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Tag: fix

  • Apple updates AirTags to fix major privacy issues

    Apple updates AirTags to fix major privacy issues

    Apple announced earlier today that an important update is rolling out to its new AirTags, which is meant to address privacy concerns raised by many users soon after the gadget’s market launch.

    It’s enough to slip an AirTag into someone’s backpack and you’ll be able to track the person for as long as it carries it. The privacy issue doesn’t affect iPhone users, since they will be notified if a stranger’s AirTag is moving with them for a certain period of time (usually several hours).

    Until now, Android users would only be notified after three days if they would be stalked/tracked by someone with the help of an AirTag. Thankfully, Apple announced that it’s now rolling out an update that addresses this privacy issue.

    Following up on our commitment to continue to improve AirTag’s privacy and security, starting today we will be updating the time period after which an AirTag that is separated from its owner will play a sound when moved. This time period is changing from three days to a random time between 8 and 24 hours.

    Obviously, Apple is referring to Android users who will now be notified if any AirTags are moving with them for up to 24 hours. In addition to the new update, Apple confirmed that an Android app that will be able to detect AirTags will be released soon.

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  • Audi recalls 5,000 diesel cars to fix emissions control software

    Audi recalls 5,000 diesel cars to fix emissions control software

    Audi is recalling almost 5,000 cars in Europe for a software fix after discovering they emitted too much nitrogen oxide, the polluting gas that parent Volkswagen  concealed from U.S. regulators in its devastating 2015 “dieselgate” scandal.

    The luxury carmaker said on Thursday it had reported the matter to Germany’s road transport authority KBA, which was concerned about the possible illegal manipulation of emission levels.

    The KBA had no immediate comment.

    Audi said it would update the software of the 4,997 A8 model vehicles with 4.2 litre V8 diesel engines, of which 3,660 are in Germany and were made between September 2013 and August 2017.

    The software updates will likely be available in the first quarter of 2018 after winter testing.

    “Among other things, the update should ensure that after cold starts the engine more quickly reaches optimal operating conditions for the exhaust-gas treatment system so that its emissions are improved in real driving conditions,” it said.

    “During the testing, it will be ensured that the new software has no disadvantages for customers in terms of fuel consumption or performance.”

    Volkswagen was found in 2015 to have illegally manipulated engine software so that vehicles would meet nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions standards in laboratory testing but not in real-world conditions, where they could emit up to 40 times the permitted levels.

    Several Audi models were affected and Audi has been accused in media reports of having devised the so-called defeat devices years earlier but not to have installed them in its vehicles at that time. Audi and Volkswagen have never commented on the matter.

    Volkswagen’s shares plunged more than 20 percent when the scandal broke. They climbed back to pre-crisis levels for the first time on Thursday.

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  • Volkswagen awaits approval for its dieselgate fix in India

    Volkswagen awaits approval for its dieselgate fix in India

    Volkswagen, the European automotive major hit by the dieselgate scandal, said the company has found a fix for its EA 189 diesel engines in India and has sent it for approvals of the local authorities.

    Once it gets the clearance, the solution would be applied on 3.23 lakh vehicles that have been sold in the country with the EA 189 family of engines. The company said it has also found a software solution for the local Vento manual diesel model, production of which is currently stopped due to inconsistent emission of carbon monoxide. People in the know said Volkswagen could start recalling vehicles by the end of June or July to fix the problem. It is aiming to complete the process within six to eight months.

    “We are awaiting approval (for the fix) and will begin the recall process in the coming months and are hopeful that fixes on all vehicles will be concluded by the end of the year,” Volkswagen India managing director Andreas Lauermann told ETon the sidelines of an event to roll out the Ameo sedan from its factory.

    He said the company’s focus is currently entirely on the Ameo as VW seeks to make a strong comeback in the Indian market. The company’s image had taken a major hit globally following revelations that it had cheated on emission test results. Its sales were hit in India and elsewhere, even as it announced a massive programme to fix the problem.

    The recall process for vehicles fitted with the EA 189 diesel engines, which was to begin at the start of 2016, is yet to get underway. These EA 189 engines are of different displacements 1.2-litre, 1.5-litre, 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre TDI. The 1.2-litre and 2-litre engines need software updates in India, while the 1.5-litre and 1.6-litre engines will get both software and a hardware fix.

    Volkswagen India, which posted strong sales in the first nine months of 2015 with double-digit growth, got hit because of the controversy, with domestic volume declining 2.4% to 43,152 units in 2015. Thanks to the strong export offtake and incremental Ameo output, Volkswagen India is planning to grow its output 15% in 2016 to about 1.42 lakh units. Developed with an investment of Rs 720 crore, the Ameo sedan is a made-for-India product in the VW world.

    Ameo will be positioned in the subcompact sedan market, which sees sales of 25,000 to 30,000 units a month. It will take on the likes of Maruti Suzuki Dzire and Honda Amaze. The company aims to produce about 150 Ameos a day. With the Vento and Polo monthly volumes taking a hit, VW is now betting on Ameo to bring in decent incremental volumes.

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