Using Instagram as an example: why developers prefer iOS over Android. Security Service
Let's get this straight, dude: no one can say with certainty that the iPhone is really cooler than Android - and vice versa: no one can convincingly convince you that Android is cool and the iPhone is a waste of money. When it comes to smartphones, you need to understand that any criteria are relative, it all depends on your needs, expectations and budget. So don't think that the dudes and I are trying to convince you to buy an Android phone. We just decided to focus on the advantages that smartphones with this OS have: who knows, maybe you will change your mind about shelling out for an expensive masterpiece from Apple and decide that Android is a rational alternative.
12. Standard micro-USB cable
We have nothing against Apple. In our editorial office, of course, there are owners of iPhones, iPods and MacBooks - where would we be without them. But these same iPhones have one problem (besides the price, of course) - that they use Apple cables. Apple refuses to use regular micro USB connectors and thereby complicates our lives, and on top of that, they empty our wallets. Imagine: you will have to have a special charger, a cable for connecting to a computer, and something else - but things from Apple are expensive. And one more thing: the company pays designers and engineers to develop this whole thing, and the cost of their work is included in the price of your iPhone. Not really, right?
But if you have an Android phone, you can connect it to your computer with one of the 15 micro USB cables that are already lying around your house. And if you suddenly lose your charger or the same cable, there is nothing easier than going to the nearest store and buying the necessary thing for a maximum of a couple of hundred rubles. And this is a serious advantage, don’t you agree?
11. Good old stylus
Apple founder Steve Jobs said: “If you see a stylus, throw it away.” And it is understandable: if a team of engineers is not able to create an interface that does not require additional tools, this can truly be regarded as a failure.
Of course, this can be viewed differently. Apple's specialty is an interface that is intuitive. What method of entering information is clearer than handwriting? There are still a lot of people in the world who believe that writing something by hand is much faster than typing it on a keyboard. Over time they may change their minds, but right now why not give these guys what they want?
Smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy Note II come with a stylus, and Android supports this interface quite well. But the iPhone is not.
10. Vibration when pressed
Do you like it when your phone responds to your every touch with vibration? Yes, for me. It's not a big deal, but for some people this vibration is a big deal - especially for those who are new to the virtual keyboard and want to make sure they're actually pressing something. And if you don’t like this feature, turn it off and be done with it.
But on an iPhone you don’t have that choice. It doesn't vibrate when you press it.
9. Easy exchange of information
8. Ability to customize your desktop
Have you always wanted to have certain widgets at your fingertips at all times? On Android you can customize everything as you wish. You can arrange the icons as you please, and you won’t get anything for it.
IPhone? Sorry, dude. Only standard icons. What's happened? Don't you want them all to show up on your desktops? Do you want to put them in a different order? Ha ha ha! Well, yes, you can put them in folders, but the folders will remain on the desktop. Get used to it.
7. Ability to choose a keyboard
You may need some time to get used to the virtual keyboard. There is a possibility that the version pre-installed on your phone will not completely suit you. It would be cool if there were other keyboards with a different arrangement of letters, a different smart input method - right?
If you have an Android phone, you can try installing a different keyboard. And if you don’t like it, take another one. And if it doesn’t work at all, well, buy a phone with a regular keyboard.
If you have an iPhone, then you will have to get used to what you have. Of course, this is a good keyboard, but if you want to experiment, then you will have to abandon this idea.
6. You can attach any file to the letter
This iPhone bug is so crazy that it might as well be number one on our entire list.
And the thing is that the Gmail client is also full of holes, as far as applications are concerned. So if your email is on Gmail, I'm sorry, man. But if you have a machine on Android, then the client for Gmail continues to be crappy, but the standard interface can still attach any garbage to a letter. Well, at least that's it.
5. Near field communication
In the Samsung Galaxy S3 promo video, you probably saw that moment when the dudes hold their phones up to each other and exchange files, right? And all because Android supports Near Field Communication technology. Its development has not yet been fully completed, so the applications have a limited set of functions. For now, you can send pictures and music to each other - but this is not very interesting. But in the near future, using this system it will be possible to pay with money from an electronic wallet - isn’t that wonderful?
