Google to End Android Instant Apps by December 2025 Due to Low Usage
Google is set to discontinue Android Instant Apps by the end of 2025. They were first introduced in 2016 and made available to users in early 2017. Android Instant Apps let users try out parts of an app without fully installing it.
The service worked by running a lightweight version of an app when a user tapped a link. The Play Store checked if an instant app was available and then launched it temporarily.
The thing is, Android Instant Apps struggled to gain traction among developers, and I am assuming even among the users. I personally can't remember using one, ever. To take part, developers had to create a special instant-enabled version of their app that was under 15MB, which proved difficult for apps with large files or complex features, as reported by Android Authority. And now, with much faster internet and higher storage, the already not-so-famous format is of no use.
Confirmation of the shutdown comes from a notice in the latest Android Studio canary build:
Instant Apps support will be removed by Google Play in December 2025. Publishing and all Google Play Instant APIs will no longer work. Tooling support will be removed in Android Studio Otter Feature Drop.
Google says that low usage and engagement are the main reasons for ending Instant Apps.
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A Google engineer's advice to computer science students: Go where the hiring bar is lower and get your foot in the door
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When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The news of a massive 16 billion data breach that exposed login credentials from Apple, Google, Facebook has made record as one of the largest data breaches in history. Cybernews reports that records from over 30 databases have been stolen, with each containing up to 3.5 billion passwords from social media and VPN logins to corporate platforms and developer platforms. The recent data breach contains a massive amount of information that can affect billions of online account, as cybercriminals now have access to a mass amount of login credentials. This puts users at risk of further malicious behavior from phishing attacks, social engineering and identity theft. Here are the latest updates on what we know about the data breach, how to find out if you're affected and how to stay safe. 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But Cybernews has now shared screenshots of the datasets (not including personal info, of course). These datasets show that there are URLs to Facebook, Google, Github, Zoom, Twitch, and other login pages. However, with the amount of data that is being exposed, the number of platforms that are affected is uncertain. As previously noted, there's reason to believe that every major platform has been affected by the data breach. A recent report from cybersecurity site BleepingComputer indicates the 16 billion password data breach actually isn't new, with the data instead likely to have been circulating for years. The data may have been collected by cybercriminals and researchers and repackaged into the massive database, only for this to be exposed online. The infostealers involved in compiling the login credentials, such as usernames and passwords, may have been collected over time, with different archives being into the massive database. 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Data breaches are on the rise, and the recent massive leak of login credentials across multiple platforms shows that now's the time to stay safe online. Make sure you're using one of the best VPNs and best antivirus software to keep your accounts secure. Though it can be scary to know that your data is out there on the web, circulating amongst hackers, there are steps you can take to protect yourself. First, as we've mentioned below, make sure you're changing the passwords to your accounts and using unique, strong passwords for each account. When possible, use passkeys instead. Always use two-factor or multi-factor authentication when an account has it available. As with all data breaches, the biggest threat will be phishing attacks and online fraud. Avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown senders as hackers often set up fake pages to steal your credentials, credit card data and other sensitive info. Never click on any unexpected links, attachments, files or QR codes from people you don't know. You also want to be wary of people on social media who may reach out to you with offers or those who want you to download or click on files or attachments. If you receive something that appears to be from someone you do know, confirm it with them in an independent manner like calling them on the phone, or texting them. If you haven't signed up for one of the best identity theft protection services, now might be a good time to look into them. You can also consider putting fraud alerts on your files with the Big Three credit-reporting agencies Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, and even instituting a credit freeze (although doing so can complicate getting a loan or opening new payment accounts). When going online, make sure you have one of the best antivirus software programs installed and up to date since these programs often include a have VPN, password manager, secure browser and other extra security tools to help keep you safe online. As more and more companies realize how easy it is to breach passwords, how frequently users reuse them – or use weak passwords – they have begun moving to a stronger method: passkeys. Microsoft recently announced that the Authenticator app will shut off the password autofill feature in July, a move that the company is likely making as it moves towards a passwordless future. And Google recently issued a security warning encouraging users to enable two-factor authentication or risk an account lock down; Google's VP of privacy Evan Kotsovinos was quoted as saying another good step to make your account even more secure is to replace your password entirely. Kotsovinos' recommendation is to trade your password in for a passkey, which involves using your biometric information like your fingerprint or facial recognition alongside a trusted device like your smartphone. To that end, Facebook announced this week that it would soon be rolling out passkey login's for its users, making it both easier and more secure to sign in to its services. Facebook users should soon see the option to enable passkey login's in the Account Center, from the Settings of their Facebook accounts on their mobile devices, and the option will also get rolled out to Messenger, and eventually Meta Pay. The Facebook passkey will work with the same fingerprint, facial recognition or PIN technology that you use to unlock your device. Because they're stored on your device, they cannot be guessed, cracked or shared. However, if you still wish to use a password, you can. If, like our own James Frew, you have also committed the security sin of reusing passwords or have used an unsecure Wi-Fi, or some other less-than-safe computer behavior, and wound up getting hacked, you might wonder what you should be doing next. Here's everything James did to re-establish a safe, secure computing environment for himself and make sure he was practicing safe computer habits. 1. Don't reuse passwords 2. Enable Two-Factor Authentication 3. Delete unused accounts 4. Sign up to Have I Been Pwned 5. Start fresh Checking your phone and seeing that 16 billion passwords have been leaked online is enough to give anyone a proper scare. However, when you're dealing with a data breach or data leak as massive as this one, it's important to put things in context before you Spadafora here and I've been covering cybersecurity news for over a decade. During that time, I've seen a lot of massive security incidents like this one. However, there's one thing a lot of them have in that no brand or company is mentioned outright in our coverage here at Tom's Guide and at other news outlets across the web, this is an easy giveaway that this isn't a new breach or leak but instead a collection-style one. In this case, it's likely not brand new data being exposed online but passwords and other personal info from previous security incidents. This data is then repacked in a way that's easier to search through and simpler for other cybercriminals to use in their attacks. For instance, similar collections like the RockYou2024 leak with 9 billion records and Collection #1 with more than 22 million unique passwords were distributed this way in the this doesn't mean you shouldn't swap out your simple passwords with strong and complex ones or take a hard look at your online security habits. It just means that you shouldn't worry too much as there's a high chance that a lot of these 16 billion credentials were already exposed online and likely for sale on the dark web. So instead of being scared, let this be the powerful catalyst you need to transform your online security – by changing your passwords (or better yet switching to passkeys), locking down your online accounts with 2FA, deleting unused accounts and apps, and sharpening your ability to spot a phishing scam. With billions of passwords floating around online, you may be wondering what steps you can take to improve your online security. If that's the case, chances are you might be considering investing in antivirus software or even identity theft protection. They're both designed to help keep you safe online but there are some key differences between the two that will help you decide which is right for best antivirus software (or the best Mac antivirus software for your Apple computer or the best Android antivirus apps for your Android smartphone) is designed to protect you from malware and other threats before they can infect your devices. By using a database of known threats, your antivirus software is able to scan and flag any potentially harmful files or software. It's worth noting that while paid antivirus software is updated more regularly and comes with plenty of extras like a VPN or a password manager, you likely already have access to built-in antivirus software in the form of Windows Defender on PC, XProtect on Mac and Google Play Protect on Android. Now the best identity theft protection services often come with an antivirus solution but that's not their main purpose. Instead, they're designed to proactively monitor your banking and other online accounts for signs of fraud or suspicious activity. They also keep an eye on your Social Security number and other sensitive personal information. The big difference with identity theft protection is that these services include identity theft insurance to help you recover funds lost to fraud in addition to helping you recover your identity. At the same time, you also get access to experts that can walk you through the process of freezing your credit and dealing with the fallout from identity theft. They can help you get new documents big thing to keep in mind with identity theft protection is that it only works if you sign up before a major security incident takes up for both antivirus software and identity theft protection is the best way to protect yourself and your data online. However, this can get expensive fast. If you're on a tight budget, I'd start with antivirus software first and then sign up for identity theft protection once you have more to lose. One way to make