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The developer preview has only been out for a day, and new features are already emerging.

New features for Android 16 are emergingThe developer preview is still a work in progressThere are upgrades for audio, alerts, and privacy

Google pushed out the first developer preview of Android 16 yesterday (November 19), and while there weren’t many new features mentioned in the announcement, users who’ve installed the software are already coming across numerous upgrades.

It’s worth emphasizing that it’s early days for the software, and these features might disappear as suddenly as they appeared. They’re here for now though, and we’ll be keeping an eye on them as development on Android 16 continues.

First up, as spotted by 9to5Google, the Privacy Dashboard (available through the ‘Security and privacy’ menu in Settings) now lets you review a full seven days of history, rather than the 24 hours that’s currently available.

It means you’re able to look further back through time for apps that may have been misbehaving – accessing your phone’s camera, microphone, or location when they shouldn’t have been, for example.

Audio and notifications

Bluetooth Auracast support is arriving (Image credit: Future)

Next there’s the Audio Sharing feature previously spotted (but currently disabled) in Android 15. As Android Authority reports, this lets you share audio to multiple Bluetooth devices at once – two pairs of headphones, for example.

However, it relies on the Bluetooth Auracast standard, so you are going to need an Auracast-compatible phone for Audio Sharing to work – that’s any Pixel 8 or Pixel 9 handset, excluding the Google Pixel 8a.

Lastly in our mini round-up of new Android 16 features, there’s a new way to manage notification overload (via Android Authority again). As with Audio Sharing, this feature had shown up in Android 15 code that hadn’t been enabled – but now it’s live.

It’s called ‘Notification cooldown’, and it means multiple notifications from the same app, one after the other in a short space of time, will gradually decrease in volume. It’s a small tweak, but it should reduce the annoyance caused by multiple alerts.

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Strava is updating its API agreement, but users warn it could destroy the app’s ecosystem.

Strava has made some big changes to its APIUsers are upset and angry because they preclude third-party apps from  using a lot of Strava dataSome have warned it could destroy the app ecosystem built up around Strava

Strava says that less than .1% of applications will be affected by a major change to its API (application programming interface) agreement, following user backlash to a series of proposed changes by the popular fitness platform.

A few days ago, Strava announced new API terms for its users and partners that will restrict the data that can be used and shown by third-party apps. Specifically, the company is introducing more privacy so that third-party apps can only display a user’s Strava activity data to that specific user.

Third parties are now explicitly prohibited from using any data obtained by Strava’s API in artificial intelligence models, and more terms have been added: “to protect Strava’s unique look and feel and functionality, helping users easily distinguish between Strava and third-party platforms.”

Why are users unhappy?

(Image credit: Lauren Scott)

The changes made by Strava have generated some quite intense user backlash, notably a YouTube video from DC Rainmaker that explains the impact of some of the changes. As he notes, tens of thousands of apps and training platforms rely on Strava’s API to provide users with fitness insights. He warns that Strava’s new changes could have a series of unfortunate consequences.

For instance, under the new rules, data synced to third-party platforms can’t be shown to a coach. This is a change apps like Intervals.icu are already getting to grips with. Intervals, a popular cycling app, relied on its users funneling data from cycling program Zwift into Strava, which then funneled data into Intervals. Now, according to a post on the Intervals.icu forum, developers are working on a direct pathway from Zwift to Intervals without requiring Strava to be involved at all. Furthermore, apps like VeloViewer may no longer be able to show user data on their leaderboards.

The AI changes noted could cripple apps like TrainerRoad, which currently provides AI-generated plans and workouts using Strava API Materials. Stats.training developer Pedro Araújo said the change was “bad news” for his app, which provides Personal AI training using imported Strava data. “Strava is forbidding third-party apps from displaying user info to other users, so I’ll have to disable public user profiles and scrap the whole initial idea… Bold move for a company that gets all their data from third parties. This is why I hate building on top of other services.”

However, the biggest change prevents the processing and disclosing of Strava data (even publicly viewable data) for the purposes of analytics, analyses, customer insights, products, or service improvements.

