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The Reddit app is giving comments some long-overdue attention
Don't worry, you can still drop your unsolicited hot-takes
The mobile Reddit experience can be hit or miss. There are lots of annoying ads to deal with, the videos load slowly (if at all), and you tend to be bombarded with recommended communities. Given how much of a burden enjoying Reddit on iOS or Android can be, it's good to hear that some new updates are coming to the app, particularly in terms of how users interact with posts and each other.
YouTube Music inches closer to Google Podcasts with new filters
You can also search for artists now in the music tuner
YouTube Music is one of the three big music streaming services that people can subscribe to when they’re looking for a rhythmic fix. However, it regularly lags behind Spotify and Apple Music in tons of ways and needs to add crucial features to even compete with them. It wasn’t all that long ago that Google Play Music was killed off by Google in lieu of YouTube Music, which is still missing features, tools, and functionality that the former had four years ago. Google Podcasts has suffered the same fate, as it was just shut down in the US on April 2, and its international shutdown date is coming in June 2024. It’s been enveloped by YouTube Music, and new podcast filter options have just appeared in the app to make that transition smoother.
WhatsApp has billions of active users, but it still leaves no stone unturned in attempts to encourage user interaction and new sign-ups. We recently reported on a new prompt in the app encouraging you to initiate a conversation with people saved in your contacts. In a similar vein, a recent beta version of the app reveals adding new contacts could become simpler as well.
The US TikTok ban could happen sooner than we thought
The US Senate has passed legislation paving the way for a ban on TikTok
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Despite taking the world by storm, social media app TikTok hasn't been fully immune from trouble in the US. Last month, the US House of Representatives passed a bill to cut ties between TikTok and its parent company ByteDance. The bill then moved into the US Senate for approval, the penultimate step before it reaches President Joe Biden's desk, who can then sign it into law. In a massive 79-18 vote on Tuesday, the Senate resoundingly passed this bill, paving the way for a potential ban on the platform in the US.
This company wants to monetize Android's lock screen, and it's headed for the US
Glance has started a pilot program in partnership with Motorola and Verizon in the US
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Budget smartphones from Xiaomi, Realme, or even Samsung in Asia show news, live scores, and other media content (like ads and sponsored content) on the lock screen. Despite its popularity in Asia, Glance — a subsidiary of the adtech business InMobi Group — hasn't made its way to smartphones sold in the US. Reports of the lock screen platform wanting to partner with US carriers did pop up in July 2022, but nothing happened afterward. Nearly two years later, Glance could finally be ready to bring lock screen ads to Android phones in the US.
WhatsApp could soon let Community admins hide their groups from the public eye
A godsend for communities with several members
Communities on WhatsApp have been around for a while now, helping users or organizations with several members to manage their conversations more efficiently. The Meta-owned chat app was recently found working on allowing community members to create and schedule events. Well, WhatsApp is now working on another communities-related attribute, aimed at protecting the privacy of certain groups.
Samsung's theming Good Lock module just got some major usability upgrades
The theming process becomes more seamless with the added ability to make edits
Samsung users that love to customize the look of their phone should get a little excited by today's news, as there has been a new update issued for the brand's Theme Park app. The latest update brings some notable features, and should make customizing themes going forward a more seamless process.
Grindr secretly shared user data, angering users of the hookup app
The dating app allegedly disclosed users’ HIV statuses to third-party firms
Grindr has become one of the most popular dating apps among those in the LGBTQ+ community, and for good reason. Users of the app have found it to be welcoming in many ways, and that sense of acceptance has created a certain level of trust. Some feel comfortable enough to share their HIV status, for example, but Grindr users are not immune to the risks of making personal information public. Now, new allegations against the app suggest users may suffer the consequences of taking that very risk.
Google Opinion Rewards wants you to update your profile to get more surveys
The update availability in all 34 countries is still in question
Getting paid for completing surveys wasn't a common thing until a decade ago. With Google Opinion Rewards launching in 2014, the firm pays you between $0.10 and $1.00 to complete some short surveys, helping improve user experience across multiple platforms. However, if the number of available surveys on the Opinion Rewards program doesn't seem sufficient, Google now wants you to update your profile to access more surveys.
New Nova Launcher beta offers immersive search results, web suggestions, and more
Search and assistant tweaks are at the forefront
For all you third-party launcher lovers out there, a new beta for Nova Launcher is here, bringing a host of changes and bug fixes. To be exact, version 8.0.15 is the new beta we are talking about, bringing polish to areas like web suggestions, immersive search results, and improved assistant support now that Google offers multiple options, having muddied the water with Gemini. So it looks like the recent update is mostly about improving and polishing the user experience when it comes to more comprehensive Google support for Search and assistants.
