Apps
The latest news on all your favorite apps.
Latest
Mercedes app was leaking car owners' data to other users
Your car maker's mobile app can be very convenient, but it can also create privacy headaches in the wrong circumstances. Mercedes-Benz owners told TechCrunch that the car company's remote control app was supplying data from other users' accounts for at least a few hours on October 18th. You could see info from "several" accounts in at least one case, and it would include sensitive material like names, phone numbers and recent activity like locations.
Kik Messenger will keep running under a different owner
Kik Interactive may have chosen to focus on cryptocurrency, but its messaging app will apparently live on. In a new post on Kik's blog, MediaLab has revealed that it has acquired Kik Messenger from its creators and will continue developing the app. MediaLab owns other internet brands like Whisper, the anonymous secret-sharing social network.
Twitch viewers can subscribe to streamers on iOS
Twitch users on iOS can now subscribe to their favorite streamers directly from the app. It'll offer the same benefits of subscribing on desktop, including ad-free viewing, sub badges, channel emotes and sub-only chat, as well as supporting the partner or affiliate monetarily.
Venmo will launch its first credit card in 2020
Today, Venmo announced that it's launching a credit card in partnership with Synchrony. The card should be ready in the second half of 2020, and users will be able to apply for, use and manage it through the Venmo app. Cardholders will get real-time, granular alerts and be able to easily split and share purchases.
Uber is adding electric mopeds to its app in Paris
Beginning next month, Uber users in Paris will be able to book trips on Cityscoot's electric mopeds through the app. This marks the first time Uber has offered e-mopeds through its app, and the company says it's part of its goal to become a one-stop shop for all transportation needs.
Facebook expands its reward program for data abuse reports
Facebook is broadening its data abuse bounty program to reward more security sleuths. As of today, researchers can earn at least $500 when they find Facebook data vulnerabilities in third-party apps and sites using active penetration tests, not just passive observation. They'll have to conduct the tests with the permission of the third party and honor that party's bounty and disclosure rules, but they'll have a stronger incentive to share potential data leaks than they did in the past.
The Washington Post hopes you'll read articles on your TV
You probably retreat to the TV to tune out the day's news, but the Washington Post is betting that you wouldn't mind reading on the living room screen. It just launched a version of its app for Apple TV and Fire TV that offer a "highly-visual" way to catch up on world events. You pick stories from a carousel, and articles are displayed in a format that's easier to read while you're leaning back on the couch. Naturally, the app takes fuller advantage of your TV when there's video and other multimedia experiences.
Google bans predatory payday loan apps from the Play Store
Google has fought predatory loans for a while, but now it's taking that fight to its app store. The Wall Street Journal has learned that Google recently banned Play Store apps with "deceptive or harmful" personal loans where the annual percentage rate is 36 percent or higher, such as many payday loans. A spokesman said the expanded financial policy, implemented in August, was meant to "protect users" against "exploitative" terms.
Tim Cook defends Apple’s decision to remove Hong Kong protest app
Less than a day after Apple sparked controversy by removing a Hong Kong protest app, CEO Tim Cook has defended the decision. Apple removed the HKmap.live app after China Daily -- owned by the Communist Party of China -- criticized the company for listing it in the App Store. In an internal letter, Cook wrote, "we believe this decision best protects our users."
Duolingo's ABC app will teach kids how to read and write
Duolingo will release a new app in the coming months with a new audience in mind: children as young as four. It will be called Duolingo ABC, and the company told Wired UK that it will initially focus on teaching kids to read and write in their native tongue. However, the firm's ultimate goal is to create a version for adults and help the hundreds of millions of people who can't read worldwide. Duolingo will apparently roll ABC out as a test in the UK first before making it available in the US and the rest of the world.
