Apps

The latest news on all your favorite apps.

Latest

Android gets auto-narrated audiobooks and expanded Voice Access
Google has rolled out a host of new Android features, including expanded Auto access, automatically-narrated audiobooks and app sharing.
TikTok is experimenting with longer-form, three-minute videos
The beauty of TikToks is that they're (usually) never long enough to overstay their welcome, but a new report suggests the company behind the app is mulling a big change.
Evernote's major redesign is rolling out on Android
Updates include a revamped note editor, faster search and streamlined navigation.
Quibi's short life is over
Less than eight months after it arrived, the streaming service is dead.
Spotify taps big-name musicians to help test Instagram-like stories
The latest test includes artists talking about their holiday songs.
Serif cuts 30 percent off Affinity creative apps for Black Friday
Serif has cut the prices of Affinity Photo, Designer and Publisher by 30 percent for a big Black Friday sale.
Google’s next AR app puts the Mandalorian in your living room
Google and Lucasfilm have launched The Mandalorian AR experience for the latest 5G Android phones, bringing characters from the show directly to your own space in augmented reality.
New AR modes put 'Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp' characters in your world
Nintendo’s free-to-play mobile game Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is getting new AR features to let you interact with your favorite characters in the real world. The company announced AR Camera and AR Cabin modes that will let you place your animal neighbors in your surroundings via your phone and either hang out or take pictures with them. You can invite up to 8 different characters to hang out with in this space, in case you were feeling lonely and wanted a faux party during the pandemic.
Google revamps Fit and adds three tiles to Wear OS
Wear OS is not dead. As we wait for Google to complete its acquisition of Fitbit, the smartwatch platform has languished without a new version in years. Wear OS is getting three new tiles — Workouts, Weather and Breathe.
Instagram's expanded Guides highlight products, places and posts
Instagram is expanding its Guides feature to everyone, and they now cover products, places and even posts.
CVS now accepts QR code payments from PayPal and Venmo
CVS is rolling out promised QR code payments using PayPal and Venmo, giving you a touch-free purchase option at the pharmacy.
WhatsApp makes shopping within its app easier
A new button on business pages will take you to product catalogs.
WhatsApp makes it easier to clean up GIF and photo spam
All the GIFs, memes, random photos and videos your friends send through WhatsApp could pile up and eat a huge chunk of your device’s storage without you noticing. It can be a pain having to go through all of them when it’s time for a cleanup, which is why the app’s new storage manager is a welcome feature. The messaging service has started rolling out a new storage management tool worldwide, and it makes cleanup easier by helping you identify, select and bulk delete files.
Facebook is publicly testing dark mode in its mobile app
Facebook has confirmed that it's publicly testing dark mode in its main mobile app, making it easier to browse the social network at night.
Microsoft Excel spreadsheets now take custom live data
Microsoft Excel now takes al kinds of custom data, expanding spreadsheets well past the usual text and numbers.
Zoom starts rolling out end-to-end encryption
E2EE is currently in a technical preview for free and paid users.
YouTube's refreshed mobile player has more streamlined controls
You can swipe to enter or exit full screen as well.
Google pulls popular Android apps that collected kids' device data
Google has removed three popular Android apps for kids after revelations they were collecting potentially identifying hardware data.
Stitcher redesign brings cleaner look and new features to the podcast app
You'll have more control over playback speed and episode downloads.
Apple adds HDR support to iMovie just in time for the iPhone 12
One of the iPhone 12 Pro’s most notable features is the ability to record video in Dolby Vision HDR, allowing you to capture footage at up to 60 fps with rich shadows and highlights. Now, Apple has updated its iMovie app for iOS with a bunch of new features, including HDR support, just before the iPhone 12 starts shipping. You can now view, edit and share HDR videos straight from your Photos library even on iPhones older than Apple’s latest flagship devices.

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