Google gave its TV app an overhaul last year, redesigning its interface and turning it into a hub for your streaming needs. In the near future, it will also serve as Google's official home for movies and TV shows you can rent or purchase. While you can already do those now within the TV app, you can also still find movies and TV shows to buy from within the Google Play Store. In May 2022, though, Google will remove the Movies & TV tab from the Play Store menu at the bottom of its interface and will only continue selling apps, games and books.

If you haven't taken a look at the new Google TV app yet, you'll see a Shop tab where you can find all the titles the tech giant offers. Everything you pay for will be found in the Library tab, and all purchased content will be there indefinitely — you can either stream it or download it. Take note that you can still use Play credit and Play gift cards for transactions within the app and all your purchases are still eligible for family sharing and Google Play Points. Plus, you can still view and request refunds for your TV app purchases on Google Play. The only difference is that, if there's a title you want to watch, you'll soon have to fire up the dedicated Google TV app instead of Play Store to find it. 

Both Microsoft and Okta have admitted that their systems were indeed infiltrated by the Lapsus$ hacking group, but both companies also said that the cyberattack's impact was limited. In a post on the Microsoft Security blog, the tech has revealed that the group gained limited access to its systems using a single compromised account. 

When the hacking group released a torrent with stolen data, it said the package included 90 percent of Bing's source code and 45 percent of Cortana and Bing Maps code. Microsoft didn't say whether those products' codes were indeed stolen, but it explained that it "does not rely on the secrecy of code as a security measure and viewing source code does not lead to elevation of risk." Apparently, the company was already investigating the compromised account even before Lapsus$'s announcement. The group's move prompted Microsoft to move more quickly, allowing it interrupt the bad actor in the middle of its operation, thereby limiting its impact.

Meanwhile, Okta updated its old post made in response to the hacking claim and revealed that approximately 2.5 percent of its customers may have had their data viewed or acted upon. While the company has tens of thousands of customers, it actually supports "hundreds of millions of users." Okta confirmed it has already contacted the affected customers directly via email. 

Okta previously said that it discovered a five-day window in January where an attacker had access to a support engineer's laptop. However, it said the potential impact to Okta customers is limited, because support engineers only have access to limited data. Lapsus$ claimed that the statement was a lie, because it was able to log into a "superuser portal with the ability to reset the password and MFA" of around 95 percent of the company's clients.

In addition to announcing the results of its investigation, Microsoft has also detailed how Lapsus$ operates in its post. The group apparently uses various tactics to gain entry into its targets' systems, such as relying on social engineering and using password stealers. It also purchases logins from underground forums and even pays employees working in target organizations to use their credentials, approve MFA prompts and to install remote management software on a corporate workstation if needed. At times, it also performs SIM-swapping attacks to get access to a user's phone number in order to receive their two-factor codes. 

If it only gains access to account credentials for someone with limited privileges at first, it explores the company's collaboration channels like Teams and Slack or exploits vulnerabilities to gain logins for users higher up in the organization. Microsoft said the group started by targeting cryptocurrency accounts, stealing wallets and funds. Eventually, it also targeted telecom companies, higher educational institutions and government organizations in South America and then worldwide. 

Over the next few weeks, Google is rolling out new features for the Photos app that could make the daunting task of organizing shots you've taken over the years feel more achievable. To start with, the tech giant is updating the app's layout so that you can display groups of photos as a grid or a list that you can filter by type, namely albums, shared albums, favorites and on-device folders. Then, at the bottom menu, you'll find a new "import photos" section that will help you transfer photos from other services, such as Facebook and iCloud. 

The new feature will also make easier to copy files from a camera, as well as to digitize old images and videos. Plus, it has a function to help you scan physical images with your phone. If you're on Android, you'll find more defined sections marked as partner sharing, shared albums and conversations under the sharing tab starting this week, as well. The sections will make their way to the iOS app in the near future.

Another update that could make organizing your images much more doable is the option to exclude your own device folder from backups. If you have a Pixel or another Android device that saves screenshots in that folder, that means you don't have to wade through snapshots of random things you found online or of bank and other payment transactions. 

Google will soon add a shortcut for screenshots at the top of the main photo grid to take you right to them in case you choose not to back up your device folder. And soon, you'll also see a carousel of contextual suggestions to copy text, crop and search using Google Lens whenever you view a screenshot. 

Now that pandemic restrictions have started lifting, people are eager to go back to the activities they used to do, such as seeing live music performances. Shazam has launched a new feature meant to make it easier to find shows nearby, so music lovers don't miss events they can easily go to. Starting today, when users Shazam a song or search for it in the app or on the website, they'll also see relevant concert information and tickets on sale for upcoming shows near their location.

