Tag Archives: Software

Twitch will overhaul its mobile app for the first time since 2019

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Twitch is redesigning its mobile app for the first time since 2019. The company’s CEO, Dan Clancy, wrote in an open letter on Wednesday that the discovery feed will be the app’s new landing page. The update, expected later this year, will also make it easier to share quick updates, including uploading short video stories from the mobile app.

“We’re redesigning the mobile app (the first major update since 2019) to bring you a more modern, immersive viewing experience by making the discovery feed available to all Twitch users as the new landing experience in the app,” Clancy wrote. The discovery feed, currently only available as an “experiment” in the mobile app, shows real-time updates blending streams from people you follow with recommended content.

Clancy says the mobile app will also add new features that encourage quick updates for your followers, including the ability to create and upload short video stories from your phone. Other additions will include pinch-to-zoom in photos (better late than never?) and the ability to share portrait videos to stories.

Twitch moderators with iPhones have something to look forward to, as the mobile app will include mod tools for the first time. Previously desktop-only, the mobile tools will be “flexible, easy to use, and move with you,” according to Clancy. The company says the mod tools will roll out to iOS later this year; it hasn’t yet addressed Android availability.

Looking beyond the mobile app, other 2024 Twitch updates will include updated community guidelines. Clancy says the new rules include “clearer, updated harm definitions, and more severe penalties for some types of harassment.” The platform also plans to roll out tools to help users better identify harassment, including some that Clancy claims “would block more harassment before it shows up in your chat.”

Finally, Twitch’s clip editor (which reportedly helped enable child exploitation on the platform) will soon make it easier to share content. Clancy says the feature will make it easier for creators and viewers to share clips to social channels, including an option to export directly to Instagram. In addition, the mobile app’s big update will add the clip editor when it arrives later this year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitch-will-overhaul-its-mobile-app-for-the-first-time-since-2019-195811175.html?src=rss

Microsoft is ending support for Android apps on Windows

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Microsoft is pulling the plug on Android apps for Windows. The company said it’s ending support for Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA), the underlying component behind the Amazon Appstore (and other Android apps) in Windows 11. Microsoft told Engadget it was responding to “evolving customer needs.”

Microsoft first said in 2021 that Windows 11 would be able to run Android apps. When it arrived the following year, users could install the Amazon Appstore, and some individual Android apps were found in the Microsoft Store. The rollout was viewed as an answer to the dual threats of Android apps on Chromebooks and iOS apps on Apple Silicon Macs.

A Microsoft spokesperson clarified to Engadget why it’s now terminating the feature. “As part of our commitment to meeting evolving customer needs, we periodically update our product offerings,” they said. “This involves introducing new technical innovations and retiring products. Microsoft remains dedicated to an open platform and ecosystem, and we look forward to continuing to bring the best experiences and apps to Windows.”

With Microsoft blazing full-tilt into all things AI, it may now see its past attempts at making Windows a dramatically better touch-focused platform as no longer worth the resources. Another possibility, as The Verge speculates, is that people hunting for Android apps on Windows expected the full Google Play Store experience — not Amazon’s variant, which has an inferior overall selection.

Microsoft says customers who installed the Amazon Appstore (or other apps and games using WSA) on their Windows 11 machines before Tuesday can keep using them until March 5, 2025. Meanwhile, Amazon clarified that its Appstore and associate apps will no longer be discoverable in the Microsoft Store beginning on Wednesday. In addition, developers can no longer submit new apps for the Amazon Appstore on Windows, but those with existing ones can continue to submit updates for them until this time next year.

As for what’s next for Microsoft, the company is rumored to launch new Surface devices on March 21. The Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 are expected, with the company possibly marketing them as its first AI PCs.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-is-ending-support-for-android-apps-on-windows-213534468.html?src=rss

Microsoft is ending support for Android apps on Windows

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Microsoft is pulling the plug on Android apps for Windows. The company said it’s ending support for Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA), the underlying component behind the Amazon Appstore (and other Android apps) in Windows 11. Microsoft told Engadget it was responding to “evolving customer needs.”

