Google is once again facing claims it copied others' code in Android. Purdue University has sued Google over allegations the company is knowingly violating a patent for detecting power management bugs in code. The internet giant purportedly saw an article about Professor Y. Charlie Hu's research on the subject in 2012 and incorporated related infringing code into Android Lint, an error-catching tool in what would become the Android Studio development kit.
The USPTO granted the patent in August 2019. Purdue said it notified Google of the claimed violation in August 2021, but that Google had continued to incorporate the disputed code in Android Studio as recently as this month. The school is asking for unspecified "past and future" damages from Google.
In a statement, Google told Engadget it was still examining the lawsuit, but that it would "vigorously defend" itself and "independently develop[s]" products. We've asked Purdue for comment, but the university already told Reuters it believed Google violated more patents and would add them to the lawsuit if the company didn't negotiate licenses.
School technology patent lawsuits aren't new. Apple, for instance, was asked more than once to pay the University of Wisconsin over claimed infringements. This case may be more serious than some, however. Android Studio is a staple of Android app development — if Purdue can prove a violation in the first place, it could argue that a significant chunk of Android's app ecosystem is built around copied technology.
Arturia has launched a new promotion to help those who are just starting their musical journey. Until February 17th, the company has discounted individual software instruments, effects and presets by 50 percent.
The highlight of the sale is Arturia’s Pigments software. At 50 percent off, you can get the company’s original virtual synth for $99, instead of $199. Outside of the fact it’s discounted, now is also a great time to pick up Pigments because Arturia recently released an update to add support for Apple’s M1 chips. Among other additions, the 3.5 update also added a new cross-modulation feature that makes it possible to dial in results that range from weird to full-out sonic freakouts.
We’ve used some of Arturia’s software in the past. For the most part, the company’s instruments, effects and presets are easy to use and surprisingly close to the synths and devices they attempt to emulate. They may not be the real thing, but you’ll pay far less for Arturia’s software than you would for a Moog synth or Rhodes piano — not to mention the fact tracking down some of those classic instruments can be a challenge and they take up a lot of space. When you add a discount to that software, it makes it an even easier decision for those just starting out in music production.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Google One's VPN hasn't been much use if you primarily surf the more secure web through your iPhone, but that won't be a problem from now on. Google is starting to roll out One VPN service for iOS users. So long as you've subscribed to the 2TB Premium plan in eligible countries, this should help you shield your internet activity. It won't give you an IP address in another country, though, so don't expect to browse foreign streaming service libraries.
There are new features for Android users, too. App Bypass lets certain apps use a regular connection if the VPN proves troublesome, while Safe Disconnect will only let you get online while the VPN is active. Snooze temporarily disables the VPN.
Google One Premium costs $10 per month and is currently available in 18 countries including the US, Canada and the UK. The iPhone launch probably won't reel you in if you're already using a VPN or a privacy-minded service like iCloud Private Relay. However, this might be just what you were looking for if you're steeped in the Google cloud ecosystem and want a secure service you can use across platforms.
The first major update to Ableton Live 11 is now available to all users, bringing with it native support for Apple's M1 chips. Ableton had been beta testing the update and Apple silicon support since September.
The popular music production suite should run more efficiently on M1-powered Macs after users update to Live 11.1. The DAW will no longer need to use Apple's Rosetta 2 emulator, so users will be able to harness more of their computer's power. Tapping into several plugins simultaneously can strain system resources, and native support for M1 architecture may lighten the load on that front too.
Ableton is making other changes in Live 11.1. Among those are improvements to the arrangement view, which make it easier to navigate using arrow keys. You can customize the CPU meter to show both the average and current CPU levels or either of those.
There's a new Shifter audio effect in Live Standard and Suite, which is designed for pitch shifting, frequency shifting and ring modulation. Ableton has added two tools to Max for Live called Align Delay and MIDI Shaper. The former's all about lag compensation and you can use MIDI Shaper to generate modulation.
It's worth bearing in mind that Ableton Live 11 won't update to the latest build automatically. Users will need to log in to Ableton's website and download the new version from there.
Pretty soon, you'll no longer have to see those weird reaction texts from your iPhone-using friends. Google has started rolling out a feature for Messages that translates iMessaging "Tapbacks" as emojis, according to 9to5Google. The publication first discovered the experimental feature in a deep dive of the Google Messages beta app last year. It's unclear where it'll come out for the stable version, but If you're using the beta app, you'll get the update that enables it soon enough.