If they have a specific artist in mind, though, they can simply launch the new Shazam Artist page on the platform and see the dates, times and locations of upcoming performances. Tapping on any of them will show additional tour or show information, along with the ability to add any event to their calendar. Shazam uses information from concert discovery app Bandsintown for this feature, and musicians who want the service to display their event details will have to make the information available via Bandsintown For Artists.

Shazam's new concert feature is now available on iOS and Android. "Shazam has a long history of innovation in music discovery and connecting artists and fans," Apple VP for Apple Music and Beats Oliver Schusser said. "With the reemergence of live music, we're excited to give Shazam users access to concerts and bring even more discoverability to artists." Apple, which purchased Shazam back in 2018, said last year that the app IDs over a billion songs per month. With this feature, Shazam has taken its music discovery service to another level. 

Nintendo's latest software update includes a feature you may have been waiting for: The ability to group games on your home screen. It's been over five years since the console was released, and there are now thousands of games available for the system. Unlike the PlayStation, which gives you a way to sort titles into folders, the Switch only shows your most recently played ones in a single horizontal lineup you can scroll. This update changes that.

The first time you create a group, an information card will pop up telling you about the new feature and with the suggestion to sort games into themes, such as genres or developers, to make them easier to find. You only need to check all the titles you want to add, re-arrange them in the order you want them to be displayed and then type in a name for the group. To create another group, just press the + Button.

You can create up to 100 groups containing up to 200 titles each, so you can sort everything into however you want even if you've accumulated quite the collection over the years. While you can group large numbers of titles together, take note that the button to proceed to the "All Software" screen will show up if there are 13 or more titles displayed.

In addition to groups, the latest software update will also allow you to adjust a Bluetooth device's volume on the device itself, so long as it supports AVRCP profiles. Also, Nintendo has increased the max volume for some Bluetooth devices.

The US Department of Justice has accused Google of training its employees on how to shield business communications from discovery in cases of legal disputes "by using false requests for legal advice." As Axios reports, the DOJ has told the judge overseeing its antitrust case against the tech giant that Google instructs employees to add in-house lawyers to written communication, apply attorney-client privilege labels to them and make a request for legal advice even when it's not needed. The department is now asking the judge to sanction the company "for its extensive and intentional efforts to misuse the attorney-client privilege to hide business documents relevant" to the case.

In the brief (PDF) its lawyers wrote for the judge, the DOJ said Google refers to the practice as "Communicate with Care" and that it first started no later than 2015. New employees are reportedly directed to follow the practice without discussion on whether it should only be used when legal advice is truly needed. In addition, Google allegedly provided the same training to teams handling search-distribution for the department's (and other authorities') antitrust cases. 

Google specifically told those teams to follow the practice for any written communication containing revenue-sharing agreements and mobile application distribution agreements, based on the presentation slides the DOJ included in its brief. Those agreements are central to the case. If you'll recall, the DOJ accused Google of having an unfair monopoly over search and search-related advertising in its 2020 antitrust lawsuit. It also questioned its terms for Android device manufacturers that force them to pre-load Google apps and set Google as the default search engine. 

According to the DOJ, statements such as "adding legal" or "adding [attorney] for legal advice" appear in thousands of Google documents. These emails apparently lacked any specific request for advice and attorneys rarely respond to them. In the brief, the department said the practice "pervades the entire company" and is being used even by Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai.

The DOJ is now asking the court to hold Google's conduct as sanctionable and to order it to immediately produce "all withheld or redacted emails where no attorney responded to the purported request for legal advice."

Google spokesperson Julie Tarallo McAlister defended the company in a statement sent to Axios, however, calling the allegations "flatly wrong." McAlister said:

"Our teams have conscientiously worked for years to respond to inquiries and litigation, and suggestions to the contrary are flatly wrong. Just like other American companies, we educate our employees about legal privilege and when to seek legal advice. And we have produced over four million documents to the DOJ in this case alone — including many that employees had considered potentially privileged."

General Motors is acquiring SoftBank's stake in Cruise and pouring even more money into the self-driving unit it purchased in 2016. The auto giant has announced that it's buying out SoftBank Vision Fund 1's equity ownership into the company that's worth $2.1 billion. In addition, it has committed to investing an extra $1.35 billion in Cruise to replace the funding SoftBank promised in February after the self-driving car company started offering robotaxi rides in San Francisco. 

The automaker didn't say why it's buying SoftBank's equity ownership, but GM chief executive Mary Barra said:

"Our increased investment position not only simplifies Cruise's shareholder structure, but also provides GM and Cruise maximum flexibility to pursue the most value-accretive path to commercializing and unlocking the full potential of AV technology."

