#WeeklyRecap: Free Google Meet, bugs in Chrome, Microsoft Teams, more
The last week of April was all about bugs, glitches, and leaks. Google and Microsoft dealt with critical flaws in Chrome and Teams, respectively; Reddit struggled with the mess of its all-new Chat rooms feature, while Xiaomi faced allegations of collecting data from certain "backdoors" in its apps. Let's take a look back at everything that happened.
GIF flaw in Microsoft Teams
A few days back, security researchers at CyberArk flagged a flaw in Microsoft Teams that allowed hackers to hijack individual accounts of a company using nothing but a simple GIF. The issue was fixed soon after discovery, with Teams still going strong with a daily active user base of more than 75 million, 31 million up from the last month.
Google's Chrome and Play Store issues
Google, on its part, released a fix for two Chrome 81 vulnerabilities that opened a way for attackers to take control of computers. There was also an issue that prompted users to download app updates on Google Play Store even though they have already been installed on their devices. This particular glitch has also been fixed by the internet giant.
Google Meet now free, Shoelace shutting down
Among other things, Google also made Meet, its premium virtual meeting service taking on Zoom, free for users around the world. The company has also said it is shutting down Shoelace - an experimental meetup app active in New York - due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, it is also working on a math solving mode for its Google Lens visual search app.
Jio is also foraying into virtual meeting arena
As Google Meet's free offering comes in, Reliance Industries' telecom business Jio has announced its plan for bringing its own video conferencing-cum-collaboration platform - JioMeet. It is expected to launch sometime next week.
Issues for Twitter and Reddit
Twitter decided to shut down its original SMS service for almost all countries due to undisclosed vulnerabilities associated with the long-used text-based format. Meanwhile, Reddit rolled out chat rooms to enable randomized group chats in subreddits but pulled the feature back within a day of release in light of several complaints regarding the implementation of the capability.
Finally, some interesting hardware launches
In the smartphone category, Samsung unveiled Android Go-based Galaxy J2 Core, while Xiaomi launched Mi 10 Youth, Redmi Note 9, and Mi Note 10 Lite. Xiaomi also made headlines after being accused of collecting data through its apps on Mi and Redmi smartphones; it, however, explicitly refuted those claims. Google and Apple also took a major step and released SDKs for COVID-19 contact-tracing apps.
