Apps
The latest news on all your favorite apps.
Latest
Facebook will pay for user recordings to improve speech recognition
Facebook may have stopped listening to and transcribing Messenger voice chats, but it still needs voice recordings to improve its speech recognition technology. So the company is going to pay select users to record snippets of audio through a new program called "Pronunciations," The Verge reports. In exchange, users can earn up to $5.
GM makes it easier to find EV charging stations with its myChevrolet app
If you drive a Chevy Bolt and you're the type of phone owner who likes to use as few applications as possible, GM plans to make to its myChevrolet app more useful. This year, the automaker plans to update the app's Energy Assist feature to help you find your next charge. In most cases, GM is adding functionality that you had to use other apps to find.
Google is cracking down on apps with 'disruptive' ads
Google's Play Store is a pretty open platform. While that can be a good thing for users and app developers, some bad actors can take advantage, either through malware or obnoxious ads. Today, the company announced that it has removed nearly 600 apps from the Play Store -- and has banned them from its ad monetization platforms -- because they repeatedly violated Google's disruptive ads policy. Unfortunately, those apps have already been installed over 4.5 billion times, according to BuzzFeed News.
Microsoft’s Defender security software is coming to iOS and Android
Despite Apple and Google's best efforts, malware and malicious apps are still a big concern on iOS and Android. So today, Microsoft announced that it's bringing its Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) to the mobile operating systems. In other words, Microsoft is stepping in to fix a problem that Apple and Google can't seem to resolve.
Honda’s latest app helps Civic Type R drivers become better racers
Honda has launched a new data-logging app designed to give drivers a ton of information about their skills on the track. Exclusive to the new 2020 Civic Type R, LogR provides information on 15 data points, including lap times, acceleration, braking and steering, to generate an overall "driver smoothness" score.
Apple may be open to letting users set their own default apps
Apple's insistence on gatekeeping certain actions of rival apps on iPhones and iPads has long been a source of contention among users. Clicking on web links or email addresses, for example, automatically takes you to Safari or Apple Mail, even if you've got other alternatives installed. But this may be about to change. According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, the company is considering letting users switch from Apple's default apps to those of its rivals.
Carnegie Mellon built an 'opt-out' system for nearby tracking devices
It's getting easier to control what your smart home devices share, but what about the connected devices beyond your home? Researchers at Carnegie Mellon's CyLab think they can give you more control. They've developed an infrastructure and matching mobile app (for Android and iOS) that not only informs you about the data nearby Internet of Things devices are collecting, but lets you opt in or out. If you're not comfortable that a device in the hallway is tracking your presence, you can tell it to forget you.
Spotify is testing real-time lyrics
Spotify might be adding real-time lyrics to its app, again. Dozens of Twitter users around the world have reported that lyrics are now popping up as they listen to Spotify. A user with beta 8.5.46.848 confirmed the feature to Android Police. But, this seems to be server-side enabled, as not all users with that beta can see the lyrics.
Mozilla’s latest Android app takes its VPN service beyond Firefox
Mozilla has been investigating the VPN sphere for a while. Last year it launched a VPN-like browser extension, while back in 2018 it rolled out an experimental subscription-based VPN service. Now it's launched an Android app for the full device Firefox VPN it currently has in closed beta.
Your Google Fit stats are now just a swipe away
If you don't have a Wear OS smartwatch, checking your Google Fit stats has usually involved a bit of work -- not a lot, but enough to slow you down. It should be speedy from now on. Google has updated Fit to make your stats easily accessible, whether you're on Android or iOS. Android users can either tap a widget or swipe at their home screen, while iOS users can swipe to the Today view if they have the Fit widget enabled.
Microsoft releases its unified Office app for Android
Microsoft has followed through on its promise of a unified Office mobile app -- for some people, anyway. Following months of beta testing, the company has released the all-in-one productivity app for Android phone users. Like before, this lets you edit Excel, PowerPoint and Word documents without having to switch apps. You can also sift through your OneDrive files, scan real-world documents with Office Lens and read QR codes.
