The best Android phones under $300 right now!

We’re a virtual company made up of tech experts from across the globe. We live and breathe Android phones, and use nearly every one to find the best sub-$300 picks.

The Moto G6 offers the best bang for your buck around with great build quality, surprisingly decent dual cameras, and a super-clean build of Android Oreo. With support for all major U.S. carriers, it’s also one of the most widely compatible phones you’ll find in its price range.

Our Pick

Moto G6

$235 from Amazon

Well-rounded and afforable.

The Moto G6 has just about everything you could ask of a phone at this price. The software is clean yet clever with the addition of Moto Actions and Moto Display, and it’s quick to recharge with Motorola’s TurboPower charging.

Who should buy this phone?

Shoppers on any carrier looking for a clean software experience. The Moto G6 runs a virtually stock build of Android Oreo, with a few added conveniences from Motorola. It also has decent specs, including a Snapdragon 450, 32GB of expandable storage, and 3GB of RAM, and you can even upgrade to 64GB and 4GB of RAM without going over $300.

Is it a good time to buy this phone?

Definitely. The Moto G6 was just announced back in April, so we shouldn’t expect to see another model for about eight months.

Reasons to buy

• Clean, convenient software
• Great build quality for the specs
• Supports all major carriers
• Upgraded model still costs less than $300
• Large 18:9 display

Reasons not to buy

• No NFC
• Occasional software hiccups
• Motorola has a terrible track record with software updates

There are other great sub-$300 options

The Moto G series is always a great value, but that doesn’t mean the G6 is a perfect phone. It isn’t likely to receive any major software updates in the near future, and its design still features a giant camera dome that makes the phone rock back and forth on a table like no other. Luckily, it isn’t the only good deal around.

Modern chic

Huawei P20 Lite

$280 from Amazon

Taking design cues from 2018 flagships.

The P20 Lite has a gorgeous reflective glass-and-metal design with a high screen-to-body ratio and, yes, a notch. It won’t work on CDMA carriers, but AT&T and T-Mobile customers can enjoy its speedy performance and eye-catching looks.

The P20 Lite certainly doesn’t look like a phone that costs just $280, but here it is, available in four great colors. The Kirin 659 chipset is speedy and powerful, and the 3000mAh battery provides excellent longevity. Stock Android purists may not love its EMUI software, but it’s at least running on top of Android 8.0 Oreo.

Android One

Nokia 6.1

$257 from Amazon

Motorola isn’t the only one doing stock Android.

Nokia is back in the game with a refreshed Nokia 6 that offers far better performance and battery life. Because it runs Android One, the Nokia 6.1 runs delightfully barebones software with the promise of timely updates.

You can’t ask for much more from a sub-$300 phone than the Nokia 6.1. The 5.5-inch 1080p LCD display looks fantastic, and it has one of the better cameras in its segment. On top of that, Nokia releases monthly security updates to keep its phones protected — a rarity for low-cost phones.

Bottom line

Phones are getting better for cheaper than ever before, and these three are some of the best you’ll find under $300. The P20 Lite is designed like a 2018 flagship, and the Nokia 6.1 arguably offers the best experience of the bunch, though it’s only available on GSM carriers.

For a great Android experience that will work on virtually any carrier, look no further than the long-lasting, widely available Moto G6.

Updated August 2018: Replaced the Moto G5S Plus with the Moto G6, and added the Huawei P20 Lite and Nokia 6.1.

Top things you need to know about the Galaxy Note 9’s SD card slot

Here’s how you can make the most of your SD card slot.

One of Samsung’s pillar features is the inclusion of a microSD card slot, which has stuck around as just about every other company eschewed the expansion slot. Those that have stuck with microSD card expansion have primarily only done so on low-end phones. So the fact that the Galaxy Note 9 still has a place for removable storage is extra-rare.

Yes you can get a Note 9 with up to 512GB of storage, but most people will be getting the base model with 128GB — and somewhere down the road they’ll need more. That’s where the SD card comes in. But before you go buy one, there are some basics you need to know in order to set your expectations for what the card can offer.

It’s time to expand your knowledge about expandable storage.

Adoptable storage isn’t here — and that’s OK for most people

Samsung continues to use the SD card as removable storage only, rather than “adoptable storage” found on other phones. That means that instead of integrating the SD card as part of the internal storage, it operates as its own separate volume. You have to choose to put a file on the SD card or the internal storage — it won’t be able to span the two seamlessly, which takes a little more management.

