Android Pay Is Coming to a Phone Near You: How Safe Is It?

Android users rejoice: almost exactly one year after Apple Pay debuted, Google is following up with its own mobile payment system, aptly named Android Pay. According to a post on the Official Android Blog, the new payment system will be rolled out within the next few days to users with NFC-enabled devices running KitKat 4.4+. Similar to Apple Pay, this mobile payment feature will enable users to store their credit and debit cards, along with loyalty cards, gift cards and special offers, then pay in person at stores or from apps in their phones, without the need to pull out their wallet. While it shares some similarities with Apple Pay, Android's mobile payment system also comes with its own unique functions that users can look forward to.

How does Android Pay work?

Once your cards have been entered into the app, whenever you are in a store with an NFC terminal, you can simply unlock your phone and place it near the terminal to complete a payment. You don't need to open an app for it to work, and according to Android at least 1 million stores across the U.S. are already accepting Android Pay. Even better, using the feature in certain stores will enable you to apply loyalty points and special offers to your transaction. In-store payments will be available immediately, while in-app payments are set to be released later in the year. When it is available, using the feature will be as simple as selecting "Buy with Android Pay" when you are using an app and wish to make a purchase.

Android Pay will support credit and debit cards from American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa, as well as most banks in the U.S., including American Express, Bank of America, Discover, Navy Federal Credit Union, PNC, Regions Bank, USAA and U.S. Bank. It will also support Wells Fargo, Capital One and Citi in the near future.

When will it be available for me to use?

Android said on Sept. 10 that it would be rolling Android Pay out "over the next few days," though not all features will be available immediately -- such as in-app purchases. By the middle of this week, all users running KitKat 4.4+ should be able to download and use Android Pay. Existing Google Wallet users can access Android Pay through an update to the Wallet app, while those who don't already use Google Wallet can download the app on the Google Play store when it's available. In the future, all new NFC-enabled phones from carriers including Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile will come with the Android Pay app preinstalled.

How secure is this technology?

Android Pay does not send your actual credit or debit card information when it completes a payment. Instead, a virtual account number is created to represent your account information -- thus keeping your personal details safe. Additionally, Android Pay shows a payment confirmation after every purchase that lets you see where the transaction occurred, along with the merchant's name and number. This is designed to help catch any potential suspicious activity. Another great safety feature Android has designed in conjunction with Android Pay is the Android Device Manager. This feature allows you to instantly lock your phone, secure it with a new password and even wipe it clean of personal information in the event that it is lost or stolen, which is something that is also offered by many mobile security apps.

One of the biggest concerns beyond security for users of technologies like Android Pay is whether relying on it completely to make all of your purchases is a wise idea. Batteries can die, phones can go out of range. If you do choose to utilize this app for your spending, it's probably best to always keep some cash on you just in case. Otherwise, you could find yourself stranded with a dead phone and no way to pay for a taxi or some other necessary expense.

Although there are some built-in security features, keep in mind that a lack of fingerprint scanning -- a prominent feature of most new iPhones which helps secure Apple Pay -- for most Android users means someone who accesses your phone could potentially access your credit and debit cards. And even though Android is working to implement fingerprint scanning into most new phones, it isn't as secure as Apple's technology. Thus, if you plan on using this feature, it's a good idea to ensure that you use a lock screen with a PIN or another form of protection and make it secure to prevent someone from snatching your phone and using it to pay for things. Any time a new technology is introduced, those who use it need to be aware that they are putting themselves at risk and take the proper precautions. Time will tell whether Android Pay presents any real security issues or not.

Source : http://goo.gl/4KuwVO

Nexus '5X' and '6P' boxes leak out ahead of Google's Android event (update)

Names, specs and pictures of the next Google-brand phones have already been floating around, and now Android Police has what it says are the retail boxes for the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P. If you'll recall, these are the rumored LG (5X) and Huawei (6P) devices that Google will introduce at its Android-flavored breakfast meeting one week from today. Of course, most of our speculation is about what else might be there (new Chromecast?), but this peek can help you get an idea of how the eventual unboxing process will begin.

