Google Photos isn’t available on Android TV, and for good reason. As long as you can cast any photo or video from your phone to your TV, you don’t really need the full app to be installed on the latter. However, there are a few reasons why you might want to get the proper Photos app installed and for that, we have this tutorial. It’s a very convoluted process, especially if you own a Chromecast with Google TV (but much less so if you own an NVIDIA Shield), and you’re better off not wasting your time with it unless you really need it.
Why get the Google Photos app
I could talk about how more convenient it is to browse your gallery directly on the TV instead of looking down at the phone then up at the big screen, but really that’s a tiny nitpick. As far as I’m concerned, there are only two valid reasons to get Google Photos running on your Android TV.
The first one is to set up automatic backups and sync your screenshots to other devices. This is clearly something only tech writers, gamers, app developers, or tutorial writers would find useful. For most other people who don’t need the automatic backup to kick in each time they take a screenshot, there’s always a slower manual way to send screenshots to other devices — uploading from Solid Explorer to Google Drive, or using Send Files to TV are two methods I’ve often used.
The second reason is to allow someone who doesn’t have a smartphone to browse your gallery on the big screen. It could be younger kids or elderly people, or anyone else who doesn’t have a phone or tablet, and you want them to be able to access the gallery and check some pics or videos when you’re not around to cast the content to the TV.
Missing features, plenty of inconveniences
For those of you who feel like rebels and think they’d still want to access Photos on the TV, let me take a moment to deflate your enthusiasm. Even when you get it running, the experience is nothing like you’re used to. This is the same Photos app but the interface isn’t optimized for Android TV, so a lot of the features just aren’t available.
For one, the bottom tabs we’re used to seeing on our phones aren’t visible on TVs, so you can’t go to the search tab (people, places, things) or access your library (albums, favorites, archive). That means you can only browse shared albums — through the conversation bubble on the top left — but even then, only the first two rows of pics are accessible, and not the entire album. For some reason, it’s impossible to scroll past them.
And we haven’t even gotten to the biggest downside of the experience: You can’t press next (right) or previous (left) on your remote’s D-pad to move between fullscreen media. Instead, you have to open each image or video one by one, then go back and choose another.
All the icons here aren’t accessible with a TV remote’s D-pad.
That only leaves some limited functionality. Besides browsing one by one, you can tap and hold to select items then share, delete, archive, or add them to an album. You can also set up automatic backups for specific folders.
Using a USB or Bluetooth mouse might improve the situation a bit, but still, a lot of the features remain inaccessible due to the way the app is presented on Android TV. Overall, what’s here isn’t worth the hassle for most people.
Step 1: Install Google Photos on Android TV
If, after all of these warnings, you’re still excited to get Google Photos to run on the TV, brace yourself. The process isn’t for the unexperienced or the faint of heart. If any terms I use below seem confusing, you’re better off skipping this whole bidness altogether.
Download the latest Google Photos APK
Since browsers on Android TV are mostly crap, it’s better if you kick this off on you phone. You need to start by grabbing an installation file for Photos that’s compatible with your TV.
Of course, we recommend going to our sister site APK Mirror and getting the latest version. Your best bet is to get a full APK, i.e. skip the ones that have a “bundle” notice next to them. The variant to grab will depend on the TV you have. For example, you need the v7a processor variant for the Chromecast with Google TV, and the v8a one for the Nvidia Shield.
Sideload it
The next steps are to send this APK over to your TV and install it there. I won’t go over these two steps in detail here because we’ve already written separate tutorials for them:
Step 2: Find, launch, and browse Google Photos
Photos being an unsanctioned app on Android TV, it doesn’t show up in the app launcher, so there’s no way for you to quickly launch it.
You’ll need to go to the Android TV’s Settings > Apps > See all apps, then scroll down to get to Photos and select Open on the right panel.
If you find yourself opening Photos frequently enough that these steps become annoying, or if you want to simplify it for a kid or someone else, you can set up a Button Mapper shortcut for it. Basically this remaps almost any button on the TV’s remote to Photos.
Another solution would be to use a third-party launcher like Sideload Launcher or Home Screen Launcher to show your sideloaded apps and open them quickly.
Whatever the method you decide to access Photos with, the first time you open the app, it’ll ask you for the permission to see your photos and media. You have to agree to that, then Photos’ almost-familiar interface springs up.
