July 2018 security patch now rolling out for Pixel and Nexus devices

The Pixel 2 and 2 XL get improved Wi-Fi performance with this patch.

Another month, another security patch. On July 2, Google officially started pushing out the July 2018 Android security patch for its Pixel and Nexus devices.

Both the factory images and OTA files are live right now, meaning you can already flash the patch to your phone if you don’t feel like waiting for the over-the-air update to hit your phone.

This patch level officially comes in as the July 5, 2018, one, and looking specifically at the Pixel 2 and 2 XL, Google notes that there’s “improved consistency of Wi-Fi connections with certain routers.”

Along with the new security patch for folks running Oreo, those that decided to jump the gun to the Android P beta also got an update to Beta 3 / Developer Preview 4 today.

Android P Beta 3 (Dev Preview 4) released for Pixels with stability fixes, July security patch

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

• Pixel 2 FAQ: Everything you need to know!
• Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL review: The new standard
• Google Pixel 2 specs
• Google Pixel 2 vs. Pixel 2 XL: What’s the difference?
• Join our Pixel 2 forums

Best Buy
Verizon
Google Store
Project Fi

Deal: Get up to a 256GB microSD card w/ Galaxy S9, S9+, or Note 8 purchase

The offer is only valid at Samsung’s website through July 31.

Even though the Galaxy S9 is a few months old at this point, it’s still absolutely worth picking up. If you’ve been thinking about finally getting one for yourself, Samsung’s now giving away a free microSD card to double the included storage of the model you choose.

The size of the microSD card you get changes based on which storage configuration you choose for the S9. Samsung’s website has three variants to choose from (64GB, 128GB, and 256GB), and whatever one you pick, that’ll be the size of your free card.

Along with the regular S9, this deal is also valid for the Galaxy S9+ and Galaxy Note 8 (max 64GB card for the Note 8).

Samsung’s running this promotion now through July 31, and after completing your purchase, you’ll have until August 7 to redeem your offer. Once you do that, the microSD card should arrive in 6-8 weeks after you bought your phone.

This isn’t quite as exciting as the MoviePass deal that was being offered right before this, but even so, you won’t ever find me complaining about free things.

See at Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

• Galaxy S9 and S9+: Everything you need to know!
• Galaxy S9 review: A great phone for the masses
• Complete Galaxy S9 and S9+ specs
• Galaxy S9 vs. Galaxy S8: Should you upgrade?
• Join our Galaxy S9 forums

Verizon
AT&T
T-Mobile
Sprint

Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 shown off in render with much slimmer bezels

Samsung’s new tablet is ditching the physical home button.

It’s been well over a year since the Galaxy Tab S3 was released, and at some point this year, we’re expecting Samsung to follow it up with the Tab S4. Thanks to a new render from Android Headlines, we have a pretty good idea as to what the thing will look like.

Right off the bat, one of the most notable changes from the Tab S3 is the display. The bezels have been slimmed down considerably, and along with more display area, this will also likely result in a tweaked aspect ratio now that the screen’s being stretched to cover more space.

We can see a front-facing camera at the very top with a couple other sensors (iris scanning?), and unlike all previous Galaxy Tab devices, the Tab S4 will not have a physical home button.

On the back is a single rear camera with an LED flash below it and the right side of the tablet is home to the power/lock button and volume rocker. There’s also an icon for what appears to be representing a wireless connection near the top right of the screen, hinting that the Tab S4 will get an LTE-equipped model.

The date on the lock screen shows Friday, August 24, and seeing as how IFA 2018 officially begins on August 31 with press conferences starting a few days before that, that’s likely where Samsung will officially take the wraps off this thing.

All that’s fine and dandy, but is anyone still interested in Android tablets in mid-2018? Let me know in the comments below.

I, for one, am totally OK with Chromebooks replacing Android tablets

Instagram Launches ‘You’re All Caught Up’ Feature Letting You Know When You’ve Seen All New Posts

Instagram today launched a new “You’re All Caught Up” feature, which is designed to let users know when they’ve viewed all new posts from the last 48 hours.

Instagram has not used a chronological feed for several years now and it can be difficult to tell when all content has been viewed, something the new feature, which has been in testing since mid-May, should fix.

