Instagram Announces Support for Third-Party Authentication Apps, New Path to Verification, and More

Instagram wants to make sure that there are a variety of different tools in place to help its users feel safe, whether that’s revealing even more information about certain profiles or offering support for third-party apps that can add a layer of security to logging in.

On Tuesday, Instagram officially announced a trio of new features that will begin rolling out this week. The first two are designed to provide even more information about accounts, whether it’s your own or another, while the third is meant to offer up another option for two-factor authentication for a more secure log-on process and security.

“About This Account” is a new feature that will let users see even more context about specific accounts. When this feature rolls out in the coming weeks, users will be able to visit a profile, select the “…”, and then tap the “About This Account” option. The next screen will show you the country of origin for the account your own, if its has undergone any username changes, when the account joined Instagram, and more.

“Our community has told us that it’s important to them to have a deeper understanding of accounts that reach many people on Instagram, particularly when those accounts are sharing information related to current events, political or social causes, for example. If you do see an account on Instagram you believe violates our Community Guidelines, you can report it.”

Getting verified on a social network like Instagram typically means the account has been vetted in some way or another, making accounts with large following numbers a bit more official. And now Instagram is making a form within the app that account owners can access and use to request verification from the Facebook-owned social network directly.

“To access the verification request form, go to your profile, tap the menu icon, select “Settings” at the bottom and then choose “Request Verification.” You will need to provide your account username, your full name and a copy of your legal or business identification. This information will not be shared publicly.”

Instagram makes sure to point out that just because an account sends the form to the social network to request verification doesn’t necessarily mean the account will earn it.

Finally, support for third-party authentication apps. This means that you can have another option for two-step verification, adding another layer of security for your sign-in on the platform:

“To use a third-party app to log into your Instagram account, go to your profile, tap the menu icon, select “Settings” at the bottom and then choose “Two-Factor Authentication.” Select “Authentication App” as your preferred form of authentication. If you already have an authentication app installed, we will automatically find the app and send a login code to it.

Go to the app, retrieve the code and enter it on Instagram, and two-factor authentication will turn on automatically. If you don’t have one installed yet, we will send you to the App Store or Google Play Store to download the authenticator app of your choice. Once you’ve installed it, return to Instagram to continue setting up your two-factor authentication.”
These new additions will be rolling out over the coming weeks.

Our Take

These changes are a nice boost to the platform. That direct request for verification will hopefully make sifting through accounts that “deserve” it or not a bit more straightforward for the folks at the social network working behind-the-scenes. The best new addition is support for third-party authentication apps like Authy, though.

Leak shows the new iPad Pro’s most mysterious component

Apple is expected to launch two new iPad Pro models later this year, both of them sporting a revamped design inspired by the iPhone X. While the iPad Pros aren’t expected to feature notch bezels, they should support Face ID authentication, which will replace the iconic home button. As a result, the 2018 iPad Pros will have slimmer bezels than their predecessors.

Distinct reports from credible sources have revealed these details about the incoming iPad Pro models in the past. But a brand new leak, which seems to corroborate a previous rumor, indicates that the new iOS tablets will also pack a mysterious feature.

If that looks familiar, that’s because 2018 iPad Pro CAD schematics that leaked a few weeks ago showed the same design peculiarity.

As MacRumors explains, the purpose of the opening is unclear. Before, we heard that the iPad Pro will feature a Smart Connector where that bottom cutout is placed, which would let users dock the tablet in portrait mode rather than landscape. Those reports said that Face ID only works in portrait mode on the tablet, contradicting previous rumors that said Apple is upgrading Face ID to also work in landscape mode.

One other purpose of that rear-facing pill would be to deliver Touch ID functionality. Apple, however, has never placed a fingerprint sensor on the back of devices. Last year, Apple seemed to make it clear that it doesn’t want to combine the two features.

However, a rear-facing fingerprint sensor would make sense on a tablet, especially if Face ID only works in portrait mode. Touch ID could be used when the tablet is docked in landscape mode. Before you ask, yes, the case has cutouts that indicate docking the tablet in landscape mode will be supported.

Apple should unveil the new iPad Pros this September.

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Your Smartphone Is Likely Tracking Your Location

A new lawsuit accusing Google of tracking people’s locations against their will has served as a reminder that every movement of most smartphone users is being recorded, often without their knowledge.

The California man who filed the suit claims that the tech behemoth continued to track the whereabouts of Android smartphone users even after they turned off “location history”.

But the history of geolocation and the privacy issues it raises are as old as the mobile phone itself.

Early days

Before smartphones arrived more than a decade ago, it was still possible to use geolocation. Mobile phones constantly connect to local antenna towers, and by triangulating the signals the user can be found — as Jeff Goldblum illustrated in the 1996 movie “Independence Day”.

However smartphones brought about a far simpler way to track people: GPS.

GPS revolution

After the release of the first iPhone revolutionised the industry in 2007, GPS — Global Positioning System using satellites — became prevalent, and it is now included on all smartphones.

Most apps now use location tracking, and not just for obvious purposes like maps and transport. It’s also used for dating, food delivery and gaming, such as Pokemon Go, which became hugely if briefly popular across the world in 2016.

Trackers on 75% of apps

As the popularity of apps using geolocations grows, so does their money-making potential.

For example, when tourists use their phone to explore, they can be targeted with advertising not just from the country they are in but also the city and even the street they are standing on.

A 2014 study by CNIL, the French government’s techonology consumer protection body, showed that between a quarter to a third of apps had access to the phone’s location.

By 2017, a study by Yale University found that three-quarters of Android apps contained trackers — usually containing advertising.

The CNIL study also found that some apps tracked the phone’s location more than a million times over a three-month period — accessing the information about once per minute.

Even flashlight apps

The new Google lawsuit is far from the first time privacy concerns have been raised over geolocation. In 2011 fellow tech giant Apple faced a lawsuit over location tracking on its ubiquitous iPhones and iPads.

And there are also national security concerns.

In July of this year, researchers found that the fitness app Polar had revealed sensitive data on military and intelligence personnel from 69 countries. The app later disabled the function.

Just months before another health app, Strava, was found to have showed potentially sensitive information about US and allied forces around the world.

But the problem includes apps that don’t even need to track the users’ location.

Some simple flashlight apps have been discovered to have been secretly sharing location information.