Microsoft first said in 2021 that Windows 11 would be able to run Android apps. When it arrived the following year, users could install the Amazon Appstore, and some individual Android apps were found in the Microsoft Store. The rollout was viewed as an answer to the dual threats of Android apps on Chromebooks and iOS apps on Apple Silicon Macs.

A Microsoft spokesperson clarified to Engadget why it’s now terminating the feature. “As part of our commitment to meeting evolving customer needs, we periodically update our product offerings,” they said. “This involves introducing new technical innovations and retiring products. Microsoft remains dedicated to an open platform and ecosystem, and we look forward to continuing to bring the best experiences and apps to Windows.”

With Microsoft blazing full-tilt into all things AI, it may now see its past attempts at making Windows a dramatically better touch-focused platform as no longer worth the resources. Another possibility, as The Verge speculates, is that people hunting for Android apps on Windows expected the full Google Play Store experience — not Amazon’s variant, which has an inferior overall selection.

Microsoft says customers who installed the Amazon Appstore (or other apps and games using WSA) on their Windows 11 machines before Tuesday can keep using them until March 5, 2025. Meanwhile, Amazon clarified that its Appstore and associate apps will no longer be discoverable in the Microsoft Store beginning on Wednesday. In addition, developers can no longer submit new apps for the Amazon Appstore on Windows, but those with existing ones can continue to submit updates for them until this time next year.

As for what’s next for Microsoft, the company is rumored to launch new Surface devices on March 21. The Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 are expected, with the company possibly marketing them as its first AI PCs.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-is-ending-support-for-android-apps-on-windows-213534468.html?src=rss

Waze will soon help you find parking garages and zip through roundabouts

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Google’s Waze is adding some quality-of-life navigation features in the coming weeks and months. New options can help you find parking garages (and learn how much they’ll cost), alert you when the speed limit is about to decrease and guide you through roundabouts.

Partnering with the Flash parking app, Waze will soon provide information about nearby parking garages. It can show you prices, whether it’s covered or open-air, wheelchair accessibility options, valet services and EV charging stations. Waze says you can also reserve a parking space from the app. The feature will roll out “in the coming weeks.”

The Flash app only averages 1.5 out of 5 stars on the App Store and 2.2 out of 5 on the Play Store. (Many customers complained about its bugginess and unreliable scanning at parking kiosks.) Hopefully, Waze’s integration won’t replicate the apparent rough spots from its new partner’s app.

The Waze app will also let you know when the speed limit is about to drop. After the feature rolls out this month, the navigation screen will show a speed limit sign at the spot in the road where it’s about to slow down, giving you time to prepare. An alert at the screen’s bottom will count down how many feet away the speed reduction is. (The app won’t show when speed limits are about to increase, presumably to avoid encouraging people to punch it and get a head start.)

Screenshot from the Waze app. A list of possible routes — including the user's usual favorite — with times it takes to arrive (18, 22 and 24 minutes for three possiblities).
Waze

Waze will soon give you more information about your favorite routes to places you often travel to, like home, work or go-to coffee shops. Starting this month, when you start navigation, the app will compare your favorite routes with the fastest ones. It will use live traffic updates to contrast ETA estimates and help you decide if your favorite pathway is too backed up to be worth it.

Making your way through roundabouts will be easier, too. When you approach a traffic circle, Waze will help you figure out where to enter, which lanes to use and where to exit. The feature arrives on Android this month, but iPhone owners will have to wait until “later this year.”

Building on the app’s community-sourced approach, another new feature will alert you to upcoming hazards. These include sharp curves, speed bumps and toll booths. This “navigate like a local” feature will land on Android and iOS this month.

