Tag Archives: region|US

The Morning After: Fujifilm updates its TikTok-famous compact camera

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Fujifilm’s X100V was, for some reason, a huge hit on TikTok. This made it hard to buy, despite its tiny form factor and retro Fuji appeal. Fortunately, the company is here to make money offer an improved update, the 40.2-megapixel X100 VI. While keeping the same retro form, it has much faster shooting speeds, in-body stabilization, 6.2K 30p video and more. Video-wise, it can also capture at 4K at 60 fps and 1080p at 240fps.

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Fujifilm

Fujifilm’s X100VI is now on pre-order for $1,600 in silver or black, with shipping slated for early March 2024. Money to burn? Desperate for the TikTok cachet? The company is also offering a special edition version “engraved with the corporate brand logo from Fujifilm’s founding in 1934” for $2,000.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

OnePlus rejoins the smartwatch scene with the promise of a 100-hour battery life

Apple Music debuts a monthly version of its annual Replay feature

Tinder is bringing its advanced ID verification system to the US and UK

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Dr. Garmin will see you now

Can a smartwatch free up doctors’ time?

A project in the UK has explored if a Garmin Venu 2 wearable (and dedicated companion app) could free up doctors and nurses, six minutes at a time. The six-minute walk test (6MWT) can diagnose and monitor a number of cardiovascular maladies. This includes conditions, like pulmonary hypertension, which, if untreated, are eventually fatal. This project, however, crunches the test down to a simpler one minute.

Because the research was funded by a charity, the British Heart Foundation, the watch had to offer good value for money, and Garmin, with its established health research division, gave the team “confidence in the accuracy of the sensors.” The study suggests cutting the test to one minute has no detrimental effect on its outcome or accuracy, and patients are far more likely to run the test regularly if they can do so at home.

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Walmart is buying smart TV maker Vizio for $2.3 billion

The retailer plans to boost its ad business with Vizio’s TV systems.

Walmart is buying Smart TV manufacturer Vizio for $2.3 billion, the retail giant announced as part of its latest earnings report. While Walmart has long been one of the major sellers of Vizio TVs, the company says the acquisition “enables a profitable advertising business that is rapidly scaling” via the company’s SmartCast OS. The companies plan to combine their ad businesses, with Vizio increasing Walmart’s access to more consumer info, like viewing data. The deal is subject to regulatory approval.

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Apple says the iPhone 15’s battery has double the promised lifespan

All four models can retain 80 percent of their original charge after 1,000 cycles.

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Engadget

Apple announced on Tuesday that its latest iPhones can retain 80 percent of their original charging capacity after 1,000 cycles — double the company’s previous estimate — without new hardware or software updates. And because timing is everything, the change will arrive in time for upcoming EU regulations that will assign an energy grade for phones’ battery longevity.

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Twitch is increasing channel subscription prices for the first time

Some tiers will soon be more expensive in the UK, Canada, Australia and Turkey.

After laying off around 500 workers and reducing how much streamers make from Prime subscriptions, Twitch is increasing the price of its subscriptions for the first time. The service says it’s “updating prices in several countries to help streamer revenue keep pace with rising costs and reflect local currency fluctuations.” The first markets to feel the impact of those changes are the UK, Canada, Australia and Turkey. On the plus side, streamers will have the same revenue share, so they’ll earn more from subscriptions in those regions.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-fujifilm-updates-its-tiktok-famous-compact-camera-121509964.html?src=rss

Uber Eats expands its autonomous food delivery service to Japan

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Following its autonomous food delivery launch in Miami and Fairfax, Virginia, Uber Eats will soon be offering the same robotic service in Japan — its first outside the US. It is once again collaborating with Google alum startup Cartken, with local compliance help from Mitsubishi Electric, to bring a fleet of Model C sidewalk delivery robots to select areas in Tokyo in March. Uber Eats Japan CEO Shintaro Nakagawa says the autonomous delivery service will solve the local labor shortage issue, while complementing the existing human delivery methods "by bicycle, motorbike, light cargo, and on foot."

Cartken's six-wheeled Model C uses six cameras and advanced AI models for autonomous driving plus obstacle detection, and remote control mode is available when needed. With guidance from Mitsubishi, the robot has been modified to suit local needs in Japan. For one, its speed is capped at 5.4 km/h or about 3.36 mph as per local regulation, which is a lot slower than the 6 mph top speed it's actually capable of. The loading capacity has also been reduced from 1.5 cubic feet to about 0.95 cubic feet (27 liters), likely due to the extra thermal insulation in the compartment. Uber Eats adds that for the sake of privacy, people's faces are automatically masked in footage captured by the robots.