As DC notes this is a massively vague and nebulous change that could include a huge range of services and features provided by apps that currently rely on Strava’s API. He cites one exasperated company that reached out to say they’re not even sure what they can do with the Strava API anymore.

The changes, it seems, broadly threaten to destroy the ecosystem of third-party apps that rely on Strava’s API data to provide valuable fitness insights to users. Over on the Strava Community Hub, users were not shy about letting the company know exactly what they thought of these changes.

“Bunch of psychos. I’ve unsubscribed today,” one user wrote. Others lamented that users themselves, not Strava, should decide whether their data should be used by other apps. “I just don’t understand the reason why Strava thinks they need to do this. If I authorize a 3rd party to use my data then why should Strava decide that same 3rd party can’t use my data? It just makes no sense. It really needs more explanation to understand the reasoning,” one user added.

Others described the decision as “embarrassing,” and a multitude have indicated they’re canceling their Strava subscriptions.

Strava seeks to quell user unrest

(Image credit: Lauren Scott)

Strava has clearly heard enough user outcry to issue additional context around the changes to its API agreement, and the impact it will have on its users and developers. Most notably, Strava claims “We currently anticipate these changes will impact less than .1% of applications and proactively notified the majority of those affected last week.”

Addressing the changes more specifically, Strava says its increased privacy controls and limiting the display of users data is designed “to thoughtfully address situations where users connect to a third-party app and are unaware that their data is being surfaced not just for their own use and visibility, but also to other users (for example, in a public feed or heatmap).”

On AI, Strava says it believes in the transformational power of AI to handle personalized insights, route and training recommendations, and more but says “innovation in this space must be handled responsibly and with a firm focus on user control.”

“Third-party developers may not take such a deliberate approach to training AI models and as a result, we believe the best decision for the platform and for users is to prohibit the use of data extracted from Strava users in this manner,” the company explains.

On developer impact, Strava says “We recognize that our platform thrives because of the creativity and dedication of third-party developers who build tools to complement and extend Strava’s capabilities” and says it remains “steadfast in our commitment to fostering this ecosystem.” It reiterated that less than .1% of applications on the Strava platforms will be affected by the changes, and says “the overwhelming majority of existing use cases are still allowed, including coaching platforms focused on providing feedback to users and tools that help users understand their data and performance.”

Responding to the update, DC notes there’s still a lot of ambiguity here. The reassurance around coaching apps, for instance, still appears to preclude human coaches from seeing data, noting many coaching apps have confirmed Strava hasn’t changed its position.

Clearly, the user reaction and posited sweep of the changes are misaligned with what Strava believes will be the real-term impact, but it seems the nebulous and vague wording of some of the changes may have spooked developers of some of those aforementioned services.

One other point of contention around the changes is that developers were only given 30 days to prepare for the changes. Whether Strava makes any changes in the meantime remains to be seen, but the true impact of the overhaul might start to manifest in just a few weeks as a result.

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A new rumor has pointed to a 13-inch OnePlus tablet on the horizon, suggesting the iPad Pro could soon have some targeted Android competition.

OnePlus is reportedly working on a 13-inch tablet.This would likely be a direct competitor to the iPad Pro.OnePlus has yet to confirm the existence of the rumored device.

The iPad Pro has long been considered the peak of the tablet market, with even the best Android tablets rarely challenging Apple’s top-of-the-line iPad directly.

However, a new rumor suggests the iPad Pro could finally be getting some targeted direct competition from the Android world, though this may not come from who you’d immediately expect.

OnePlus is reportedly working on a 13-inch tablet to complement the OnePlus Pad 2, which sports a 12.1-inch display.

This rumor stems from a Weibo post by blogger Whylab, which suggests the new OnePlus tablet will sport a 13-inch 3840 x 2400 144Hz display, with 600 nits of brightness and a 240Hz touch sampling rate.

The poster claims in the comments section that the display will be an LCD panel, rather than an OLED.