What about the iPhone? But it does not yet support this technology. Perhaps they just decided to wait until it turns into something really worthwhile. But still, in this regard, we risk falling behind progress if we buy an iPhone.
4. Additional memory
Are you missing the 64 GB of storage built into your iPhone? Don't worry. Just insert a flash drive into the micro SD slot, and... Oh, wait, the iPhone doesn't support additional memory cards. So be content with what you have. But on Android there is no such problem. Hooray!
3. Replaceable battery
Not all Android phones hold a charge well - remember the Samsung Galaxy S3. But at least they have a replaceable battery, and if it completely fails, you can replace it with another one. Or you can buy additional batteries, charge them and carry them with you for future use - for example, if you are on the road. But if the battery wears out on your iPhone, there’s nothing you can do about it.
2. Bigger screen... or smaller
Apple tried so hard to make the screen on the iPhone 5 bigger – but it didn’t come out that big more, How many longer. Thanks to this, more icons fit on the desktop, but this has practically no effect on viewing media files.
Samsung Galaxy S3? It really does have a big screen. And the same with HTC One, Sony Xperia, Motorola Droid Razr and LG Optimus - they all have larger screens than the iPhone 5.
What if you don't want a giant screen? Well, okay. There are plenty of Android phones with smaller screens.
1. Simple interface on PC
When you connect your Android smartphone to your computer, you can dig through its contents just like you would a regular folder on your hard drive. If you want to throw off or delete music, photos, videos or documents, you just grab the icon, pull it - and it’s done. And even on an iMac you can do the same thing if you download the Android application (as in our photo).
What about the iPhone? Well good luck to you, dude. You can add media files (pictures, videos, music) through iTunes - and it seems simple. Simple, but not quite, because the creators wanted to make iTunes unreasonably complicated.
What if you want to transfer other files to your iPhone? Sorry, buddy. You will have to feel like an idiot: nothing will work out.
People began to see worse. According to a study by the famous British ophthalmologist David Allamby, the number of myopic people has increased by 35% compared to 1997, when there were no smartphones and mobile phones were just beginning to come into use. If progression continues, by 2035 more than half of people worldwide (55%) will have low vision.
Thanks to Allambi and his experiments, a special term even appeared - screen myopia.
Does vision really deteriorate?
Results these The research of British scientists can be trusted - experts from the Russian Institute of Russian Academy of Medical Sciences confirm. Their report says that reading from a small screen, especially in an awkward position and with it, reduces vision many times faster than, say, reading a paper book at home in bed.
Those “under attack” are mainly those users who, with the help of gadgets, brighten up their trips on the subway, trains, and minibuses. Vibration, changes in lighted and dark sections of the tunnel, swaying cars - all this makes it difficult to focus your eyes and makes you blink less often. In addition to worsening vision, using devices in transport can cause headaches and even nausea.
Are smartphones as harmful as computers?
No, smartphones and 7-inch tablets cause much more damage to your eyesight than computers. Of course, the reason is the screen diagonal. To see What written on a tiny one, you have to bring the device too close to your eyes, and this negatively affects the concentration of vision and contributes to destruction macula – the area of the eye that allows a person to distinguish small details.
Are all phones equally harmful?
Renowned ophthalmologist Andrew Hepford warns that violet and blue shades cause the greatest damage to the eyes. From this point of view, one should be “fearful” primarily of displays that are known for uneven color brightness and a predominance of purple.
AMOLED displays have been installed on the company’s devices for quite some time, and their acidity(excessively intense, implausible brightness) became the talk of the town. It is clear that this characteristic also does not have the best effect on the eyes.
How to use the gadget so as not to damage your eyesight?
There are many recommendations on this matter, but the main thing to keep an eye on is the distance from the smartphone to the eyes. A curious experiment organized by the American " Journal of Optometry and Vision Science» (« Journal of Optometry and Vision Science") showed that out of 129 participants in the experiment, not one kept the gadget at the required distance. People bring mobile devices to their faces on average 4-6 cm closer than acceptable.
