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From last week, Google began paving the way to run Android apps on Chrome Operating System through the project named " App Runtime for Chrome ", but the release came with a lot of limitations – it only supported certain Android apps and on Chrome OS only. At the launch, initially only 4 Android apps – Vine, Evernote, Duolingo and Sight Words – were added to the Chrome Web Store. That was pretty exciting, but it merely whet the appetite of users hungry for more functionality. So, what if you could run more than just 4 Android apps on Chrome OS? And Also could run them on other operating systems as well? A developer by the name of " Vlad Filippov " began working on it to stripped away the limits Google has imposed. He successfully figured out a way to bring more Android apps to Chrome , instead of just the four that are officially supported by Google. The bigger success was that when Filippov got Android apps to work on any desktop Operating System tha...

Last year at Google I/O developer event, Google launched a limited beta " App Runtime for Chrome " (ARC) project, which now expanded to run millions of Android apps within Chrome browser. Google has released a new developer tool called App Runtime for Chrome (ARC) Welder that allows Android apps to run on Chrome for Linux, Windows, and OS X systems. App Runtime for Chrome (ARC) was an early experiment specifically designed for app developers, but now anyone can download it. Google Chrome's ARC Welder app can now run any of your favorite Android apps like WhatsApp, Candy Crush, Angry Birds, all from your Chrome web browser . ARC welder tool operates via some special runtime implemented using Native Client (NaCl) in-browser binary execution tech. Native Client is a Chrome sandboxing technology that allows Chrome plugins and apps to run at near-native speeds, taking full advantage of the system's CPU and GPU. Google ported complete Android s...

Would you prefer purchasing an Android device that doesn't have any apps or services from Google? No Google Maps, No Gmail, No YouTube! And NOT even the Google Play Store—from where you could have installed any Android apps you want Because if you live in Europe, from now on, you have to spend some extra cash on a smartphone with built-in Google services, which were otherwise until now freely available and already included in the cost of your smartphone. For the very first time, Google has announced its plans to charge a fee to European Android phone manufacturers who want to include a free version of Google apps on their Android handsets. In short, Android phone makers will now have to pay Google for installing the Play store, Gmail, YouTube, Maps, and Chrome, that are usually considered to be core parts of the Android operating system, but are actually Google services. "Since the pre-installation of Google Search and Chrome together with our other apps helped us...

In the wake of data abuse scandals and several instances of malware app being discovered on the Play Store, Google today expanded its bug bounty program to beef up the security of Android apps and Chrome extensions distributed through its platform. The expansion in Google's vulnerability reward program majorly includes two main announcements. First, a new program, dubbed 'Developer Data Protection Reward Program' (DDPRP), wherein Google will reward security researchers and hackers who find "verifiably and unambiguous evidence" of data abuse issues in Android apps, OAuth projects, and Chrome extensions. Second, expanding the scope of its Google Play Security Rewards Program (GPSRP) to include all Android apps from the Google Play Store with over 100 million or more installs, helping affected app developers fix vulnerabilities through responsibly disclosures.' Get Bounty to Find Data-Abusing Android & Chrome Apps The data abuse bug bounty progr...

Google on Thursday announced it's rolling out new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered countermeasures to combat scams across Chrome, Search, and Android. The tech giant said it will begin using Gemini Nano , its on-device large language model (LLM), to improve Safe Browsing in Chrome 137 on desktops. "The on-device approach provides instant insight on risky websites and allows us to offer protection, even against scams that haven't been seen before. Gemini Nano's LLM is perfect for this use because of its ability to distill the varied, complex nature of websites, helping us adapt to new scam tactics more quickly," the company said . Google noted that it's already using this AI-driven approach to tackle remote tech support scams, which often seek to trick users into parting with their personal or financial information under the pretext of a non-existent computer problem. This works by evaluating the web pages using the LLM for potential signals that are...