In practice, this has the benefit of being more familiar to those who used SD cards in previous Samsung phones or have used them typically with computers or cameras. You can remove the SD card from a Galaxy Note 9 without worrying about how it will affect the system, because you only lose the data files on the card. You can pop out the card, put it in your computer and transfer files to and from it, then put it back in the phone with no issues.

If you plan on keeping your SD card in the phone 100% of the time, you won’t really know the difference. But if you take it out from time to time, it will be worth managing which files go on it.

Most apps can’t be moved to the SD card

One downside of using the SD card as removable storage is that there are limitations on what files can be moved to it. For the most part, you can think of the SD card as a place to store big chunks of data, not live applications or high-performance data that you need to access quickly and regularly.

You can have photos, music, videos, podcasts, and documents all stored on your SD card without issue, and moving those files is a great way to free up space on the faster, more versatile internal storage. But you won’t be able to move most apps or games to the SD card, as they need to be on the internal storage in order to run. You may find that some simple apps or assets for apps that don’t need to be run on demand can be stored on the card — but as a rule, you shouldn’t count on being able to move apps to the SD card.

But with 128GB (or more) of storage on the Note 9, this shouldn’t be an issue for most people.

Buy a fast enough card so you don’t have to worry about performance

One great thing that’s happened in the world of SD cards is the proliferation of amazingly fast cards at reasonable prices that anyone can buy. Earlier on in the life of Android phones, it was rather hit or miss as to whether or not the card you bought was fast enough to consistently be used inside an Android phone, and now that’s rarely the case.

Stick to big brands and look at ratings online before buying, but chances are if you find a modern card out there it’s going to do what you need it to do in a Galaxy Note 9. As a rule of thumb, you shouldn’t buy anything lower than a “Class 10” rated card. If you plan on running apps off of the card, making big file transfers or recording lots of video, you want to get a UHS-rated card — at least a U1, but ideally U3. There are also SD cards rated specifically for performance with apps, but as we covered above that isn’t all that important on the Note 9.

Everything you need to know about SD card speeds and your phone

Where to find good SD cards

SD cards have improved dramatically across the board, but that doesn’t mean every card is the same. You still want to make a well-educated decision about the SD card you buy, balancing speed, reliability, capacity and price. There are so many available and many places to buy, but we’ve narrowed down a few for you to choose from if you want to let us do some of the hard work for you.

Samsung’s 256GB EVO microSD is under under $100, and offers fantastic speed and storage. Samsung’s EVO Select microSD card is under $40 for a 128GB card, which is great if you’re on a budget but still need that extra space. We also maintain a list of our favorite SD cards for Android phones so you’ll never be left guessing.

Best microSD Card for Android in 2018

Pictures and video save to the card by default

Because the types of data you can put on an SD card are limited, the Galaxy Note 9 wants to take advantage of it right away for types of data it knows it can move there. The best example is the camera, which automatically starts saving photos and videos to the SD card. High-bandwidth capture like burst photos, high resolution video or high frame rate video are going to be saved directly to the internal storage rather than the SD card, but that’s what you want in order to get the best possible performance.

If for whatever reason you don’t want photos and videos to save to the SD card, you can head into the camera’s settings, then storage location, and tap it to change back to device storage. You’ll notice that the Gallery app will show photos on the SD card as being saved in a separate folder — this makes it completely clear which photos will be inaccessible when the card is removed.

You can encrypt your SD card for security

One of the problems with an easily removable SD card that’s formatted as removable storage is the data on there can be easily accessed by anyone with a SIM tray tool — they don’t have to unlock your phone to get it. Of course the best way to secure your phone is to not let anyone have it in the first place, but accidents happen — and the best way to secure the data is to encrypt the SD card. With encryption enabled, the data is only readable by the Galaxy Note 9 that encrypted it.

To encrypt your SD card, head into the phone’s settings, biometrics and security, and encrypt SD card. The process will take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes, depending on how much data is on the card.

