Back in May 2024, Google announced that YouTube would be getting some new ad formats on TVs, including a format that would place ads on screen whenever the video was left paused. There was no timeline given for when this format would start rolling out, but it appears to be showing up for some users now.
https://9to5google.com/2024/09/11/youtube-pause-ad-tv-update/
Category: 9to5Google
Nest Hub Max ending Google Meet and Zoom support in September
Video calling was originally pitched as a key feature of the Nest Hub Max, but Google Meet and Zoom are dropping support at the end of September. It feels way too soon to be removing key functionality from the Max.
https://9to5google.com/2023/09/18/nest-hub-max-google-meet-zoom/
Gmail is adding a blue checkmark to better verify senders
After adding support for verified brand logos in 2021, Gmail is now going further by adding a blue checkmark to emails. The existing system is based on the Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) standard, where brand logos appear in the “avatar slot” next to the sender’s name and address. For example, instead of a generic “B” against a plain background, Bank of America can show its official flag logo.
https://9to5google.com/2023/05/03/gmail-blue-checkmark/
Microsoft Edge caught leaking every website you visit to Bing
This week a Reddit user spotted that Microsoft’s Edge browser has been sending all visited URLs to “bingapis.com.” When users visit a URL on their browser, that data is sent to Bing for nearly all URLs. While there appears to be nothing malicious going on here, the issue has privacy implications as there’s no disclosure this is happening and it is enabled by default. In a statement, Microsoft confirmed that it is aware of these reports and that the company will take “appropriate action to address any issues,” but offered no explanation of why this is happening.
https://9to5google.com/2023/04/26/microsoft-edge-bing-urls/
Google releases Flutter 3.7, teases future of app development framework
Having grown from humble beginnings on Android and iOS, Google’s Flutter SDK can now help you create apps for mobile, desktop, web, and more, all from a single Dart codebase. Since launch, over 700,000 Flutter apps have been published across various platforms.
Overall, the Flutter framework is clearly still moving full steam ahead, moving ever closer to the dream of perfect “write once, run anywhere” apps and games.
https://9to5google.com/2023/01/25/flutter-forward-teaser/
Google isn’t down: Malwarebytes antivirus app blocks Google.com for many
An issue with Malwarebytes is flagging Google.com and other domains incorrectly and blocking its users from accessing those domains. The issue appears to have hit widely as of 11am ET on September 21, and causes users to be unable to access Google.com, as well as receiving notifications for malware alerts. Other Google products, such as Gmail and YouTube, are also affected by this issue.
The cause of this error is not clear, but Malwarebytes has confirmed that it is looking into the “temporary issue” on Twitter.
https://9to5google.com/2022/09/21/google-malwarebytes-issue/