Android smartphones still tracking user location even if location services are off

An investigation by online news service Quartz reveals that Android smartphones continue to collect and send data to Google even if these settings are voluntarily turned off by users. Quartz says Google is collecting the addresses of nearby mobile phone masts and sending them back to Google. The details were collected even when location services were turned off on the phones, no apps had been installed and there was no SIM card in the phone

A Google spokesperson told Quartz that the cell tower addresses were included in information sent to the system Google uses to manage push notifications and messages on Android phones since early 2017. While it is understandable that Google and its apps require location data for improved accuracy, it is alarming that user settings are so blatantly disregarded by the core OS. Granted, there's no imminent danger of getting hacked or exploited simply by sharing location data, the lack of transparency and the cavalier attitude Google has taken with user location data raises a red flag for other types of user data the company might be collecting. In response, Google is saying that it isn't storing this data and it will turn off the collection feature so it works as originally advertised.

Source: Quartz

Google partners with uBreakFix for Pixel 2 repairs in US and Canada

uBreakiFix, an industry leader in electronics repair, today announced an extended partnership with Google to provide an exclusive walk-in repair option for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL smartphones, the new flagship phones from Google which launched on October 19.

With features like a water-resistant unibody, a smart camera with dual-pixel autofocus and up to 7 hours of battery on 15 minutes of charging, it’s easy to see why Business Insider dubbed the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, “the best Android phones you can buy.” Consumers can bring their Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL phones to uBreakiFix stores for repair support.

Click to read more ...

Apple drops Bing search in Siri and Spotlight in favour of Google

Bing is no longer the default search service used by Siri on iOS and Spotlight in macOS. Apple has moved to Google search as the go-to service.

"Switching to Google as the web search provider for Siri, Search within iOS and Spotlight on Mac will allow these services to have a consistent web search experience with the default in Safari,” Apple told TechCrunch in a statement.

This means that if Siri does not have the answer to a user's query, then the system with just pull up Google results. 

Investment firm Bernstein estimates Google currently pays Apple around $3bn for this deal, based on the fact Google paid around $1bn for the same deal in 2014 according to The Telegraph.

Source: TechCrunch

Google purchases HTC's Pixel team for US $1.1 billion

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

After weeks of speculation that Google would purchase HTC's smartphone business, we finally learn that the search giant has bought the Pixel team from HTC for $1.1 billion, while HTC will continue its own smartphone business. 

The team in question was the R&D team behind last year's Pixel and Pixel XL. This means around 2,000 people will move to Google. According to the agreement this grants Google a non-exclusive license for HTC's intellectual property. The deal is expected to be approved and closed by early 2018.

Click to read more ...