Google’s abuse of Fitbit continues with web app shutdown
Users say the app, which is now the only Fitbit interface, lacks matching features.
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Ron Amadeo
Reviews Editor
ron@arstechnica.com
Ron is the Reviews Editor at Ars Technica, where he specializes in Android OS and Google products. He is always on the hunt for a new gadget and loves to rip things apart to see how they work. Previously Ron was an editor for Android Police, and he has about eight years of IT experience. He loves to tinker and always seems to be working on a new project.
Recent stories by
Ron Amadeo
Google’s Pixel 8 series gets USB-C to DisplayPort; desktop mode rumors heat up
Grab a USB-C to DisplayPort cable and newer Pixels can be viewed from your TV or monitor.
Ron Amadeo
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90
The Google Pay app is dead
Google Wallet takes over app duties, but it looks like Google is quitting P2P payments.
Ron Amadeo
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189
Apple integrates ChatGPT into Siri, iOS, and macOS
ChatGPT is treated like a search engine for Siri, and generates text and images for apps.
Ron Amadeo
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196
Samsung Electronics is on strike as workers stage one-day walkout
For now, the one-day strike is just a show of force and shouldn't hurt production.
Ron Amadeo
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61
How to build a DOA product: Humane AI Pin founders banned internal criticism
Questioning the design and dev progress was apparently "against company policy."
Ron Amadeo
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203
The Motorola Edge 2024 comes to the US for $550
Motorola's Pixel 8a fighter is headed to a carrier store near you.
Ron Amadeo
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Google changes repair policy after criticism of third-party parts ban
Google previously said it would not return mailed-in devices using "unauthorized" parts.
Ron Amadeo
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Most Read
Google accidentally published internal Search documentation to GitHub
Commit snafu slapped an irrevocable Apache 2.0 license on confidential API Docs.
Ron Amadeo
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Google Chrome’s plan to limit ad blocking extensions kicks off next week
Chrome's Manifest V3 transition is here. First up are warnings for any V2 extensions.
Ron Amadeo
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299
Google Cloud explains how it accidentally deleted a customer account
UniSuper's 647,000 users faced two weeks of downtime because of a Google Cloud bug.
Ron Amadeo
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90
Google is killing off the messaging service inside Google Maps
Google Maps has had its own chat platform since 2018, but it's shutting down in July.
Ron Amadeo
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96
iFixit ends Samsung deal as oppressive repair shop requirements come to light
iFixit says "flashy press releases don’t mean much without follow-through."
Ron Amadeo
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136
Google Search’s “udm=14” trick lets you kill AI search for good
The power of URL parameters lets you unofficially turn off Google's AI Overview.
Ron Amadeo
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215
Next up in Google’s dramatic overhaul of search: AI Overview ads
Google turned search into an AI product, and now it's time to make money.
Ron Amadeo
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97
Humane AI Pin is a disaster: Founders already want to sell the company
One month after launch of its "smartphone replacement," Humane already seems doomed.
Ron Amadeo
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211
After beating Sonos case, Google brings back group speaker controls
We'll likely have to wait until the end of the year for Android 15, though.
Ron Amadeo
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36
You can now buy a 4-foot-tall humanoid robot for $16K
No one is quite sure what you're supposed to do with the robot, but you can buy one.
Ron Amadeo
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117
“Unprecedented” Google Cloud event wipes out customer account and its backups
UniSuper, a $135 billion pension account, details its cloud compute nightmare.
Ron Amadeo
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244
Google Search adds a “web” filter, because it is no longer focused on web results
Google Search now has an option to search the "web," which is not the default anymore.
Ron Amadeo
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234
Netflix gets the NFL: Three-year deal starts this season on Christmas
The NFL brings eyeballs like no other content, and subscribers actually stick around.
Ron Amadeo
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197
Android 15 gets “Private Space,” theft detection, and AV1 support
Android 15 Beta 2 is out for Pixels and several third-party devices.
Ron Amadeo
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Android’s AI era includes eavesdropping on phone calls, warning you about scams
A scammer says "transfer the money in your bank account," but Android is listening.
Ron Amadeo
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186
AI in Gmail will sift through emails, provide search summaries, send emails
Gmail will soon be able to summarize recent emails from a contact.
Ron Amadeo
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112
Pixel 8a review—The best deal in smartphones
It's still $500, with a better screen, longer support, and the same great camera.
Ron Amadeo
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103
OpenAI revs up plans for web search, but denies report of an imminent launch
The search.chatgpt.com URL is being set up, and Google employees are being poached.
Ron Amadeo
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The 2024 Moto G Stylus is a $400 mid-ranger with vegan leather
The phone ships May 30, but Motorola's weak update plan might give you pause.
Ron Amadeo
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103
Intel’s and Qualcomm’s Huawei export licenses get revoked
Huawei's phone division has moved on, but laptops will suffer without Intel.
Ron Amadeo
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139
The $499 Google Pixel 8a is official, with 120 Hz display, 7 years of updates
The new Pixel 8a looks like a mid-range champion.
Ron Amadeo
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147
New “Apple Pencil Pro” can do a barrel roll
New Magic Keyboard promises a Macbook-like experience, while the Pencil gets new tricks.
Ron Amadeo
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91
Google Fit APIs get shut down in 2025, might break fitness devices
Scales, trackers, and other fitness devices that don't get updated will stop syncing
Ron Amadeo
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142
Ecobee is shutting down some of its very first products
Even after a commendable 16-year runtime, the company is offering discounts.
Ron Amadeo
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Wear OS’s big comeback continues; might hit half of Apple Watch sales
Counterpoint Research projects 27 percent market share this year to Apple's 49.
Ron Amadeo
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Rabbit R1 AI box revealed to just be an Android app
It sounds like the company is now blocking access from "bootleg" APKs.
Ron Amadeo
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122
Latest Google layoffs hit the Flutter and Python groups
The groups supported developers both inside and outside of Google.
Ron Amadeo
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Customers say Meta’s ad-buying AI blows through budgets in a matter of hours
Based on your point of view, the AI either doesn't work or works too well.
Ron Amadeo
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