Category Archives: Google

Google has offered to pay out $90 million to small app developers to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging that the companys Play store policies violated federal antitrust laws.

The suit claimed that Google maintained polices that effectively forced developers to use its Google Play billing system which for many years had a default 30 percent charge on all transactions. In July 2021, in a concession to smaller developers and in response to this suit, Google cut this fee to 15 percent for the first $1 million earned through any app.

According to Hagens Berman, the law firm representing the plaintiffs in this class-action, some 48,000 small app developers in the US will be able to claim a payment from the $90 million fund. Hagens Berman says some claimants could receive as much as $200,000 while the minimum payment is $250.

Today, nearly 48,000 hardworking app developers are receiving the just payment they deserve for their work product something Google sought to profit from, hand over fist, said Hages Berman managing partner Steve Berman in a press statement. With this settlement, developers will have more room to grow and more money in their pockets to promote their hard efforts.

In addition to the $90 million fund, Google is offering a number of small concessions to developers. Its creating a new Indie Apps Corner to showcase independent and small startup developers building unique high-quality apps in its Play store app, and clarifying language in its Developer Distribution Agreement that makes it clearer that developers can contact users to tell them about out-of-app subscription offers and the like.

The settlement from Google (which will need to be approved by the court) follows a similar $100 million fund offered by Apple to developers over parallel issues with its App Store. That suit, which was also bought by Hagens Berman, included similar concessions allowing developers to contact users and tell them about payment options of Apples platform.

Although both settlements are certainly a win for small developers, they fail to substantially change the policies which have led critics to accuse Google and Apple of anti-competitive behavior. Bigger changes could soon be forced on both companies in the US and EU through pending legislation, though.

US politicians are currently considering a bill, the Open App Markets Act, which would force Apple and Google to allow users to sideload apps, or install them without app stores. (Google says it already allows this.) In the EU, the Digital Markets Act, could also make sideloading mandatory, if its given final approval by the European Parliament for 2023.

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Google offers small app developers $90 million to settle antitrust allegations - The Verge

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt appears to be among the Americans who roll their eyes and scratch their heads when imagining the metaverse.

At the Aspen Ideas Festival in Aspen, Colorado, this week, Schmidt conveyed indifference and a bit of confusion when asked how the metaverse might affect global relations. "There's not an agreement on what the metaverse is, even though one company has changed its name in anticipation of defining it," Schmidt said on Tuesday, alluding to Facebook's name change to Meta in October 2021.

The tech billionaire, who currently has a net worth of $19.3 billion, according to Forbes, said he's unsure how the future collection of digital worlds which, in theory, could enable people to virtually play, travel, work and shop together will actually affect regular people's lives day-to-day.

It's a commonly shared perception: Nearly two-thirds of respondents to a recent Axios survey said they weren't exactly sure what the metaverse even was, and 58% of respondents said they were neither scared nor excited about the concept.

That hasn't stopped global players like Disney, J.P. Morgan, Coca-Cola and Gucci from jumping on the metaverse train, with some shelling out billions of dollars for virtual reality and gaming concepts. In January, Microsoft announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, saying that buying the makers of video games like "Call of Duty" and "Warcraft" would "provide building blocks for the metaverse."

In March, global investment bank Citi estimated the metaverse in whatever capacity it takes shape could be worth between $8 trillion and $13 trillion by 2030. In anticipation, a mix of companies and investors spent more than $500 million on metaverse real estate sales last year, a number that could potentially double this year.

"There are big risks, but potentially big rewards," Janine Yorio, CEO of metaverse real estate investor and advisory firm Republic Realm, told CNBC in February.

But Schmidt isn't sold by the concept of buying up virtual land for some unknown future use especially, he said, because he suspects the first iterations of the metaverse will revolve around gaming and digital currency. The billionaire didn't expand on what exactly that would look like but he's previously said he's uncertain Meta will be the company to launch it.

On Tuesday, Schmidt suggested that if people, companies or governments ever do need to own virtual land, it'll be far into the future.

"I'm not worried about buying large swaths of private real estate in the metaverse myself," he said. "It's not a concern I have every day."

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Racism could ruin the metaverse if tech doesnt improve diversity now, CTO warns: It absolutely is a problem

This 29-year-old book predicted the metaverse and some of Facebooks plans are eerily similar

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Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt: Despite Facebook's big plans, there isnt an agreement on what the metaverse is' yet - CNBC

It has been intriguing to track the shift to Wear OS 3 for smart wearables, and with each fresh piece of information, we can slowly see how Wear OS will develop in the long run. The most recent data is provided by Fossil, a well-known Wear OS wearable OEM.