When iPhone users react to messages sent from an Android device, the recipient gets text interpretations of that reaction. A "thumbs up" to a text that says "see you in ten?" will be translated to "liked 'see you in ten?'", for instance. It can make the chat thread a bit cluttered and confusing.
With this new update, the Android user receives emojis instead, though as 9to5Google notes, they're not exact translations of the actual reactions. A "heart" reacts yields the "face with the heart eyes," for instance, while the exclamation mark reaction sends the recipient the "face with the open mouth" emoji. When you tap on the emoji, a note pops up explaining that it was "Translated from iPhone," along with the sender's name.
The feature is enabled by default, but users can toggle it off if they want by going to Advanced under the Messages' Settings and switching off "Show iPhone reactions as emoji."
Grindr is still facing trouble in China. Bloombergreports the gay dating app has disappeared from Apple's App Store in the country, with researchers at Qimai estimating the software was removed on January 27th. There was no immediate explanation for the departure, but it came just days after China's Cyberspace Administration launched a campaign to purge illegal online material, porn and rumors ahead of the Winter Olympics.
We've asked Apple and Grindr for comment. The app's departure came after weeks of glitches with Grindr's service, such as problems adding likes or sending messages.
Homosexuality is not a crime in China. Nonetheless, the country has occasionally censored gay and other LGBT content. Bloombergnotes the National Radio and Television Administration has recently used homophobic terms to blast androgynous-looking men, and has called for boycotts of gay male love stories. If regulators ordered Grindr's removal, it may have been part of this larger campaign to impose social conformity.
With that said, Grindr already had a fraught relationship with the Chinese government. The company was Chinese-owned before it was forced to sell due to US sanctions, and China-based rivals like Blued remain on the App Store despite Grindr's disappearance. If those apps persist, their presence would suggest China singled out Grindr instead of targeting all gay dating apps.
Whatever the reasons, the removal highlights a constant problem for Apple and other foreign app store owners who want to operate in China. While they may tout the importances of freedom and privacy in their home countries, China's rules frequently force them to pull apps or exclude features if they want to continue participating in one of the world's largest mobile device markets. Simply put, companies like Apple have to accept compromises if they want to retain a significant Chinese presence.
Apple has introduced a new feature that could help declutter the App Store somewhat. Per support documentation spotted by MacRumors, the marketplace now supports unlisted apps that users can only access through a direct link. Should a developer feel their software isn’t suited for public use, they can make a request through Apple’s website to distribute it as an unlisted app.
If the company grants the request, the app won’t appear “in any App Store categories, recommendations, charts, search results or other listings,” according to Apple. Outside of a direct link, it’s possible to access unlisted apps through Apple’s Business and School Manager platforms.
The company suggests that the new distribution method is ideal for apps that were designed for specific organizations, special events, research studies and other similar use cases. It notes, however, that unlisted apps aren’t a replacement for its TestFlight process since it will decline software that’s in a pre-release or beta state.
Otherwise, Apple notes it will consider both new and existing apps. Once an app is approved, its status as an unlisted app will apply to any future versions of the software a developer may release. In the case of any existing apps, their App Store link will remain the same.
Google has launched an Offers tab for the Play Store featuring deals on apps, games, movies, books and other purchases, Android Police has reported. It appears at the bottom of the Play screen, along with Games, Apps, Movies & TV and Books, separate from the existing "Offers and notifications" section.
"[Offers is] a new tab in the Google Play Store app to help you discover deals in games and apps across travel, shopping, media & entertainment, fitness, and more," Google said in a blog post. When you tap on the tab, it displays multiple carousels with offers on movie rentals, apps, games and more. It includes sales on in-game items, in-app purchases and offers app trials, Android Police noted.
Google used to have a separate Android app called "Offers," that let you find deals in your current location, but that was way back in 2011 with Android 2.1 "Eclair" when Google Play was called Android Market. Its current "Offers & notifications" section on Play is sparse and not that easy to find, while the new tab is front and center and covers a wide range of products. The Offers tab is already rolling out to the US, India and Indonesia and will arrive in other markets later this year.
Near the end of TikTok, Boom, content creator and beatboxer Spencer X chokes up. “TikTok has really changed my entire life,” he says while fighting back tears. He’s one of a few influencers profiled in the 90-minute documentary, which premiered at Sundance 2022 this weekend. It also features activist Feroza Aziz, best known for her viral video that slipped criticism of China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims into what initially appeared to be a makeup tutorial. Other subjects include reproductive rights activist Deja Foxx and Douyin content creator Jason Zhang, whose experiences with the app are all fascinating and moving.
