Version
19 of the Agama installer for openSUSE and SUSE has been
released. This release includes major changes in Agama’s architectural
design, organization of the web interface, and more.
We always wanted Agama to follow the schema […] in which the core of
the installer could be controlled through a consistent and simple
programming interface (an API, in developers jargon). In that schema,
the web-based user interface, the command-line tools and the
unattended installation are built on top of that generic API.But previous versions of Agama were full of quirks that didn’t
allow us to define an API that would match our quality standards as a
solid foundation to build a simple but comprehensive installer. Agama
19 represents a quite significant architectural overhaul, needed to
leave all those quirks behind and to define mechanisms that can be the
cornerstone for any future development.
LWN last looked at
Agama in September 2025.
A French officer recently leaked the location of an aircraft carrier because of a run on the sports app Strava. This is not the first time this has happened, as the app tracks location data.
It was used to access the location of US military bases back in 2018 and members of the Secret Service accidentally shared their whereabouts while protecting then-US President Joe Biden. The same has happened to President Trump and other world leaders.
��� NEW: The location of the French aircraft carrier, FS Charles de Gaulle, has been given away by a sailor using Strava whilst jogging on the ship deck
[@lemondefr] pic.twitter.com/FuoKMAs06w
— Politics Global (@PolitlcsGlobal) March 19, 2026
In other words, the use of Strava to track runs is becoming a global security risk, but it doesn’t have to be. If you happen to find yourself in an undisclosed location as part of a military entourage, here are a couple of ways to keep things private.
Don’t want to give up those Strava runs? Just change the settings. On the web, click on “Do Not Share My Personal Information” on the feed page and then look for “Opt Out.”
This is also fairly easy for smartphone users. Just head to “Privacy Controls” for the app and follow the prompts on both iOS and Android. Both versions include an option to disable the sharing of personal information, including location data.
Most sports apps track location data, but they don’t all share Strava’s spotty history. There are plenty of apps out there to choose from, and some are quite good. No matter which one you download, be sure to take steps to change the privacy settings.
Believe it or not, people still jogged before smartphones. Just lace up a pair of shoes and get out there. For extra protection, leave your phone and smartwatch at home.
Are you stuck on an aircraft carrier somewhere in the middle of the ocean? It could be tough to get your steps in, so consider bothering the top brass for a treadmill.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/heres-how-not-to-leak-military-information-with-your-strava-run-183635879.html?src=rss
If EVs survive the ongoing political fiasco, here’s how we could get the most bang for our buck.
Another massive data breach has compromised millions of Americans’ healthcare data and sensitive information. Navia Benefit Solutions, a benefits administrator for more than 10,000 U.S. employers, has disclosed a hack that affects nearly 2.7 million individuals, according to a March 18 filing with the Maine Attorney General.
Navia’s services include software and customer support for the administration of everything from Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) to commuter and education benefits.
On Jan. 23, Navia identified “suspicious activity” on its systems, leading to the discovery that hackers had access to some of the organization’s data between Dec. 22, 2025, and Jan. 15, 2026. During this time, threat actors were able to exfiltrate a significant amount of personally identifiable information (PII), which may include the following:
Full name
Date of birth
Social Security Number (SSN)
Phone number
Email address
Health plan information
The compromised health plan data may include Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) participation, Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) enrollment information, and information about users’ FSAs
Navia has said that no claims or financial data were included in the breach, though the information stolen is commonly used for social engineering attacks and identity theft.
Navia began notifying affected individuals on March 18, so keep an eye out for a letter from Navia Benefit Solutions. If your data was included in the breach, you are eligible for one year of identity monitoring services through Kroll. Your letter will include information about how to enroll, including the deadline to sign up for services and your unique activation code. You’ll need to activate your account online at enroll.krollmonitoring.com/redeem.
As always, a major data breach is a good reminder to lock down your identity. Freeze your credit (this should be your default unless you are actively applying for a new credit line) and set up a one-year fraud alert, which adds extra friction if someone tries to apply for credit in your name. Check your credit report and financial accounts regularly for suspicious activity, and report fraud immediately to your financial institution. You can also file an identity theft report with the Federal Trade Commission and your local police department.
