Tag: mobile phones

A modder has discovered a way to push the refresh rate of the Google Pixel 6a’s display to 90Hz.

Each of the entries in the Pixel 6 lineup features a unique display: the Pixel 6 has a 6.4-inch display with a 90Hz refresh rate; the Pixel 6 Pro has a 6.7-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate; and the Pixel 6a has a 6.1-inch display with a 60Hz refresh rate. But now it seems the Pixel 6a could be limited by software, not hardware.

A number of Pixel 6a owners—including 9to5Google contributor Max Weinbach and The Verge senior editor Sean Hollister—have confirmed that the mod supplied by “The Lunarixus” works on their devices. (I don’t have a Pixel 6a on-hand for testing.) But there are some important caveats that could stop most people from using the mod.

The first is that not everyone could get the mod to work on their device at first. Installing the mod is a fairly complex process, although The Verge reports that The Lunarixus is working on a custom ROM that will simplify installation, and even if the steps are followed correctly there’s no guarantee the refresh rate will increase.

The second is that some testers noticed a green tint on their displays after they installed the mod. Not everyone had this problem, but having a noticeable color accuracy problem will probably outweigh the benefits of increasing the Pixel 6a’s refresh rate by 30Hz, at least for people using the device as their primary smartphone.

The third is that it’s not clear what kind of impact this mod can have on a Pixel 6a. The Lunarixus says:

“With that being said,” The Lunarixus says“I’m not going to claim it causes 0 damage, as stated Google opted to run an s6e3fc3 controller at 60Hz and until a statement from Samsung Display or Google comes out we won’t know the reasoning behind the removal of the frequency. “

Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

All of which leaves us with a mod that can make Google’s mid-range smartphone better than it comes out of the box… as long as it doesn’t result in a distracting green tint or damage the hardware in unexpected ways. This will be worth keeping an eye on as The Lunarixus improves the installation process and more people test the mod.

Who’s tracking your cell phone? Probably more people than you’re comfortable with. Working in a Guatemalan refugee camp, Paul Schmitt noticed an “IMSI catcher” at the entrance, presumably so authorities could track the residents’ comings and going. These devices, also known as “Stingrays,” are used by governments around the world to track citizens.

“Commercial surveillance” is also now in the government’s crosshairs, as the FTC now seeks comment on “the business of collecting, analyzing, and profiting from information about people.”

The IMSI (international mobile subscriber identifier) ​​is the code attached to your SIM card that lets the network know you’re a subscriber in good standing. Thing is, that number lets your mobile provider track you, and it can give that data to partners or authorities if it wants. Even worse, third parties can set up Stingrays, and collect subscriber IDs and locations for their own purposes.

So along with ex-Googler Barath Raghavan, Schmitt founded Invisv, a startup dedicated to figuring out how to cloak its users’ IMSIs. Its new “pretty good phone privacy” product, available for Android phones that have eSIM capability, combines a virtual carrier (using AT&T’s network in the US) with special software that lets you churn your IMSI.

“We were hopeful this would be picked up by the [phone] companies. We approached the telecoms, and the response wasn’t what we hoped for,” Schmitt says. “We wanted to show this is actually possible.”

The company also offers a two-hop VPN service for Android that costs $5/month, to hide your internet traffic. (Apple’s iOS doesn’t offer third-party developers the APIs needed to do IMSI switching.)

So Invisv offers a mobile service, provided via eSIM, which has an app that cycles your IMSI. For $40/month, you get 9GB of data and eight IMSI changes per month; for $90/month, you get unlimited data and 30 IMSI changes. Essentially, you’d appear to the network as a different person each day.

The actual connectivity is provided through various physical networks. In the US right now that’s AT&T, with T-Mobile coming on board down the road. They make a deal with Invisv, and they never see your current subscriber information.