At what distance should you keep your smartphone?
In the publication of the same " magazine"the rule is stated" 1 – 2 – 10 ”, which should be followed by everyone who wants to remain with good vision. The rule says: The smartphone screen should be placed 1 foot from the face (30 cm), the computer monitor - 2 feet (60 cm), the blue screen of the TV - 10 feet (3 m).
Exercise “20-20-20” - what is it about?
« 20-20-20 "is a well-known exercise recommended by ophthalmologists and allows you not to overload your eyes when working with a smartphone or computer. Every 20 minutes of work, you should look up from the monitor and focus it on a point approximately 6 meters (20 feet) away for 20 seconds. This time will be enough for your eyes to get a well-deserved rest.
Is it possible to set up your phone so that your vision doesn’t become blurred?
By adjusting the gadget settings, you can reduce the negative impact on your vision. First of all The font should be set to a large enough size so that the text on the screen is clearly visible from a distance of 30 cm. Android smartphones have fonts like “ Large" And " Huge" The size of the letters is adjusted with a slider, which can be found in the section “ Text size» in the main settings.
Also It's worth adjusting the brightness. You need to proceed from how well the room is lit. Remember: when you had to look at an overly bright display in the dark, you felt physical pain. This is a lot of stress for the eyes! iPhone owners are recommended to use the “ Auto brightness" (In chapter " Wallpaper and brightness» settings) - it automatically adjusts the display brightness to the external conditions and copes with it with a bang.
Set up your gadget so that your vision doesn’t deteriorate at all, it won’t be possible - to do this you will have to completely stop using mobile devices.
Is it possible to save vision with mobile accessories?
Accessories can help too. When using a smartphone whose screen is glared, the user needs to be prepared for the fact that vision problems will not be long in coming. Even small reflections lead to eye strain. Getting rid of glare is easy - You need to stick a matte film on the screen. This accessory is inexpensive and also durable. As a bonus, the matte film will protect the display from scratches and fingerprints.
Another useful tool is contact lenses with HD optics. The lenses help reduce eye strain, even if the user is reading from a mobile device in poor light or with regular lighting changes. Lenses with high-definition optics from the company are widely represented on the Russian market Bausch & Lomb.
Proper nutrition - an assistant for an advanced user?
Vitamin A has a positive effect on vision. It is found in large quantities in fish, blueberries, carrots, eggs - these are the foods that should be emphasized in the diet of a person who suffers from “gadget addiction.” However, it is important to remember that Eating well is not enough to preserve vision. It is calculated: to compensate for the damage that gadgets cause to the eyes, a person needs to eat 5-6 kg of carrots every day.
Should you worry about your vision if you wear contact lenses or glasses?
Constant “communication” with a smartphone also has a negative impact on the vision of people who use contact lenses or wear glasses. If, say, due to work, a person is forced to constantly “sit” on a smartphone or at a computer, he is recommended to consult an ophthalmologist. The doctor will help you choose optics taking into account the state of eye health and professional activity of the person.
There are several recommendations for those who cannot imagine traveling on the subway or in a minibus without reading. First of all, such people should think about purchasing an e-book with technology E-ink. Such books are not backlit, their pages are visually similar to regular paper ones, the font size can be adjusted as desired - thanks to this, the negative impact on vision is minimal. Plus e-books E-ink lies in long-term battery life - since energy is spent only on turning pages, the device can go without recharging for a whole month. Disadvantage: high cost: e-books have become more expensive lately All in all, and device E-ink will cost the buyer about 10 thousand rubles.
Paper literature also should not be discounted. When reading text from paper, the eyes strain much less than when concentrating on a tiny smartphone screen - therefore, the negative impact is lower. Objection what to buy real books are expensive, usually unreasonably so. Business literature can really cost a pretty penny; art is sold in online stores Ozon And Book24 for almost nothing. Libraries have also not been canceled - here you can borrow a book for free.
10 most productive smartphones according to the AnTuTu benchmarkTop iPhone models are superior to Android flagships both in the speed of performing complex tasks and in synthetic tests. For example, with the latest A11 chip, Bionic transcodes a 2-minute 4K video into Adobe Clips in 42 seconds, Google takes almost 3 minutes, and Samsung Galaxy S8 takes over 4 minutes. In the most popular performance testing applications Geekbench and AnTuTu, the new iPhones also take first place by a wide margin.
2. iPhones have better cameras
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and Google Pixel 2/2 XL have some of the best cameras among Android smartphones. The first one copes well with subject photography, while the other two are capable of surprising with night shots and photos in HDR mode. However, in the test, which also includes simple scenes with natural light and portrait mode, the iPhone 8 Plus still wins. In most cases, it will allow you to get much better and more pleasing to the eye pictures.
3. Better software and hardware integration
Every technical innovation in the iPhone integrates with a variety of iOS software features. This provides additional features and simply provides a new experience when using the device.
An example is technology, with the help of which pressing harder on an icon allows you to open a small menu and immediately go to certain functions of the application. Another example is the unique portrait mode with studio light on the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X. It is provided by an additional camera and proprietary photo processing software algorithms.
imore.com It is also impossible not to note the user’s facial recognition technology. It works through a set of TrueDepth sensors and artificial intelligence. It is the latter that makes it possible to recognize the owner even in a headdress or with a beard. All these capabilities are laid down at the level of the system itself, while Android device manufacturers are limited to their own shell. For such functions to become available to everyone, Google itself must take care of them.
4. iPhone remains the easiest smartphone to use
Despite all the promises of Android smartphone manufacturers to optimize their phones and make them lighter, iOS on the iPhone remains the simplest and most intuitive system. You can blame her for the lack of external changes, but for many, maintaining the design, on the contrary, is a plus. Apple improves iOS year after year, while maintaining its simplicity and recognizable appearance. By replacing your iPhone 6 with iPhone 8, you won't have to re-learn the interface and look for familiar features. In addition, there is a convenient function for transferring all the necessary data.
5. Rapid and large-scale iPhone updates
Distribution schedule for the latest iOS 11, according to Mixpanel An undeniable advantage of the iPhone is system updates that arrive almost on the same day for all compatible models. For example, according to the analytical company Mixpanel, iOS 11 is already installed on more than 70% of all iPhones. The latest statistics on the distribution of Android versions cannot be compared. The latest Oreo is currently installed on only 0.5% of devices, and last year's Android 7 Nougat has not yet even crossed the 25% mark.
6. The best apps come to iOS first
pocket-lint.com Many games and applications to this day are initially released on iOS, and after some time they appear on Google Play. Examples include , and , and Snapchat. Even Instagram on Android became available only two years after its debut in the App Store. It is much more profitable for developers to create applications for iOS, since, according to statistics, in the US alone, the average user spent $47 on applications in the App Store per year. For Android and Google Play, this figure is $30.
7. No pre-installed “garbage”
With full control over iPhone software, Apple completely eliminates the possibility of pre-installed third-party apps. This applies to both operator services and affiliate software, which can be found on many Android smartphones. These could be translators, additional browsers, unknown file managers, office utilities or games. Often unnecessary applications cannot even be deleted from memory.
8. Additional features when working with Mac
digitaltrends.com With the new Continuity feature, you can receive call and message notifications on your iPhone directly through your MacBook. You can also start writing an email or editing a document on your iPhone and continue on your Mac. There is even a universal one available that allows you to copy text on your smartphone and paste it into a document on a macOS device.
9. Best service and support
When you have any problems with your Android smartphone, you can try to find a solution on numerous online forums or go to the store where you purchased the smartphone. The seller, depending on the problem, can refer you to a service center. There the device is usually delayed for more than one week until it gets its turn.
With the iPhone, you have an extensive database of helpful help articles on Apple's website, as well as the ability to get direct chat advice from a customer service representative. If the problem cannot be solved remotely, you can also go to an authorized service center.
iPhone 7 is a device that, whether you like it or not, provokes discussions worse than debates between candidates for the presidency of the United States. The new generation has not become as breakthrough as the iPhone 6 once was, in two versions of which the traditionally tiny screen diagonal unexpectedly grew. Nevertheless, for Apple and all fans of Apple products, the release of the iPhone 7 is a huge event.
In one of the discussions, a user who considers himself a fan of Android devices compiled a list of the main advantages and disadvantages of the new iPhone. Among them are five reasons why owners of Google phones will love the iPhone 7 and five reasons why they will want to purchase the new Apple product.
"Against"
1. Low screen resolution
Despite the fact that the screen in each generation of Apple smartphones gets better in terms of brightness, color reproduction and many other parameters, its resolution has not changed for three seasons.
I'm not saying the screen is bad. It is sufficient for most users. Until you start looking at fonts and icons. And... see pixelation. Yes, I'm being picky. And I have every right to do so, given the cost of the device.
But that's not the main thing. The key feature of Apple screens is that they are very easy to break. Regular mineral glass does not survive falls as well as, for example, the latest generations of Gorilla Glass or the unbreakable screen of Motorola flagships. In the new generation, this drawback persisted - at least Apple did not say that they had solved the problem of the “seven”’s fragile screen.
2. No headphone jack
No 3.5mm headphone jack. Until you come across this feature of the iPhone 7, you don’t realize how inconvenient it is. Yes, the set includes headphones with Lightning. Yes, there is an adapter. And here the “buts” begin.
The adapter is a prime candidate for being lost. Plus, the appearance of the beautiful iPhone 7 with this cheap “layer” between the device and the headphones for 200-300 dollars greatly loses its integrity of perception. I would definitely leave the adapter in the box and forget about it.
Bundled headphones are not a solution for me: the EarPods have a design that does not allow them to stay in my ears for more than three steps, and after 30 minutes of listening to music without moving in space, my ears begin to hurt. Not mine.
There is only one option left - buying wireless headphones or headphones with Lightning. And these are additional costs, and not the smallest ones. Good wireless “ears,” for example, cost not 3 or 4 thousand rubles. I don’t like it when my capabilities are artificially limited.
3. Dimensions and compromises
The dimensions of the current iPhone line are the main compromise of these devices. It would seem that what else is needed for happiness: a very small iPhone SE with 4 inches, an iPhone 7 with a diagonal of 4.7 and a “shovel” 7 Plus with 5.5 inches.
But a person who is used to Android has a problem. If he is unlikely to look towards the iPhone SE due to its microscopic size, then the iPhone 7 may interest him. And then this thing happens. The standard screen diagonal on Android is from 5 to 5.7 inches. Most convenient smartphones fall in the range of 5-5.2 inches (for example, Galaxy S7, HTC 10, Sony Xperia XZ). After similar devices, the screen on the iPhone 7 is clearly too small.
“But there is 7 Plus!” - you tell me. Right. Only it is so big that it is even larger in size than the hot new product from Samsung in every sense, the Galaxy Note 7, where the screen diagonal is larger than the 7 Plus. And because of this, I would also call the choice in favor of “plus” a compromise: you have to sacrifice convenience and compactness for the sake of a large screen, which, as other manufacturers show, is not always necessary.
And one more thing – Wireless. At the presentation, Apple talked for a long time about abandoning wires and moving to the “Wireless” era, that is, wireless. My legitimate question is: where did wireless charging get lost? It's time to add it to the iPhone, 2016 is just around the corner.
4. No notification indicator
A trifle, you tell me. iPhone can turn on the screen when you take it from the table. Yes, a little thing, yes, he can. But this in no way diminishes the importance of the notification indicator.
I always know what kind of notification has arrived on my Samsung: a missed call - the indicator blinks blue, a message on Facebook Messenger - green, someone wrote on WhatsApp - yellow. Even before you pick up the phone, you understand who could call or write to you. Very convenient, but not available to iPhone users, which is a pity.
5. Price
Android smartphones have long ceased to be “cheap options for the iPhone.” The price tag for the flagships of Samsung or Sony, and recently even for the Chinese Huawei that I love, is as close as possible to the cost of the iPhone 7. But I’m used to looking at what the manufacturer is asking that kind of money for.
In the case of Samsung, I understand the pricing 100% - maximum performance on the most modern and technologically advanced hardware, the best screens (and even fashionably curved ones), excellent ergonomics.
With the iPhone, you pay for something else - for the apple on the back panel and the overall balance of the device, which works great, despite the mediocre characteristics by 2016 standards.
For a lot of money, with an iPhone you get the best ecosystem on the market - your MacBook and iPad Pro always work in conjunction with your iPhone, everything is synchronized, shared content everywhere - convenient. But sometimes it's too intrusive. And some things (such as linking to iTunes, and now also to Lightning / Bluetooth headphones) cause irritation.
The price tag for the iPhone in Russia personally raises questions for me. It’s a different matter in the USA: if you compare prices with ours, for American residents the device will cost one fifth or even a quarter cheaper (depending on state tax) - now that’s a conversation!
"Behind"
1. “Everything at once” device
Waterproof, one of the best cameras on the smartphone market, excellent performance, games guaranteed to run smoothly - the iPhone has everything that is required from a modern smartphone. All this is enclosed in a well-assembled, pleasant and stylish body, and in the case of the “simple” seven, it is also ergonomically close to ideal.
2. Camera
When you buy any new iPhone, you can be sure that the camera in it is the gold standard for the category of mobile devices. iPhone 7 is no exception, and the Plus version also comes with a cool feature - a dual camera. Moreover, Apple did a truly unique thing. Dual cameras are nothing new for the Android smartphone market: take Huawei P9 or LG G5, for example.
But for the first time in the industry, the second camera is used for portrait photography (to be available later with a software update) and hardware support for 2x optical zoom. In my opinion, this is a much more applied story than the black and white module in P9 that improves color reproduction.
The implementation of the wide-angle camera in the LG G5 is also very interesting from the point of view of the final result, but the function proposed by Apple seems to me to be potentially more in demand. We are waiting for an influx of cool portraits on Instagram.
3. Battery
I don’t like living in the constant feeling that my smartphone is about to run out of charge. For me personally, this feeling is internally similar to the situation when you are late for an important meeting - such an unpleasant feeling that slightly unnerves and throws you off balance. Almost any Android smartphone can put me in a similar nervous state.
But the iPhone 7, and especially the 7 Plus, is unlikely to succeed - ever since the iPhone 6s Plus, which I tested a year ago, the battery showed its best side - after a whole day of active use, almost half the charge remained. The promised increase in life time on a single charge (+2 hours for the 7 and +1 for the 7 Plus) should make the iPhone 7 one of the best “long-livers” on a single charge on the market, and this is worth a lot.
4. Music
I love listening to music. Almost any modern smartphone can adequately reproduce tracks from my favorite artists. But not everyone is able to do this so that I nod with pleasure, hearing clear sound with honest, rich bass and a high level of detail in my favorite headphones.
The iPhone has always been good in terms of sound with headphones, and without them too. Even one speaker of the iPhone 6s Plus played quite well, and the stereo sound of the Seven's speakers will cover last year's flagship.
There are “musical” smartphones on the market with special chips responsible for the music component, capable of satisfying even the most demanding listener. But none of them can be called a truly mass smartphone for everyone. And the iPhone is possible - a good choice for those who need good sound (even if this is overshadowed by the lack of a standard 3.5 mm jack in new products).
5. Applications and games
Optimization, optimization and optimization again. Instant launch of even the heaviest toys and applications - this is about iPhone. Developers still make money mainly from applications for iOS (Android is much less profitable) - that’s why they pay so much attention to the platform and products for it.
This is where most of the exclusives live (even if only for a short period of time) - often it is iPhone users who are the first to receive new applications and games (the same MSQRD or the one promised to us at the Mario presentation).
You don’t need to delve into the details and wonder whether the game will run on your device with maximum graphics settings or not - absolutely everything that is available in the App Store will work on the new (and many old) iPhones. And that's great.
conclusions
What do we get as a result? To me, as a person who has been changing one Android flagship to another once a year for many years, one thing is obvious: the Android platform is more flexible, the variety of manufacturers and models of smartphones gives buyers a choice.
