Tag Archives: Software

Xbox gamers will soon be able to buy games from the Xbox Android app

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Starting in November, Xbox players will be able to play and purchase games directly from the Xbox App on Android. Sarah Bond, the president of Xbox at Microsoft, has made the announcement on X, with a comment that the "court's ruling to open up Google's mobile store in the US will allow more choice and flexibility." She's talking about the ruling on Google's four-year antitrust battle with Epic Games that was recently handed down by US District Judge James Donato. The judge issued a permanent injunction that would force Google to give third-party app stores access to the Play library and to make Android apps available on alternative storefronts. 

As CNBC notes, players can download games to their Xbox consoles through the Android app, and Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can also stream games on their phones. However, they can't buy games straight from the app. After the court's ruling, Google won't be able to require developers to use its billing system and will be not be allowed to prohibit devs from telling people about more affordable payment options. Microsoft will be able to offer titles for purchase without having to pay Google a commission, which was most likely the reason why Xbox didn't sell games within its Android app. 

Epic's lawsuit against Google has been going on for years. In 2023, a federal jury sided with the plaintiff and found that Google held an illegal monopoly on app distribution and in-app billing services for Android devices. When Judge Donato handed down his ruling, Google told Engadget that it's going to appeal the decision, because it "fails to take into account that Android is an open platform and developers have always had many options in how to distribute their apps."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-gamers-will-soon-be-able-to-buy-games-from-the-xbox-android-app-120001529.html?src=rss

Venmo adds scheduled payments and requests

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Venmo has added the ability to schedule both payments and requests, which has been a long-desired feature. People can use this toolset to send out one-time payments or requests, or schedule things to go out monthly, weekly or bi-weekly.

Users will receive a push notification reminder the day before a payment goes out, just in case the funds aren’t available. To that end, the platform will pull from the connected bank account if the Venmo account is dry. These tools are rolling out right now.

The tools in action on the app.
Venmo

This is an obvious boon to those with roommates, as that one roommate who somehow got roped into handling all of the utility bills can let Venmo do the heavy lifting of bothering everybody else. Venmo says that 84 percent of consumers use peer-to-peer payment services to handle stuff like rent, utilities and other living expenses.

It’s also good for those with poor life organization skills. I can’t tell you the number of times I forgot to pay a bill, even though I had the money. Setting everything up in advance could be pretty darn helpful.

This is just the latest quality of life feature added by Venmo. The company recently integrated tap-to-pay support for Android phones, with no card reader necessary. The payment platform also now lets users send one another crypto.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/venmo-adds-scheduled-payments-and-requests-151251367.html?src=rss

The Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 technical alpha happens this month

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Those looking forward to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s November 19 release may get an early taste of what the flight simulator feels like. The developers have opened up sign-ups for the software’s technical alpha test. We still don’t know when the alpha will be online, but Microsoft is saying it will be on a weekend this October. Additionally, this test is confined to PC only.

The image below includes Microsoft’s minimum, recommended and ideal PC specs. Your PC should at least reach the minimum requirements for a chance of selection. Spots are also limited, so not everyone who signs up will be selected. Microsoft says that all who sign up must run a DxDiag test and provide their PC specs. Selected participants will be informed of the test dates via email, and access should be limited to two or three days.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Specs
Microsoft

If you weren’t selected, you’ll have to wait until the game launches on November 19. The full release, for Xbox Series X/S as well as PC, should be a much better experience.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/the-microsoft-flight-simulator-2024-technical-alpha-happens-this-month-144231252.html?src=rss

Mastodon’s new notifications won’t blow up your phone after a viral post anymore

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Following 11 months of testing, Mastodon is releasing one of its biggest updates of the year. In a blog post attributed to CEO and founder Eugen Rochko, the non-profit detailed its 4.3 release on Tuesday, promising improvements for nearly every part of the social media experience.

Perhaps most significantly, Mastodon has overhauled how notifications work. To start, the platform will now group boosts and favorites together so that users aren’t bombarded with notifications when one of their posts goes viral. At the same time, Mastodon is introducing new filters to make it easier to ignore notifications from people you don’t follow, newly created accounts and those who send you unsolicited private mentions. With the new feature, you can choose to see those notifications, prevent them from ever reaching your phone or send them to a separate inbox for later viewing.