The post also includes images which supposedly show the device’s screen, though the products shown are labelled as TCL products – it’s possible that the images are from a demonstration of the screen technology in question, rather than a prototype of the finished OnePlus product.

Taking on Apple

The OnePlus Pad 2 – launched in China as the OnePlus Pad Pro – is already a fairly close analogue to Apple’s iPad Air, with a similar form factor, versatile performance, and stylus compatibility.

The version of the OxygenOS Android supplied to the OnePlus Pad lineup is notably similar in appearance to iPadOS, too.

At a starting price of $549 / £499 / AU$699, the OnePlus Pad 2 substantially undercuts the $599 / £599 / AU$999 11-inch iPad Air price-wise and offers double the storage at the base tier.

With Apple’s cheapest 13-inch tablet – the enlarged iPad Air – starting at $799 / £799 / AU$1,299 there’s definitely room for OnePlus to take the same approach with an enlarged version of its pro-sumer tablet.

We didn’t review the OnePlus Pad 2, but we did get to grips with its predecessor: our OnePlus Pad review found the device to be a powerful “flagship-killer” disguised as a cheap tablet.

We liked the OnePlus Pad so much, in fact, that it still holds a place on our list of the best tablets.

For the moment, though, most of the above is based only on rumors and speculation. For the latest updates as we hear them, be sure to keep up with our Android coverage and tablets coverage.

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The latest Call of Duty trailer has confirmed that Black Ops 6 owners will receive 30% more XP in Warzone.

Black Ops 6 owners will receive 30% bonus XP in WarzoneThis was confirmed by a new trailer for the gameSome players are also seeing a prompt to purchase the game after Warzone matches

The latest Call of Duty trailer has confirmed that Black Ops 6 owners will receive 30% more XP in Warzone.

The trailer, which is titled ‘Maximize your Gameplay’, appeared on the official Call of Duty YouTube channel yesterday. It shows off a few clips from the campaign, plus some of the recently released Season One multiplayer content. Plenty of Warzone is also shown, with on-screen text stating that players can “Get a 30% XP boost” and “level up faster in Warzone” when they “experience the blockbuster hit” Black Ops 6.

As noted by Call of Duty fan page ‘CharlieIntel’ on X / Twitter, some players have also started to spot a new prompt when they complete matches in Warzone. It reportedly states that you can “activate your premium XP boost” and is accompanied by a bright orange button that opens the Black Ops 6 purchase page on your platform of choice.

A 30% XP boost is quite a big deal, especially for the most dedicated Warzone players. It dramatically speeds up progression, allowing you to unlock new weapons, camos, and operators at a much faster rate. If you enjoy the battle royale mode but have been on the fence about picking up a copy of Black Ops 6, this could very well be enough justification to finally take the plunge.

Presumably those who have been accessing the game via an Xbox Game Pass subscription will be able to benefit from this 30% boost, which could make subscribing for a few months a good alternative to purchasing a copy at retail price if all you’re after is the bonus XP.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 released back on October 25 and is available now for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and PC.

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New report shows damaging scam attacks are still on the rise.

Gen Q3 Threat Report reveals ‘Scam Yourself’ attacks saw a huge rise614% increase in social engineering scamRansomware and crypto scams are also claiming more victims

The last few months have seen a worrying escalation in ransomware, malvertising, infostealers, and crypto scams, new research has claimed.

The Gen Q3 Threat Report has revealed a major rise in ‘Scam Yourself Attacks’, a type of social engineering tactic tricking users into compromising their own systems, which saw a staggering 614% rise quarter over quarter.

The ‘scam yourself’ term covers a number of threats, including FakeCaptcha, fake tutorials, and ClickFix scams. The familiarity of Captcha uses ClickFix to trick unsuspecting victims into running malicious scripts and downloading malware.

How to: download malware

YouTube tutorials are being used by cybercriminals to encourage users to download malware under the guise of installing software. Security vendors and antivirus software should detect this, even if the user is the one who clicks, copies, and executes the threat.

