Google launches new private computing services to improve Android security

Google previously introduced Android’s Private Computing Core in Android 12 Beta. Recently, the company also announced a new set of Private Computing Services that bridge the privacy gap between the Private Computing Core and the cloud. Android’s private computing core is an open-source, secure environment that is isolated from other operating systems and apps. For each new version of Android, Google adds more privacy protections to the Private Computing Core.

Google private computing services

The privacy protection features added this time include:

• Live Caption: Use Google’s voice recognition to add subtitles to media;
• Now Playing (listen to the song to recognize the song): It can identify the music being played nearby and display the song name and artist name on the lock screen of the device;
• Smart Reply: Suggests a response based on the user’s conversation in the messaging application.

To make these functions private, they must:

• Keep the information on the device confidential: Android can ensure that sensitive data processed in the private computing core will not be shared with any App. For example, before the user clicks on the smart reply, the operating system will hide the user’s reply from the keyboard and the App you are typing on;
• When the user’s device uses the cloud (downloading a new song catalog or voice recognition model), privacy will not be affected.

With private computing services, Android will prevent any function in the private computing core from directly accessing the network. Instead, it will communicate with private computing services through a small set of purposeful open-source APIs. Private computing services strip off identifying information and use a set of privacy technologies, including joint learning, joint analysis, and private information retrieval.

Google promised to publicly release the source code of private computing services so that security researchers and teams other than Google can review it.

 Android 12 Beta 5 version is here

A few days ago, Google officially released the Android 12 Beta 5 version. This update will be the last beta version of Android 12 before its official launch. Android 12 Beta 5 does not have any major new features. It is mainly for the final test and review of the system to ensure the stability of Android 12. The launch date of the official version of Android 12 is not yet clear, but we expect it to arrive in mid-to-late September.

Android 12 Beta 5 update content:

• Nearby Share can now be set to be visible to “Everyone”
• Pixel phones will notify users when there is a charging restriction due to overheating
• Google Calculator has redesigned Material You
• The power menu displays the lock button by default
• The Android 12 system adds a desktop widget that can display the Material You dynamic palette
• The day of the week/date on the lock screen will be higher instead of being displayed next to the clock
• When a notification is displayed on the lock screen, the notification will be closer to the center of the screen
• “Device Control” (for smart home) shortcuts on the lock screen
• Device search: must be accessed from the top of the App drawer
• Google Clock 7.0 gets Material You redesign and widgets
• September Security Patch