While this is Uber Eats' robotic delivery debut in Japan, Cartken already has a presence there thanks to Mitsubishi. Since early 2022, the duo has worked with Starbucks, local e-commerce giant Rakuten and supermarket chain Seiyu in some parts of Japan. In the US, Cartken also has a partnership with Grubhub to provide autonomous food delivery service on college campuses, including the Ohio State University and the University of Arizona.

Even though Uber Eats has yet to share which Tokyo restaurants will be tapping into its robotic delivery service, it should have no problem seeking partnership given Cartken's prior local experience. That said, I highly doubt that the pair would risk trialing their robots through a crowd of drunkards in Shibuya just yet.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/uber-eats-expands-its-autonomous-food-delivery-service-to-japan-092727592.html?src=rss

FuboTV accuses Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. of antitrust practices over joint streaming service

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FuboTV, a streaming platform dedicated to live sports, has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery, accusing the companies of staging "a years-long campaign" to hamper its business. The company's lawsuit comes shortly Disney-owned ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery announced that they're launching a sports streaming service in the fall of 2024, which will give subscribers access to sporting events from the networks they own. FuboTV's complaint argued that the companies are stealing its playbook and that the launch of their joint venture will destroy competition and lead to price inflation for consumers. 

Further, FuboTV alleged that the launch of the defendants' streaming service is but "the latest coordinated step" in their "campaign to eliminate competition in the sports-first streaming market" and in their effort to block its business. The streaming service said the defendants charge it content licensing rates that are 30 to 50 percent higher than the rates they charge other distributors. They also allegedly force FuboTV to bundle "dozens of expensive non-sports channels" that "customers do not want" with their sports offerings as a condition of licensing their content. All these increase the costs FuboTV must pass onto its customers, the company explained. 

FuboTV also claimed that the companies in question have prevented it from being able to offer streaming products subscribers would like, including content available on Hulu. Plus, the defendants allegedly impose a limitation on how many subscribers can buy their content package, ensuring that FuboTV can't make a dent in the market. 

"Each of these companies has consistently engaged in anticompetitive practices that aim to monopolize the market, stifle any form of competition, create higher pricing for subscribers and cheat consumers from deserved choice," FuboTV CEO David Gandler said in a statement. "By joining together to exclusively reserve the rights to distribute a specialized live sports package, we believe these corporations are erecting insurmountable barriers that will effectively block any new competitors from entering the market. This strategy ensures that consumers desiring a dedicated sports channel lineup are left with no alternative but to subscribe to the Defendants' joint venture."

Engadget has reached out to all three defendants: ESPN has declined to comment, while Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery have yet to get back to us. FuboTV is asking the court to prohibit the joint venture's launch or to impose restrictions, such as economic parity of licensing terms, on the defendants.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/fubotv-accuses-disney-fox-and-warner-bros-of-antitrust-practices-over-joint-streaming-service-064140676.html?src=rss

Signal usernames will keep your phone number private

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Instant messaging app Signal is best known for its privacy-related settings, though with phone numbers being the heart of the platform since its inception, there was no way to fully hide your own number until now. Earlier today, Signal announced that you'll soon be able to create a unique username (not to be mistaken with your profile name), which you can share with others via a link or QR code — as opposed to sharing your number. You'll be able to change your unique username as often as you want, but it needs to contain two or more numbers at the end, as part of Signal's anti-spoofing efforts. You can even delete your username entirely, as it is an optional feature.

Naturally, you'll still need a phone number to sign up for Signal, but note that with the new default, your number will no longer be visible to everyone (you can change this setting manually, if needed). There will also be a new option which prevents people from finding you by your number; they will need to have your exact unique username to do so. In other words, people who already have your number won't necessarily know that you are also on Signal, which is a good thing if you prefer to stay anonymous in this platform's public groups.

As is the case with any new feature, the likes of spammers and scammers will eventually find a way to abuse usernames, as you won't be able to verify their numbers instantly. Pro tip: when you see new contacts that appear to be your acquaintances, always double check with them through other means — preferably in person, or at least via a phone call. You may look out for these new Signal features in a few weeks' time, or you can get an early taste in the beta release.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/signal-usernames-will-keep-your-phone-number-private-050008243.html?src=rss

Apple says the iPhone 15’s battery has double the promised lifespan

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Apple has updated the iPhone 15’s battery lifespan. The company said on Tuesday its latest iPhones can retain 80 percent of their original charging capacity after 1,000 cycles — double the company’s previous estimate — without any new hardware or software updates. Not so coincidentally, the change will arrive in time for upcoming EU regulations that will assign an energy grade for phones’ battery longevity.