Members of the Manjaro Linux distribution’s community have published
a “Manjaro 2.0 Manifesto”
that contains a list of complaints and a demand to restructure the project to provide
a clear separation between the community and Manjaro as a company. The manifesto
asserts that the project’s leadership is not acting in the best interests of the
community, which has caused developers to leave and innovation to stagnate. It
also demands a handover of the Manjaro trademark and other assets to a
to-be-formed nonprofit association. The responses on the Manjaro forum showed widespread support
for the manifesto; Philip Müller, project lead and CEO of the Manjaro
company, largely stayed out of the discussion. However, he surfaced
on March 19 to say he was “open to serious discussions
“, but only
after a nonprofit had actually been set up.
As part of Women’s History Month, we’re featuring four different women’s clubs with a strong presence on Zwift. Looking to join a women’s club? See our Women’s Clubs on Zwift post!
When was your club founded?
2021
How did your club come to exist?
During the COVID‑19 pandemic, Moolman‑Pasio saw how virtual cycling could connect people globally when outdoor racing and travel were impossible. She noticed women were more open, confident and comfortable engaging online, “My avatar has no shame” was one observation she made about how Zwift removed barriers to participation. She wanted to expand that sense of confidence, empowerment and community beyond the professional peloton to everyday cyclists around the world.
Have any/all your club members ever met up IRL? If so, please tell us about it!
YES. Over the last four years, we have run an annual IRL Camp at the home of the Collective, Rocacorba Cycling in Girona (Ash’s home). Across these years, the purpose has been consistent: turning the online camaraderie of Zwift into real‑world friendships, shared cycling experiences, and deeper engagement through coaching, insightful talks and community spirit. It’s now starting to feel more like a family reunion than a cycling camp!
In addition to these Girona camps, Rhian and Helen, based in London, where many of our members are located, have hosted some adhoc laps in Richmond Park and weekend rides in the Surrey Hills, giving members in the UK a chance to connect offline, experience group rides, and strengthen the Collective community closer to home.
Do most/many/any of your members also ride outdoors?
Not all of our members ride outdoors, but a lot do. Many of those on our Training Tier work with our in‑house coach, Helen Bridgman, and nutritionist Jenny Powell to train towards outdoor goals. I’d estimate it’s about 70/30. Some members focus primarily on eSports and Zwift racing to maximize their virtual performance, while the majority enjoy a mix of indoor and outdoor riding, blending structured training on Zwift with real‑world cycling adventures.
What do you see as the biggest hurdle for women to start cycling?
One of the biggest hurdles for women to start cycling is often confidence and a sense of belonging. Last year, during our Women’s Day ride, we asked a few of our riders this same question, and they shared some common concerns: fear of not belonging, unsafe roads, angry drivers, and worries about mechanical issues. That’s why Rocacorba Collective emphasizes creating a welcoming, inclusive environment, both online and in real life, where women of all levels can ride, learn, and grow without pressure, feeling empowered to pursue their cycling goals.
Is the answer the same for women starting cycling on Zwift?
Not entirely, some hurdles shift in the virtual world. On Zwift, real-world challenges like unsafe roads, angry drivers, or mechanical issues disappear. As Ashleigh has said, “My avatar has no shame” – you can dress it up how you like, you can be whatever you want to be, and always jump out of a ride if you want. Zwift allows women to explore cycling in a safe, judgment-free space.
However, confidence and belonging remain the biggest challenges. Many women aren’t sure how to get started, how the platform works, how to join a ride or race, or feel they’re “not strong enough to race.” That’s why the Rocacorba Collective provides a friendly, inclusive space on Zwift, with women-only beginner rides, live coached sessions on Discord, social rides, and inclusive racing teams led by a DS and Team Captain. These opportunities help women learn the platform, build confidence, meet like-minded riders, and enjoy cycling virtually, whether they’re completely new to the sport or combining virtual riding with outdoor cycling.
Do you have thoughts/ideas/dreams for how we (we as a collective humanity, not necessarily Zwift – but it can include Zwift if you want) get more women riding?
Getting more women riding, both outdoors and virtually, is about removing barriers, building confidence, and creating community. It’s not just about bikes; it’s about culture, access, and visibility.
Some ideas and dreams include:
What is a fun fact you’d like to share about your club?
Rocacorba Collective isn’t just about Zwift rides, it also fundraises and supports real‑world initiatives. A portion of membership goes toward projects such as e‑cycling and learning centres in underprivileged communities in South Africa, particularly through partnerships with organisations like Khaltsha Cycles, helping young girls gain access to bikes, training, and education.
