WhatsApp, the Facebook-owned maker of an instant-messaging app, may face the same legal conundrum as Apple in a case that centers on the thorny issue of privacy versus security. The US Department of Justice is eager to view a series of WhatsApp messages for a criminal investigation, a move that has been given the go-ahead …

If you constantly close apps running in the background on your iPhone to save battery life, you are wasting your time. Background apps don’t affect your battery, according to a top Apple executive. A reader of blog site 9to5Mac apparently sent an email to Apple CEO Tim Cook asking if he shuts down background apps and if doing so extends …

Samsung’s new Galaxy S7 phones only just went on sale Friday, but there’s already a bandwagon of carrier promotions for the devices and Verizon just jumped on it. Starting Friday and for a “limited time,” those who buy a Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge for the full retail price or through a 24-month installment plan can get a Samsung Core …

Should you ever feel the urge to muck around the innards of your Galaxy S7 Edge, try to resist the temptation. Samsung’s Galaxy S7 Edge phone, which launched Friday, has received the teardown treatment from iFixit to see what makes it tick. Along the way, iFixit noted pros and cons of the new phone but overall found that navigating its …

Android Lollipop has finally risen to top of the Android candy chain. After playing second fiddle to KitKat for more than a year, Lollipop has taken the lead by expanding onto 36.1 percent of all Android devices, according to the latest stats served up by Google’s Android Developer Dashboard. The new number is up from 34.1 percent a month ago. …

Apple’s iPhone remains top dog in China, the world’s largest smartphone market, but sales growth there has weakened. For the three months ended January, the iPhone took home a smartphone market share of 25 percent in urban China, research firm Kantar Worldpanel ComTech said on Wednesday. Though that number helped Apple keep its top spot, the rate of growth was …

You may get better sound out of the next iPhone, but you might have to do without the standard 3.5mm audio jack. Photos of an alleged iPhone 7 case posted by a blogger on French website Nowhereelse.fr appear to back up previous rumors of dual speakers. But the traditional audio jack is missing in action. The photos clearly show two …

Americans who can’t afford broadband Internet access may soon get some help from Uncle Sam. The Federal Communications Commission said Tuesday it’s expanding the $1.5 billion phone subsidy program known as Lifeline to help low-income families pay for broadband Internet service by giving out a $9.25 per month subsidy. The five-member FCC will vote on the plan on March 31, …

Google is busier than ever putting the kibosh on search results that link to material that allegedly infringes copyright. The company reported Monday that over the past month it received more than 76 million requests to remove from search results URLs that point to such content. That’s more than double the number of requests it received in the same period …

Have a problem with your iPhone or Mac? You can now hop onto Twitter to seek out a helping hand. On Thursday, Apple unveiled a new Twitter account called @AppleSupport. As Apple describes the new account: “We’re here to provide tips, tricks and helpful information when you need it most, and if you have a question, well — we’re here …