Finally, Waze now notifies you when emergency vehicles are stopped ahead. When navigating, an emergency icon will sit on the virtual road ahead alongside an alert and countdown (measured in feet) as you approach it. This is the only new feature Waze says is available now (in the US, Canada, France, Mexico and France) on Android and iOS. The feature will support more countries soon.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/waze-will-soon-help-you-find-parking-garages-and-zip-through-roundabouts-180340271.html?src=rss

Waze will soon help you find parking garages and zip through roundabouts

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Google’s Waze is adding some quality-of-life navigation features in the coming weeks and months. New options can help you find parking garages (and learn how much they’ll cost), alert you when the speed limit is about to decrease and guide you through roundabouts.

Partnering with the Flash, who makes a parking app called ParkWhiz, Waze will soon provide information about nearby parking garages. It can show you prices, whether it’s covered or open-air, wheelchair accessibility options, valet services and EV charging stations. Waze says you can also reserve a parking space from the app. The feature will roll out “in the coming weeks.”

The Waze app will also let you know when the speed limit is about to drop. After the feature rolls out this month, the navigation screen will show a speed limit sign at the spot in the road where it’s about to slow down, giving you time to prepare. An alert at the screen’s bottom will count down how many feet away the speed reduction is. (The app won’t show when speed limits are about to increase, presumably to avoid encouraging people to punch it and get a head start.)

Screenshot from the Waze app. A list of possible routes — including the user's usual favorite — with times it takes to arrive (18, 22 and 24 minutes for three possiblities).
Waze

Waze will soon give you more information about your favorite routes to places you often travel to, like home, work or go-to coffee shops. Starting this month, when you start navigation, the app will compare your favorite routes with the fastest ones. It will use live traffic updates to contrast ETA estimates and help you decide if your favorite pathway is too backed up to be worth it.

Making your way through roundabouts will be easier, too. When you approach a traffic circle, Waze will help you figure out where to enter, which lanes to use and where to exit. The feature arrives on Android this month, but iPhone owners will have to wait until “later this year.”

Building on the app’s community-sourced approach, another new feature will alert you to upcoming hazards. These include sharp curves, speed bumps and toll booths. This “navigate like a local” feature will land on Android and iOS this month.

Finally, Waze now notifies you when emergency vehicles are stopped ahead. When navigating, an emergency icon will sit on the virtual road ahead alongside an alert and countdown (measured in feet) as you approach it. This is the only new feature Waze says is available now (in the US, Canada, France, Mexico and France) on Android and iOS. The feature will support more countries soon.

Correction, March 6, 2024, 6:00PM ET: This story originally stated that Waze's new integration was powered by the Flash app, which has some poor reviews on Google Play and Apple's App Store. Flash let us know that it is actually using the ParkWhiz app for Waze integration, one that has much better ratings. We apologize for the error. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/waze-will-soon-help-you-find-parking-garages-and-zip-through-roundabouts-180340271.html?src=rss

Google just outlined exactly how it’s changing ahead of Thursday’s DMA deadline

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The deadline for compliance with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) is this Thursday and Google just dropped a document outlining exactly what changes it has made (or will make) to keep up with the law. These 20+ adjustments vary in scope, and impact search users, advertisers and third-party app developers.

One of the big search changes will be the inclusion of price comparison results from external aggregators when looking up things like flights or hotels. For example, searching Google for a one-way to Paris typically pulls up a module called the Google Flights unit — that's the company's own internal pricing aggregator. Competitor aggregators, like Kayak and Tripadvisor have been vocally displeased to have Google stomping around in their backyard for over a decade. In the EU at least, starting Thursday, these sorts of results will now show some results from these aggregators alongside Google's own Flights results.

Android users are getting an easier way to switch out the search engine or browser, so as to not prioritize Google's products above others. These choice screens appear when you set up the device for the first time, in the settings and at various intervals during use. The company's already been doing this since 2021, but now there will be more choice screens to choose from. Google says this option is also coming to desktop Chrome users and iOS users in the near future.

Digital consent for advertising is a major part of the DMA. Google users will now have to opt into sharing data across the company’s various services for the purpose of personalized advertising. This is done via the settings page. Additionally, users may encounter consent banners while browsing, which will ask if they want to link data across Google services.

