Axios

Tens of thousands of Android smartphone users are left open to hacks due to a backdoor vulnerability in the Google Play app store. Hackers can use that backdoor in the apps, including Wifi File Transfer and AirDroid, to wiggle into these smartphones with one of the most basic hacking techniques.

How it works: Apps in Google Play essentially turn the phone into a server, which allows users to connect to their phone from their computer via a "port."

Why it matters: That "port" is also open to hackers who can steal data, like contacts or photos. Hackers can also install malware. And it's not just one or two apps; University of Michigan researchers found 1,632 apps opening this kind of port.

The kicker: As one of the researchers, Yunhuan Jia, put it: "The user can do nothing. Google can do nothing."

Apple confirmed Friday that it won't make any further royalty payments to Qualcomm until a court weighs in on the dispute between the two companies. Earlier on Friday Qualcomm lowered its quarterly earnings forecast, noting that Apple, via its suppliers, had stopped making payments.

"We've been trying to reach a licensing agreement with Qualcomm for more than five years but they have refused to negotiate fair terms," Apple told Axios in a statement. "Without an agreed-upon rate to determine how much is owed, we have suspended payments until the correct amount can be determined by the court. As we've said before, Qualcomm's demands are unreasonable and they have been charging higher rates based on our innovation, not their own."

The context: Apple is suing Qualcomm for $1 billion and Qualcomm has filed a countersuit of its own. The legal battle is fraught for both sides, though, with Apple being one of Qualcomm's biggest customers and Apple needing Qualcomm's modems for the Verizon and Sprint versions of the iPhone.

Qualcomm warned Friday that its quarterly earnings will be further dented as Apple has continued to withhold royalty payments amid an ongoing legal dispute. Apple had already withheld $1 billion in payments, money it believes it was owed by Qualcomm.

The disclosure Friday was that Apple, through its suppliers, is holding back further payments beyond the $1 billion that is the center of Apple's lawsuit against Qualcomm.

What it means: Qualcomm says it is now forecasting earnings of per-share earnings of 75 cents to 85 cents down from the 90 cents to $1.15 it predicted just nine days ago. That forecast imagined a range of scenarios around Apple, but Qualcomm noted the earlier outlook did not include the prospect of Apple withholding payments entirely.

What's next: As the two battle it out in court things could get even dicier. Apple still depends on Qualcomm's modems, especially for the Sprint and Verizon iPhones, for which there is no ready alternative. Qualcomm has thus far downplayed the option of halting chip supply, with CEO Steve Mollenkopf saying on last week's earnings call: "We expect to continue to be an important supplier to Apple now and into the future."