Today, you’ll start noticing a “You’re All Caught Up” message when you’ve seen every post from the last two days. We’ve heard that it can be difficult to keep track of your seen posts. With this message, you’ll have a better understanding of your Feed and know you haven’t missed recent photos or videos.

Below the “All Caught Up” message, Instagram will display posts that have already been viewed as well as posts that are older than two days old. The feature is rolling out on both iOS and Android starting today.

In related news, TechCrunch says Instagram and Facebook are testing new Do Not Disturb features that will let people turn off notifications from the social networks for 30 minutes, one hour, two hours, eight hours, one day, or until they’re turned back on manually.

Instagram and Facebook declined to comment on the possible new feature, and it’s not clear when it might roll out.

Instagram can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tag: Instagram
Discuss this article in our forums

How to Create and Use Memoji in iOS 12

In iOS 11, Apple introduced animated emoji characters called Animoji, which are designed to mimic your facial expressions. In iOS 12, Animoji have grown to encompass Memoji, which are customizable humanoid Animoji characters that you can design to look just like you.

Memoji can do all of the same things that Animoji can, mimicking your facial expressions to allow for cute videos, photos, and interactions with friends and family. In iOS 12, you can also use Memoji and Animoji in photos through the Messages camera and in live FaceTime chats.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.

Making a Memoji

Animoji live in the Messages app, so creating a Memoji is also done in Messages.

Open up the Messages app.
Choose a conversation.
Tap on Animoji Messages app from the Messages app bar, which looks like a little monkey.
Scroll all the way to the right until you see the “+” button and tap it.

Customizing Your Memoji

Memoji start out as a blank face, and it’s up to you to customize it to look like you. The Memoji interface will open up to a display that lets you choose skin tone to begin with. Tapping buttons and sliders will let you customize features and choose options like freckles or no freckles.

To move on from skin tone to other features, tap the labels at the top, cycling through Hairstyle, Head Shape, Eyes, Brows, Nose & Lips, Ears, Facial Hair, Eyewear, and Headwear.

During this entire process, your Memoji is active so you can see what all of the features look like when animated. Sometimes it will pause when changing a feature, but you can resume the animation by tapping on the Memoji.

There are dozens of facial feature options and accessories to choose from when creating a Memoji, allowing for many different looks.

When your Memoji is all finished, just tap “Done” in the upper right hand corner.

You can save as many Memoji as you want, so you can make Memoji for yourself, your friends, family, celebrities, characters, and more.

Editing and Deleting Memoji

You can edit an already-created Memoji or delete a Memoji at any time.

Open up the Messages app.
Choose a conversation.
Tap on the little monkey icon in the Messages app drawer to open up the Animoji Messages app.
With a Memoji in frame, tap on the three little dots in the left hand corner.
Choose “Edit” to make changes to your Memoji, choose “Delete” to remove it, or choose “Duplicate” to use it as a base for a new Memoji.

New Animoji Features in iOS 12

In iOS 12, new facial recognition capabilities have been added that let your Animoji and Memoji mimic both your tongue sticking out and winks. All Animoji and Memoji have tongues, with some special touches like a glitter tongue for the unicorn, a green tongue for the alien, and an articulated tongue for the robot.

Recording a Memoji or Animoji Video in the Messages App

Recording a message, song, or facial expression in a video that can be sent to family and friends is done in the same way that it was done in iOS 11.

With the Animoji app open in Messages and an Animoji or Memoji selected, tap on the red record button to start recording a message. When finished, tap the red stop button, and then tap the blue up arrow to send.

Tapping on the arrow sends the Animoji or Memoji recording automatically to the person you’re conversing with.

Using a Memoji or Animoji as a Sticker

Your Memoji and Animoji can also be used as stickers if you just want to send a quick photo reaction but not a full video. To do this, make the desired face and then tap on the Animoji itself rather than the record button to create a quick little screenshot that can be sent using the blue up arrow.

If you want to use the Animoji or Memoji as a sticker to react to another message or to decorate a photo, press a finger on the Animoji and then drag it upwards into the iMessage conversation.

While the sticker is attached to your finger, you can use gestures to rotate it and resize it to get the perfect position.

Animoji in the Messages Camera and in FaceTime

iOS 12 includes a new Effects camera in both Messages and FaceTime, which includes support for Animoji and Memoji. You can use Animoji and Memoji to create photos in Messages and to entertain friends and family while in FaceTime conversations.

