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The latest news on all your favorite apps.
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Google Assistant gets a proper home on the iPad
This is the year every voice assistant adds native iPad support, it seems. Hot on the heels of Microsoft's Cortana update, Google has released an iPad-friendly version of Assistant. The updated app takes full advantage of the tablet's larger screen, of course, but that also includes multitasking support in iOS 11 -- you can send commands to the AI companion while you're chatting with a friend or planning your day. The app is available now in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Brazilian Portugese and Spanish.
YouTube extends its 'Dark Theme' to iOS
Sometimes the best features come when tech companies let their programmers and designers play around a bit. That's certainly the case with YouTube's "Dark theme," which arrives today on the iOS version of the app. (The darker theme will come to Android "soon.") The feature, which is already available on desktop, lets you change the regular bright white theme to a more cinematic, black and grey look. YouTube says Dark theme was one of the "top requested features on mobile."
Snapchat will feature creator-made AR Lenses in its carousel
Snapchat plans to give its AR Lens offerings a boost by feature submissions from its users. In late March, you'll start seeing Lenses with their creators' names underneath their titles mixed with Snapchat's own and sponsored options. According to Mashable, Snapchat will feature some of the Lenses people created using the company's Lens Studio tool. It's unclear what qualities will make Snap choose a particular Lens -- at the very least, it most likely has to look good and well-made -- but interested creators will have to opt into Snap's "Creator Boost" program if they want the company to consider their submissions.
Evernote will use AI to automate your workflow
As the official note-taker of SXSW 2018, Evernote has a massive job. It has to record and produce recaps of more than 50 sessions across four different convention verticals, while at the same time delivering its own news amid meetings with partners and press. Whew. But it's also looking to make that job easier for its users, with new tools it's adding to the Spaces feature it launched two weeks ago.
Snapchat and Instagram pull Giphy stickers over racist GIF
When Snapchat and Instagram introduced Giphy stickers for Stories, they expected to offer PG-rated GIFs that even their young patrons can use. Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned: both platforms have disabled the feature after users discovered an extremely racist GIF that says "N---- Crime Death Counter -- Keep Cranking Bonzo, the Numbers Just Keep on Climbing!" among Giphy's offerings. Since the sticker was first discovered on Snapchat, the ephemeral messaging app yanked it first. A spokesperson told TechCrunch that it disabled the feature while it waits "for Giphy's team to take a look at it."
Leave video voicemail for your unanswered Google Duo calls
Google's Duo app is making it possible to leave more than just a voice mail when it isn't enough. The big G's app now allows you to record 30-second video messages when the person you're calling isn't picking up or declines your call for some reason. Simply tap the "Leave video message" icon when it pops up, record your video and then send that clip of your dog doing silly things or fun get-togethers to your relatives and friends.
MoviePass can't answer important location tracking questions
Yesterday it surfaced that MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe said -- during a presentation called "Data is the New Oil: How Will MoviePass Monetize It?" -- that his company could watch how subscribers drive home from the movie and see where they went. The setup sounds a lot like the post-ride tracking Uber added and then pulled last year. Media Play News included the quotes in the middle of an article about MoviePass projecting that it will pass 5 million subscribers, and the outlet has since posted a full quote showing exactly what the CEO said.
Skype is now optimized for lower-end Android phones
It's not just Facebook and Google trimming apps to help them run on lower-end smartphones. Microsoft is rolling out a new version of Skype for Android that reduces the memory and storage demands on devices running Android 4.0.3 through 5.1, improving audiovisual quality and overall speed for those devices. It should be more tolerant of flaky network connections, too. The updated app will be available worldwide in the "coming weeks."
Nike teams up with Headspace for 'mindful' guided runs
Nike has joined forces with meditation app Headspace to provide you with a different kind of audio-guided runs: one that works your body and calms your mind. Starting today, you'll find the first three Headspace audio-guided "mindful" runs on Nike's Run Club (NRC) app. Like the other guides on NRC, they feature coaches and athletes speaking into your ear and giving you running instructions. But according to Headspace co-founder Andy Puddicombe, they also blend "technical and motivational components," making them sort of like a more "active and upbeat [type of] meditation."
Booking a reservation through Seated will give you Lyft credits
Most ride-hailing and restaurant partnerships like UberEATS were designed to deliver you food, but Lyft's new collaboration is the other way around. The ride-hailing firm is now a reward option for Seated, a restaurant discovery app for iOS and Android that pays you for dining out. Whenever you make a reservation with Seated, you can get between $10 and $50 in Lyft credits, depending on the size of your party and your dining time.