Google announced some major changes for its Android mobile operating system in October after the European Commission hit the company with a record $5 billion antitrust fine for pre-installing its own apps and services on third-party Android phones. The European Commission accused Google of forcing Android phone manufacturers to "illegally" tie its proprietary apps and services—specifically, Chrome and Google Search as the default browsers—to Android, unfairly blocking competitors from reaching consumers. This rule led Google to change the way it licenses the Google mobile application suite to Android smartphone makers. Now, Google is further making some changes related to browser and search engine choice. In a blog post published Tuesday, Google announced that the company would prompt Android phone owners in Europe (new and existing ones) in the coming months to choose from a variety of web browsers and search engines for their devices as their default apps. ...

Google has recently announced its latest version of the mobile operating system called Android M at its official Google I/O 2015 developer event May 28 in San Francisco. We don't know exactly what is the ' M ' stands for just yet. My guess is it could be Marzipan or maybe Milky Way. Let me know what you guys think, so write me your guesses down below in the comments. Android M is not going to be an immense move in look or architecture like Android Lollipop , but it is bringing some eye-catching upgrades that you are going to love. However, after a Google I/O event and having the Developer Preview of Android M and installing it in my Nexus 6, I have got a pretty good idea what I think are the top 10 Best New Features of Android M. PRIVACY AND APP CONTROL 1. Powerful App Permissions Manager: The biggest change that Google's Android M will bring is a granular permissions system, somewhat similar to what Apple has. Currently, Android app permissions...

Google is tightening its privacy practices that could make it harder for apps on Android phones and tablets to track users who have opted out of receiving personalized interest-based ads. The change will go into effect sometime in late 2021. The development, which mirrors Apple's move to enable iPhone and iPad users to opt-out of ad tracking, was first  reported  by the Financial Times.  Once the revised policy goes live, Google is expected to completely cut off developers' access to the so-called "Advertising IDs," showing a "string of zeros" in its place. The Google Advertising ID (AAID), analogous to Apple's  IDFA , is a unique device identifier that can be used by app developers to track users as they move between apps to target ads better and measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. "Starting in late 2021, when a user opts out of interest-based advertising or ads personalization, the advertising identifier will not be available,...

Google has finally patched a privacy vulnerability in its Chrome web browser for Android that exposes users' device model and firmware version, eventually enabling remote attackers to identify unpatched devices and exploit known vulnerabilities. The vulnerability, which has not yet given any CVE number, is an information disclosure bug that resides in the way the Google Chrome for Android generates 'User Agent' string containing the Android version number and build tag information, which includes device name and its firmware build. This information is also sent to applications using WebView and Chrome Tabs APIs, which can be used to track users and fingerprint devices on which they are running. For example: Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; Android 5.1.1; Nexus 6 Build/LYZ28K ) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/46.0.2490.34 Mobile Safari/537.36 Yakov Shafranovich, a contributor at Nightwatch Cybersecurity firm, initially reported this issue to Google three years a...

In order to keep its billions of users safe, Google has introduced another security defense for its Android devices, called Google Play Protect . Google Play Protect , which is part of the Google Play Store app, uses machine learning and app usage analysis to weed out the dangerous and malicious apps, which have always been albatross around the tech giant's neck. Since Google Play Protect actually comes with the Google Play Store, users do not need to install or activate this security feature separately. Google Play Protect for Android devices consists: App scanning Anti-Theft Measures Browser Protection Play Protect's App Scanning Feature Google Play Protect is an always-on service on devices which said to scan 50 billion apps each day across a billion Android devices to ensure they are safe. Google already has a number of security measures in place to help keep your smartphones safe, including Verify Apps and its Bouncer service, but once apps are uploa...

Google has been hit by a record-breaking $5 billion antitrust fine by the European Union regulators for abusing the dominance of its Android mobile operating system and thwarting competitors. That's the largest ever antitrust penalty. Though Android is an open-source and free operating system, device manufacturers still have to obtain a license, with certain conditions, from Google to integrate its Play Store service within their smartphones. The European Commission levied the fine Wednesday, saying that Google has broken the law by forcing Android smartphone manufacturers to pre-install its own mobile apps and services, like Google Search, Chrome, YouTube, and Gmail, as a condition for licensing. This tactic eventually gives Google's app and services an unfair preference over other rival services, preventing rivals from innovating and competing, which is "illegal under EU antitrust rules." Google's Android operating system runs on more than 80 percen...

