mobile platforms Archives

AppWizard

June 4, 2025

Meta found ‘covertly tracking’ Android users through Instagram and Facebook

Experts at Radboud University and IMDEA Networks found that Meta and Yandex have been covertly tracking Android users by monitoring browser activity without consent. This tracking was first identified in January and involves apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Yandex Maps operating in the background and loading scripts that transmit data back to their respective apps. These scripts bypass Android's security measures, allowing the companies to track users' web browsing activities. The tracking affects all major Android browsers, including incognito mode. Google confirmed that Meta and Yandex exploited Android's capabilities in violation of security and privacy principles. Meta is investigating the issue and has paused the feature, while Yandex claims to adhere to data protection standards. Meta's tracking has been ongoing for about eight months, while Yandex's practices date back to 2017. Facebook tracked users on around 16,000 websites in the EU, and Yandex was active on 1,300 sites. Google has begun implementing changes to address these tracking techniques and is conducting its own investigation. Browsers like Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and DuckDuckGo are also affected, with efforts underway to prevent future incidents.

AppWizard

June 3, 2025

Facebook, Yandex Apps Secretly Track Users Via Hidden Ports, Research Claims

Recent findings from IMDEA Networks Institute indicate that Facebook and Instagram apps have been tracking Android users' web browsing activities without consent, bypassing privacy controls and functioning even in incognito mode. This tracking affects millions of websites using Meta's tracking code. Yandex has employed similar tracking techniques since 2017, creating a cross-platform surveillance network. The tracking exploits Android’s permission system by establishing background services that listen on network ports, allowing the apps to capture browsing data and associate it with users' accounts. Meta's pixel is present on about 5.8 million websites, while Yandex Metrica is on around 3 million sites, potentially impacting billions of users. Approximately 78% of sites with Meta’s pixel and 84% of Yandex's sites attempted localhost communications without user consent. This tracking method operates at the operating system level, unaffected by cookie clearing, incognito modes, or privacy settings. Researchers have demonstrated that malicious apps could exploit this technique to gather users' browsing histories. Many website operators were unaware of these localhost communications, leading to confusion and complaints. In response, major browser vendors are implementing measures to block these tracking methods. Meta ceased this tracking on June 3rd, coinciding with the research's public release. The research highlights a significant security gap in mobile platforms regarding localhost communications, emphasizing the need for stricter policies and vetting processes.

AppWizard

May 31, 2025

Minecraft mobile revenue surges 44% following movie release

Mobile in-app purchases for Minecraft increased by 44% following the release of A Minecraft Movie. There was a 9% rise in active users on mobile platforms and a 41% increase on consoles. From January to mid-May 2025, daily active users for Minecraft on mobile fluctuated between 8.5 million and 10.5 million, with a peak above 10.5 million in early April. In April, Minecraft’s mobile revenue reached a three-year high of 9,000 in gross player spending. For Fallout, the release of the Fallout TV show led to a 77% rise in daily active users for Fallout Shelter and a 150% increase in in-app purchase revenue, reaching nearly 0,000 in daily mobile IAP revenue. Fallout 4 on PC saw daily unit sales peak at over 25,000 units. This engagement peak for Fallout titles occurred around mid-April and returned to baseline levels by July 2024.

AppWizard

May 27, 2025

RedMagic 10S Pro plays full PC games natively with built-in Windows emulator

The RedMagic 10S Pro features a built-in Windows emulator, allowing users to play full-fledged Steam or Epic Games titles on a smartphone. It is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Leading Version chip, achieving over 3 million benchmark points. The device has a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a 144 Hz refresh rate and 2,000 nits peak brightness. It includes an active cooling system, LPDDR5T RAM, and UFS 4.0 storage for optimal performance. The shoulder buttons operate at 520 Hz for responsive controls, and the battery capacity is 7,050 mAh for the Pro variant and 7,500 mAh for the Pro+ with 120 W fast charging. The RedMagic 10S Pro is priced at approximately 4,000 CNY in China, while the Pro+ variant is around 3,000 CNY.