Before today, Apple’s online support documents quoted iPhone batteries as maintaining 80 percent of their original full charge after 500 cycles. But after the company retested long-term battery health in its 2023 smartphones — iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max — it found they can retain 80 percent capacity after at least 1,000 cycles. The company said its support documents will be updated on Tuesday to reflect the new estimate.

Apple says its testing involved charging and draining the batteries 1,000 times under specific conditions and a suite of tests reflecting common uses. As for how the estimate doubled without any physical or software changes, the company attributes the upgrade to continual improvements to its battery components and iOS power management.

For older (pre-2023) iPhones, the original estimate of retaining 80 percent capacity after 500 charge cycles still stands — at least for now. Apple said it’s looking into whether older models’ estimates need to be updated.

Two phone screenshots, framed in iPhone 15 device frames. On the left, the Battery Health screen in iOS settings. On the right,
Apple

Starting in June 2025, smartphone and tablet manufacturers doing business in the EU will be assigned a grade (A to G) indicating their energy efficiency, battery longevity, protection from dust and water and resistance to accidental drops. The battery longevity portion of the grade requires at least 800 charging cycles while retaining at least 80 percent of their original capacity, helping explain why Apple began retesting its devices’ long-term health.

For ideal battery longevity, Apple recommends keeping your phone in temperatures between 62 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit when possible. You’ll also want to avoid charging or leaving your handset in hot environments (95 degrees or warmer) while trying to avoid much direct sun exposure. In addition, if you’re storing an old iPhone long-term, it’s best to leave it half-charged.

In addition, Apple will soon move one of your phone’s most essential battery metrics to a different part of iOS settings. Beginning in iOS 17.4, currently in beta, the battery cycle count will move from Settings > General > About to a more logical home under Battery Health (under Settings > Battery). Apple introduced the battery cycle count to its mobile software in iOS 17, which was launched last fall.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-says-the-iphone-15s-battery-has-double-the-promised-lifespan-213736866.html?src=rss

Acer’s latest Swift laptops have AMD 8040 chips with Ryzen AI support

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Acer unveiled a pair of AMD Ryzen 8040 series laptops on Tuesday. Unsurprisingly, given their chips’ dedicated neural processing units (NPU), the company is marketing the 2024 Acer Swift Edge 16 and Swift Go 14 as AI workhorses. The Windows 11 machines support OLED displays, Radeon 780M graphics and 32GB of RAM.

The Ryzen 8040 chip series, revealed in December, has a dedicated AI Engine that AMD claims makes it up to 1.4 times faster than its predecessors in Llama 2 and AI vision model performance. Acer says the Swift Edge 16 and Swift Go 14 will deploy the NPU for AI-related tasks like PurifiedVoice (remove background noise in calls and recordings) and PurifiedView (blurring backgrounds in images and correcting your eyes’ positioning on video calls).

A person sitting at a table, performing a video call with another person on the Acer Swift Edge 16. Open office workspace.
Acer

Like most new Windows machines (including Acer’s models launched at CES 2024), the laptops have a dedicated Microsoft Copilot button on their keyboards for quick ChatGPT-like AI queries. (Copilot taps into Microsoft and OpenAI’s servers through the cloud rather than using the machines’ on-device NPU.)

Both machines’ AMD chips include Microsoft’s Pluton security co-processor. Introduced in 2020 through a partnership with AMD and Intel, it bakes security directly into the processor, helping protect your credentials, encryption keys and personal data from hackers.

Acer Swift Edge 16

Side profile view of the (thin) Acer Swift Edge 16 laptop. Black laptop in front of gray background.
Acer

Acer markets the Acer Swift Edge 16 as optimizing performance without sacrificing portability. All device variants have a 16-inch OLED panel with WQXGA (3200 x 2000) resolution and a 120Hz frame rate with less than a 0.2ms response time. It supports 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification for (what should be) accurate and nuanced visuals.

The laptop’s Ryzen 7 8840U processor is joined by AMD Radeon 780M integrated graphics. The notebook has up to 32GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD storage. Depending on your configuration, it supports Wi-Fi 7 or Wi-Fi 6E.

The Swift Edge 16 weighs 2.71 lbs and is 12.95mm tall. It’s encased in a magnesium-aluminum alloy chassis and has a 54 Wh battery. It includes two USB-C ports (with USB4 speeds of up to 40Gbps), two USB-A, one HDMI 2.1 and a microSD slot.