NordVPN grows its subscribers as Atlas VPN shuts down and migrates users
The service is shutting down on April 24
There are boatloads of free to use VPN services available on the Google Play Store, but not all of them strike the perfect balance between features, ease of use, and user security. We swear by a handful of VPN services, but Google recently shut down its offering bundled with Google One subscriptions. News of another shutdown just broke, and we are sad to see Atlas VPN go.
Google Gemini could soon suggest secure passwords to Chrome users
AI may now be in the business of helping you pick a password
Google is pushing out its AI service Gemini to nearly all of its popular products. From Gmail and Docs to Maps and Messages, Google's answer to ChatGPT is everywhere lately. Unsurprisingly, it's coming to your Chrome browser soon, but maybe in more ways than you would expect. There are hints that Google could be primed to use Gemini to give password suggestions to Chrome users.
Google Gemini could soon get a lot faster on Android
Updates are putting the Android app on par with the web version
Gemini was rolled out as Google's response to OpenAI's ChatGPT. While Gemini still falls short in many aspects compared to OpenAI's product, Google has been constantly improving it during the past several months. Along the way, the service is in the queue to be added to Gmail and coming to Google Chrome for the desktop as well. However, the latest spotted feature for Gemini can enhance the AI chatbot's ability to reply to queries in real-time.
WhatsApp has a note-pinning feature coming for your contacts
With messages in notes out of the way, contacts are next
While messaging apps were initially aimed at serving personal users, they soon became a desired tool among businesses. With that in mind, popular messaging apps like WhatsApp were prompted to add more business-driven features, including Communities, business profiles, and Facebook Shops Integration. However, the WhatsApp platform still has significant untapped potential to incorporate more business features.
Tinder’s latest safety feature lets you share your date details with family
All the important information in one link
Finding a match on dating apps is a nuanced skill, and going out on a date safely can be equally challenging. Usually, users prefer sharing their whereabouts with trusted friends or family members ahead of such interactions, but the process is very manual. The best dating apps seem to be taking notes, though, because Tinder just announced a new option in the app to share your date plans directly from the app with minimal effort.
Proton Mail introduces dark web monitoring to keep your credentials safe
Proactive alerts for compromised credentials
Information security is of the utmost importance in today’s digital age, and security-focused advancements like passkeys and encrypted emails are rapidly making life harder for bad actors and hackers. However, phishing still remains a leading cause of data breaches, and stolen credentials are often found for sale on the dark web. Well, privacy-focused Swiss email provider Proton Mail just announced it will monitor the dark web to alert users of compromised credentials.
Google Gemini is already integrated across multiple Workspace services, with the search giant also in the process of bringing it to the Chrome desktop browser. Despite showing promising results during its initial run (save for some initial setbacks), Android smartphone users weren't quite prepared to switch to Gemini as a voice assistant, considering how it lacked some essential features from Google Assistant, such as music streaming support. We've known for a while now that Gemini intends to support music streaming soon, and we're now catching an early glimpse of what it could look like.
Circle to Search could pick up another super handy trick
It might let you grab just the part of the screen you need and share it in a snap
Circle to Search is pretty straightforward, just like its name suggests. You circle an item on your phone screen, hit a button, and you get a bunch of Google search results all about what you circled. It's like Google Lens, but instead of looking up stuff in the real world, you're searching for things right on your screen. Soon, it might do even more by making it super easy to copy and share screenshots.
WhatsApp's new Quick Share alternative inches closer to release
'People nearby' gets some much-needed polish
Back in January, we learned that WhatsApp was working on a Quick Share (formerly Nearby Share) alternative to offer an easy file-sharing solution for its users. However, the feature, known as People nearby, was far from official, and the early implementation we encountered didn't reveal much about its functionality. We're now coming across a revised version of People nearby, containing a handful of UI refinements.
Google Drive's new search filters come to Android a month after they hit iOS
It's now even easier to find what you're looking for thanks to enhanced search filters
There's a reason Google Drive is one of the best cloud storage options in 2024. The service is simple and easy to use, and if you're someone that's a frequent user of Google products and services, then the integration is going to be top tier. Of course, the brand isn't one to rest on its laurels, and has frequently brought new features to the platform that make it easier to use.