Tim Hortons app tracked donut lovers’ locations without consent

Another food app has been caught sharing location data without asking. As CBC Newsreports, Canadian privacy authorities have determined that restaurant chain Tim Hortons collected “granular” location data through its mobile app without valid consent between May 2019 and August 2020. The coffee-and-donut giant was supposed to be using positional info from its partner Radar Labs for targeted ads, but the app was gathering locations as frequently as every few minutes, whether or not the app was open — even if you’d explicitly limited that collection through settings.

Investigators also found that there weren’t enough contractual protections for the personal data Radar processed. The clauses were “vague and permissive” enough that Radar could have used sensitive content for its own purposes, according to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. While Radar would have needed to anonymize the data, officials said the contract still wasn’t strong enough to adequately protect users’ data.

The investigation came soon after Financial Post journalist James McLeod wrote a story revealing the extent of Tim Hortons’ location-gathering practices. The app checked McLeod’s location over 2,700 times in less than five months, including when he traveled to Morocco. The piece prompted multiple class action lawsuits.

The privacy offices noted that Tim Hortons’ real-world data use was “very limited,” and that restaurant operator TDL Group agreed to delete relevant data alongside its partners. The company also agreed to create a privacy management program that kept its apps from violating privacy laws. In a statement, Tim Hortons told the CBC that it had “strengthened” its privacy team.

Even so, the findings highlight the concerns about potential app data abuse. While Tim Hortons isn’t known to have misused info, other companies have put data on sale and otherwise lost control. Those compromises can lead to unwanted advertising and, in extreme cases, probes into your personal life. British Columbia privacy commissioner Michael McEvoy saw this latest investigation as proof stronger oversight was necessary, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Canada and other countries took action.

Apple is reportedly working on a major multitasking update for iPad

The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference takes place next week and, as always in the lead up to the event, the rumor mill is churning away. A report from Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman suggests that Apple will reveal some big updates for iPadOS 16. Apple has long been trying to position the iPad as a viable alternative to a laptop, and the software changes will seemingly nudge the device further in that direction.

Gurman’s sources say iPadOS 16 will have a revamped multitasking interface, including more resizing options. Currently, users can run apps in full screen or side by side in Split View. The Slide Over function allows you to bring in a narrower version of a third app as well. The next version of iPadOS will seemingly make it easier to move between apps and see which ones you have open too. 

To add fuel to the fire, developer Steve Troughton-Smith last week spotted code in WebKit which indicates that Apple may allow for freely resizable windows in iPadOS.

Improved multitasking options and resizable apps will be very welcome for many users. Folks have long been able to use keyboards with the iPad and Apple added full mouse and trackpad support two years ago. Whether the mooted iPadOS updates will actually help the device become a laptop killer remains to be seen, but it’s clear Apple hasn’t given up on the idea. 

Also during Monday’s keynote, we’ll surely get a look at what’s next for the iPhone, Mac and Apple Watch operating systems. Gurman previously reported that iOS 16 will introduce more health-tracking features, upgraded notifications and support for always-on displays (which is expected to only be available on iPhone 14 Pro models at first). A refreshed lock screen may include widgets, which Messages is believed to be getting more features as well.

Android update brings Pixel’s custom text stickers to more phones

While we wait to learn more about Android 13, Google continues to release new features to its platform in the same regular cadence it’s adopted for the last few years. Today, the company has announced a set of updates around GBoard stickers, the Play Store and accessibility apps like Lookout and Sound Amplifier.

First, Google is bringing custom text stickers, which it previously launched on Pixel phones, to all Android devices. The feature allows you to convert English words into images, so if you type “Hi Ma” into GBoard and tap the custom stickers button in the suggested emojis row, you’ll see some auto-generated graphics featuring that text in different designs. Your language will have to be set to US English for this to work, for now.

The company is also adding more than 1,600 new Emoji Kitchen combinations so you can make new hybrid emoticons by tapping two symbols in succession. It’s also adding rainbow-themed stickers for users to share their Pride celebrations. 

Sound Amplifier is an Android app that makes sounds around you louder, which could be helpful for people with hearing loss. “Today’s update brings improved background noise reduction,” according to Google, along with “faster and more accurate sound and a revamped user interface that is easier to see.”