Now, there’s one big downside to this: when you encrypt the SD card, it also can’t be read by any other devices you have. That means that if you pop out the SD card and put it in your computer, it won’t be able to read the data. It also means if you break your phone beyond repair, you will lose the SD card data forever. If your intention is to use the SD card in your Galaxy Note 9 as a quick way to transfer large amounts of data between devices, you’ll have to use a USB cable from your phone or decrypt the card first.

Removing your SD card also removes the SIM

It’s a relatively trivial thing, but remember that your SD card lives in the same tray as your SIM card. So if you plan on using the removable storage capabilities of your SD card for transferring files back and forth with a computer, you’re going to knock out your cellular service while you do it.

In some cases, removing the SIM card and reinserting it will require a full device reboot to get your mobile data back up and running. If you can’t manage to wait a few minutes without data, wait to pull out your SD card until you’re done with your mobile data usage.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

• Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review
• Galaxy Note 9 vs. Note 8
• Where to buy the Galaxy Note 9
• Galaxy Note 9 specifications
• Is the Note 8 still a good buy?
• Join our Galaxy Note 9 forums

AT&T
Verizon
T-Mobile
Samsung

Security cameras, Amazon tablets, and more are discounted today

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

We found plenty of great deals today that include big discounts on three generations of Netgear’s Arlo security cameras, Amazon Fire HD tablets, the PlayStation headset, and more!

View the rest of the deals

If you want to know about the deals as soon as they are happening, you’ll want to follow Thrifter on Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter, because missing out on a great deal stinks!

Every PlayStation 4 title announced at Gamescom 2018

Get ready for all the exciting news

Gamescom is a massive gaming event held in Europe every year since about 2009. It’s back now in 2018 and boy do they have quite a few titles waiting for us. If you’re just as hype for this as I am, and you’re just as much of a PlayStation fan, you probably want to know all the titles that are being announced at Gamescom this year.

Good news. We’ve got a few hands on deck at the event and this means we can get you information about announced titles as soon as they come out. Make sure you bookmark this page on your phone or computer and keep checking in during the Gamescom event! As soon as we hear something, I’ll make sure it’s updated here ASAP!

The Exhibitors

There are more than quite a few large names coming to Gamescom this year. If you want to narrow your search down to what games have been announced by just them, no worries. All the titles have been separated by who’s making them so you can get right down to your favorites. Here we will list all the big exhibitors we know are going to be there in advance. But, with so many Indie companies going as well we will definitely make sure you are kept in the loop for the PS4 games announced through them as well!

• Bethesda
• Epic Games
• Valve
• Mimimi
• Bandai Namco
• Square Enix
• Ubisoft

Bethesda

This year it’s been confirmed that attendees at Gamescom will be able to get their paws on some Rage 2 gameplay, but what else is going on? Well, The Elder Scrolls: Blades will be debuting in Europe for the first time along with Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset.

When it comes to your PlayStation VR, Bethesda is even bringing some gameplay of Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot! We’ll make sure to report back with all our thoughts and juicy details!

As of Tuesday, we haven’t heard anything from Bethesda, but make sure to stay tuned!

Epic Games

Epic games have been all the craze in the world lately. This company brought you Fortnite, one of the extremely popular online games circulating right now. With a whole lot of ups and downs with the politics of Epic Games who knows what they’re going to be bringing to the table when it comes to Gamescom. Perhaps they’ll announce they’re working on something new, or that Fortnite is going to finally be cross-compatible with PlayStation 4 (we wish). Who knows, keep your self in the loop by following this post!

As of Tuesday, we haven’t heard anything from Epic Games, but make sure to stay tuned!

Valve

These are the people who brought your games like Dota 2 and all of the Portal collections. While Valve has been rather quiet about what they’re going to be showing off this year at Gamescom, we have a lot of excitement. Could this be the time we’re finally told about a new Portal game, a new update for Dota or another Half-Life? Stay tuned and find out!

As of Tuesday, we haven’t heard anything from Valve, but make sure to stay tuned!

Mimimi

Mimimi is a studio that has brought you games like Shadow Tactics and The Last Tinker. They’re a German based software development company with a home base over there in Munich. One of the biggest things they are known for is the intense story arcs that are put into their games. If you’re playing something by Mimimi, there’s a pretty good chance you’re invested deeply into the story.

Desperados

Partnering with THQ Nordic, they’re coming to bring you an all-new Desperados! Mimimi representative, Dominik, came on stage to let us know the reason we have been waiting so long for another Desperados is that there was “no market for it.” Everyone was so trapped in futuristic games they didn’t want to try bringing back old Westerns just yet. But, the bandits are back in town and ready to test your quick thinking skills!