Separately, Mastodon is introducing a new set of notifications designed to inform users if a server moderator made a decision that affects their account. Specifically, if a mod takes direct action against your account, you receive an in-app message “you can’t miss.” The platform will also notify users when they lose followers due to moderator decisions and offer the option to export a list of affected accounts.

Alongside those changes, Mastodon has redesigned a few different parts of its app. Starting with the compose window, the company says the new interface makes it easier to rearrange media, as well as see content warnings and word filters.

Elsewhere, Mastodon has refreshed its web client, tweaking the software’s color palette, iconography and link previews. Utility emails, including those users receive following a password reset, have gotten a once-over, too. On the interface front, Mastodon has reworked confirmation dialogues to better describe how muting and blocking will affect the user. For example, if you’re about to block a server, the app will detail exactly how many followers you stand to lose from that decision.

On the subject of followers, Mastodon has added a new recommendation carousel that users will see after scrolling past the first post on their feed that’s older than four hours. At the same time, the company has tweaked recommendations to make them more relevant to people. Rounding things out, Mastodon has refreshed website embeds and made it easier to follow the author of a trending news article.

The enhancements come after X recently changed how its block button works, a move some have argued has made the platform even less desirable to use. Rochko doesn’t mention X specifically – or Meta and Bluesky, for that matter – but does point to a general desire to make Mastodon more attractive to everyday users.

“One of [our] ongoing efforts is to make Mastodon easy and delightful to use. We’ve invested a significant amount of money and time into working with professional designers and performing user testing over the last few years, but we really ramped up our efforts in 2023,” he wrote. “Mastodon is quite a large application, and our resources remain very constrained compared to our corporate competitors, but we’ve made significant progress on improving the look and feel of Mastodon across the board.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/mastodons-new-notifications-wont-blow-up-your-phone-after-a-viral-post-anymore-211215016.html?src=rss

Google Maps now lets you reserve a parking spot inside the app

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Google is making it easier for drivers to find and reserve parking. Starting today, it’s possible to access SpotHero, a service that allows people to book parking spaces online, directly through Google Maps and Search.

The next time you use either app to find parking, a “Book Online” button will appear if the lot you find is available to reserve through SpotHero. Tap the button and Google will send you to SpotHero’s website, where you can pay for a spot over a secure connection. The entire process is handled through Maps or Search, with no bouncing between the app of your choice and a browser.

No surprise, it’s also possible to book parking spots ahead of time, with SpotHero offering the option to filter by date and time. You can also search for facilities that offer EV charging, wheelchair accessibility and more. Google has been testing SpotHero integration with select users since April, with today marking the first time the feature is available to everyone.

However, even with the expansion, you may not see the feature in your area. According to SpotHero, it’s possible to use its service to book 8,000 spots in 300 cities across the US and Canada. Some of the more notable locations where it’s possible to use SpotHero to secure parking include Madison Square Garden and the SAP Center.

As TechCrunch notes, SpotHero has been finding its way into more high-profile platforms as of late. Lyft has offered SpotHero integration since 2022, for instance. More recently, SpotHero made its way to Apple Maps. As for Google, today’s announcement represents the latest effort by the search giant to keep Maps and Search relevant in two increasingly competitive markets.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/google-maps-now-lets-you-reserve-a-parking-spot-inside-the-app-154846343.html?src=rss

Most US TikTok users aren’t following political accounts, study says

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As TikTok faces the possibility of a ban in the United States, a new study sheds light on the type of accounts US adults follow on the platform. According to the report, published by Pew Research, political content and news are only a small fraction of the accounts US adults follow in the app.

The report is based on an analysis of 227,946 accounts followed by 664 TikTok users who participated in the study. Of those accounts, less than one percent were “politicians, civic actors or traditional media outlets and journalists,” Pew found, noting that “the typical U.S. adult on TikTok follows no accounts in each of these categories.”