things more affordable is to look for antivirus and identity theft protection providers that offer family plans. That way, you can spread the cost between multiple people and rest easy knowing that your grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, your children and yourself are all protected. Likewise, you want to stay up to date on the latest online scams and make sure that you share this knowledge with both your older and younger family members. Besides having your personal data and passwords exposed online, you also need to be on the lookout for new or upgraded malware. Case in point, the Godfather malware, which was first spotted back in 2021, recently got an upgrade that makes it even more is a banking malware that targets popular banking and financial apps by using overlay attacks. While you might think you're logging into your banking app once infected, you're actually inputting your username and password onto an overlay that appears over the legitimate app. Hackers study the look and design of popular banking apps to create these overlays which they use to harvest account credentials. With these in hand, they can log into and drain your financial accounts. Now though, the Godfather malware is using a new trick to evade detection and steal money from unsuspecting users. Instead of overlays, the malware is now using virtual versions of legitimate apps to commit fraud in real avoid falling victim to this and other malware strains, you want to avoid sideloading apps, opening attachments or links from unknown senders and it's always a good idea to limit the number of apps on your phone overall as even good apps can go bad when they're injected with malicious code. Though this breach may be the biggest in terms of numbers it has similarities to a few other recent breaches – for example, like three other recent breaches, this latest massive breach includes older data that has been around for a while and repackages it, then leaves it exposed it an open database making it easily accessible for any threat actor to grab. When it's discovered, it is quickly removed which makes it difficult to determine who owned the database and therefore, who was responsible for breaching the collected information. The data leak of AT&T data that we reported about earlier this month is similar and involved more than 86 million records that tied AT&T user data to sensitive personal information like Social Security numbers and birth dates. And again, a day earlier in China, more than 4 billion records were compiled that included everything from WeChat transcripts and phone numbers to gambling history. In May of this year, 184 million passwords from companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and more were compiled and stored in a plaintext database. The trend towards larger and larger breaches is clear. At this point it seems inevitable that your passwords and data can, and will, be compromised at some point and it is up to the consumer to protect themselves by using every tool available to protect themselves. When a large number of passwords or a collection of sensitive personal information is exposed online, people often get hung up on whether it's a data breach or a data leak. Here's the difference between the a data breach to occur, hackers or other cybercriminals need to gain unauthorized access to a company or even a government's systems. Once inside, they then steal or exfiltrate as much data as they can with the intention to use this info for blackmail, phishing or other cyberattacks. Now with a data leak, the same types of personal and even financial information from a data breach may be exposed. However, how that data ended up online is the main difference. Data leaks often occur due to human error. For instance, maybe someone forgot to password protect a database and left it open online for anyone to access it. This might sound hard to believe but this happens way more often than you'd way that a data leak can occur is through scraping. Just like marketing firms do, hackers often scrape public databases for personal details and other info. All of this data is then put together in a database and if not secured correctly, it too can leak out onto the open web. Regardless of if you're dealing with a data breach or a data leak, the end result for you as the user is the same. Your information is available online and could be used against you. One way to limit your exposure is by using a data removal tool. There are standalone ones like Incogni or you might find one available as an extra feature with your antivirus software or VPN, like with ExpressVPN's Personal Data Removal this security incident has made you rethink your cyber hygiene, a data removal service is another tool you should add to your security arsenal along with antivirus software and identity theft protection. Now that billions of passwords have been exposed online, hackers and other cybercriminals are probably already thinking about how they'll use this data to their advantage in future attacks. Here are the ways this leaked data will likely be used first:If a password was leaked alongside a username, then hackers are definitely going to try and see if they can use these credentials to log in. They will likely try the account the password is associated with first and then after that, they might try to log into other popular online services. What they're hoping for is that the person this username and password belongs to was foolish enough to reuse the same credentials across multiple online accounts. Password reuse is one of the easiest ways you can set yourself up to get hacked, so if you use the same password on multiple sites and services, stop what you're doing and go create a unique and complex password