In this episode of WRLWND Radio, we will look at what’s new in Android’s latest operating system, also, we will take a look at a BIG change to WhatsApp privacy policy that you need to know about. All this and more on today’s show.

Android's Nougat

Android’s new operating system, version 7.0 named Nougat is finally out for Nexus devices, but at this time it is not clear when the rest of the Android operating devices will get their upgrade from 6.0.1 Marshmallow to 7.0 Nougat. I expect this will be determined by a case by case basis by your phone maker and possibly your carrier.

What’s going to delay this roll out is manufacturers have to test the new Android operating system to make sure it works with any custom software they layer on top of the base operating system. Carriers will also run additional tests on phones they sell through their networks to make sure that it works smoothly with its services as well.

As you wait for Nougat to come to your smartphone, I will try to wet your appetite of what to expect with this new operating system with the following new features:

Google Assistant
Split screen
Notification replies
Doze on the Go
Data Saver
Cleaner Recents Menu
And the best: Virtual Reality

So those are the main new features of Nougat and also be sure to keep an eye out for regular updates as work has already started for the first maintenance release of Android 7.0 Nougat over the next six months.

The decline of Pokémon Go

Pokémon Go has made headlines around the world as the number one mobile game, actually it is currently the number one free game in the Google Play store and number two in the Apple App store, but what is a little concerning for the developers is that the number of users has dropped significantly since its launch.

According to BloombergMarkets, data gathered from a few reputable sources, reveals that Pokemon Go's daily active users have declined from about 45 million after its initial release to about 30 million last week. But what Niantic can take comfort in is the fact that this game is still being rolled out in other countries, so that will positively impact the daily users number.

Are you one from the third that has dropped Pokémon Go? Let us know why you are no longer playing Pokémon Go by commenting below.

WhatsApp's BIG privacy change

WhatsApp which is own by Facebook has announced a big change to its privacy policy which is, once users accept its new terms and conditions there data will be shared Facebook.

Why this change, according to a blog from WhatsApp, “[B]y coordinating more with Facebook, they will be able to do things like track how often people use their services and to better fight spam on WhatsApp,”

WhatsApp will also be sharing your data with the “Facebook family of companies” — so it appears that your data will be shared with VR firm Oculus Rift, which is owned by Facebook.

Is there a way to opt out? Yes, sort of, WhatsApp is offering a partial opt out — specifically for Facebook ad targeting and product-related purposes. They provided two ways to opt out of sharing data for Facebook ad targeting on its blog:

Firstly if you haven’t already agreed to the new agreement you can opt out before agreeing by scrolling to the bottom of the document and uncheck the box.

The second way is If you’ve already accepted the new agreement WhatsApp is also offering a thirty-day period to make the same choice through the settings page in the app.

But even opting out as I just mentioned, there is a clause that you need to pay attention to, it states that your data will be used “for other purposes such as improving infrastructure and delivery systems, understanding how our services or theirs are used, securing systems, and fighting spam, abuse, or infringement activities”.

So there is no way to totally opt out, unless of course you stop using WhatsApp.

 

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