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Google  has pulled down the ‘Delete China Apps’ app from its application distribution platform Play Store for Android devices. Though the search giant did not detail the reason, it is learned that the app was taken down for violating  Google  Play Store’s Deceptive Behaviour Policy, according to a news report in TechCrunch. Developed by Jaipur-based app development and web designing start-up OneTouchAppLabs, the Remove China Apps gained popularity in India largely because of a growing anti-China sentiment due to border dispute between India and China in the Pangong region of higher Himalayas. Launched in April, the app soon became the top free app and the top trending app on  Google  app store. It had crossed a million downloads within a short span of 15 days, and had a 4.8 star rating out of 5 star on the Play Store before it was taken down. Read Complete Article

Hackers put more than half a million login details for the teleconferencing app  Zoom  on the dark web, The Sunday Times newspaper reported. The logins were put up for sale at 1 pence (1.25 cents) each and were discovered and bought by cybersecurity intelligence company Cyble, the paper said. Cyble bought the logins from a Russian-speaking person on the Telegram messaging service, which allows anonymous messaging. ALSO READ:  Hotels offer guests 'pay now & check-in later' option to tide through Covid Zoom  Video Communications has seen global usage of its service surge during coronavirus shutdowns, but has come under increasing pressure over vulnerabilities in the app’s software encryption. The company has been sued amid accusations it hid flaws in its app and has seen cases of online trolls sneak in and disrupt web meetings with profanity and pornography. Read Complete Article

The government on Friday mandated the use of its contact tracing app Aarogya Setu in containment zones and for all public and private entity employees, raising questions about the privacy, legality and efficacy of such a measure. In its annexure to the lockdown extension guidelines on Friday, the Ministry of Home Affairs said that for containment zones, "The local authority shall ensure 100% coverage of Aarogya Setu app among the residents of containment zones." It further said "Use of Aarogya Setu app shall be mandatory for all employees, both private and public It shall be the responsibility of the Head of the respective Organizations to ensure 100% coverage of this app among the employees." Privacy experts and  technology  lawyers have long questioned the efficacy of using contact tracing  apps  at large scale without adequate testing for  coronavirus  (Covid-19). Read Complete Article

An Indian ban on downloading TikTok , one of the world's most popular mobile applications, has heightened industry worries that technology companies could now face increased scrutiny and regulatory challenges in one of their most important markets. TikTok, which allows users to create and share videos with special effects, has become a sensation in India, where it has been downloaded by nearly 300 million users so far, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower, out of more than 1 billion installs globally. Its runaway popularity has attracted criticism from some politicians, however, in a largely conservative society that can have a low boiling point for even moderately racy content. In the case of TikTok, 15-second dance clips and memes dominate the platform, although some videos do show youngsters, some scantily clad, lip-syncing and grooving to popular tunes. Local media have also reported several accidental deaths when users attempted to make videos with knives and...

Regional content, be it films or documentaries, comedy or music, has been firing up the Internet in India for a few years now. With cheap data and easy access to content, small local libraries such as Hoichoi (for Bengali content) and national home grown platforms such as Alt Balaji, Voot from Viacom 18, Hotstar from Star India and, besides of course the dedicated channels for several Indian languages on YouTube, have flourished. Now Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hotstar are raising their stakes in the game, commissioning original shows and going all out to acquire regional films for their libraries. Could this sound the death knell for local entertainment platforms or will the entry of the big brands help deepen the language market further? “India is one of the largest internet markets in the world and we have seen strong growth since our launch,” says Jessica Lee, vice president, Communications–Asia, Netflix. The availability of regional content on Netflix has increased significan...

Apple Inc's streaming music service now has 38 million paid subscribers, up from 36 million in February, the company said on Monday. Apple is locked in race for subscribers with Amazon.com Inc, Alphabet Inc's Google and others as streaming music becomes the dominant form of paid music consumption. Apple's number compares to 71 million premium subscribers at the end of 2017 at industry leader Spotify, which plans to list shares in the coming weeks on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol SPOT. Apple said Eddy Cue, senior vice president of internet software and services, disclosed the most recent subscriber number for Apple Music at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. Amazon Music Unlimited has 16 million paying subscribers, and Pandora Media Inc has 5.48 million total subscribers. Google does not release paid subscriber numbers for its service, Google Play Music. Apple, Spotify, Google and other services charge $9.99 a month for music. Amaz...

