Smartphone Use

Honor X9c 5G phone coming soon to India with MagicOS 9.0: What to expect

Honor X9c 5G is launching soon in India with Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, 108MP camera, 6.78-inch AMOLED display, 6,600mAh battery, and MagicOS 9.0

Google releases new 'Pixel VIPs' app for select Pixel phones: What is it

Pixel VIPs helps Pixel users stay close to important contacts with features like location sharing, reminders, notes, and more

What happens if you leave device chargers plugged in? An expert explains

Chargers left plugged in might seem harmless, but they quietly waste power and wear out over time. Here's what you need to know about hidden risks and costs

Delhi govt directs schools to frame smartphone usage policy after HC ruling

Following a recent Delhi High Court judgment, the Delhi Government has directed schools to formulate policies regarding students' use of smartphones.The Delhi High Court has outlined guiding principles to strike a balance between the advantages and potential drawbacks of allowing students to use smartphones while in school.Accordingly, the Education Department of the Delhi Government has instructed all heads of government, government-aided, and unaided recognised private schools in Delhi to develop and implement a school-level policy on this matter.The Directorate of Education, in its circular dated April 17, 2025, states, "The Hon'ble court has drawn up guiding principles to balance the beneficial and deleterious effect of permitting the use of smartphones in the hands of students while attending the school. Accordingly, all the Heads of Govt., Govt. Aided & Unaided Recognised Private Schools of Delhi are hereby directed to develop a policy on the above said matter on school ...

Delhi HC rejects total smartphone ban in schools, issues guidelines

The court noted that its intent is to establish guiding principles to balance the positive and negative effects of allowing students to use smartphones

A new way to measure digital capability: Tracking tech progress globally

Developing countries are moving from the margins to the mainstream of digital innovation. They account for the global majority of internet and smartphone users

Brazil restricts smartphone use in schools amid concern over its impact

Brazilian students returned to class this week with a new task: staying away from their smartphones as a new law restricting their use in schools takes effect. President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva signed a bill in January limiting smartphone access at schools, in line with a trend seen in the U.S. and Europe. It applies to public and private schools, and applies to classrooms and the halls. Phones are still allowed for educational purposes, with the teacher's permission, and when needed for the student's accessibility and health. Schools have the autonomy to set their own guidelines, such as whether students can keep phones in backpacks or store them in lockers or designated baskets. Before the federal law, most of Brazil's 26 states - including Rio de Janeiro, Maranhao and Goias - had already passed measures applying some restrictions to phone use in schools. As of 2023, nearly two-thirds of Brazilian schools had some limitations, with 28 per cent banning them entirely, according to

Samsung rolls out One UI 7 beta with AI, security upgrades in India

Korean smartphone maker Samsung has rolled out a new version of its mobile interface, One UI 7 beta, in select countries including India with AI, security and privacy upgrades, the company said on Thursday. The new version of One UI 7 will be first available for Galaxy S24 series devices and will be made available in upcoming Galaxy S Series devices. The company will also roll out the update across other Galaxy devices gradually. "The official One UI 7 release will commence with upcoming Galaxy S series devices, featuring additional AI capabilities including enhanced on-device AI functions, starting from the first quarter of 2025. The One UI 7 beta programme will be first available for Galaxy S24 series devices in Germany, India, Korea, Poland, the UK, and the US, from December 5," the Samsung statement said. AI applications are considered to be one of the major use cases for high speed 5G networks as it requires high bandwidth to offer services. The statement said that One UI 7 ..

Is your phone at risk? CERT-In reveals vulnerabilities in Android & Chrome

CERT-In has reported serious security issues affecting older versions of Google Chrome, which make users vulnerable to attacks if they visit malicious websites

Smartphones overtake diamonds in India's exports to US, shows data

Nearly 50% of India's FY24 outbound iPhone shipments went to US

When old is new: Refurbished premium phones a favourite this festive season

iPhones, Samsung drive demand in recommerce space

1 in 4 countries have banned phones in schools due to negative impacts: UN

Large-scale international assessment data suggests a negative link between excessive use of technology and student performance, yet less than one in four countries have banned smartphone use in schools, according to the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report. The report on "Technology in education" published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has flagged that assessment data has found that mere proximity to a mobile device distracts students and has a negative impact on learning. An expert from the UN's Education team told PTI that too much attention on technology in education usually comes at a high cost, and technology, including smartphones, should only be used in class when it supports learning outcomes. "The adoption of digital technology has resulted in many changes in education and learning. The set of basic skills that young people are expected to learn in school, at least in richer countries, has expanded to include a broad ..

Global smartphone market grows 6% as AI and discounts boost demand

Global smartphone shipments rose 6.5 per cent, according to IDC, while sales to consumers jumped 6 per cent, per Counterpoint Research figures

Dip in Xiaomi orders hit Foxconn's Bharat FIH, affect operations, IPO plans

According to a source aware of the development, the unit stopped its level 10 operations on June 30, and some of its operations are being shifted to Sriperumbudur near Chennai

Why does the American Surgeon General want warning labels on social media?

Banning phones in schools to limited screen times at home: Vivek Murthy is advocating for proactive steps by all to safeguard mental health of the youth on social media platforms

Smartphone makers pin hopes on new launches after tepid March quarter

Slowdown in the decline of 2G subscribers hurting smart phone sales

50% Indian users unintentionally reach out for their smartphones: BCG study

The report also found that a typical smartphone user picks up their phone almost 70 to 80 times a day

Indians spent 12.84 bn hours on shopping apps in 2023, next only to China

The time spent by shoppers on these apps in 2023 was far higher than in the US (2.8 billion hours), Brazil (3.020 billion hours), but it was less than that in China where it was 49.60 billion hours

Govt issues warning for some Samsung phones, advises urgent update

Alert states vulnerabilities can allow an attacker to bypass security restrictions and access sensitive info

Govt concerned about Chinese firms' low share in smartphone exports

Companies like Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Realme together account for a dominating 74% share of the Indian mobile phone market in terms of volumes. However, their share of exports stands at only 14%