However, as part of the tutorial, many users are prompted to turn off their antivirus controls – which is what makes this attack so alarming.

Alongside these threats , the report outlines a 24% increase in ransomware attacks from the previous quarter, which echoes reports from earlier this year which revealed such incidents are soaring to new highs around the world.

The rise of Lumma stealer, a Malware-as-a-Service, has fueled a 39% rise quarter of quarter in infostealer activity. These attacks are gaining prominence thanks to their ability to bypass protections, the report states.

Crypto scams also saw a spike in activity thanks to evolving deepfake technology which exploits media events, which is something we have seen on the rise in recent months. The growingly convincing fake videos can attract huge audiences and leverage the likenesses of well known figures and celebrities and encourage viewers to invest in fake crypto schemes.

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Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra and Watch 7 features are rolling out to older models.

Samsung is rolling out some of its latest smartwatch features to older modelsThe company says it’ll help users better understand their healthIt’s a far cry from Google’s rollout of Wear OS, which continues to go slowly

If you own a Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, 5 or 4, you’re about to get a host of new features. Samsung is now rolling out the Wear OS 5 operating system, using Samsung’s own One UI 6 Watch interface, to older watches

The tech giant is offering the latest software update to users of Galaxy Watch devices going back to the Galaxy Watch 4, bringing with it some of the latest features found in the current Galaxy Watch 7 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra.

We scored both of those watches with 4 stars in our reviews, noting how much we appreciated the new wellness features on each, and those same features could be coming to your existing devices at no extra charge. Now beta testing for the Watch 6 is complete, Samsung is rolling out the new OS to “previous generations of Galaxy Watch around the world including Galaxy Watch6, Galaxy Watch6 Classic, Galaxy Watch5, Galaxy Watch5 Pro, Galaxy Watch4, Galaxy Watch4 Classic and Galaxy Watch FE” according to a blog post.

The software will arrive first on Watch 6 via , with updates for other watches “available sequentially”.

(Image credit: Future)

Here’s what One UI 6 adds to your Samsung smartwatch

Energy Score is the headline addition, and leverages AI to collect data points from sleep, activity, sleeping heart rate and more to offer an easy to read and understand metric to show you if you’re in need of a rest, or can push your exercise a little further.

The FDA-authorized Sleep Apnea feature is also coming to a ‘wider range of Galaxy Watch devices’, the company said in a press release, as well as new watch faces.

Compatible devices will gain Double Pinch Gestures and AI-powered suggested replies, too, along with AI-powered Suggested Replies and a new Workout Routine, which “allows users to combine various exercises and create personalized routines, uniquely tailored to their individual goals and preferences”. The Race functionality, also new, acts as a virtual pacer for runners and cyclists.

It’s in stark contrast to Google, which has been struggling to get Wear OS 5 out to older devices. The company pulled the software because it was bricking devices, but will finally resume the rollout now.

That’s good news for Pixel Watch 1 and 2 owners, but it’s understandable they may be looking over at Samsung with some degree of jealousy right now.

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PlayStation Portal finally adds cloud streaming for PS Plus Premium members.

Cloud Streaming has come to the PlayStation Portal via a firmware updateIt’s in beta form for now, but grants access to over 120 PS5 gamesPortal owners will also need to be PS Plus Premium subscribers

The latest PlayStation Portal firmware update has finally added a feature that many owners have wanted since launch: cloud streaming.

The update is detailed in an official PlayStation Blog post, where vice president of product management Hiromi Wakai explains that cloud streaming is available on PlayStation Portal now in beta form.

Just like on PS5, Portal owners will also need to be PS Plus Premium subscribers to take advantage of cloud streaming, which is rolling out in today’s firmware update. Players will have access to over 120 games via cloud streaming, including Ghost of Tsushima, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Monster Hunter Rise, and much more.

Cloud streaming on PlayStation Portal targets 1080p 60fps, and Sony recommends internet speeds of at least 13 Mbps to achieve this. However, players on slower connections should still be able to access games in 720p with at least 7 Mbps.

