Android’s Weight Loss Apps Help Monitor Progress But Interfere With Digital Privacy As Per New Study

The new year is on the horizon and we bet your new year’s resolutions are in full swing.

Now is the time to make a list of goals you plan on achieving and stick to it. But we’re pretty sure weight loss and taking care of your health are at the top of the list.

Many people look to different apps to help keep a track of their weight loss progress and monitor the results simultaneously. Among those include Android’s offerings but before you blindly start using them, you might want to take a look at what this new study says.

A data privacy agent that goes by the name Incogni (owned by Surfshark) is sharing insights on apps taking advantage of your privacy while giving you benefits. And you might be amazed to learn that some categories fare so much worse than others.

The study reported some peculiar findings after taking 344 apps from the Google Play Store into consideration, ranging from 16 different categories. Each of them has a certain score for privacy risk.

Now, Incogni’s team has started to go over the type of protection level as well as the type of permissions required to use such apps. Users are giving out dangerous permissions and it’s amazing how they are unaware of what they’re getting into.

The results provided a number of huge differences right off the bat among the different categories out there today. The category outlined to be for weight loss had the worst results from the start and that’s related to the worst privacy practices.

Another shocking point had to do with apps linked to decorating and renovation. These came in second, and it was very closely followed up by the likes of apps that nagged users to go out and exercise so much more and spend less of their time on places like social media.

With the bad did come some good news. It was linked to apps that had to do with quitting smoking as it entailed a very low score for privacy risks at just 23.3. This might give you the motivation you need to quit smoking in the upcoming new year.

A new analysis linked to Android apps also highlighted a few more trends. Out of the apps that had been studied, around 84% requested permission that was dangerous.

And according to researchers, dangerous permission was one related to high risk as they provide apps access to data belonging to private users and end up controlling the device.

Around 74% of applications end up asking for your permission to read specific content linked to the USB storage. Meanwhile, 66% had to do with altering or deleting USB storage

As per the researchers, you need to be aware of three categories that really stood out for all the wrong reasons. This entailed weight loss, decorating and volunteering so next time you plan on installing such applications, you’d be required to think twice.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Here Are Some Android Features You Should Immediately Disable for Better Performance

If you have been using an Android phone for long enough, chances are that you’re noticing some subpar performance. Android has a lot of default features that are supposed to improve the user experience, but in spite of the fact that this is the case they usually end up having the exact opposite type of effect. Here are some features (as highlighted by 9to5G) that you should disable to improve phone performance and enhance your privacy in numerous ways.

The first thing that users should do is to reduce background processes to the minimum (remember for this feature you'll need to turn on the Developer options from your Android phone setting). This is great for low end phones because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up improving performance by limiting the strain on its CPU.

Disabling scanning for WiFi and Bluetooth can also prove useful. Phones often do this to automatically connect to recognizable networks, but this can also make the battery drain faster than might have been the case otherwise.

A more privacy oriented change that users might want to make has to do with location history. Google tracks your location history constantly if you have an Android smartphone, and you might want to turn it off to keep your data private. Turning it off might result in fewer personalized results on Google Maps and the like, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing if you are getting improved privacy in the bargain as well.

Additionally, back ground data usage can be a huge drain on your battery life. Social media feeds often get updated in the background, since this will prevent the app from having to load entirely when you open it. This can also result in you using far more data than you intended which can be frustrating if you are on a limited data plan. Turning this off will improve battery life as well as restrict data usage to the bare essentials, although it might also disrupt your notifications if you don’t put the right settings in.

Some Android users might be familiar with the notifications that they receive when there is publicly accessible WiFi around. While this can be useful in certain situations, it can also be a nuisance particularly in private areas. Excessive notifications can slow your device down, so by turning them off you can eke out a bit of superior performance from the smartphone.

Another privacy focused change that you can make is to turn off status reports and crash updates. Google extracts a lot of this data to keep an eye on issues that might be arising. While the data is anonymized, you don’t necessarily have to contribute it if you don’t want to. Indeed, it might be better to just switch the reports off since plenty of other people will be sending the data themselves.

Finally, ad personalization is yet another thing that you might want to focus on. If you awnt to avoid seeing personalized ads, you can switch this off quite easily. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that you need to enter developer mode to make these changes. Once you do that, you can improve device performance and privacy.