According to a Reddit post, a Fossil representative gave an update on the condition of the company's smartwatches, mentioning recent changes to the user interface and the debut of a companion app. There is also a statement regarding the shift to new devices arriving with the Wear OS 3 software and some smartwatches receiving an update, as per GSM Arena.

The timeline for H2 2022, which was provided almost a year ago, is in line with the announcement of Wear OS 3 coming to Fossil watches later this year.

The new app was created primarily to make it simpler to discontinue outdated functionality and incorporate fresh user feedback. The new app offers a freshly designed user interface (UI) with a more user-friendly layout, and it gets smartwatches from the brands ready to support Wear OS 3 on existing and future wearables.

The Fossil employee reveals that in order to enable the new wearables software, Google is working on a new Fossil app. Instead of relying on the Wear OS app, OEMs will be able to manage the experience with their own companion apps.

According to GSM Arena, the Google Pixel Watch is anticipated to have its own app, according to a recent leak, while Montblanc's Summit 3 is anticipated to have its own companion app as well. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 has a Samsung companion app.

Given how long this transition has been going on, OEMs and smartwatch manufacturers have found it to be a significant challenge. However, the payoff will be that Wear OS will be a more competitive alternative to the Apple Watch and that the default smartwatch experience for Android will be that much more similar to how the Apple Watch functions with iPhone.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Fossil collaborates with Google to make its new companion app compatible - Business Standard

Google Maps has a very handy feature called Save Parking Location that lets you quickly drop a marker on the spot where you left your car, bike or any other vehicle, and navigate back to it from pretty much anywhere. This saves you from having to find your vehicle manually in case you forgot where exactly you parked it.

Heres how you can use the feature easily and save yourself a lot of time the next time youre at a mall or anywhere with a large parking area.

When you have reached your destination and parked your vehicle, simply open Google Maps, make sure it has the necessary location permissions (Precise, not Approximate, in case youre on Android 12) and follow the below instructions.

Got to the Google Maps main page and click on the My location button on the right. This is the button that is shaped like a crosshair and shows you your own precise location when its pressed. The app will then bring you to the current location, which will be indicated by a blue dot.

Tap on this blue dot to reveal some more options that will pop up on the screen from below. Under the Your Location section, find the Save Parking button. This will be on the left of the Share Location and Calibrate buttons.

Tap on the Save Parking button once and you will see a small box showing you that your parking location has been mapped. You can now navigate back to this location any time with ease.

When you have dropped a parking location on the map using the steps above, you also get access to some advanced features that let you do things like share this location with someone else, add additional parking details (like a pillar number or parking floor number) and even set a parking timer to remind you when your parking time limit is about to expire.

Tap on your parking location to reveal a small box on the bottom of the screen. Swipe up on this box to reveal these additional options.

If you have strayed far away from your parking location (denoted by a tiny, yellow flag on the map), you can still find it by zooming out on the map. When youve zoomed out enough, finer details like restaurants and smaller roads around you should be cleared, but you will still be able to see your yellow parking flag.

Tap on it and from the options that pop up below, tap on Directions to begin navigating. Based on how far you are from the parked location, Maps may suggest a walking route or a road route, but you can change this as you normally would by simply tapping on the desired mode of transportation tab.

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ExpressBasics: How to save your parking location on Google Maps - The Indian Express

Get fast access to Google Search with the new Google home screen widget built for iOS 14. The Google app keeps you in the know about things that matter to you. Find quick answers, explore your interests, and stay up to date with Discover. The more you use the Google app, the better it gets.

More ways to access Google: Google Search widget Search from your home screen with the new Google widget built for iOS 14. Choose from 2 widgets, giving you a quick search bar in both sizes, and shortcuts to choose how you Search with Lens, Voice, and Incognito in the medium size widget. Google Lens Search with your camera, copy and translate text, find similar apparel, identify plants and animals, scan QR codes and more. Voice Search Search conveniently and quickly using your voice, no typing needed. Incognito Search in Incognito mode whenever you want. Its always a tap away from the homescreen.

Search safely and securely: All searches in the Google app are protected by encrypting the connection between your device and Google. Privacy controls are easy to find and use. Just tap your profile picture to access your menu and delete recent search history from your account with one click. Search proactively filters webspam to help ensure that you see safe, high-quality results.