Animoji in the Messages Camera

Open the Messages app.
Choose a conversation.
Tap on the Camera icon that’s next to the iMessage chat bar.
Tap on the star-shaped icon in the bottom left corner.
Select the Animoji icon, which looks like a little monkey.
Choose an Animoji or Memoji and it will pop up over your face.
After applying an Animoji, tap the small “X” in above the Animoji menu to exit out of the Animoji interface. Your Animoji will still be displayed, but you will also be able to add other camera effects.
When all of your desired effects are applied, tap the photo button to snap a photo that can then be edited, marked up further, or shared.
With the Messages camera, you can add Animoji, filters, text, shapes, and stickers to your images.

Animoji in FaceTime

Initiate a FaceTime call.
After the call has started, tap on the star-shaped Effects icon.
Choose an Animoji or Memoji, tap it, and it will be displayed over your face.

As in the Messages Effects camera, tap on the “X” above the Animoji menu and you can also apply other effects while in the FaceTime call.
The person on the other end of the FaceTime call will see the Animoji and any other effects that you have applied, such as filters. You can complement your Animoji FaceTime calls with the aforementioned filters, stickers, text, and all of the other Effects camera options.

Animoji and Memoji only work with the front-facing camera in both Messages and FaceTime, because the TrueDepth camera system is required.

Memoji and Animoji Compatibility

You need a device with a TrueDepth camera system to create Memoji and Animoji. Right now, that’s only the iPhone X, but Apple is expected to launch new 2018 iPhones and iPads that include TrueDepth cameras later this year.

While it’s just the iPhone X that can be used to create and display Animoji, others can still see them in FaceTime calls (including Group FaceTime calls) and in photos created with the Messages camera.

Related Roundup: iOS 12Tags: Animoji, Memoji
Discuss this article in our forums

Some Third-Party Email Apps Like Edison Let Employees Read User Emails

Some third-party email providers that work with services like Gmail are letting their employees read customer emails to create new and optimized software tools, according to an article warning about third-party email apps and services published today by The Wall Street Journal.

Return Path, a service for email marketers that has 163 app partners, two years ago allowed its employees to read approximately 8,000 full customer emails to train the company’s software.

Similarly, Edison Software, a company that makes the Edison Mail app for iOS, had employees read the emails of hundreds of users to craft a new “smart replies” feature.

According to The Wall Street Journal, neither company asked users for specific permission to read their emails, but have said the practice is covered in their user agreements. Employees who read the emails were governed by “strict protocols,” and in Edison’s case, user information was redacted.

Edison, Return Path, and other third-party email services also use computer scanning to analyze emails, a common practice. For its article, The Wall Street Journal interviewed over two dozen current and former employees from email and data companies.

Google no longer scans the inboxes of Gmail users itself as of last year for privacy reasons, but it continues to allow third-party software developers to do so. Other email services, like Yahoo and Microsoft, are similarly impacted, providing access with user consent.

Return Path, Edison, and other developers of apps that work with Gmail and similar email services don’t appear to have misused customer information, but many customers are likely to be concerned about the fact that employees at some email companies are reading their emails. Many customers are also likely unaware they’re consenting to such practices when signing up for a third-party email app.

In a written statement, Google said that it provides data to outside developers who have been vetted and who have been granted permission by users to access their email. Google says its own employees read emails only in “very specific cases where you ask us to and give consent, or where we need to for security purposes, such as investigating a bug or abuse.”

As The Wall Street Journal points out, customers should be wary of email apps because Google does not have strong consumer protections in place when it comes to email. It’s a simple process to build an app that connects to Gmail accounts, and with permission to access the Gmail inbox granted, a developer can see the entire contents of the inbox. It’s not just large corporations that are able to get to this data – Google also gives permission to one-person startups, and data privacy protections can vary.

Customers concerned with how their emails are handled by third-party apps should stick with first-party apps such as Gmail or Inbox by Gmail for Gmail users and/or take a close look at the app’s privacy policies and ask further questions about data usage.
Discuss this article in our forums

OnePlus 6 review: The best value smartphone of 2018

OnePlus’ creed has always been to deliver smartphones packing the latest technology at an affordable price. When the OnePlus One came out in 2014, it quickly became a wild success.