Bandai Namco

Most of you might not recognize the name because most people don’t pay attention to title screens when playing, but you’ll surely recognize their games. Bandi Namco has worked on some massive titles, including Dark Souls, Pac-Man, the Naruto fighting games and the Dragon Ball fighting games. These are the titles you pop into your PlayStation when you’ve got a few friends over, share some laughs and see who can make it to the top of your skill tree in 1v1 combat!

One Piece World Seeker

Teaming up with Supermassive, Bandai Namco is working to bring you another One Piece selection that’s coming to you sometime in 2018. I don’t know about you, but One Piece has always been one of my favorite animes that have always been easy to lose myself in. Not only do you get just enough silly to keep you laughing and entertained, but the story actually does a wonderful job of teaching you real life lessons without you even realizing. I, for one, am very excited to add this title to my gaming collection.

The Dark Pictures – Anthology

Another horror game to add to your collection of you’re another one who loves all things spoopy that go bump in the night. The anthology will be a series of games where each will have their own unique story and cast. Think of this as an “American Horror Story” except the game version and they don’t have to refilter the same cast over and over again. The first of the series, The Man of Medan, will be coming to us sometime in 2019. The story focuses on a group of divers looking to explore the deep depths of the ocean. Something I’m already terrified of, so I’m more than excited to play this in a game.

Square Enix

Square Enix has been a popular name you’ve probably been hearing ever since you were younger. They’re responsible for bringing you games like Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, the Fullmetal Alchemist game series, Octopath Traveler and so much more. With a waterfall of so many great titles falling from their belt I am beyond stoked they are making their way to Gamescom this year. If they’ve got something to announce I’m willing to bet it’s gonna be good.

Life is Strange 2

Lose yourself in another Life is Strange with this sequel. This time we’ll be following a male lead and his little brother who is just trying to survive in the wild. But, what would cause their life to be in such disarray? Seems like the big brother has more than a few secrets he’s keeping. Develop your own feelings on him during gameplay when it releases on September 27, 2018.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is getting some new DLC coming soon. The Amorous Adventures of the Bold Sir Hans Capon is coming to you soon, and it proceeds both Band of Bastards and A Woman’s Lot. While we haven’t been given much on what this DLC is even going to cover, we do know that it will be here in the early fall. So, regardless I guess we’re going to find out soon!

Outward

This time Square Enix is going to be working with Nine Dots to bring you Outward, a revolutionary roleplaying game for you to jump into. Not only will this game have a multiplayer option, but you can play on a split screen! The launch date is set for February 12, 2019, and I’m more than excited to check it out. Open world roleplay adventures will always have the keys to my heart. Always.

Pathfinder Kingmaker

Our well-loved Pathfinder Kingmaker is coming to both PlayStation 4 and Xbox sometime next year! This is based on a roleplaying system we’ve all come to know and love in our tabletop games. Well, now you can play the game in some highly immersive gameplay where you can build a kingdom, find love, kill your enemies and take over the world. Are you ready to bring your fantasy to reality?

Shenmue 3

There have always been a thousand words to describe the Shenmue series, and most of them revolve around “gorgeous,” “addicting,” and “breathtaking.” Trust me, it’s all for a reason too. This title was first announced to us during E3 in 2015, and we’ve been waiting with the highest anticipation ever since. Well, here at Gamescom we’ve finally been given the details we’ve been looking for. The next of the series is coming to you on August 27, 2019! So, if you haven’t started playing this series yet, you absolutely should.

Ubisoft

Ubisoft is another one of those massive gaming companies that have brought you huge titles like Far Cry, Assassin’s Creed, For Honor, and more. With them making an appearance at Gamescom I’m rather interested to see what kind of news they might have for us regarding future releases of games or even DLC.

The Settlers

Partnering with Blue Byte, they are celebrating 25 years of the game Settlers with this wonderful new piece. The History Collection contains all 7 modernized games and will be available November 15, 2018. So get ready to take a walk through history! This may not be the news we were hoping for when it came to massive Gamescom announcements, but we’ve still go the rest of the week to go so let’s see where it takes us!

What are you most excited for when it comes to Gamescom 2018?

