Tech Alert: Google Changes Android Backup Storage Policy—What It Means for You - ITREALMS

Google is introducing a significant shift in how Android device backups impact user accounts, moving away from its previously lenient data exemptions, reports ITREALMS.

In an upcoming policy update set to take effect in 45 days, the tech giant will begin counting all Android device backup data toward overall Google Account storage limits.

Google Doodle marks Nigeria @65, celebrates national identity in digital age by Remmy Nweke - Telecoms Clinic@ITREALMS

Telecoms Clinic@ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

As Nigeria marks 65 with a special Google Doodle, it is more than art. In this episode of Telecoms Clinic@ITREALMS, REMMY NWEKE writes that it is about digital diplomacy which amplifies Nigeria on a global platform with national pride, identity, and visibility in the tech-driven world where culture and technology intersect powerfully.

Preamble:

The global technology giant, Google, on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, joined millions of Nigerians in celebrating the country’s 65th Independence anniversary with a special Google doodle, featuring the iconic green-and-white flag waving proudly against a bright sky backdrop.

Airtel partners with Google, elevate home entertainment - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

Leading telecommunications service provider Airtel Nigeria has announced an innovative partnership with Google to transform home entertainment across Nigeria.

The partnership, which was unveiled at an agreement signing ceremony at the telecom giant’s Lagos headquarters, integrates YouTube, the world’s largest video platform, into the ground-breaking Airtel Smart Router to deliver seamless internet connection and entertainment experiences for subscribers across the country.

Telecoms Clinic: The Nigeria’s AI fund with Google - ITREALMS

Telecoms Clinic@ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

As the first cohort of Google inspired Artificial Intelligence fund in search of startups in Nigeria closes application window, REMMY NWEKE reports that though N100m is commendable, its meager before industry watchers.

Preamble:
A few weeks ago, the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy with Google West Africa partnership sealed through the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) announced a fund worth a ₦100 million, following the call for application which closed on September 25, 2024.

The fund at the sum of ₦100 million in the name of supporting the local startups in developing innovative AI-driven solutions is commendable, but not without mixed feelings.

Google, NCAIR launch ₦100m AI fund for startups - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

The National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) in partnership with Google, has launched the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Fund, worth a ₦100 million in support of the Nigerian startups in developing innovative AI-driven solutions, reports ITREALMS.

This is coming amidst controversy that the AI fund with about two weeks application until September 25, is not encouraging to achieve the anticipated Nigerian government’s broader efforts to harness the potential of AI to drive development and innovation.

Nigerians suffering CVS hit 65% - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

The Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) in Nigeria has reached a prevalence stage with 65 per cent, reports ITREALMS.

Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS), ITREALMS gathered, has become the leading occupational hazard of the 21st century, which causes the critical public health issues in this digital era.

Nigerian business leaders, Google meet over competitive edge in privacy-first era - ITREALMS

Sponsored@ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!



Leading companies from Nigeria joined Google West Africa at a roundtable to discuss the shift towards privacy-first marketing as third-party cookies are phased out. The forum brought together leaders from FairMoney, Konga, Mondelez, Stanbic IBTC, and Zenith Bank, highlighting a collective commitment to redefining consumer engagement in the digital age.

Businesses recognize that building consumer trust is essential in a world that increasingly values privacy. In this new era, adapting marketing strategies to be more privacy-focused is not just a necessity but a strategic move towards building sustainable customer relations.

Journalists demand change in Google, Meta's media policies - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

Google, Meta and other tech giants are making it more challenging to access independent media content in Belarus, exiled journalists have told the European Commission.

By complying with restrictions Alexander Lukashenko's government has imposed, these companies have "become tools for a totalitarian and authoritarian regime to put pressure on civil society instead of helping to promote independent media," the exiled journalist Natalia Belikova told the Financial Times in January.

Google delights Africa with generative AI to Search - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

Google has rolled out its Search Generative Experience (SGE) in the Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) region as an opt-in experiment in Search Labs. This AI-powered experience is available in English.

With new breakthroughs in generative AI, Google is reimagining what a search engine can do and is bringing these powerful new capabilities to Search in a bold and responsible way. 