Search and browse: Nearby shops and restaurants Live sports scores and schedules Movies times, casts, and reviews Videos and images News, stock information, and more Anything youd find on the web

Get personalized updates in Discover: Stay in the know about topics that interest you Start your morning with weather and top news Get real-time updates on sports, movies, and events Know as soon as your favorite artists drop new albums Get stories about your interests and hobbies Follow interesting topics, right from Search results

Learn more about what the Google app can do for you: http://www.google.com/search/about

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Google on the App Store

In a technological twist to the plans for a renovated James R. Thompson Center, search engine giant Google stoked speculation Wednesday that it could buy the 17-story building in the Loop.

Developer Michael Reschke struck a deal last year with Gov. J.B. Pritzker to buy most of the former state government building for $70 million and renovate it. The state would retain ownership of about 30% of the building for its offices.

A Google spokesperson would not confirm or deny a report by real estate data firm CoStar Group that Google is negotiating to buy the Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph St., but issued a statement about the companys need to expand in Chicago. CoStar said the deal is not done and could change.

Chicago continues to be an important and growing hub for Google here in the Midwest. What started as a two-person outpost in River North has expanded to a two-building campus thats home to nearly 2,000 employees in Fulton Market. As Google grows in Chicago, well continue to explore opportunities to ensure our physical space meets the needs of local Googlers, Google said in a statement.

Reached Wednesday, Reschke said he has had no contact with Google. I dont know where these rumors come from, he said, adding the Thompson Center is not for sale. It is not known what Reschkes ongoing role might be if Google becomes involved.

Reschkes sales agreement with the state was completed in March but is not due to close until this summer. A spokeswoman for the Department of Central Management Services, which handles state property, said the closing is on schedule. She did not address questions about Google.

The agreement calls for Reschke, chairman of Prime Group, to begin a top-to-bottom renovation of building systems, reconfigure office space and add a new glass skin designed to better regulate the buildings temperature, a problem for occupants since the offices opened in 1985. The work could take two years.

Any expansion of Google in Chicago would be a counterpoint to recent news about companies such as Boeing and Citadel pulling headquarters out of the city. And an influx of its employees at the Thompson Center would boost the Loops LaSalle Street corridor, where activity diminished during the pandemic and anchor businesses such as Bank of America and BMO Harris left for other downtown locations.

Google has made transformative real estate moves here before. In 2015, it signaled the corporate rush westward from the Loop by moving into a rehabbed cold-storage warehouse at 1000 W. Fulton Market and since then has expanded into 210 N. Carpenter St.

Karen Sauder, head of Chicago operations for Google, said in a speech here on June 7 that the company plans to add workers with an emphasis on racial equity. By 2025, weve pledged to hire an additional 10,000 employees across our offices in Chicago, Atlanta, New York and Washington, D.C. and Im happy to report that were already halfway there, she told the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce.

Google did not make Sauder available for an interview.

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Google may be Googling the Thompson Center - Chicago Sun-Times

Google started rolling out an updated user interface for Gmail in February that pulls Meet, Chat, and Spaces closer and applies more of its Material You styling effects. Starting today, its becoming opt-out instead of opt-in, so your account will switch over to the new view by default pretty soon.

Its not a huge change, but as Google transitions through its current flavor-of-the-week messaging app and weaves its Workspace suite into a better competitor for Office, this puts more of a focus on the updated experiences.

If you cant tell whats different here, the updated UI collects buttons for Mail, Meet, Spaces, and Chat into one list at the top of the left rail instead of showing several conversations from each one in a list. Theyre still easily accessible without having everything on screen at once, and you can quickly jump into a conversation in any one section as a list will pop out when you mouse over its icon.

And if you just want to have one particular form of communication on screen without the others (like Gmail), its a little easier to do that since Chat and the rest arent listed underneath your inboxes and labels anymore.

According to Google, you can choose which apps are included there in the Quick Settings menu, where youll be able to switch back to the old look if you prefer. Unlike the usual 15-day rollout for new features, Google says this one is an extended rollout, so while its coming to Workspace and personal Gmail accounts alike, it could take longer than a couple of weeks for your interface to change over on its own. If you just want to try it, you should be able to opt-in (and back out) from the quick settings menu right now, as long as youve already switched to Chat from Hangouts and positioned Chat in the left-hand menu.

Originally posted here:

Google is about to switch your Gmail interface to this new look - The Verge

In April, Google announced plans to join the expanding list of tech companies that work with iFixit. The repair mavens distribute parts and tools for people interested in performing DIY electronics repairs, and starting today, iFixits store offers genuine Google parts for a number of Pixel phones.

