Apps

Beware: Lots of fake Pokémon Go and Minecraft apps are still on the loose

Published

September 13, 2016

Marvin Velasco

Despite constant warnings not to download apps outside of Google Play and Apple’s App Store, people are doing it anyway, and it’s getting increasingly worse. Security experts at Trend Micro noticed a rise in the number of adware installed on smartphones, and repackaged Pokémon Go and Minecraft software are at the heart of the problem.

While adware-infected apps have been around for ages, dubious third-party sources have been getting better at tricking people into downloading them. According to Trend Micro, a Vietnamese group named HiStore has already achieved over 10 million downloads for its counterfeit Pokémon Go app on iOS alone. That’s a crazy number when you think about it, considering how tight Apple’s ecosystem is. They also have fake versions of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms.

China-based Haima adds to the staggering amount by achieving over 68 million downloads for its fake Minecraft mobile app. How do they manage to trick so many people? You’d be surprised; social media is their main front, and clickbait titles distract users from downloading from the official App Store instead.

Luckily for those who got scammed, the damage shouldn’t be too critical. Trend Micro explains that the adware’s primary purpose is to dig into your smartphone and push targeted ads onto it. The scammers get paid by the advertisers for each appearance, and you have to suffer with pop-ups while playing what you thought was a legitimate copy of the game. Pokémon Go became a major success for Haima and HiStore, since lots of people wanted to get a head start over the competition during the slow global rollout.

What’s the lesson here? Don’t get too excited about downloading the newest game until it hits the official servers. As long as you download from Apple or Google’s certified stores, you’re in the clear. Trend Micro is also advising developers to fortify their software in order to prevent more fraudulent apps from being distributed.

[irp posts=”4643″ name=”Pokémon Go Plus wearable is out, doesn’t really do much”]

Source: Trend Micro, via Wired

Related Topics:Minecraft Pokemon Pokemon Go

Apps

YouTube makes picture-in-picture mode free for everyone globally

The update is rolling out globally now.

Published

April 30, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Picture-in-picture (or PiP) mode is a godsend for multitaskers. The feature lets users watch videos in a tiny floating window while doing other tasks. However, the feature isn’t readily available for all users. Or wasn’t, at least. YouTube is now rolling out PiP mode for free globally.

Previously, PiP mode was exclusive to YouTube users who pay for Premium or Premium Lite. It was also exclusive to the United States.

Now, YouTube is making the feature completely free for users all over the globe. It will be available for both iOS and Android versions of the app.

There’s still a catch, though. The free version is available only for “longform, non-music content.” The same goes for Premium Lite subscribers. Music is still an exclusive feature for those who pay for the regular version of Premium. Basically, there is no change for paying users or users in the United States.

Using PiP mode is simple. All you need to do is load up a video you want to watch in the background. Then, just exit the YouTube app and go about your other tasks. The video will be inside a floating, resizable window while you look at other things.

There’s no timeline on when the update will reach your device. However, YouTube has promised that it will roll out globally within the coming months.

Apps

Google might be moving away from flat design

Bye bye, Material Design.

Published

April 27, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

It’s time to kindly shove off, flat design. After over a decade of Google’s Material Design, Android is finally showing signs of ditching flat, monotonous colors. In a series of logo redesigns, Google is reportedly trying out gradients as its latest reinvention.

As spotted by 9to5Google, Google is moving forward with incorporating gradients into its designs. Previously, the company started changing the icons of a few first-party apps including Photos and Maps. Now, it seems that the new design philosophy will reach the rest of Google’s suite.

In the obtained designs, the rest of Google’s plethora of apps will no longer look static. The splash of gradient adds the feeling of layering without losing the company’s roots in flat design. Docs and Sheets, for example, look like a light shining on pieces of paper.

Image source: 9to5Google

It’s unknown when Google plans to incorporate the new philosophy. However, with Google I/O coming fast, it’s fair to bet that an update might come out around that time, especially since that event’s logo already has gradients.

Google’s evolution is not without its precedent. Besides the company’s small trial previously, Apple’s iOS has also made inroads into more three-dimensional designs with the new Liquid Glass. However, unlike Apple, Google’s newest design is a far cry from the former’s return to Windows Vista aesthetics.

Personally, I don’t mind the transition to 3D, as long as it’s done well. Though still visually pleasing, flat design has started overstaying its welcome. It’s time to try something new.

Apps

Significantly better ChatGPT Images 2.0 launches

Stronger creative reasoning, better design output, more formats, improved overall experience

Published

April 22, 2026

GadgetMatch

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Images 2.0. This updated image generation model has a meaningful jump over competitors and its current ImageGen 1.5.

Now available across ChatGPT, Codex and the API, Images 2.0 delivers stronger creative reasoning, better design output, more flexible formats, and a faster, more intuitive user experience.

Paid users (Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise) will benefit from a more advanced image experience (ImageGen Thinking 2.0). The state-of-the-art model can take on complex visual tasks and produce precise and immediately usable visuals.

ChatGPT Images 2.0 is likewise better for creative and professional use cases. It has a significantly better performance at producing text-heavy assets, infographics, product mockups, UI concepts, and more structured visuals.

Moreover, users can generate images in a wider range of aspect ratios. The outputs are limitless, from posters to comics or anime to detailed infographics to simple images. API users, on the other hand, will also have access to 4K resolution.

To try the upgraded image generation model, simply head to ChatGPT and select “Images” in the sidebar.

Users will be able to see the top five prompts as well, curated by OpenAI, for them to try. This is to highlight the capabilities of the new model.

Overall, ChatGPT Images 2.0 offers a more seamless experience on mobile, web, and desktop. The intuitive user experience includes improved prompt suggestions, loading states, editing features, and multi-output views.