The DMA requires app stores to offer alternative billing systems for in-app purchases. To comply, Google recently launched user-choice billing (UCB) as an option for developers to offer their own billing systems. This program is expanding to game developers this week. Of course, Android devices could always run third-party apps with their own billing systems, but now they'll be easier to implement.

Google has said that as part of its DMA compliance it will begin to provide advertisers with "some additional data, which is shared in a way that protects user privacy and customers’ commercially-sensitive information." We've reached out to the company for any information on what that data might be. On Thursday, the company will also be launching its Data Portability API so that users can move their data off Google's products more easily.

Of course, Google couldn’t help but drop a bit of shade in its compliance announcement, telling users that “some of the features that we have developed to help people get things done quickly and securely online — like providing recommendations across different products — won't work in the same way anymore.” Daddy corporation knows best.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-just-outlined-exactly-how-its-changing-ahead-of-thursdays-dma-deadline-174518625.html?src=rss

Google just outlined exactly how it’s changing ahead of Thursday’s DMA deadline

Posted on by

The deadline for compliance with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) is this Thursday and Google just dropped a document outlining exactly what changes it has made (or will make) to keep up with the law. These 20+ adjustments vary in scope, and impact search users, advertisers and third-party app developers.

One of the big search changes will be the inclusion of price comparison results from external aggregators when looking up things like flights or hotels. For example, searching Google for a one-way to Paris typically pulls up a module called the Google Flights unit — that's the company's own internal pricing aggregator. Competitor aggregators, like Kayak and Tripadvisor have been vocally displeased to have Google stomping around in their backyard for over a decade. In the EU at least, starting Thursday, these sorts of results will now show some results from these aggregators alongside Google's own Flights results.

Android users are getting an easier way to switch out the search engine or browser, so as to not prioritize Google's products above others. These choice screens appear when you set up the device for the first time, in the settings and at various intervals during use. The company's already been doing this since 2021, but now there will be more choice screens to choose from. Google says this option is also coming to desktop Chrome users and iOS users in the near future.

Digital consent for advertising is a major part of the DMA. Google users will now have to opt into sharing data across the company’s various services for the purpose of personalized advertising. This is done via the settings page. Additionally, users may encounter consent banners while browsing, which will ask if they want to link data across Google services.

The DMA requires app stores to offer alternative billing systems for in-app purchases. To comply, Google recently launched user-choice billing (UCB) as an option for developers to offer their own billing systems. This program is expanding to game developers this week. Of course, Android devices could always run third-party apps with their own billing systems, but now they'll be easier to implement.

Google has said that as part of its DMA compliance it will begin to provide advertisers with "some additional data, which is shared in a way that protects user privacy and customers’ commercially-sensitive information." We've reached out to the company for any information on what that data might be. On Thursday, the company will also be launching its Data Portability API so that users can move their data off Google's products more easily.

Of course, Google couldn’t help but drop a bit of shade in its compliance announcement, telling users that “some of the features that we have developed to help people get things done quickly and securely online — like providing recommendations across different products — won't work in the same way anymore.” Daddy corporation knows best.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-just-outlined-exactly-how-its-changing-ahead-of-thursdays-dma-deadline-174518625.html?src=rss

EU fines Apple nearly $2 billion for ‘blocking’ alternative music apps

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Following months of speculation, the European Commission has officially handed down its fine to Apple, and it's much higher than initially expected. Apple is on the hook to pay €1.8 billion ($1.95 billion) for restricting alternative music streaming apps on the App Store — the EU's first fine for Apple and its third-largest ever announced. It follows an investigation initially opened in 2020 following Spotify's filed complaint alleging Apple took steps to suppress the music service due to competition with iTunes and Apple Music. 

The Commission has announced "that Apple bans music streaming app developers from fully informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services available outside of the app and from providing any instructions about how to subscribe to such offers." The practice, known as anti-steering, is illegal under EU antitrust laws. 