Sky to offer Netflix content alongside its own
While Sky continues to wade through multi-billion dollar bids from Fox and Comcast, the UK pay-TV provider has quietly been working behind the scenes to bring new content and services to its platform. Earlier this week, the company announced that it had signed a deal with Spotify to bring a dedicated music app to Sky Q boxes, while adding a whole host of personalisation features. Today, however, Sky has gone one better, confirming a new partnership with streaming giant Netflix to offer the US company's TV and movie content alongside its own across Europe.
Twitter makes it easier to save and share tweets
Twitter has replaced its "send via DM" icon with something that can do more than forward a tweet to somebody's inbox. The new share icon brings up a menu with three options to choose from: "Send via DM," "Add Tweet to Bookmarks" and "Share Tweet via..." Yes, the social network is making it much easier to save tweets so you can read them later and to share them off the platform. Twitter's engineers started developing the tools during the company's annual Hack Week activities in 2017 and even finished working prototypes after the event.
Parrot app automatically edits your drone videos
Drone videos can be spectacular, but editing them? Not so much -- don't be surprised if you spend hours cutting 10 minutes of footage into something worth watching. Parrot thinks there's a better way. It's adding a Flight Director feature to its FreeFlight Pro mobile app (for Android and iOS) that automatically edits your drone footage. Algorithms study the drone's behavior and produce videos up to 3 minutes in length based on a handful of criteria, including the style (chronological, cinematic or trailer), pre-made themes and other existing footage. The biggest dilemma may be choosing your soundtrack.
Netflix is testing a navigation bar on Android
Netflix is looking to replace its slide-out menu with something much more visible and easier to access, based on the new user interface it's releasing to beta testers. As Android Police has noted, the streaming platform has started testing a navigation bar at the bottom of the screen, completely getting rid of the hamburger menu you'd have to tap to get to the slide-out panel. The new design will make it easier to access your offline downloads and to see what's coming soon. Netflix also moved the Search function from the upper right portion of the screen to the bottom bar, where it gets a bigger icon.
Signal Messenger receives $50 million from WhatsApp co-founder
WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton left Facebook in 2017 to start a non-profit. Turns out that non-profit involves another messaging app: Signal. In a blog post, Signal chief Moxie Marlinspike has announced the launch of Signal Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that was made possible by the $50,000,000 in funding Acton provided. Signal's secure messaging app is a popular choice among privacy-focused users, including staff members of the US Senate. Even though it's a fairly recognizable name, it's been having financial troubles that make it hard to hire more people to develop new features.
Swype is reportedly bidding the consumer keyboard biz farewell (update)
It may be time to find a new go-to keyboard if you're still using Swype after all these years. Swype parent company Nuance told XDA Developers that the development of Swype with Dragon Dictation for Android has been discontinued. No more future updates, no more new features -- the keyboard is apparently dead. Further, the publication also found a post on Nuance's ZenDesk from early February, announcing that the company is also killing Swype for iOS and that it'll no longer be available on the App Store for download.
Google's Indian mobile money app can pay bills in a few taps
Manually paying your bills online usually involves jumping between multiple apps or websites, but Google might have an easier way. Its Tez mobile money app for India now includes a bill payment feature that lets you handle all those recurring costs in one place. You can add from a list of 80-plus companies (including utilities and telecoms) and pay directly from your bank account with a few taps. You get notifications when bills pop up, so you shouldn't forget about a bill until it's too late.
Twitter pulls the plug on its official Mac app
We had high hopes about Twitter for Mac after the company acquired Tweetie and put its name on the desktop app, but now Twitter is shutting it off. This evening its Support account revealed that its app has been pulled from the Mac store, and in 30 days "will no longer be supported." Twitter said that it's "focusing our efforts on a great Twitter experience that's consistent across platforms" so users will have to use the website, Tweetdeck or third-party apps. It's not really surprising either -- back in 2015 we predicted that a 2018 update might bring already-behind the curve features like timeline syncing, but it was not to be. Most hardcore users are probably opting for other apps that have survived over the years like Tweetbot or Twitterific, so this news is more of a sad closing note to the app's development than a major loss.
Google gives Gmail the Android Go treatment to save data and storage
Last December, Google launched Android Go, a lightweight operating system for less capable phones typically used in places like India and Indonesia. The company has also been creating apps for these less-capable phones, too, including YouTube Go and a Go-enabled Assistant. Now Google has Gmail Go, a Gmail client made to use less data and storage space for lower end Android phones.
Pinterest's new tools help keep your boards organized
Pinterest has rolled out new tools that will help keep you sane if the pins you've been collecting for years have been driving you mad. To start with, you can now archive a board once you're done with it. Say, you've been using Pinterest to plan a party or a wedding -- you can toss that board to archive after you're done with it to keep things clean. By doing that, you're also stopping Pinterest from sending you relevant recommendations, so you don't have to keep seeing bouquets and wedding dresses if you're sick and tired of looking at them.