Apple Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over ‘Defective’ Keyboards in Recent MacBook, MacBook Pro Models
Apple has been hit with a class action lawsuit over “defective” keyboards in recent MacBook and MacBook Pro models.
The lawsuit, filed in Northern California district court, alleges that the low-profile, butterfly-switch keyboards in 2015-and-later MacBook and 2016-and-later MacBook Pro models are “prone to fail,” resulting in “non-responsive keys” and other issues, according to court documents obtained by MacRumors.
The lawsuit was filed by law firm Girard Gibbs LLP on behalf of MacBook Pro owners Zixuan Rao and Kyle Barbaro, residents of San Diego, California and Melrose, Massachusetts respectively.
The proposed class:
All persons within the United States who purchased, other than for resale, a model year 2015 or later Apple MacBook, or a model year 2016 or later MacBook Pro laptop, equipped with a “butterfly” keyboard.
The complaint notes that keys can become unresponsive when small amounts of dust or debris accumulate under or around them:
Apple’s butterfly keyboard and MacBook are produced and assembled in such a way that when minimal amounts of dust or debris accumulate under or around a key, keystrokes fail to register. […] As a result of the defect, consumers who purchased a MacBook face a constant threat of non-responsive keys and accompanying keyboard failure. When one or more of the keys on the keyboard fail, the MacBook can no longer serve its core function: typing.
The lawsuit alleges that “thousands of consumers have experienced this defect,” and highlights over 20 complaints shared by users on the Apple Support Communities, MacRumors Forums, and Reddit. The complaint also cites a Change.org petition about this issue that currently has over 22,000 signatures.
One of the comments included from a MacRumors reader in May 2015:
The C key on my new MacBook has a subtle but noticeable problem. I noticed yesterday morning that typing C wasn’t always registering. I played around with the key and discovered that pressing the top of the key registered a normal click like the rest of the keys, but pressing at the bottom of the key was mushy with no click.
The lawsuit alleges that Apple is “aware of” the keyboard issues, either through “pre-release testing,” customer complaints, or a combination of the two, but has “failed and continues to fail to disclose” the defect to customers:
Apple knew that the MacBook is defective at or before the time it began selling the affected models to the public. Complaints of keyboard failures began to come in shortly after the 2015 MacBook was launched. Despite awareness of the keyboard defect, Apple equipped future model MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops with the butterfly keyboard, and continued selling these laptops to consumers at premium prices.
Apple is said to “continuously monitor” complaints on websites like MacRumors:
Apple has been aware of these serious keyboard problems through the discussion pages hosted on Apple’s website as early as May 2015, the month after the MacBook was released. Apple continuously monitors those web pages. Apple also regularly monitors other web pages, including MacRumors, on which consumers complained about keyboard problems beginning on April 15, 2015, just five days after the MacBook came to market.
MacRumors first highlighted keyboard issues with the 2016 MacBook Pro over a year ago, including non-functional keys, strange high-pitched sounds on some keys, and keys with a non-uniform feel. The issues are back in the spotlight again after AppleInsider shared data on failure rates of the keyboards a few weeks ago.
The lawsuit acknowledges that Apple provides a support document with instructions to clean the keyboard of a MacBook or MacBook Pro with “an unresponsive key or “a key that feels different than the other keys,” but notes that the steps “do not fix the keyboard defect or prevent the keyboard from failing.”
When a customer takes their MacBook or MacBook Pro to a Genius Bar, the complaint alleges that Apple “routinely refuses to honor its warranty obligations,” or is unable to permanently fix the problem when it does.
One of the two named plaintiffs in the lawsuit:
Mr. Barbaro took his laptop to the Genius Bar on September 11, 2017. A Genius Bar technician inspected the keyboard and confirmed that the space bar and caps lock keys were unresponsive. The technician offered to send the laptop to Apple’s service depot for repairs. Mr. Barbaro sent his computer in, and after about one week, Mr. Barbaro received the repaired MacBook. He continued to use the MacBook for ordinary tasks until December 2017, when the space bar again became unresponsive in the same way as the first time his MacBook manifested the keyboard defect.
Mr. Barbaro returned to the Genius Bar to seek assistance. At the Genius Bar, a technician examined the laptop and determined that it would cost over $700 to repair the problem. The technician informed Mr. Barbaro that his warranty had expired and that he would be responsible for the full cost of the repairs. Mr. Barbaro declined to pay for the repairs. He still has the MacBook. It remains defective.
