Online&Social
Oracle Reportedly Wins TikTok Bid
Sourced from Cosmico Oracle and ByteDance have reached a “technical partnership” for TikTok’s US operations, according to The Wall Street Journal. This, however, does not include the sale of the popular video-sharing app. A number of people familiar with the matter believe that Oracle will address the national security concerns surrounding TikTok, raised by the Trump Administration. Sources told FT that the US tech company was already in “preliminary talks with TikTok owner Bytedance, and was working with a group of investors that already holds a stake in the Chinese company.” This comes shortly after Microsoft revealed that ByteDance has rejected its bid to acquire TikTok – the acquisition would’ve allowed Microsoft to own and operate the TikTok service in the United States, Can...
Spotify Lite Marks 1 Year Milestone
Sourced from Android Police It has been an entire year since Spotify introduced the world to its lite app – Spotify Lite. The app was built from the ground up based on user feedback and has allowed millions of listeners in areas with limited bandwidth and phone storage to enjoy audio wherever they are. In the 12 months since launch, listeners in 38 markets have enjoyed and discovered thousands of new artists and podcasts while easily controlling their data and storage. Even though some Lite users are, literally, on opposite sides of the world, they share some interesting listening patterns. For one, Mondays and Sundays are the top days for streaming, and lunch is the most common time to listen to music and podcasts. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_171.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_1...
These WhatsApp Messages could cause your App to Crash
A flaw in WhatsApp allows users to send “Scary Messages” that can cause the recipient’s app to crash, or even worse, result in the loss of their chat history/media etc. According to a report by WABetaInfo, these messages often make no sense to users but WhatsApp interprets the characters differently – “sometimes WhatsApp is unable to render the message totally, because its structure is so weird: the combination of these characters create a situation where WhatsApp isn’t able to process the message, determining an infinite crash.” An infinite crash occurs when users try to open an app but it freezes or closes and restarting the app doesn’t restore functionality. I receive this report every day, really, in particular from Brazilian users.Unfortunately it’s not a fake news.@WhatsA...
WhatsApp is Working on “Vacation Mode” Feature, Again
WhatsApp is again working on its “Vacation Mode” feature, according to reports from WABetaInfo, after it abandoned the project last year. The feature, when enabled, is expected to allow users to access a dedicated menu with two new notification options for their archived chats. Image sourced from WABetaInfo Notify new messages – “it’s the current behaviour. If you decide to disable it (when the feature will be available for everyone), you will have the vacation mode, so archived chats continue to stay in the archive when new messages arrive.” Auto-hide inactive chats – “this is an extension of the vacation mode. If enabled, if a chat is older than 6 months, it will be automatically archived. Probably WhatsApp needs to change the description of this option because it’s not perfectly clear n...
Twitter Rolls Out New Quote Tweets Feature
Sourced from Wired. Twitter has officially launched its new Quote Tweets feature – after initially testing it just last week. The feature allows Twitter users to see how many times a specific tweet has been retweeted with a comment. “Tweets about a Tweet add more to the conversation, so we’ve made them even easier to find,” says the social platform. “Retweets with comments are now called Quote Tweets and they’ve joined the Tweet detail view. Tap into a Tweet, then tap “Quote Tweets” to see them all in one place.” Tweets about a Tweet add more to the conversation, so we’ve made them even easier to find. Retweets with comments are now called Quote Tweets and they’ve joined the Tweet detail view. Tap into a Tweet, then tap “Quote Tweets” to see them all in one place. pic.twi...
Twitter Reveals Most Liked Tweet Ever
Image sourced from Mission Statement Academy An official tweet announcing the passing of actor Chadwick Boseman is now the most-liked tweet ever – with more than 5.7 million likes. Twitter confirmed this on its own verified account with a tweet that reads, “Most liked Tweet ever. A tribute fit for a King. #WakandaForever”. Most liked Tweet ever. A tribute fit for a King. #WakandaForever https://t.co/lpyzmnIVoP — Twitter (@Twitter) August 29, 2020 Boseman, who rose to fame as Marvel’s Black Panther, passed away after a four-year battle with cancer. He was 43 years old. Twitter Launches New Tweet Reply Feature on Android Twitter has announced that its new reply feature – which will allow users to choose who can reply to their tweets – is now available on Android. /* custom css */ .tdi_3...
