Android applications. Archives

AppWizard

June 8, 2025

5 Android apps I run on my Raspberry Pi to improve my home

Running Android on a Raspberry Pi allows users to enhance their smart home experience by utilizing Waydroid to execute Android applications. The Shelly Smart Control app provides a user-friendly interface for managing Shelly devices, offering local control and cloud syncing. The Home Connect app enables control of smart appliances from brands like Bosch and Siemens, allowing centralized monitoring and automation. Fully Kiosk Browser turns the Raspberry Pi into a wall-mounted dashboard for displaying smart home information. The Aqara Home app facilitates local control of Aqara sensors and hubs, integrating with Home Assistant for device management. The Home Assistant Companion app provides seamless access to Home Assistant functionalities, including notifications and custom dashboards.

AppWizard

June 4, 2025

Google Unveils Gemini Nano for On-Device AI in Android Apps

Google has updated the Gemini Nano APIs through the ML Kit, introducing new GenAI APIs that allow developers to perform on-device inference for generative AI capabilities in Android applications. These APIs enhance user privacy by executing all operations locally, eliminating cloud processing costs. Features include summarization of articles up to 3,000 words, proofreading for grammatical accuracy, rewriting text in various tones, and generating image descriptions. The GenAI APIs are optimized for Android devices using MediaTek Dimensity, Qualcomm Snapdragon, and Google Tensor platforms, including the Pixel 9 series and Samsung Galaxy S25. They operate without internet connectivity, ensuring rapid response times and improved performance for tasks like summarization and proofreading. The local processing also enhances privacy and security, protecting sensitive user information with safety protocols.

AppWizard

May 2, 2025

Google Takes Down Over 1.5 Million Android Apps From Play Store But That’s A Good Thing

Google has removed over 1.5 million low-quality Android applications from the Play Store in 2024, reducing the total app count from 3.4 million to approximately 1.8 million. This initiative aims to enhance user safety and quality, responding to concerns about security and functionality. Additionally, Google has blocked over 2.3 million applications, with developers withdrawing their apps to avoid penalties.

AppWizard

March 19, 2025

These malicious Android apps were installed over 60 million times – here’s how to stay safe

Cybersecurity experts from Bitdefender discovered an ad fraud scheme involving over 300 Android applications that collectively had more than 60 million downloads from the Google Play Store. These apps, which appeared as utility tools like QR scanners and health apps, mainly targeted users with older Android versions (Android 13 and earlier) and first appeared in the third quarter of 2024. As of the research's completion, only 15 of the identified apps were still active, with most affected users located in Brazil, and others in the United States, Mexico, Turkey, and South Korea. The deceptive apps concealed their icons, displayed intrusive ads without user consent, and attempted to harvest sensitive information. Many of these harmful apps have been removed from the Play Store, but users with them installed remain vulnerable. Signs of compromise include lagging, excessive ads, overheating, or unexpected data usage. Users are advised to uninstall suspicious apps and to use the latest version of Android, currently Android 15.

AppWizard

December 13, 2024

Only 3 of the top 150 Android apps can detect reverse engineering tool Frida — here’s why that’s bad

A recent examination by the Norwegian cybersecurity firm Promon found that 144 out of the top 150 Android applications are vulnerable to manipulation using the Frida dynamic instrumentation toolkit. Only three of the tested apps could detect Frida and limit their functionality. This indicates that approximately 97% of popular Android applications are susceptible to exploitation. The analysis highlights a significant security gap, prompting calls for enhanced detection mechanisms in apps handling sensitive data. The specific apps tested have over 550 million daily users and an average of 206 million monthly users as of November 2024. Users are advised to keep their devices updated, install reputable antivirus applications, and consider using Google Play Protect for additional security.

AppWizard

December 5, 2024

MOONSHINE Kit Exploiting Android Messaging Apps Flaw To Inject Backdoor

A sophisticated exploit kit named MOONSHINE targets Android messaging applications to implant backdoors into users' devices. The entity behind these attacks, Earth Minotaur, focuses on the Tibetan and Uyghur communities by distributing crafted messages through instant messaging platforms, encouraging victims to click on malicious links, redirecting them to servers hosting the MOONSHINE exploit kit, and installing a cross-platform backdoor called DarkNimbus. The upgraded MOONSHINE kit uses pre-configured attack links, browser version verification, multiple Chromium exploits, and phishing for downgrade techniques. It can target various Android applications, including WeChat, Facebook, Line, and QQ. The DarkNimbus backdoor has both Android and Windows versions, with features for gathering device information, extracting personal data, and facilitating surveillance. MOONSHINE has been linked to other Chinese operations, including POISON CARP and UNC5221, indicating a shared ecosystem among Chinese threat actors. Users are advised to be cautious with suspicious links and keep applications updated to mitigate vulnerabilities.

AppWizard

November 26, 2024

Signs of Google’s refined new account switcher keep popping up in more and more apps (APK teardown)

Google is working on enhancements to its account switcher for Android applications, with progress being made since late August. Initial updates indicated a revamp of the account switcher interface to align with the web experience, and glimpses of the new design appeared in Gmail. As of now, several key applications, including the Google app, Google Maps, Google Calendar, and Google Keep, have versions that allow users to manually access the in-development account switcher. These updates feature new menu elements in some applications while others maintain a simpler interface. The trend suggests a broader deployment of the revamped interface is forthcoming, with many primary Android applications potentially ready for the transition soon.

Winsage

November 8, 2024

“Don’t kill Android (WSA) in Windows 11” is now a top feedback, but will Microsoft listen?

Microsoft will discontinue the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) in 2025, along with the removal of the Amazon Appstore from the Microsoft Store. Many users rely on WSA for accessing Android applications not available on Windows, leading to significant disappointment among them. A post on the Feedback Hub advocating for WSA has received nearly 700 upvotes, indicating user frustration. WSA is seen as essential for both daily tasks and for developers testing Android applications. The decision to discontinue WSA is linked to the financial performance of the Microsoft Store and a lack of support from Google. Initially, WSA was only available in the United States, which limited its user base.

AppWizard

October 28, 2024

Best Android app price drops and freebies: Dead Cells, Majotori, Room Old Sins, more

The Google Play storefront has announced price reductions on several Android applications, including Majotori, Dead Cells, The Room: Old Sins, Loop, and Skul: The Hero Slayer. Additionally, hardware items on sale include Pebblebee’s Find My item trackers, Samsung’s 2024 160MB/s EVO Select microSD card, Galaxy Watch 7 models, Razer’s Kishi V2 Pro Xbox Edition gamepad, and Samsung’s 2024 32-inch M8 smart monitor.

AppWizard

October 3, 2024

Google opens up Gemini Nano for all Android apps

Google has made its Gemini Nano AI model accessible for all Android applications, allowing it to operate locally on devices without an internet connection. Devices like the Google Pixel 9 series and Galaxy S24 series support Gemini Nano, enabling integration into apps such as Pixel Recorder and Google Messages. Google is now providing all Android app developers access to the AI Edge SDK tool, which was previously part of a closed program, to explore Gemini Nano's capabilities. Developers can currently experiment with text-to-text prompts, with plans to support additional modalities like images in the future. They are encouraged to explore various use cases, including rephrasing, smart replies, proofreading, and summarization, while also customizing Gemini Nano’s responses for their applications.