WhatsApp Begins Rolling Out End-to-End Encrypted Backups on iOS and Android

Facebook has announced that it has now begun rolling out End-to-End Encrypted Backups on iOS and Android devices.

Starting today, we are making available an extra, optional layer of security to protect backups stored on Google Drive or iCloud with end-to-end encryption. No other global messaging service at this scale provides this level of security for their users’ messages, media, voice messages, video calls and chat backups.

You can either set your own password, or let WhatsApp automatically generate a 64-digit encryption key on your device.

Whatsapp End-to-End Encrypted Backups

Facebook was under a lot of pressure in recent times to introduce this feature, so I’m glad to see it finally arrive now. Considering it has more than 2 billion users, this will be a slow rollout, starting with those who are running the latest version of WhatsApp on iPhones and Android devices. If you see this option, make sure to flip the switch right away.

October 15, 2021 ✚ Permalink

Marshmallow Upgrade Schedule for OnePlus Devices

oneplus-marshmallow

OnePlus today announced the schedule they’ll be following for rolling out the Android Marshmallow update for the OnePlus 2 and OnePlus X:

The OnePlus 2 will also be updated in Q1, and the update will include the new standard Marshmallow API for the fingerprint sensor. We’ve heard requests for us creating an API for the current fingerprint implementation in OxygenOS, but have decided against this since we’re switching over to the standard Android M implementation soon.

The OnePlus One, which runs CyanogenOS, will get the update when Cyanogen updates it in Q1 2016. If you’re running OxygenOS on your OnePlus One though, prepare to be disappointed:

We created a community build of OxygenOS for the OnePlus One, but this isn’t what the product officially ships with. We will be updating the community build of OxygenOS for the OnePlus One when time allows.

(emphasis mine)

November 16, 2015 ✚ Permalink

Porsche chooses Apple CarPlay because Google reportedly asks for too much data

Rich McCormick writing for The Verge:

[Motor Trend] says that Android Auto tracks variables including vehicle speed, throttle position, fluid temperatures, and engine revs, information that is collated and then sent back to Google. Apple’s CarPlay, on the other hand, only checks with the car’s powertrain control module to ensure that the vehicle is moving. Porsche was apparently unwilling to enter a deal that would send reams of information back to Google — partly, Motor Trend says, because the manufacturer thinks those details make its high-end autos special, and partly because Google itself is in the midst of building its own car.

I can’t possibly imagine why Google would want all that data. Can you?

October 6, 2015 ✚ Permalink