Page 3 - Apps

Play Store service fees lowest among major app stores, says Google

Google estimates that out of more than 200,000 Indian developers on Google Play, less than 60 could pay a service fee of above 15 per cent

Google took action against 3,500 personal loan apps in 2022 in India

Globally, Google prevented 1.43 million policy-violating apps from being published on Google Play

Google took action against 3,500 loan apps for violating norms in 2022

Google took action against over 3,500 loan apps in India in 2022 for violating Play Store policy requirements, the company said on Thursday. Google said that overall it prevented 1.43 million policy-violating apps from being published on Google Play banning 173,000 bad accounts preventing over USD 2 billion in fraudulent and abusive transactions in 2022. "In India, in 2022, we have reviewed and taken necessary enforcement action, including removal of apps, on more than 3,500 personal loan apps for violations of the Play policy requirements. We continue to uplevel our efforts in this area by regularly updating our policies and review processes," Google said. The company announced that it will adopt a more privacy-friendly approach to advertising in 2023. Google will roll out the first Beta for the Privacy Sandbox on Android to a small percentage of Android devices. "With the Beta, users and developers will be able to experience and evaluate these new solutions in the real world...W

Samsung launches 'News' app with podcasts, daily briefings, news feeds

Additional news sources will be added to the app over time through Samsung's syndication partner -- upday, according to the company

Minding your language: How to use editing tools for better writing

They will make your everyday communication text error-free, crisp and professional

NIC made app to facilitate registration, redressal of consumer grievances

The NIC has developed a mobile software application aiming to facilitate online registration and time-bound redressal of consumer grievances related to the Legal Metrology Act and rules framed thereunder, according to an official statement. The NIC has developed 'Maaptol Grievance' app which is now available on the Google Play store. "This initiative aims to facilitate online registration and time-bound redressal of consumer grievances related to the Legal Metrology Act and rules framed thereunder," the statement said. The resolution of the grievances lodged on the app "shall be attended by Weights and Measures Department, Delhi government in a time-bound manner, within two working days (48 hours)," it said. Any consumer who finds any violation with regard to goods which are being sold or distributed by weight, measure or number or any shortcoming in the mandatory declarations on packaged goods and commodities according to the provisions of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 and rules m

Rajeev Chandrasekhar denies reports of mandatory lab testing of OS updates

On Tuesday, Reuters reported that India might ask smartphone makers to allow the removal of pre-installed apps and mandate screening of major operating system updates

'mPassport Police App' to fast track passport verification process

The move will not only streamline the passport verification process but will also help for timely updation and issuance of the passports as all verifications will take five days now

Banned websites, apps given 48 hrs to prove genuineness: Official

The IT ministry has given 48 hours to banned websites and apps to prove their genuineness, a senior government official said on Thursday. Another senior official from the ministry said the ban has been imposed on the platforms because their businesses were not genuine. "Why would there be any ban if they were genuine? Action has been taken on them," the ministry official said. The government last week ordered blocking of 232 apps operated by overseas entities, including Chinese, for being involved in betting, gambling and unauthorised loan services. "They have been given 48 hours under the rule to submit documents. The decision will be taken based on their presentation. It is going on now," another senior official said. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued blocking orders on Saturday, based on an emergency request issued by a nodal officer of the home ministry, against 138 betting and gambling websites and 94 loan apps that were engaging in illegal

Filling Big Tech shoes: Game begins for India's tryst with mass app economy

Domestic alternatives for mass consumption apps by Google, Meta or Twitter are still few and far between

Global app downloads on Apple Store, Google Play reach 35.5 bn in Q4 2022

Mobile app adoption has levelled off, with global app downloads on Apple App Store and Google Play waning 0.1 per cent year-over-year to reach 35.5 billion in Q4 2022, according to a new report

Indians account for 5% app downloads on mobiles in 2022, shows data

Spend 0.74 trillion hours on apps during the year, says report

Spend by Indians on friendship and dating apps doubles in 2022

The growth in India's spending is far higher than the global average year-on-year (YoY) increase of 12 per cent for this category of apps in 2022 compared to the previous year

Tata reviews digital strategy for super app as sales may miss target by 50%

Tata Neu which went live in April, will see sales of about $4 billion in the year to March 31 compared with the $8 billion target set at the beginning of 2022

Have OTT players pay telecom firms usage charges, COAI writes to DoT

Telcos point out that based on global estimates 56% of telco bandwidth is used by OTT communication platforms and in India it is even higher due to the proliferation of users which are over 400 mn

The CCI's Google orders: How does it impact innovation for apps

Opinion split on how ecosystem will change after regulator asks tech giant to stop misusing its 'dominant position'

3 ways app developers keep kids glued to the screen: What to do about it

These apps certainly offer some fun interactive experiences, not to mention good educational content in many cases

Applying for a digital loan? Stick to loan apps on RBI's white list

The name of the bank or NBFC on whose behalf the app lends should be mentioned on the former's website

Govt launches Indian Sign Language mobile app 'Sign Learn' with 1,000 words

The Centre on Friday launched an Indian Sign Language (ISL) dictionary mobile application called 'Sign Learn' containing 10,000 words. The app was launched by Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Pratima Bhoumik. Sign Learn is based on the Indian sign language dictionary of the Indian Sign Language Research And Training Centre (ISLRTC) which contains 10,000 words. The app is available in Android as well as iOS versions, and all the words in the ISL dictionary can be searched through Hindi or English medium, officials said. The sign videos of the app can also be shared on social media. "The app has been developed to make the ISL dictionary easily available and to make it more accessible for the public at large," a senior official said. Notably, ISLRTC had recently signed an MoU with the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on October 6, 2020 for converting NCERT textbooks from classes 1 to 12 into the Indian Sign Language (digital format) t

Standalone app of TikTok's BeReal clone is now available outside US

Like BeReal, TikTok Now sends a random push notification every day encouraging users to take a photo or video with their phone's front-facing and outward-facing cameras at the same time