The top bar lets you access your shared photos and conversations, as well as the various settings (more on that later). Below that, you’ll find your memories followed by your gallery. As I mentioned earlier, the functionality here is very limited, so don’t expect anything like Photos on your phone.
Step 3: Set up automatic screenshot backups
I already explained how to take a screenshot on Android TV in my remote remapping tutorial. Owners of the Nvidia Shield need not go through that, though. Holding down the Home button on the Shield’s remote surfaces a menu for taking a screenshot.
Turn on automatic backups
When you first sign in with Google Photos, there’s a good chance you’ll be asked to turn on backup & sync. If you plan to use the Photos app to sync your screenshots, you need to turn that on, but it’s not enough.
Most Android TV devices don’t save screenshots inside the DCIM folder, so they won’t be automatically part of the backup. You need to toggle sync for the standalone screenshot folder, but it isn’t as easy as tapping on your avatar and going to settings to turn it on.
You’ll quickly notice that D-pad scrolling in the menu isn’t possible in Photos on Android TV, so you can’t go down to settings or click on anything. What you need is a mouse or mouse-like functionality to do that.
Get a USB/BT mouse or a third-party app
Three scenarios present themselves in the case of the missing mouse function.
➡️ If you have a USB or Bluetooth mouse ready, just connect it to your Android TV unit. It’s the easiest way to proceed.
➡️ If you have a Shield TV, you can download the official remote app from the Play Store and switch to the mousepad mode in it. You’ll get a hovering mouse on your TV that you can move around and click on items with. Easy peasy.
➡️ And finally, if you have any other Android TV, you’re left in the cold because the official remote app has a trackpad and a swipepad, but no mouse. I tried plenty of apps, but only one worked well on my Chromecast with Google TV: Zank Remote. I had to install it on both my phone and my TV to enable the cursor mode. The app requires accessibility access and the permission to display over other apps (it’s putting a cursor on top of your screen). I also noticed that it kept asking for USB debugging and the permission to access media, but I got it to work without those.
Honestly, I’m not very comfortable recommending this because the app asks for more access than it needs. But if you don’t have a Shield or a mouse, then it’s the only thing that works. You can always revoke the permissions — and even uninstall the app — once you’re done setting things up in Photos.
Enable screenshot backups (finally)
Whew, we’re almost there.
Regardless of the way you got a cursor to show up on your TV, it’s time to enable that screenshot folder backup. Go to your avatar on the top right of Google Photos. Now select Photos settings > Back up & sync > Back up device folders and toggle Screenshots on. All of the steps are outlined in the screenshots below.
And with that done, you can simply go back, disable the mouse and continue living your life normally. Each time you take a screenshot, it’ll be automatically backed up to Google Photos, and it’ll become accessible from all your devices. It works in the background too, just like Photos on any other Android device, but it may not be as instantaneous. Give it a few seconds if you don’t see the images pop up on your phone.
I told you before we got started that this wasn’t a simple process and I hope you realize why it’s not worth it, given all the limitations you still end up facing once the app is installed. But if you often take screenshots on your TV and want to get them wirelessly over to your other devices, there’s nothing as quick and reliable as Photos backups.
Although no one likes a know-it-all, they dominate the Internet.
The Internet began as a vast repository of information. It quickly became a breeding ground for self-proclaimed experts seeking what most people desire: recognition and money.
Today, anyone with an Internet connection and some typing skills can position themselves, regardless of their education or experience, as a subject matter expert (SME). From relationship advice, career coaching, and health and nutrition tips to citizen journalists practicing pseudo-journalism, the Internet is awash with individuals—Internet talking heads—sharing their “insights,” which are, in large part, essentially educated guesses without the education or experience.
The Internet has become a 24/7/365 sitcom where armchair experts think they’re the star.
Not long ago, years, sometimes decades, of dedicated work and acquiring education in one’s field was once required to be recognized as an expert. The knowledge and opinions of doctors, scientists, historians, et al. were respected due to their education and experience. Today, a social media account and a knack for hyperbole are all it takes to present oneself as an “expert” to achieve Internet fame that can be monetized.
On the Internet, nearly every piece of content is self-serving in some way.
