. The screen is expected to measure 5.99-inches and have an 18:9 aspect ratio, which is matches the Huawei Mate 10 Pro. The Kirin 970 chip and 6GB of RAM are likely to provide the power; but will the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) will be part of the Honor V10?

The NPU takes artificial intelligence processing out of the cloud and onto the device, improving speed and security, and adding cool features to the Mate 10 Pro’s camera. Huawei is putting a lot of effort into making it a success, and the more devices it operates on, the more likely developers are to support it. We’re hopeful it will be part of the Honor V10.

A dual-lens camera on the rear is likely to feature, according to the rumors, made up of a 16-megapixel camera lens and a 20-megapixel lens. Other possible Honor V10 features include a choice of 64GB or 128GB of internal storage space, Android 8.0 Oreo installed — most likely with Huawei’s EMUI interface over the top — and a fast charging 4,000mAh battery.

There’s still weeks to go until the Honor V10 is officially revealed, meaning plenty of time for further leaks to give us more clues about its look and features. We’ll keep you updated here.

Moto X4 with Snapdragon 630 launches in India for just ₹20,999 ($325)

Motorola’s latest mid-ranger is now available in India.

The Moto G5 Plus turned out to be one of the best budget phones in India this year, and the Moto G5S Plus built on its success by introducing a dual rear camera at the same price point. Motorola is now turning its attention to the mid-range segment with the Moto X4, which is now available in India for ₹20,999 ($325).

That’s for the variant with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Motorola is also selling the model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for ₹22,999 ($355).

You get a microSD slot that lets you extend storage up to 2TB, and there’s a dual camera setup at the back with a 12MP primary shooter along with an 8MP secondary wide-angle lens.

Moto X4 review: A mid-range phone done right

Other specs include a 5.2-inch 1080p panel backed by Gorilla Glass 3, Snapdragon 630 SoC, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 5.0, LTE with VoLTE, IP68 dust and water resistance, 16MP front camera, and a 3000mAh battery with Motorola’s TurboPower fast charging. The phone comes with Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box.

The pricing of the Moto X4 is absolutely spot on, and the company should have no difficulties moving units. The phone is set to go on sale starting later tonight exclusively on Flipkart.

See at Flipkart

The Morning After: Monday, November 2017

Welcome to your Monday morning. We jumped into the UFC’s high-tech battle against fighter injury, how the Pixel 2 delivers silky smooth video and Russia’s Twitter influence beyond US politics. And there’s a few other things, naturally.

Predictive algorithms are the key to shake-free footage.
Google explains the Pixel 2’s super-stable video recording

Google’s Pixel 2 phones have a clever trick up their sleeve when recording video: they can use both electronic and optical image stabilization, delivering largely jitter-free clips even if you’re walking down the street. Google uses some of its machine learning know-how to incorporate both anti-shake technologies — most phones can only use one or the other, and rarely combine the two.

Meanwhile…
The Pixel 2 XL has another screen issue

Complaints with Google’s Pixel 2 XL display won’t stop. While some users are experiencing premature screen burn-in and seeing a bluish tint, others are apparently having trouble with its responsiveness. Comments posted on the Pixel 2 community website have revealed that some units are having issues getting their phones to register touches near the edges of the screen.

Russia’s social media disruption campaign was far-reaching.
Russian Twitter accounts tried to influence the UK’s EU departure

Russia’s attempt to influence Western politics through Twitter certainly wasn’t limited to the 2016 American elections. Findings like this could be crucial to an official investigation into Russian influence over Brexit — and also underscore how easy it can be to mount a modern propaganda campaign. An international audience can now be targeted with minimal effort.

Can high-tech sports science solve MMA’s injury problem?
The UFC’s big bet to keep fighters fighting

MMA’s authentic brutality has long been both a key selling point and criticism. Damage to the body is a byproduct of every sport, but in MMA, harming your opponent is the entire point. When athletes pull out of one of the UFC’s 500 or so annual fights, it’s not enough for the promoter to simply find a willing replacement. Fight cards are both soap opera and athletic contest: A fight that captures the fan’s imagination can mean the difference between a million viewers paying for the live action versus 100,000.

The issue has plagued MMA for years. Can its biggest promoter keep athletes fit enough to maintain bankable stars with lengthy careers and regular fights? To find an answer, the UFC is turning to technology.

