Google Says India’s Anti-Trust Lawsuit Against It Is Concerning And A Huge Threat To User Safety

At the start of this month, tech giant Google was seen responding to India’s new lawsuit against it.

The country alleges that the search engine giant is serving as an imminent threat to rival firms in the industry. It further went on to detail how the company had a clear obligation to various smartphone manufacturers about making pre-installments of different apps. Today, Google spoke about the lawsuit in detail that comes with a mega $162 million fine.

The tech giant says that India’s CCI is a huge threat to the country’s smartphone industry and it was going to go to all extents to elaborate more on the argument so it could better defend its case.

Google says that the actions of the CCI are a huge blow to the ecosystem and its wide efforts to speed up the entire adoption of digital trends across the country. It similarly mentioned that by adding the likes of Android’s open-source software version, many producers have set out more affordable devices for users. India argues how different producers of smartphones are coming up with affordable variants for users. But Google was seen sending out incentives when it witnessed the number of users of such devices increasing.

Google mentioned how Android plays a huge and powerful role in the country’s leading Mobile Trinity. It really worked hard during dire times like the pandemic which ended up increasing the employment rate across the nation. But the CCI is now putting all such actions at risk with its recent lawsuit filing against the tech giant.

Google debates that different Android versions would stop the existence of consistent and predictable ecosystems while adding devices that were incompatible with such versions may end up restricting the company from giving users various security features.

And that would end up resulting in more users getting vulnerable to the likes of cybercrime, bugs, and even malware threats. At the same time, the Indian nation would have to deal with a rise in the costs of smartphone devices as different OEMs would need to financially support security updates arising on a routine basis across different devices. This is because Google has safety features that it provides and without them, you’ll need to purchase the features at an added cost.

In case that wasn’t enough, Google is now similarly speaking about how it would be forcing its app developers to witness a rise in costs that led to more and more users being excluded.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Bill Gates’ Daily Driver Smartphone Is An Android And Not The iPhone, Microsoft Founder Confirms

The race between Android and iPhones is one that’s never-ending.

Recently, during a very interesting Reddit Ask Me Anything session, Bill Gates was answering all sorts of questions across the board. And that’s when one person asked what his daily driver smartphone device was.

If you thought the obvious answer would be the iPhone, well, we’ve got some news for you. It’s not. Yes, the billionaire is using Android, to be more specific, he detailed it out to be the Samsung Galaxy Fold.

During the ‘Ask Me Anything’ session, he also thanked the South Korean tech giant’s CEO who gifted the new device to him and since then, he can’t get enough. Before this, he was using Fold 3 and this was soon updated.

This Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 isn’t cheap in price. In fact, it comes at a staggering price tag of around $1600 and that’s way more than Apple’s iPhone starting costs.

In the same way, the Microsoft founder added how he does tend to utilize Outlook as well as Microsoft software a lot across his device. And due to the large screen size, he does not make use of his tablet. For him, it’s just a phone and his portable PC, which is a Windows machine.

Android carries about 72% of the entire market for mobile operations’ global share as per reports from StatCounter. And in second place, it’s Apple which has nearly 27% of the global market share.

Bill Gates similarly mentioned how he makes use of the Android device as he feels he needs to keep a track of almost anything and everything while delivering an interview with Clubhouse in the year 2021.

He added how he likes to play with iPhone devices but it all depends on the likes of his Android device as he is so used to all of it. Some producers of Android tend to pre-download the whole Microsoft software in a manner that causes it to become easy, he mentioned.

In that very same query, Bill Gates was even questioned about the likes of new Microsoft product launches and if he is updated about insightful outlooks across such launches.

He claims that the software firm does involve him in quite a few of their research initiative as well as their product plans. He similarly sent out statements regarding how he does really enjoy the working relationship he has with the firm’s current CEO Satya Nadella. But currently, he isn’t too up-to-date with the whole hardware roadmap.

Bill Gates took a step down as the company’s CEO in the year 2000 and now when he looks back, he feels one of his greatest errors of all time was linked to Google creating Android.

For him, engaging in mismanagement is what likely led to the company not reaching the same heights as what we see with Android. The latter is the standard non-Apple device platform, Gates added while speaking at an event in 2019 at the Village Global. He really feels that it all comes naturally to see Microsoft win.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Google Wants Federal Judge To Dismiss Antitrust Lawsuits Accusing It Of Monopolizing Search Engines

Google has sent out requests to a federal judge that dismissed antitrust lawsuits brought on by authorities in the federal and state government.

They’ve all gone on to accuse the firm of setting up a monopoly in the market for different search engines, making it hard for others to benefit from its intimidating presence.