What games are you hoping you get an update for? What games do you hope to get announced? Tell me all about it in the comment section below, or shoot me a Tweet @OriginalSluggo!

Apple Alerting Customers to Upcoming Discontinuation of Back to My Mac in macOS Mojave

Apple today began sending out notifications to customers letting them know that support for Back to My Mac is ending in macOS Mojave.

Back to My Mac was not present in the first developer beta of macOS Mojave and it has not been available in any subsequent beta, but many customers may have missed the news of its imminent sunsetting, which has now been confirmed by Apple.

Back to My Mac is a feature that is designed to allow Mac owners to connect to one Mac from another Mac for file transfers and screen sharing purposes. It lets users set up a network of Mac computers with two or more Macs, but it can be complicated to set up and use, which may be why Apple has decided to discontinue it in favor of simpler measures.

Apple is directing customers to a support document that outlines the changes coming to Back to My Mac, instructing them on how to transition to iCloud Drive, screen sharing, and Apple Remote Desktop.

Back to My Mac will not be available on macOS Mojave. You can get ready now by learning about alternatives for file access, screen sharing, and remote desktop access.

Apple’s support document suggests customers can access all of their files across devices with iCloud Drive, operate other Macs with screen sharing, and manage Macs remotely with Apple Remote Desktop, software available from the Mac App Store for $80.

Many Back to My Mac users are likely to be unhappy with Apple’s suggestion to transition to Apple Remote Desktop for remote management given its high price and the fact that it sees few updates, but there are other options like TeamViewer and LogMeIn.

Related Roundup: macOS Mojave
Discuss this article in our forums

Unlike Costco, Walmart Has ‘No Plans’ to Accept Apple Pay

Costco, the world’s second largest retailer behind Walmart, recently confirmed that it now accepts Apple Pay and other contactless payment methods at all of its 750 warehouse locations in the United States.

Walmart appears to be unfettered by the move, however, as it remains committed to its own Walmart Pay platform in the United States.

“Walmart Pay is the exclusive form of mobile payment accepted at Walmart and we have no plans for that to change,” said Walmart spokesperson Erin Hulliberger, in a statement provided to MacRumors today.

Walmart Pay, built into the Walmart app for iOS and Android, works at any checkout lane with any major credit, debit, pre-paid, or Walmart gift card. To use it, a customer must tap on Walmart Pay and scan the QR code displayed at the checkout. An electronic receipt is automatically sent to the app.

Walmart was originally committed to the Merchant Customer Exchange consortium and its payments solution CurrentC, which was later postponed indefinitely, before launching Walmart Pay in 2015. As of July 2016, Walmart has rolled out Walmart Pay to some 4,600 of its locations in all 50 states.

In late 2015, Walmart’s senior vice president of services Daniel Eckert said Walmart Pay allows “for integration of other mobile wallets in the future,” which provided hope that the big-box chain may eventually accept Apple Pay and other contactless payments, but nearly three years later, that has yet to happen.

Walmart’s resistance to Apple Pay continues despite many other large retailers, including Best Buy, Rite Aid, and now Costco, reversing course and accepting the payments solution in stores. Apple recently confirmed that pharmacy chain CVS and 7-Eleven convenience stores will also accept Apple Pay starting later this year.

Last year, rival big-box chain Target likewise said it had “no plans” to make Apple Pay available in its stores, despite accepting it as a payment method in its app. Instead, Target launched a barcode-based solution.

Apple Pay launched in the United States in October 2014, providing tap-to-pay functionality with a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch after setting up a supported credit or debit card in the Wallet app. Apple Pay is now available in more than 20 countries, and is set to launch in Germany later this year.

Related Roundup: Apple PayTags: Walmart Pay, Walmart
Discuss this article in our forums

How to Customize Grouped Notifications in iOS 12

iOS 12 introduces Notification Grouping, a long-awaited feature that groups all of the notifications from a single app together in one neat bundle that prevents the Lock screen from becoming overly cluttered.

By default, all apps have an “Automatic” grouped notification setting, which groups up notifications by app, but does so intelligently. For example, if you have multiple iMessage conversations going on with people, the notifications might be grouped by app (Messages) but separated by person.

You can adjust your Notification Grouping settings to turn off grouped notifications entirely or to force your iOS device to sort all incoming notifications by app, regardless of whether or not certain notifications are coming from different people.