Instead, people were more likely to follow accounts that posted about entertainment and pop culture, humor and viral dance clips. “To the extent Americans’ followed accounts discuss politics, it tends to be mixed with other topics,” Pew writes. “Some 43% of all followed accounts that discussed politics or current events during the study period also discussed entertainment and pop culture.”

Pew's findings show that news and political accounts are a tiny fraction of what US adults follow on TikTok.
Pew Research Center

The content of users' following feeds doesn't offer a complete picture of what people see on TikTok. The app defaults to the algorithmic “for you” feed, which is made up mainly of recommendations. And even though most users may not choose to follow explicitly political accounts, previous research from Pew found that 45 percent of US TikTok users report seeing “at least some” content about politics or political issues in the app.

The question of what US users see on TikTok has been more closely scrutinized over the last year. Some lawmakers stepped up calls for a ban of the app last fall after TikTok critics used hashtag data to suggest that the app was disproportionately recommending pro-Palestinian content. The company said such takes were the result of “unsound analysis.” TikTok stopped showing view counts for specific hashtags earlier this year.

While Pew’s report doesn’t touch on TikTok’s algorithmic recommendations, the authors note that follows are an important signal for the app. “User interactions with posts from the accounts they follow play a nontrivial role in shaping their For You page,’” the report says. “And studying these followed accounts can give us a better understanding on the content that users actively choose to look for on the platform.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/most-us-tiktok-users-arent-following-political-accounts-study-says-140053492.html?src=rss

Google Docs adds tabs to help you stay organized

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Google has released a new feature for Docs that will make it easier to break down — and, later, to find and access — information into separate sections. It's adding tabs to Docs, so that you can "build content in a way that makes it possible for you to find what you’re looking for quickly." Instead of creating multiple Doc files or merely using headings to organize information, you can write down whatever you want into distinct tabs, which will be much quicker to parse than a lengthy document. Tabs could also make collaborating with classmates or co-workers less chaotic. 

In its announcement, Google enumerated several examples of how tabs could help people. "A project manager," the company wrote, "can create a tab for budget, roles and responsibilities, goals, and key dates so that their working team can stay on track." In addition to Google's examples, we could also see the feature being useful to authors, who can use separate tabs for their outline, character profiles, plot plans, scenario details and other important notes. 

Document tabs will take up the left-hand section of the Google Docs interface. You can create several subtabs under each tab if you want to break down the information that's supposed to go into that section each further. If you edit a tab's name, you'll also be able to set an emoji to best represent what it's about, which will then replace the default article icon. The new feature has already started rolling out and will be making its way to all Google Workspace users, as well as everyone with personal Gmail accounts, over the next 15 days. 

tabs in Google Docs.
Google

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/google-docs-adds-tabs-to-help-you-stay-organized-130016429.html?src=rss

Google ordered to open up the Play Store in Epic Games antitrust ruling

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Google has to open up the Play Store. On Monday, US District Judge James Donato issued a permanent injunction forcing the company to open its storefront to competitors for three years and make Android apps available in alternate stores. The ruling stems from Google’s four-year antitrust battle with Epic Games. Google said on Monday it will appeal the injunction, highlighting its competition with Apple and potential security concerns.

As part of the ruling, Google must allow third-party app stores access to the Google Play library. In addition, CNBC reports that the company has to make those alternate app stores available for download in the Play Store. Google also can’t make deals (using fees or revenue sharing) to launch apps exclusively on Google Play or preinstall its store on new hardware.

Billing changes will also emerge from the injunction. Google can’t require developers to use its own billing system. Nor can it stop devs from notifying users about less expensive payment options.

CNBC reports that a three-person committee will monitor Google’s compliance and technical issues stemming from the ruling. Google and Epic will form the committee.

When reached for comment by Engadget, a Google spokesperson pointed to a blog post explaining why it will appeal. Google VP of Regulatory Affairs Lee-Anne Mulholland wrote that the company’s competition with Apple helps to negate antitrust concerns. “The decision fails to take into account that Android is an open platform and developers have always had many options in how to distribute their apps,” Mulholland wrote. “In fact, most Android devices come preloaded with two or more app stores right out of the box.”

