Tag: alerts
Waze tests new alerts warning drivers about roads with a ‘history of crashes’
Waze is one of the preferred navigation apps for many due to its live community-driven traffic incident information — but what if the app warned you where a crash could likely occur? A new beta version of the Google-owned app, as reported by Israeli tech news site Geektime, can alert users about roads that have statistically high crash occurrences based on Waze community data.
While using this new beta version of Waze, nearby roads deemed to be high-risk are colored red on the map. Although, Geektime points out that it may not do this for roads that the user often travels on. The feature also only pushes just one pop-up notification about the dangerous roads around the driver, perhaps in an effort to keep precaution from turning into…
Final hours of cold snap before temperatures jump – but rain and ice alerts remain
UK weather: Snow and ice alerts extended as cold snap continues
California Warned 2.2 Million People Via Phone Alerts Before Earthquake Hit – CNET
FCC proposes rules to prevent fake emergency alerts
The Federal Communications Commission is well aware of the potential damage from fake emergency alerts, and it’s hoping to minimize the threat with policy changes. The agency has proposed rules that would require stricter security for the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts. Participants and telecoms would have to not only report EAS breaches within 72 hours, but provide yearly certifications that they both have “sufficient” safeguards and a risk management plan.
The proposed rules would also require phone carriers to send authentication data ensuring that only legitimate emergency alerts reach customer devices. The FCC is similarly looking for comments on the effectiveness of the current requirements for transmitting EAS notices, and suggestions for “alternative approaches” with improvements.
The proposal comes three years after University of Colorado researchers warned that it was easy to spoof FEMA’s presidential alerts, with no way to verify the authenticity of the broadcasts. And while the 2018 Hawaii missile alert was the result of an error rather than a hack, it underscored the risks associated with false warnings. Even at small scales, a fake alert could reach tens of thousands of people, possibly leading to panic and reduced trust in real messages.
It’s not certain if the proposals are enough. The 72-hour window may help prevent some false alerts, but not all of them — that’s plenty of time for a hacker to both breach an emergency system and send fake messages. It’s likewise unclear if the FCC would update its security requirements to keep up with evolving threats. Even so, this shows that the Commission is at least aware of the dangers.
Petivity Smart Litterbox Monitor Review: Helpful Health Alerts
iPhone 14 Pro Moves Annoying Low Battery Alerts to the Dynamic Island
There are currently around 30 things that the Dynamic Island can show, including system alerts for incoming phone calls, AirPods and other accessories being connected, Face ID authentication, Apple Pay, AirDrop, AirPlay, car keys in the Wallet app, unlocking the iPhone with an Apple Watch, charging and low battery indicators, ring/silent mode, various NFC interactions, Focus mode changes, Shortcuts, Airplane Mode, SIM card alerts, and Find My.
Notably, iPhone 14 Pro models no longer display an annoying low battery alert in the middle of the screen when the device drops to 20% battery life remaining, with or without a charger connected, as The Wall Street Journal‘s Joanna Stern confirmed to us. Instead, the low battery alert appears in the Dynamic Island and requires no action from the user.
Dynamic Island also allows users to interact with live activities, such as an ongoing phone call, a SharePlay session, music playback, a timer, turn-by-turn directions in Apple Maps, voice memos, screen recordings, and Personal Hotspot connections. Music playback is supported for Apple Music and for third-party apps using the Now Playing API, including Spotify, YouTube Music, SoundCloud, Overcast, Stitcher, and others.
Last, Dynamic Island also works with third-party apps using the CallKit API, such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Skype, and Google Voice.
Stern provided a closer look at the Dynamic Island in her iPhone 14 Pro review video, which was shot on an actual island in the New York City area.
Exclusive to iPhone 14 Pro models, the Dynamic Island is a pill-shaped area that replaces the notch found on previous models. Aided by software, the Dynamic Island morphs into different shapes and sizes for system alerts and other tasks. The feature will also work with Live Activities in third-party apps starting later this year.
This article, “iPhone 14 Pro Moves Annoying Low Battery Alerts to the Dynamic Island” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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How to Get Location Tracking Alerts in Google Maps
Location sharing in Google Maps makes it easy to keep tabs on people (with their permission). You can make it even easier by setting up alerts to be notified when someone leaves or arrives at a location.