Over the past days, a LOT of things happened in the tech world but the lead story of the week was Facebook defriending Australia, but it looks like this battle has come to an end.
In a nutshell, Spotify, Twitter, and Netflix rolled out new awesome features, while Clubhouse experienced some issues. Ready? Let’s talk about apps, game releases, and service updates.
So here’s all you need to know about this:
Facebook Refriends Australia After it Changed Media Law
Here’s a refresher: Last week, Facebook defriended Australia and blocked their news sites due to Australian law that asks internet platforms like Google and Facebook to sign profit-sharing deals with news publishers. Yesterday, the Australian government announced its intentions to amend this law but will consider asking them to strike commercial agreements instead. William Easton, Managing Director, Facebook Australia & New Zealand announced the restoration of Facebook services in a statement:
“We are satisfied that the Australian government has agreed to a number of changes and guarantees that address our core concerns about allowing commercial deals that recognize the value our platform provides to publishers relative to the value we receive from them.”
Spotify Rolls out new High-end Subscriptions called HiFi
Music streaming service Spotify has announced the launch of a new subscription service dubbed Spotify HiFi.
The company revealed that HiFi will be rolled out later this year only to Spotify Premium subscribers in few countries allowing them to listen to music in “CD-quality, lossless audio format.”
Clubhouse Hit by Data Breach of its Audio Streams
Clubhouse, Apple’s new invitation-only audio-chat social networking app, is facing scrutiny as it suffered from data spillage earlier this week.
Breaking news: Clubhouse audio getting hacked all audio being sucked out. Coming out of China. Story Developing cc @siliconangle
— John Furrier (@furrier) February 21, 2021
The app confirmed to Bloomberg explaining: “An unidentified user was able to stream Clubhouse audio feeds this weekend from “multiple rooms” into their own third-party website.”
Netflix Launches ‘Downloads For You’ to Automatically Save Shows and Movies You like to View Offline
Streaming service Netflix announced the rollout of a brand new feature that automatically downloads recommended shows or movies to users’ mobile devices based on their tastes called ‘Downloads For You’.
Image Credits: Netflix
Of course, users get to choose how much is downloaded to their devices: either 1GB, 3GB, or 5GB. This feature is now available on Android devices but soo will be on iOS.
WhatsApp Announces New Cautious Privacy Policy Update
After all the ranting and raving or as WhatsApp named it ‘misinformation’ about the new privacy rules last month, the Facebook-owned messaging app announced the privacy policy change in a much more informative and cautious way.
This is the second time WhatsApp tries to clarify its update. To reiterate the message, the app will display a banner that contains more information about privacy concerns. In addition, WhatsApp Chief, Will Cathcart, tweeted a video about the plans:
Twitter Allows you to Tweet Your Voice!
Twitter started testing the audio notes feature in DMs to users based in India, Brazil, and Japan.
🎤test,🎤test: Starting today, you’ll be able to record and send voice messages in DMs 😉 Here’s how👇
PS. The experiment will be rolled out in phases. pic.twitter.com/aqQM6h9sof
— Twitter India (@TwitterIndia) February 17, 2021
YouTube US Users to Enjoy TikTok-Inspired ‘YouTube Shorts’ Beta Feature Next Month
After the successful rollout in India, Google’s YouTube announced they’re gearing up to expand TikTok inspired feature to US users next month. This feature allows users to upload very short videos and share them on the YouTube app.
This week in India we’re launching an early beta of YouTube Shorts, a new way to discover, watch and create short, vertical videos on the YouTube app.
Even if you don’t live in India, you can still upload your short videos today. Learn more → https://t.co/6VySxIwMB9 pic.twitter.com/M0jXHoJkki
— YouTube Creators (@YouTubeCreators) September 14, 2020
On a side note, YouTube is also testing an integrated shopping experience feature that will allow users to buy items directly from videos as content creators will be able to tag products and clothes companies and brands.
Source: Inside Youtube
Epic Games Loses suit against Apple
Earlier this week, American video game and software developer and publisher, Epic Games, announced that it has filed an antitrust complaint against Apple in Europe after removing Fortnite from the AppStore. However, UK Court refused the complaint and denied Epic Games’ request to be reinstalled on Apple’s store. The company commented in a statement: ”Apple has not just harmed but completely eliminated competition in-app distribution and payment processes.”
Upcoming Video Games
- Black Ops Cold War Season 2 [PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO] – February 25, 2021
- Call Of Duty: Warzone Season 2 [PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO] – February 25, 2021
- Apex Legends [Switch] – March 9, 2021
- Final Fantasy XIV [PS5] April 13, 2021
- Resident Evil 8: Village [PS5, Xbox Series X, PC] on May 7, 2021
Events to Keep An Eye On:
Feb. 23-25: Mobile World Congress [Shanghai]
March 2-4: Microsoft Ignite [Virtual]
May 11-12: IBM Think 2021 [Virtual]