The Collective also supports One More City, an annual cycling campaign that raises funds and awareness for secondary breast cancer research. Each autumn, One More City riders travel between cities worldwide and host Zwift rides in October, sharing the Collective’s ethos of using cycling to bring people together and create meaningful impact.
If you had a magic wand to change one thing about the Zwift product OR the Zwift community, what would you wish for?
Seamless voice chat would make social rides feel less intimidating and far more human. Many riders can’t easily run Discord alongside Zwift, so having voice integrated directly into the game would be truly game-changing. Instead of riding silently beside avatars, women could hear encouragement in real time, ask questions naturally without typing into a public text feed, and build genuine connections as they pedal. That shared conversation, the laughter, reassurance, and collective effort can be the difference between feeling like an outsider and feeling like you truly belong.
Likewise, making it easier for community leaders to add written prompts and guidance into workouts would help demystify the platform. Clear cues, motivational messages, and step-by-step explanations built into sessions would reduce the “I don’t know how this works” barrier and help women feel supported rather than overwhelmed. It would turn structured training into something more personal and confidence-building, rather than something that feels technical or intimidating.
Ultimately, these changes wouldn’t just enhance features, they would nurture the very things women tell us they need most: connection, clarity, encouragement, and community. And that’s what truly helps people start and stay in cycling.
More about our Monday Women’s Only Workout Ride
We’re proud to share one of our highlighted women-only rides, a Zwift workout that has become a cornerstone of our community. We host this 45-minute session every Monday at 5pm UK time, with a consistent structure each week featuring 5 x 20-second micro-sprint efforts, while the route varies, often doubling as a recon for Tuesday night ZRL races.
What makes this ride so special is its accessibility and versatility. On paper, it’s a simple, approachable workout for newcomers, but it can be tailored to every rider’s needs. The ride is banded, so no one gets dropped, and the 20-second efforts can be adapted: go all-out for a high-intensity hit OR use them as high-cadence spin-ups for a more recovery ride or pre-race activation. It truly works for everyone, from complete beginners to seasoned Zwifters. The result is a wonderfully diverse group of women joining. The ride is led by one of our Rocacorba Collective ambassador ride leaders, who talks riders through the session and answers questions along the way, often sharing more about Erg Mode or other features in the app. We’ve seen women join who were completely new to Zwift, were positively influenced by the other riders on the ride, and who go on to become regular racers and influential members of our community.
This ride is more than just a workout; it’s a confidence-building gateway into Zwift, community, and belonging. It’s a ride we’re proud of, and one not to be missed.
See upcoming events at zwift.com/events/tag/rocacorba
Longtime Slashdot reader AmiMoJo shares a report from CNN: The co-founder of Super Micro Computer and two others were charged with diverting $2.5 billion worth of servers with Nvidia’s artificial intelligence chips to China, in violation of U.S. laws barring exports to that country without a license. Yih-Shyan Liaw, known as Wally; Ruei-Tsang Chang, known as Steven; and Ting-Wei Sun, known as Willy, were charged with conspiring to violate export control laws, smuggling goods from the U.S. and conspiring to defraud the U.S.
Liaw, who co-founded Super Micro Computer and served on its board of directors, was arrested Thursday in California and released on bail. Sun, a contractor, is held awaiting a detention hearing. Chang, who worked in the Taiwan office of Super Micro, remains at large. […] According to the indictment, the men used a pass-through company based in Southeast Asia to place orders to obscure that the servers would end up in China. The men worked with executives at the pass-through company to provide false documents to the server manufacturer to further the deception, the indictment said. They used a shipping and logistic company to repackage the servers into unmarked boxes to conceal their contents before they were shipped to China.
To deceive the manufacturer’s auditors, who checked the pass-through company for compliance with export laws, the men allegedly used “dummy” nonworking copies of the servers when the actual servers were on their way to China. Two of the defendants allegedly worked to stage the dummy servers at a warehouse rented by the pass-through company, according to the indictment. Sun took photos and videos of the staged servers to one of the compliance auditors who instead of conducting the audit was “off-site enjoying entertainment paid for” by the pass-through company, according to the indictment. In another instance, prosecutors said surveillance cameras documented individuals using hair dryers to remove labels and add labels and serial number stickers to the boxes and dummy servers. Super Micro said it’s fully cooperating with the investigation, but that hasn’t prevented its stock from plunging. It’s down nearly 30% following the news.
