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It explains an upcoming under-16 social media ban, details which popular apps are expected to be affected while messaging services are excluded, and notes challenges like VPN workarounds. The issue also explains Android’s upcoming blue dot location indicator for privacy, including what blue, green, and orange signals mean and how to view location permissions in settings, alongside a lineup of phone and wearables reviews and camera phone buying guidance.","CONTENTS  \nNEWS  \n4 Under-16 social media ban:  \nThese apps are affected  \n6 Android smartphones will soon show a blue dot – here’s why  \n8 Google announces it will end production of the Nest Mini and Nest Audio  \n10 New Asus tablet and smartwatch have Samsung in their sights  \n12 Garmin C irqa may give Fitbit Air an early win  \nREVIEWS  \n14 Motorola Razr Fold  \n26 Xiaomi 17T  \n2 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2026  \n37 Samsung Galaxy A37  \n47 Honor 600  \n54 Xiaomi Smart Band 10 Pro  \n60 Fitbit Air  \nBUYING GUIDE  \n69 Best camera phones  \nCover image: Oppo  \nCred it : K2 L Fami ly Stock/Shutterstock Cred it : 1st footage/Shutterstock  \n84 88  \nCred it : dee karen/Shutterstock  \n92 97  \nFEATURES  \n84 These apps are secretly stealing your data – delete them now  \n88 Ƃ􀂘`À􀂜􀂈` Ì 􀂅 ivÌ «À􀂜ÌiVÌ􀂈􀂜􀂘\\ wÛi minutes to secure your phone  \n92 I relied on my phone’s AI features for a week. Here’s what worked  \n97 /􀂅 i Ì􀂜􀂇`􀂜 􀂏􀂈ÃÌ 􀂅>V􀂎 Ì 􀂅>̽ 􀂏􀂏 wÝ  \nyour work-life balance  \nOPINION  \n99 I’m done with under-display w􀂘}iÀ«À􀂈􀂘Ì ÃV>􀂘􀂘iÀà  \n99  \nAUGUST 2026 • TECH ADVISOR 3  \nNEWS  \nUnder-16 social media ban: These apps are affected  \nAs well as the ones that aren’t. CHRIS MARTIN reports  \nCred it : Body Stock l/Shutterstock  \nIn one of the biggest moves of its kind,  \nthe UK Government has announced  \na social media ban for under-16s, including some of the most popular mobile phone apps.  \nIn the announcement, the Government says the intention is for children to be “given back their  \nchildhoods”, with “less time for scrolling and more time for play”.  \nThe ban won’t come into force straight away. It’s expected to be brought to Parliament before Christmas and come into force in spring 2027 –Ì 􀂅 iÃi >Ài Ì 􀂅 i >««Ã V􀂜􀂘wÀ􀂓i` Ì􀂜 Li affected by the ban:  \n4 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2026  \n• TikTok  \n• YouTube  \n• Instagram  \n• Facebook  \n• X (formerly Twitter)  \n• Snapchat  \n􀀖 ̽à >􀂏Ã􀂜 Lii􀂘 V􀂜􀂘wÀ􀂓i` Ì 􀂅>Ì messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Signal won’t be included in the ban. However, there are plenty that remain in the unknown pile. These include:  \n• Bluesky  \n• Threads  \n• Telegram  \n• Discord  \n• Twitch  \n• Vimeo  \n• Reddit  \n• P interest  \n• Tumblr  \n• Meetup  \n• BeReal  \nto “world-leading blocks on harmful functions such as livestreaming and stranger communication with children for under-16s”.  \nIt also said these restrictions will apply to a “wider range of online services, including on gaming sites”.  \nMost dating apps already have an age requirement of 18 , but there’s also a comment on AI ‘ romantic companion’chatbots, users of which will need to have a minimum age of 18 , while“overnight curfews and breaks in 􀂈􀂘w􀂘􀂈Ìi ÃVÀ􀂜􀂏􀂏􀂈􀂘} v􀂜À Õ􀂘`iÀ􀂇 £n􀂇Þi>À􀂇􀂜􀂏`à and will set out more detail in July”.  \nWhat the Government hasn’t commented on is how it plans to tackle teens getting around the ban by using a VPN (virtual private network) .  \nWe’ ll have to wait for more information asthe Government says the move will be more than a blanket ban on social  \nmedia, thanks Messaging apps such as WhatsApp won’t be included in the ban.  \nAUGUST 2026 • TECH ADVISOR 5  \nCred it : miss . cab u l/Shutterstock  \nNEWS  \nAndroid smartphones will soon show a blue dot – here’s why  \nIt’s actually a helpful security tip. LAURA PIPPIG reports  \nCred it : Bk87/Shutterstock  \nAndroid smartphones are  \nconstantly being updated  \nwith new features. With the upcoming Android 17 , Google is introducing a number of new features,Ã􀂜􀂓i 􀂜v Ü 􀂅􀂈V 􀂅 Þ􀂜Õ 􀂓>Þ w􀂘` 􀂓􀂜Ài useful than others.  \nAmong the more helpful changes 􀂈Ã Ì 􀂅􀂈Ã\\ v􀂜À Ì 􀂅 i wÀÃÌ Ì 􀂈 􀂓i ] Þ􀂜Õ 􀂓>Þ Ãii >  \nblue dot appear at the top of the status bar (next to the battery icon) on your smartphone. Some users may already have spotted a green or orange dot, but the blue one serves a different purpose.  \nWHAT THE BLUE DOT MEANS  \nThe blue dot is designed to alert you that an app on your phone is currently  \n6 TECH ADVISOR • AUGUST 2026  \ntracking your location. There may be obvious reasons for this, such as when you’ re navigating with G","cbCaiqbn99VRz15d","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiqbn99VRz15d","pdf",22536992,2,1,104,"English","en",105,"# News\n## Under-16 social media ban: These apps are affected\n## Android smartphones will soon show a blue dot – here’s why\n# Reviews\n## Motorola Razr Fold\n## Xiaomi 17T\n## Samsung Galaxy A37\n## Honor 600\n## Xiaomi Smart Band 10 Pro\n## Fitbit Air\n# Buying Guide\n## Best camera phones\n# Features\n## These apps are secretly stealing your data – delete them now\n## I relied on my phone’s AI features for a week. Here’s what worked\n# Opinion\n## I’m done with under-display w... (under-display tech)","[{\"question\":\"What is the UK under-16 social media ban expected to cover?