Such cases were first filed during the latter part of 2020 and since then, it entails various claims that the search engine maintained its dominant role seen in the Mozilla Firefox browser as well as Apple’s Safari browser. It also alleged the leading tech giant of having a search engine that was pre-installed across different Android devices.

The company is now arguing that such agreements made through the likes of Mozilla as well as Apple weren’t anti-competitive in nature for different reasons. This entails the deal not stopping users from making use of other search engine options.

Both Apple as well as Mozilla can market their search engines, confirmed Google recently through a series of papers filed with the country’s District Court Judge. These were sent out last month and only disclosed to the public recently.

Search engine giants like Apple and Mozilla have really worked hard and are now designing browsers using one single default option which may be altered by a user, the company argued.

One browser provider's choice of using a single option as default can’t exclude various other rivals in any sense, they continued to add.

The firm mentioned how search engine deals thanks to the likes of Apple and Mozilla that go all the way back to 2004 and 2005 are reflecting on the likes of Google’s search engine.

Similarly, the company has really prevailed in terms of the ongoing competition to be set as a default in most cases involving browsers owned by third parties, ever since the beginning of the mid-2000s as such firms have continued to dominate as a leading option for making the best search experience for users. As you can see, this statement by Google proves how adamant it is on standing by its claims and rejecting others.

Google similarly mentioned how it has the right to summarize judgments related to claims that it wasn’t able to correctly arrange itself as an exclusive pre-installed search engine across different Android smartphones.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

WhatsApp's Latest Beta: New Features for iOS and Android Users including Text Detection, Block Shortcut, and more

WhatsApp, the famous messaging app, has just released new beta versions for both iOS and Android, bringing new updates and modifications to the app. The iOS beta version 23.1.0.73 and the Android beta version 2.23.2.4 are now available for testing by beta testers.

Let's start by taking a look at the new characteristics and improvements in the iOS beta version 23.1.0.73. According to a report from WABetaInfo, a website that tracks WhatsApp updates, the new version includes a new feature for group calls. Specifically, the app now allows users to quiet notifications for group calls, which can be useful for avoiding distractions during work or other important activities. Additionally, the new version also includes a fix for a bug that caused the app to crash when making a voice or video call.

In addition to the new updates and improvements mentioned above, the iOS beta version 23.1.0.73 also contains a new text detection component. This feature allows the app to automatically notice texts within images shared on WhatsApp.

This can save users time and make it easier for them to recognize the texts within images. The text detection feature works in both group and personal chats and will detect the text in any language that WhatsApp supports. The company is also working to improve this feature in future updates. The text detection feature is a small but useful addition to WhatsApp that can save users time and can add to their satisfaction's utility.

The Android beta version 2.23.2.4 also carries some new updates and fixes to the app. According to WABetaInfo, this version includes a new characteristic that permits users to change the color of the chat bubbles. This feature can be accessed by going to WhatsApp settings and then selecting "chats." Users can then choose from a variety of colors for their chat bubbles.

In addition to the new features and edits mentioned above, the Android beta version 2.23.2.4 also contains a new block shortcut feature. This feature allows users to quickly block contact by long-pressing on their chat and selecting the "block" option from the pop-up menu.

This new feature can save users time and make it more suitable for them to block a contact. It's worth noting that, previously, users had to go to the contact's profile and then select the "block" option to block a contact, which was a multi-step process. This new shortcut feature will make the process much simpler, allowing users to block contact with just a few taps. This is a useful addition to the app, especially for those who frequently block or unblock contacts.

Overall, WhatsApp's new beta versions for iOS and Android bring new updates and edits to the app, making the messaging experience more personalized and efficient. The new features like text recognition within images, block shortcuts, and updated bug fixes, are an indication of the company's effort to make the app more user-friendly. However, these features are only available to beta testers at the moment, and it remains to be seen when they will be released to the public.

Read next: WhatsApp Beta Has Tests New Updates For Android Users, Including Chat Transfer And Bookmark Icon For Disappearing Messages
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Facebook’s Low Notification Approach Seems to Be Working

We’ve all been faced with apps that send us notification after notification, and it turns out that that might make users less likely to open the app with all things having been considered and taken into account. Meta has recently been conducting an experiment wherein the tech juggernaut sent fewer notifications to Facebook users. The results of this experiment are now out, and they show some interesting facts about social media usage as well as the direction in which Facebook might be headed in the near future.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that decreasing notifications had a twofold effect. Firstly, it meant that users spent less time on the app. That is a pretty obvious reaction, but one thing that was somewhat more surprising was that users also preferred not getting as many notifications.