The cloud streaming feature, which also includes up to 100GB of cloud storage for save data, can be enabled via the Settings menu on the PlayStation Portal. Simply toggle the ‘Cloud Streaming (Beta)’ option as it’s going to be off by default. This should add a new cloud streaming option to your handheld’s Home dashboard.

There are some limitations to note, however. Players currently can’t stream PS4 or PS3 games, nor can they stream games purchased from the PlayStation Store. The same goes for party chat and PS Plus game trials, which are also unavailable. This is likely because the feature is still in beta, and these options will hopefully be implemented down the line.

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CISPE has launched a new and independent regulator to keep tabs on competition in the European cloud market.

CISPE launches new European Cloud Competition Observatory to monitor competitionECCO’s first mission is to focus on Microsoft’s CISPE settlementBroadcom/VMware is also under the spotlight

Non-profit trade association Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe (CISPE) has launched a new body to monitor unfair software licensing practices in the cloud market.

The newly formed European Cloud Competition Observatory (ECCO) was established as part of CISPE’s settlement with Microsoft following a complaint filed with the European Commission regarding the company’s anticompetitive business practices.

In a press release, CISPE confirmed that ECCO “will focus on Microsoft’s adherence to the July 2024 commitments, while monitoring licensing practices impacting both cloud providers and customers.”

CISPE launches new cloud competition regulator

The consortium also noted that ECCO will be operate under a separate governance structure, with customer organizations like France’s Cigref and Belgium’s Beltug acting as observers to reflect customers’ perspectives.

Although the new regulator will first focus on Microsoft, it also has other “software giants” in its sights, including Broadcom’s VMware, which is also being accused of anticompetitive business practices in Europe.

Francisco Mingorance, CISPE Secretary General, commented: “We appreciate Vice President Vestager’s role in establishing ECCO as part of our settlement with Microsoft. ECCO will serve as a watchdog over any software vendors using unfair practices to disrupt the European cloud market, with Broadcom under our current scrutiny.”

Although ECCO isn’t set to file complaints itself, the findings it could reveal in its reports will increase the pressure on companies to address unfair practices before they risk facing a full-blown investigation.

Beltug CEO Danielle Jacobs added: “ECCO’s work is essential to help deliver a fair cloud software licensing environment in Europe.”

With regard to its initial focus on Microsoft, ECCO is set to release its first report after a December technical summit with CISPE and Microsoft members – further follow-ups are planned for February and April.

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A critical RCE flaw has been found in multiple D-Link routers that reached end-of-life.

Security researchers find a critical remote code execution flaw in multiple D-Link router modelsThe models reached end of life status last spring, meaning the flaw won’t be patchedD-Link urges users to replace the devices with newer models immediately

A critical vulnerability, allowing for remote code execution (RCE) attacks, has been discovered on multiple D-Link VPN routers.

However, since the models have now reached end-of-life, D-Link will not be issuing a patch – and instead, it urged users to retire the affected devices and replace them with newer, supported models.

The flaw does not have a CVE designation just yet, but the company, as well as the researcher who found the flaw – alias ‘desploit’ – will not be releasing any details about it, to give affected customers enough time to react. In any case, once word gets out, cybercriminals will definitely start scanning for vulnerable routers, so if you’re using one of these models, make sure to replace them as soon as possible:

DSR-150
DSR-150N
DSR-250
DSR-250N

No workarounds

D-Link said that both hardware and firmware for these devices have expired, and workarounds are not recommended:

“The DSR-150 / DSR-150N / DSR-250 / DSR-250N all hardware versions and firmware versions have been EOL/EOS as of 05/01/2024. This exploit affects this legacy D-Link router and all hardware revisions, which have reached their End of Life […]. Products that have reached their EOL/EOS no longer receive device software updates and security patches and are no longer supported by D-Link US,” D-Link said in a recent security advisory.

“D-Link strongly recommends that this product be retired.”

