It's time to give Flash Player the boot. Image: Adobe/Cult of Mac
At long last, Adobe Flash Player is finally dead. Not only do you no longer need to have it installed on your Mac, but as of January 12, Adobe will actually begin blocking Flash Player content from working at all.
We’ll show you how to remove Flash Player from your Mac right away.
Some browsers are better than others on older machines. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Got an old Mac that’s crawling to a halt every time you browse the web? It might not be your hardware that’s in need of a change. Before splashing out on new components, try switching browsers instead.
Password protection is a major update in Mozilla 76
Mozilla released Firefox 76 Tuesday with an improved manager to protect from password leaking and reuse. Firefox 76 now lets users know when a password is used on another website and advises when they have been used too many times.
Google Earth won't work in Safari, but that's going to change ... someday. Screenshot: Cult of Mac
You no longer need to fire up Chrome just to explore our planet inside Google Earth. The service today rolled out support for three new browsers, while the ability to use Google Earth in Safari is coming … eventually.
You might not be stuck with Safari for much longer. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple is finally “considering” giving users the ability to set third-party web browsers and email clients as defaults on iOS, according to a new Bloomberg report. It could also open up HomePod to rival music streaming services.
iPhone and iPad owners can already install third-party alternatives, but iOS currently does not allow them to override Apple’s built-in services. That could change as Apple faces increasing pressure over the tight control it imposes over its mobile devices.
A Firefox security flaw needs to be patched as quickly as possible. Photo: Mozilla
Everyone running the recently-released Firefox 72 on their Mac should install a patch immediately. The security vulnerability in this web browser is severe enough for a US Homeland Security agency to encourage users to install the update. Mozilla says it’s already aware of attacks that use this Firefox security flaw.
Firefox 70 offers a list of tracking cookies blocked by its Enhanced Tracking Protection. Photo: Firefox/Cult of Mac
Firefox fans can expect this web browser to be less of a drain on their MacBook’s battery. Plus, the latest version gives users a report showing the dozens of cookies attempting to track them across the Web.
Rotating advertiser IDs make a lot of sense. Photo: Apple
Mozilla, the company behind Firefox, is calling for Apple to boost user privacy on iOS by introducing rotating advertiser IDs.
Most iPhone and iPad users don’t know that they can block access to their unique ID, Mozilla says. Regularly rotating IDs would make it harder for companies “to build profiles of us over time.”
Sign the petition to pressure Apple into making a change today.
Stop! The! Madness! Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Whenever you click a link in a Google search, it replaces the URL of the site with a tracking URL. If you hover over a link with your mouse before you click it, Safari will show you the full URL of that link. It’s a great way to check where you’re about to get sent. Google plays along with this, showing you the proper URL for the link in question.
Only when you actually click on it, it swaps out that link, replacing it with its own tracking link.
Fortunately, there’s a way to block this sneaky, underhanded and totally unsurprising behavior.