Apps
The latest news on all your favorite apps.
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Snapchat's six-second unskippable ads have arrived
If you've recently encountered an ad on Snapchat you can't skip, it's not due to any bug or problem with the app. The company has merely started testing six-second TV commercial-like ads, confirming a previous report about their rollout this month. According to AdAge, some of the ephemeral app's first unskippable ads include promos for Deadpool 2 and the Samsung Galaxy S9. They don't show you how much time you have left to watch until you tap on the screen to skip it and -- surprise! -- find out that you can't.
HQ Trivia is hosting a special game with 'The Voice'
HQ Trivia's game on Monday night will give you the chance to earn and withdraw more than a couple of bucks in earnings. The hit mobile game will give away $50,000 that evening -- and a trip for two to LA to see The Voice's live finale on May 21st. HQ Trivia has teamed up with the singing competition in what NBC describes as a "first-of-its-kind partnership."
How Google's 'Material Theming' will change your Android experience
This week, Google announced a new set of tools called Material Theming that helps developers implement the Material theme across apps, including mobile and web. App-makers can choose from a variety of components and design transitions and Google even uses AI to make everything look coherent. Like the WYSIWYG HTML editors of yore, Material Theming makes it easier for developers to design apps their way while sticking to Google's design paradigm.
Snapchat's revised redesign is rolling out on iOS
Snapchat's redesigned redesign is rolling out to users on iOS. If you'll remember, critics of last fall's visual makeover hated how the refresh moved friends' stories in with #brand posts. It even apparently affected how many new users the app was attracting, hence the revision. Well, The Verge confirmed that won't be the case for much longer. The new design reinstates chronological sorting and is slowly making its way to iOS. Android users will have to wait, because Snap hasn't said anything about when the update lands for Google fans.
Steam Link will soon beam games to your iOS or Android device
Steam Link already brings your PC's games to your living room, but soon it will send them to other devices, too. Sometime during the week of May 21st, Valve will release dedicated apps for iOS and Android, which will work with smartphones, tablets and TVs. So long as everything is connected to the same 5Ghz network or Ethernet-cabled to the host system, you'll be able to play across your family of gadgets -- and even support peripherals like the Steam or MFI controllers.
Apple is reportedly pulling apps that share location data
Apple has reportedly started enforcing an App Store rule regarding location data more stringently. According 9to5mac, the tech giant has already removed a number of apps from the Store that share users' location to third parties without their explicit consent. In the letter it sent to the affected developers, Apple told them their applications didn't comply with Legal sections 5.1.1 and 5.1.2 of the App Store Review Guidelines. Those sections state that apps must not transmit "user location data to third parties without explicit consent from the user and for unapproved purposes."
Google's Lookout will help the blind navigate their environment
Google has announced one of its upcoming apps called Lookout as part of the annual I/O conference, and it has nothing to do with the mobile security application of the same name. The tech giant's Lookout was designed to help the blind and the visually impaired be more independent by giving them spoken notifications about their environment. For instance, it can tell them that there's a "chair 3 o'clock," so they don't bump into the object to their right. The app can also read texts, such as Exit signs over doors.
Google's AI-driven News app will make sense of the day's news
Google confirmed earlier rumors surrounding its News app at the I/O developers conference on Tuesday, showing off a completely reimagined product designed to handle the rigors of our modern news cycle.
Ring's Neighbors app is a modern take on neighborhood watches
Smart doorbell company Ring, recently acquired by Amazon, wants to drive a new style of neighborhood watch. Neighbors is a standalone app that takes the quasi-social networking aspect of the Ring app and breaks it out into a standalone application for Android and iOS, no Ring hardware required. It isn't the only app to do so -- there's also Nextdoor -- but that shouldn't make it any less useful.
Gmail for iOS now sends money and snoozes emails
Gmail on your iPhone can now help you settle a tab with a friend. A quiet update to the iOS app has introduced the ability to send and receive money using Google Pay. As on Android devices, Gmail sends the payment as an attachment -- the recipient only needs an email address to receive their money. The feature might not be as simple on iOS given that you need to download an app to use it, but it's easier than some third-party apps and more widely available than Apple Pay Cash.