AppWizard

May 27, 2025

Pocket app is going away, so you should export your data now

Pocket will cease operations on July 8, 2025, and will enter export-only mode until October 8, 2025, after which all data will be permanently deleted. No new premium subscriptions will be accepted, and existing subscribers will receive automatic cancellations and refunds before the shutdown date. Pocket was acquired by Mozilla in 2017 and has introduced various features since then.

AppWizard

May 22, 2025

Luminar Photo Editor Comes To Android And ChromeOS

Skylum has launched Luminar: Photo Editor, an AI-driven photo editing application for Android and ChromeOS devices, in collaboration with Google. The app is compatible with various Android devices, including smartphones, tablets, foldables, and Chromebooks, featuring a user interface that adapts to different screen sizes. Luminar includes signature tools such as Enhance AI, Structure AI, Relight AI, Atmosphere AI, Sky AI, Skin AI, and Body AI, along with essential editing tools like exposure adjustments and a filter collection. The app is designed for quick and accessible edits, suitable for beginners. It is available on Google Play with three pricing options: a monthly plan for .99/€3.99, a yearly plan for .99/€23.99 (with a 7-day free trial), and a lifetime license for .99/€47.99. This marks the first official availability of Luminar on Android.

BetaBeacon

May 17, 2025

Tribe Nine service will end on November 27 for iOS, Android, and PC

Tribe Nine, a free-to-play extreme action RPG, will be shut down on November 27 by Akatsuki Games. The game's Chapter 4 will not be released, all scheduled updates and content releases have been canceled, and unreleased characters will not be added. Refunds for purchases made within the app or web store will be issued after the service ends.

AppWizard

May 4, 2025

Steam Has a New Free Game (And It Has Great Reviews)

Steam has released a new free game called Wuthering Waves, available to anyone with a Steam account. The game can be downloaded, played, and kept at no cost. Compatibility issues may arise for Steam Deck users, as the game's compatibility status is currently listed as "Unknown," but developers are working to resolve these issues. Wuthering Waves is a free-to-play open-world action RPG developed by Kuro Games, which debuted on PC and mobile before launching on PS5 on January 2 and on Steam on April 28. The game is inspired by titles like Death Stranding, Pokemon, and Genshin Impact, and has received mixed reviews on Metacritic but holds an 89 percent positive rating from Steam users, earning a "Very Positive" designation. The game offers approximately 20 hours of main content, with side content extending playtime to 60-70 hours, and completionists may spend around 215 hours to uncover all details.

Winsage

April 27, 2025

Legendary Voodoo4 GPU modded into laptop, benchmarks work with Windows XP

Daniel Simionescu, known as sdz, has been working on porting the Voodoo graphics from 3dfx to mobile platforms, resulting in a design that integrates a Voodoo4 GPU into a Dell Precision M4800 laptop via a custom MXM card. YouTuber Omores tested this setup with Windows 98 and XP, facing initial compatibility issues but ultimately achieving partial functionality. The Voodoo brand was significant in the late 90s for making 3D acceleration accessible. sdz created a PCB with the Voodoo4 GPU using the VSA-100 core and 64MB of SDR memory. During testing, various VBE drivers were explored, with Windows XP showing better compatibility for running 3DMark 2001 and Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed. Games using the Glide API may require wrappers, and the community plans to compile a list of supported titles. sdz intends to keep the design open-source for collaboration.

AppWizard

April 24, 2025

The Gemini app is becoming more like NotebookLM in April’s Workspace feature drop

In the April 2025 Workspace feature drop, Google introduced new AI tools across Gemini, Gmail, Slides, and Chat. Gemini gained two features similar to NotebookLM: Canvas and Audio Overviews. Gmail can now automatically detect event invites in emails and prompt users to add them to their Calendar with one click. Additionally, Gmail will offer Contextual Smart Replies for efficient communication. Google Slides received a new design sidebar for easier presentation creation, allowing users to explore templates and add elements without leaving their current slide. For enterprise users, a board tab in Chat will enable teams to pin messages, files, and links, and a new HubSpot app for Google Chat will enhance workflow efficiency. These features are now widely accessible as part of the April 2025 update.