The Android N Developer Preview is out, bringing split screen and a redesigned notification panel among many new Android tweaks. How much more new stuff is what we're here to find out. We already covered the biggest addition—split screen mode—but with the dev preview flashed on a device, we set out to see what else Android N had in store.
With both the Galaxy S7 and LG G5 sporting expandable storage, and Google adding great SD support to Android 6.0, this year it seemed like storage enthusiasts would get everything they could ever want. Apparently that's not the case though, as both OEMs have shunned Google's new "Adoptable Storage" feature.
A new app from Microsoft Garage, a mobile software development unit within the Redmond, Wash., giant that focuses on experimental and small-scale apps, has released a new multitasking keyboard app for Android. Dubbed the Hub Keyboard, the app bundles a handful of tools that reduce the need to switch between apps to complete certain actions, helping users stay focused on the task at hand.
Security researchers are warning owners of Android smartphones about a new malware attack, spreading via SMS text messages.
As the team at Scandinavian security group CSIS describes, malware known as MazarBOT is being distributed via SMS in Denmark and is likely to also be encountered in other countries.
Victims’ first encounter with the malware reportedly comes via an unsolicited text message that their Android smartphone receives. The txt message uses social engineering to dupe unsuspecting users into clicking on a link to a downloadable Android application.
Four third-party app stores for Android have apps with a malicious component that seeks root access to devices, according to Trend Micro.
The security company found 1,163 Android application packages containing the malware, which it calls ANDROIDOS_ LIBSKIN.A, wrote Jordan Pan, a mobile threats analyst with Trend. The malware obtains root access to the phone, the highest level of access and privilege.
The apps containing the component were downloaded across 169 countries between Jan. 29 and Feb. 1 from marketplaces called Aptoide, Mobogenie, mobile9 and 9apps.
Over 60 Android games hosted on Google Play had Trojan-like functionality that allowed them to download and execute malicious code hidden inside images.
The rogue apps were discovered by researchers from Russian antivirus vendor Doctor Web and were reported to Google last week. The researchers dubbed the new threat Android.Xiny.19.origin.
Malicious Android apps were a common occurrence on Google Play until a few years ago when Google implemented more rigorous checks. This included an automated scanner called Bouncer that used emulation and behavior-based detection.
A zero-day vulnerability is reported against Linux and Android, but the real risk lies in known issues that users have not yet patched.
Some vulnerabilities have a bigger impact that others, and not every flaw that a researcher claims is critical represents an immediate risk to users.
If you have an Android, keep an eye out for updates from your vendor or carrier – there are some critical security patches out.
Google has fixed 12 vulnerabilities affecting Android versions 4.4.4 through 6.0.1, including five rated as “critical” – the designation for the worst kind of security bug.
Android is the most popular mobile OS on the planet, and Google has brought the OS to cars, watches, and televisions. And, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Google will soon be bringing Android to yet another form factor: desktop and laptop computers. Re-architecting Android for a mouse and keyboard is going to require major changes to the smartphone operating system, but Android is actually much farther along that path today than most people realize.
Google is back with yet another Android tablet. The latest hardware effort, the Pixel C, comes from an odd place inside Google: the Pixel team. Usually a "Pixel" is the latest, fancy high-end Chromebook, but with the Pixel C, the traditionally Chrome OS-centric team decided to make an Android tablet. It's not just a tablet, though, there's also a clip-on keyboard base making it a Surface-style convertible.