Apple is accused of, among other things, violating California’s Unfair Competition Law and Consumer Legal Remedies Act, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, and fraudulent concealment.
The complaint requests that Apple pays punitive damages in an amount to be proven at trial, publicly discloses the defect, and reimburses customers for all costs attributable to remedying or replacing defective MacBook or MacBook Pro models. A jury trial has been demanded in Northern California district court.
Our Take: Apple has yet to launch a repair program for MacBook Pro keyboard issues, either publicly or internally, suggesting that the number of customers affected might not meet its threshold for doing so. But, given the increased attention and lawsuit, Apple may feel obligated to take action soon enough.
Related Roundups: MacBook Pro, MacBookTag: lawsuitBuyer’s Guide: MacBook Pro (Don’t Buy), MacBook (Don’t Buy)
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New ‘EasyMesh’ Program Will Let You Extend Your Wi-Fi Mesh System No Matter the Brand
Wi-Fi Alliance today announced a new certification program called “EasyMesh,” which will allow users who own mesh network products to choose from devices across different brands, while still ensuring reliable Wi-Fi coverage (via PCWorld). This way, customers will no longer need to stay within a single-vendor ecosystem dictated by the brand of the hub router, and can branch out to add on access points to their network that might have better performance, or other advantages.
So with EasyMesh certified products, if you own a Linksys Velop router then you can extend coverage across your home using a Netgear Orbi access point. Right now, users can only add products onto mesh networks that work with the main network gateway. For EasyMesh, the limitation as of now is company adoption, so users will have to wait for each mesh system maker to introduce EasyMesh compatibility into their devices.
According to Wi-Fi Alliance marketing vice president Kevin Robinson, EasyMesh is implemented in software, “so there should be no need for new hardware,” which could speed up adoption rates. Still, Robinson pointed out that it will be up to each company to decide about adding EasyMesh into existing products. He also stated that companies will also be able to “differentiate their products with unique features or performance” and went on to break down the main components of EasyMesh.
“Interoperability has been core to Wi-Fi’s success,” said Wi-Fi Alliance marketing VP Kevin Robinson in an embargoed interview last week. “A standardized approach enables great economies of scale.” Robinson explained that EasyMesh has two main components: The controller and the agent.
“The controller resides in one device on the network—in either a gateway or an access point—where it controls and manages all the devices on the network and how they connect to each other. Agents are in the mesh access points, and they organize with each other and provide information to the controller about how the network is operating.”
In the announcement, the Alliance described EasyMesh as a system that will be familiar to any mesh network user. The program monitors network conditions and “self-adapts as needed,” and it can guide internet-connected devices to the optimal access point in order for the user to have the best possible connection. Of course, the main advantage is that EasyMesh accomodates Wi-Fi extending access points across various brands, making the creation of an in-home Wi-Fi network far easier.
Wi-Fi EasyMesh networks accommodate a greater selection of devices across brands and are also extensible, making it easy for users to introduce new Wi-Fi EasyMesh access points into their network. Wi-Fi EasyMesh access points today will maintain interoperability with future Wi-Fi EasyMesh networks, providing an enhanced user experience for years to come.
“Wi-Fi EasyMesh offers both service providers and Wi-Fi users a consistent approach to multiple AP solutions,” said Edgar Figueroa, president and CEO of Wi-Fi Alliance. “Wi-Fi Alliance is delivering a standardized solution to a market-leading product category enabling a strong ecosystem for interoperable, Wi-Fi CERTIFIED devices.”
Mesh networks have become increasingly popular over the last few years, thanks to their ability to easily extend Wi-Fi signals throughout a home. Some well-known brands include eero, Linksys Velop, Google Wi-Fi, Luma, and Netgear Orbi, which just announced a new 2-in-1 modem router system earlier this month.
Apple itself never offered a Wi-Fi mesh system, and the company officially got out of the router market completely in April with the discontinuation of the AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and AirPort Time Capsule. As an alternative Apple sells the tri-band Linksys Velop system on Apple.com, and the new dual-band system will be launching tomorrow, May 15, although it’s still unclear if it will also be up on Apple’s website.
Check out our full review of the dual-band Linksys Velop for more information on the company’s latest Wi-Fi product.
