Cult of Android

Third-party iPhone apps scored significantly lower than their Android counterparts, according to an analysis of user reviews of 4,400 top mobile apps. This does not necessarily mean that Android offers better third-party software, though. iPhone users simply expect more from their apps.

If you’ve been dying to watch Netflix offline, your life just got better. An update to the official Netflix app lets you download TV shows and movies so you can view them without munching through your data allowance. Anyone who’s dreamed about watching Stranger Things or The Crown on the subway to work, or at 35,000 feet, this is your lucky day! Here’s how to get in on the action. The update is available at no extra cost to subscribers.

Apple on Monday rolled out a brand-new Android app that allows users to identify unexpected AirTags nearby. Tracker Detect can also recognize other Find My-compatible devices from third-party companies. The app also makes it possible for those who do not own an iPhone or iPad to scan a tracker they have discovered and learn more about it — or disable it so that it can no longer report their location.

Switching from Android to iPhone could soon be a little bit easier. WhatsApp is working on a new tool that will allow users to transfer all their chat data from Google’s platform to iOS, according to a new beta version of the app. WhatsApp already gives users the ability to backup their conversations so they don’t get lost. But where they get backed up depends on whether you use Android or iPhone. It’s not possible to share backups between both.

The global market for Android phones shrank considerably in the first quarter of 2022, even as iPhone shipments rose. Shipments from every major Android maker declined, from Samsung on down. Their combined drops were enough to reduce world smartphone shipments in Q1 by around 10%. iPhone sold well in Q1 2022 Quarterly shipment figures aren’t always the best way to judge who is on top in the iPhone vs. Android rivalry, but they do give a snapshot of how the competitors stack up.

Applications that trick users into paying huge subscription fees raked in over $400 million from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, according to research done by Avast. The so-called “fleeceware” takes advantage of a weakness in both app stores: deleting an application tied to a subscription doesn’t cancel the subscription. What is fleeceware? The apps aren’t malware in the traditional sense. But they are a scam.

Apple moved to address many of the privacy concerns raised after the release of AirTags. The item trackers launched with anti-stalking features, but a new firmware update is tightening them up further. AirTags will start more quickly warning people if they’re being used to follow someone. And an Android app that can detect these trackers is in development. AirTag doubles down on preventing stalking The AirTag changes Apple revealed to  on Thursday primarily benefit non-iPhone users.

iMessage reactions now appear as emoji inside the latest version of the Google Messages app on Android. Prior to this release, Android users saw somewhat lengthy template messages when they received an iMessage reaction from a contact using an iPhone. This change offers a cleaner, much more streamlined experience.