Google gives its Android office apps a fresher, more consistent look
Google is making it easier to juggle its productivity apps on your phone. The internet giant has released updated versions of Docs, Sheets and Slides for Android with a refreshed visual design that doesn't add any big features, but should provide an easier and more familiar experience. They all have more consistent controls, easier-to-read typefaces and reworked document lists. You won't have quite such a jarring transition as you move from editing a report to finishing a presentation.
Twitch is officially available on the Apple TV
As of today, the official Twitch app is finally available on Apple TV. The app has been available for consoles, mobile devices and Android TV boxes for years, but Apple TV owners were forced to use third-party apps. Last month, Twitch released a public beta of its Apple TV app, and today, the final product is ready.
Instagram tests Group Stories after Facebook ditched them
Facebook might not be giving up on Group Stories just because it's cutting them from its main app. App sleuther Jane Manchun Wong has found test code for a Group Story feature in Instagram. There's no mystery to how it works -- you'd just choose to "share to Group Story." Still, it could be helpful for those moments when you'd like to recap your adventures for a smaller social circle beyond those you've marked as Close Friends.
You'll be able to wave at Pokémon on the Pixel 4
After so many photo and video leaks, the daily revelations about the Google Pixel 4 can officially be referred to as a deluge. The latest comes from 9to5Google, in the form of a tech demo for the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL's radar-equipped motion sensor. The proof-of-concept app lets users pet, splash and wave at Pokémon characters using vertical and horizontal hand gestures.
Uber's new app will match temporary workers with job vacancies
Uber apparently left one service out of the all-in-one application it's testing. According to Financial Times and Crain's Chicago Business, the ride-hailing giant will launch a new app called Uber Works on Friday that will connect businesses with temp workers. It will initially be available in Chicago where it's been in testing for a year, though FT says Uber is exploring the possibility of a wider rollout. Uber created the service to match blue collar workers like chefs with businesses that need temporary staff to fill in the gaps in their lineup.
Another Pixel 4 leak reveals a transcription-centric Recorder app
Google's not doing a great job of keeping details of its forthcoming Pixel 4 quiet. Following leaks about its take on accessible Face ID, and more recently its car crash detection feature, new info has emerged about its updated Recorder app. At the moment, Google's simple Recorder app lets you record audio from a microphone, and not much else. But according to Mishaal Rahman at XDA Developers, it's set to get an upgrade that'll make it a lot more useful.
Twitter's DM search is available for all iOS users
Twitter is continuing its streak of releasing features it teased in August. The internet giant is rolling out its previously-tested direct message search to iOS users. You only have to type in a search box to recall the restaurant you were supposed to visit. Keywords apply to user names, informal names and the content of messages, so it should be easy to narrow DMs to those from a close friend.
'PUBG Mobile' will add characters and gear from 'The Walking Dead'
The PUBG team is continuing its quest to counter Fortnite's media tie-ins. PUBG Mobile is adding a handful of characters and equipment from AMC's version of The Walking Dead on October 1st, giving you that little bit of extra menace in battle royale matches. You can snag skins for Rick, Daryl, Michonne and Negan. Daryl's iconic motorcycle is on hand to help stay in the safe zone, and you can wield Michonne's katana or Negan's infamous Lucille bat if a frying pan isn't intimidating enough.
Google is launching car crash detection for Pixel phones in the US
Google's Pixel users in the US will soon have access to car crash detection features similar to Uber RideCheck's. XDA-Developers has spotted an unannounced app named "Personal Safety" on Google Play, which is described as "an app for Pixel phones that helps [users] stay safe and connected to first responders and [their] emergency contacts." The app can figure out if a user is in a crash based on their location -- most likely if their vehicle suddenly stopped moving -- the readings from their motion sensors and the sounds from their microphone.
Instagram reminders make sure you don’t forget the latest fashion drops
Instagram is full of fashion-forward users, so it's no surprise that clothing, footwear and luxury brands are more than happy to use the platform as a marketing and sales channel. Select companies can now test an even easier way for consumers to shop with in-app reminders for upcoming product releases.