Acer Swift Go 14

Lifestyle marketing image of the Acer Swift Go 14 sitting on a beachside outdoor table.
Acer

The smaller of the pair, the Acer Swift Go 14, has up to an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS octa-core processor with AMD Radeon 780M graphics. (Cheaper configurations will trade that for a Ryzen 7 8845HS or Ryzen 5 8645HS.) The machine maxes out at 32GB LPDDR5X RAM and up to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD.

The top-shelf 14-inch variant will have a WQXGA (2880x1800) OLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. Another version will swap that for a 1920 x 1200 IPS panel with touchscreen capabilities. The device’s hinge can extend to 180 degrees, and its glass trackpad is 44 percent larger than the previous model’s. It supports Wi-Fi 6E.

Thanks to its smaller footprint, Acer markets the Swift Go 14 as the more portable version. However, it’s about seven percent heavier than its 16-inch counterpart — at 2.91 lbs. It ships in configurations with either a 65 or 50 Wh battery.

Both models have 1440p QHD webcams, although only the Swift Go 14 is listed as having a privacy shutter. The smaller model is lighter on ports than the 16-inch model, forgoing the pair of USB-A connections in the larger one. The Swift Go 14 has two USB-C ports (both supporting USB4 speeds), an HDMI 2.1 connector and a microSD slot.

Pricing and availability

The Swift Edge 16 launches in March in North America, starting at $1,300. Meanwhile, the Swift Go 14 follows in April, starting at $700. Apart from their entry-level models, Acer hasn’t yet detailed how pricing will break down across various configurations.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/acers-latest-swift-laptops-have-amd-8040-chips-with-ryzen-ai-support-182942352.html?src=rss

Twitch is increasing channel subscription prices for the first time

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Amazon has been looking to bolster Twitch's bottom line for a while. After laying off around 500 workers and reducing how much streamers make from Prime subscriptions, the streaming service is increasing the price of its subscriptions for the first time.

Twitch says it's "updating prices in several countries to help streamer revenue keep pace with rising costs and reflect local currency fluctuations." The first markets to feel the impact of those changes are the UK, Canada, Australia and Turkey.

As of March 28, Tier 1 subscriptions and gift subs will be more expensive in the UK, Canada and Australia. A base/gift sub is going up from £5 to £6 in the UK, $7 CAD to $8 in Canada and $8 AUD to $9 in Australia. Tier 2 and 3 prices will remain the same in those countries.

In Turkey, Twitch is significantly increasing the price of all three tiers. For instance, a Tier 1 sub will soon cost 43.90 lira ($1.42) instead of 9.90 (32 cents) — the value of the Turkish lira has plummeted over the last 15 years.

These price changes only apply to subscriptions bought on the web. Twitch says it will update prices on its mobile apps in the coming months. It's currently more expensive to buy a sub on the Twitch iOS app. The service also expects to update pricing in other countries later this year.

On the plus side, streamers will have the same revenue share, so they'll earn more from subscriptions in the UK, Canada, Australia and Turkey. Twitch recently announced changes to streamer payouts from Prime subscriptions. They'll soon earn a (generally lower) fixed amount for each Prime sub, dispensing on the subscriber's location. Meanwhile, it'll soon be easier for smaller streamers to qualify for the Partner Plus program and benefit from a better subscription revenue split.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitch-is-increasing-channel-subscription-prices-for-the-first-time-181202078.html?src=rss

There’s a Pokémon Presents livestream scheduled for February 27

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The Pokémon Company is hosting a morning livestream on February 27 at 9AM ET to share “exciting Pokémon news” on its official YouTube channel. The yearly stream, appropriately named Pokémon Presents, will provide a bunch of info about what’s coming down the pike throughout 2024.

The company does this stream every year, but this one could be special. After all, it happens to fall exactly on the totally not made-up holiday Pokémon Day, which celebrates the original Japanese release of Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green back in 1996.

We don’t know exactly what will be shown, but we have some informed guesses. Given previous Pokémon Presents streams, we’ll likely get updates on live-service hits like Pokémon Go, the MOBA Pokémon Unite and the recently-released tracking app Pokémon Sleep.

Dollars to doughnuts, we’ll also get something more substantial to chew on. Most of these streams feature the announcement of an actual Pokémon RPG. Chronologically speaking, it’s too soon to expect a reveal for the true next-gen Pokémon game, as Scarlet and Violet just launched in 2022. The mainline entries typically follow a three-year release cycle.

That leaves remakes and spinoffs. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl released in 2021 so it’s high-time for remakes of the beloved Pokémon Black and White fifth-gen titles. This is just a guess, but it’s not like the Pokémon Company is gonna skip a generation in its remake-a-palooza. It’s Black and White’s turn to shine.

