AC Newsweek
Newsweek is our column where we highlight and summarize some of the week’s top stories so you can stay up to date on the latest tech news.
This is Android Central’s weekly news release, your go-to source for a concise roundup of the week’s biggest tech stories. This is where we dive into the headlines, which provide the latest developments and innovations contributing to the digital landscape.
This week, AT&T suffered a massive data breach, Pixel rolled out its April update to its devices, Spotify will increase its subscriptions, Google made fact-checking reliable, and the Galaxy S23 encountered a unique problem.
AT&T suffers massive data breach
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Unfortunately, this is not an April Fools’ prank
On Monday, April 1, more than 70 million AT&T customers discovered a massive data breach. The company reported in a blog post that the data of more than 7.6 million current customers and 65.4 million former customers were flowing on the dark web as a result of the breach.
AT&T said the compromised data included full names, email addresses, mailing addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, AT&T account numbers and passwords. For affected active customers, the company has reset their security passwords.
The data was posted on the dark web two weeks ago, and the company said it appeared to be from 2019 or earlier.
If you’re worried about your personal information, Android Central’s Jerry Hildenbrand has some tips for dealing with a data breach.
Pixel devices get new update patch
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Earlier this week, Google rolled out a series of updates to its phones and watches.new TWD9.240405.001 The firmware has started rolling out and will likely reach all Pixel Watch owners next week.
The update “includes new features, numerous bug fixes, and performance updates for Pixel Watch users.” One new feature that watch users can look out for is the vibration feature, which, as the name suggests, will allow users to notice the current time playing in the haptic whenever they choose to use gestures on the watch face.
Additionally, it improves the auto-brightness feature so that “users can easily perceive the difference when switching levels.” Another feature worth looking at is a new progress bar for app downloads/updates done through the Google Play Store, which does not It’s officially included, but some Pixel Watch users have discovered it recently.
Meanwhile, Pixel phone owners are getting their own set of updates at the same time. The update includes 28 general security patches for Android and an additional 25 security patches specifically for Pixel devices.
You can check to see if the April 2024 update is available for your Pixel phone by navigating to Settings > System > Software Update.
Spotify could get expensive
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Spotify subscribers could be spending a few more dollars, according to a new report released this week. Bloomberg reports that the music streaming service may increase the price of its “Basic” plan by $1 and its Duo plan by $2 in some markets around the world. This means subscribers in the UK, Australia and Pakistan will see these increases at the end of April. The United States is also expected to see price increases later this year. Spotify is also considering adding more subscription plans for consumers to increase revenue.
Speculation has also been circulating that Spotify is developing a new “Basic” tier that includes music and podcasts but not audiobooks. This plan can cost $11, which is the same as the premium plan for a single user.
The report briefly mentions a new “Supremium” plan that allows users to play HiFi audio at a higher price.
Galaxy S23 users are having trouble with One UI 6.1
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Samsung’s new One UI 6.1 update for the Galaxy S23 series aims to be a game changer, allowing older phones to unleash the magic of Galaxy AI. However, things didn’t go as planned for the folks over at the S23 series. Many people are facing charging issues, fingerprint scanner glitches, touchscreen issues, and biometric sensor issues.
Users reported biometric (fingerprint) issues on Reddit, saying “the fingerprint sensor randomly doesn’t register my input” when trying to unlock the device.
The touchscreen issue occurs on specific models such as the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus, and Galaxy S23 Ultra. For some, the screen is completely unresponsive, while others can only use it with the S Pen. According to a post on Samsung Korea’s support forum, they say the Google Discover feature may be the cause of touchscreen performance issues on affected devices.
There is no need to worry, though, as there may be a temporary solution to the touchscreen issue: delete all data associated with Google apps and update them to the latest version. But for now, S23 users would be better off steering clear of the One UI 6.1 update if it helps.
Google makes fact-checking easier
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Today, AI-processed images circulate on social media, making it difficult to tell truth from clickbait. However, Google might make cross-checking a little easier.
April 2 is observed as International Fact-Checking Day, and Google is expanding the scope of some of the most useful tools in Google Search to verify facts, images, and sources. Additionally, Google announced that its Fact Check Explorer is coming out of beta and will be available to everyone.
The familiar Google search features About This Image and About This Page are now available in more than 40 languages around the world. When it comes to “About this Image”, when you open the details menu of an image in Search and click on the “About This Image” option, you will be able to learn more about the image and its source.
Specifically, Google says “About this image” can list the following types of information about an image in searches: the image’s history, how other sites have used and described the image, and metadata associated with the image. This can reveal whether the image was generated by artificial intelligence or came from an untrusted source.
Similarly, About this page and About this result More information about the website is displayed before you decide to click on a Google search result. This can reveal whether the website is trustworthy, if it is perceived to be biased in some way, and who owns the website.
These are some of the biggest stories of the week. In the meantime, here are some other stories worth watching: