🎮 Good morning, friends. If you’ve been waiting with bated breath for the new God of War: Ragnarok release date, it’s time to breathe a sigh of relief. We now know when the game is coming and how much it’ll cost. Catch up on this and more fun news from the tech world in today’s edition.

Apple’s new “Lockdown Mode” is unlike anything on Android

Please don’t start hating on me for an Apple story now! Not before you read what I have to say. No, this isn’t a rant about Apple locking its users into its ecosystem. It’s about what Apple is doing for security on its iPhones. The Cupertino player has built a new Lockdown Mode for its devices, unlike any security measure you would find on your Android devices. As Ars Technica explains it, the feature is no snake oil, either. This is actually good stuff from Apple.

What is it?

• Lockdown Mode is an extreme form of protection against targeted threats by mercenary spyware.
• Think Jason Bourne-style tech attacks on highly influential individuals like diplomats, political dissidents, and lawyers.
• Turning on Lockdown Mode hardens device defenses and strictly limits certain functionalities.
• It sharply reduces the attack surface that potentially could be exploited by highly targeted mercenary spyware.
• While such attacks only affect a small number of users, the new Lockdown Mode is great for people who think their security has been compromised and want to take immediate steps to stop the cyberattack.
• Apple has also established a new category within the Apple Security Bounty program to reward researchers who find Lockdown Mode bypasses.
• Bounties are doubled for qualifying findings in Lockdown Mode, up to a maximum of $2,000,000 — the highest maximum bounty payout in the industry.

Lockdown Mode protections

At launch, Lockdown Mode includes the following protections:

• Messages: Most message attachment types other than images are blocked. Some features, like link previews, are disabled.
• Web browsing: Certain complex web technologies, like just-in-time (JIT) JavaScript compilation, are disabled unless the user excludes a trusted site from Lockdown Mode.
• Apple services: Incoming invitations and service requests, including FaceTime calls, are blocked if the user has not previously sent the initiator a call or request.
• Wired connections with a computer or accessory are blocked when the iPhone is locked.
• Configuration profiles cannot be installed, and the device cannot enroll into mobile device management (MDM), while Lockdown Mode is turned on.

When and where is it coming?

• The new Lockdown Mode is headed to not just iPhones but also iPads and macOS devices.
• Apple will introduce it on iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura.
• Apple will continue strengthening Lockdown Mode and will add new protections over time.

Roundup

🖼️ Nothing is doing an NFT thing, and people don’t like it: Carl Pei’s Nothing has announced an NFT. It’s a video clip of a cube with a bouncing black dot. The company will give the NFTs away to early investors before it puts them on sale to the public. Folks aren’t too happy about it, though (Android Authority).

🔒 The July 2022 Android security patch is here for Google Pixels (Android Authority), and so are some super fun frog wallpapers (9To5Google).

🛍️ Amazon Prime Day early deals: Phones, TVs, and much more are on sale now (Android Authority).

😂 Looks like HUAWEI forgot about Samsung: HUAWEI’s Richard Yu said that there would have been only Apple and HUAWEI if not for the US ban (Android Authority).

🕹️ God Of War: Ragnarok has a launch date! November 9, 2022, is the fated day for the second coming of GoW. Kratos and Atreus’ new adventure will cost you $59.99 on the PS4 and $69.99 on the PS5. There are also two hella cool Collectors and Jötnar Editions (PlayStation Blog).

⏱️ Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro leak in official renders (91Mobiles).

🍔 Grubhub and Amazon Delight US Prime Members with free Grubhub+: Yup, this sweet deal gives you a year-long Grubhub membership thanks to Amazon acquiring a stake in the delivery service’s parent company (Grubhub).

🚫 Internet shutdowns cost the global economy $10B so far in 2022: Like the economy needs any more blows right now. Time to shut down government-ordered shutdowns (Ars Technica).

📱 Verizon is sunsetting its 3G networks and offering free 4G LTE phones: Verizon wants to pull you out of the dark ages with a free 4G flip phone. Now don’t go expecting a Galaxy Z Flip 3. It’s just a basic phone, but it’ll do the trick if you’re stuck on a 3G device (Verizon).

Thursday Thing: Mice made of frozen skin cells of other mice

Scientists at the University of Yamanashi in Japan are surely not mousing around with this one. Or are they? Nevertheless, they have managed to create cloned mice using frozen skin cells of other mice. It’s a world-first and a big deal because it could pave the way for repopulating endangered species of animals.

• Researchers froze dried skin cells from mouse tails and stored them for nine months before creating clones.
• The freezing process killed the skin cells but scientists still managed to create the clones.
• They made early-stage cloned embryos by inserting the dead cells into mouse eggs.
• Surrogate mice carried the embryos to term.
• The first cloned mouse was named Dorami, after manga character Doraemon.
• Dorami also had its own litter after successfully mating with a female.

Isn’t science fantastic? Have a good rest of the day.

Adamya Sharma, Editor.