Thousands of apps on iOS and Android run invisible ads you didn’t know about. Photo: Apple
“What you don’t know won’t hurt you” is a common phrase that unfortunately does not apply to the apps on your phone. It turns out that thousands of apps on Android and iOS secretly have ads in them that you can’t see, and they very well might be what’s causing a number of problems that plague smartphones today.
Don’t be surprised if you see angry mobs forming around your local AT&T store. Photo: Mike Mozart/Flickr CC
The carrier that’s built up quite an army of discontent from its customers over the years probably didn’t win over anyone with its latest announcement. AT&T is raising its upgrade fees for postpaid customers and tacking on a weird, unnecessary activation fee for new AT&T Next customers.
Say goodbye to SIM cards as Apple and Samsung are working to get rid of them. Photo: Simon Yeo/Flickr CC
It seems Apple and Samsung can agree on something after all: they both don’t have any interest in keeping the traditional SIM card around for much longer. You know that tiny plastic thing that gets inserted into your phone or taken out when you want to switch carriers? Manufacturers and carriers have something better in mind.
Now you can anonymously share photos in your Yik Yak feed. Photo: George Tinari/Cult of Mac
Yik Yak, the popular social networking app around college campuses, now lets users post photos in addition to their regular text posts. Being that the app relies on anonymous submissions, photos could significantly complicate that, so here’s the catch: you can’t post any photos of faces.
Twitter realizes alienating developers probably wasn’t a good idea and is working to rectify that. Photo: Cult of Android
Twitter managed to create a swarm of disgruntled developers over the past few years. It worked tirelessly to break down many of the third-party apps that made the social network successful. Now, as Twitter discovers what it really is as a service, it’s working to repair relationships with developers and elevate the platform. This ought to be a win-win for everyone.