The investigation found that Apple banned app developers from telling users the price of any subscriptions on the internet or the difference in price between in-app and outside purchases. The company also prevented developers from including information about or links to alternative subscription purchasing pages on their websites or in emails. Apple has engaged in these practices for nearly 10 years and might have caused iOS users to pay more for music streaming subscriptions than necessary due to the fees it imposes (that developers then factor into their prices). The Commission found Apple's actions also "led to non-monetary harm," creating a more frustrating user experience. 

The news follows February rumors that Apple would be hit with a fine of €500 million ($542.6 million) due to its antitrust App Store policies — less than a third of the final number. The European Commission claims it set the fine at €1.8 billion to be "sufficiently deterrent" to prevent Apple repeating its actions. However, Apple plans to appeal the decision. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/eu-fines-apple-nearly-2-billion-for-blocking-alternative-music-apps-134001372.html?src=rss

EU fines Apple nearly $2 billion for ‘blocking’ alternative music apps

Posted on by

Following months of speculation, the European Commission has officially handed down its fine to Apple, and it's much higher than initially expected. Apple is on the hook to pay €1.8 billion ($1.95 billion) for restricting alternative music streaming apps on the App Store — the EU's first fine for Apple and its third-largest ever announced. It follows an investigation initially opened in 2020 following Spotify's filed complaint alleging Apple took steps to suppress the music service due to competition with iTunes and Apple Music. 

The Commission has announced "that Apple bans music streaming app developers from fully informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services available outside of the app and from providing any instructions about how to subscribe to such offers." The practice, known as anti-steering, is illegal under EU antitrust laws. 

The investigation found that Apple banned app developers from telling users the price of any subscriptions on the internet or the difference in price between in-app and outside purchases. The company also prevented developers from including information about or links to alternative subscription purchasing pages on their websites or in emails. Apple has engaged in these practices for nearly 10 years and might have caused iOS users to pay more for music streaming subscriptions than necessary due to the fees it imposes (that developers then factor into their prices). The Commission found Apple's actions also "led to non-monetary harm," creating a more frustrating user experience. 

The news follows February rumors that Apple would be hit with a fine of €500 million ($542.6 million) due to its antitrust App Store policies — less than a third of the final number. The European Commission claims it set the fine at €1.8 billion to be "sufficiently deterrent" to prevent Apple repeating its actions. However, Apple plans to appeal the decision. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/eu-fines-apple-nearly-2-billion-for-blocking-alternative-music-apps-134001372.html?src=rss

Meta is starting to test the Threads API with third-party developers

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Meta is starting to bring the Threads API online, though it will still be some time before it’s widely accessible to developers. The company has begun testing its new developer tools with a handful of companies, Meta engineer Jesse Chen shared in a post on Threads.

According to Chen, whose post was first spotted by TechCrunch, the API is currently in “beta” but a wider rollout could come “by the end of June.” The initial group of companies testing out the beta version of the API include social media management platforms Sprinklr, Hootsuite, Social News Desk and Sprout Social. Meta is also working with tech news aggregator Techmeme and live video platform Grabyo. For now, it sounds like the API will primarily enable the publishing of content to Threads from these services, but Chen said there are also plans to “enable reply moderation and insights capabilities.”

Having an API could help Threads attract more publishers and power users, who often rely on third-party software for posting and analytics. Instagram head Adam Mosseri has previously expressed some reluctance to woo publishers, saying that his “concern” was that a dedicated API would “mean a lot more publisher content and not much more creator content.” (Mosseri has also said he doesn’t want to “amplify news on the platform.”)

But with 130 million users, Threads is starting to look more and more like a viable alternative to X, and offering professional-level tools is a good way to get publishers and brands to post more to the platform. Having an API could also, potentially, aid the company’s plans to support interoperability with Mastodon and the rest of the fediverse, though Meta hasn’t publicly discussed its API in that context,.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-is-starting-to-test-the-threads-api-with-third-party-developers-200125403.html?src=rss