There’s also a chance we’ll get a new Let’s Go title set in another region of the Poké-verse. We could even get a new action RPG like Pokémon Legends: Arceus. There’s always going to be some oddball announcements, like a new Pokémon Mystery Dungeon or even a new Pokémon Art Academy that integrates the Switch’s touchscreen.

You should expect some announcements regarding content set in the Pokémon cinematic universe. The delightfully quirky stop-motion show Pokémon Concierge was just renewed for a second season, so we could see a teaser. There could also be a trailer for a new season of Pokémon Horizons: The Series.

Also, to throw a bit of cold water on expectations, this is a stream conducted by The Pokémon Company, and not Nintendo. You won’t catch a whiff of software planned for the Switch 2, or whatever the new console ends up being called. Rumors swirl that the release of that console has been delayed until 2025. Nintendo’s holding its own Direct livestream tomorrow, but it’ll focus on third-party titles and will likely not include any news on the forthcoming console.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/theres-a-pokemon-presents-livestream-scheduled-for-february-27-173512254.html?src=rss

OnePlus rejoins the smartwatch scene with the promise of a 100-hour battery life

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After months of rumors, OnePlus has announced its second smartwatch. It will formally debut the OnePlus Watch 2 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona later this month. The company is notorious for drip feeding details about its products and while it has yet to reveal some key information about the wearable, OnePlus has offered up a few juicy morsels.

For one thing, the company has made the lofty claim that the OnePlus Watch 2 will run for up to 100 hours on a single charge. That’s with “full Smart Mode” enabled rather than a battery saver mode, according to OnePlus. 

Obviously, we’ll need to see how well the OnePlus Watch 2 actually fares in the wild, but that purported battery life far exceeds that of most mainstream smartwatches, such as the Apple Watch Series 9 (18 hours) and Pixel Watch 2 (24 hours with always-on display enabled). OnePlus president Kinder Liu says the company's goal for the device is to "win the title of the Best Flagship Smartwatch of the year with its market-beating battery life."

The wearable apes the design language of the OnePlus 12 series, according to the company. It has a stainless steel chassis and a sapphire crystal watch face. The OnePlus Watch 2 will be available in two colorways, Black Steel and Radiant Steel.

OnePlus promises "unparalleled reliability for everyday use and meticulous health monitoring" too, but it's keeping other key details under wraps for now, including pricing and the release date. One other factor the company hasn't confirmed is what operating system the OnePlus Watch 2 will use. Reports have suggested that it will run on Wear OS, which will hopefully help the smartwatch fare much better than its poorly received predecessor. Liu indicated the company was aware of the tepid response to the OnePlus Watch, noting that it took a "three-year hiatus and a reflective pause" between wearables.

Catch up on all of the news from MWC 2024 right here!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/oneplus-rejoins-the-smartwatch-scene-with-the-promise-of-a-100-hour-battery-life-165620187.html?src=rss

Tinder is bringing its advanced ID verification system to the US and UK

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Tinder has announced it’s bringing an advanced ID verification system to the US, UK, Brazil and Mexico. This is part of an ongoing effort to reduce the number of catfish swimming around the old dating pool. The new system requires that users take a video selfie and upload a valid driver’s license or passport.

Tinder has long required users to take photos or video selfies as part of its verification process, which would provide a blue checkmark to illustrate authenticity. So the passport and driver’s license stuff is new. Once you upload the ID, Tinder will check to see if it lines up with your video selfie and the photos on your profile. It’ll also look at the date of birth on the license or passport to confirm your age.

If the idea of uploading your ID to a dating app gives you an icky feeling, you can still get verified with just a video selfie. However, your profile will get a blue camera icon badge, and not a blue checkmark.

Tinder started testing this system last year in New Zealand and Australia, and it must have worked out just fine, given the broader roll-out. The updated verification tool is coming to the UK and Brazil by spring and the US and Mexico by summer. In other words, catfish only have a few more months left to do their thing. That includes you, AI catfish.

This shouldn’t be confused with Tinder’s recently-abandoned background check feature, which was powered by the non-profit Garbo. Tinder and Garbo paired up to provide a robust background check tool on the app in 2019, to check users for histories of violence.

Garbo ended up breaking it off with Tinder’s parent company, Match Group, after disagreements over payments and how to best use the tool. Garbo’s CEO said she’d rather leave the partnership instead of allowing "the vision of Garbo to be compromised and relegated to a piece of big corporations’ marketing goals.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tinder-is-bringing-its-advanced-id-verification-system-to-the-us-and-uk-164353306.html?src=rss