It was a hard-edged phone with a backside covered in sandpaper. It offered high-end components and the freedom for nerds to tinker around with the phone’s software.

Four years later, the Chinese indie brand has unveiled the OnePlus 6, and it’s the company’s most mature phone to date. Yes, it costs nearly double than what the OnePlus One use to, but the company has evolved a great deal and with this model, I believe it has completed its transition to the big league.

Don’t Miss

• Avengers-themed OnePlus 6 confirmed, but it won’t come to the US
• OnePlus’ latest design choice is leaving fans frustrated
• Hot Take: OnePlus 6 (Podcast)

It’s a stellar piece of technology that looks and feels like a million bucks. And the best part is, it won’t burn through your savings like the iPhone X. Instead, OnePlus has managed to once again keep prices relatively low (compared to the competition), so the OnePlus 6 starts at $529 for the 6GB RAM and 64GB storage model.

So if you’re on the market for a phone right now that doesn’t compromise on specs and features, the OnePlus 6 is one of the best options you have available at this point.

Not 100% sure you want to jump on board yet? Keep reading below for more details on OnePlus’ latest flagship.

Design

Much of the OnePlus 6’s appeal comes from the fact that it now sports a completely new build and design. This year, OnePlus abandoned the aluminum back of its previous phones in favor of glass, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 to be more precise. Which now covers the back and front of the device. Despite the change, the phone does retain the slight palm-curved shape of earlier models.

As far as I’m concerned, the OnePlus 6 looks stunning and feels really premium, but the all-glass design might feel a bit overused to some. After all phones like the LG G7 ThinQ, Galaxy S9 and others also adhere to the same current.

OnePlus has also incorporated other trendy design details into the new flagship. Yes, there’s a notch on the 6.28-inch Optic AMOLED display, but if you’re not a fan of that don’t fret. The company gives you the option to easily hide the notch from settings.

Now, if you were to hold the OnePlus 6 next to the 5T you’ll immediately notice that screen real estate on the former is bigger. It’s grown from 6-inches to 6.3-inches, leading to a slight increase in thickness (0.4mm) and weight (14g). Though the newcomer has shrunk a bit in width.

Display

The display itself is still excellent, although there are no major upgrades to speak of. The resolution is the same FHD+ or 2,280 x 1,080, and the AMOLED display continues to offer bright, sharp and vivid colors, with great viewing angles.

Like on its predecessor, users can choose between a number of different screen calibrations including default, sRGB, DCI-P3 and Adaptive.

The only area where I found myself wishing the OnePlus 6 would be better sunlight readability. It’s summer here and days are super-sunny. On most occasions I was forced to shield the screen with my palm in order to be able to read something.

The back of the OnePlus 6 looks quite reminiscent of the Galaxy S9+. Both devices have a vertically stacked, centrally arranged dual-rear cameras and a candy bar-shaped fingerprint scanner below. Which is super fast, although I’m not such a big fan about the shape. I prefer circular.

This is quite a departure from the OnePlus 5T that had a horizontally-aligned dual camera located in the top-left corner and a circular fingerprint reader position centrally.

As you would expect, though, from a phone with such a glossy finish, it’s a dust and fingerprint magnet. On the bright side, I found it to be less slippery than the OnePlus 5T.

In any case, you can easily slap a case on the back of the phone. I particularly liked the rugged Bumper case OnePlus provided in the box with the phone. It’s very stylish in nylon and gives your device the soft feel of fabric.

Other details

There’s been a switch-up in other classic OnePlus design elements too. For example, the iconic alert slider has been moved to sit on the top right side. Regrettably, it’s a bit stiff and requires a firm grip on the phone to slide. But that’s just a minor detail.

Beneath it sits the power button. On the left side, you get a volume rocker and the phone’s dual SIM card slot. At the bottom edge resides the USB Type-C connector, 3.5mm audio jack port and a sole speaker.

Like on the 5T, the speaker is pretty basic, albeit it being enhanced by Dirac. You won’t find here a dual speaker setup or anything fancy like special audio chambers. If you’re an audiophile, you will have to look somewhere else. Perhaps in the direction of the LG V30 family.

We should also note at this point that the phone is water resistant for “everyday use”, but does not carry an “official” IP67/IP68 rating.