Open up the Settings app.
Choose “Notifications” from the main list of options.
Find the app with the notifications you want to modify from the list, such as Messages, and tap it.
Scroll down to Notification Grouping and tap it.
Automatic is enabled by default. Select “By App” or “Off” to change it.
As mentioned above, selecting “By App” instead of “Automatic” will make sure that all incoming notifications from a specific app are grouped together rather than sometimes being intelligently separated out.

Selecting the “Off” option will disable Notification Grouping for the selected app entirely, which means your incoming notifications for that app will all come in individually, like they did in iOS 11.

There is no option to turn off Notification Grouping for all apps at once, so it’s something that needs to be enabled on an app-by-app basis.

For more on all of the new notification features Apple is introducing in iOS 12, make sure to check out our iOS 12 Notifications guide.

Related Roundup: iOS 12
Discuss this article in our forums

Tinder wants to help you make friends at school this year with Tinder U

Going back to school not only means new classes, textbooks, and living arrangements — it also means new friends (for some, at least). To help make socializing less of a chore, Tinder is launching its first student-only platform — Tinder U.

The latest addition to the dating app is only available for iOS users attending a four-year accredited college or university in the U.S. To make sure you’re enrolled in school, you have to provide your verified .edu email address in order to gain access.

Once you’re on campus, you have to log in through the main Tinder app and provide your college email address. You will then receive an email asking to verify your email address by tapping the verification button. Users can also request to apply for Tinder U by going into their Settings on the app.

This will then bring you to Tinder U — allowing you to swipe, message, and match with students around you on campus. Your profile will display your name, age, and school. The interface looks the same and operates as it normally would — with buttons to “like,” “dislike,” “super like,” and more, when swiping through potential matches.

“Tinder proudly launched at USC in 2012, making the college spirit an important part of our history and brand DNA. Today, more than half of our users are between the ages of 18 and 24,” said Brian Norgard, chief product officer at Tinder, in a press release. “With Tinder U, we’re excited to honor our roots with a new experience that helps students meets other students nearby. It’s a fresh product that will make campus life even more entertaining.”

Of course, Tinder is first and foremost a dating app. But with Tinder U, it’s stepping outside the box by encouraging college students to use it as a way to find a study buddy or even a friend. The feature is reminiscent of Bumble’s BFF Mode — a feature that allows women to find platonic relationships rather than romantic ones.

But Tinder hasn’t completely ruled out using the new mode for dating either — mentioning that those who want to date outside their campus are covered, too. With Tinder U, you can swipe on students in nearby schools as well. That way, if sparks don’t fly in person, you don’t have to worry about running into them while going to class.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Tinder testing Bitmoji feature using Snap Kit
• Tinder is making it safer than ever for you to keep swiping
• Money can’t buy you love, but it may buy you more compatible picks on Tinder
• It’s over: Tinder won the dating wars. Swipe or stay home
• Tinder’s parent company Match Group swipes right on Hinge

Redesigned Google Fit uses Heart Points and Move Minutes to keep you active

Google Fit, the health-tracking app, is getting its biggest update since its launch in 2014. It’s not a simple redesign, though — Google said it has worked with the American Heart Association (AHA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to make the app more proactive in keeping users healthy.

The update adds two new activity goals: Move Minutes and Heart Points, which have been created based on recommendations from the two organizations. They’re meant to optimize the amount and intensity of physical activity in a way that meaningfully improves health.

Move Minutes, as the name suggests, are minutes spent physically active. You can earn Move Minutes with any kind of physical activity, from taking the stairs over an elevator to going for an afternoon stroll.

Heart Points, on the other hand, are a little more targeted. You’ll get more Heart Points for more physically intense workouts. The new Google Fit app will reward you one point for each minute of moderate activity, and more points for workouts that are physically more intense. It’s not too hard to earn the recommended number of Heart Points either.

• 1.
  New Google Fit
• 2.
  Old Google Fit

“It takes just 30 minutes of brisk walking five days a week to reach the AHA and WHO’s recommended amount of physical activity shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, improve sleep, and increase overall mental well-being,” Google said in its blog post.

