Google to Offer RISC-V Version of Android Emulator
On October 31, Google announced on its open source blog a series of plans to support the open source architecture RISC-V on the Android platform, confirming that a RISC-V version of the Android emulator will be available in 2024. Google announced at the RISC-V Summit late last year that it plans to make RISC-V a T1 support architecture for Android, raising the status of the RISC-V architecture to the same level as ARM. Google announced at the RISC-V Summit late last year that it planned to make RISC-V a T1-supported architecture for Android, bringing the RISC-V architecture to the same level as the ARM architecture. Currently, developers can test, build, and run RISC-V on their own machines for Android, though the AOSP support for RISC-V is primitive at the moment, and the ART portion is still under development.
YouTube Begins Massive Blocking of Ad Blockers
In a recent statement to tech media outlet The Verge, Christopher Lawton, director of media for streaming platform YouTube, admitted that YouTube is trying to steer users around the world away from using ad blockers or trying to buy the YouTube Premium service. Lawton said that YouTube has been trying to block ad blockers globally since June, and that a broader rollout will follow.
Netflix to Tweak Ad Strategy for Cheap Packages
On Nov. 1, streaming platform Netflix made an announcement that it will further improve the user experience of ad-supported tier packages. This adjustment will reduce the number of times users are interrupted by ads while watching a movie continuously, especially when users watch three episodes of a movie in a row, ads will no longer pop up from the fourth episode onwards. In addition, Netflix will open up offline downloads to users of ad-inclusive packages. All of the new policies will be in place from the first quarter of 2024.
Chrome for iOS Adds Bottom Search Bar
An update to Chrome for iOS was recently released. The latest version of Chrome adds a bottom search bar, and users can choose whether to place the search bar at the top or the bottom. In addition, users can choose to turn on or off the security warning of the Password Security Checker tool. When switching from an Android device to an iOS device, users will be able to restore recently opened tabs the first time they log in.
Other News
According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, Apple is considering developing an Apple Watch for Android devices and trying to bring the Health app from iOS to Android. The project was codenamed “Project Fennel,” but Apple canceled it before it was completed. According to insiders close to the project, Apple ultimately abandoned the project because an Android-compatible Apple Watch would have diluted the value of the Apple Watch itself, which Apple saw as a window to increase iPhone sales.