Routers, being the gateways of all internet traffic on a local network, are usually the first thing criminals will try to compromise in their attacks. End-of-life devices with known critical vulnerabilities, especially RCE, are considered low hanging fruit.

Furthermore, the affected device versions are often used in homes and small businesses, according to a recent BleepingComputer report. That makes them an ideal target for malware deployment, distributed denial of service botnets, and possibly even ransomware attacks.

Via BleepingComputer

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What does the future hold for the world’s most popular word processor? Word isn’t going anywhere. But we are.

If you’ve used a computer, it’s almost certain you have used Microsoft Word.

The aptly named word processor is one of the most influential computer programs in history. From schools to businesses, it’s become a daily part of life for millions of users around the world.

Word rose to global ubiquity because it offered something unique. It was the first word-processing software to embody what Microsoft described as the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) design philosophy.

The idea that what-you-see on the screen is what-you-get if you pressed print is taken for granted in the modern world. But it was a game changer at the time. Within a decade of its official release, Microsoft Word captured a 90 percent share of the word-processing market – officially marking itself as the one of the most successful software products of all time.

Last week, on October 25th 2024, Microsoft Word turned 41. It’s been a long time since it changed the game by delivering WYSIWYG. So what does the future hold for the world’s most popular processor?

Processing a milestone

Change is on the horizon for Word. But it’s not because we don’t need word processing software anymore.

Digital documents exist at the foundation of daily work for about 1.2 billion people. Knowledge workers – professionals who generate value for their organizations through expertise, critical thinking and interpersonal skills – use documents every day. The majority need some form of business document to turn the work they do into deliverable value.

So what’s changing?

Humans still need processors like Word. But in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation – word processors no longer need humans as they have before. The practitioners (us) are being disrupted, rather than the processors. And this is a good thing.

Knowledge is power

Big businesses are the product of many small processes. But small processes can take a big toll on people.

Repetitive tasks not only negatively impact a business by absorbing hours of time from experts – but also reduce the happiness and productivity of employees. And this is why there is such a buzz around AI and Generative AI (GenAI) for businesses. AI could add £119 billion to the UK economy in workplace productivity alone by saving professionals up to 2.9 hours per day according to new research

AI and Generative AI (GenAI) is immensely powerful. But it isn’t anywhere near capable of doing what knowledge workers do – which requires human nuance, understanding and a deep appreciation of context. Knowledge workers solve unique problems every day. AI is only effective when it is supplied with large amounts of accurate information and context.

However – there are areas in which AI and automation excels.

Manually managing knowledge and driving value through processors like Word is a time consuming – but critical – daily task for professionals around the world. New technology platforms are filling the gap between AI and human knowledge work by automating document generation.

The impact of this is twofold. Firstly, by increasing the efficiency with which employees can complete small tasks, experts can get on with the stuff that delivers real value. Secondly, businesses themselves reduce the potential risk caused by human error – saving money and protecting reputation.

Banks, for example, are built on documents. Every financial institution has huge libraries of records, sales sheets, applications, and more. There’s a lot of information – and no margin for error. Consequently, UK banks and fintechs spend £21.4k per hour fighting financial crime and fraud, pushing the UK’s annual compliance bill to £38.3bn.

We’re entering the second wave of AI innovation. (Which may not be as exciting or flashy as the first). But in this era it is clearer exactly where AI and automation can have the greatest impact: allowing knowledge workers to focus on the things that drive value – and empowering businesses to become more efficient and secure.

Getting your docs in a row

Knowledge workers – whether working in a bank, or a law firm, or a consultancy – have been forced to become masters of tools like Microsoft Word. To construct a building, an engineer would first have to lay the foundation with documents.

But this is no longer necessary.

Microsoft Word turns 41, and it isn’t at risk of becoming defunct. But its future looks entirely different to its past. Document work is becoming automated. And this means us, the users, are being set free. Or maybe it’s Word that is being set free from us. Documents are here to stay. But document work is not.

We list the best Microsoft Office alternatives.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro’s Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

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