The line between actual expertise and self-professed knowledge has become blurry as an out-of-focus selfie. Inadvertently, social media platforms have created an informal degree program where likes and shares are equivalent to degrees. After reading selective articles, they’ve found via and watching some TikTok videos, a person can post a video claiming they’re an herbal medicine expert. Their new “knowledge,” which their followers will absorb, claims that Panda dung tea—one of the most expensive teas in the world and isn’t what its name implies—cures everything from hypertension to existential crisis. Meanwhile, registered dietitians are shaking their heads, wondering how to compete against all the misinformation their clients are exposed to.
More disturbing are individuals obsessed with evangelizing their beliefs or conspiracy theories. These people write in-depth blog posts, such as Elvis Is Alive and the Moon Landings Were Staged, with links to obscure YouTube videos, websites, social media accounts, and blogs. Regardless of your beliefs, someone or a group on the Internet shares them, thus confirming your beliefs.
Misinformation is the Internet’s currency used to get likes, shares, and engagement; thus, it often spreads like a cosmic joke. Consider the prevalence of clickbait headlines:
You Won’t Believe What Taylor Swift Says About Climate Change!
This Bedtime Drink Melts Belly Fat While You Sleep!
In One Week, I Turned $10 Into $1 Million!
Titles that make outrageous claims are how the content creator gets reads and views, which generates revenue via affiliate marketing, product placement, and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Clickbait headlines are how you end up watching a TikTok video by a purported nutrition expert adamantly asserting you can lose belly fat while you sleep by drinking, for 14 consecutive days, a concoction of raw eggs, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before going to bed.
Our constant search for answers that’ll explain our convoluted world and our desire for shortcuts to success is how Internet talking heads achieve influencer status. Because we tend to seek low-hanging fruits, we listen to those with little experience or knowledge of the topics they discuss yet are astute enough to know what most people want to hear.
There’s a trend, more disturbing than spreading misinformation, that needs to be called out: individuals who’ve never achieved significant wealth or traded stocks giving how-to-make-easy-money advice, the appeal of which is undeniable. Several people I know have lost substantial money by following the “advice” of Internet talking heads.
Anyone on social media claiming to have a foolproof money-making strategy is lying. They wouldn’t be peddling their money-making strategy if they could make easy money.
Successful people tend to be secretive.
Social media companies design their respective algorithms to serve their advertisers—their source of revenue—interest; hence, content from Internet talking heads appears most prominent in your feeds. When a video of a self-professed expert goes viral, likely because it pressed an emotional button, the more people see it, the more engagement it receives, such as likes, shares and comments, creating a cycle akin to a tornado.
Imagine scrolling through your TikTok feed and stumbling upon a “scientist” who claims they can predict the weather using only aluminum foil, copper wire, sea salt and baking soda. You chuckle, but you notice his video got over 7,000 likes, has been shared over 600 times and received over 400 comments. You think to yourself, “Maybe this guy is onto something.” What started as a quest to achieve Internet fame evolved into an Internet-wide belief that weather forecasting can be as easy as DIY crafts.
Since anyone can call themselves “an expert,” you must cultivate critical thinking skills to distinguish genuine expertise from self-professed experts’ self-promoting nonsense. While the absurdity of the Internet can be entertaining, misinformation has serious consequences. The next time you read a headline that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably an Internet talking head making an educated guess; without the education seeking Internet fame, they can monetize.
TORONTO – A new survey says a majority of software engineers and developers feel tight project deadlines can put safety at risk.
Seventy-five per cent of the 1,000 global workers who responded to the survey released Tuesday say pressure to deliver projects on time and on budget could be compromising critical aspects like safety.
The concern is even higher among engineers and developers in North America, with 77 per cent of those surveyed on the continent reporting the urgency of projects could be straining safety.
The study was conducted between July and September by research agency Coleman Parkes and commissioned by BlackBerry Ltd.’s QNX division, which builds connected-car technology.
The results reflect a timeless tug of war engineers and developers grapple with as they balance the need to meet project deadlines with regulations and safety checks that can slow down the process.
Finding that balance is an issue that developers of even the simplest appliances face because of advancements in technology, said John Wall, a senior vice-president at BlackBerry and head of QNX.
“The software is getting more complicated and there is more software whether it’s in a vehicle, robotics, a toaster, you name it… so being able to patch vulnerabilities, to prevent bad actors from doing malicious acts is becoming more and more important,” he said.
The medical, industrial and automotive industries have standardized safety measures and anything they produce undergoes rigorous testing, but that work doesn’t happen overnight. It has to be carried out from the start and then at every step of the development process.
