Google is ditching ‘Messages by Google’ name for something simpler

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Google is ditching ‘Messages by Google’ name for something simpler
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Google is ditching its ‘Messages by Google’ name for something simpler, and it was about time. It’s not difficult to guess what is going on here, Google will now use the ‘Google Messages’ name, finally.

Google is finally ditching ‘Messages by Google’ name

The company has been using the ‘Messages by Google’ name for a long time now, but it simply doesn’t sound right as an app name. Pretty much everyone referred to it as Google Messages, and Google is finally embracing it.

Google recently rolled out seven new features to the app, and along with that, changed the moniker too… quietly. The change occurred in the Google Play Store, as the app listing simply says ‘Google Messages’ now.

Google did use this “new” name in its blog post too, the one announcing new features for the app. This change is actually nice to see, and many people will likely agree.

One thing to note is that the app is still called ‘Messages’ on Android, without the ‘Google’ part. Let’s hope Google will make a change to its ‘Phone’ app soon too. That one is still referred to as ‘Phone by Google’ instead of ‘Google Phone’, or something like that.

Google Messages is the go-to SMS & RCS app for many users

Google Messages is basically a default SMS and RCS app on Android. It comes pre-installed on Google’s very own phones, and a number of other Android smartphones. Those that do not have it, can easily grab it from the Google Play Store.

Considering that Apple will roll out RCS support next year, this app will almost certainly become even more prominent. Google is constantly adding new features, and the app keeps getting better and better as a result.

The app is, of course, free to use, and those of you who still don’t have it installed on your phone can grab it from the Google Play Store.


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Spotify makes significant workforce reduction, laying off 17% of its employees

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Spotify makes significant workforce reduction, laying off 17% of its employees
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As the end of the year approaches, Spotify managed to deliver joy to its more than 550 million users with Spotify Wrapped and its revamped design and features. But by the end of 2023, not all the people working at the Swedish company might be in a cheerful mood.

In a surprise move, Spotify announced a significant reduction in its workforce, shedding 17% of its employees. The decision comes as the music-streaming giant grapples with economic uncertainties and seeks to streamline its operations.

In a company press release (via Engadget), CEO Daniel Ek acknowledged the challenging times ahead and explained the rationale behind the layoffs. He stated that the cuts were necessary to align Spotify’s cost structure with its long-term goals and ensure sustainable growth.

Despite recent positive earnings reports, Ek emphasized the need for decisive action to address the widening gap between Spotify’s financial targets and its current operational costs. He acknowledged the impact on employees, expressing empathy for those affected. “While I am convinced this is the right action for our company, I also understand it will be incredibly painful for our team,” he said.

The layoffs follow a period of rapid expansion for Spotify, driven by favorable investment conditions in 2020 and 2021. While these investments contributed to Spotify’s growth, Ek acknowledged that the company’s cost structure remains too high.

Approximately 1,500 employees are expected to be affected by the layoffs, reducing Spotify’s workforce from around 9,000 employees. To mitigate the impact, Spotify offers a five-month severance package, healthcare coverage during that period, and immigration/career support.

Ek emphasized the importance of lean operations in Spotify’s next phase, stating that it is not just an option but a necessity. He also highlighted the company’s revamped royalty model, designed to better support artists while reducing fraudulent streams.

Spotify’s decision reflects the broader challenges facing the tech industry, with many companies facing economic headwinds and being forced to make difficult decisions. Nokia’s recent announcement to slash 14,000 jobs and tech giants like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta laying off over 50,000 employees collectively in 2023 underscore the industry’s struggles.


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OnePlus Open survives a rigorous durability test: Video

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OnePlus Open survives a rigorous durability test: Video
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The OnePlus Open, a $1,699 foldable device was durability tested by Zack Nelson from JerryRigEverything. For context, or OnePlus’s track records in his tests, the OnePlus 11‘s back glass was shattered and the OnePlus 10 Pro was cracked in half. The OnePlus Open is subject to a million folds, a feat proclaimed by the company and demonstrated in a controlled environment.

The durability testing of the OnePlus Open begins with a scrutiny of the surface or the external elements.

In the scratch test, the Ceramic Guard glass (used on the cover screen) only suffers from slight scratches when scratched with a level 7 element on the Mohs scale of hardness. This is not a big deal, and it keeps parity with most other flagships in the market. Not to mention, with the aluminum side frame and the glass front and back, the phone appears to be sturdy while closed.