Performance

The OnePlus 6 is as good as any flagship launched in 2018. It includes Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line Snapdragon 845 in combination with 6GB or 8GB of RAM. For the first time, the company is offering a 256GB storage option, alongside the 64GB and 128GB one.

This means that the phone is really fast and responsive, and games load quickly and reliably with minimal stutter or frame dropping. I’ve been using the device for a few weeks and I can’t say I’ve experienced any odd occurrences or random freezes. Our review variant has the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage configuration.

On top of the pure power radiating from under the hood, the OnePlus 6 also gets the new capability to support two LTE connections simultaneously.

Battery-wise, the OnePlus 6 is a winner. It still retains the same 3,300 mAh juice box of the OnePlus 5T, but it lasts just as long, in some occasions even longer!

For example, I fully charged my phone Sunday morning and on Monday morning I still had 55% left.

Yet, despite having a glass rear, the OnePlus 6 does not support wireless charging. Fortunately, it has Dash Charge which can take you from around 27% to 100% in an hour or so. However, I should note that Dash Charge is proprietary, so it won’t work with another USB-C cable. You must use the one that OnePlus provided.

Camera

The camera performance was one of my main complains when I reviewed the OnePlus 5T. I hoped OnePlus would address the issue with the OnePlus 6 and it did.

Yeah, the camera it’s still not as good as the Pixel 2’s or Huawei’s fancy P20 Pro, but it’s definitely a step up in the right direction.

You might not believe this looking at the bare specs. On paper, the dual-cameras on the back are pretty much identical to the previous model. There’s the same 20-megapixel + 16-megapixel with f/1.7 combination. BUT, and there’s a big but, the main camera now has a 19% larger sensor.

Which means the sensor is capable of capturing more light, which in turn translates into being able to take better low-light pictures. Oh, and we also get optical image stabilization.

When compared to the OnePlus 5T, the OnePlus 6 is able to pick up more of the finer details, even in poorly lit environments. Sure, things aren’t amazingly sharp in low-light, but you will certainly be able to notice the improvements. Even as it falls behind phones with larger sensors and wider aperture like the beastly Huawei P20 Pro, the OnePlus 6 can take a decent bar or concert picture.

Where the OnePlus 6 shines is in daylight photography, with Portraits looking particularly remarkable.

No zoom

With zoom

Sure, there’s still work to be done. For instance, the second camera is only there to add depth data for the phone’s blurred background portrait mode. Which granted, works pretty well. Yet, the sensor doesn’t bring anything extra like optical zoom or the ability to capture monochrome images.

OnePlus has also added a new slow-mo video mode which lets you shoot 720p video at 480fps or 1080p at 240fps. You can also shoot video in 4K resolution at 60fps with OIS enabled, which is pretty sweet.

The selfie-camera remains a 16-megapixel sensor, but it seems to be able to take sharper selfies, as least as far as I can tell. A new selfie Portrait mode was also recently added via a software update.

Software

The OnePlus 6 comes running the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system, Android 8.1 Oreo with OxygenOS on top. Like always, you’ll get a smooth and clean experience, with only a handful pre-installed apps. Obviously, OnePlus has included a few software tweaks of its own.

For example, a new gesture control system can replace the familiar Android on-screen nav button triad with an iPhone-X like swipe system. Which, unfortunately, need more perfecting because it’s often times unreliable and frustrating to use.

Other features you’ll find on board the OnePlus 6:

• OnePlus’ home screen Shelf – lets you write a quick memo or view recent contacts and apps.
• Gaming Mode 2.0 – kicks in a do-not-disturb mode while gaming, but also boosts app loading speeds specifically for games. It also has improved app prioritization, so it will know to kill off apps in the background if they are affecting performance
• Reading Mode – creates a monochrome effect that’s conducive to reading.
• Schedule Do Not Disturb Mode – allows you to set up custom rules for Do Not Disturb and configure a preset time so it kicks in automatically. This way you won’t have to toggle the Alert Slider every time you go to bed in the evening.

Finally, the OnePlus 6 is one of the phones on Google’s Android P beta list, so you can give the latest version of Android a try if you buy it.

Final thoughts

With the OnePlus 6, the Chinese company has delivered a suitable successor for the OnePlus 5T. Boasting a beautiful design, top-notch specs and much-improved camera, the new flagship should definitely be on your radar if you’re on the market for a new phone.