Tags: Linksys, eero, Orbi
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Apple’s Accessibility Efforts Highlighted in New Interviews Ahead of Global Accessibility Awareness Day
Thursday, May 17 is Global Accessibility Awareness Day, and ahead of the event CNET has spoken to individuals with disabilities, accessibility advocates, and Apple’s own director of global accessibility policy and initiatives, Sarah Herrlinger, to discuss the company’s efforts in this field.
Showing off the wheelchair workouts on Apple Watch, two-time U.S. Paralympian Austin Pruitt explained how he uses a racing wheelchair in a stationary workout routine to help him keep in shape. Pruitt has cerebral palsy from the knees down, but he continues to compete in the Paralympic Games by racing in a wheelchair, and the Apple Watch has replaced bulky trackers in his workout routines.
Photo taken by Sarah Tew via CNET
He said he used to set up a bunch of trackers on his chair to log his workouts, but now uses just an Apple Watch instead.
“This has everything,” he told me. “This has my wheelchair and my walking, all in one.”
Apple added a “Wheelchair” setting to the Apple Watch in watchOS 3, allowing the device’s activity options to be customized for wheelchair users. This means that controlling and pushing a wheelchair contributes to all-day calorie goals, “time to roll” notifications remind users when to be a bit more active, and new wheelchair-specific workouts provide customized sessions for users like Pruitt.
According to Herrlinger, accessibility updates (like the wheelchair setting in Apple Watch) are something the company tries to add into its devices every year.
“Every year we try to add in new things. We do look at how can we make it slightly better year over year,” Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s director of global accessibility policy and initiatives, said about the company’s work on its iOS and MacOS operating systems.
Other popular accessibility options on Apple products include VoiceOver on iPhone, which describes what’s on the device’s screen for visually impaired users. Apple’s home automation platform, HomeKit, is also featured on its accessibility web page since it can help a wide variety of users accomplish tasks like turning on lights, starting a coffee pot, or changing the temperature by speaking near an iOS device or HomePod.
Apple is expected to continue to celebrate and promote Global Accessibility Awareness Day throughout the week, if previous years are any indication. Around this time last year, the company highlighted the event with new “Designed for” videos, a series of interviews CEO Tim Cook gave with three accessibility activists, and a concert at One Infinite Loop where Stevie Wonder performed.
Tag: accessibility
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The Google News App fuels your interests, provides a balanced perspective
App Attack is a weekly series where we search the App Store and Google Play Store for the best apps of the week. Check out App Attack every Sunday for the latest.
At Google I/O 2018, the company announced a variety of new features to come for its Android P operating system, Google Assistant, Wear OS, and more. The tech titan also introduced its all-new Google News app, which uses artificial intelligence to bring you news from all different perspectives. Currently rolling out on Android, iOS and desktop, the Google News app replaces the Google Play Newsstand app. As for the Google News and Weather app, it has officially been removed from the Play Store, and those who have it already installed likely won’t receive any updates in the future.
With the Google News app, Google has set out to create a more informative and balanced experience for readers when consuming news. Rather than organizing news articles from various sources on the same topic, Google uses artificial intelligence algorithms to analyze news and then file it into storylines. While it provides you with a customized newsfeed based on your interests, there are also sections of the app that present an unfiltered view of current events.
As someone who uses an iPhone as my default smartphone, I rely on the Apple News app everyday to catch up on what’s going on. But I find myself scrolling past most stories because I’m not interested in reading them. Even though the app presents me with publications that I often read, they’re all based on ones I chose myself when I first downloaded the app, and have continued to add to since then. While it’s tailored to my interests, I’m only provided with stories Apple News thinks I want to read because they’re from sites that I favorited.
With Google’s news app, I found it useful that you don’t have to go through the process of having to customize it. This is especially appealing to me, since it took me a while to set up my Apple News app because I didn’t have time to sit there and think of every publication I normally read on a daily basis. The more you use Google News, the smarter it gets at curating content specifically for you.
“If you load it up out of the box with nothing in it you’ll get an experience which you can begin to customize. In terms of how it works out of the box for a logged in user, we use your activity from your Google account,” Trystan Upstill, Google News Engineering and Product Lead told Digital Trends.
