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Apple's New MacBook Disconnects Microphone "Physically" When Lid is Closed

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 October 31, 2018  Mohit Kumar Apple introduces a new privacy feature for all new MacBooks that "at some extent" will prevent hackers and malicious applications from eavesdropping on your conversations. Apple's custom T2 security chip in the latest MacBooks includes a new hardware feature that physically disconnects the MacBook's built-in microphone whenever the user closes the lid, the company revealed yesterday at its event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York. Though the new T2 chip is already present in the 2018 MacBook Pro models launched earlier this year, this new feature got unveiled when Apple launched the new Retina MacBook Air and published a full security guide for T2 Chip yesterday. "This disconnect is implemented in hardware alone, and therefore prevents any software, even with root or kernel privileges in macOS, and even the software on the T2 chip, from engaging the microphone when the lid is closed,...

Android apps must have 64-bit support by August 2019

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Android apps must have 64-bit support by August 2019


Android has supported 64-bit apps ever since Lollipop arrived in 2015, but they haven't been necessary. Now, however, Google is laying down the law... or rather, it will. As of August 2019, Android apps will have to support 64-bit code. They won't have to ditch 32-bit compatibility, but they can't cling exclusively to the past, either. There will eventually be Android devices that will only support 64-bit code, Google noted, so it's important that developers make the leap.
There are requirements coming sooner than that. In August 2018, new apps will have to target Android Oreo's programming interface. They won't require Oreo, but they won't get away with skimping on newer features, either. Updated apps will have to make the advancement in November. Google will also step the requirement forward with each new year, preventing devs from getting too comfortable.
A security upgrade is coming in early 2018, although coders won't have to worry about those. Google is sprinkling a "small amount" of security metadata on early 2018 to prove that apps were distributed through the Play Store. Think of it as a "badge of authenticity," Google said.
Google isn't exactly on the cutting edge of mobile 64-bit support. Apple started requiring 64-bit code for iOS apps in February 2015, and iOS 11dropped 32-bit apps in September. However, this is bound to have a significant impact on the smartphone world. Now that Android app developers have no choice but to step up their game, you should see the overall feature support improve. The 64-bit requirement won't magically lead to faster or more powerful apps, but it could encourage developers to fine-tune their apps if they've been overly cozy with 32-bit software.
Source: Android Developers Blog
In this article: 64-bit, android, android8.0, androidoreo, app, developer, gear, google,googleplay, mobile, oreo, smartphone
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