Obviously, no phone is perfect and the OnePlus 6 is no different. It does lack a microSD card slot, waterproofing and despite having a glass back, it does not offer wireless charging. Which would have been nice.

But none of these are actually deal breakers, especially at this price. Just think about it, you’d be getting a premium glass phone with a Snapdragon 845, great display and competitive dual-camera for only $529.

If you’re not looking to spend more than $600 on the phone, then the OnePlus 6 is absolutely the best device you can get on this budget. Aside from the minimal issues we’ve outlined in this review, the OnePlus 6 is more than capable to compete head-to-head with the top flagships available on the market today. And in some respects even outdo them.

However, there’s a caveat to be taken into account before buying the OnePlus 6. It does not work on Verizon or Sprint networks. Thankfully, it works just fine with GSM carriers like T-Mobile and AT&T. So if you’re already a subscriber, you should be good to go. If not, you might want to consider switching carriers. Or, you could take a look at the alternatives. The Honor 10 View and ASUS ZenFone 5Z (which is not yet available in the US) are the closest options right now.

The OnePlus 6 is currently available in the following coloring options and configurations:

• Mirror Black with 6GB of RAM + 64GB of storage – $529.00
• Silk White with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage – $579.00
• Mirror Black with 8GB of RAM + 128GB of storage – $579.00
• Midnight Black with 8GB of RAM + 128GB of storage – $579.00
• Midnight Black with 8GB of RAM + 256GB of storage – $629.00

Buy the OnePlus 6

Xfinity Mobile will throttle streaming resolution to 480p, hot spots at 3G

Big changes are coming for Xfinity Mobile customers. The wireless carrier announced new data prioritization rules that will affect all of its subscribers. In the coming weeks, Xfinity Mobile customers may see lower streaming resolution when using cellular data and significantly slower hot spot speeds.

First up, Xfinity Mobile will lower its default streaming resolution. The company announced it is “establishing 480p as the default resolution for streaming video over cellular data on Xfinity Mobile, which is consistent with standard unlimited plans across carriers.” The change will only apply when customers are streaming video over cellular data, an important distinction since one of the benefits of Xfinity Mobile is the ability to automatically connect to the company’s huge network of Wi-Fi hot spots.

The second change unlimited users will notice is slower speeds when hotspotting. Currently, customers can stream at 4G speeds until they reach their monthly 20GB threshold. However, Xfinity Mobile announced it is “setting personal hotspotting at 3G speeds for all Unlimited customers, which will allow customers to continue to do many of the things they enjoy doing online.” These 3G speeds should allow you to do basic tasks like check email and surf the web. However, it’s not fast enough of music or video streaming.

While the change in streaming resolution will affect all Xfinity Mobile customers, only unlimited customers will notice slower speeds when using their device as a hotspot: “By the Gig” customers will continue to have the option to use 4G speeds when creating a mobile hotspot.

Xfinity Mobile plans to offer a new tier of service with streaming at 720p later in the year, details about the plan are not yet available. In the meantime, a spokesperson for Xfinity Mobile told Digital Trends that customers who wish to continue streaming at 720p can contact the carrier directly to have service re-established until the new plan is announced later in the year.

Xfinity Mobile is a regional carrier that is currently available to customers who subscribe to Xfinity Wireless service. The service combines Verizon’s cellular network along with its own robust network of Wi-Fi hot spots around the country to provide low cost service to its customers. The company currently offers a plan with unlimited talk, text, and data for $45

Editors’ Recommendations

• 28 iOS 11 tips and tricks to help you navigate Apple’s latest update with ease
• As unlimited data plans grow more popular, Wi-Fi loses its dominance
• AT&T gives wireless customers free streaming TV, fueled by Time Warner purchase
• Comcast looks to protect cable business with new deal on faster internet speeds
• Comcast gives the internet a victory, ends throttling — for now

HTC to cut a quarter of jobs after huge plunge in 2018 sales

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer HTC is set to cut a massive 1,500 jobs from its manufacturing units in Taiwan, following an enormous drop in sales for the company.