As soon as I opened Google News, I found myself wanting to click on all the stories on my feed. Of course, since it’s linked to my Google account it makes sense that topics I’ve either read about in Chrome or typed into the Google search bar show up. But it makes the experience of keeping up with all of my interests that much easier, especially since I don’t track them on my own. You’re also able to customize your feed even further, by either hiding specific publications or “liking” and “disliking” stories that are similar to the ones the app is pulling up. Under the Favorites tab, you can add additional sources, topics, and also save stories to read later on.
Its interface is also clean and organized — I didn’t feel like there were tons of stories being thrown my direction. At the top, there’s a briefing of the top five stories chosen for you. As you continue to scroll, it provides you with a mix of stories based on your interests, whether it’s technology, pop culture, or sports. Some sections are also separated by topic and by publication. Scrolling through also felt fluid, with each story stacked on top of one another rather than cluttered right next to each other.
With its Newscasts format, each story has either an image or video playing above it to give you a better preview of what you’re going to read. But through your settings, you can also choose to toggle on “Mini cards,” which turns the format off and lists the stories with smaller sized images and videos to the right of the headline — making it look more minimalistic.
Under each story, you can tap on the “Full Coverage” icon — which allows you to gain an even deeper perspective if reading the article isn’t enough. This was one of my favorite features, since I often Google further details on a specific story to see what other people are saying about it. With Full Coverage, you don’t even have to leave the app — you’re able to see other sources reporting the story, what people are tweeting about it, videos from YouTube, opinion pieces, and even frequently asked questions on the topic.
But Google also pinpointed a problem most people might have when consuming news from social media or other apps: allowing us to fully tailor to our interests enables us to have one-sided views. With the Headlines tab, everyone using the app is exposed to the exact same stories regardless of whether it’s what you want to read about.
As someone who mainly sticks to pop culture and tech news, I’ll admit I tend to shy away from diving into current events that have to do with topics like business and politics, but that’s mainly because there’s so much news out there that I’m not sure where to start. But the Headlines feature does all the work for you, even separating it by a wide range of topics. Knowing I didn’t have to do much work, I found myself checking the tap often to make sure I was keeping up with what everyone else was reading too.
The Newsstands tab (which is where Google incorporated its original Google Play Newsstand app) also allows you to discover even more publications to favorite. For titles with a paywall, you can easily subscribe as long you’re signed into your Google account using Google Pay — which means you don’t have to fill out additional forms or credit card information. You’ll also be able to access paid content across all platforms, devices, and the publisher’s own site without having to enter any login information. While I don’t subscribe to any specific publications, this tab is useful for finding sources to follow that I otherwise wouldn’t be exposed to. It’s a great resource if you want to expand the list of titles you follow.
The redesigned Google News app is slowly rolling out, but it should be available to all by next week.
Editors’ Recommendations
- Google News receives a major overhaul, replaces Google Play Newsstand
- A.I. and Google News: The push to broaden perspectives
- Keep up-to-date with the best news apps on iPhone and Android
- Google Tasks’ refreshing design will motivate you to complete your to-do lists
- With developer program, Google Photos is about to become a lot more versatile
The best Moto G6 Play cases to keep your budget phone protected
Moto G6 Play Julian Chokkattu / Digital Trends
With a 5.7-inch screen, bezel-less design, and smooth performance, the Moto G6 Play is a great new option for anyone who wants a lot of phone without spending a lot of money. But just because a phone comes from the budget end of the market doesn’t mean it’s not worthy of protection. On the contrary, a protective case can make sure that your phone makes it all the way to your next upgrade, or even beyond.
Regardless of whether you’re after a simple gel case, or a rugged protective cover, we’ve scoured the market to find the best Moto G6 Play cases you can buy to keep your phone moto-ring on.
Avidet Shock-Absorbent Clear Case ($8)
Sometimes the simplest option is the best option, and a clear gel case is a great choice for anyone who wants a compromise between protection and still being able to show off their new phone’s design. Avidet’s clear case is made from the soft material TPU — since TPU is flexible and yielding, it’s great at absorbing shocks from drops and bumps, while also being resistant to other hazards. That soft surface also aids in grip on your phone, keeping it in your hand, and it should be durable enough to last for the entire lifetime of your G6 Play. Best of all, it’s completely clear, so you can show off the style of your new device.