Apple will shut down Texture's terrible Windows app
Apple bought Texture, the 'Netflix for magazines,' back in March as a clear bid to get in on an uncluttered media provider niche. The service gives subscribers unlimited access to a number of publications -- but now, you won't be able to use it on Windows devices. Without explanation, Apple informed users that the Texture app will be pulled from the Microsoft Store after June 30th. As of now, it will still be available for Android, Amazon Fire, and iOS.
Google's latest app easily transfers VR180 footage to your phone
Google's work toward democratizing virtual reality has taken a big step forward. The company recenlty released the VR180 app for Android and iOS, which takes photos and video captured on its special VR cameras and uploads them directly to Google Photos and YouTube. There's an option for live-streaming too, according to TechCrunch. You'll need one of Google's VR180 cameras to use the app, of course, but there are already a few options to choose from in that regard. Lucky for you, Lenovo's Mirage Camera is available as of today.
NPR and public radio group buy popular podcast app Pocket Casts
NPR, This American Life, WNYC Studios and WBEZ Chicago have teamed up to buy Pocket Casts, a cross-platform podcast app. The public radio outlets hope to improve the podcast discovery experience, help creators find new audiences and improve insights for producers.
ESPN brings a curated daily version of SportsCenter to its app
ESPN isn't just bringing versions of SportsCenter to social networks like Snapchat and Twitter. The network is launching a daily edition of SportsCenter within the ESPN App. Anchors like Scott Van Pelt will host a "curation" of top sporting news, such as highlights from last night's games or things to expect from upcoming matches. It'll certainly be hard to miss -- the show will "feature prominently" on the app's home screen in the morning whenever you open it for the first time that day.
Under Armour takes on HQ Trivia with the help of NBA star Steph Curry
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry returned to the court after a lengthy absence last night, and Under Armour is giving fans another reason to celebrate. The shoe company will take on the likes of HQ Trivia with Steph IQ: a basketball-themed quiz where players can win store credit, shoes and even NBA playoffs tickets. As you might expect, the kicks are Steph's own UA sneaker, the Curry 5.
Facebook is moving Groups into the spotlight
At Facebook's F8 developers conference today in San Jose, California, Chris Cox noted that the use of Groups is on pace to outgrow the main Facebook experience itself, with 1.4 billion users currently. Cox revealed that Facebook has been working with leaders of large, one-million-plus groups to help admin better serve these intentional communities. Facebook is rolling out a new Groups tab that will help you navigate to your existing groups, interact with content there and eventually join new groups.
Opera discontinues its mobile VPN app (updated)
Opera's free mobile VPN app wasn't long for this world, unfortunately. The browser maker has discontinued both its Android and iOS VPN clients after SurfEasy, the developer Opera had acquired in 2015, parted ways with the company. We've asked about the fate of desktop support, but it's safe to say this reduces your choices when you're accessing content from other countries or adding a degree of secrecy to your surfing. You're not out of luck if you want to use Opera VPN's underlying technology, though.
Spotify streaming comes to Sky Q boxes
Spotify is available on Sky Q from today, letting you play music via your Sky Soundbox or stream music to your TV speakers via AirPlay or Bluetooth. It's the first high-profile app to come to the platform since it launched two years ago, and its arrival kickstarts the raft of new features -- including machine learning, additional voice commands, a new kids mode and a wide-screen user interface -- which were announced for the service earlier this year.
Snapchat will test unskippable ads in May
Snapchat is considering a new-but-familiar way to profit from its content: According to DigiDay, the company will start testing six-second TV commercial-like ads starting around May 15. By "commercial-like," we mean you can't skip them at all -- as it is, you can easily tap on a Snap ad to dismiss it. The company is reportedly planning to run the ads, aptly called "Commercials," in select shows produced by publishing partners like MTV-owner Viacom, such as Cribs and Girl Code. In other words, they're the kind of shows you'd usually expect to be interrupted by commercials if they're shown on TV.
YouTube adds more rigorous parental controls to its Kids app
Google and YouTube have been struggling with how to let kids watch videos without also exposing them to inappropriate content. Even the YouTube Kids app has suggested not-for-kids conspiracy theory videos. In response, the video platform started looking at handpicking content for its app earlier this month. Now the company is making changes to YouTube Kids to help keep the little ones a little safer, including curated collections, parent-approved content and an improved ability to turn off search in the app.