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Google brings out the fireworks to mark the end of Euro 2020 and the Copa America
Italy and Argentina celebrated in latest Google Easter egg
This weekend saw the completion of two major sporting events and Google decided to celebrate the winners in typical Easter egg fashion. Euro 2020 and the Copa America are two of the biggest soccer (or, actual football) tournaments and were won by two of the most successful footballing nations, Italy and Argentina, respectively. If you search either competition name in Google right now, you'll be treated to fireworks in the colors of the victors.
Some guy managed to buy Google Search's domain name in Argentina
The issue was quickly sorted out, but not before a lot of people noticed
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Google Search is one of the biggest, most recognizable brands on the planet. So when it's suddenly inaccessible for a country of 45 million people, someone's bound to notice. Such was the case on Wednesday, after an Argentinian man was somehow able to purchase the domain for the Argentina portal to Google Search, google.com.ar.
Google News Showcase now helps readers in more countries break through article paywalls
Over 450 publications are now on board in over a dozen countries
Late last year Google introduced News Showcase, an initiative aiming to highlight insightful feature stories and bring them to the attention of more readers. Google even announced subsidizing access to select paywalled pieces through the program. Following an initial rollout in Germany and Brazil, Google brought News Showcase to Australia last week — and now the company has announced it's coming to even more countries.
Spotify has been working on proper lyrics support for ages. It likely takes this long to implement the seemingly simple feature in part due to licensing issues surrounding songtexts, which already led to a lawsuit against Google. Spotify seems to have finally found a suitable solution, as TechCrunch reports that the company is planning to roll out lyrics synced with music to 26 markets today. The US, Canada, and the UK aren't among these, though.
Just a few hours ago, Google announced that YouTube Premium and YouTube Music had made their way to India. Oddly enough, it neglected to mention the 13 other countries both services just debuted in. Of these 13, 12 are in Central and South America, with the odd duck out being South Africa.
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Google One's launch has been fraught with delays and pseudo-announcements. The unifying storage service was introduced in May, but only select users got invited to try it out, then Google re-announced it again a few weeks ago, saying it was available to everyone in the US. But we all know that just meant it was starting to be available to all. Now comes the news that One is finally stepping outside the borders of the USA and going south to Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina, then sailing across the Pacific to Australia.
Developers who wish to grant free access to paid content on the Play Store usually do so with a promo code. However, these codes aren't globally available, with Google instead having a list of 25 countries where they are. Google does add countries occasionally, though, and this time around, Argentina, Chile, and Peru have joined the list.
News is extremely vital to how our societies function — making sure you find solid, fact-checked stories is an important aspect of that. Google has already taken steps to assist in that endeavor in the United States, France, and Germany, and now Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico are getting the same treatment.
Why go anywhere? That's the question some people find themselves asking as Google Street View comes to more places. Google lets you explore Machu Picchu, view the inside of sports arenas, visit historic locations all across Thailand, and check out the Batcave. Now the service is ready to show you some of the most stunning corners of Argentina.
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Play Music is as much an online service as it is a mobile app, but when it comes to the former, you have to wait your turn before you can get your hands on it (without jumping through hoops). Fortunately, Play Music has come to Argentina. Thanks to alphabetical order, it's now the first country listed on Google's support page.
The last time we saw an expansion of Google Play Books was nearly a month ago when the service opened up shop in South Africa, Switzerland, and Turkey. Since then, it would appear Google has been making headway in its continued effort to bring more of its services to as many countries as possible. This time around, the list of countries in which Play Books is available has been updated to include Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela.
Google announced in May that they were going to remove Argentina from the list of regions supporting paid apps in the Google Play Store, but they then issued a temporary reversal in June. Now Google has come up with a permanent solution for those who rely on app sales as a source of revenue. Argentinian developers can continue to offer paid apps on Google Play by receiving wire transfer payments through Google Wallet. Typically developers receive money via Google AdSense, and those in other countries will continue to do so.
Last month Google announced that they would remove Argentina from the list of regions supporting paid Android apps in the Google Play Store. The company cited "ongoing issues," likely having to do with rapidly increasing inflation and other economic problems in the country. Google had planned to remove all paid apps and IAP apps from Argentinian developers tomorrow, June 27th. Now the company has reversed its decision, and though they haven't said why, presumably it follows the outcry from the Argentinian developer community.
Google To Cease Payment To Argentine Developers, Pull Apps Due To Economic, Governmental Issues
Google, citing "ongoing challenges," will be ending the distribution of paid apps from Argentina in the Play Store effective June 27th, "at which point
Google, citing "ongoing challenges," will be ending the distribution of paid apps from Argentina in the Play Store effective June 27th, "at which point the apps will be unpublished."
[Updated] Google Starting To Flip The Switch On Purchasing Paid Android Market Apps In New Countries
Last week, Google announced that over the next 2 weeks, support for purchasing paid apps was coming to 18 more countries: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Israel, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Sweden, and Taiwan.