Tag Archives: apps

Motorsport

Automakers found to be inadequate in protecting personal data and privacy

In today’s world, cars are equipped with advanced technology that allows them to function like computers on wheels. They offer access to apps, entertainment, and even the internet. However, this convenience comes at a cost, as these modern vehicles have the ability to collect personal data about their users’ activities and whereabouts. A recent study conducted by the Mozilla Foundation reveals that automakers are not doing enough to ensure the privacy and security of this data.

The non-profit organization investigated 25 car brands and assigned all of them its “Privacy Not Included” warning label, indicating a lack of data management and security practices. The study went so far as to label cars as the worst category of products it had ever reviewed. The findings were published in a series of articles discussing personal data and privacy in vehicles.

Which Cars Have Android Auto Or Apple CarPlay

The study revealed that all car brands surveyed collect excessive amounts of personal data. In addition to the necessary data for operating the vehicle, information about how people use their cars, their driving speed, locations visited, and other details were found to be collected. Auto companies also obtain data through connected services used in the vehicle, including third-party sources like Google, Meta, or Sirius XM.

According to the study, 84 percent of car companies share or sell customer data to third parties, which may include service providers, data brokers, and other businesses. Furthermore, 56 percent of automakers stated that they share information with government or law enforcement officials in response to court orders, warrants, or informal requests.

The Mozilla Foundation discovered that most car companies offer limited or no control over personal data. Allegedly, 92 percent of the surveyed companies either do not allow or make it extremely difficult for individuals to delete their personal information. Renault and Dacia were mentioned as exceptions, but it should be noted that these two brands fall under Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) privacy laws.

The Mozilla Foundation spent over 600 hours researching the privacy practices of car brands. However, it was unable to obtain a complete understanding of how consumer data is used or shared. The foundation reached out to all the car companies involved in the study but received responses only from Ford, Honda, and Mercedes-Benz. Even with these responses, the organization’s questions remained unanswered.

Motor1.com has also contacted automakers for their comments on the study. Stellantis, one of the companies contacted, responded with a statement refuting some of the claims made in the study and asserting their commitment to data privacy.

“Multiple claims in this document are incorrect as they relate to Stellantis brands. We carefully and diligently consider data privacy and act accordingly. Customers with questions may call our Customer Care center.”

This article will be updated with any additional statements from automakers as they become available.

Smartphones

How To Use Any App On The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Cover Screen

Samsung has made it easy for you to open five apps on the cover screen of your Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 with minimal effort. These apps include YouTube, Netflix, Google Messages, Samsung Messages, and Google Maps. These apps have been optimized by Samsung specifically for the 3.4-inch cover screen. To enable these apps on your cover screen, you will need to make some changes in your phone’s settings.

  1. First, open the Settings app on your Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.
  2. Next, select the Advanced features option.
  3. Then, choose the Labs option.
  4. Toggle on the Apps allowed on cover screen setting.

Once you have enabled this setting, you can select which of the five curated apps you want to enable on your cover screen. Simply tap the toggles next to each app that you want to include. And that’s it! Now, when you navigate your phone using the cover screen, you will see a new panel called the Cover Screen Launcher, which will contain the apps you have enabled. However, if you want to add even more apps to your cover screen and are willing to go through a few more steps, here’s what you need to do.

Smartphones

8 Ways To Improve the Security of Your Android Phone

In the year 2023, encryption has become a necessary tool, and many Android apps have integrated it. When people think of encryption, messaging apps like WhatsApp often come to mind. These apps use end-to-end encryption (E2EE) to ensure that only the intended recipients can read the messages on their devices. Even Google’s stock SMS app with RCS support includes this feature, keeping your messages secure. However, encryption goes beyond messaging apps. There are various other aspects of your phone that you can encrypt.

Thankfully, Google has taken care of many encryption requirements by default. All the data backed up from your phone to your Google account is encrypted, giving you a safe option for storing information. Additionally, most email clients use Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption, providing secure email communication. Google Drive and 2FAS also use encryption to enhance security. For those who want to take extra measures, options like Proton Mail offer stronger encryption than most email clients, while Resilio Sync allows you to host your own cloud backup.

Encrypting everything on your phone is not currently possible without significant effort. Fortunately, most of your sensitive information is already encrypted by default, leaving only a few areas that require attention. It is still worth the time to review your phone and identify anything that can be backed up or encrypted to enhance privacy.

