UC Browser Has Returned To Google Playstore

About a week ago, Alibaba group's popular browser UC browser was taken off the google playstore however, it has returned to the popular App store.
Reason for its removal being that UC Browser was allegedly using unhealthy and misleading practices to promote its app.

According to the group, this has been rectified in the latest build which was uploaded to Google Play. The company in a statement said the new version is available for users with updated technical settings strictly in line with Google Play's policy.

UC browser currently has over 500,000 installs on play store and it is without a doubt one of the fastest browser when it comes to downloading stuffs online.

After all the craziness, UC browser is back online and you can get it from the google play store now.

I'll try to install the app, see if I can spot any differences.

Google Stops Tracking Android Users' Location

I recently made a post reporting that Android phones sends its user's location to Google without permission.
Google has come forward to state that it will no longer track user's locations, a practice which impacts users' privacy.

Google said it chose to end the practice right after the report was brought to its attention.

In a statement emailed to USA TODAY, Google offered an explanation regarding the practice: "To ensure messages and notifications are received quickly, modern Android phones use a network sync system that requires the use of Mobile Country Codes (MCC) and Mobile Network Codes (MNC). In January of this year, we began looking into using Cell ID codes as an additional signal to further improve the speed and performance of message delivery."
Android phones regularly ping Google's servers using a system known as Firebase Cloud Messaging.

Google said that the location data were never stored in its network sync system, "so that data was immediately discarded."

Nevertheless, Google states that it is no longer requesting such Cell ID codes.

Google however reach out to advertisers who want to target customers based on their locations, through the company's online AdWords advertising program. Google can determine location through data collected via GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or in some instances a cell tower.

I think this is a good step, no one likes to be tracked without prior notice or permission.

9Mobile Is Up For Sale - Who Do You Think Would Buy It?

9mobile is currently up for sale after the initial saga that led them into changing names from Etisalat to 9mobile. The scramble to acquire 9mobile, Nigeria’s fourth largest network operator, has advanced to the next stage.

10 bidders are left out of the 16 who expressed interest in the purchase. And the highest bidder will acquire 9mobile.

Here is a List of The 10 bidders of 9mobile

1. Globacom Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s second largest network operator
2. Airtel Nigeria
3. Dangote Group’s telecoms business unit
4. Alheri Engineering Limited
5. Smile Telecoms Holdings
6. Centricus Capital and Africell
7. Abraaj Capital (Based in Dubai)
8. Teleology Holdings Limited
9. The Carlyle Group
10. Africa Capital Alliance (ACA)

The 10 firms above have been pre-qualified to submit their financial bids for the acquisition of 9mobile, this will be the final process through which a winner with the highest bid submitted for 9mobile, will emerge.

9mobile, formerly Etisalat Nigeria, was put on the block early this year after it defaulted on a $1.2 billion loan from a consortium of 13 Nigerian banks. Etisalat Group the mother company in Abu Dhabi backed out leaving its Nigeria arm of business to its own fate, to survive on a new name.

The question is, who do you think should acquire 9mobile among the 10 bidders?

Android Phones Has Secretly Been Sending Your Location To Google

Android phones gather your location data and send it to Google, regardless of if you have location services turn on or not, even if you don’t have a SIM card.

Since January, all kinds of Android phones and tablets have been collecting the addresses of nearby cellular towers and sending the encrypted data to Google when connected to the internet.

According to Google, An update that removes this cell tower data-collecting feature will roll out by the end of this month.
Google’s terms of service, at the time of publish, still states;

“When you use Google services, we may collect and process information about your actual location” using “various technologies... including IP address, GPS, and other sensors that may, for example, provide Google with information on nearby devices, Wi-Fi access points and cell tower.” 

There is no way to prevent your location data from being sent to Google even if you turn off location/GPS services or even factory reset the phone.

Personally, I frown at such acts because I don't really like my location getting out. Not because I'm doing anything illegal or nothing I just like my privacy

I really hope Google does something to stop this.

Upcoming WhatsApp Updates Will Give Specialized Powers To Group Admins

Whatsapp has seen countless updates since coming under the management of Facebook, One of the coolest being the recently added recall/delete message feature that allows you to delete already sent messages.

Now, what we are expecting to see an update which gives group admins specialized powers, though no specific time has been stated for the release of this update.

Admin Super Powers: The update will prevent the group creator from being deleted from the group by other administrators. This will help the group creator to have the total control of the group.

Subject Modification: The administrators will be able to choose if other participants can change the subject of the group,group icon and its description, as shown below in this Android screenshot:

Chat Restriction in Groups: Administrators will be able to disable the chat features in the group: that means all participants won’t be able to send text messages, images, videos, GIFs, documents or voice messages to the group. They won't be able to do anything in the group, and a notification will appear in the chat sayong “only admin can send messages to this group”

Only admins will be able to interact within the group while other participants can only read messages but won’t be able to reply. This is necessary if admin want to pass an info or a training is going on in the group.

However, all this features have already been seen on Telegram.
I think Whatsapp needs to increase its maximum group limit too, 256 is quite inadequate.

Airtel Introduces 4.5GB For 1000, 9.5GB For 2000 plus Free YouTube Streaming

Airtel has introduced a new data package for YouTube lovers; just like 9mobile's free YouTube offer when you buy a package.

According to Airtel,
Recharge N1000 and get 4.5GB data (1.5GB android data + 3GB YouTube streaming)
Recharge N2000 and get 9.5GB data (3.5GB android data + 6GB YouTube streaming)
Recharge N2500 and get 15GB data (5GB android data + 10GB YouTube streaming)
Recharge N3500 and get 17GB data (7GB android data + 10GB YouTube streaming)
Recharge N4000 and get 19GB data (9GB android data + 10GB YouTube streaming)

Each of the data will last you for 30 days but the YouTube free data is only usable at night.

How Can I Get it?
Dial *323# and follow the prompt.

Also with Anonytun, the YouTube data can be forced to work with your browser, download and rock the hell out of it.

What do you think?