UK-Nigeria Tech Hub, Google collabo for women start ups, dangles N1.3bn - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

The UK-Nigeria Tech Hub, a pillar of the UK government's broader Digital Access Program (DAP), has collaborated with Google for Startups in Africa, especially women funders, dangling the sum of $3million, about N1,381,440,000.00 billion, reports ITREALMS.

The two entities, ITREALMS gathered will award $3 million in Google Cloud credits to women founders in Nigeria, thereby subsidising cloud technology-related costs for startups, and allowing them to focus on innovation, customer acquisition, and growth.

SMEDAN partners Google, Facebook on youth empowerment, trains 150 PWD in Lagos - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has entered into partnership with Google and Facebook to train Nigerian youths on small businesses, especially on doing business online, reports ITREALMS.

This is coming as SMEDAN said it has trained some 150 Persons With Disability (PWD) as part of its empowerment for small businesses in Lagos State.

How to protect, monitor your children on Internet using Google Parental Controls - Part 1 - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!


In the wake of underage children getting unduly exposed to the Internet, there are ways parents could help to protect and monitor their children from anywhere in the world, reports ITREALMS.

One of these is to set up parental controls on any devices, especially mobile devices which they, the children could take along beyond the parent sight.

Children Online Safety: Aniekan prescribes 15 steps to Google Family Link - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!


Acclaimed Nigerian computer Software Analyst, Comrade Friday Aniekan has elucidated that parents be guided moving forward by drawing inspiration from Chrisland School saga, reports ITREALMS.

According to him, Android devices are naturally not for kids under the proverbial parental guidance, but if parents must buy one for them, he prescribed some 15 steps to safeguard their usage.

Google's Equiano subsea cable arrives Togo, first stop in Africa - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

Google's Equiano subsea cable has arrived its first stop on the continent of Africa at Lome, Togo, reports ITREALMS.

The Managing Director, Google Africa, Nitin Gajria, made this disclosure at the weekend in a blog post available to ITREALMS.

He noted that the journey began in 2019, when they introduced the Equiano subsea cable, which will run from Portugal along the West Coast of Africa; connecting Europe to Togo, Nigeria, Namibia, South Africa, and St. Helena.

Brief history of Awba-Ofemili - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

Awba-Ofemili is a town in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. The town has an estimated population of 15,978 according to the 2006 Nigerian Census. Awba-Ofemili has eight villages, each of which made up small communities of kindreds.

The eight villages in Awba-Ofemili today include Umuokpe, Umuchibu, Ezike, Akpana, Enugwu-Agu, Umuosite, Enugwu, Umuezeavu.

HRH Igwe Ezekwesili Maduagwuna,
Ofemili 1 of Awba-Ofemili

Awba-Ofemili is about 30kilometers (km) from Awka, the capital city of Anambra State. Like most towns in Awka-North, Awba-Ofemili’s climate and soil conditions are favorable to farming, especially for rice mass production.

Google names Niral Patel, Regional Director, Sub-Saharan Africa for Cloud - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

Google Cloud has appointed, Mr. Niral Patel, as the Regional Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, reports ITREALMS.

Niral Patel of Google Cloud

Based in Johannesburg, Niral will be responsible for leading Google Cloud’s business across Sub-Saharan Africa.

16 Nigerian publications to benefit from Google's emergency fund - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:
The Google News Initiative Journalism Emergency Relief Fund (JERF) has named some 16 Nigerian publications as beneficiaries of the fund in the latest round, reports ITREALMS.

Launched in April, the JERF serves to help local publishers facing financial hardship as a result of the economic and advertising downturn.

“JERF has provided $39.5m in funding to publishers in 115 countries in the past few months,” says Ludovic Blecher, Head of Google News Initiative Innovation.

“The money is being applied in diverse and creative ways from ensuring basic reporting needs, giving emergency stipends to allow reporters to cover the crisis, to driving audience engagement and generating subscriptions.

Additionally, a significant number also said they are prioritising a need for cultural change, including a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion as well as organisational and business management changes.”