Buy one now from:
Amazon
Skinomi Brushed Aluminum Skin ($16)
Phone cases aren’t for everyone. But that doesn’t mean you have to leave your phone naked to the elements. While a skin won’t be as protective as a case, it will still provide some protection against scratches and other hazards that could mar the polymer glass of your G6 Play. Skinomi‘s skins are a great way to lend an extra layer of style to your phone, and also provide some protection that’s so thin you forget it’s there. We’ve chosen to highlight the Brushed Aluminum skin, but there’s a huge range of other skins available, including Carbon Fiber, Light Wood, and Brushed Steel. Best of all, Skinomi’s skins all come with a free film screen protector, so you can extend that scratch resistance all the way around your new phone.
Buy one now from:
Skinomi Amazon
Kqimi Ultrathin Hard Case ($12)
Looking for a more stylish statement from your case? This ultrathin hard case from Kqimi helps to provide a little extra style to complement your Moto G6 Play. You’ll find a wide variety of colors to match whichever model you bought — and even a couple of variants with a rough, sand-like texture for extra grip. But they’re not all style and no substance either, as they’re made from hard polycarbonate (PC) that’s resistant to scratches and bumps. Due to its rigid qualities, it won’t be as drop-resistant as a softer TPU case would be, but it still provides great protection against a variety of threats. Unfortunately, there are no button covers or coverage at the top and bottom of the phone, but this is still a great choice if the style appeals.
Buy one now from:
Amazon
Dretal Rugged TPU Case ($8)
Finding a compromise between protection and good looks can be a struggle when looking to find a case that complements your phone, but we think the futuristic style of this Dretal case will appeal to many. Made from — you guessed it — TPU, you’ll find a good amount of durability and drop-resistance in this case. Each corner has its own “airbag” system to further increase drop protection, and it also has a slightly raised edge around the camera that elevates your phone from surfaces to guard against scratches from dirt and grit. Finally, it looks good, with a combination of a brushed metal texture and carbon fiber-style panels at either end of the case.
Buy one now from:
Amazon
Olixar ArmourDillo Protective Case ($12)
Sometimes you just need as much protection as you can get, and Olixar‘s Armadillo provides that, along with a little extra utility. An inner core of TPU protects against shocks, drops, and bumps, while the outer shell of PC helps against more direct threats, as well as providing a solid backbone for the phone. A raised bezel helps to keep your phone elevated from surfaces, while the tough and rugged design aids grip. It doesn’t end there either — the back of the case also houses a handy horizontal kickstand, perfect for watching videos while on the move, or providing a stable platform for your phone.
Buy one now from:
Mobile Fun
Editors’ Recommendations
- Moto G6 vs. Moto G6 Play: Is the G6 worth the extra cash?
- The best Moto E5 Plus cases to keep your budget phone beautiful
- The best Motorola Moto G6 cases to keep your Moto motoring on
- Moto G6 vs. Moto G5: Is it time to crown a new budget king?
- The best LG G7 ThinQ cases to keep your LG phone looking new
Save up to $90 on select Amazon Key bundle configurations
Embrace the future of in-home deliveries.
Amazon currently has select Amazon Key configurations on sale for a limited time. The minimum discount is $69.99, though some of them are discounted by up to $89.99. With this price drop, the base kit goes from $290 down to $219.99, and when you pair that with the recent feature additions to the service, it makes for quite a compelling offer.
You’ll have to build your kit and add it to your cart to see the final discount. They all come with Amazon’s Cloud Cam (Key Edition) and then you can pick between a couple of Kwikset and Yale smart locks. The locks come in a few different color options as well, so be sure to pick the one that matches your home the best.
Amazon recently increased the number of lock options from three to eight and added a number of other great features as well. Non-Prime members can now use it, and guest codes can be set to let people inside your home without a key. These codes can expire once used, making it easier to let in your house cleaner, dog walker, children and more.
If you’ve been considering one of these kits, now’s the time to buy.
See at Amazon
Google Assistant: Everything you need to know
There’s a lot going on with the Google Assistant — let’s break down the important stuff.
In May 2016, we got our very first taste of the Google Assistant with the debut of Allo. The Assistant was a big draw to Allo at the time, with Google marketing it as a helpful bot that could make restaurant reservations, search the web, and more within your conversations.
Since then, the Assistant has gained heaps of new features and expanded to smartphones, tablets, speakers, and more. Google’s shown no interest in slowing down development for the Assistant, meaning that it’s likely here for the long-haul.
