All posts tagged: android

Android Owners: You Could Get Part of Google’s 5 Million Data Settlement

Android Owners: You Could Get Part of Google’s $135 Million Data Settlement

Published by skeptic

For years, Google has been accused of harvesting data from Android phones without users’ consent. Following a California lawsuit that was settled for $314 million last year, a new settlement could mean payouts for another 100 million people. A class action lawsuit alleging “Google caused Android mobile devices to transfer a variety of information to Google without users’ permission, consuming users’ cellular data,” is nearing its end. The two sides in Taylor v. Google LLC (PDF) have agreed to a settlement and have begun resolving it.  Without admitting fault, Google agreed to a preliminary settlement in January, committing to pay $135 million in damages. The settlement website is now live.  The final approval hearing won’t occur until June 23, when the court will hear objections and consider whether Google’s settlement is fair. After that, the court will decide whether to approve the $135 million settlement.  In the meantime, if you qualify and want to be paid as part of the settlement, you can select your preferred payment method on the official website. There, you can find information on speaking at the …

Finally, texts between Android and iPhone users can be end-to-end encrypted

Finally, texts between Android and iPhone users can be end-to-end encrypted

Published by skeptic

At long last, Android and iPhone users will be able to send each other end-to-end encrypted text messages. On Monday, end-to-end encrypted messaging is starting to roll out in beta for conversations between iPhone and Android users running the most up-to-date software. End-to-end encrypted (e2ee) messaging is an important privacy feature that makes users far less susceptible to surveillance by hackers, governments, or the companies that make these communication platforms. When these messages are sent between devices, they’re encrypted while in transit, making it near impossible for anyone else to intercept and read the message. But until now, messages sent between iPhone and Android devices could not be end-to-end encrypted, even though iMessage has been encrypted since its launch in 2011, and Android users have been able to communicate among themselves via e2ee since 2021. Over the years, iOS and Android users have had clunky communications — Android users can’t use Apple’s proprietary iMessage, but Apple refused to support RCS messaging, a more sophisticated upgrade to decades-old SMS texting, since 2020. Now the industry-standard texting …

How to Watch The Android Show: I/O Edition Tomorrow Before Google I/O

How to Watch The Android Show: I/O Edition Tomorrow Before Google I/O

Published by skeptic

Google I/O is a week away, but Android is getting its own stage first. The company announced last weed that The Android Show: I/O Edition is returning on Tuesday, May 12, a virtual showcase it says will explain why this is “one of the biggest years for Android yet,” according to Google. The event arrives one week before Google I/O 2026, giving Android its own runway before Google’s broader developer conference turns to AI, Gemini, Chrome and the rest of the company’s sprawling software universe. Google I/O 2026 runs May 19 to 20 at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California, and online. The company has already framed this year’s event around AI breakthroughs and updates across its major product lines, including Android and Gemini.  It hasn’t said what will be announced during this year’s Android Show. But last year’s I/O Edition wasn’t just a teaser reel. Google used it to introduce Android 16, Wear OS 6, a major Android design refresh, expanded Gemini features across devices and new safety tools meant to protect users from …

Update Your iPhone Now for Better Encrypted Messaging With Android

Update Your iPhone Now for Better Encrypted Messaging With Android

Published by skeptic

Last year’s rollout of iOS 26 was striking, with the translucent Liquid Glass aesthetic. Apple has since iterated on its smartphone’s software, though some users continue to voice their displeasure. If you’ve held out, this latest version—iOS 26.5—includes a new feature that’s worth updating your smartphone for right now: end-to-end encryption for RCS messaging. Apple rolled out the latest version of its iPhone operating system on Monday. Now, if an iPhone owner sends or receives green bubbles, aka RCS texts, in Apple’s Messages app with an Android owner, those chats may be encrypted. “Conversations labeled as encrypted are encrypted end-to-end, so messages can’t be read while they’re sent between devices,” reads an early version of the settings page. Apple is launching this feature as a beta, and its current availability depends on your device and carrier. Texts between Apple devices in the Messages app, aka iMessages, have been encrypted since launch, but chats with Android devices were not protected in the same way. Apple recently upgraded non-iMessages from SMS to RCS and modernized the backend—enabling …

I revoked Google Play Services’ permissions, and here’s what actually broke on my Android phone

I revoked Google Play Services’ permissions, and here’s what actually broke on my Android phone

Published by skeptic

When you install any app on your Android phone, you decide what permissions to grant during the initial setup. However, when it comes to Google’s own apps, they have all the permissions enabled by default, and you have to dig through settings to revoke any of them later. Case in point: Google Play Services, which has every permission turned on by default, but you can revoke them one by one if you want. That made me wonder, what if I revoked all the permissions for Google Play Services? Would the phone still work? The short answer is yes, the phone still works, but some vital features break along the way. If you rely on any Google apps, you’d want to be careful about which permissions you actually need to leave on for privacy and which ones you can safely turn off. What actually broke when I cut Play Services off Location, sign-in, and sharing took the biggest hit The fact that you can revoke every permission for Google Play Services tells you that not all …