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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

This New Survey Reveals Major Red Flags in Job Postings for Applicants

Anyone that is trying to apply for a job would know how difficult it can be. They need to fulfil every single criteria that has been mentioned, and any low effort on their part will result in instant failure. In spite of the fact that this is the case, the job postings themselves also need to be optimized. Red flags in job postings can result in fewer applicants coming in than might have been the case otherwise, so it’s useful to recognize them.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Paychex recently conducted a study that shed some light on the state of job postings and what job applicants find to be unappealing. 65% of hopefuls will consider it a major red flag if the job posting does not include a salary range. Many postings use vague language, such as by saying that their salaries will be competitive. This might alienate as many as two thirds of prospective applicants.

Additionally, simply posting the salary may not be enough. Job postings that post a low salary might get ignored because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making the role less enticing for applicants. 60% of survey respondents agreed that this was a red flag, and 50% cited excessive experience requirements as being deal breakers as well with all things having been considered and taken into account.

As for what candidates are looking for in job postings, this is really quite simple. 64% said that they would be more likely to apply for a job if flexible work hours are advertised. 58% said that they wanted to see some indication of remote work culture, and 57% want the responsibilities that go with the role to be clearly stated.

It’s easy to see that employees want a better work life balance and more guidance from superiors. Job postings that indicate this will get a much better response, potentially allowing them to get someone for the job at a much faster rate.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

As the Foldable Smartphones Are Getting Momentum, Global Foldable Devices Market Is Going To See A Raise in Its Sales in 2023

Foldable smartphones are getting quite popular in the several regions and because of this their global shipments and sales are going to increase by 52% YoY in 2023. Counterpoint Research analyzed the shipments of foldable smartphones and they found that in the year 2023, the sales figure of these smartphones are going to reach 22.7 million units.

All of this was predicted in Counterpoint Research's Global Foldable Smartphone Market Forecast for Q3 2022 report. In this report, Counterpoint revealed that about 14.9 million units in sales will be achieved for foldable smartphones global shipment in FY 2022. Not only this but in Q1 and Q2 of 2022, the foldable smartphones global shipment went to 9.5 million units and 90% YoY. Even if foldable smartphones shipment is seeing a raise, there is a high chance that it will decrease in Q4 2022. This is because of the inflation in the global market and the economy.

Counterpoint Research's director, Tarun Patakh says that these numbers of foldable smartphones in global shipment are not much but when we see them in the light of the ultra-premium segment, it seems like foldable smartphones are going to take a hold of this world. Foldable smartphones have made all the double-digit shares in the market and we are hopeful that these shares will increase by at least 20% in 2023.

There are many competitors in the global foldable market but Samsung remains at the top as always. Chinese OEMs are set to hit the market in 2023 so only time will tell what they will bring. It is also expected that Motorola, Honor, and Xiaomi are also going to enter the global foldable smartphones market outside of China in 2023. Huawei, Oppo, and Vivo are also going to release their latest foldable smartphones in 2023. It's safe to say that 2023 is going to be a good year for competition between these smartphones.

China OEMs are more inclined toward the European market and Apple is missing in action regarding foldable smartphones. But Apple always takes its time so we have to wait and see what Apple has in store for us.

Read next: Minecraft Secures Top Spot For Most Popular Video Game Of Gen Z In 2022
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

LinkedIn Rolls Out Planned Updates For 2023 Including Job Filters And Better Product Listings

The year 2022 has come to an end and with 2023 upon us all, some apps are really going that extra mile in terms of better their performances. And LinkedIn happens to be one of them.

The app is moving forward with planned updates for 2023 and that entails enhanced filters for job categories. These would be better aligned with the likes of shifts made in careers and enhanced options for search in terms of product listings on this platform.

Yes, you are given the chance to list business products on your own LinkedIn pages. It’s not something new as more than 90,000 listings of this sort are seen on the platform already.

For starters, let’s discuss the enhanced filters for jobs. This is done to make way for better alignment of possible new career roles for users. The app would like to begin tests for job listings of this kind. It’s all linked to locations, firms, the flexibility of roles, and so much more.

As can be seen with this example, the app’s job categories are designed to split various roles into unique segments which are aligned with trends so users may find better chances in terms of their interests.

Recently, we saw LinkedIn explain that there are several times when we hear professionals and how they’d end up discovering and exploring various new chances for careers. This is especially true, even if don’t happen to be working in some other type of job.

