Google Pay (formerly, Tez) is one of the most popular payment apps in India right now. Based on UPI (Unified Payments Interface), it allows you to send money, perform mobile, and DTH recharges, pay bills, pay at businesses, and more. Google Pay has now started testing the NFC-based card payments in India. Initially, the tech giant had announced the tokenized card feature in September last year but, the option didn’t appear till a few days ago. Google has also published a few help-articles (one/two) on its support website regarding the NFC-based card payments feature. However, the new feature is currently limited to only a few Google Pay users and is not available to the public
The news was first reported by AndroidPolice, that the NFC-based card payment option is rolled out by Google already. The UPI-based payments app has added the support for credit and debit cards as a new payment option. According to Google, the app currently supports only the Visa cards from Axis Bank and SBI. We expect the app to add support for the debit/credit cards from other banks soon.
How to Add Debit/Credit Card in Google Pay
The new payment option is an alternative to the current UPI-based money transfer system. For this feature to work, you first need to set up your debit/credit card in your Google Pay app. Remember that the service supports only the SBI and Axis Bank cards at the moment. To add the card for payments in your Google Pay app, first launch the app and then tap on your profile picture.
Now, select Settings and then click the Payment methods option. If you are a part of the testing process, you’ll see the option to add a card on the screen. Tap on Add card option and then fill in the required details like card number, expiry date, CVV, card holder’s name, and billing address. Tap save and follow the required tasks on the screen. You’ll then receive an OTP from your bank, approve it.
If you don’t see an option to add a card, it means the feature is not available for you yet. Google may roll out the feature for every user after a few months of testing. The NFC-based card payment feature will also let you scan Bharat QR payment codes.
Have you ever mistakenly deleted text messages and desperately wanted them back? Well, there are a few ways with which you can get your text messages back on your phone. While recovering deleted text messages on an iPhone is easy, recovering them on Android is near to impossible. But here we’ll teach you a few ways to recover deleted messages on Android if you’re lucky enough to get them back.
Usually, deleting an SMS or MMS on your phone doesn’t remove it from the system immediately. The storage system of your phone marks it as an inactive file and makes that space available for the other data to replace. For example, when you delete a message, the storage space which stored it becomes available to store other data. It means, when you delete a text message on your phone and want to recover it, you need to stop using the phone immediately. It may increase the chances of getting your message back.
What to Do When You Delete Message by Mistake
Considering how the storage system manages data in your device, it is nearly impossible to recover your deleted text message. So, the first thing you need to do is, turn your phone to airplane mode immediately. An Android phone doesn’t have a recycle bin that a computer has to store deleted data temporarily. So, you cannot undo the deletion process, nor does your phone offer you the option to recover the deleted message.
How to Recover Deleted Text Messages
As said earlier, there is no guarantee to get your text messages back because the data may already be erased completely. It is also not easy to recover them even if there is the remotest chance.
The first thing you immediately need to do is you can do is to turn on the airplane mode on your Android. Stop every activity that would create new data on your phone, like new photos, recordings, or other files. Make sure you don’t use the camera, voice recorder, add contact, or do something else. Use the following methods to recover deleted text messages:
1.. Ask the Sender or Recipient First
The first thing you could do is to ask the sender or recipient if you delete the message by mistake. If that person still has the text message on his/her phone, you may ask him/her to forward you that SMS. If this is not possible, try the other methods.
2. Use the Message Recovery Mobile App
The method works on the principle of how the storage system of your device manages data. This method still doesn’t guarantee you to bring the messages back, and it may not work for everyone. There are too many data recovery apps in the Google Playstore, but they come with quite many drawbacks. One app that you may want to use is, Dr.Fone Data Recovery app. Most of these apps require you to pay for getting back the texts. Also, the apps require root access to your phone because the folder that contains your deleted text is hidden in a protected system folder by default. It makes the process risky if the recovery app you use isn’t trustworthy. The text recovery apps may not work without rooting your device.