The job losses would amount to almost a quarter of HTC’s 6,450-strong workforce currently employed, and comes after Google bought a select team of 2,000 engineers from HTC for a staggering $1.1 billion back in January. Despite the large cash injection into the company, it seems that HTC’s losses simply still aren’t sustainable, and HTC reported a decline of 46.7 percent in March sales, and a 55.5 percent drop in sales for April 2018, compared year-on-year.

We contacted HTC to confirm this news, and an HTC spokesperson confirmed the following: “Today’s reduction in manufacturing workforce announced by HTC is a decisive step in the realignment of resources across the organization, and will allow more flexible operations management. The Company will offer full assistance to those employees affected by the plan, which will be completed by the end of September. HTC continues to review its operations to ensure production resources align with key strategic initiatives, so that the Company can more effectively compete in its target markets while maintaining its innovative edge.”

This unfortunate news doesn’t exist in a financial vacuum either. It was recently rumored that Sony Mobile would be pulling out of specific regions in order to focus on core markets, while LG — another previously ascendant smartphone creator — announced in February that it would be pulling out of the Chinese market. In the wider market, the mobile industry is becoming an exceptionally difficult place to make it as a mobile brand. The IDC’s report on the first quarter of 2018 showed that the top three manufacturers — Samsung, Apple, and Huawei — comprised over 50 percent of the entire market. Even worse, each of those companies has it’s own very specific niche within that market, making it tough for any other company to exist in the same space. For someone like HTC, which once sold one in every 10 smartphones sold globally, this must be an exceptionally bitter pill to swallow.

As if that wasn’t enough, it’s also become clear that the global smartphone market is starting to plateau, with further growth only really now possible in areas that haven’t previously bought as many smartphones. With smartphone saturation pretty much reached in the west, smaller manufacturers are having to convince phone owners to abandon their existing brand and move to a new one — something neatly encapsulated by LG’s recent advertising campaign.

Updated on July 2: We’ve added HTC’s official comment to our story.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Slow Chinese sales signal slump in global smartphone shipments
• Debating between Apple and Samsung phones? Open your eyes a little wider
• The European phone market declined sharply at the start of 2018
• Here’s our comparison of the most bezel-less designs among smartphones
• Save up to $790 with the best smartphone deals for June 2018

Despite promising to stop sharing your data, Facebook continues to do so

As part of its response to inquiries made by the congressional House Energy and Commerce Committee, Facebook revealed that despite saying it stopped the practice of data sharing with other companies in 2015, it continued to share the personal information of its users with major technology companies. Facebook delivered its response in the form of a 747-page document to Congress on June 29, revealing that it continued to share data from its users with 61 technology firms despite previous claims to the contrary.

The technology companies that Facebook continued to share data with include software and hardware companies like AOL, which is now part of Verizon, dating app Hinge, and even the United Parcel Service (UPS). The problem is that the data sharing occurred without the knowledge or consent of social media users on Facebook’s network, and the information shared between the companies include the names, genders, and birth dates of the users’ friends.

Facebook claimed that it has stopped sharing information with 38 companies and sharing will stop with seven more companies by the end of this month, according to CNET. There may be up to five additional companies that could have had access to the data of users’ friends through a beta test on the network, Facebook said. Facebook also stated that it had given some of these companies a special six-month data sharing extension so that they could become compliant with Facebook’s new privacy policy.

Facebook’s response comes after it was discovered in June that the social network may have improperly shared the information from its users with large technology companies like Apple, Huawei, Lenovo, Microsoft, Samsung, and ZTE. Given that the U.S. government continues to maintain national security concerns over Huawei and ZTE over their alleged ties to the Chinese government, the scandal also drew attention from lawmakers and the public.

Facebook’s 747-page document submitted to Congress was compiled as a result of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s initial testimony in front of legislators in April after news broke of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal. Privacy became a hot topic as lawmakers became concerned after learning that the now-defunct political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica, which had worked on the campaign of President Donald Trump, may have accessed the information of up 87 million users on Facebook’s network. During his testimony, Zuckerberg promised legislators that his company will deliver answers to questions that he was unable to provide answers at the time.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Could Facebook be broken up over privacy concerns?
• Facebook will offer you $40,000 to find the next Cambridge Analytica
• Here’s how to check if Facebook shared your data with Cambridge Analytica
• Facebook bans 200 apps following audit as Cambridge Analytica scandal grows
• 9 things to know about Facebook privacy and Cambridge Analytica