Within the first two weeks of launch, JERF had received applications from 12,000 publishers across the globe, with newsroom sizes ranging from an average of 20 in Asia Pacific to eight in North America.

“The massive response gave us the opportunity to understand what ‘local’ means in different parts of the globe and how dynamics ranging from newsroom size to ownership structure can differ depending on the region and the kinds of communities served,” Blecher says.

According to an optional reader revenue survey GNI conducted: “Advertising continues to be the sole source of revenue for most recipients with 50% claiming to be totally advertising dependent.

“The survey also showed that less than 30% operate some form of a paywall while less than 18% rely on community contributions or memberships to support their journalism.

“However, the situation is changing with 60% of the recipients planning to diversify their revenue streams through developing subscription, membership or contribution models.”

Blecher added: “The pandemic has affected everyone and local news organisations have been at the forefront in helping their communities navigate COVID.

“At the Google News Initiative, we are trying to play our part with this funding and other initiatives as we all work towards the common goal of a sustainable, innovative and diverse news ecosystem globally.”

Beneficiaries of the Fund in Nigeria are Aledeh.com, City Mirror News, Daily Nigerian, News Wire NGR, Lagos Post Media, Newsfeed Nigeria, Premium Times and Sundiata Post.

Others are Sunrise Newspaper, Tell Magazine, The Daily Times, The Daily Report, The Eagle Online, The Median, TNG and The Punch (including Saturday Punch, Sunday Punch and Punch Online).

*JOIN our alert's group | Share stories with us | Advert placement: WhatsApp | SMS: +2348033592762 *Twitter: @ITREALMS *Email: itrealms.dsa@gmail.com*

Google’s new terms of service takes effect March 31, 2020 - ITREALMS

Exclusive@ITREALMS: 

Effective, Tuesday, March 31, 2020, the new Google terms of service will come into place, which may affect a number of its services, reports ITREALMS.

According to the official communications from its headquarters and available to ITREALMS from the Mountain View, California, United States of America, Google services are provided by the Google LLC under the laws of the State of Delaware, USA, and operating under the laws of the USA

“Until then, the existing Terms of Service continues to describe the rules you agree to when using our services. For more details, we’ve also provided a summary of the key changes,” Officials intimated ITREALMS.

In addition, ITREALMS gathered that if for any reasons a customer could not agree with new Terms of Service, they can find more information about other options in the Frequently Asked Questions.

However, ITREALMS, gathered that what is covered in these terms comprising the reflection on “the way Google’s business works, the laws that apply to our company, and certain things we’ve always believed to be true.”

As a result, Google said that “these Terms of Service help define Google’s relationship with you as you interact with our services. For example, these terms include the following topic headings:
“What you can expect from us, which describes how we provide and develop our services
“What we expect from you, which establishes certain rules for using our services
“Content in Google services, which describes the intellectual property rights to the content you find in our services — whether that content belongs to you, Google, or others
“In case of problems or disagreements, which describes other legal rights you have, and what to expect in case someone violates these terms.”

Understanding these terms, Google pointed out, is important because, “by using our services, you’re agreeing to these terms.”

Chuks Egbune/DoP

*JOIN our alert's group | Share stories with us | Advert placement: WhatsApp | SMS: +2348033592762 *Twitter: @ITREALMS *Email: itrealms.dsa@gmail.com*

First Google Startup Week Lagos attracts top UK, African venture capitalists - ITREALMS

ITREALMS: 

The first-ever Google Startup Week ended in Lagos, with some of Africa and United Kingdom (UK)-based top venture capitalists (VCs) on ground for exploration, reports ITREALMS.

This, ITREALMS also reports, saw the Google Launchpad Accelerator Africa graduating some 12 new startups from across Africa, and who pitched for funding,

Select alumni from classes 1, 2 and 3 are fresh out of a three-month Google for Startups UK Africa Immersion Programme in London. This is a 12-week immersion programme designed to bring the best of Google and the London startup ecosystem to tech companies from Africa that do not yet have a presence in the UK.

In partnership with Launchpad Accelerator Africa, the program aims to connect high potential early stage startups with the dedicated support of Google for Startups UK to help them take their startup to the next level.