Also relevant to accessibility is the Lookout app, which uses the device’s camera to identify and describe objects around the user. It can read out words on signs or tell you if there’s say, a table at the two o’clock position, for example, so you can avoid walking into it. Today, Google’s adding a new Images mode that uses its “latest machine learning model for image understanding” and can describe an image even if you opened it from “just about any app.” The company also updated the Text, Documents, Food Label and Explore modes to make the app more accurate. Plus, Lookout now works offline, so you can use it without an internet connection.

Finally, those who have been racking up Google Play Points can use them to get in-app items without leaving their games or apps. You can choose to pay for things with solely Play Points or a mix of money and points. This feature is rolling out over the coming weeks in the countries where Play Points are available. Meanwhile, you can update your other apps like Lookout and GBoard to see the new tools announced today.

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Amazon to pull Kindle e-readers and bookstore from China

Chinese readers are about to lose some choice in e-books. Reutersreports Amazon is pulling Kindle products from China over the course of the next two years. The company will stop offering Kindle e-readers to local retailers as of today, and plans to shutter its digital bookstore in the country on June 30th, 2023. The Kindle app will leave Chinese online stores on June 30th, 2024, and customers will have until then to download any books they’ve already purchased.

Amazon will still provide warranty service and other help for Kindle e-readers, and will accept returns for “non-quality issues” for any device bought after January 1st, 2022. Hardware, apps and books will still be usable after the 2024 cutoff.

In its notice, Amazon stressed that this didn’t represent a withdrawal from China. The company had a “long-term commitment” that included online shopping and smart home devices. Amazon also told Reuters that this wasn’t due to censorship or other government pressure, and that it occasionally “make[s] adjustments” following reviews.

Poor sales might play a role. While Amazon is a frontrunner in the e-reader and e-book markets for numerous countries, it has struggled in China as of late. The country was once the Kindle’s largest market, with internal data (obtained by Reuters) showing that it represented over 40 percent of e-reader sales in 2017. The rise of Chinese competitors like Xiaomi andTikTok parent ByteDance eroded Amazon’s share, however, and iiMedia Research analyst Zhang Yi told Nikkei that the Kindle brand is now “relatively niche” in the region. The Chinese are more likely to read with their phones, and domestic e-book services like Tencent’s China Literature dominate where the Kindle app isn’t even in the top 10.

Amazon isn’t the only American company scaling back its Chinese presence. Airbnb, LinkedIn and Yahoo (Engadget’s parent company) have either limited services or withdrawn entirely. Amazon’s exit from e-reading is one of the more prominent examples, though, and illustrates how difficult it can be for US firms to court Chinese audiences.

TCL is jumping on the pen phone trend with the Stylus 5G

A couple of years ago, Motorola introduced its first phone with a built-in stylus, which quickly became one of the company’s best-selling handsets. And now TCL is jumping on the trend with its first attempt at making a budget Galaxy Note alternative wi…

Chipotle now accepts cryptocurrency payments

You can now reportedly pay for your burritos and tacos with Bitcoin and other digital currencies, in case you don’t mind spending your coins directly instead of going through exchanges first. Flexa has announced that the Mexican fast food chain can now accept digital payments through its platform. The option is apparently available at all Chipotle locations in the US, and you can use it so long as you have a Flexa-enabled wallet app, such as Gemini and SPEDN. You simply have to fire up your app, choose Chipotle and show your phone at the cashier.

With this update, Chipotle joins the list of famous food chains that accept cryptocurrency as payment, including Starbucks and Subway. Other retailers and stores, such as Nordstrom have also started taking digital coin payments in recent years. For a while, you could even buy a Tesla with Bitcoin in the US, though the automaker ended up suspending the method, citing environmental concerns. One of the biggest issues surrounding digital currencies is how much energy they consume and how big their impact is on the environment. 

Chipotle has yet to issue an official statement about the payment option — we’ve reached out to the company for confirmation — but Flexa says it’s giving everyone 10 percent off their next purchase at the restaurant until June 30th. There’s a one transaction limit, though, and the max discount you can get is $10.

Update: Jun 2nd, 9:33am ET. Chipotle sent over a statement from Curt Garner, Chief Technology Officer, which says that the chain is “constantly exploring innovation that will enhance our guest experience, and that includes now accepting digital currency payments with Flexa in Chipotle’s U.S. restaurants.”