The soft inner screen can suffer from visible marks just from nails: be aware

However, for a foldable, the story starts when you unfold the foldable. Opening up the phone exposes the soft plastic display. Pressing a little hard on the inner display with nails leads to visible marks on it.

Notably, OnePlus says the phone has a layer of ultra-thin glass on the inner display panel. However, the whole display assembly includes additional layers such as the one for touch response. On top of it, is a soft plastic layer, always, for every foldable launched to this date.

Coming to ingress protection, the OnePlus Open is IPX4, meaning it’s not officially dust-resistant. The ‘4’ rating for water splash protection, is inferior in comparison to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 or Google Pixel Fold’s ‘8’ or submersion rating. Speaking of dust, the phone does not have any official resistance rating against it.

The reviewer exposes the hinge to a plethora of dust and even larger granular particles. But surprisingly, the hinge appears to work just fine after the torture.

Opening up the OnePlus Open unveils the Open’s resilience against Nelson’s capabilities

After surviving the scratches and dust, the reviewer bends the phone (to the maximum of his capabilities) in both the closed and opened states to ensure that you won’t accidentally damage the phone while keeping it between you and the sofa.

When being folded in the wrong direction, the phone bends a bit but locks out and doesn’t snap in half. The OnePlus Open survives the bent test. It remains fully functional and passes JerryRigEveruthing’s extreme durability test.


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WhatsApp to integrate with Instagram, allowing users to share status updates

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WhatsApp to integrate with Instagram, allowing users to share status updates
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WhatsApp, the popular messaging app with over 2.5 billion active users, is set to enhance its connection with Instagram by introducing a new feature that allows users to seamlessly share status updates across both platforms. Building upon its previous integration with Facebook, it looks like WhatsApp is now extending this functionality to Instagram, further streamlining the process of sharing content with a wider audience.

According to WABetaInfo, this upcoming feature, which is currently under development, will enable users to effortlessly share their WhatsApp status updates directly to their Instagram stories. By eliminating the need to manually create and post separate updates on each platform, this integration will improve content sharing.


The time-saving benefits of this feature are particularly noteworthy. Instead of dedicating time to creating and posting identical updates on both WhatsApp and Instagram, users will be able to do this task in a single step, streamlining their social media engagement.


Beyond convenience, this integration also promotes consistency in content sharing across Meta’s platforms. Users can ensure that their updates align with their overall social media presence, maintaining a cohesive identity for their audience. Moreover, the optional nature of this feature empowers users to decide whether or not they want to use it. Those who prefer to maintain separate status updates on each platform can do so without restrictions.


The feature to share status updates to Instagram is found in the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.25.20 update, which is available on the Google Play Store. It is still under development, and it will be available in a future update of the app.


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A week in security (November 27 – December 3)

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A week in security (November 27 – December 3)
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domain fronting are masked requests

December 1, 2023 – Domain fronting is a technique to hide the true origin of HTTPS requests by hiding the real domain name encrypted inside a legitimate TLS request.

Avoid this "Casino Online Promotion" 419 Scam

November 30, 2023 – A fake antivirus alert may suddenly hijack your screen while browsing. This latest malvertising campaign hit top publishers.

Chrome

November 29, 2023 – Google’s released an update to Chrome which includes seven security fixes. Make sure you’re using the latest version!

ownCloud logo

November 28, 2023 – A vulnerability in the ownCloud file sharing app could lead to the exposure of sensitive credentials like admin passwords.

Chrome wants to make cripple ad blockers

November 23, 2023 – Google has set a date for the introduction of Manifest V3 which will hurt the capabilities of many ad blockers.


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OnePlus 12 appears in hands-on images with 24GB of RAM

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OnePlus 12 appears in hands-on images with 24GB of RAM
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OnePlus’ new flagship is right around the corner. The OnePlus 12 will launch tomorrow, and its hands-on images have just appeared online. Some of the images below come from OnePlus China President himself, while others are leaks, you’ll spot the difference easily. Even a very short hands-on video popped up for everyone to see.

The OnePlus 12 hands-on images give us an even better look at the phone

The phone’s design is far from being a secret, as OnePlus itself showed us the phone, in detail. We’ve seen a ton of renders and lifestyle images already. The images that just leaked only confirm what we already knew, pretty much.