I added a Windows-style taskbar to Android, and it just makes sense

I added a Windows-style taskbar to Android, and it just makes sense

Published by skeptic

Gone are the days when we used to get major overhauls with new Android OS updates. I have been using Android ever since it launched with the HTC Dream. In its present state, Android OS has matured, and only minor adjustments and features are introduced every year. One thing has remained constant: you get a home screen, a dock at the bottom, and an app drawer. This setup works, but it isn’t exactly built for rapid-fire productivity. For someone like me, who loves Android customization to squeeze every ounce of efficiency out of my phone, I have tried countless setups and apps. I even tried enabling the Android tablet taskbar trick using Developer Options, but that wasn’t what I was looking for. Luckily, I came across an app that literally brings a Windows-style taskbar to Android, and it changed the way I use my phone. Related A custom launcher gave my Android tablet the desktop feel it was missing Turning any Android tablet into a Windows 11 clone. Why your phone needs a desktop taskbar …

I built a working Android app with no coding experience using Google’s free tools

I built a working Android app with no coding experience using Google’s free tools

Published by skeptic

Vibe coding and AI-assisted software development are officially mainstream. It’s not just novice developers that are using AI to build software these days, because Spotify confirmed in early 2026 that its best developers hadn’t written a single line of code in months. That small anecdote shows that even the pros realize AI is incredible for software development. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for you. Even with zero coding experience, you can start building Android apps using AI right now. I know you can easily create working Android APKs that can be installed on your devices because I’ve been doing it for months. My background is in journalism, not software development or computer science, so I was flying blind the first time I tried to build an Android app using AI. Although expensive software tools like Claude Code are all the rave today, they’re certainly not necessary. The free Google Antigravity app is all you need to make the Android app you’ve always wanted, without any subscriptions or paid tokens. Related I’ve …

Google’s Big Bet: Adding Native Android App Support to Chrome Could Result in a Robust OS

Google’s Big Bet: Adding Native Android App Support to Chrome Could Result in a Robust OS

Published by skeptic

Android and ChromeOS are merging into a single operating system, and the result could become one of the most powerful platforms Google has ever produced. Dubbed Aluminum OS, the operating system takes the full Chrome browser experience and integrates it directly into Android, giving it a new home outside of phones and tablets.  Google seems to think now is the time to make a big move into the laptop space, and it could be right. Android has primarily been used on phones and tablets, but combining it with ChromeOS into a single, more powerful platform makes sense. Bringing native Android app support to the full Chrome browser could create a far more robust operating system experience. It would also give Google an opportunity to offer a more seamless and integrated experience across Android phones and laptops through its new Aluminum OS platform. What do we know about Aluminum OS so far? While we’ve heard rumblings of the merged operating system, we haven’t seen too much of it. A now-private issue ticket gave us our first …

The Best Mobile Gaming Controllers for iPhone and Android (2026)

The Best Mobile Gaming Controllers for iPhone and Android (2026)

Published by skeptic

The best mobile gaming controllers are excellent tools that allow you to play compatible games for hours on end. Whether you’re looking for an iPhone or Android controller, we’ve tested all the top picks (aka we’ve played a bunch of games on our phones) and have opinions on them all. Backbone makes the best mobile gaming controllers we’ve tried that’ll work for most people, but we also have solid recommendations for specific uses, like for pairing with smart glasses or a tablet. Make sure to check out our related buying guides, including the Best Cheap Phones, Best Android Phones, Best Gaming Controllers, and Best MagSafe Accessories. Our Top Picks Best Mobile Gaming Controller Backbone One Read more Best Upgrade Mobile Gaming Controller Backbone Pro Read more Best Magnetic Mobile Gaming Controller ohsnap! Mcon Mobile Gaming Controller Read more Best Hall-Effect Mobile Gaming Controller GameSir G8 Galileo Read more Jump to Section AccordionItemContainerButton Best Mobile Gaming Controller The Backbone One is as easy to recommend as it is to use. Slot the connector—either USB-C or Lightning—into …

I replaced my Android keyboard with this open-source one and it stuck

I replaced my Android keyboard with this open-source one and it stuck

Published by skeptic

I have never been the sort of person to obsess over keyboard apps. A keyboard is a keyboard, right? Well, Gboard had always sat at the bottom of my screen, auto-correcting my typos and suggesting words with an almost unsettling accuracy. The problem with that unsettling accuracy, it turns out, is exactly that: it’s unsettling. Gboard includes a “Share usage statistics” telemetry option, and disabling it is the only way to stop it from transmitting keyboard usage statistics and snippets of your typing to Google’s servers. Even with those settings toggled off, the fact that you need a checklist to stop your keyboard from narrating your life to a corporation was too much overhead. That was the nudge I needed. I went looking for something cleaner. I actually tested a few open-source alternatives to Gboard before I ultimately found FlorisBoard. Related This brilliant new Android keyboard makes typing effortless I speak and this keyboard types, and it’s damn brilliant. FlorisBoard is a free, open-source keyboard Community-built, privacy-first, and unbothered by your typing habits FlorisBoard is …