A number of apps have recently made their way into the Google Play Store with a little something extra: malware.
The malware, which has been dubbed “Joker,” is designed to sneakily sign users up for subscription services, ones that they might be charged for over the course of several months before they even realize that they’re subscribed.
Cybersecurity researcher Aleksejs Kuprins explained the issue in detail in a Medium post.
The malware appears to be targeting specific countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kuwait, Malaysia, Myanmar, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Argentina, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States.
The majority of the apps in question targeted specifically European and Asian countries and required a user to be using a SIM card from those regions in order for the malware to execute. In total 24 different apps were infected with the malware. Those apps were installed roughly 472,000 times. Metadata suggests that the apps started their campaigns in June 2019, although some may have also existed in the past.
That said, Kuprins notes that Google seems to be on top of the issue. Google removed all of the impacted apps from the Google Play store without any contact from the security researchers.
If you did install any of the apps on this list, now’s the time to uninstall them. You’ll also want to pay attention to your credit card statements to make sure you haven’t been signed up for anything without your knowledge.
This is the second time in recent weeks that malware was discovered in popular Android apps. In late August, Kaspersky found that a scanning app called CamScanner contained malware as well.
Kuprins also suggests paying attention to what permissions apps ask for when you install them on your phone. Presumably, some of these apps made it clear that they were accessing some parts of your phone that they shouldn’t have needed access to. Whenever you see something like that in an app, especially a little-known Android app, it’s a good idea of exercise caution, and potentially not install the apps in the first place.
Are you tired of paying for streaming services you never watch just to get a phone plan feature you actually want? T-Mobile has good news for you! The carrier is rolling out new plans, called T-Mix, in early November to replace its old Experience lineup with a build-your-own perks system called Picks.
The benefits you choose vary from streaming and gaming to food delivery, AI, satellite service, and phone discounts. But if you are satisfied with your existing plan, you can keep it.
Merely days after the iPhone Duo hit the shelves, images of broken screens on the phone started popping up across social media. Until now, it’s been unclear what’s causing the line of defective pixels that appears vertically along the crease, as well as horizontally, on the phone’s inner display.
Apple has finally acknowledged the issue, which has shown up on iPhone Duo units owned by customers as well as demo units in stores. In a statement shared with Bloomberg, Apple says that not all iPhone Duo units are affected and that those that are tend to show the display fault early on. The company added that users who experience problems with their iPhone Duo display should contact AppleCare for a replacement.
Not long ago, Apple treated independent repair like an act of outright hostility. The Cupertino giant locked down parts with serial-number pairing, while repair tools remained firmly out of reach of anyone outside its authorized repair network. More importantly, the company waged a legal and lobbying battle against right-to-repair legislation.
I've covered enough of these fights over the years to know what a shift looks like. That's why what happened in October 2026 genuinely caught me off guard. The day the iPhone Duo went on sale, what may be the most mechanically complex iPhone to date, Apple pulled off a surprising about-face. It published teardown-style repair manuals for a handful of major components.