Cars, Technology

How To Add New Apps To Android Auto

Before you can add new apps to Android Auto, you first need to connect your Android phone to the infotainment platform. At the time of writing, there are two ways to connect your smartphone to Android Auto: using a USB cable or pairing wirelessly. To connect to Android Auto with a USB cable, you need to:

  1. Connect your Android phone to your vehicle’s USB port using a USB cable.

  2. Tap the Home button on your vehicle’s infotainment display.

  3. Select Smartphone connection.

  4. Tap “Connect a new device.”

  5. Follow the directions to pair your Android phone.

  6. Select Yes to confirm the consent screen if you’re using Android Auto for the first time.

  7. Tap the Android Auto icon to launch it.

To establish a first-time wireless connection between your Android smartphone and your vehicle’s infotainment system, follow these steps:

  1. Turn on Bluetooth on your phone.

  2. Press and hold the voice command button in your car

  3. Wait for the on-screen prompt about pairing a new device to appear.

  4. Follow the on-screen directions to pair your phone.

Once the pairing process is finished, Android Auto will be launched, and your phone will be successfully paired to your vehicle via Bluetooth.

Technology

5 Best White Noise Apps for Android

If you’re new to white noise apps and want to go for one with a large user base, Calm may be a good option. It has an “Editor’s Badge,” with over 50 million downloads on Google Play and a high rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. It’s also one of the top-grossing apps in the health and fitness category.

When you open the Calm app, it will ask you about your goals, such as reducing stress or anxiety, improving performance, or getting better sleep. You can create an account using your email address, Facebook, or Google account. There will be prompts to upgrade to the premium version, but you can close them if you’re not interested.

While Calm is primarily a meditation app, it also offers various sounds that you can play as white noise for better sleep or focus. Simply tap the search bar in the Discover tab, choose Soundscapes from the Category dropdown, and browse through the available tracks. You can also try the Sleep Stories category for an alternative to white noise. Free content will have a play button, while locked content can be accessed with a paid subscription. Calm Premium costs $4.99 per month and comes with a 7-day free trial.

Technology

12 Essential Apps Every iPad User Should Have

Google Workspace apps have gained popularity among users due to their cloud capabilities, replacing the need for traditional programs with similar functions. Take Google Docs, for example, which automatically saves text documents in Google Cloud Storage, eliminating the need for external storage. Additionally, users can export their files in formats compatible with Microsoft Word, allowing for seamless editing from anywhere. If you already use Google Workspace on your desktop, it’s worth downloading the app for your iPad.

Another advantage of Google Workspace is its real-time collaboration feature. With all data stored in the cloud, multiple users can work on the same document, spreadsheet, or project simultaneously and see edits happening in real-time. The range of apps available in Google Workspace is also a plus. For most cases, “Docs” can replace Microsoft Word, “Sheets” can serve as a substitute for Microsoft Excel, and “Slides” can be used in place of Microsoft Powerpoint.

The only potential cost to consider is additional storage in Google Drive. However, Google offers reasonably priced plans, starting at $1.99 per month for 100GB, and users can purchase up to 30TB of cloud storage as needed.

Technology

How To Unhide Apps On iPhone: A Step-By-Step Guide

When you install apps on your iPhone, they are placed in the App Library and organized into categories. The most frequently used apps and recently downloaded apps are usually at the top of the list. If you want to see all your apps, you can switch to an alphabetical list view by swiping down on the App Library page.

If you have previously hidden an app from your iPhone home screen, you can bring it back and make it visible again by following these steps:

  1. On your iPhone’s main home screen, swipe left.
  2. If you see the icon of the app you want to unhide and add back to your home screen, long-press on it.
  3. Choose one of the following options:

    Release your finger and tap “Add to Home Screen” from the menu that appears, or

    Continue holding the app icon and drag it onto the home screen.

  4. If you used the second option, all the apps on the home screen will start jiggling. Tap Done to finish the process.

It’s important to note that not all apps in the App Library category will offer the “Add to Home Screen” option when long-pressed. In such cases, dragging the icon to the home screen and tapping Done should work. Alternatively, you can also swipe down on the App Library page, long-press on an app icon from the list, and without releasing your finger, move it to the left to create a copy on the home screen. Remember to be cautious when unhiding apps this way to avoid accidentally deleting an app.

Cars

How To Organize And Sort Apps In Android Auto

To organize your Android Auto apps, you’ll need the assistance of a paired Android smartphone loaded with Android Auto functionality. By using the Android Auto settings, you can customize how the service launches when its display appears in your car, including how the apps show up.