“Every year, Africa’s economic growth continues to strengthen. Google for Startups has put its weight behind supporting the continent’s startups as they continue to build great products tackling key global social issues. This is an incredibly exciting space which is very relevant to UK ecosystem and investors,” says Marta Krupinska, head of Google for Startups UK.

Having completed their London Immersion, Launchpad Accelerator Africa Class 1, 2 and 3 alumni met with investors from the UK and Africa during Google Startup Week in Lagos to pitch for funding to take their businesses further.

Launchpad Accelerator Africa Class 4 graduated this week, as part of the Google Startup Week activities. Class 4 comprises 12 startups from six countries, addressing six different sectors.

Google Startup Week also saw participants from all 4 classes get a chance to meet, engage with each other, and share their experiences for the first time.

Class 4’s startups have collectively raised $4.3m, created over 300 jobs and signed up over 110 000 users. They had collectively raised in excess of $600 000 before the programme, and have been able to use Launchpad Accelerator Africa to scale their businesses to new levels.

“We believe Africans can solve Africa’s problems,” says the programme’s head of startup success and services, Fola Olatunji-David. “In running Launchpad Accelerator Africa we specifically look to work with startups with that share this vision. Launchpad Class 4 is tackling some of Africa’s most pressing challenges, including access to financial services, education, and agriculture.”

Since Launchpad Accelerator Africa was first announced in late 2017, the programme has worked with 47 startups on their growth journey. These companies have raised millions of dollars in investments, and created hundreds of jobs across the continent.

All the selected startups receive working space, and access to expert advisers from Google, Silicon Valley, and Africa. Participants also receive travel and PR support during each three-month programme.

The Class 4 startups graduating at Google Startup Week Lagos, in alphabetical order, are:

1. Afara Partners (Nigeria): Afara Partners offers platforms that provide services to the financially underserved/excluded.



2. BrandBook (South Africa): BrandBook is a mobile app that incentivises users to take a picture of their receipts, allowing it to harvest consumer purchase behaviour across all channels.

3. Elewa (Kenya): Elewa is a toolkit for establishing scalable high-quality training programs within existing education- or professional institutions.

4. Eversend (Uganda): Eversend is a multi-currency e-wallet that allows you to exchange, spend and send money at the best possible rates. It also includes insurance, virtual debit cards, and bill payments.

5. OZÉ (Ghana): OZÉ brings African small businesses into the digital era, equipping their owners to make data-driven decisions to improve their performance and access capital.

6. Phenomenal Technologies (Zimbabwe): Phenomenal Technologies offers low-cost field excursions for learners through virtual reality.

7. REACH (Nigeria): REACH recognises, categorises and interprets transaction data from SMS and other sources, making this data available as individual financial and market insights.

8. Sortd (South Africa): Sortd aims to re-invent email with the world's first All-in-One productivity suite for Gmail and GSuite.

9. TradeBuza (Nigeria): The TradeBuza is a cloud-based web and mobile application, which digitises contract farming and trade.

10. Tulaa (Kenya): Tulaa is an online-to-offline marketplace for smallholder farmers in Africa.

11. XEND (Nigeria) : XEND allows users to make and receive payments, offline or online.

12. WorkPay (Kenya): WorkPay is a cloud-based employee management and payment solution using the power of mobile and biometrics.

London Immersion Africa Startups:

13. 54gene (Nigeria) - African DNA makes up only 2% of genetic research material used in pharmaceutical research. Founded in 2019, 54gene is creating the world’s first and largest pan-African biobank.

14. Fieldinsight (Nigeria) - Fieldinsight helps to collect data in a structured manner using mobile and IoT devices. It then aggregates and represents this data through visualisations to help businesses make the best decisions.

15. Kwara (Kenya) - Kwara powers financial cooperatives with technology so they can meet their members needs instantly.

16. OkHi (Kenya) - 4 billion people across emerging markets do not have a physical address, costing economies $175bn a year. Based in Nairobi, OkHi creates digital addresses for people, which they can use (for free) to access reliable business services.

