FileHippo News

The latest software and tech news

Apple To Begin Publishing Global Government App Takedown Requests
…but not the ones it takes down itself. Apple has announced that it will soon start providing statistics for app takedown requests from governments around the world. The news comes in the tech giant’s latest Transparency Report that it publishes bi-annually. The aim of the report is to highlight... Read more
GPS Yourself Into Your Next Read
Ambient Lit project aims to immerse smartphone users with stories influenced by GPS data It might seem like e-reading and digital publishing have been around for ages, but the current digital revolution isn’t very old. While tech fans have been reading digital files off of small screens since Project... Read more
Exploding iPhone Blamed On Overheating
Cause uncertain but the effects are clear to see.  A viral video from a cellular repair shop’s surveillance camera is making the rounds, showing a potentially dangerous explosion. In the video, an employee of the Las Vegas shop can be seen working at a counter–some accounts say he was... Read more
New Microsoft ‘Your Phone’ App Will Mirror Features On Windows 10 PCs
Microsoft has unveiled its new ‘Your Phone’ app for Windows 10, at its Build developer conference. The app is designed to provide a mirror of users phones straight onto desktop Pcs running Windows 10, and will let them access texts, photos, and notifications from their computers without having to... Read more
Apple Offers Another Battery Replacement
Apple Watch warranty now extended to cover battery replacement – on some models, at least. No matter how great a product is, nothing is completely infallible; that’s when a great warranty and great customer service come in to smooth the hurt that a defective, expensive gadget causes. Apple came... Read more
Password Hashing An Issue For MyFitnessPal Breach
Hack exposed 150 million users’ accounts, but could have been much worse. As data breaches go, a company and the victims are lucky if only a couple million accounts were stolen, or if the data was nothing more than passwords and some birth dates. Recent large-scale events have included... Read more
Russia Blocks Millions Of IP Addresses In Battle To Ban Telegram App
Millions of Amazon and Google IPs allegedly blocked in botched attempt to ban privacy messenger. The Telegram messaging app was banned in Russia last week due to its refusal to turn over encryption keys to authorities.  Russia’s internet watchdog, Roskomnadzor, is accused of using using brute force internet blocking... Read more
Apple Now 100% Powered From Clean Renewable Energy
Equivalent to taking almost a 500,000 cars off the road annually, say Apple. Everything Apple owns, from data centers to retail stores, is now powered with clean energy. Apple CEO Tim Cook says the move is the culmination of years of work, and a significant milestone for the tech... Read more
Russian Government Tries To Ban Telegram Encrypted Privacy App
Roskomnadzor, the Russian state’s communications authority and regulator, moves to block Telegram messaging service after company refuses to hand over decryption keys to private messages. The state agency had ordered Telegram to provide back door keys to all of its encrypted messages. The request was denied by the tech giant, partly... Read more
Third-Parties Can Now Control Google Assistant
Google allows its Assistant voice commands to be customized. Fans of Google’s in-home virtual assistant will be impressed with a new feature that will allow the Assistant device to interact better with smart devices. Thanks to the new functionality, users can tell their devices to follow commands that operate things... Read more
Something Funny, Alexa? Amazon Says No.
Spooky spontaneous laugh freaks out Alexa users. Terminator-style self-awareness jokes have abounded on the internet this week thanks to a glitch with Amazon’s Alexa home virtual assistant device. According to multiple users, their Alexas have begun randomly laughing maniacally, without provocation or request. To fight back against what has... Read more
Plans Underway For Lunar 4G Network
Vodafone and Nokia to create first 4G network on the moon. Not too long ago, finding a business that offered a public Wi-Fi connection was like hitting the jackpot. But now, with internet connectivity basically falling on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, it might be more rare for consumers to... Read more
Record Number Of “Swipe Rights” At 2018 Olympics
Things got hot at this year’s Winter Olympics. The Olympic games are about national pride, gold medal achievements, record-breaking athletic accomplishments, and, well, hooking up. Each year, regardless of venue, the Olympic Village that hosts most of the athletes distributes in the neighborhood of 100,000 condoms to the athletes,... Read more
Researchers Find Account Takeover Flaw In Tinder
Poor encryption blamed for access to user data. Tinder’s geographically-based social networking “meet new people” model is responsible for introducing the concept of swiping right to society, but it’s also credited with a new problem: cybersecurity. Specifically it’s one of a growing number of apps and platforms whose encryption... Read more
Top Tech Execs Limit Kids’ Screen Time
Apple CEO Tim Cook and Microsoft founder Bill Gates raise concerns on youngters’ use of tech and social media It’s not hard to imagine the rosy picture of having an ultra-wealthy tech innovator for a parent, but a new report says that life as the offspring of a top... Read more
Children’s Apps Found To Be Filled With Porn Malware
Malware displaying pornographic ads discovered in game apps on Google Play. Be careful what you download, especially if you’re planning to hand it off to an impressionable young user. A new finding of content in the Google Play Store includes around 60 children’s apps that are filled with malware.... Read more
Apple To Give iPhone Users Option To Turn Off ‘Feature’ That Slows Older Devices
Apple has announced that a new update later this year will allow the users of older models of iPhones to turn off the ‘feature’… it introduced in December that slows them down when their batteries become old.  The new option will become available in next update to iOS 11.... Read more
Apple Shareholders Voice Concerns Over Youth Smartphone Addiction
Two prominent investors urge Apple to take action and develop tools that could help protect children from using their iPhones too much. According to a joint letter written by the two major shareholders, Apple CEO Tim Cook, should issue health warnings for children using iPhones, detailing the mental and... Read more