The company issued the following statement: “The conduct by these individuals alleged in the indictment is a contravention of the Company’s policies and compliance controls, including efforts to circumvent applicable export control laws and regulations. Supermicro maintains a robust compliance program and is committed to full adherence to all applicable U.S. export and re-export control laws and regulations.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Google just announced some notable upgrades to the Google Play gaming experience on Windows PCs, with improvements that cover game discovery and purchases, and the news that a broader number of paid titles are now becoming available for the desktop.
While an official Windows client for Google Play apps and games has been available for several years, these latest updates mean the experience is more polished than ever before.
There are four main changes for gamers wanting to play Android games on Windows.
First, Google is “actively expanding” the number of paid, premium games that are fully optimized for PCs. Android games don’t get this optimization by default, and need to be specifically tweaked to support PC gaming (keyboard controls and all), so more titles that meet this criteria will be very welcome.
Second, there’s a new PC section in the Play Store Games tab on mobile devices, so you can actually see which titles are going to be cross-platform compatible before you install them.
Third, you only need to buy a game once to use it on both mobile and desktop (something that wasn’t always the case in the past).
The last upgrade is Game Trials. On selected titles, you’ll be able to dive in and start playing for free—once you reach a certain limit in terms of time or progress, you’ll then be asked if you want to buy the game (and your progress will be carried over, if you do decide to make the purchase).
It’s not clear from the announcements how long this will all take to roll out, but Google says games such as Moonlight Peaks, Sledding Game, and Low-Budget Repairs will be available on PC in the “coming months.” None of those games are live in the Play Store app on Android yet.
There’s a lot to like about running Android games on the desktop—not least a much bigger screen, and keyboard and mouse input options—so if you’re keen to dive in, here’s how you can give it a try.
Get started by visiting the Google Play Games web portal on your Windows PC. Follow the download prompts, and you get taken through the process of installing the software and entering your Google account details (for syncing purposes). Assuming you have actually played a game on your Android device at some point, your profile and stats are carried over to the desktop.
At the end of the installation process, you’ll be shown a list of games you’ve already played that are available on Windows. You can also find this list later by clicking From your library on the home page of the Google Play Games app. The majority of the titles I’ve played on Android seem to be present and correct.
The playing experience is, on the whole, intuitive and straightforward. Most of the games I tried I had no problems with, although sometimes the desktop controls can take some working out: Click the keyboard icon to the left of the game window to remap these (you might also find some control settings within the games themselves).
You can also click the visual settings button (the sliders icon) to change how the game is displayed on screen, and there’s a volume control button on the left too. Games tend to stick to their default orientation from mobile, whether that’s landscape or portrait, but you can adjust the size of the gaming window.
The games I tried from my own library were rather hit and miss when it came to syncing up—some carried my progress over from my phone and some didn’t, so it seems likely that the onus is largely on developers to implement this right now (and it’s something Google clearly wants to improve).
From the home page, click the magnifying glass icon to explore games from the desktop: You can filter out titles that haven’t been optimized for PC, and from what I can see, there’s already plenty to choose from. I didn’t find any Game Trials available at the time of writing, so it seems those are still in the pipeline.
Android games on PC can be a lot of fun—especially those that work properly with keyboards or gamepads—and I can see this being something a lot of gamers should set up, especially given the latest improvements. And when you’re not sitting at your Windows PC, you can carry on gaming as normal on your phone or tablet.
In this article, you learn how to use the stat command to check the properties of a referenced file, including file system related information.
A member of an influential federal vaccine advisory panel made a dramatic claim Thursday afternoon that the panel had been disbanded following a temporary block by a federal judge and would be entirely reconstituted—again. But, just hours later, he retracted the claim, saying that it was merely a possibility.
The claim immediately caused a stir online. Public health experts began to cheer the news, given that most of the current members hold anti-vaccine views and have little to no qualifications for being on the panel—which is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Current members were hand-selected by anti-vaccine health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who had summarily fired all 17 experts previously on ACIP. Kennedy’s new ACIP members have since held several chaotic meetings in which they voted to roll-back CDC’s evidence-based vaccine guidance.
On Monday, Federal Judge Brian Murphy issued a temporary injunction blocking Kennedy’s ACIP members and their votes after finding that they were improperly appointed and vaccine recommendations were changed without procedural requirements. The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit brought by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other medical groups, who challenged Kennedy’s anti-vaccine efforts.