To make this method work properly your device may need to be rooted. Follow the instructions step by step:
i. Firstly, download the FonePaw Android Data Recovery software for Windows and install it. If you’re using Mac, download the software for Mac from here.
ii. Now, turn on USB debugging on your Android device in the device settings. If you already have USB debugging turned on, leave this step. To enable USB Debugging, Go to Settings>About phone. Now tap the “Build number information” multiple times till the message appears saying “developer options enabled.” Go to the main settings page again and tap developer options. Enable the USB debugging option there.
iii. Connect your Android device to your PC using a USB cable and run the software on your PC. If USB debugging is enabled, the FonePaw recovery tool will automatically detect your device.
iv. Now select the “Messages” option on the next screen and click next. Your phone will prompt you to allow root access, tap allow. If you don’t get any such request, click on the retry option or disconnect and reconnect the USB cable again.
Image: FonePaw
v. Now, the software will start scanning your Android phone and find the deleted messages. Click the recover button to retrieve them.
When you click restore, it’ll save the messages in your PC in CSV and HTML formats. You can now read them or send them back to your phone.
It is possible that the tool may recover the deleted messages without having the device rooted, but, we recommend you to root your device to perform a deep scan and recover most of the deleted messages.
Recovering deleted text messages is very challenging and not always guaranteed, so keep taking regular backups for your text messages. So even if you delete the text messages, you can recover them from the backup.
With the coming of new technologies almost every day, nothing seems impossible nowadays. Every smartphone manufacturer keeps bringing up new things. Today, Xiaomi unveiled the third generation of under-display camera technology that the company will use in its 2021 phones. It means that we will now see the Xiaomi phones equipped with under-screen camera technology in 2021. ZTE was probably the first company to launch a phone with an under-screen camera but, Xiaomi seems to be giving a tough competition now.
Image courtesy: Xiaomi/YouTube
Xiaomi shared a video of a ‘special’ version of Mi 10 Ultra equipped with an under-screen camera, showing off its under-display camera technology. It was, however, just a prototype device. According to Xiaomi, the new under-screen camera technology will entirely disguise the selfie camera under the phone’s display. That too, without affecting the edge-to-edge display effect.
How Xiaomi Under Screen Camera Works
Image: Xiaomi
The under-screen camera tech means that the selfie camera will be hidden behind the phone’s display. So how would the camera see you? Well, it works like this: When you activate the front camera, the pixels in front of the camera will shut down. Xiaomi says that the company is using a self-developed pixel arrangement on the screen for this purpose. It allows the display to pass light through the gaps of the sub-pixels. All this happens without compromising the pixel density as every pixel on the screen retains a complete RGB subpixel layout. So, the pixel density before the under-display selfie camera remains the same as on the rest of the display.
Xiaomi says that it will start mass-producing the smartphones with under-screen cameras in 2021. We don’t know the exact date and month in which the company will start its production, but we expect it to begin in the Q1 of 2021 itself. So you may start seeing under-display phones from Xiaomi the very next year — a feat of modern technology.
While we may have to wait for the technology to come to us, you can see the camera in action in this video on YouTube.
Activision, Raven, and Treyarch, the developer of the CoD Black Ops game, have revealed the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Black Ops Cold War is a direct sequel to the original Black Ops gameplay of Call of Duty. Stephanie Glover from Activision revealed the news of its launch on the PlayStation Blog. The CoD game will launch on November 13, 2020, for PlayStation 4. The new game will launch on PS5 in late 2020, says Stephanie.
CoD: Black Ops Cold War will launch on November 13 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The gameplay begins in the early 1980s, where you uncover the conspiracy of Perseus, who wants to destabilize the world.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Gameplay
Image courtesy: PlayStation
The single-player campaign starts in 1981 during the Cold War era, which takes you from place to place, ranging from East Berlin and Moscow to Turkey and Vietnam. You’ll join the same old CIA operatives Jason Hudson, Alex Mason, and Frank Woods in the world of covert operations with weaponry.
The Call of Duty gameplay begins with a threat of nuclear war after decades of conspiracies. It starts from where the first Black Ops left off. The characters engage in combat operations with the same old friends and some new allies.
Expectations for PS5 and Xbox Series X
Image: PlayStation Blog
Currently, there are no specific dates on the arrival of CoD: Black Ops Cold War for the most popular gaming consoles such as PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X systems. They are only hinted to launch later this year, during the holiday season of 2020. So all the passionate gamer may have to wait for sometime after the game first launches for PS4 and Xbox One.