You can order what you need to repair everything from the Pixel 2 to the latest Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, as well as the tools to install them and step-by-step guides to walk you through the process. (Aftermarket parts are also available if youre looking to fix an OG Pixel or Nexus device.)

Now, if you have a cracked screen or busted charging port, your choices arent just finding a repair shop or tossing the device in the trash. iFixit has all kinds of repair kits, and while they get more expensive for newer devices swapping out a Pixel 6 Pro screen for a genuine new one will cost $199.99 for the kit they vary widely, mostly based on age. Cheaper parts for older devices should help keep those phones viable for as long as youre comfortable with the Android software update support theyre receiving.

iFixits arrangements for parts and tools distribution already include companies like Microsoft, HTC, and even Valves Steam Deck. Theres also a partnership with Samsung in the works, and while well have to wait for more details there, it seems unlikely to require a 79-pound kit delivery.

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Now iFixit has genuine repair parts for Google Pixels, from the 2 to the 6 Pro - The Verge

Googles Switch to Android app now supports all Android 12 phones. The free iOS app is designed to make it easy to switch to Android, transferring important data like your iPhone contacts and calendar entries. Google released the app earlier this year, but it was limited to its Pixel devices initially. Support for all Android 12 phones makes this a key app if youre moving from an iPhone to a new Android device.

The Switch to Android app initiates a transfer process by displaying a QR code on the iPhone, which you then scan to start transferring photos, videos, contacts, and calendar events. Data can be transferred wirelessly instead of having to connect two phones with a cable, but the cable option is faster and better suited to transferring large amounts of videos and photos.

The app even supports transferring WhatsApp messages. During the process, youll be prompted to launch WhatsApp to transfer over a full history of messages, photos, and voice messages.

And, if youre switching from an iPhone to an Android phone instead, theres an app for that. Apple has its own Move to iOS app that has been available to help Android users switch to iOS since 2015.

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Google's Switch to Android iPhone app now works with any Android 12 phone - The Verge

Google today announced a preview of Advanced API Security, a new product headed to Google Cloud thats designed to detect security threats as they relate to APIs. Built on Apigee, Googles platform for API management, the company says that customers can request access starting today.

Short for application programming interface, APIs are documented connections between computers or between computer programs. API usage is on the rise, with one survey finding that more than 61.6% of developers relied on APIs more in 2021 than in 2020. But theyre also increasingly becoming the target of attacks. According to a 2018 report commissioned by cybersecurity vendor Imperva, two-thirds of organizations are exposing unsecured APIs to the public and partners.

Advanced API Security specializes in two tasks: identifying API misconfigurations and detecting bots. The service regularly assesses managed APIs and provides recommended actions when it detects configuration issues, and it uses preconfigured rules to provide a way to identify malicious bots within API traffic. Each rule represents a different type of unusual traffic from a single IP address; if an API traffic pattern meets any of the rules, Advanced API Security reports it as a bot.

Misconfigured APIs are one of the leading reasons for API security incidents. While identifying and resolving API misconfigurations is a top priority for many organizations, the configuration management process is time consuming and requires considerable resources, Vikas Ananda, head of product at Google Cloud, said in a blog post shared with TechCrunch ahead of the announcement. Advanced API Security makes it easier for API teams to identify API proxies that do not conform to security standards. . . . Additionally, Advanced API Security speeds up the process of identifying data breaches by identifying bots that successfully resulted in the HTTP 200 OK success status response code.

With the launch of Advanced API Security, Google is evidently seeking to bolster its security offerings under Apigee, which it acquired in 2016 for over half a billion dollars. But the company is also responding to increased competition in the API security segment. Startups delivering API-focused cybersecurity products include Salt Security, Noname Securityand Neosec. Many established vendors have expanded their offerings in recent years, too, including Barracuda, Akamai, 42Crunch, Traceable, Ping Identity and Signal Sciences.

In March, Cloudflare launched a new gateway aimed at boosting API security. And in May, Imperva acquired API security company CloudVector.

While the jurys out on just how well these products perform comparatively, the threat of API-borne attacks is very real. Companies like Peloton, Parlerand evenLinkedIn have fallen victim to API-driven attacks within the last few months. Theyre not the only ones. According to a recent study by Cloudentity, 44% of companies have experienced substantial API authorization issues pertaining to privacy, data leakage and object property exposure with internal and external-facing APIs.

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Google launches Advanced API Security to protect APIs from growing threats - TechCrunch