That’s paired with a two-hop VPN, also available as a $5 separate service. A two-hop VPN sends data to Invisv, which then hides your IP address and sends your data to VPN firm Fastly, which finally sends it to the target website. It then becomes very hard to connect your requests with any traffic heading to the destination.

“There’s mobile privacy, there’s internet privacy, and there’s app privacy,” Raghavan says. “We’re trying to solve the two [mobile and internet] which nobody has addressed.”

5 Ways They Track You

There are a lot of ways carriers, platform providers, and application providers track your phone, and a lot of ways that data can be sold to brokers. Invisv’s premier product takes care of a particularly tricky one, and Schmitt walked me through some of the others.

1. MSISDN (Your Phone Number)

Along with your IMSI, every phone with a voice line has an MSISDN, otherwise known as a phone number. It’s easy enough for your carrier to track your phone by MSISDN even if you cycle your IMSI. Invisv’s data-only SIMs have no phone number. If you want to make calls or send texts, you sign up with a cloud-based provider such as Line2.

2.SS7 Attacks

There’s a massive flaw in 2G and 3G networks that lets well-resourced attackers—typically, spy agencies—intercept traffic. The newer Diameter protocol, introduced with 4G, closes that hole, but it can open up any time someone makes a call or sends a text (because those functions often use parts of the 2G or 3G system.) Schmitt says he avoids that by buying only 4G and 5G service; if there’s no 4G coverage, the phone shows no signal.

3.GSM(Google Mobile Services)

The core Google service on mainstream Android smartphones, GMS “fingerprints” your device so its own ad products, and clients’ ad products, can target you. The way to avoid this is by loading a “non Googled” Android OS on your phone. Schmitt says Invisv works on Graphene and Calyx. Raghavan says the app will be available through the F-Droid store and as a direct APK download, to avoid Google Play.

4. App-Based Tracking SDKs

Many third-party apps on your phone collect personal and location data, which the app makers then resell to brokers. (New York Times has a terrifying example of the kind of precise location data the brokers can provide.) The answer for this one is to say no when apps on your phone ask for your location. An even better solution would be to use a feature phone with no apps, but Schmitt says “there’s not a huge market” for feature phones.

5. Behavioral Fingerprinting

Unfortunately, this last one is very difficult to avoid. Even if you don’t give apps permission, they may be “fingerprinting” your behavior using data available through the platform APIs, combining that information into a unique identifier. In the wake of its location-data story, the Times Times recommended the app Disconnect.me to block these trackers.

“We would suggest that in addition to using PGPP, privacy-conscious users should use better apps—such as Signal or Matrix for communication and a privacy-preserving mobile browser, etc. (But they won’t need the VPN service from such apps .) These are complementary privacy practices, as we see privacy as a layered problem,” Raghavan says.

Invisv’s plan is now available on the Google Play Store.

Motorola just announced a brand-new Razr foldable smartphone. Unfortunately, it’s only coming to China for now, so US fans will have to stick with the Galaxy Z Flip 4 or the older Motorola Razr for small folding devices. Of course, Motorola could decide to release it in the US later, and we’re hopeful that it does because it looks like a solid device.

The new Moto Razr 2022 features the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, so performance should be stellar. It’ll be available in configurations with 8BG RAM and 256GB of storage or 12GB RAM and 512GB of storage.

There’s also a 6.7-inch OLED display with a matte finish that looks attractive. On the outside of the phone is a 2.7-inch Quick View display that lets you see notifications and other information without opening the main display. Motorola also added a cool Flex View feature that enables you to fold the phone so it stands independently. This could be handy for taking photos or videos of yourself since the phone won’t fall over while you’re not directly interacting with it.

As for the camera, the new Moto Razr includes a 50MP instant focus camera with optical image stabilization (OIS).

Motorola didn’t announce a price for the Chinese version of the phone, though it did say that it would launch in China today, Aug. 11. Releases outside of China weren’t even mentioned, so we’ll have to see what the future holds in terms of getting our hands on the slick-looking device.