Android Auto settingsDaniel Trock/SlashGear

  1. Open the Settings app on your Android smartphone.

  2. In the search bar, type “Android Auto.”

  3. Tap the first result to open the Android Auto settings.

  4. Under General, tap Customize Launcher.

  5. Tap Launcher sorting.

  6. To sort apps alphabetically, tap A-Z.

  7. To create a custom lineup, tap Custom Order.

  8. With Custom Order enabled, tap and drag on the six dots next to an app in the list to move them to a different spot on the load order.

The apps at the top of your Android Auto list will appear first on your Android Auto display in your car. Therefore, if there’s a particular app you want to make regular use of, move it to the top to put it right at the front on launch.

Technology

How To Password Protect An Excel File

Magnifying glass over Microsoft Excel menu IB Photography/Shutterstock

Microsoft Excel has been one of the go-to spreadsheet apps for several decades, and it’s developed an array of tricks throughout its lifetime, not just for making data entry, editing, and organization easier (though it does that, too) but to give users more ways to better protect the information they’re spreadsheet-ing. This includes adding password protection to your Excel files.

Whether you’re working with extremely sensitive or privileged data, trying to keep contact details out of the wrong hands, or just don’t want anyone else to be able to access your spreadsheets without your express permission, setting up a password for your work is a relative breeze.

The only caveat is you’re on your own if you lose or forget the password. Excel doesn’t have the capacity to retrieve password information, and there’s no “forgot password” option for you to try and replace it with a new one. So if you decide to protect any of your Excel files with one, be sure it’s something you won’t forget or find another way to keep track of it. Once a password has been set up, you must enter it every time you open the protected file.

Password protecting an Excel document

Person with glasses hunched over keyboard Xesai/Getty Images

When you choose to add password protection to an Excel document makes little difference — you can make a new one and immediately set up a password or revisit existing documents to add protection well after their creation. This process is the same for both Windows and macOS.

  1. With the Excel file open select File in the top-left corner of the screen, followed by Info.
  2. Select Protect Workbook, then choose Encrypt with Password.
  3. Enter the password you want to use, then select OK.
  4. Re-enter the password to confirm and select OK.
  5. Alternatively, select the Review tab along the top of the document and then choose Protect Workbook (to protect all the worksheets in your current workbook) or Protect Sheet (to protect just one sheet).
  6. Type in the password you want to use and select OK, then re-enter the password when prompted and select OK again to confirm.

You’ll know that your worksheet (or workbook) is protected if the Protect Sheet (or Protect Workbook) icon in the Review tab is highlighted.

Removing password protections from an Excel document

Hands typing on laptop keyboard Stock 4you/Shutterstock

If you decide it’s no longer necessary to protect your Excel spreadsheets with a password, you can remove it, though you will need to re-enter the password you’ve assigned to it first, so make sure you don’t lose or forget it before removing the restriction.

  1. Open the document you want to remove password protection from (you’ll need to enter the password to do so).
  2. Select the Review tab at the top of the page.
  3. For an individual spreadsheet, select Protect Sheet followed by Unprotect Sheet to remove password protections.
  4. For a workbook composed of multiple spreadsheets, select Protect Workbook followed by Unprotect Workbook.
  5. Enter the Workbook password again when prompted and select OK to remove protections.

Remember that, with password protections removed, anyone with access to your Excel file can open, view, and edit it. If you’ve decided a password isn’t necessary anymore, this likely isn’t an issue.

Technology

All The Most Popular Map Apps For Android Ranked Worst To Best

When it comes to navigation apps, convenience and ease of use are crucial. However, one particular app, CoPilot GPS Navigation, may not be the most user-friendly option for Android users. Despite its attractive graphics and popularity, CoPilot’s setup process can be quite challenging.

Upon opening the app, users are immediately faced with a mandatory sign-up page that cannot be skipped. This means users are required to create an account without the option for guest access, and there is no need for email verification. Following this step, users must then decide the type of vehicle they are using, whether it’s a car, semi-truck, or RV. This choice comes with restrictive warnings and potential additional purchases.

After facing complicated menus, long downloads, and anxiety-inducing warnings, users finally have their CoPilot app ready for navigation. However, before they can even enter their first destination, a pop-up appears informing them that this is just a 14-day trial, and they must purchase the app for continued use.

It’s important to note that CoPilot GPS Navigation is a paid app with a high price tag. Considering the abundance of other navigation apps available, it may be hard to justify investing in CoPilot. While it does offer offline maps, turn-by-turn directions, and voice guidance, there are alternative options that provide a smoother and more user-friendly experience at a lower cost.