Whether this is your first encounter with it or you just need a quick refresher, here’s everything you need to know about the Google Assistant.
May 9, 2018 — Google announced a heap of new features at I/O
To little surprise, the Google Assistant was the star of the show for a good chunk of I/O’s opening keynote this year.
A lot of new features were announced for the Assistant, including new voices, the ability to ask follow-up questions without having to say “Hey, Google” each time, and an option for making your own custom Routines.
However, the most exciting thing was a system called Google Duplex. With this, the Assistant can call businesses and make appointments/reservations on your behalf. It’s wickedly cool and definitely one of the wildest things to come out of this year’s conference.
What’s new in Google Home and Assistant at Google I/O 2018
Google Now paved the way for Google Assistant
The Google Now page compared to the new Google Feed.
Before there was the Google Assistant, we had Google Now. Google Now was introduced to the world all the way back in 2012, offering contextual info through the Google Now page and helpful answers to random questions with an “OK Google” voice command.
A lot of what made Google Now so great can still be found in the Google Assistant today, with the exception of the Google Now page. The Google Now page used to be home to cards showcasing the weather, information on packages that had shipped from online orders, boarding passes, and more. It’s since been replaced by the Google Feed – a collection of news stories Google thinks you’ll be interested in – and it’s definitely the biggest departure between the two services.
The Google Assistant as a whole is still more powerful than Google Now ever was, but long-time Android users like myself are still mourning the loss of that Now page. RIP, old friend.
Read more: Google Now is being left to wither and die as Google Assistant takes the focus
It’s available on just about everything
In just a few short years, the Google Assistant’s gone from being exclusive to a now-failed chat app to being integrated into just about anything you can think of.
You’ll find Google Assistant built right into most Android phones, it’s the star of the show for the Google Home lineup, and it’s even making its way into sound bars.
Here’s the full list of devices with Google Assistant
Setting up the Google Assistant is as easy or complex as you want
When you set up a device for the first time that has the Assistant, getting started is pretty simple. Accessing it is just a voice command or tap away depending on what gadget you’re using, but if you want to really fine-tune your experience, Google’s got you covered.
Take a quick dive into your Assistant settings and you’ll find options for just about everything – including your weather preferences, changing the Assistant’s voice, retraining your voice model, picking out preferred news sources, and much more.
Let Tom walk you through everything with his full guide
Google Home’s the premier way to get the Assistant in your house (at least for now)
It’s great to have the Google Assistant on your phone, but if you want to truly experience just how helpful it can be, you’ll want to consider picking up a Google Home.
Google Home is Google’s line of smart speakers that put the Assistant on full-display, allowing you to control smart devices, ask random questions, set timers, play music, and more by just using your voice.
You can spend as little as $49 for the Google Home Mini, $129 for the original Google Home, or a whopping $399 for the Google Home Max.
However, as great as the Home series is, don’t forget that Smart Displays are just on the horizon.
Announced at CES 2018, Smart Displays are essentially smart speakers with the Google Assistant and a touch screen display that can show you helpful visuals when talking to them. It’s basically Google’s answer to the Amazon Echo Show and Echo Spot, and we can’t wait to see more from them.
Everything you need to know about Google’s Home speakers
Then again, is an always-listening speaker the right fit for your home?
However, the convenience of a Google Home (or any smart speaker for that matter) does come at the cost of privacy. Speakers like the Google Home are “always listening”, meaning they’re constantly on the lookout for a hot word to know when you’re talking to it (such as “Ok, Google” and “Hey, Google”).
This means the microphone on a Google Home is always active, but it’s not necessarily storing all the audio it hears when it doesn’t detect its hot word.
Most all speakers allow you to restore some privacy by being able to mute the microphone, but if you want to start asking the Assistant questions, you’ll need to unmute it first.
To learn more about these “always listening” speakers, I’ll pass the mic over to Jerry
Big upgrades are coming to the Assistant on Wear OS
Switching gears for a second, the Google Assistant on Wear OS (formerly Android Wear) is about to get a big upgrade.
In the near future, the Assistant on Wear OS will support Assistant Actions (basically apps for the Assistant) and give you the option to hear its responses through your watch’s speaker or a pair of connected Bluetooth headphones.