Fun fact is that it will be the first CoD game that would run on both gaming consoles. In new systems like PS5 and Xbox Series X, there is a possibility that the game would get 4K support and faster loading times.
Well, while we may have to wait for the CoD game on PS5 and Xbox Series X systems, until then, we can enjoy Call of Duty on older systems, starting November 13.
The South Korea electronics company Samsung today announced that its 2020 TVs have received “Tried and Tested” rating from RNIB. The company has received the rating for meeting the accessibility criteria for its TV for visually impaired people in UK. Now this is the first time the agency has accredited a product in the TV industry. RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind) is the UK’s largest community of blind and partially sighted people. It awards a “Tried and Tested” accreditation to various products, services, apps, or websites that meet the RNIB criteria for accessibility for visually impaired consumers.
According to Samsung, the company is working with RNIB since 2013, ensuring that its products, including Smart TV contain proper accessibility features and are accessible for every consumer. The electronics manufacturer is working on enhancing accessibility features for visually impaired people since 2014. It has already provided features like ‘Voice Guide’ to read aloud the program information on its TV. The company also received an ‘Inclusive Society Award’ from RNIB in 2016 for recognition of these features.
Accessibility Features in Samsung TV
Image: Korea IT Times
Samsung has come a long way since then and has expanded the features on TVs for deaf and blind people. Here are a few accessibility features that Samsung TVs have for deaf and visually impaired people.
1.. Upgraded Voice Guide: Samsung’s new 2020 TVs come with an upgraded Voice Guide feature. With the upgraded feature, users can listen to key information on programs, adjust the pitch and speed of the Voice Guide, instructions for the remote control, and other accessibility features.
2.. Digital Magnifier: It magnifies and enhances the text and images from a Galaxy smartphone to a large screen TV.
3.. Focus Enlarge Feature: It enlarges specific fonts on the TV, like those related to the menus, volume control, and TV control.
4. Sign Enlargement for Hearing Impaired: This feature automatically recognizes and enlarges the sign language area for consumers who are hearing impaired and helps them to adjust the subtitle positions.
The Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business of Samsung Electronics, Kangwook Chun said, “With a growing variety of content and features, people are now having more fun with their smart TVs.”
Walmart-owned Indian e-commerce platform Flipkart has announced that it will make a 100% transition to electric vehicles by 2030. The company has joined the Climate Group’s EV100 initiative to make electric transport a new normal by 2030. The EV100 initiative brings the companies together to accelerate the transition to EVs (electric vehicles).
Today, Flipkart showed its commitment to support the wider adoption of electric vehicles by making a complete transition to EVs. The company committed to the phased integration of electric vehicles into its entire fleet by 2030. Whether Flipkart directly owns the vehicles or leases from somewhere else, every vehicle shall be electric. Flipkart will install charging infrastructure, place requirements in the company’s service contracts, conduct awareness programs, and more to achieve this. Flipkart is going to play a major role in achieving India’s aim of 30% electric mobility by 2030.
Statements From Key People
Kalyan Krishnamurthy, the CEO of Flipkart had said that their commitment to the initiative ties in with this larger vision of environmental sustainability. He said it allows them to “learn from the most forward-thinking global perspectives as part of the EV100 ecosystem.”
Divya Sharma, the India Executive Director of Climate Group said in a response that the Climate Group is thrilled to see Flipkart being a part of EV100. She said, “Flipkart will play a significant role in fostering innovation in technology and exchanging knowledge.” She also urged more Indian companies to be a part of the initiative and improve air quality for the long-term.
More About the Climate Group
Climate Group is a non-profit organization that works with businesses and policymakers to address climate change. It brings together businesses and governments to accelerate climate action and work for environment friendly solutions. The organization started the EV100 initiative to make the world businesses adapt to electric vehicles and cut off the carbon emissions.
Samsung has announced that the Galaxy S20 series is now receiving a new update since August 21. The Galaxy S20 series will get the popular features of Note20 along with the One UI 2.5 update. The company had recently debuted One UI 2.5 with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 series.
The One UI 2.5 update will bring a lot of features from the Note20 series, an attempt from Samsung to bring the Note20 features to other Galaxy devices. Here’s the list of features that Galaxy S20 will receive with the new software update.