Hence, even though it can decrease usage time, fewer notifications can lead to higher levels of satisfaction than might have been the case otherwise. That might be a key element to stopping the mass migration of users away from the platform. This is also a bit of an about face for Meta, since the platform has historically wanted to drive obsessive usage no matter the cost.

• Also read: Meta And Apple Fall Off Glassdoor’s List Of Best Workplaces For The First Time In 10 Years

The bet that Meta is making is that improving user satisfaction across the board will lead to better metrics in the long run. That is actually pretty surprising because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up ruining Meta’s metrics in the short run. It’s great that Meta is adopting a long term approach, and it may make for a much healthier social media platform.

While this might not be enough to stop the flood of users exiting the platform, it is a definite step in the right direction. Meta is also trying to tread the line between too many notifications and too few. After all, many users rely on notifications to tell them when their favorite content is ready for them to watch.

Finding a balance is key here. Users that are bombarded with notifications may end up switching them off entirely, that will not be conducive to Facebook getting back on track. With economic sentiments looking dire, it appears that Facebook is trying to do what it can to save the sinking ship.

Advertisers are hesitant to work with a platform that doesn’t have the trust of its users, no matter how many users it might actually have. The results of this experiment could lead to Facebook making some truly innovative changes down the line regarding their notifications.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Facebook Users Received Fake Copyright Strikes From Hackers

Facebook’s status as the biggest social media platform in the world in terms of monthly active users makes it a popular hub for malicious actors. The latest scam to hit the platform saw many Facebook users receiving copyright infringement notices (that was somewhat similar to a recent hacking campaign), with many major organizations also being targeted with all things having been considered and taken into account.

The copyright notice told recipients that their pages or accounts would get deleted if they did not take the appropriate action required. A research firm by the name of Avanan revealed that this scam was occurring, and with all of that having been said and now out of the way it is important to note that many users have already fallen prey to it.

Users receive an email ostensibly from Facebook which tells them that their account has been suspended due to copyright violations. They are then given a twenty four hour window to appeal the decision, and they are informed that if they do not appeal the decision their accounts will get permanently deleted.

As always, a link is provided in the malicious email and users are told to click on the link to submit their appeal. Doing so can be dangerous though because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up leading to user credentials getting stolen.

The link leads to a site that is built to harvest credentials, and hovering over the link before clicking on it can make that more apparent than might have been the case otherwise. This can be an especially dangerous campaign for brands and companies that rely on their Facebook pages to gain traction.

Phishing emails can usually be spotted by looking at the email address, but in spite of the fact that this is the case these malicious actors are using spoofing to cover their tracks. It’s essential to be careful about clicking on any links received in an email, otherwise the results could be pretty disastrous. Once credentials have been stolen, it can be impossible to regain access to your account again so being cautious is key here.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

iPhone's Next Frontier: Leak Reveals Under-Display Face ID and Fingerprint Sensors

A recent leak has revealed that Apple's iPhone could potentially be getting an under-display Face ID feature shortly.

This news comes from a supply chain source who claims that Apple has been working on this technology for some time and that it could be ready as early as next year. The under-display Face ID feature would allow the front-facing camera and Face ID sensors to be hidden underneath the display. This would give the iPhone a cleaner, more seamless design, and would also allow for a larger display area. Additionally, it would also allow the phone to have a smaller notch.

The source also claims that the under-display Face ID feature would use a new type of sensor that is more accurate and efficient than the current Face ID technology. This new sensor would be able to scan the user's face through the display, making it more secure and reliable.

Currently, the Face ID technology on the iPhone uses a system of sensors and cameras to scan the user's face and create a detailed map of their features. This map is then used to unlock the phone and authenticate the user for various actions, such as making payments or accessing sensitive information.

It's worth noting that the under-display Face ID feature is still in the development phase and there's no guarantee that it will make its way into the next generation of iPhone. However, the fact that Apple is working on this technology is a good indication that they are actively exploring ways to improve the design and functionality of their devices.

In addition to this, the source also said that Apple is working on a new type of fingerprint sensor that could be integrated into the display. This would allow users to unlock their phones with the touch of a finger, much like current fingerprint sensors. This technology is also still in the development phase and there's no guarantee that it will make its way into the next generation of iPhone.

Overall, this leak suggests that Apple is working on some exciting new technology that could potentially revolutionize the way we interact with our devices. The under-display Face ID feature, in particular, has the potential to give the iPhone a much cleaner and more seamless design while also making it more secure and reliable. While it's too early to say for sure when we can expect these new features to make their way into the iPhone, it's clear that Apple is working hard to push the boundaries of what's possible with mobile technology.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World