Along with this, Google will be adding something called “smart suggestions.” After asking the Assistant for the weather, for example, you’ll see little bubbles for “weather tonight”, “use celsius”, and more so you can continue the conversation with just the tap of your finger. Google Assistant on Android offers something similar, and it’s a great tool to have.
IFTTT supercharges the Assistant’s usefulness
IFTTT (If This Then That) is a powerful online tool that allows you trigger something (that) if a certain event (this) happens. You can connect IFTTT to the Google Assistant to create your own recipes using this formula, and it can allow for some incredibly helpful combinations.
Some of our favorite uses for IFTTT and the Assistant include adding contacts to your Google account, setting your Google Calendar status to Busy for a certain period of time, and much, much more.
Getting started with IFTTT can take some time and patience if you’re new to it, but once you’re all set up and ready to go, it can prove to be a lifesaver.
How to connect Google Home and IFTTT to do amazing things with your connected tech
You’ll get the same experience no matter what devices you use
With so many devices capable of running the Assistant, it’d be easy to think that the experience you get on one gadget would be different from another. This is something that Google struggled with for a while at first, but we’re finally in a position where the Assistant experience you get on a smart speaker, for example, is the same you’ll get on your phone.
There are a handful of features here and there that still create for some discrepency, but for the most part, the Assistant you use on your Pixel 2 is the same one found on Google Home.
Google Home and Google Assistant finally offer the same experience
Do you think you’ll get the OnePlus 6?
The phone will be here in just a couple days.
On May 16, we’ll finally be able to stop with rumors and leaks to officially feast our eyes upon the OnePlus 6. The phone is shaping up to be OnePlus’s most impressive device yet, and thanks to tipsters and OnePlus itself, we already have a good idea of what to expect from it.
Some of our forum users recently started talking about whether or not they’ll ditch their current phone for the OnePlus 6, and everyone seems to be split across the board.
Certain users are ecstatic to get their hands on OnePlus’s latest, but there are others that couldn’t care less.
Ca_lvn
05-12-2018 05:07 PM“
I have the 5T and will switch to the 6 its a very impressive phone , best bang for the buck I’ve ever had in a phone.
The XL leaves to much to be desiredReply
mustang7757
05-12-2018 07:17 PM“
I like what one plus is doing with their upcoming phone, but my interest is focused on pixel 3
Reply
Theot
05-12-2018 07:46 PM“
No interest, I don’t expect the camera to be better but also I just don’t trust that company.
Reply
bhatech
05-13-2018 01:00 PM“
I’m going to probably pick up one when released, will be my daily driver for few days/weeks and then will decide to keep the OP6 or sell it. Pixel 2 XL stays until next Pixel
Reply
What about you? Do you think you’re going to buy the OnePlus 6?
Join the conversation in the forums!
Could Android P’s beta expansion lead to more phones with ‘Pixel’ Android?
I’d love to see an even longer list of supported devices with Android P’s official release.
Remember a few years back, when certain phone manufacturers participated in this little thing called the Google Play Edition program? If you loved the hardware on phones like the Galaxy S4 or the HTC One but couldn’t stand the customized software, this was a perfect solution — Google Play Edition phones came with stock Android software, give or take a few minor tweaks to accommodate for device-specific features.
Unfortunately, the Google Play Edition program has been dead in the water for a while now; while it was never officially discontinued, there hasn’t been a new Google Play Edition phone since 2015. Sure, you could still flash stock Android ROMs onto your phone if you were willing to jump through the hoops of the rooting process, but that comes with its own caveats — the risk of bricking your phone, voiding your warranty, and breaking security-based features like Google Pay.
There’s still hope, though! Android One has seemingly replaced the Google Play Edition program as a sort of spiritual successor. Some phones, like the Moto X4, are available in two versions; one with Android One, and another with some of Moto’s own software customizations. Other phones, including Nokia’s entire lineup moving forward, offer Android One as the only software option.
This is great news for stock Android fans who want to be able to choose from more than just the latest Pixels, but they’re not the only ones who benefit. Android One works just as well on a budget device as it does on a flagship, and more importantly, it comes with the promise of regular software updates for at least two years. This is already good news for those who buy a new flagship every other year, but it’s even more significant for customers with low-end phones that rarely ever see a security update, let alone updates to newer versions of Android in the future.