If you check out the gallery below, you’ll see real-life images of the device, in both white and green colors. Both of these phones seem to have glass on the back, though we can’t confirm that.

Official real-life images:

Leaked real-life images:

The white variant has a glossy backplate, while the green one does not

The white variant is glossy on the back, while the green one doesn’t seem to be. The finish on the back actually looks like marble, kind of. A circular camera setup sits on the back, and it’s connected to the side with a piece of metal, for design purposes, we presume. There are three cameras included on the back.

The phone’s display is curved, as you can see in the provided images. A display camera hole is centered this time around, while the bezels are extremely thin. It’s even possible that they’re uniform, we’ll have to wait and see.

A 5,400mAh battery is confirmed, while this is a 24GB RAM model

In one of the images, you’ll even see that the battery capacity has been confirmed thanks to the About Phone screen. A 5,400mAh battery is coming, and this is a 1TB version of the phone. A 6.82-inch display is mentioned, and the phone’s cameras too. 50-megapixel, 64-megapixel, and 48-megapixel rear-facing units.

This particular phone also has 24GB of RAM, and you can even add 4GB more via virtual RAM. This variant will most likely be sold in China only, though.

The OnePlus 12 is launching tomorrow in China, while the global launch event will take place in January. January 23 is the rumored date.


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Man lost $280,000 because of ‘FjordPhantom’ Android virus

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Man lost $280,000 because of ‘FjordPhantom’ Android virus
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Cybercrime has been on the rise in recent years, and Android users have become a prime target for attackers. This is due in part to the open nature of the Android platform. It gives users more control over their devices but also makes them more vulnerable to malware and other threats. In a recent example, a Thai victim lost around 10 million Thai Baht (roughly $280,000) to cybercriminals deploying FjordPhantom. More importantly, it is roughly 4 times the annual salary of an average American, per the 2022 census.

The Android trojan draining bank accounts is FjordPhantom

FjordPhantom malware was First discovered by security firm Promon. That malware is wreaking havoc across several Asian countries, including Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia. The attack starts when someone sends a message or email to a person, asking them to download a real banking app.

However, there’s a trick — once the app is downloaded, it runs in a special virtual environment that lets the attackers take control. This virtualization thing helps them make the same app work for two people on one device.

The attackers use a special virtualization technique to make the fake app work just like the real app. This means the fake app can run on the same phone as the real one without any problems. They also use hooking to change how the phone’s system works. This allows them to control what happens when you use certain apps. Finally, the attackers call people who have downloaded the fake app and pretend to be from the bank. They try to trick people into giving them their passwords or making transactions. That results in people losing money, of course.

How to be on the safer side against such cybercrimes

There’s no foolproof advice to simply avoid cybercrime; however, there are a few steps to be on the safer side. For example, keeping the phone’s software updated. Google frequently pushes security updates to Android phones. Another move is to refrain from opening suspicious attachments or clicking on unknown links. Whenever possible, enable two-factor authentication for your online accounts. One more advice is to rely on Google Play Store or other leading app stores for installing apps.


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YouTube will now show you the number of views and likes a video has in real-time

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YouTube will now show you the number of views and likes a video has in real-time
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Google is changing the “likes” and “views” counters on YouTube so that they will refresh automatically when a video is viewed. Currently, if you’re watching a video on the platform, the number of likes and views won’t change while you are viewing the clip. But with this update, those two metrics will rise and show a cool animation of a rolling numbers counter whether the video is being played or is paused. And the animation will be played even if you switch to another app and return to YouTube.
Android Police came across this new behavior on YouTube and couldn’t find any reference to it except for a post on Reddit from back in October from user nonotan who wrote, “I’m watching a video, and I keep getting distracted by an animation where the view counter is rolling over to a new number as if it were a physical click counter. I have not seen this behavior before today, and I’d like to disable it.”
Red boxes show the number of views and likes of this video rolling higher in real time - YouTube will now show you the number of views and likes a video has in real-time

Red boxes show the number of views and likes of this video rolling higher in real time

The same Redditor was so bothered by the effect that he added the following line to his filters which stopped the animation and the count from advancing in real-time: https://www.youtube.com/youtubei/v1/updated_metadata*.

Others also had similar posts about the feature such as Reddit user Reyh who said, “Distracting indeed and imho not beneficial at all. Saw it on Tuesday for the first time, using Firefox. The first few times I only noticed some sort of movement at the bottom left of the videos. I wondered if it was in the video itself. Then I observed the area for a while and saw the new counter animation.”