The number of members has increased in terms of those casually searching for better jobs. This is especially true for jobs that align better with values and user preferences. Linkedin added in its statement regarding the update that it really does hope to assist others to go that extra mile to see what it is that’s really the best for them.

This could actually turn out to be the best way to obtain a shift in your career which the app feels has turned into a major focus for so many users in the professional world.

LinkedIn says it would start testing such job category listings and plans for expansions are also up on the cards soon. In the same way, this app is searching for filters linked to new job categories of product listings. It provides a lot more potential for the discovery of B2B product pages and that was launched way back in the year 2020.

As mentioned, there are thousands of products that continually be listed and the app really hopes to create the best capacity to conduct product searches so it can expand further on this front.

It’s wonderful in terms of revenue generation for both businesses as well as brands, including the app itself. Moreover, we’ll be seeing which product search does become big news for the whole in-app experience.

For now, these are just a few changes that the app has planned for in the upcoming new year. It really is working hard in terms of developing a new position for the professional social network out there today. It’s a place to discuss some great changes for the likes of career and work.

It’s a worthwhile change and as we witness the likes of Twitter making an exit, amid all of this uncertainty, it might be a great way for LinkedIn to enhance its presence even more. The app could serve as a leading beneficiary to the platform as many professionals could consider shifting. Obviously, the apps are worlds apart but they do have options to replace Twitter chats.

Read next: Remote Workers Show Productivity By Attending 59% More Meetings
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Remote Workers Show Productivity By Attending 59% More Meetings

The shift to remote work has been a dramatic trend as of late, with many employees eager to take advantage of the wonders that it can send their way. Many have assumed that working from home would result in a drop in productivity, but in spite of the fact that this is the case it turns out that remote work allows employees to become more productive than might have been the case otherwise.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that researchers at the University of Texas revealed some intriguing factoids about remote workers and their productivity. One such revelation is that meetings have actually increased by as much as 59% between 2020 and 2022 which is when work from home started becoming the norm. That adds up to an extra three meetings for remote workers, going from 5 in 2020 to 8 in 2022. This is a clear sign that they are getting work done instead of slacking off.

Another massive increase was seen in terms of one on one meetings that happen spontaneously. Such meetings went from 17% to 66% in two years, which is yet another indication that remote work is not the death of productivity that so many feared it would be.

Interestingly, even though meetings have been happening more and more frequently, they are not lasting as long as they used to. From an average of 43 minutes in 2020, meetings now take around 33 minutes to wrap up in 2022. That seems to suggest that work is being done more efficiently than might have been the case otherwise, since extended meetings are a sign that things are going slower than they are supposed to.

All in all, it seems like remote work is here to stay. The only threat was a loss in productivity, and all signs point that that just isn’t the case. More people are looking for job postings offering flexible work hours and work from home options, and chances are that this trend will see further growth in 2023.

H/T: Harvard Business Publishing

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Recession is taking away SEO and PPC opportunities in 2023 - are we headed towards marketing depression?

2022 has been an eventful year for all of us. Where quarantine had highlighted marketers because the world turned to digital marketing, the recession is now taking away all their opportunities.

According to a recent study, most of the global population feels that the world is heading towards economic recession in 2023 and one of the major professions affected by this is going to be marketing.

The question here was if the marketers were worried about their budgets being reduced due to the upcoming or ongoing recession.

Barry Schwartz conducted a survey on Twitter to see how marketers feel about the upcoming recession.

Among the marketers who responded, 23% were quite worried, 36.6% were moderately worried and the rest 40.4% percent weren’t worried at all.

This makes the ratio nearly half-and-half. While half of the marketers are worried, and the other half do not care. The ones who are worried feel that their search marketing budgets are going to get compromised. This includes SEO and PCC.

When being rational, one of the fronts that can be easily budgeted is search marketing which includes SEO and PCC. Limiting the marketing budget does not seem like a huge opportunity cost to the company but it is a big blow for the marketers.

For those respondents that did not care, they might belong to the class that does marketing for fun or the class that has enough money to spare. Or they might simply believe that their marketing skills are good enough to not need the money generated from search marketing.

When the same poll was posted on another platform, the results were pretty much the same. 59% of the individuals believed that their marketing budgets would not be affected.

We also believe that the recession will not affect the marketing budget but maybe we’re just being optimistic. Whatever the future might be, we refuse to be skeptical and hope that no one suffers from the upcoming recession.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World