\",\"answer\":\"The ban targets social media for under-16s and is expected to affect major apps such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X, and Snapchat. Messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal are not included.\"},{\"question\":\"What does the blue dot on Android indicate?\",\"answer\":\"The blue dot warns that an app is currently tracking your location. It helps users spot background location access without needing to guess.\"},{\"question\":\"How can users check which apps can access location on Android?\",\"answer\":\"In Android settings under Privacy \\u0026 Security/Privacy, users can view and manage location permissions. Pixel devices use the Permission manager \\u003e Location path, while Samsung offers Permission usage for Location and lets users manage apps with that permission.\"}]","Tech Advisor - August 2026 | PDF",1786109251,262,{"code":4,"msg":32,"data":33},"ok",{"site_id":25,"language":24,"slug":34,"title":13,"keywords":35,"description":14,"schema_data":36,"social_meta":87,"head_meta":89,"extra_data":91,"updated_unix":29},"tech-advisor-august-2026","",{"@graph":37,"@context":86},[38,54,69],{"@type":39,"itemListElement":40},"BreadcrumbList",[41,45,48,51],{"item":42,"name":43,"@type":44,"position":21},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":46,"name":47,"@type":44,"position":20},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",{"item":49,"name":12,"@type":44,"position":50},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/technology/",3,{"item":52,"name":13,"@type":44,"position":53},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/tech-advisor-august-2026/129836/",4,{"url":52,"name":13,"@type":55,"author":56,"headline":13,"publisher":58,"fileFormat":61,"inLanguage":24,"description":14,"dateModified":62,"datePublished":63,"encodingFormat":61,"isAccessibleForFree":64,"interactionStatistic":65},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":57},"Person",{"url":42,"name":59,"@type":60},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-08-24","2026-08-07",true,{"@type":66,"interactionType":67,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":68},"ViewAction",{"@type":70,"mainEntity":71},"FAQPage",[72,78,82],{"name":73,"@type":74,"acceptedAnswer":75},"What is the UK under-16 social media ban expected to cover?","Question",{"text":76,"@type":77},"The ban targets social media for under-16s and is expected to affect major apps such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X, and Snapchat. Messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal are not included.","Answer",{"name":79,"@type":74,"acceptedAnswer":80},"What does the blue dot on Android indicate?",{"text":81,"@type":77},"The blue dot warns that an app is currently tracking your location. It helps users spot background location access without needing to guess.",{"name":83,"@type":74,"acceptedAnswer":84},"How can users check which apps can access location on Android?",{"text":85,"@type":77},"In Android settings under Privacy & Security/Privacy, users can view and manage location permissions. Pixel devices use the Permission manager > Location path, while Samsung offers Permission usage for Location and lets users manage apps with that permission.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":52,"og:type":88,"og:title":13,"og:site_name":59,"og:description":14},"article",{"robots":90,"canonical":52},"index,follow",{"doc_id":7,"site_id":25},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":93},[94,98,102,106,111,114,119,124,129,132,136],{"id":21,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":95,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":97},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":20,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":99,"show_sort_weight":100,"slug":101},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":53,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":108,"show_sort_weight":109,"slug":110},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":11,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":12,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},50,"technology",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":120,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":121,"show_sort_weight":122,"slug":123},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":125,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":126,"show_sort_weight":127,"slug":128},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":130,"show_sort_weight":127,"slug":131},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":133,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":134,"show_sort_weight":133,"slug":135},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":137,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":138,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":139},19,"General","general"]