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Google has removed more than a dozen Android apps which offered loans to desperate users, but were actually a scam involving fraud and blackmail. As usual with such removals, it only affects the Play Store and the apps are not automatically deleted ... from phones. The 18 apps in question have been collectively dubbed SpyLoan, and have more than 12 million combined downloads from Google Play this year. They were listed in a variety of language with English variants including Cashwow, 4S Cash and EasyCash. The main target audience appears to be people in countries with a large population and a ... (view more)

Most popular mobile apps request system permissions that aren't necessary for their stated functions, according to a new study. In some cases, an app requested more unnecessary functions than necessary ones. The figures come from NordVPN, which ... examined the five most popular apps in 18 common categories. They repeated the exercise for both Android and iOS, making a combined total of 103 different apps. (Source: nordvpn.com ) Both mobile operating systems now use a permissions system that means apps must request specific permission for different types of access to a phone's data and components ... (view more)

Google says malware creators are using a simple workaround to bypass security on the official Play Store for Android apps. The problem is that the simplest fix would undermine one of the key differences between Android and closed systems such as ... Apple. In theory, all apps in the Play Store are vetted for security, including malware checks. That's one of the reasons Google recommends only using the Play Store, while still giving users the choice to get and install Android software from other sources. The problem is that scammers are using an extremely simply workaround called "versioning". ... (view more)

An app for spying on a partner or employee has been hacked. It means victims of the spying could face further data security threats. LetMeSpy is what the makers call a "parental control" and "employee control" and what critics call "stalkerware" or ... "spouseware". Once installed on a phone, it lets the person who installed it remotely access text messages, call logs and precise location. (Source: techcrunch.com ) The marketing is somewhat inconsistent with what the company says its intended use is for, suggesting people might put it on their own phone so that they can find the phone when lost, ... (view more)

Researchers say a feature in a jogging and running app called Strava makes it possible to track down a user's home address. However, they make a pretty weak argument about how plausible and successful an attack would be. Strava lets users track ... their fitness activities, including running routes. Since 2018, the app has included a "heatmap" feature that shows areas where a lot of users are active. The idea is to let people spot well-used running routes that may be useful for their needs. The feature has already been criticized after it revealed routes used by US military personnel on foreign ... (view more)

The next version of Android may make it much harder to install and run apps from third party sources. The change will mainly affect older apps that haven't been updated in some time. Unlike with Apple's iPhones, Android handsets aren't restricted to ... apps from the official App Store. Users may either use other app stores (other than the Google Play Store), or download and manually install apps from the web in a process known as "sideloading." Doing this doesn't require any "hacking" of the device, though users do have to change the phone's settings and confirm they understand the ... (view more)

TikTok has been banned from all US federal government devices over security fears. The ban even extends to phones issued to members of the House of Representatives. The government ban was introduced in the "omnibus" spending bill recently passed by ... Congress. It gives federal employees two months to delete the app, along with any others issued by developers ByteDance, from government-issued handsets. Although the bill did not cover politicians, the House of Representatives chief administrative Catherine Szpindor has written to the house's members and staff to say the rules will now apply to ... (view more)

Apple looks set to allow iPhone and iPad users to get apps from sources other than the official App Store. It's a major change of policy, almost certainly sparked by forthcoming changes to European law. Analysts predict Apple will find ways to ... minimize the effect of the change. However, stock prices in many companies that make apps have risen on the assumption they'll make more revenue because Apple won't take a cut of app purchases. Unlike rival Android, Apple has always kept tight control on the apps users can install, making the App Store the only option without "jailbreaking" the device, ... (view more)

Apple has come under fire on two fronts over changes to ads on its app store listings. Developers feel their apps are being undermined while parents have complained about promotions for gambling appearing beside child-focused apps. The changes ... affect the way users see listings when browsing for apps on an iPhone. That means any changes have a big effect because screen space is so limited. Apple has now created extra ad spaces, one that appears in the main tab of the app store and one at the bottom of the page for an individual app. The ads are all for other iPhone apps. Rival Apps Promoted ... (view more)

The iOS Netflix app now has a subscribe button. It's a small change that could make a big difference to Apple's bottom line, as well as opening up legal challenges. Since 2018, Netflix has not offered any way to subscribe through its iPhone and iPad ... app. Instead, users had to sign up on the website, then install the app and sign in. That wasn't a case of Netflix being deliberately awkward but rather not wanting to pay a commission to Apple, which demands a 30 percent cut of any subscriptions made through an app, falling to 15 percent after the first year. Companies like Netflix which refused ... (view more)