Do you want a simpler interface? Please - here is the new flagship from Huawei. Do you appreciate an operating system without “add-ons”? Google's top-end smartphone (formerly Nexus, and soon, apparently, Pixel) is already waiting for you on the store shelf. Want maximum performance and the best functionality in your device? Look towards the Galaxy Note or Galaxy S line from Samsung. It is important that you always have the opportunity to switch to a smartphone from another manufacturer if, for example, the interpretation of Android from LG or Meizu becomes boring to you.
The situation with the iPhone is different - you always have a choice of one or several devices with a familiar interface, which can only be refreshed with new wallpapers or expanded its capabilities with a new cool application.
Is this bad? Not at all. With an iPhone, you buy the confidence that you will get the most stable and fast device that will be relevant for at least 1-2 seasons. And then you will again wait for the new iPhone to come out.
And there will be a new wave of heated discussions and activation of two camps: Android versus iPhone. This battle will drag on for years. Whose side are you on?
If desired, the malware can be caught on both the iPhone and an old dialer. It is impossible to choose the “right” or “most secure” smartphone, but you can use it correctly and safely.
Is a phone without a battery the safest phone? NO!
Android, iOS... Both of you are good
Even 10 years ago, I saw how they laughed at the owner of a smartphone: how did a person manage to catch a virus on his phone, if only he could catch it on a toaster! Today, the existence of harmful programs on the phone is not surprising. Since the days of Symbian, threats have become more serious, and attackers have become more cunning.
When they said that Android is a dump of viruses compared to iOS, and that it is simply impossible to pick up something harmful on the iPhone. However, dozens of malware have recently been found (and officially recognized) as being distributed through the official Apple Software Store. Users had no chance of suspecting anything, but they could lose both the confidentiality of their correspondence and money from their bank accounts. This is not the first time: sometimes it’s hard to believe how stupid the holes are in iOS. As for Android, the presence of harmful programs even in the official store is a long-known fact.
According to Edward Snowden, no smartphone is protected from intelligence services. As an example, he cites the Smurf Suite of programs, with the help of which British intelligence services can send an encrypted message to any phone that will give access to everything: the user’s location, the camera and microphone on the phone, even its battery. In other words, there is no point in turning off the phone - the program will secretly turn it on and monitor the user with the screen turned off. It is unknown whether the Belarusian special services have such programs.
In addition, neither Android, nor iOS, nor other operating systems will protect against interception of calls by the operator (or even without his knowledge). The status of a presidential candidate will not protect you from wiretapping. The operator always knows the user’s location through which base stations the phone’s radio module connects to. They say that the Belarusian special services, for example, gained access to operators’ data on the whereabouts of the Square 2010 participants and summoned them for interrogation.
Trust Google and Apple, but not completely
Make sure that in the Android security settings you have a checkbox next to “check programs” and not next to “unknown sources”.
The official channels of Google and Apple are fighting malware more or less successfully. Picking up something harmful from the AppStore and Play Store is usually not easy. However, it is possible to both catch and recognize the threat: look carefully, the program does not require the right to send paid SMS or make paid calls.
Or a porn browser won’t take photos of you… um… using it, and then ask for $500 not to publish these photos. This particular porn browser was not distributed through official channels, but both the AppStore and Play Store have programs with suspicious rights to the camera or microphone. Before installing the program, the phone will warn you what the program is allowed to do - read and analyze such warnings!
Both Android and iOS do not allow installing programs from unofficial sources by default.
But on Android this prohibition can be easily disabled - just go to the settings, find the “Security” item there, and in it it will allow “Unknown sources”. So, go in, find it and ban it when it was allowed (uncheck the box if it is there). Even if you are not going to install something from unknown sources, a malicious program with this permission may be downloaded without your knowledge. If you are going to install something from unofficial channels, remember that nothing guarantees security, even positive comments and good ratings (these can be written and delivered by the author of the malicious code himself).
On smartphones you can also get administrator rights - “root access” on Android and “jailbreak” on iOS. These rights allow you to do incredible things with your smartphone (for example, install Windows XP on it), but at the same time, they give criminals easy access to everything at once. Even the “indestructible” Telegram messenger can be hacked if you have administrator rights - you don’t need to break Telegram itself, you can gain access to correspondence (and everything else that is shown on the screen) through the phone’s memory.
