Google Play Store

The Huawei Mate 30 Pro is probably one of the best Android smartphones to be released this year but almost every piece has to inform users about its most critical flaw. Due to conflicts with the US, Huawei is force to ship its latest and greatest without one of the most crucial parts of the Android experience: Google Play Store and services. Unfortunately, Huawei may have just closed the door on users who might have hoped to unofficially install Google's software on the phone.

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It isn't news that an Android app gets past Google's security system and stays on the Play Store to spread malware to unsuspecting users. Most of the time, however, those apps are blatant copies or ripoffs of popular apps and games. Rare but not unheard of is the case of a legit app carrying malicious code to catch users unawares. Unfortunately, that is exactly the case with the popular CamScanner app that, even more unfortunately, has been download more than 100 million times.

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Google's Material Design was praised for its bold use of colors and images despite the predominantly flat aesthetic. In v2 of the design language, it seems that Google threw all that out the window and adopted a predominantly light, white really, color scheme. It isn't exactly the most well-received change in Google's aesthetic tastes but that's not stopping it from rolling out the "visual refresh" which is now finally arriving at the Google Play Store, whether you like or not.

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Near the end of 2018, Epic Games made a lot of noise that criticized Valve's and Google's, but not Apple's, practice of taking a large chunk out of both direct app sales as well as in-app purchases or IAPs. This isn't really news, however, as the 30/70 revenue cut has long been in place and only now being questioned. Some apps and services have taken matters into their own hand and Tinder might be the straw that breaks the Google Play Store camel's back.

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Avast, a security company best known for its antivirus software, has announced that Google removed a number of stalking apps from the Google Play Store found by the security company. A total of seven stalking apps were found in the app store -- four on Tuesday and another three on Wednesday -- enabling anyone to stalk kids, partners, employees, and others who owned an Android phone without their knowledge or permission.

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A huge number of Android users have been tricked into downloading a fake Samsung firmware update app that claims it will update a phone's software, but in reality redirects users to an ad-filled website and predatory subscription plan. The app is still live on the Google Play Store as of July 5 at 8PM ET, though it will no doubt get removed in the near future.

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Google never misses a chance to talk about improved security on Android and, to some extent Chrome, especially when it means talking about AI and machine learning to no end. News after news of malicious apps getting into Google Play Store, however, almost throws all of that out the window. Google Play Store is supposed to be Android's most secure and safest source of apps but a new study shows that more than 2,000 of those apps are not only counterfeits but potentially harmful apps as well.

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It's probably nothing new by now whenever news about this or that malware getting into Google Play Store's automated "bouncer" but few have probably achieved the same mass reach as this one. Called BeiTaAd or BeitaPlugin, the particular strain of adware will perhaps go down in history for having taking great pains to hide its nature from security measures and being found in 238 unique apps. It is, perhaps, no coincidence that those apps were all made by the same Chinese company as well.

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As part of a number of changes to its Play Store policies, Google now requires developers to disclose the odds of getting loot box items before players purchase the boxes. The move follows growing backlash from consumers and public health officials who compare loot boxes to gambling, expressing concerns that some kids and vulnerable adults are engaging in unhealthy spending patterns related to these offerings.

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Mobile spending, as multiple headlines have told us throughout the years, is something that can quickly get out of hand. Google today is looking to do something about that by rolling out budgeting for the Google Play Store. With this new feature, you'll be able set a budget for mobile purchases and track how close you are to meeting that limit.

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While some apps on Google Play Store almost seem to stay there forever, there are a few that suddenly disappear without a trace. Some are barely noticeable but when a paid app or game from a major developer suddenly vanishes, users are naturally unhappy. The mysterious disappearance of Baldur's Gate II and Icewind Dale from the Google Play Store may have finally been solved but it actually underlies a silent problem happening behind the scenes of the Google Play Store.

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Google recently implemented stricter rules around reading SMS and call logs to prevent malicious apps from gaining access to those personal data. That policy, however, put apps like Tasker and Titanium Backup in limbo since they needed those permissions for valid but unsupported purposes. Google eventually loosened the restrictions a bit to allow the likes of Tasker to be exempted. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for Titanium Backup but the story might not be so straightforward as it seems.

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