Enhanced Camera With Cinematic Vision
Image Courtesy: BestBuy
You can produce high-fidelity videos with Pro Video mode on the S20 series alone. Now you can give your videos a cinematic look just by shooting the video in 8K with the frame rate of 24fps. With Pro Video mode, you can even control your smartphone’s microphone direction to pick up the specific sounds while shooting the video.
Samsung Notes App Gets New Features
Samsung Notes is getting even more powerful with the new update on Galaxy S20. Now you can do things much faster on your S20 smartphones. You can now save and synchronize your notes with audio recordings using Audio Bookmark. Samsung has added a new feature with which you can import and write on PDF files in the updated Samsung Notes.
Your data will be synchronized automatically across your multiple devices like Galaxy S20, your PC, and tablet.
Use Samsung DeX for Multitasking
There’s a new feature called Samsung DeX with which you can wirelessly connect your Galaxy S20 to a Smart TV and enjoy multitasking at the same time. With this feature, you can also use your Galaxy S20 as a touchpad to control your second display.
Advanced Wi-Fi Connectivity and More
The latest Galaxy S20 update comes with advanced Wi-Fi connectivity with which you can easily share the password of the connected Wi-Fi with other devices. You can also see the connection speed of available Wi-Fi networks. You also get an update for your Reminder app that now lets you preset time and location for your upcoming tasks and meetings.
Most of us have heard of a computer virus or a computer getting infected with malware. But many of us don’t know that even your android device can be infected with malware or viruses. Malware is a harmful computer program/software which causes damage upon entering your phone. Cybercriminals write the code of malware to access your personal data like passwords, credit card credentials, and other sensitive details. They use it for committing fraud and identity theft. Malware includes worms, trojan horses, viruses, spyware, and ransomware. In this how-to guide you will learn how to remove malware and virus from an Android phone.
In Android phones, a virus or malware needs to be installed rather than being automatically executed. So cybercriminals trick the users by pretending to be a legitimate app or some other means and ask you to install it on your device. Once you have installed the malware or a virus, it can leak your data like contacts list, photos, call logs, banking details, or place ads in your browsers, cause redirects, and much more.
What Malware and Viruses Do to an Android Phone
Image: yellowtube.org
A malware is usually used to steal the users’ sensitive information, install adware to force you to download other apps, or view webpages. The information that the criminals steal includes usernames and passwords, contacts list, credit cards, location, call logs, emails, and more. Cybercriminals can get complete access to your device using the malware and can control your device or steal data. Once they access your information, they can use it for their own benefit or even sell on the dark web.
A kind of malware called ransomware locks the victim’s device, and the hackers demand ransom (money) in return to gain access.
How to Know if Android Phone is Affected With Malware
Malware or a virus performs repetitive tasks and use the devices’ RAM and battery heavily. It can help the user to see the signs that his/her phone is infected, as in most cases, the symptoms are visible. These are a few symptoms that you should consider:
a.) Your phone begins to hang, becomes too slow.
b.) Apps take much longer to load.
c.) The battery drains faster, and your device turns hot for no reason.
d.) Too many ads begin to pop-up.
e.) Too much data usage, even when the phone is idle.
f.) Your phone contains unknown apps that you don’t remember installing.
Some viruses or malware still may not show any symptoms. Consider installing an antivirus software to scan for hidden malware. We’ll talk about this later.
How to Remove Malware and Virus From Android Phones
If you find your phone behaving odd or unnecessarily heating up, or if you already know which app is causing problems that you installed recently, turn on the airplane mode immediately and follow the steps to remove malware and virus from your android phone:
Step 1: Power off your phone and reboot it in safe mode. Most android phones come with the safe mode option. Usually, to reboot your device in safe mode, press and hold the power button first. When the animation starts, press and hold the volume down key. Hold it till the animation ends and the phone reboots itself.
Step 2: When the phone restarts, it’ll start in safe mode. You will see “Safe Mode” tag at the bottom or bottom-left of your phone screen. Begin uninstalling the suspicious apps.
Step 3: To uninstall the app, go to the phone’s settings by tapping the gear icon. Find the Apps/Installed Apps option and find the suspicious apps in it.
Step 4: Once you tap the app, you’ll see the option to uninstall the app. First, tap the Force Stop button and then tap Uninstall.
