Blurred lines, new APIs and a brand-new Lock Screen – TechCrunch

• Google released Android 13, beta 3 for Pixel gadgets, and introduced Android 13 had reached platform stability. Meaning the developer APIs and app updates at the moment are closing. Android 13 brings a bevy of latest options, together with extra personalization choices with themed icons, permission-based modifications to push notifications, extra granular file system controls, a brand new photograph/video picker, higher assist for tablets and foldables and far more.
• Google additionally announced the launch of its preliminary developer previews for Privateness Sandbox on Android and stated it’ll have extra developer previews coming quickly, in addition to a beta later this 12 months.

E-commerce

• Amazon tapped into augmented actuality in an try to enchantment to sneakerheads procuring its web site. The retailer announced a brand new characteristic referred to as “Digital Attempt-On for Sneakers” that enables clients to visualise how a pair of latest sneakers will look on themselves from a number of angles utilizing their cell phone’s digital camera and AR know-how. Collaborating manufacturers embody New Steadiness, Adidas, Reebok, Puma, Saucony, Lacoste, Asics and Superga.
• TikTok e-commerce efforts within the U.Ok., TikTok Store, are reportedly in turmoil after dropping half the employees (20 individuals) since its October 2021 launch due to a poisonous office tradition, The FT reported.
• In hopes of prompting creator adoption of its short-form Shorts service, YouTube announced its first-ever “Shoppable Shorts Problem” alongside its second annual YouTube Magnificence Pageant. The problem can have creators making movies about Glossier’s Cloud Paint product.

Fintech

• PayPal announced it’ll start permitting customers to switch cryptocurrency from their PayPal accounts to different wallets and exchanges. The characteristic will permit customers to maneuver crypto to exterior crypto addresses, together with exchanges and {hardware} wallets, and ship crypto to different PayPal customers “in seconds.”
• Investments app Public introduced Public Premium, a brand new $10/mo membership tier that gives analysis, knowledge and insights to assist inform funding choices. This contains entry to deeper firm metrics, analysis from professional analysts and extra . The service is free to members with an account stability of $20,000+.

Social

• TikTok rolled out new display time “take a break” reminders designed to place customers in higher management of their TikTok utilization. As well as its each day display cut-off dates software, the brand new characteristic will permit customers to have the app remind them to take a break from the app throughout a single session. By default, the software suggests reminder choices of alerts at 10, 20 or half-hour, along with permitting customers to set their very own instances. The reminders will be snoozed or turned off at any time. The app additionally added a brand new display time dashboard in addition to reminders for minors (13-17) to allow TikTok’s display time instruments in the event that they’ve used the app for greater than 100 minutes per day.
• Pinterest launched applications for its Creator Fund within the U.Ok. Accepted creators get to affix a five-week program of occasions, achieve entry to instructional talks and tools, and get a money grant of £20,000.
• Twitter stated it could give would-be acquirer Elon Musk access to its full firehose after his complaints that it wasn’t sharing knowledge to show that lower than 5% of its service was made up of bots. The information got here as a brand new examine reported that Twitter could possibly be round 10% bots and the Texas AG’s workplace began its own investigation into Twitter bots.
• Instagram expanded its in-app “delicate content material” controls to permit customers flip off delicate content material in suggestions all through the app, together with search, Reels, hashtag pages, “accounts you may comply with” and in-feed advised posts, as an alternative of simply the Discover tab, as earlier than. The app defines delicate content material as permitted however presumably upsetting content material similar to posts together with violence (like individuals preventing; graphic violence is banned); posts that promote regulated merchandise (tobacco, vaping, prescribed drugs, grownup merchandise/providers); posts that promote or depict beauty procedures; posts that try to promote services or products based mostly on health-related claims (like dietary supplements); and extra.
• Instagram additionally added a TikTok-like characteristic that enables customers to pin up to three posts to their profile within the app.
• TikTok launched TikTok Avatars, a brand new characteristic much like Snap’s Bitmoji and Apple’s Memoji that lets customers customise their look, add voice results and extra.

• Hyperlink-in-bio service Linktree, widespread amongst social media apps customers and creators, launched Link Apps. The brand new characteristic lets creators embed providers from Cameo, OpenSea, PayPal, SoundCloud and others by way of a brand new market.
• Fb is killing off its consumer-facing Portal video-calling machine to as an alternative give attention to enterprise customers. The sensible display machine had allowed entry to apps like Messenger and WhatsApp and built-in with customers’ Fb accounts. The corporate can also be scaling again plans for AR glasses.

Images

• Picture enhancing app maker Picsart launched a new AI-powered image-enhancement tool that improves the general high quality of a picture and backbone for printing or sharing on-line. The software makes use of superior AI fashions to take away or blur pixelated results, add pixels and sharpen and restore scenes and objects, together with faces. It’s being made accessible by way of the app’s API and on iOS, the place it’s referred to as “HD Portrait.”