for each of them. If the leaked username and password work, they'll then take over the account and use it as their own. They could use it in other attacks or even to send out phishing messages to any contacts associated with that account. The next big thing that we'll likely see are targeted phishing attacks. Unlike your standard phishing attack, these ones go after specific people by using public or stolen info to build trust with potential victims. If a hacker impersonates someone you know or claims to know them too, you're more likely to respond to their messages and you could potentially be swayed by their if a username and password combo was leaked for a banking or financial account that contains loads of sensitive personal data, hackers could try to steal your identity. These are all the main potential threats you're going to want to be on the lookout for but there could be more. My advice, keep your head on a swivel and keep tabs on all of your online accounts just to be safe. Likewise, consider investing in identity theft protection for additional peace of mind. CNBC is reporting that Aflac has "identified suspicious activity" in its network. This activity could impact Social Security numbers and other information. 'We continue to serve our customers as we respond to this incident and can underwrite policies, review claims, and otherwise service our customers as usual,' Aflac said in a statement. According to CNBC, the investigation is in its early stages and Aflac does not yet have the total number for potentially affected customers. Impacted information may include claims information, health info, Social Security numbers and other personal information related to everyone from customers andbeneficiaries to employees, agents and "other individuals." The insurance company has said that it will offer free credit monitoring and identity theft protection and Medicaid shield for up to 2 years for anyone that reaches out to its call center. Google will reportedly require you to activate 2-step verification to access your Gmail account. Especially as Gmail was one of the affected databases in the big breach. It's meant to help curb phishing and spam emails that have been on the rise lately. As part of that you should replace your password with a passkey. You can activate 2SV now if you haven't already to get ahead of it. With this massive data breach on the mind, now is as good a time as any to do some security home work. We've put together guide to the seven things you should do now to make sure your accounts and devices are safe. We have more details in the guide but here's a brief rundown what you need to secure. Passwords Browsers Two-factor and Multi-factor authentication Update social media settings Delete, remove and unsubscribe Update software and enable automate updates Check and update settings This record-breaking data breach included URLs, usernames, and, most importantly, passwords, which means you should seriously consider updating yours for Google and Facebook. But creating strong, complex passwords is a tall order, and remembering them is even harder, especially when you should ideally have one for every site you log into. You could try to keep them all in your head if you have Rain Man-level recall. 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- Tom's Guide
Windows parental controls are crashing Chrome — here's the workaround
Windows 11's Family Safety feature is supposed to block certain websites from children, but apparently it's also been causing issues with Google's Chrome browser, a (vastly more popular) competitor to Microsoft's own Edge. The problem first surfaced on Windows on June 3, per The Verge, when several users started noticing they couldn't open Chrome or their browser would crash randomly. Restarting their computer or reinstalling Chrome didn't fix the issue, and other browsers like Firefox and Opera appeared unaffected. On Monday, a Google spokesperson posted in the company's community forum that it had investigated these reports and found the issues were linked to Microsoft's new Windows Family Safety feature. This optional feature is primarily used by parents and schools to manage children's screen time, filter their web browsing, and monitor their online activity. Curiously, the bug has been going on for weeks now, and Microsoft still hasn't issued a patch. 'We've not heard anything from Microsoft about a fix being rolled out,' wrote a Chromium engineer in a bug tracking thread on June 10. 'They have provided guidance to users who contact them about how to get Chrome working again, but I wouldn't think that would have a large effect.' While this issue could be an innocent bug, Microsoft has a history of placing annoying hurdles between Edge and Chrome to entice users to stick with its browser. So anytime a technical snafu makes Chrome run worse on Windows PCs, Microsoft understandably gets some serious side eye. Thankfully, there seem to be two ways to get around this bug while we wait for Microsoft to issue a fix, and they're both fairly simple. The most straightforward is to turn off the "Filter Inappropriate Websites" setting. Head to the Family Safety mobile app or Family Safety web portal, select a user's account, and choose to disable "Filter inappropriate websites" under the Edge tab. However, that'll remove the guardrails on Chrome and let your child access any website, including the ones you were trying to block in the first place. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. If you want to keep the guardrails on and still use Chrome, some users reported that altering the name in your Chrome folder (to something like Chrome1, for example), got the browser to work again even with the Family Safety feature enabled.