Directed by Shalini Kantayya, TikTok, Boom is meant to “[dissect] one of the most influential platforms of the contemporary social media landscape." The film’s description on the Sundance festival portal says it “examines the algorithmic, sociopolitical, economic and cultural influences and impact of the history-making app.” Unfortunately, if you were hoping to learn anything new about why the For You algorithm is so creepily intuitive, why its parent company ByteDance collects so much data or what exactly are the app's ties to the Chinese government, you'll be disappointed.
In general, the documentary tries to cover too much. It jumped from Aziz finding a community of Afghan-Americans on the app, to X defying his parent’s expectations to make a career out of beatboxing, to sexism, racism, child predators, body image issues, TikTok’s creation and ByteDance’s history, all within the first 40 minutes. There’s discussion of the impact on creators’ mental health, Facebook’s interest in buying TikTok, the reinforcement of social disparities, China’s control and censorship, Trump’s rallies in Tulsa, the subsequent ban of the app and more. In the second half, there’s even a random dramatic reenactment of “a statement made by a former ByteDance employee” during the COVID-19 outbreak.
If TikTok, Boom was trying to catalog every time TikTok made the news, it did an admirable job. But in its effort to recap history, the film fails to deliver any insight. I could have easily Googled “TikTok timeline” and gotten all the same information without having to sit in front of my TV for 90 minutes. Had the documentary narrowed its focus, I suspect I would have learned more.
But in its effort to recap history, the film fails to deliver any insight.
I also have a small, but important gripe. The film needs more careful editors. It features B-roll and expert interviews correctly pronouncing and spelling the app Douyin that predated TikTok. Mere seconds later, the narrator and an onscreen graphic both mispronounce and misspell Douyin as “Duoyin.” Another spelling error: a list of so-called “Sensored words” in a graphic as opposed to “censored.”
Maybe I’m nit-picking, but mistakes like this affect the credibility of any documentary, which should be a well-researched piece of video journalism.
That leads me to my biggest problem with TikTok, Boom: It makes some dangerous assumptions. At one point in the film, an animated rendering insinuates that TikTok scans a user’s face while they’re watching videos and determines if they’re smiling or not. The film posits that this information is then fed into the algorithm that lets ByteDance recommend more content on your For You page.
There is no evidence that TikTok does this. In fact, unless Apple and Google’s privacy indicators (which show when your phone’s cameras are being used) are malfunctioning, people would know if an app was watching them. It’s more likely that the TikTok, Boom team misinterpreted terms in the app’s privacy policy that states it’s collecting “faceprints and voiceprints.”
Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
That’s not to say ByteDance is completely in the clear here; it’s never explicitly explained why it’s gathering that data. Other parts of its privacy policy are even more alarming, like the fact that ByteDance collects information about users’ "keystroke patterns or rhythms." In 2020, the company had to publicly admit wrongdoing and agree to stop accessing users’ clipboard data every few keystrokes. Back then, it claimed this was part of an anti-spam feature. Now, the latest versions of iOS and Android will alert you if an app has accessed or pasted content from your clipboard, so you can be aware of unnecessary data collection.
Look, I get it. The For You algorithm can be so uncanny that people scramble to find nefarious reasons for its effectiveness. It’s just like when we all wondered if Instagram and Facebook were listening to our conversations to serve us eerily timely ads. But it’s one thing for individuals to wonder if your phone is spying on you and a whole other problem if a documentary recklessly claims it’s happening. The filmmakers don’t seem to realize the responsibility it has to its viewers.
In fact, had TikTok, Boom just focused on breaking down the For You algorithm or studying exactly what data the app is collecting (and in that context its ties to China), the film might have unearthed something illuminating. Instead, it ends up being a mostly redundant recap with a catchy title.
It's a big day for security updates in Apple-land. The company has rolled out software fixes for just about all of its platforms, including iOS 15.3 and macOS 12.2, 9to5Mac reports. Notably, they fix the Safari vulnerability that could potentially leak your browser history, as well as your Google account information. WatchOS 8.4 and tvOS 15.2, meanwhile, add some performance improvements. And even though the company isn't paying as much attention to its smart speakers these days, it launched HomePod 15.3, which adds Siri support for up to six users speaking English in India, or Italian in Italy. (That's a feature Apple started offering in the US back in 2019.)
While we normally wouldn't stress minor software updates much, iOS and macOS users should deal with that Safari vulnerability as soon as they can. Sure, there aren't any major threats taking advantage of that now, but who knows what malware could pop up in the next month or two.