But wait, there’s more…

• Internet giant Alibaba crushes one-day online shopping record
• Qualcomm plans to reject Broadcom’s takeover bid
• Recommended Reading: Trust your gut
• Netflix’s comic books are a preview of potential franchises
• Google study shows how your account is most likely to be hijacked

Anti-sex trafficking law could unintentionally cripple Wikipedia

After historically opposing changes to the Communications Decency Act’s Section 230, web giants came out in favor of a proposed amendment to the law, which would punish a website for knowingly facilitating sexual exploitation. But, unlike the Internet Association (which includes Amazon, Google, and Facebook), Wikipedia stands opposed to the provision. Mainly, it’s worried about the negative impact the broad-brush legislation may have on the little guy. In a Medium post, the Wikemedia Foundation’s legal fellow Leighanna Mixter claims the the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA) could threaten its entire existence — which may be overstressing it.

Currently making its way through Congress, SESTA would amend section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA), which protects internet companies from liability for user-created content that may end up on their sites. Opponents of the bill, like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), claim it could cripple small-scale websites and stifle innovation by opening the litigation floodgates.

Mixter points to three principles in the bill that are crucial to Wikipedia. Firstly, CDA 230 keeps sites safe by encouraging content-hosting, in exchange for the removal of “problematic” material. SESTA, Mixter writes, adds vague language that “expands liability for ‘knowing’ support of certain criminal activity,” that could result in sites unintentionally landing in trouble. Mixter claims that the ambiguous wording around “knowing” must include “clear guidelines” that don’t accidentally trigger liability.

Second, SESTA also permits states to hold sites liable, requiring websites to navigate 50 potentially different standards, instead of the single standard currently imposed by the Section 230 federal law. Doing so, claims Mixter, would put a huge burden on smaller outfits (like the Wikimedia Foundation).

Finally, the post expands upon EFF’s points about the increased lawsuits that may abound from the bill. When “plaintiffs target online speech, they often go after the website, not the speaker,” which can prove less troublesome and more lucrative. The shield provided by CDA 230 remains crucial for websites more than 20 years after the law’s creation, claims Mixter. Even if the lawsuits are “meritless,” getting them dismissed “demands significant time and resources,” she writes.

Ultimately, Wikimedia is urging Congress to consider SESTA’s impact on small businesses alongside the tech titans. The same small businesses that don’t have the revenue or resources to battle lawsuits, or the algorithms to clean up their sites.

Source: Wikimedia Foundation (Medium)

Apple Approves ‘Notch Remover’ App for iPhone X

Apple appears to have made an exception to its rule that developers “embrace the notch” on the iPhone X, by approving an app called Notch Remover for the App Store.

Essentially, all the app does is add a black bar across the top of selected images that the user can then manually assign as a wallpaper in iOS Settings.

The result conceals the existence of the notch and the adjacent “ears” with what looks like a solid black status bar along the top of the lock screen and home screen.

The one-trick nature of the app is unlikely to have been overlooked by Apple and approved in error, suggesting that the company doesn’t interpret its function as a violation of iPhone X developer guidelines.

Don’t mask or call special attention to key display features. Don’t attempt to hide the device’s rounded corners, sensor housing, or indicator for accessing the Home screen by placing black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.

The notch houses Apple’s TrueDepth camera and Face ID technology, but it eats into the viewing area of the OLED display. Its existence has divided Apple fans, but many iPhone X owners say that they don’t really notice it after a few days or even just a few hours with the device, after which it ceases to be an issue for them.

Still, if the notch just isn’t your thing, Notch Remover offers to mitigate the screen intrusion for just $0.99.

Related Roundup: iPhone XBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
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YouTube iOS App Causing Battery Drain, Overheating Issues for Some Users

YouTube has confirmed it is working to resolve a bug in its mobile app that causes significant battery drain on Apple devices, even when the app is running in the background.

First picked up by tech blog PiunikaWeb, the issue has been noted by several users on social media and appears to be affecting devices running iOS 11.1.1.

Image via PiunikaWeb
In addition to battery drain, some iPhone users have reported that the YouTube app is causing their device to run much hotter than usual when watching videos, although the two issues don’t seem to occur together in every case.

Hi there! Appreciate the report, this is something we’re actively working on. Thanks for your patience.

— Team YouTube (@TeamYouTube) November 12, 2017

YouTube says it is aware of the problem and is “actively working” to come up with a fix for inclusion in the next update to the app, although no timeframe was given. In the meantime, affected users are advised to watch YouTube videos in their browser of choice.

Tag: YouTube
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