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Samsung has teamed up with Starbucks for limited-edition Galaxy S22 cases
Think of them as shields so that pulling out an Android phone in a Starbucks shop isn't as awkward
There's a great selection of cases for the Samsung Galaxy S22 series, but if you're in Korea, you're about to get even more options. At least, that is, if you like Starbucks. It might not be the very first name that comes to mind when you think about cases, but if you're the number one fan of walking into a coffee shop, sitting down with your MacBook, and asking for a venti iced white chocolate mocha, these might be the cases to get.
Securely managing the payment information of millions of users is a massive responsibility—one that many retailers, unfortunately, seem unable to handle. Enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) on your accounts is one of the simplest and most effective ways to keep your data safe. The latest update to the Starbucks mobile app finally brings this extra layer of security to the nation's most popular mobile payments platform.
The United States' most popular mobile payments platform, Starbucks, has always been useful for those who frequent the chain. With this week's update v5, though, it's getting considerably nicer to use, with easier access to the barcode screen and the ability to remember your order as you navigate the app.
Quick, guess which mobile payments platform is the most popular! Well, you were wrong — it's the Starbucks app. Now, though, you can use third-most-popular mobile payments platform, Google Pay, to refill your Starbucks Card balance from inside the Starbucks app.
The Starbucks app allows customers to pay for their caffeine fix and earn rewards points for subsequent coffee runs without using cash or a card. It only works at Starbucks, obviously. Despite the fact that payments through Google Pay and Apple Pay are now accepted at more than half of US merchants (and more than 80 percent take Samsung Pay), the Starbucks app is currently the most popular mobile payments platform—and it's projected to stay that way.
The Google Assistant is all about making our lives easier, and a new food pick-up and delivery service is one more way it hopes to do this. Director of Product Management Lilian Rincon took to the stage at Google I/O 2018 to walk us through some new ways we can interact with the Assistant, and as part of the demo she ordered "her usual" from a Starbucks store nearby.
Those that frequent the land of French roasts and baristas to get their caffeine fix can now save a few extra seconds each day. The Starbucks app for Android was just updated, and among the recent changes is fingerprint support. So the next time you log in or reload your balance, it could be as easy as a single tap.
Developer Niantic has begun to unlock the full partner potential of the Pokémon GO augmented reality game. Just yesterday a partnership between the game and Sprint retail stores was announced, teasing new in-game locations corresponding to Sprint, Boost Mobile, and Radio Shack stores. That rollout doesn't technically begin until December 12th, but the previously-leaked Starbucks promotion should be live right now, turning 7800 coffee shops in the US into new Pokestops and Pokémon Gyms.
The potential for retail partnerships with Niantic's Pokémon GO mobile game is built right into its central hook - players travel to real-world locations to catch monsters and collect items, so why not steer them to participating stores or restaurants for a little synergistic profiteering? Ubiquitous coffee house Starbucks seems to be the first business taking Niantic up on a partnership. Internal documents detailing an upcoming promotion for employees, designated for US stores but leaked by Eurogamer, offers some sweet details for players and coffee fans alike.
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Dear Starbucks: thank you for existing. Not for your overpriced smoothie-coffee or your approachable yuppie atmosphere. No, thank you for being a Wi-Fi-soaked escape from my rural family's home during the holidays - T-Mobile service is still crappy out there. And while I'm extending some holiday thanks, I might as well give a shout-out to Visa, which is giving Starbucks customers of free credit via the Starbucks app. That's approximately 2.5 Frappuccinos.
It's been a rough start to the day and boy do I need a cup of coffee. Hey, let me open up that Starbucks app and see what's new. Oh yes, I have a new gift because I'm a very loyal custo... damn, the app crashed. Alright, I'll try again.
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Finding stuff to listen to is difficult work. I mean, it must be. More folks have sat around thinking up yet one more way for helping consumers discover music differently than have put their talents toward developing a decent mobile office suite or a way for users to back up app save data without having to void warranties. For those of you who have made Spotify your music-finding solution of choice, Starbucks is offering something aside from a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich.
If you're an AT&T customer, you can have a free cup of coffee (or anything else from Starbucks that costs less than five dollars) on Ting. The budget-focused MVNO is offering a $5 gift card to AT&T users just for checking to see if their current phone is compatible with the service. Head to this address, enter your phone's IMEI number to check if it's compatible, enter your phone number (to make sure it's an AT&T account), then give them your email address to get your gift card. Not bad.
If you're ordering the same cup of coffee every morning at the same time every day, why are you waiting in line? Oh, right, until now Starbucks' Mobile Order and Pay was only available in select cities. Well, dear caffeine-driven productive member of society, the feature has now made its way from the Pacific Northwest to over 7,400 stores spread across the country.
Before today, the official Starbucks app was perfectly serviceable - in fact, I'd say it was better than most retail apps. You can store pre-paid Starbucks cards in the app and pay with them, see your rewards for being a loyal customer, and find coffee shops with the built-in map (in case you can't see one by turning your head from side to side). But today's sizeable update from version 2.4 to 2.7 adds some neat stuff, most notably the ability to tip your coffee minion. I mean, your barista.
Starbucks is looking to provide customers with the option to order their beverage in-app, saving them the effort of waiting in line to get in and get out with something to drink. Re/code reports that the company will start testing the feature in an undisclosed market later this year.
For millions of coffee drinkers, Starbucks is a sort of a daily Mecca - they can't imagine skipping even a day, and spending over $100 a month on liquid caffeinated pleasures is pretty much business as usual. Because of that, unofficial Starbucks apps that replace Starbuck's own Starbucks Cards on mobile devices quickly gained popularity.