Update: Need a better look at the actual phones? Android Police has also obtained a fairly clear render of the Huawei-built 6P, with its odd back and rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.

Source : http://goo.gl/ML2e85

Google brings block and unsubscribe to Gmail on Android and the web

Google brings block and unsubscribe to Gmail on Android and the web

Google's making it easier to block unwanted email senders from reaching your inbox. The company today announced that it's adding a simple "block" button to the web and Android versions of Gmail that automatically routes future messages from that person to your spam folder. If you change your mind about blocking someone, the step can be reversed by heading to Gmail's settings.

After first launching on the web, the ability to instantly unsubscribe from newsletters and other mass email blasts is also making its way to Gmail for Android. In fact, the app has already been updated to support this feature  though I'm not (yet) seeing the option where it's supposed to be within message view. But it should be there shortly, giving you an easier path to banishing those emails you never wanted in the first place.

Source ://goo.gl/gBqnwS

Google adds more useful features to its Clock app for Android

With Google's focus on improving the custom Android experience, standalone applications like Camera, Calendar and Messenger continue to get better over time. Today, the search titan updated its Clock app with a number of features that will come in handy to many Android users, including those who own a companion Android Wear device. One of the main additions is new progressive alarms and timers, which will gradually increase their volume as they're set off. You can also choose your favorite ringtone, control timers from a notification and dismiss an alarm preemptively -- in case you wake up ahead of time, as any responsible human would do. On the Android Wear side, the Clock app now further integrates with Android Wear, giving you easier management options and interactive alarm notifications. And best of all, it's all free for the taking.

Source : http://goo.gl/u7Lo98

Use Link Bubble to open links in the background on Android

Some apps can display in-line media (opening links without opening new windows), but this capability isn't omnipresent across Android. When catching up on one of your feeds, like Twitter, you have to click the link and then wait for it to load in Chrome, then head back to the tweet stream.

Link Bubble is an app for Android 4.1+ that lets you queue links to read when you're finished catching up on social media or RSS feeds, similar to the Flynx app. The process is similar to when you open tabs in the background on your desktop Web browser -- ones that you intend to read when you're finished with your primary task. Ready to check it out? Let's get started:

First you'll need to grab a copy of Link Bubble for your Android device. Initially, there were free and paid versions of this app. However, the app is now under new ownership and all paid features have become free.

Note: If you purchased Link Bubble after August 4, 2015, the company will grant a refund if you email support@linkbubble.com with your transaction ID.

The easiest way to really see how this app works is to open a social media client that doesn't offer in-line content and tap on a link. You'll see a pop-up asking which browser you want to use. Pick Link Bubble and then choose Always. You won't see this window next time.

An introduction page will load for Link Bubble, explaining how it works. You can close this by pressing and holding the floating icon at the top of your screen and dragging it to the delete bubble at the bottom. To minimize links, tap on their bubble at the top of the screen.

When reading, you can choose to enable the built-in reader mode by tapping the button next to the share icon on an open link. Themes and incognito mode are also available in the settings.

Want to share a link you've read? You can drag bubbles to the right or left to share with other apps. The defaults are set to Facebook and the share button, but you can choose other app shortcuts for each bubble in the app's settings. There's also a built-in reader mode you can enable by tapping the button next to the share icon on an open link.

Source : http://goo.gl/YHzSwK

Use Google Maps to see where you've traveled

Google Maps has been tracking everywhere your phone has gone, and now it's ready to share that data with you, and only you. Using a handy new feature called Your Timeline on the Web and Android, you can see all of the places you've visited to plotted on a map, plus detailed itineraries of your travels.

While the prospect of Google tracking your every move is sure to bother some people, I've found that Your Timeline is a really neat tool for keeping track of my trips and vacations, or simply remembering a random day in my life.

If this weirds you out and you don't want Google following you, check out CNET's guide to stopping Google Maps from tracking your location. However, if you're intrigued by this automatically recorded log of the places you go, read on to learn how to make the best use of Your Timeline.