It will prevent further damage to your phone and data. However, it may still not remove the malware completely.
If you think other apps are also infected by malware, uninstall them immediately.
Install an Antivirus Software
Now you have removed the suspicious applications, but malware still may be there. To have a complete check of your device, install an antivirus or malware removal software. You can find many security apps in Google Playstore by searching “antivirus” or “malware removal.”
Here, we will be showing you how to remove malware using the Avast Mobile Security app. It is the most downloaded and reviewed security app on Google Playstore with more than 100 million installs. Follow these steps:
Step 1: Open the Google Playstore application on your android device and search for Avast Mobile Security. Alternatively, click here to install it from Playstore.
Step 2: Once installed, open the app. Click “Scan Now,” grant permissions, and follow the steps.
Step 3: The antivirus will start scanning for malware and other security lapses in your device. Once complete, fix the issues with your device.
You can also monitor your device to warn you when you visit malicious websites. Always think twice before installing any unknown app. Always install apps from the Google Playstore, and keep an AntiVirus app on your phone.
We all tend to forget our passwords when we have registered for too many services online with different passwords. Most of us use password managers to keep away the burden of remembering our highly secure passwords and make it easier to secure them. The password autofill functionality easily fills out the login credentials on other apps and other login forms. Google Password Manager is one of the most popular password managers in the market. Most third-party password apps require you to verify your identity before filling up the login form automatically. However, Google Password Manager didn’t use to verify your identity and released the login details to the third-party apps as long as your phone was unlocked. It was a big security shortcoming.
Image credits: AndroidPolice
Google has recently rolled out a new password autofill feature that would now require biometric authentication. The search giant has done some server-side updates to the Play Services that fix the major security vulnerability. Now users would require to authenticate themselves using a fingerprint sensor or face lock before they can autofill the passwords. To enable it, go to Settings > Google > Autofill > Autofill with Google > Autofill Security > Credentials. The first report of this feature was found on AndroidPolice.
Recent Changes in Google Password Autofill
After you turn on the feature in Autofill Security, whenever you use an app on your android phone that requires you to fill in the login details or addresses, you can simply autofill them by authenticating using your biometrics. Last month also Google had announced to roll out a similar feature on the Chrome browser.
According to Google, “Chrome uses the W3C standard WebAuthn to securely enroll you for biometric authentication. Biometric information never leaves your device.” So, whenever Android users use Google chrome to sign in to web applications or do online payments, they require biometric authentication to confirm their login or credit card details. Google says that it is optional for the users to turn on/off this feature.
Sony Interactive Entertainment has brought its first global digital ad spot for the PS5 console generation. It showcases the key, immersive features for the PS5 console and talks in detail about the immersive gameplay features. These features will launch this holiday season, probably in November this year. The players will see them come to life through the eyes of a young woman and her movements.
Image: PlayStation Blog
The game begins at a frozen lake where a young woman starts to walk across the Lake, feeling the ice cracks at her feet. As the character senses danger, a sudden explosive reveal of Kraken from the icy surface showcases the haptic feedback sensation. You can feel it through the DualSense™ wireless controller for the PS5 console.
New Immersive Features For PS5
Using the technology to the fullest, the company has successfully managed to make your gaming experience feel real. Thanks to the DualSense™ wireless controller’s adaptive triggers and the Tempest 3D AudioTech of the PS5 console. As the gameplay progresses, when the character reacts to the things around, sounds start to come from all directions. The sounds can be really heard from all the directions — the front, the above, the sides, or from the behind through the 3D AudioTech of the PS5 console. Apart from sounds, you can even feel the sensations of the woman tensioning her bowstring through DualSense controller’s adaptive triggers. Watch the official trailer from PlayStation on YouTube.
Image: PlayStation Blog
According to Mary Je, the Vice President of Global Marketing at Sony Interactive Entertainment, the company is quite excited about the new features and to bring them to the players using PS5 console. She said, “We are quite excited about these features and we can’t wait for you all to get more immersed in the world of games with the PS5 console and DualSense wireless controller in your own hands.”
All the partners of Sony Interactive Entertainment in the development community continuously work to create the next generation of games. These interactive features are also a result of the hard work of the development team.
To read more on the features and the tech involved, visit the PlayStation Blog and read directly from the creators.