Antiviruses won't work
More precisely, mobile antiviruses will work on average in 99.5% of cases (this is the figure given by antivirus testers from av-test.org). Not bad, but not perfect. Antiviruses miss a certain portion of new viruses, and their results are unstable from month to month. The antivirus that does not miss a single threat this month may have had “holes” in previous ones and may have them in future ones as well.
The creators of Android and iOS generally consider antiviruses pointless. According to an Android security representative, they do not provide better protection than what the operating system already has. And Apple generally removes from the AppStore programs that call themselves antiviruses, but in fact do not do anything useful.
Attackers also take advantage of Windows users' habit of using antivirus software. You can often see windows pop up on web pages: “You have found 286 viruses”, “Download a free antivirus, your system is at risk” and the like. Oddly enough, hidden underneath them are malicious programs that may even call themselves antiviruses.
Don't give the KGB a battery, give the KGB a Signal
There are programs that allow you to have conversations that are protected from intelligence services and villains. Unless there is a bug or an advanced virus on the phone
A popular “way” to combat wiretapping is to turn off the phone and remove the battery. After all, they say, even by how the battery was discharged, you can calculate the user’s location. But this “method” is in quotation marks, since it is unknown whether it will work. Without a battery, the phone will not be able to run a malicious program, but the “bug” that can be installed in the phone also has its own battery - either independent of the phone, or one that will be recharged from the phone’s battery.
Yes, you can be listened to, even with the battery turned off. But this is not a reason to refuse any telecommunications in everyday life. It is worth reducing the likelihood of eavesdropping and hacking, making the work of intelligence services more difficult, and refraining from talking only as a last resort.
For example, regular calls can be replaced by conversations through Signal, RedPhone or SilentPhone (https://silentcircle.com/products-and-solutions/software/). Then calls will not be able to be monitored through the operator; the phone itself will have to be hacked.
It’s better not to correspond via Skype - even if you don’t remember anything illegal in the correspondence, you can find out your passwords, location and plenty of other things from it. You can talk about safe alternatives. Perhaps the most popular of them is Telegram.
If you want to get anonymous access to Internet sites, . It’s worth not forgetting about the 7 rules of the Internet that we usually ignore: complex passwords, two-step authentication, incognito mode in unfamiliar places, attention to fake sites like gmail.ru and others.
It’s still calmer with an iPhone
Blackphone 2, an Android smartphone whose creators claim advanced encryption of user data.
Despite the fact that any phone can be hacked, it should be recognized that there are fewer harmful programs on the iPhone (especially in the official App Store), it can be protected from unwanted use through a fingerprint scanner (some Android smartphones also have a finger scanner, but not so convenient), it is more difficult to enable dangerous settings on it. Not to say that Android is a complete security hole, but with it you will have to think more often about what you are doing.
Yes, the iPhone is not without sin: firstly, most users do not know the basic security rules mentioned above, and secondly, it is popular both among buyers and among hackers. There are significantly fewer harmful programs for Windows Phone, and even fewer for Firefox OS or Ubuntu Phone, which have very few phones in Belarus. These “operating systems” in themselves cannot be said to be more secure, but a phone with them will at least cause surprise to an attacker - what is it, how to work with it?
As for Android, some people modify it in such a way that they claim that their phones are completely secure. Among these are the creators of Blackberry, traditionally focused on protecting corporate information, with their Android smartphone Blackberry Priv. And the creators of Blackphone built advanced encryption mechanisms deep into the system. This kind of security can be achieved on your own, but Priv and Blackphone offer security right out of the box.
The main thing is not to think that it is enough to just buy an iPhone so that you will not be hacked, or that you need to carry an old Nokia 3310 and remove the battery from it so that you will not be tracked. You should evaluate how likely it is that your conversation will be intercepted - and how seriously you need to “encrypt.”
Published with permission from the Belarusian service of Radio Liberty
Original material in Belarusian