Strava now syncs workout data from your Apple Watch
If you use Strava to track your workouts on an iPhone, you've probably wondered why you couldn't sync your Apple Health data with it. While there is a Strava app for the Apple Watch, there's not as much of an incentive to get the wearable if it your data stays isolated. That might not be an issue from now on -- Strava has added Apple Health syncing to its iOS app, letting it pull in activity data from the past 30 days. You can pick the workouts you want to share, title them and add photos to boast about your achievements.
Gmail for iOS will let you attach items from the Files app
The Gmail iOS app is making it a little easier to send attachments. Previously, users were limited to attaching photos from the camera roll or anything in their Google Drive. Thanks to an update rolling out today, users will be able to add attachments from the Files iOS app. That means you'll be able to send anything in iCloud Drive, files saved locally on your phone, plus anything in services you've connected like Dropbox.
Jamm Pro combines powerful synth and sampler tools in one iPad app
If you're an electronic music DJ and you want to produce a truly unique live performance, you might have found your tool. DJ duo Coldcut and its Ninja Tune label have released an iPad-only app, Jamm Pro, that promises both much more power than its Ninja Jamm predecessor and "extensive" modulation and patching abilities like those you'd find in a modular synth. There are four channels with nine sequencers each (modulation, slice, pitch/reverse/drill and gate) and up to 64 patches, allowing a staggering 2,304 sequencers for each sound pack (Sound Set in Ninja Tune's lingo). You can finally use your own samples as well, whether they're from Sound Sets, external sources or straight from the iPad's mic.
China rolls out 'close contact detection app' for coronavirus
China has launched an app that aims to reduce the spread of coronavirus by alerting users when they've been in close proximity to someone with the illness. According to a report in Xinhua, China's state-run news agency, the app -- named the Close Contact Detector -- lets users check their status by scanning a QR code using an app such as Alipay, WeChat or QQ. They will then be directed to enter their name and government ID number, and can check the status of three other ID numbers.
Spotify's Kids app is coming to all Premium Family subscribers
Spotify launched its standalone Kids app in Ireland back in October 2019 as a way to give younger listeners access to its varied catalog of music. Now, the company is rolling it out in beta in the UK and beyond, in a launch that coincides with Childnet International's Safer Internet Day.
Microsoft's redesigned Office apps for iOS are faster and simpler
Microsoft is acting on its promise to give its mobile Office apps a makeover. It just released new iOS (and iPadOS) versions of Excel, PowerPoint and Word that all tout a "simpler, faster and more beautiful" redesign. Really, that's another way of saying they have a more consistent look with an interface that helps you quickly edit documents when you're away from your desk.
Apple will give the option to buy iOS and Mac apps as a bundle
The latest beta of Apple's Xcode development tool adds a small but nifty feature that will make it easier in some situations to buy apps you want to use across iOS and macOS. Developers who decide to take advantage of the feature will be able to bundle together different versions of an app into a single "Universal Purchase." If you buy one version, you'll then get access to the other automatically. As part of the same change, developers will also have the option to sell unified in-app purchases.
NYPD will replace handwritten logs with an iPhone app later this month
After more than a century, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) is retiring the handwritten memo books carried by police officers and replacing them with an app, The New York Times reports. On February 17th, officers will begin recording their detailed activity logs in an iOS app on department-issued iPhones.
WhatsApp desktop security flaw gave intruders remote access to files
You'll want to update WhatsApp's desktop client if you use it to chat on your computer. PerimeterX researcher Gal Weizman has revealed that Facebook patched a security vulnerability in WhatsApp's Mac and Windows versions that let attackers insert JavaScript into messages and remotely access files. The software was running an older release of Google's Chromium web engine (all the way back to version 69) with known flaws that made it relatively easy to slip in rogue code. It wouldn't have been difficult to alter messages, look for sensitive documents or install additional malware.