Nintendo is reportedly preparing a new version of the Switch 2 with a user-replaceable battery, according to Nikkei. This is to comply with a 2023 EU “right-to-repair” policy on portable electronics that mandates easy battery replacement.
The regulation also covers the Joy-Con 2 controllers, so they are reportedly being redesigned to allow users to replace each lithium-ion battery. We don’t know when this new Switch 2 will hit store shelves, but the policy gives companies until 2027 to make the required changes.
This is great news for Europe, but the rest of the world isn’t quite so lucky. There are no reported plans by Nintendo to bring this console refresh to other regions, but IGN notes that this could change if countries adopt similar policies to the EU. Tossing a perfectly good handheld console in the trash because the battery craps out isn’t exactly fun, so here’s hoping they do.
This EU legislation has forced other companies to make changes to their products. Apple has modified the design of newer iPhones to make it easier for consumers to swap out the battery. It’s long been rumored that Sony will update its DualSense PS5 controllers for the same reason.
The EU regulates that by 2027, all smartphones must be equipped with replaceable batteries. The new iPhone’s adoption of a stainless steel battery case not only reduces the difficulty of removing the battery to meet EU regulations but also allows Apple to increase the battery… https://t.co/jLhEbw04po
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) June 30, 2024
It has also been suggested that the original Switch may stop being sold in the EU by the end of 2027. It’s either that or redesign the now-ancient device. Nintendo hasn’t issued an official response to any of this just yet. Engadget has reached out to the company and will update this post when we hear back.
This has been a big week for the company’s flagship console. It just received a software update that lets many older games run in 1080p while in handheld mode. There’s also a little game called Pokémon Pokopia currently taking over the world.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-is-reportedly-making-a-switch-2-with-a-user-replaceable-battery-for-the-eu-172318540.html?src=rss
When NASA’s Perseverance rover landed in Jezero Crater in 2021, its primary mission was to scour the remnants of a dried-up Martian lakebed for signs of ancient life. Scientists have been focused on the crater’s spectacular Western Delta, a fan-shaped geologic feature deposited by a river flowing into the basin billions of years ago. But now Perseverance’s ground-penetrating radar (called RIMFAX) detected what is likely another, even older river delta buried tens of meters beneath it.
“I think it’s a promising place to look for signs of biosignatures at depth,” says Emily L. Cardarelli. “Microbial life could have potentially developed in those types of environments.” Cardarelli, an astrobiologist at the University of California Los Angeles, led the team interpreting RIMFAX imagery.
Perseverance’s RIMFAX, the Radar Imager for Mars Subsurface Experiment, continuously fires radar waves into the ground, acquiring soundings each time the rover traveled 10 centimeters. When these radio waves hit boundaries between different types of rock, ice, or sediment layers, some of the signal bounces back. The timing and intensity of these reflections allow scientists to construct a two-dimensional, vertical slice of the subsurface, much like a sonogram of the Martian crust.
For more than 60 years, nearly every large rocket used some combination of the same liquid and solid propellants. Refined kerosene was favored for its easy handling and non-toxicity, hydrazine for its storability and simplicity, hydrogen for its efficiency, and solid fuels for their long shelf life and rapid launch capability.
About 15 years ago, rocket companies started serious development of large methane-fueled engines. SpaceX and Blue Origin now build the most powerful of these new engines—the Raptor and BE-4—each capable of generating more than half a million pounds of thrust. SpaceX’s Starship rocket and its enormous booster are powered by 39 Raptors, while Blue Origin’s New Glenn and United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rockets use a smaller number of BE-4s on their booster stages.
Burning methane in combination with liquid oxygen, these “methalox” engines have several advantages. Methane is better suited for reusable engines because they leave less behind sooty residue than kerosene, which SpaceX uses on the Falcon 9 rocket. Methane is easier to handle than liquid hydrogen, which is prone to leaks and must be stored at staggeringly cold temperatures of around minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 253 degrees Celsius). Methane is also a cryogenic liquid, but it has a warmer temperature closer to that of liquid oxygen, between minus 260 and minus 297 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 162 to minus 183 degrees Celsius).
Netflix’s live-action Assassin’s Creed show has entered production and will officially be set in Rome in the year 64AD, confirming previous reports.
