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Get the latest announcements from MEF Members across the mobile ecosystem globally in this weekly review of member news…

Kaspersky: Pokémon GO trojan has been downloaded 500,000 times

Criminals are causing in on the immense success of Pokémon GO, says malware expert Kaspersky Lab. It’s revealed that a malicious app called “Guide for Pokémon GO” has been downloaded more than 500,000 times, infecting at least 6,000 devices.

The Trojan, for Android, gets inside the OS to install unwanted apps on the device, or even remove some existing ones.

It’s not the first malicious Pokemon GO product. Others such as ‘Pokemon Go Ultimate’ have already been removed from the Google Play Store.

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Bango takes Windows 10 carrier billing to more countries

Users in Finland, Norway and Hungary can now make purchases from any Windows 10 device, including Xbox One, from the phone bill.

Bango has just extended its agreement with Microsoft on one-click carrier billing for Windows 10 to include Elisa, DNA and Telenor. Windows 10 is running on more than 350m devices worldwide.

Anil Malhotra, Chief Marketing Officer at Bango, said: “We believe this will be particularly successful with Xbox One users, because there is a high correlation between games purchases in app stores and the use of carrier billing”.

Bango also works with Amazon, Google, BlackBerry and Samsung.

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OpenMarket: Millennials prefer to hear from businesses via text

Young adults would rather get a text from a company than an email or phonecall, says a new study from OpenMarket.

The firm polled 500 US millennials, aged 18-34, and found they are highly accessible to businesses through SMS. In fact, 83 per cent said they open a text within 90 seconds of receiving it.

The study revealed they’d like to do more. 60 per cent of millennials said they want to be able to text their preferred businesses, but currently 20 per cent don’t receive any texts from business at all.

Nearly half would like to receive fraud alerts from financial service providers (only 19 per cent currently are), while 80 per cent would prefer to text a 1-800 number rather than call and go on hold.

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Mastercard and PayPal team up to make high street payments easier

A historic agreement between Mastercard and PayPal will further blur the lines between online and offline payments. The deal will make Mastercard a clear payment option within PayPal, while making it easier to user PayPal at the physical point of sale.

PayPal users will be able to cash out funds held in their PayPal accounts to a Mastercard debit card. In return, PayPal will no longer be subject to the MasterCard’s digital wallet operator fee.

The deal highlights are:

  • Mastercard will be presented as a clear and equal payment option within the PayPal Wallet
  • Customers will be able to select Mastercard as their default payment method
  • PayPal will not encourage Mastercard cardholders to link to a bank account via ACH.
  • PayPal consumers can use the tokenized Mastercard in their PayPal Wallet to make in-store purchases
  • Masterpass will be added as a payment option for merchants that process payments via Braintree, a PayPal company

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Mahindra Comviva unveils a Data Revenue Booster (DRB) for operators

Operators and content providers can work more closely to maximise revenues when they use Mahindra Comviva’s new service.

The Indian company has just launched “Data Revenue Booster (DRB)”. The DRB makes it possible to easily enhance apps with new features that lead to revenue. The platform is built on Google Mobile Data Plan APIs.

Mahindra Comviva is one of the first partners to sign up for Google’s platform. And it will enable the search firm to bring innovative features to products such as YouTube.

Jessica Xu – Product Manager, YouTube, said, “The Data Revenue Booster (will) reduce complexity and improve customer experience. We believe initiatives like these will accelerate innovation between operators and digital content providers, and we look forward to working with operators on delivering new features and services to users.”

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Global Mobile and CLX Communications team up on text voting

US voters can use SMS alerts to get information on their registration status, voting information and polling locations – thanks to a market trial.

Georgia and Colorado have been working on the scheme, which is powered by with Global Mobile and messaging provider CLX. Administrators believe it may encourage Millennials, who are less inclined to vote but more inclined to use digital devices for accessing information.

Petter Bengtsson VP of US Sales at CLX Communications, said: ‘We are really pleased to be working with Global Mobile on this new initiative. Short-codes provide consumers with a memorable and easy way to communicate with businesses that can drive real results’.

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Barclaycard puts bPay into smartphone cases

High end smartphone case designer Case Station is to put Barclaycard bPay chips inside its products. The move will let users tap to pay at any UK contactless terminal.

The bPay Band was launched in June 2014 primarily as a contactless chip inside wearable devices like wristbands. Second generation bPay devices launched last year.

Naturally, this move will give iPhone owners the chance to maker tap payments without using Apple Pay. And bPay also comes with an app, through which users can add funds.

The new range of Case Station handset protectors are compatible with iPhone, Samsung Galaxy and LG mobiles.

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