Google has warned app developers not to use its Accessibility Services -- designed for users with disabilities -- for other purposes that may create security issues, adding that it will remove such apps from its Play Store. To better help users with disabilities, Android has a set of Accessibility Services that developers can use to improve their applications. "Google is most likely cracking down on Accessibility Services use due to security reasons. While applications like LastPass use the available APIs to identify password fields in other apps, this level of access can be used maliciously," tech portal Android Police reported on Monday. Google has sent an email to developers, stating that "unless developers can describe how the app properly uses the Accessibility Services to help users who are disabled, it will need to remove all requests for accessibility services or it will be taken off of the Play Store", 9to5Google reported. Apps like Last...

Nowadays students can earn their pocket money by their own with the help of these top six applications. UrbanClap, India's largest mobile services marketplace, provides trusted services across 97 categories including photographers, electricians, home cleaning and repairs, yoga and guitar instructors, and many more. It is a platform also for teenagers, college students to use their passion, and earn during their college period. OlA cab service is India's most popular online transportation network company. They also have opportunities for the students who are above 18 whether they are college students or college dropout, all can apply here for the job of a driver. Notesgen is the best app for students in terms of getting information regarding their courses. This app aims to provide a platform where students can get handwritten notes related to their desire course subject. They can upload and download all the notes. Students can post notes which are relate...

Indian consumers spent three times more on smartphone apps in the past year, according to Google , which sees this as an inflection point in the country’s digital ecosystem that will allow developers to finally monetise their apps. “ If there’s one thing that the Indian internet ecosystem has been challenged with, it is monetisation. But we believe that the time has come where we’re beginning to see a change in monetisation in India,” said Rajan Anandan, managing director, Google India. Alongside seeing app downloads on its Play Store exceed one billion recently, the company said it saw a 300 per cent growth in customer app spends. This included upfront payments for buying apps, in-app purchases and the money that people paid for subscribing to services. At its first App Excellence Summit held in Bengaluru on Tuesday, Google said it was gearing up for this change by building a robust payment system on its Play Store. Google now accepts payments through credit/debit cards, dir...

Smart televisions ( Smart TV ) are in vogue. Everyone wants it. After all, you can watch television, access the internet, work on it and the smart ones can do wonders with such gadgets. But do you really need to spend on a Smart TV? Don’t spend money buying an expensive Smart TV. Instead, opt for an affordable LED set and convert it into a Smart TV using inexpensive streaming devices. You will not only save cost but also get better features and interfaces with devices that can stream the internet on your set. The minimum difference between a regular LED set and Smart TV is Rs 4,000 for a similar-sized model. And as the size and functionalities increase, the cost difference can be significant, over Rs 20,000. A Smart TV is essentially the one which is connected to the internet. Options to convert your regular set into a Smart TV are aplenty. Depending on the ecosystem (Apple or Android) and your interest in technology, you can convert the existing device into a   Smart TV ...

Valentine’s Day 2017  is here and it gives you numerous reasons to go out of your way to buttress your love for that ‘special one’. With a smartphone in hand today you can do so without fretting a lot. Thanks to these handy applications that help you sort your V-Day prep smoothly, there’s no need to hassle even if you have left your planning to the last minute! For those looking for some superfluous Valentine’s comfort this year, here are ten of the best Android apps for Valentine’s Day 2017.  1. UrbanClap - Want to regale your date by strumming a melody on the guitar but don’t know how to? Or tickle her taste buds with a gourmet meal? Worry not as Urban Clap gets you everything on demand at your doorstep- from a talented guitarist to a seasoned chef.  2. Kraftly – A C2C Ecommerce platform for Homeprenuers, sellers and Womenpreneurs brings to you “Giftree” which is a collection of handpicked products for ‘Him and Her’. The wide range of product offers gi...