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Google Maps is ditching cloud-based location history for a more private solution
Your location history will be stored locally on your device going forward, but you can still opt for an end-to-end-encrypted backup
It's no secret that Google Maps keeps tabs on your every move with its Timeline feature, which logs all your pit stops and the routes you take. As long as you're signed in to your Google account with Location History enabled (it's off by default), Google collects all this juicy information and secures it in the cloud, promising it's encrypted. But if you're the paranoid type, the company will soon give you the option to stash your trips directly on your device.
WhatsApp encrypted backups will let users balance their own privacy and security priorities
If you want to remember a 64-digit encryption key, that's totally up to you
There's no shortage of reasons for why WhatsApp is as popular as it is, but the service's focus on user privacy has got to be one of the big ones. With end-to-end encrypted messages, people using the app can feel secure that their messages are headed right to the eyes of their intended recipient, without the risk of any looky-loos peeking along the way. Now Facebook's talking about its plans for taking that kind of protection to its next logical step, as end-to-end encryption expands to cover WhatsApp backups.
WhatsApp is still working on password-protected Google Drive backups
The encrypted backups have been coming for a long time
It's been almost exactly a year since the last time we saw leaked screenshots of an encrypted cloud backup feature for WhatsApp. Today we see a more fleshed-out version of that tool, offering a password protected backup of your messages that uploads to Google Drive on Android and iCloud on iOS. Unfortunately, there's still no indication of when it's actually going to go live.
Google Recorder now has a companion web app for storage and sharing
You'll need the latest v2.2 update
Google Recorder has quickly become one of the best audio recording applications on Android, even though it's only officially available on Google's own Pixel phones. Backup support was announced earlier this week, and now it's finally rolling out.
Following user backlash, Signal lowers one of its drastic PIN measures
It comes with the promise of new features in the future, but at what cost?
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Signal is one of the best choices for a communication app that's focused on privacy and isn't owned by Facebook, which is why it has attracted a large and dedicated user base. Earlier this year, the app got a fresh spark to the tune of a $50 million dollar investment from a co-founder of WhatsApp. But lately there's been a bit of negative chatter in response to the app introducing a system for backing up data based on PIN codes, and many users are filling online forums with complaints.
Wemo is replacing its awful network-based smart home management with online accounts
Wemo Accounts launch today, but they are currently broken
Wemo's smart home products are far from perfect, with sometimes-difficult setup processes, tricky integration with third-party services, and an Android app that currently has 2/5 stars on the Play Store. Some of those issues stem from how Wemo doesn't have a unified account system, but the company is fixing that today.
Canonical is best known as the company behind Ubuntu, one of the most popular desktop Linux distributions. Canonical already offers many products for enterprise customers, from a lightweight OS for Internet-of-Things devices to cloud-based containers, and now it's working on a way to stream Android apps and games from the cloud.
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Many of the Stadia Founder’s Edition preorders were canceled en masse days before the gaming service’s hyped debut on Tuesday. A fault in Google Store’s payment gateway initially put some orders with the limited-edition package on hold, but the issue was further aggravated when the troubleshooting steps also failed. In no time, Stadia’s subreddit was swarmed by affected buyers going on about the entire episode, which finally helped grab Google’s attention.
Back in July, Wyze announced person detection on its security cameras which it implemented with the help of third-party service provider Xnor.ai. It seems like the contract between the companies lets the AI firm terminate the lease at any moment without reason, which is exactly what has happened, as Wyze announced in a blog post yesterday. Luckily, the camera manufacturer can continue using Xnor.ai's technology until mid-January 2020 and is already looking into rolling out its own in-house solution later next year.
I've been a huge Dropbox fan since 2009 and never even considered switching to another solution ever since. Back then, I was using a Linux netbook at school and needed to sync my files and notes back to my "actual" computer, and Dropbox was one of the very few cross-platform solutions available back then. Today, I still need to access my files across devices, but even though there are many more options on the market, I really enjoy Dropbox's advanced features, especially because they keep getting better. Indeed, the company has just improved its service by introducing three new features to make it even safer and more convenient to use.
Amazon's Cloud Cam app received an update that adds and improves some of the camera's features. From schedules to double the digital zoom, Amazon is working to improve the experience of its indoor security option.
Microsoft pushed out an update to its OneDrive Android app, bringing the version up to 5.7. It adds the ability to restore recently-deleted files in case you accidentally sent them to the trash. It also comes with full Oreo compatibility, which notably includes notification channels and background battery optimization support.
Back in December last year, we looked in-depth at the work Google has been doing to improve text-to-speech and other artificial language use cases. Artificial voice synthesis can be much more powerful and impressive thanks to WaveNet neural network technology, developed by Alphabet subsidiary DeepMind. It's been used to make the Google Assistant sound more natural, and now makes up part of a whole new product: Cloud Text-to-Speech.
My Google Home isn't the best at figuring out if me (or someone else) actually says "Hey Google" or "OK Google." Sometimes I'll be watching a video where no one says anything remotely similar to those phrases, and the lights on my Home flip on. But I have noticed that most of the time, the lights turn off a split-second later, as the Home actually realizes that no one called for it (presumably once the voice clip is processed by Google's servers).
Today, Google took to its Work blog to announce the new partnership between Google Apps for Work and Box. The latter will now integrate with Docs and Springboard for further efficiency in business practices. Box will also serve as a third-party repository for Docs, Sheets, and Slides. The cool thing about that is users will be able to create new files and edit collaboratively within Box itself.
As we reported yesterday, SwiftKey's synchronization service has been down for several days. At the time, there was speculation that the outage was related to reports from users that they were getting predictions from other accounts. That's not speculation anymore—in a brief post on the SwiftKey blog, the company confirms that it disabled sync because of the prediction bug.
Ready for a new smartphone from a new smartphone maker that you can only get from a new Kickstarter page? Nextbit hopes so. The company that's made from ex-Android and HTC employees has announced its debut smartphone, Robin.
Wuala, an extra secure cloud storage service that we first talked about back in 2011, has announced its imminent shutdown. Originally created by Swiss researchers, Wuala was acquired by French hardware maker LaCie in 2009 as a means to take advantage of the growing interest in cloud solutions. After LaCie was acquired by Seagate, Wuala too fell under that corporate umbrella.
At Google I/O today, Google introduced Play Store developers to a new cloud testing service, which will help devs ensure their apps work on top-selling Android devices.