As it always has, Google Fit continues to automatically track walking, running, and biking using the sensors in your phone, plus in the Google Fit app you can log more than 120 kinds of different workouts. Fit also integrates with apps like Strava, Runkeeper, MyFitnessPal, and so on.

“It takes just 30 minutes of brisk walking five days a week to reach the AHA and WHO’s recommended amount of physical activity.”

It’s not all about tracking — the new update will also make the app more proactive in pushing users to earn more Heart Points throughout the day. You’ll now get customized tips and pointers on how to earn more points to keep you motivated throughout the day.

The app’s redesign is in line with various other Google app redesigns lately, with a stronger focus on white and more limited use of color. Your Heart Points and Move Minutes are front and center, and they’re also tracked in rings so you can see how close you are to meeting your goals. A double arrow on the ring indicates you have surpassed your goal for the day. You can still see your steps count, calories burned, and distance traveled right below the new activity goals. You can break all this data down further below, and compare it with data from previous days as well.

The update shows Google’s renewed focus on health, and it also suggests there’s likely more to come. Google is rumored to be working on a “Google Coach,” which sounds quite similar to the customized tips and pointers added in the new update, but it’s speculated to go further. Reports suggest Google Coach will keep track of nutrition and can recommend specific foods, whether you’re making a weekly meal plan or putting together a shopping list. The service may also be able to recommend a healthy meal based on your location. These features are likely paired to the rumored Pixel Watch running Wear OS set to be unveiled later this year.

The updated Google Fit app is gradually rolling out on Android, the web, and Wear OS this week. If you have an iPhone paired with a Wear OS watch, you’ll see the redesgin in the Wear OS app for iOS.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Motiv smart ring tracks ‘active minutes,’ because step counters are so 2015
• Is Google launching an A.I. fitness coach for smartwatches?
• Here’s how to track an Android phone, tablet, or smartwatch
• WatchOS 5 brings Walkie-Talkie, Podcast features, and much more
• Polar M430 review

Microsoft thwarts new Russian cyberattack on U.S. senators and think tanks

Microsoft has once again thwarted the efforts of Russian hackers ahead of the 2018 midterm elections in the United States in November. Through its Digital Crimes Unit (DCU), Microsoft was able to take down six malicious websites targeting political candidates, politicians, and think tanks. DCU traced the spearphishing campaign back to a group called Fancy Bear; the group is widely believed to have strong ties to Russia’s military.

For its spearphishing campaign, Fancy Bear created fake websites with similar domains to notable organizations, like the International Republican Institute and the Hudson Institute. The former counts high-profile Republicans in its leadership, including Senator John McCain and Governor Mitt Romney along with one Senate candidate, while the latter hosts talks on cybersecurity. Both organizations have been critical of Donald Trump and Russia in the past.

“Microsoft has notified both nonprofit organizations,” Microsoft wrote in a blog post. “Both have responded quickly, and Microsoft will continue to work closely with them and other targeted organizations on countering cybersecurity threats to their systems. We’ve also been monitoring and addressing domain activity with Senate IT staff the past several months, following prior attacks we detected on the staffs of two current senators.” The company said that there is no evidence that a successful attack was conducted, however.

This latest effort to stop Russian meddling in U.S. elections follows Microsoft’s announcement in July that it had stopped a group tied to Russia’s intelligence agency of using a phishing campaign to target three political candidates ahead of the midterm elections.

“It’s clear that democracies around the world are under attack,” Microsoft said, highlighting that cyberattacks are on the rise, especially when the attacks could be used to influence elections. “Foreign entities are launching cyber strikes to disrupt elections and sow discord.”

Microsoft claims that its DCU has taken down 84 fake websites over the past two years and that more work is needed. “An effective response will require even more work to bring people and expertise together from across governments, political parties, campaigns and the tech sector,” the company said.

As part of its efforts to combat election meddling, Microsoft launched a new AccountGuard service, which will be available at no cost to candidates running for federal, state, or local office. To take advantage of AccountGuard, political candidates must have use Office 365 for their campaign, and the service provides threat notification across accounts, security guidance, and the opportunity to trial new security features. Microsoft said that these features are “on a par with the services offered to our large corporate and account customers.”

Microsoft has been demonstrating that it wants to be an upstanding corporate citizen, and AccountGuard follows recent Microsoft initiatives like the Cybersecurity Tech Accord and its work on creating ethical artificial intelligence systems.

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