Get started

To protect your privacy, you first need to consent to have Google follow your travels. If at any point you turned on Location History in your Google account, such as setting up Google Now to remember where you parked or commute alerts, then the company is already tracking you.

Check if Location History is enabled for you with these steps:

• Sign into your Google account on a computer.

• Head to the My Account page.

• Click Personal info & privacy and scroll to Places you go.

• If the slider is blue, Location History is on and you're good to go.

• Click Manage Activity below the slider to view Your Timeline.

Look at your maps

True to its name, Your Timeline shows a daily record of every place you've been, the time you arrived and departed, as well as the approximate route you took between locations. If you use Google Photos, pictures you took at the particular place, date and time will show up in your timeline too.

All of that information appears on the Your Timeline page on desktop and in the latest version of the Google Maps Android app. However, you'll get the most features from browsing on a computer. There you'll see a world map with dots on the places you've gone. You can zoom into particular cities to get a more detailed view and click on dots to see the address or point of interest.

On the left side of the page, you can browse various dates to see your available timelines. In my experience, Google doesn't seem to record data from every single day, instead it focusing on trips where you leave your normal area. One my account, I can see the occasional commute or trip to the store, but there's more emphasis on trips that span several days and took me at least 50 miles from home. I also don't have a timeline for every single day, despite having Location History turned on for the last several years. However, your data may vary.

Editing a timeline

While Google does its best to pinpoint the exact addresses, businesses and points of interest you've hit, it doesn't always get it right. In that case, you can edit the incorrect places in your timeline and add places it missed altogether.

Hover over the name of a place and click the arrow to pick a different option from the menu or search for a specific location.

To add a new place to your timeline, hover your mouse over the line on the far left until the plus sign appears and click it.

Search for a location and tell Google approximately when you arrived and departed, then click Save to add it to the timeline.

Though Google has faced a lot of scrutiny over tracking your location and showing it in Your Timeline, I think the feature is a neat way to automatically create a record of your travels. That said, I absolutely understand the privacy concerns that Your Timeline brings up, even though the data is only available for you to view.

If it makes you uncomfortable, simply shut off Location History to stop Google from tracking your locations. But if you're willing to let Google stay on your tail, Your Timeline can be a neat feature to chronicle your daily commutes and bigger trips.

Source : http://goo.gl/x6Ko4r

Find cheap flights with Hopper for Android

If you've ever tried tracking flight prices, you know that airfares seem to change by the minute -- and you just can't know if you're getting the best deal. Wait, and prices might shoot up. Buy, and they could drop the very next day. The stress of air travel begins long before you ever set foot in an airport!

Thankfully, there's Hopper, a free app that "analyzes billions of flight prices a day" to help predict changes in airfare, thus helping you decide when is the ideal time to buy. It debuted for iOS back in January, but Hopper is now available for Android as well.

It works like this: First you indicate your home base, the airport you want to fly from. Then you choose a destination. (You can search by city or airport code.) That'll quickly generate a summary letting you know what constitutes a good deal (based on historical data) and how much you can save by choosing a flight with stops as opposed to a direct flight.

There's also a color-coded calendar that reflects airfares, from "good deal" to "expensive." That's an amazing way to see at-a-glance when it's cheapest (and costliest) to travel.

You can also tap Choose Dates to enter a specific date range, and Hopper will generate a prediction for you (wait, buy now, etc.). This is also how you "watch" a specific trip; the app will notify you when prices drop and, hopefully, before they go up.

If you want to watch another fare, just run another search for your departure and destination cities. For any given trip you're watching, you can tap Dates, Prediction or Flights to toggle between the respective screens of information.

Unfortunately, and inexplicably, Hopper for Android lacks the Tips tab found in the iOS version, which shows cheaper dates and departure/arrival airports. Hopper for iOS also just got an update that allows you to purchase tickets directly from within the app, without getting bounced to an external site. That option isn't currently available for Android, but a company rep says it's coming soon.

In the meantime, Hopper is still an amazing way to track airfares and gain some insight into when you'll get the best deal. Best of all, it's free.

Source : http://goo.gl/EwWcsU