digital services Archives

AppWizard

February 21, 2025

Amazon Appstore on Android to be discontinued this summer

Amazon will close its Android Appstore on August 20, 2025, ending access for users on Android devices and discontinuing the Amazon Coins program. The Appstore, launched in 2011, struggled to gain a substantial user base despite various innovations. Users will be warned that apps downloaded from the Appstore may stop functioning after the closure, but they can migrate purchased apps to Amazon devices like the Kindle. Amazon has already stopped selling Amazon Coins as of February 20, 2025, and unused balances will be refunded after the closure. Users are advised to disable auto-renewals for subscriptions. The closure reflects the Appstore's failure to resonate with users and diminishing relevance in the market.

AppWizard

February 3, 2025

Ask Jerry: What can I do about dishonest app developers?

Red Sky Labs has altered its business model, raising concerns about the integrity of promises made to consumers who invested in lifetime services. This change violates consumer protection laws and platform guidelines. Many consumers feel discouraged about pursuing small claims, such as five dollars, despite the principle of accountability. The cumulative effect of small grievances can lead to significant losses. Red Sky Labs has over 100 million downloads on Google Play, highlighting its influence. Consumers are encouraged to report issues, utilize social media for support, and engage with tech publications to raise awareness.

AppWizard

February 3, 2025

Lloyds and Halifax banking app customers urged ‘do not make repeat payments’

Customers of Lloyds and Halifax faced disruptions with their banking applications, primarily related to difficulties in making and receiving payments. Reports of issues began around 7 a.m. on Monday, affecting several hundred users. Lloyds acknowledged the problems on social media and assured customers that online banking and telephone services remained operational. This incident follows a significant outage at Barclays attributed to a technology issue, which left many customers unable to access funds. Lloyds Banking Group announced plans to close 136 high street branches between May 2023 and March 2026, raising concerns about the reliability of digital banking services. Industry experts expressed worries regarding the resilience of financial infrastructure amid these technological disruptions.

BetaBeacon

December 12, 2024

Epic Games Store Now Pre-Installed on Telefónica Android Devices • iPhone in Canada Blog

Telefónica has partnered with Epic Games to bring Fortnite and the Epic Games Store to millions of Android devices within its network. The Epic Games Store will be pre-installed on new compatible Android devices in Telefónica markets, making popular titles like Fortnite more accessible. The collaboration aims to expand in the future, offering additional benefits to mobile gamers. During the pandemic, Telefónica and Epic Games worked together on an interactive music event in Fortnite, attracting over 10.8 million participants. This partnership highlights Telefónica's dedication to providing innovative digital experiences to its customers.

AppWizard

December 12, 2024

Is Instagram down? What we know about Facebook, WhatsApp and Meta outages

On December 11, users worldwide experienced significant disruptions on Meta's platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, with over 100,000 outage reports for Facebook and more than 70,000 for Instagram. The issues began shortly after 11 a.m. MT, peaking around noon. Users had trouble accessing the apps and websites, and Messenger users faced login and messaging challenges. Meta acknowledged the technical issue and worked to resolve it. The disruptions also affected Meta's business tools, impacting advertising and messaging functionalities. Reports of outages began to decline in the afternoon after peaking around 1:10 p.m. ET. The incident highlighted the widespread impact of technical issues on both individual users and businesses.

AppWizard

November 14, 2024

T-Mobile finally retires old app and goes all-in on T-Life

The old T-Mobile app has been retired and is no longer available for download on Google Play or Apple’s App Store. Existing users can still access its features, but future updates are uncertain. T-Mobile transitioned to the new T-Life app at the beginning of 2024, which has expanded functionality beyond promotional giveaways. T-Mobile has encouraged users to explore T-Life as their comprehensive mobile solution. The consolidation of apps aims to enhance user experience, though some users may miss the simplicity of the old app and may be concerned about the introduction of advertisements in T-Life. T-Life has adopted the icon of the former T-Mobile app and is available for download on the Play Store.

AppWizard

October 11, 2024

All Amazon Prime members get one of the best shooters of all time for free

Prime Gaming is offering Amazon Prime members 27 free PC games in October, including Bioshock Remastered. The games available now include titles like Hive Jump 2: Survivors, SCARF, and Doom Eternal, with more games set to be added on October 17, 24, and 31. To redeem these games, users must be Amazon Prime members and can claim them through the Prime Gaming website. Accounts for digital services like GOG and Epic Games Store are required, but no payment is necessary, and the games are permanently owned by the user. Many titles are also compatible with PC-based handheld devices.

AppWizard

October 11, 2024

Discord: Why the messaging app is under scrutiny

Russia's telecoms regulator, Roskomnadzor, banned Discord due to its failure to prevent illicit activities such as terrorism and drug trafficking, particularly after not complying with a directive to remove nearly a thousand pieces of inappropriate content. This ban is part of a trend targeting Western social media platforms since the Ukraine invasion in February 2022. Following Russia, Turkey's BTK communications authority also banned Discord, citing the need to protect children from online threats and ongoing investigations into blackmailing minors. In the U.S., Discord is under FBI scrutiny for grooming minors and distributing child sexual abuse material, with 35 prosecutions linked to the platform in the past six years. Additionally, regulators in Germany and France have raised concerns about Discord's data collection methods, leading to an €800,000 fine in France for failing to comply with EU data protection regulations. Launched in May 2015, Discord has over 150 million active users and is popular for its voice and text communication features, but has also faced criticism for facilitating extremist content and political discourse.

Winsage

September 23, 2024

Huawei to dump Windows for PCs,use own HarmonyOS instead

Huawei's current lineup of PCs will be the last to support Windows, as future devices will run on HarmonyOS, which features a new kernel developed independently of Linux and will not support Android applications. Huawei holds about ten percent of China's annual PC market, with Lenovo leading at 38 percent. HarmonyOS faces challenges in gaining support from major software vendors, especially in gaming. The Bombay High Court ruled against India's proposed government-run fact-checking unit, declaring it unconstitutional. Indonesian superapp GoTo has signed a long-term agreement with Tencent Cloud for cloud infrastructure solutions, following a recent partnership with Alibaba Cloud. Singapore's Monetary Authority and the Association of Banks announced mandatory facial authentication in higher-risk scenarios using the Singpass identity service. Fukushima Prefecture is experiencing a surge in datacenter construction, with three groups planning to establish datacenters, leveraging the area's renewable energy resources. Mongolia ranked 46th in the 2024 United Nations E-Government Survey, improving 28 places since 2022, with 75 percent of adults finding it easier to access government services through the E-Mongolia platform. Tata Group of India and Analog Devices signed a memorandum of understanding to explore cooperative manufacturing opportunities. Eutelsat selected Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for multiple satellite launches starting in 2027. Ricoh and LG entered a memorandum of understanding to integrate LG's displays into Ricoh's offerings. Lenovo partnered with SentinelOne to incorporate security and AI solutions into millions of PCs.

AppWizard

September 6, 2024

Will the CEO’s arrest mean the end of Telegram? 3 alternatives to the secure messaging app

Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, was arrested in France as part of an investigation into serious allegations, including the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Durov faces charges related to fraud, drug trafficking, operating an online platform for illicit transactions, providing cryptographic services to criminals, failing to communicate necessary information to authorities, money laundering, and CSAM. He was charged on August 29 with "complicity" for not adequately addressing illegal content on Telegram and was released on conditional bail set at €5 million, prohibiting him from leaving France. French President Emmanuel Macron clarified that there are no political motivations behind the arrest, emphasizing it is part of an ongoing judicial investigation.