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New Android VPN Bypass Lets Apps Leak Real IP via Keep-Alive UDP Packets

Security researchers found a flaw in Android's network stack that lets any app, without special permissions, send UDP packets through the device's Wi-Fi or cellular hardware that bypass VPN tunnels entirely. This occurs even when the 'Block all connections without VPN' setting is enabled, exposing a user's real IP address. The bug was reported through Google's Vulnerability Reward Program but closed without action, while GrapheneOS says it is working on a fix.

GrapheneOS pushes back release of redesigned Messages app

GrapheneOS announced it is issuing a new OS build to fix a volume bar UI bug introduced by an upstream Android security patch, along with a Private Space interface issue. As a result, the long-in-development overhaul of its Messaging app, which the team has worked on for months, will now arrive after this maintenance release rather than alongside it.

GrapheneOS to build native RCS support, reducing reliance on Google Messages

GrapheneOS is rebuilding its Messaging app with a new Android Compose interface, along with numerous fixes and improvements. The project also confirmed plans to implement RCS messaging natively, eventually letting users message over RCS without depending on Google Messages, and it's developing a secure paste feature to stop apps from reading clipboard data left by other apps.

GrapheneOS finds MTE hardware support in Pixel 11, reversing earlier warning

GrapheneOS developers discovered that Google's Pixel 11 phones do include hardware support for Memory Tagging Extension (MTE) after examining code in the Android 17 QPR2 Beta 4 release. This contradicts the project's earlier assessment, made just days prior, that the phones lacked MTE and its accompanying warning against purchasing them.

Google's Play Store blocks Aurora Store downloads, disrupting GrapheneOS users

Aurora Store, the popular open-source client used to download apps without a Google account, has started failing for many users with a 'Server busy, please try again later' error when installing apps anonymously. The problem persists across troubleshooting steps like clearing cache, using a VPN, or restarting devices, suggesting Google may be blocking access at the server level rather than a local bug.

GrapheneOS says Google removed MTE chip protection from Pixel 11, blocking custom ROM support

The GrapheneOS development team says it could not finish porting its security-focused Android build to Google's new Pixel 11 phones because the devices lack support for Arm's memory tagging extension (MTE), a hardware-level security feature. Developers say they built a partial port after a week of effort but had to halt the project, calling the omission an apparent cost-cutting move by Google. As a result, the team may abandon future support for Pixel devices and focus instead on Motorola hardware.

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