The upcoming adaptation, then, will return to the setting of 2010’s Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, although the latter’s story took place more than 1,000 years after the events we’ll see in Netflix’s show. Ubisoft confirmed in a press release that the Netflix series will tell an original story centered on a war between the Templar Order and the Assassin Brotherhood, who each have very different ideas on how the future of mankind should look.
The full ensemble cast has also now been announced. Sandra Guldberg-Kampp (Foundation), Youssef Kerkour (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms), Mirren Mack (28 Years Later: The Bone Temple), and Louis McCartney (Broadway production Stranger Things: The First Shadow) have all been cast as recurring characters. Netflix previously announced Lola Pettigrew (Trespasses) and Toby Wallace (Babyteeth) as possible leads, along with a number of other series regulars.
Roberto Patino (Westworld, Sons of Anarchy) and David Wiener (Halo, The Killing) are serving as creators, showrunners and executive producers on the show, which is primarily filming at Rome’s iconic Cinecittà Studios. No release date has been announced.
Assassin’s Creed won’t represent the first time that Netflix has adapted a Ubisoft property. 2023’s Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix was based on a Far Cry 3 expansion, and last year Sam Fisher made his TV debut in the broadly well received Splinter Cell: Deathwatch.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflixs-assassins-creed-is-officially-set-in-ancient-rome-171533234.html?src=rss
Longtime Slashdot reader SchroedingersCat writes: Chuck Norris, known for his roles in action films and as Texas Ranger Cordell Walker on the TV show “Walker, Texas Ranger,” passed away on March 19, leaving behind a legacy of inspiring millions around the world. He was 86.
He became Internet phenomenon after “Chuck Norris Facts” went viral online with such wildly hyperbolic statements as, “Chuck Norris had a staring contest with the sun — and won,” and, “When Chuck Norris does push-ups, he doesn’t push himself up, he pushes the Earth down.”
His death was announced by his family through his official Instagram account, but no further details were immediately available. He was hospitalized earlier that day in Hawaii after experiencing a medical emergency, the family said.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
While Google has plans to severely restrict Android users’ ability to download apps from sources other than the Google Play Store, the company is introducing a new process that will allow sideloading after a mandatory 24-hour waiting period. This new “advanced flow” setting is meant to prevent users from installing malware distributed by bad actors through unverified sources, while still allowing them to sideload from legitimate developers.
Last year, Google announced that sideloading on Android would eventually be limited to verified third-party app stores and developers. This change has a clear goal: cracking down on malicious apps impersonating real ones found on the Google Play Store. These restrictions—which go into effect for Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand later this year, and apply globally in 2027—will eventually require developers to register specific details with Google in order to distribute their apps, as well as pay a fee. (Students and hobbyists will be still able to share apps with up to 20 devices without registering or requiring users to go through the new workaround.)
This move was met with significant criticism from both developers and users, with concerns ranging from privacy infringement (developers now need to share details they didn’t previously have to) to increased difficulty accessing modified or downgraded versions of apps. As such, Google is rolling out a compromise it feels will protect most users from malware, while allowing power users to sideload when they wish to.
The new advanced flow setting will add multiple points of friction to unverified app installation, cutting into the sense of urgency scammers frequently use to distribute malware. Users will go through a one-time process to disable security protections—meaning you won’t need to repeat it every time you want to sideload—but you’ll still see a warning when you attempt to install an app from an unverified developer.
If you’re interested in this workaround, you will first need to enable developer mode in your device’s Settings app and confirm you are not being coerced into disabling security protections on your device (a common scam tactic). Next, you’ll need to restart your phone, which shuts down calls and remote access tools scammers may use to communicate with you or control your device. From here, you’ll have to wait 24 hours before you can return and authenticate the settings change using biometrics or your device PIN. Finally, you’ll confirm you understand the risks, which then allows you to install apps from unverified developers for seven days, or indefinitely.
This workaround will be available starting in August—before developer registration requirements kick in.
Amazon is developing a new smartphone over a decade after discontinuing the Fire Phone, Reuters reported today, citing four anonymous “people familiar with the matter.”
Reuters said the phone is codenamed Transformer but couldn’t confirm what it might cost, how much Amazon has invested into development thus far, or how much Amazon expects to make off the device. Like any product reportedly under development, it’s possible that Amazon will never release the phone. Reuters’ sources noted that Transformer could be cancelled over finances or a change in strategy.
When reached for comment by Ars Technica, an Amazon spokesperson declined to comment on Reuters’ report.