Which map app goes the distance?

Google Maps is preinstalled on most Android phones, but Waze is a popular alternative many use for directions. Despite Google owning both apps, they offer different approaches to navigation with unique features that can make one a better choice for your day-to-day traveling. We explain what makes each app unique and why one or the other might be better for your navigation needs. Waze is unavailable on WearOS. If you’re considering jumping into the increasingly impressive world of Android smartwatches, stick with Google Maps.



A short explanation of Google Maps and Waze

Google Maps has been around since 2005 and is the go-to navigation choice for most Android users. It’s preinstalled on most Android phones, and its helpful features make it more than a navigation app. From leaving reviews, checking traffic, filtering restaurants by dietary requirements, and seeing how much you’ve traveled, there are many great Google Maps features that many people aren’t even aware of.


Waze, founded in 2008 and bought by Google in 2013, focuses on driving personal vehicles. It gives real-time journey updates by relying on users to enter information about traffic, speed cameras, accidents, road closures, or anything affecting road conditions. It doesn’t provide information on public transport and only offers limited information about nearby businesses.

Google Maps vs. Waze: Transport options

Google Maps should be your go-to option when traveling by public transport, taxi, bike, or foot. Waze shows public transport routes but doesn’t provide walking directions along roads. If you frequently travel by bus or train, use Google Maps to stay up to date on timetables and route times.

When it comes to traveling by car, competition is tighter. While driving directions are only one of Google Maps’ features, the entire Waze app is built around helping drivers get from A to B as

Read More ...

Beeper is back on Android, but it’s missing one major feature

Summary

  • Beeper’s new Android app offers a fresh, native design and universal chat support for various platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp.
  • The app is fast, stable, and modern, and there’s a long list of upcoming features on the way. However, native iMessage support — previously Beeper’s bread and butter — isn’t coming.
  • While existing Beeper users can access the new app in beta for free, paid memberships are on the horizon.



Remember Beeper? It’s been a few months, but in the tail-end of last year, it was one of the biggest stories in tech for a hot minute. Although the core app had been around for a while, Beeper went supernova with the launch of a dedicated iMessage client for Android, one that — for a couple of glorious days in December — just worked. Then, let’s just say, the empirestruckback. Months after the iMessage debacle came and went, Beeper is back with an all-new unified chat inbox for Android, and it’s pretty slick. Just don’t expect any blue bubble support.


Beeper’s new app is just called Beeper (no “Cloud” or “Mini” in the name), and as the company’s announcement post makes clear, this really is completely rebuilt from the ground up. The result is something that looks and feels completely native to Android in a way that, frankly, I’m not sure either previous Beeper client could manage. It’s even better once you enable dynamic themes in settings, mirroring what you’d find in, say, Google’s RCS-based Messages app.


I’ve tried out Beeper’s new Android app

And honestly, it’s a pretty strong start

Three phones running Beeper with a "Download Now on Google Play" message below it.

Source: Beeper


I’ve been testing out Beeper’s new Android app for the last few days, and although it’s clearly in an early state — I’ve been getting at least one update a day, and usually more — it’s

Read More ...

Android owners warned of bank-raiding attack that’s found a new way to hide in plain sight on their phones

ANDROID owners have been warned that an invisible bank thief could be hiding in plain sight on their phones.

A banking trojan malware, known as PixPirate, has been discovered on phones without an app icon – making it impossible to detect by the untrained eye until victims see their cash is gone.

The malware can steal bank details and two-factor authentication codes to make unauthorised money transfers

1

The malware can steal bank details and two-factor authentication codes to make unauthorised money transfersCredit: Getty

Cyber experts at Cleafy TIR first documented the threat last month, where they found it had been targeting Latin American banks.

Typically, smartphone owners can spot if they have installed a malicious app because an icon will appear on their home screen.

However, PixPirate does not use an app icon.

This has allowed hidden malware to run rampant on Android phones – even on handsets with the latest Android 14 software.

In a separate investigation by IBM’s security company Trusteer, researchers explain that this new version of PixPirate versions uses two different platforms that work together to steal information from devices.

The first is the ‘downloader’ that victims accidentally install from phishing messages received via WhatsApp or text.

The ‘downloader’ app requests invasive permissions when users install it, which, if they approve, will allow the app to install a second app which carries the banking malware.

Silent fraud

PixPirate has remote access capabilities, meaning hackers can force actions on a device without the owners knowledge or consent.

Most read in Phones & Gadgets

It’s this that has allowed the malware to steal bank details and two-factor authentication codes to make unauthorised money transfers.