What we saw at Google I/O was different, though. We’re used to seeing Google roll out beta previews of new Android builds at its I/O keynote, but this is the first time we’ve seen Google expand the beta program to non-Google devices. This even includes unreleased devices like the OnePlus 6, but if you have a phone like the Essential PH-1 you can get in on the Android P goodness right now. So what does that mean for future updates?
If you’ve flashed the Android P beta preview on your non-Pixel phone, it’ll work exactly as a Pixel would … except that you won’t be able to receive OTA updates for future builds. Any new software updates come out, you’ll have to dive into your terminal and flash the update all over again. That’s fine for the people who like to tinker in ADB, but for the rest of us … well, I just want my phone to work like everyone else’s.
The shortlist of Android P-compatible devices is great, but I’d love to see it expand to more popular phones.
Maybe this limitation will change once Android P is officially released. That won’t be for a little while now — we still don’t even know what dessert P will be named after — but once it does, I’d be interested to see if non-Pixel phones will suddenly be able to receive regular updates. I’d also love to see Google expand its list of supported devices as we get closer to Android P’s official launch. Phones from Sony, Xiaomi, and the like are great options, but imagine if more popular phones like the Galaxy S9 could run stock Android. I know I’d be interested.
Of course, none of this really matters if the manufacturers aren’t interested. Samsung puts a lot of time and effort into its custom software, as do other companies like LG and Huawei. Whether you love or hate the software, it helps each company differentiate its products from the competition, and it’s easy to see why a company would be hesitant to devote even more time into a separate team that strips that differentiation away.
This is largely why Google Play Edition was brought to an end, but Android One hasn’t exactly been bad for business. Nokia has largely made a resurgence in the smartphone industry in the last year or so, and a lot of that is thanks to its embracing of Android One. The promise of timely updates alone gave Nokia a huge advantage over competing budget options like the Moto G.
Stock Android on a phone as mainstream as the Galaxy S9 may just be wishful thinking — there are just too many Samsung-centric features tied into the phone, and the Samsung Experience software is pretty good these days anyway. But even if the only option is to flash Android P onto the phone manually, I’d just be happy to see the option officially sanctioned by Google and the respective hardware manufacturers.
Android P
- Android P: Everything you need to know
- Android P Beta hands-on: The best and worst features
- All the big Android announcements from Google I/O 2018
- Will my phone get Android P?
- How to manually update your Pixel to Android P
- Join the Discussion
Researchers Discover Vulnerabilities in PGP/GPG Email Encryption Plugins, Users Advised to Uninstall Immediately
A warning has been issued by European security researchers about critical vulnerabilities discovered in PGP/GPG and S/MIME email encryption software that could reveal the plaintext of encrypted emails, including encrypted messages sent in the past.
The alert was put out late on Sunday night by professor of computer security Sebastian Schinzel. A joint research paper, due to be published tomorrow at 07:00 a.m. UTC (3:00 a.m. Eastern Time, 12:00 am Pacific) promises to offer a thorough explanation of the vulnerabilities, for which there are currently no reliable fixes.
There are currently no reliable fixes for the vulnerability. If you use PGP/GPG or S/MIME for very sensitive communication, you should disable it in your email client for now. Also read @EFF’s blog post on this issue: https://t.co/zJh2YHhE5q #efail 2/4
— Sebastian Schinzel (@seecurity) May 14, 2018
Details remain vague about the so-called “Efail” exploit, but it appears to involve an attack vector on the encryption implementation in the client software as it processes HTML, rather than a vulnerability in the encryption method itself. A blog post published late Sunday night by the Electronic Frontier Foundation said:
“EFF has been in communication with the research team, and can confirm that these vulnerabilities pose an immediate risk to those using these tools for email communication, including the potential exposure of the contents of past messages.”
In the meantime, users of PGP/GPG and S/MIME are being advised to immediately disable and/or uninstall tools that automatically decrypt PGP-encrypted email, and seek alternative end-to-end encrypted channels such as Signal to send and receive sensitive content.
Update: The GPGTools/GPGMail team has posted a temporary workaround against the vulnerability, while MacRumors has compiled a separate guide to removing the popular open source plugin for Apple Mail completely until a fix for the vulnerability is released. Other popular affected clients include Mozilla Thunderbird with Enigmail and Microsoft Outlook with GPG4win. Click the links for EFF’s uninstall steps.
Tags: security, Encryption
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