mobile privacy

Google has sharply tightened Android’s lock-screen defenses in Android 17, reducing the lifetime number of incorrect PIN, pattern, or password guesses from as many as 1,800 under the old baseline to 20. The change is already rolling out to supported Pixel devices and is intended to make stolen...

Google is rolling out a fix for an Android 16 lock-screen flaw that can let someone with physical possession of a locked phone use Gemini to send SMS messages and enable WhatsApp messaging without entering the device PIN. The Register, which reported the issue on July 17, says Google...

Do not assume that a free VPN from Google Play protects all traffic simply because Android shows it as connected. Remove VPN apps you cannot identify or justify, use a vetted provider—or an organization-managed VPN for work—and test for DNS and public-IP leakage after connecting. Researchers...

Samsung discontinued Samsung Max VPN & Data Saver on June 15, 2026, ending a Galaxy-exclusive Android app that combined a basic virtual private network, mobile data compression, privacy tools, paid regional server options, and ad-supported free access for users who had kept it installed. The...

Apple used WWDC 2026 in Cupertino on June 8 to unveil iOS 27, a fall iPhone update that rebuilds Siri and Apple Intelligence with natural-language Shortcuts, personal context, on-screen awareness, smarter Mail, child-safety controls, and more adaptive connectivity. The awkward part is that many...