Android owners have been urged to be cautious when installing apps and clicking links in messages.

Links to avoid are Android Package Files (APKs) which are what are used to disguise PixPirate.

A Google spokesperson told Bleeping

Read More ...

Apple just went full Android in the EU

Sideloading on iOS won’t look identical to Android, though

Summary

  • Apple is finally allowing sideloading of apps on iOS devices in compliance with EU legislation, but with restrictions and stipulations.
  • Following a new announcement today, iOS users in the EU can now download third-party apps directly from the web, but developers must adhere to specific guidelines.
  • To enhance security, Apple will implement a Notarization process for app screening and malware protection for iOS products.



Sideloading — the process of installing third-party apps from outside a native app store — is an option that Android users have had for a while, with little to no resistance from the OS or limitations as to where the app is downloaded. In some cases, it’s a draw for those who want to be able to pick and choose the apps on their device. One of the disadvantages of using an Apple product is how difficult it has been to sideload software on iOS. After opening the floodgates last month, the tech giant is making a few more changes to its sideloading restrictions to comply with legislation in the European Union (EU).


Related
Sideloading is coming to iOS in 2024 — what does it mean for Android?

It’s time to talk about the coming shift in the mobile market

In response to the EU’s Digital Markets Act, geared toward sustaining competition in the tech industry, Apple has made adjustments to its app policy (via 9to5Mac). Specifically, it is embracing a new program called Web Distribution — this is aimed at allowing developers to offer their apps directly on their website, as opposed to only the App Store, or through third-party app stores that meet the stringent new guidelines announced last month. Similar to sideloading on Android devices, this means that iOS users will now

Read More ...

5 Android productivity apps that I can’t live – or work – without

Holobox Android

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET

At this point in my life, I don’t feel the need to be productive 100% of the time. But during those times I am working hard, I need the right tools at the ready, whether I’m at my desk or on the go. 

Standing at my desk or seated with my laptop, I have a plethora of tools available. But when I’m on the go, and my Pixel 8 Pro is the only device on hand, the number of tools doesn’t seem so limitless. And that’s OK — because the tools that are available work very well to help keep me doing what I need to do.

Also: Every Google Apps user can boost their efficiency with this one simple menu tweak

A lot of the tools I depend on come from the Google lineup — but not all of them. Some of the most important apps I use are created by companies far removed from the Google empire and all of them can be had for free. (Some do have associated costs for premium features.) Just what are those non-Google Android apps I depend on to help me keep my productivity up? 

Here are the five non-Google productivity apps that I can’t live without:

1. Slack

Slack is, hands down, the best collaboration tool I use. While it may not be perfect (missed notifications can be a real problem), there’s no other tool I depend on more to keep in contact with various clients. With Slack, I can not only stay on top of client needs, I can share files, bookmark responses, view threads, jump on to calls, curate content with canvases, create automations, connect with third-party services, view my history, and more. 

Although Slack might seem at first glance like little more than a group messaging

Read More ...

Google Play Store gives this old trick another chance for speedier app updates

Summary

  • Google Play Store is testing parallel downloading to speed up app updates, potentially reducing effort for users.
  • Android flagships & mid-range devices with 5G/Wi-Fi 6E can handle multiple concurrent app updates seamlessly.
  • Simultaneous downloads from the Play Store may soon be available to the public, optimizing device hardware & network use.



The Google Play Store is home to some of our favorite apps, and is every Android user’s go-to repository for safe app recommendations, downloads, and updates. However, downloading and installing app updates can take a while, making a strong case for switching on automatic updates in the Play Store and saving you effort. Google is now testing a way to reduce app update times through parallel downloading instead of the current sequential system, but it isn’t the first time we’ve seen such an effort.


Related
How to update an Android app

Android’s open nature makes it a piece of cake!

Fast and high-bandwidth internet connections via 5G and Wi-Fi 6E are a staple on Android flagships and even some of the newer mid-range options, allowing you to seamlessly attend a video conference while another app continues using the network in the background. On such an internet connection, you should have no problem splitting the bandwidth between downloads for multiple concurrent app updates. Reputable Google app feature spotter AssembleDebug shares that Google is working on enabling simultaneous downloads like this in the Play Store (via TheSpAndroid).

The change is noticeable if you enable a few flags in version 40.0.13 of the Play Store running on a rooted device with the GMS Flags app installed. AssembleDebug says the feature works as well, but this isn’t the first time Google is giving a few testers access to concurrent simultaneous app downloads. We saw this way back in 2019, when a

Read More ...