“For example, Epic Games has made its popular Fortnite app available to Android users through the Samsung Galaxy Store, sideloading, and the Epic Games Store — all while Fortnite was not distributed through Google Play,” Google’s Regulatory Affairs VP wrote. “These are options that developers have never been able to offer to their American users on iPhones.”

In December, a jury found Google’s Play Store to violate US antitrust laws. The unanimous verdict stated that the company held an illegal monopoly on app distribution and in-app billing for Android devices. It also ruled that its deals with other gaming companies and device manufacturers were anti-competitive. 

In April, Epic listed a proposed permanent injunction that largely matches Donato’s decision today. For its part, Google said at the time Epic’s demands went too far and were too self-serving.

The ruling went in a very different direction from a similar one Epic filed against Apple, which the Fortnite maker mostly lost. CNBC notes that a jury decided Google’s trial, while the fate of Apple’s suit fell into the hands of a judge.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-has-to-open-up-the-play-store-in-epic-games-antitrust-ruling-195239228.html?src=rss

Meta is working to fix Threads’ engagement bait problem

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If you’re active on Meta’s Threads app, then you’ve probably encountered some amount of engagement bait in your “for you”” feed. Now, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has acknowledged the issue, saying that the company is “working to get it under control" after a spike in such posts.

“We’ve seen an increase in engagement-bait on Threads and we’re working to get it under control,” Mosseri said in a post on Threads. He didn’t say what steps the company is taking but said there would be “more to come” on the issue.

Mosseri’s comments are the first time the Meta executive has acknowledged the problem that’s become an increasingly prominent topic of discussion on Threads. Because the app defaults to the algorithmic “for you” feed, engagement bait style posts that attract a lot of replies often go viral on the app even if it’s the type of content many users say they don’t want to see.

But addressing the issue could be tricky because what people often refer to as “engagement bait” takes many forms in the app. There are downright spammy posts that lift the kind of copypasta content that’s shared widely on Facebook (here’s a particularly egregious recent example). There are accounts that post open-ended AskReddit-style questions. And then there’s the rage-bait posts, as recently documented by Business Insider’s Katie Notopoulos.

Those posts, which often touch on polarizing topics, seem like they’re only meant to elicit angry responses from other users who have a controversial opinion from someone they don’t know thrust into their timeline. For example, I’ve seen dozens of posts with hundreds of replies about whether young children should be allowed on airplanes. In her experiment, Notopoulos got more than 1 million views and 5,000 replies on a post — heavily inspired from a two-year-old viral tweet and Reddit post — about not feeding children who come over for playdates.

And while Mosseri and Meta haven’t explained why it’s proved so easy to game Threads’ algorithm to go viral with this kind of content, it seems to be related to how the app has prioritized replies in deciding what to surface to users. “Not all comments or replies are good,” Mosseri said.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-is-working-to-fix-threads-engagement-bait-problem-173135011.html?src=rss

Gmail’s Gemini-powered Q&A feature comes to iOS

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A few months ago, Google introduced a new way to search Gmail with the help of its Gemini AI. The feature, called Gmail Q&A, lets you find specific emails and information by asking the Gemini chatbot questions. You can ask things like "What time is our dinner reservation on Saturday?" to quickly find the information you need. It was only initially available on Android devices, but now Google has started rolling it out to iPhones. 

In addition to being able to ask questions, you can also use the feature to find unread emails from a specific sender simply by telling Gemini to "Find unread emails by [the person's name]." You can ask the chatbot to summarize a topic you know you can find in your inbox, such as work projects that you've been on for months consisting of multiple conversations across several threads. And you can even use Gemini in Gmail to do general search queries without having to leave your inbox. To access Gemini, simply tap on the star icon at the top right corner of your Gmail app. 

Google says the feature could take up to 15 days to reach your devices. Take note, however, that you do need to have access to Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, Education Premium or Google One AI Premium to be able to use it. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/gmails-gemini-powered-qa-feature-comes-to-ios-120015661.html?src=rss