“What makes safety and security difficult is it’s an ongoing thing,” Wall said. “It’s not something where you’ve done it, and you are finished.”
The Waterloo, Ont.-based business found 90 per cent of its survey respondents reported that organizations are prioritizing safety.
However, when asked about why safety may not be a priority for their organization, 46 per cent of those surveyed answered cost pressures and 35 per cent said a lack of resources.
That doesn’t surprise Wall. Delays have become rampant in the development of tech, and in some cases, stand to push back the launch of vehicle lines by two years, he said.
“We have to make sure that people don’t compromise on safety and security to be able to get products out quicker,” he said.
“What we don’t want to see is people cutting corners and creating unsafe situations.”
The survey also took a peek at security breaches, which have hit major companies like London Drugs, Indigo Books & Music, Giant Tiger and Ticketmaster in recent years.
About 40 per cent of the survey’s respondents said they have encountered a security breach in their employer’s operating system. Those breaches resulted in major impacts for 27 per cent of respondents, moderate impacts for 42 per cent and minor impacts for 27 per cent.
“There are vulnerabilities all the time and this is what makes the job very difficult because when you ship the software, presumably the software has no security vulnerabilities, but things get discovered after the fact,” Wall said.
Security issues, he added, have really come to the forefront of the problems developers face, so “really without security, you have no safety.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.
As online shoppers hunt for bargains offered by Amazon during its annual fall sale this week, cybersecurity researchers are warning Canadians to beware of an influx of scammers posing as the tech giant.
In the 30 days leading up to Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days, taking place Tuesday and Wednesday, there were more than 1,000 newly registered Amazon-related web domains, according to Check Point Software Technologies, a company that offers cybersecurity solutions.
The company said it deemed 88 per cent of those domains malicious or suspicious, suggesting they could have been set up by scammers to prey on vulnerable consumers. One in every 54 newly created Amazon-related domain included the phrase “Amazon Prime.”
“They’re almost indiscernible from the real Amazon domain,” said Robert Falzon, head of engineering at Check Point in Canada.
“With all these domains registered that look so similar, it’s tricking a lot of people. And that’s the whole intent here.”
Falzon said Check Point Research sees an uptick in attempted scams around big online shopping days throughout the year, including Prime Days.
Scams often come in the form of phishing emails, which are deceptive messages that appear to be from a reputable source in attempt to steal sensitive information.
In this case, he said scammers posing as Amazon commonly offer “outrageous” deals that appear to be associated with Prime Days, in order to trick recipients into clicking on a malicious link.
The cybersecurity firm said it has identified and blocked 100 unique Amazon Prime-themed scam emails targeting organizations and consumers over the past two weeks.
Scammers also target Prime members with unsolicited calls, claiming urgent account issues and requesting payment information.
“It’s like Christmas for them,” said Falzon.
“People expect there to be significant savings on Prime Day, so they’re not shocked that they see something of significant value. Usually, the old adage applies: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
Amazon’s website lists a number of red flags that it recommends customers watch for to identify a potential impersonation scam.
Those include false urgency, requests for personal information, or indications that the sender prefers to complete the purchase outside of the Amazon website or mobile app.
Scammers may also request that customers exclusively pay with gift cards, a claim code or PIN. Any notifications about an order or delivery for an unexpected item should also raise alarm bells, the company says.
“During busy shopping moments, we tend to see a rise in impersonation scams reported by customers,” said Amazon spokeswoman Octavia Roufogalis in a statement.
“We will continue to invest in protecting consumers and educating the public on scam avoidance. We encourage consumers to report suspected scams to us so that we can protect their accounts and refer bad actors to law enforcement to help keep consumers safe.”
Falzon added that these scams are more successful than people might think.
As of June 30, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said there had been $284 million lost to fraud so far this year, affecting 15,941 victims.
But Falzon said many incidents go unreported, as some Canadians who are targeted do not know how or where to flag a scam, or may choose not to out of embarrassment.
Check Point recommends Amazon customers take precautions while shopping on Prime Days, including by checking URLs carefully, creating strong passwords on their accounts, and avoiding personal information being shared such as their birthday or social security number.
The cybersecurity company said consumers should also look for “https” at the beginning of a website URL, which indicates a secure connection, and use credit cards rather than debit cards for online shopping, which offer better protection and less liability if stolen.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.