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a new malware dropper contained in as many as 9 Android apps distributed via Google Play Store that deploys a second stage malware capable of gaining intrusive access to the financial accounts of victims as well as full control of their devices. "This dropper, dubbed Clast82, utilizes a series of techniques to avoid detection by Google Play Protect detection, completes the evaluation period successfully, and changes the payload dropped from a non-malicious payload to the AlienBot Banker and MRAT," Check Point researchers Aviran Hazum, Bohdan Melnykov, and Israel Wernik said in a write-up published today. The apps that were used for the campaign include Cake VPN, Pacific VPN, eVPN, BeatPlayer, QR/Barcode Scanner MAX, Music Player, tooltipnatorlibrary, and QRecorder. After the findings were reported to Google on January 28, the rogue apps were removed from the Play Store on February 9.  Malware authors have resorted to a variety o...

Fake browser updates are being used to push a previously undocumented Android malware called  Brokewell . "Brokewell is a typical modern banking malware equipped with both data-stealing and remote-control capabilities built into the malware," Dutch security firm ThreatFabric  said  in an analysis published Thursday. The malware is said to be in active development, adding new commands to capture touch events, textual information displayed on screen, and the applications a victim launches. The list of Brokewell apps that masquerade as Google Chrome, ID Austria, and Klarna is as follows - jcwAz.EpLIq.vcAZiUGZpK (Google Chrome) zRFxj.ieubP.lWZzwlluca (ID Austria) com.brkwl.upstracking (Klarna) Like other recent Android malware families of its kind, Brokewell is capable of getting around restrictions imposed by Google that prevent sideloaded apps from requesting  accessibility service permissions . The ban...

A set of four Android apps released by the same developer has been discovered directing victims to malicious websites as part of an adware and information-stealing campaign. The apps, published by a developer named  Mobile apps Group  and currently available on the Play Store, have been collectively downloaded over one million times. According to  Malwarebytes , the websites are designed to generate revenues through pay-per-click ads, and worse, prompt users to install cleaner apps on their phones with the goal of deploying additional malware. The list of apps is as follows - Bluetooth App Sender (com.bluetooth.share.app) - 50,000+ downloads Bluetooth Auto Connect (com.bluetooth.autoconnect.anybtdevices) - 1,000,000+ downloads Driver: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB (com.driver.finder.bluetooth.wifi.usb) - 10,000+ downloads Mobile transfer: smart switch (com.mobile.faster.transfer.smart.switch) - 1,000+ downloads It's no surprise that malicious apps have  devised ...

Cybersecurity researchers have flagged a previously undocumented Android banking trojan called Datzbro that can conduct device takeover ( DTO ) attacks and perform fraudulent transactions by preying on the elderly. Dutch mobile security company ThreatFabric said it discovered the campaign in August 2025 after users in Australia reported scammers managing Facebook groups promoting "active senior trips." Some of the other territories targeted by the threat actors include Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, South Africa, and the U.K. The campaigns, it added, specifically focused on elderly people looking for social activities, trips, in-person meetings, and similar events. These Facebook groups have been found to share artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content, claiming to organize various activities for seniors. Should prospective targets express willingness to participate in these events, they are subsequently approached via Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, where they are as...

Watch out! If you have any of the below-mentioned file managers and photography apps installed on your Android phone—even if downloaded from the official Google Store store⁠—you have been hacked and being tracked. These newly detected malicious Android apps are Camero , FileCrypt , and callCam that are believed to be linked to Sidewinder APT, a sophisticated hacking group specialized in cyber espionage attacks. According to cybersecurity researchers at Trend Micro, these apps were exploiting a critical use-after-free vulnerability in Android at least since March last year⁠—that's 7 months before the same flaw was first discovered as zero-day when Google researcher analysed a separate attack developed by Israeli surveillance vendor NSO Group. "We speculate that these apps have been active since March 2019 based on the certificate information on one of the apps," the researchers said . Tracked as CVE-2019-2215 , the vulnerability is a local privilege escalation...