Messaging

• WhatsApp was warned by European regulators it has only one extra month to deal with the remaining issues round its phrases of service and privateness coverage updates to obviously inform customers concerning the modifications. The corporate is being requested to make clear if it generates income from industrial insurance policies associated to consumer knowledge, as effectively.
• Telegram is launching a subscription service later this month that can supply premium further, like the power to view “further massive” paperwork, media and stickers despatched by Premium customers, or add premium reactions in the event that they’ve already been pinned to a message.

Streaming & Leisure

• AT&T removed the HBO Max bundle from its new, premium tier limitless wi-fi plan, Limitless Premium, which changed Limitless Elite. The bundle deal had helped drive new subscriptions to the streaming app in prior years.
• Amazon simplified the pricing for its Amazon Youngsters+ leisure bundle by making it $4.99/mo for Prime members and $7.99/mo for others. The modifications will permit the service for use for as much as 4 youngster profiles, which will increase the fee for individuals who had beforehand solely paid for a single youngster, however decreases the fee for others. The service gives a kid-friendly choice of books, movies, apps and video games, amongst different issues.
• At Spotify’s Investor Day, the company reported on the monetary well being of its enterprise with an enormous give attention to podcasts, noting this space introduced in practically €200 million in 2021 income, up 300% from the prior 12 months. The corporate stated its general gross margin was 28.5%, dragged down by its continued investments in podcasts, but it surely’s on monitor to a GM of 30-35%, and that podcasts have 40-50% GM potential, and audiobooks might quickly comply with go well with.

Gaming

• Netflix announced quite a few new gaming titles throughout its annual Geeked Week occasion, a few of that are tied to widespread Netflix reveals, together with “The Queen’s Gambit,” “Shadow and Bone,” and “Too Sizzling To Deal with.” The streaming service at present has 22 video games accessible and plans to have 50 titles by the tip of this 12 months.
• Tencent is rolling out a new international version of one of many world’s largest cell video games, Honor of Kings, by year-end. The sport had racked up $10 billion in worldwide income by 2021. The abroad model might be revealed by Level Infinite for TiMiStudio.
• Sport studio HiDef announced it’s teaming up with Snap to develop an off-platform Bitmoji-based dance and music social recreation that may also leverage Snap’s AR tech. The sport will launch in 2023.
• Apple’s new iOS 16 will permit iPhones to support pairing with Nintendo Change Pleasure-Cons and Professional Controllers to provide customers extra management whereas taking part in cell video games.
• No Man’s Sky is coming to iPad — effectively, the Apple silicon-powered ones, that’s.

Well being & Health

• Meta rolled out the ability for customers to trace their Meta Quest health stats from VR to their telephone. The characteristic includes the Transfer app — Meta Quest’s built-in health tracker that permits you to set targets for what number of energy you’ve burned and what number of minutes you’ve spent figuring out in VR. This can now sync to the Oculus Cell app and Apple’s Well being app.

Journey & Transportation

• Supply firm Uber stated its meals supply enterprise Uber Eats is launching a new product that can present transport of choose specialty meals gadgets throughout the continental U.S.; 15 retailers from NY, LA and Miami are concerned to begin.
• Singaporean taxi operator ComfortDelGro partnered with Alipay+ to permit vacationers in Malaysia and South Korea to make use of their cell pockets apps (Contact ‘n Go eWallet and Kakao Pay) to pay for cab fare in Singapore.
• Journey app Hopper launched “Go away for Any Motive,” a $30 product that lets clients go away their lodge for any cause and rebook with one other lodge of the identical star class, with rebooking prices lined by Hopper.
• Touring to the seashore? Don’t neglect to obtain the new shark-spotting app. The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy and New England Aquarium teamed as much as encourage customers to report shark sightings off Cape Cod in Massachusetts via an app referred to as Sharktivity.

Authorities & Coverage

• Wired reports on how Ukrainian civilians are utilizing apps to assist the military, which blurs the traces between civilians and troopers and raises questions associated to worldwide humanitarian legal guidelines.
• Russian tech big Yandex removed national borders between Ukraine and Russia from its maps app. Customers nonetheless see the nation names displayed — however traces depicting precise borders between international locations like Ukraine and Russia are now not seen.
• Nasdaq-listed language studying app Duolingo is back in China’s Apple App Store and Android shops practically a 12 months after its disappearance as a result of China’s regulatory crackdowns. The corporate had been informed on the time of its elimination to strengthen its “content material compliance mechanism.”
• The U.Ok.’s Competitors and Markets Authority (CMA) revealed its final report on its year-long cell ecosystem market examine. The report found there are substantial concerns about Apple and Google’s market energy which require regulatory intervention. Among the many issues are in-app funds and commissions, Apple’s ban on cloud gaming suppliers and non-WebKit-based browsers on iOS, switching prices between ecosystems, and extra.

? Hourly, an app that helps companies monitor hours and payroll for hourly wage staff, raised $27 million in Sequence A funding led by Glilot Capital Companions. Hourly has round 1,000 clients in California, in areas like development, dwelling providers, accounting and retail.

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