17. Paps (Senegal) - Paps is an African logistics startup focused on the last mile delivery and domestic markets, with strong client care orientation, allowing live tracking, intelligent address systems and automatic dispatch.

18. Piggyvest (Nigeria) - Piggyvest is an automated savings and investments platform that helps Nigerians save little amounts of money periodically, and then invest those funds for competitive returns.

19. PayGo Energy (Kenya) - PayGo Energy’s connected home gas meter links to a global IoT-based infrastructure for cooking gas delivery within high-density, high-demand urban communities — changing the entire cooking experience for households and unlocking access to clean cooking for a billion people.

20. ThankUCash (Nigeria) - ThankUCash is an analytics and rewards platform built to enable banks and businesses in Africa to acquire, reward and retain loyal customers.

21. Thrive Agric (Nigeria) - Thrive Agric provides farmers with access to finance, data-driven advisory and access to a market upon harvest.

22. Voyc (South Africa) - Voyc is on a mission to accelerate the world's transition towards customer-centricity by making it easy for companies to understand their customers.
Chuks Egbuna/EDitor
*JOIN our alert's group | Share stories with us | Advert placement: WhatsApp | SMS: +2348033592762 *Twitter: @ITREALMS *Email: itrealms.dsa@gmail.com*

Lagosians explore Google maps to improve road usage - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

A 2017 study listed the 150 least to most stressed out cities in the world. With Stuttgart in Germany nabbing first spot as the least stressed city to live and work in, Lagos came in at 148 (just two spots ahead of the most stressed city - Iraq) which will be no surprise to daily commuters on Lagos streets.

There were obviously factors other than traffic playing a role in defining this list but lack of space and cramped environments, including high traffic areas, featured high on the list of reasons people are stressed out in cities like Lagos.

Traffic is a challenge, no doubt about it, but there are tools available for Lagos road users to use to help smooth their journeys and make life a little easier.

Do the most with your travel time using Google Maps:

Lagos traffic may seem like an insurmountable, unavoidable, stressful part of the workday, over which it may seem you have no control. The truth is, there are several ways you can use technology to reclaim a few hours every day or make good use of your time on the road.

· First and foremost, how real is the traffic situation?: Who says you have to hit the road at 07h30 or 17h00 sharp? With just one tap, you have access to information like ETAs, live traffic updates and quickest routes to familiar places – like home, work and the gym. This will help you decide whether you should join the fray or stick around, head off to the gym or make a stop to buy the milk you know is needed at home.

· Know before you go: If gym is an alternative to traffic for you but queues aren’t, try using Google’s “Popular Times” feature. This is accessible through Search and Maps and will help you decide how to better use your time. If the gym’s too busy and filled with other traffic dodgers, for example, you can choose to see how busy things look at your local mall or the library or the supermarket.

· Share your ETA and location: Sitting in traffic on your way to work and your boss keeps asking for updates? Use the Share Trip Progress functionality in Google Maps to share your journey with them, via Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger or even email. Once they open your shared link in Maps, they’ll be able to track your progress with ease. In much the same way, you can share an actual estimated time of arrival at home with your family, keeping their minds at ease on those “extra trafficky” days.

· Driving in cars with kids: If it’s your turn to drop the kids off at school, and you have an Android device, why not use Google’s Bolo app to use their time in traffic wisely? Bolo is a speech-based reading app that helps kids learn how to read in English - your kids can read out loud with the app, which “listens” to them while offering encouragement and feedback to help improve their reading skills. Bolo operates offline so there can be no “poor coverage” excuses!

· Mixed Transit options coming soon: People, in general, are quick learners and those faced with traffic on a daily basis will often find ways to shorten or ease this process. For some, this means mixed options when it comes to transport. You could drive or cycle to a taxi/bus station, taxi/bus or rideshare from there and then walk the last few metres to work. Google has announced its Mixed Transit feature, which will be coming to your phone soon and promises to help commuters plot their mixed transit options out every day - choosing the fastest option available.

*Nenye Dom/Editor

*JOIN our alert's group | Share stories with us | Advert placement: WhatsApp | SMS: +2348033592762 *Twitter: @ITREALMS *Email: itrealms.dsa@gmail.com*