SoftBank, meanwhile, has recently struggled with debt and the plummeting value of its properties. It may no longer be interested in an investment that won't field returns anytime soon. In February, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son said the company would sell "a good chunk of assets" after ARM's multi-billion sale to NVIDIA fell through.

As TechCrunch notes, GM could have also bought out SoftBank as a step towards spinning out Cruise or taking it public. A GM spokesperson told the publication that the automaker will "consider all opportunities to create value for [its] shareholders" and that it "has not ruled out a future IPO of Cruise."

The California Public Utilities Commission recently granted Cruise (and Waymo) permission to charge for robotaxi rides in the state, as long as there's a human driver behind the wheel. Cruise already applied for a Driverless Deployment permit, but the agency is still reviewing its application. 

Blizzard Entertainment has finally announced a specific launch date for the Overwatch 2 PvP beta on PC: April 26th. The gaming company previously revealed that the beta for the sequel's 5-on-5 PvP mode will go live in late April. Now, you can mark the 26th on your calendars and block out that weekend to play matches. In addition to 5-on-5 battles — the Overwatch PvP is 6-on-6 — the beta also comes with four fresh maps, the new Push mode and redesigned heroes. In fact, one of those heroes is getting more than just a stats/abilities upgrade or a model makeover.

A few days ago, Blizzard posted a screenshot of the game showing Doomfist as a tank. While the image has since been deleted, the company has eventually confirmed that the character is changing roles to tank from damage hero. 

Blizzard has been testing the role change for Doomfist since last year, hero lead designer Geoff Goodman revealed on Reddit in October. Back then, Goodman explained that the character's kit is "full of crowd control effects and mobility" and that makes him difficult to tune and balance as a damage hero for Overwatch 2. He'll be able to keep those properties as a tank, though he'll obviously lose some damage and gain some defense points. In Overwatch 2, teams can only have one tank, so the player's choice could be they key to their victory. 

Players can now sign up to get access to Overwatch 2's PvP beta on the game's official website.

The Brazilian Supreme Court has banned Telegram in the country and has ordered Brazil's telecoms regulator Anatel to implement the suspension within 24 hours. According to Reuters and The New York Times, Justice Alexandre de Moraes cited the messaging app's failure to respond to previous judicial orders to freeze accounts spreading disinformation for his decision. 

In Brazil, Telegram has become the platform of choice for supporters of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro after social networks like Facebook and Twitter started implementing stricter measures against fake news. Moraes, who's also currently overseeing a number of investigations into Bolsonaro and his allies for spreading disinformation, has ordered internet providers and phone carriers to block people's access to Telegram in the country ahead of the presidential election in October. 

The Supreme Court justice has ordered Google and Apple to remove the messaging service from their app stores, as well. All the companies must comply within five days or face a fine of $20,000 per day. In addition, people caught using VPNs or other means to access Telegram after it's already been blocked will also face a $20,000 fine. 

Bolsonaro called the decision "inadmissible" during an event. Anderson Torres, the Minister of Justice and Public Security appointed by Bolsonaro, criticized Moraes' ruling and said the "monocratic decision" harms millions of Brazilians. 

Telegram Chief Executive Pavel Durov said his company missed the court's emails and is asking for a delay on the ban to get a chance to "remedy the situation." Durov vows to appoint a representative in Brazil and to set up a framework that will allow the company to reply to pressing issues in the country more quickly. "I apologize to the Brazilian Supreme Court for our negligence. We definitely could have done a better job," he said. It remains to be seen whether Moraes would give Telegram a chance. As it stands, the ban will be implemented and will stay in place until the service complies with previous orders and pays a series of fines. 

When Twitter reopened its form for verification requests last year, it also teased upcoming changes to its website. Those changes include a space for pronouns in the profile section, along with your other information. It's been almost a year since we first heard about the project, but now reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi has found proof that the company is indeed developing the feature and may have started testing it. Paluzzi has discovered a yet-to-be rolled out section when you edit your profile that lets you add whatever pronoun you want to use.

It's high time for Twitter to give its users the ability to do so. The social network is late to the party, after all: Facebook users have been able to choose their pronouns for years, though their options are limited to three. Instagram started allowing people to display up to four pronouns next to their name in their profile last year. LinkedIn also introduced a dedicated space for pronouns in profiles in 2021. And, after work-from-home arrangements took off due to the pandemic, Zoom and Slack followed suit. The video conferencing apps gives users the option to show their pronouns next to their names in meetings, while the business messaging platform made the space for pronouns a default feature last year. Previously, companies have had to add the option as a customized field for their workers.

That said, Twitter has yet to announce a launch date for the pronoun field.