It seems that this feature is being tested with the help of a very limited number of YouTube users globally. Those who see the feature will notice the number of views and the number of likes rolling up on the screen to a higher number while they are viewing the video. Google calls this progress and for some of you, it may be.

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OnePlus Open gets a new update, but it’s not Android 14

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OnePlus Open gets a new update, but it’s not Android 14
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OnePlus has released a new update for its foldable device, the OnePlus Open, bringing some notable improvements to the camera functionality, but not Android 14. Users eager for the latest Android 14 experience will likely have to exercise patience, as the update is based on OxygenOS 13.2 and not the anticipated OxygenOS 14.

The recently deployed update (via Android Authority) is labeled as firmware CPH2551_13.2.0.201(EX01) and is 508.98MB in size. This update includes the the Android security patch for November 2023.

A notable camera enhancement includes the ability to set a specific exposure value while taking images in ‘Photo’ mode. However, the absence of Android 14 in OnePlus’s foldable device is leaving some of its users yearning for the latest additions form Google.

With the update OnePlus Open gets the ability to lock the exposure in ‘Photo’ mode

This is particularly relevant for OnePlus Open users who may have anticipated an Android 14 upgrade, considering that OnePlus has already rolled out Oxygen OS 14, based on Android 14, to its OnePlus 11 and OnePlus 10 Pro devices. The disparity in the update status across OnePlus’s flagship lineup raises questions about the timeline for Android 14’s arrival on one of the company’s most premium devices, the foldable OnePlus Open.

As OnePlus typically stages its updates over a few days, users may not immediately see this new firmware on their OnePlus Open devices. To check if the latest update is available, users can navigate to Settings > System > System updates and tap the “Check for updates” button.

While the current update brings valuable camera enhancements, the community eagerly awaits news on when OnePlus will introduce Android 14 to the OnePlus Open. The delay raises speculation about a potential Android 14 rollout in January. It leaves the users to weigh the benefits of the current camera improvements and the latest security patch against the anticipation for the next Android iteration.


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US Man Jailed 8 Years for SIM Swapping and Apple Support Impersonation

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US Man Jailed 8 Years for SIM Swapping and Apple Support Impersonation
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Golshan’s schemes involved SIM swapping, social media account takeovers, Zelle payment fraud, and impersonating Apple Support personnel.

A 25-year-old man from downtown Los Angeles has been sentenced to 8 years in federal prison for orchestrating a series of online scams that defrauded hundreds of victims of over $740,000.

Amir Hossein Golshan (PDF) was convicted of one count of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information, one count of wire fraud, and one count of accessing a computer to defraud and obtain value.

Golshan’s schemes involved SIM swapping, social media account takeovers, Zelle payment fraud, and impersonating Apple Support personnel. He used these methods to steal money, NFTs, cryptocurrency, and other valuable digital property from his victims.

In one instance, Golshan targeted a Los Angeles-based model and influencer with over 100,000 Instagram followers. He gained access to her Instagram account and impersonated her to her friends, requesting them to send him money through Zelle, PayPal, and other online payment platforms.

Several of the victim’s friends sent Golshan money, totalling thousands of dollars, believing they were sending money to the victim. In another instance, Golshan impersonated Apple Support personnel to gain unauthorized access to several victims’ Apple iCloud accounts. He then stole NFTs, cryptocurrency, and other valuable digital property from these accounts.

In another case, he stole an NFT valued at approximately $319,000 and approximately $70,000 worth of cryptocurrency from a victim. U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II, who sentenced Golshan, stated that his crimes went “beyond just money” and that they showed a “wanton cruelty” that caused the victims to live in a state of “constant fear and worry.”

According to the US Department of Justice’s press release on Monday, November 27, 2023, Golshan has been in federal custody since June 2023 for violating the terms of his pretrial release. In addition to his prison sentence, he is ordered to pay $1,218,526 in restitution to his victims.

  1. Police Dismantle SIM Swapping Gang in Spain
  2. Indian police & Microsoft busts tech support scam centers
  3. 10 SIM-swapping hackers nabbed for targeting US celebrities
  4. Authorities take down scam campaign impersonating the WHO
  5. Man hacks Indian tech support scam call center; leaks CCTV footage

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