Apple Reportedly Rejects Plans for New Facebook Feature
Facebook has revealed that Apple has rejected its plan to tell app users that “the iPhone maker would take a 30% cut of sales in a new online events feature, forcing Facebook to remove the message,” reports Reuters. Apple claims that such a message within the new feature, which would allow users to purchase buy tickets to online events, violates an App Store rule that prevents developers from showing users irrelevant information. Image sourced from The Verge In an official statement, Facebook says “Now more than ever, we should have the option to help people understand where the money they intend for small businesses actually goes. Unfortunately, Apple rejected our transparency notice around their 30 per cent tax but we are still working to make that information available inside the app ex...
TikTok CEO Resigns
Image sourced from Evening Standard Kevin Mayer has resigned from his position as TikTok CEO amidst contention between the video-sharing platform and the Trump administration. The Financial Times reported that TikTok’s GM, Vanessa Pappas, will take over the CEO role in the interim. In an internal email, Mayer says “in recent weeks, as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for.” “Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company.” In recent months, TikTok has been embroiled in a legal battle against US President Donald Trum...
Facebook Adds New Shopping Tab to App
As part of Facebook’s plan to create a place for users to discover businesses and shop for products, it is testing a dedicated shopping tab within the main app. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, the shift to online shopping has rapidly accelerated, with an estimated 85% of people worldwide now shopping online,” says the social platform in an official blog post. “We want to make shopping easier for people and empower anyone, from an entrepreneur to the largest brand, to use our apps to connect with customers and grow their business. That’s why we’re creating new ways for people to shop on our apps and providing tools to help businesses sell online.” The new tab is currently only available in the US. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_ee0.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_ee0.td-a-rec-img img{ margi...
Women in Tech: Ailyssa Pretorius, GM of Uber Eats South Africa and Kenya
As we head towards the end of women’s month, ITNA continues to celebrate the women who have been inspiring the next generation and bridging the current gap in tech workspace. ITNA’s Jenna Delport chatted to Ailyssa Pretorius, Regional GM of Uber Eats South Africa and Kenya about what it takes to make it as a woman in tech-focused industries. Here’s what transpired: What is your typical day like? Does that even exist for you? Two days are never the same at Uber Eats. As the Regional General Manager for Uber Eats South Africa and Kenya, my days range from working with the team to solve tactical problems, to virtual meeting with partners to understand what opportunities we can mutually unlock for growth. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_4f5.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_4f5.td-a-rec-img...
Gozem Unveils New ‘Super App’
Gozem has introduced its new ‘Super App’ interface which consolidates all of its different services — ride-hailing, delivery, eCommerce, and an in-app wallet — into one app. “As we launched various new services and verticals over the last year, we heard from our users that if we were able to offer a holistic experience in our app, we’d offer real value by reducing friction and enhancing convenience,” says Gozem Co-Founder, Emeka Ajene. “To that end, this new Super App has been a long time coming, and we’re happy to continue tailoring our products and services to local needs so that our users who live busy lives can get right to the services they want when they want them. By bringing all of our various service offerings into one common space, we’re making navigating our app a lot simpler fo...
Google Chrome Update expected to make Tabs Load 10% Faster
Sourced from Forbes. Google has revealed that it would be introducing a number of improvements to Chrome, “including tabs that load faster and new features that let users organize and find them easily.” “These days, people are spending a lot of time in their browsers to get things done, whether for work, school or something else,” says Google in an official blog post. “And while some write out a formal to-do list to keep track of tasks, for others, their to-do list is their tabs in Chrome. However you get things done, we want Chrome to help you be more productive.” Here’s a closer look at Google Chrome’s improvements: /* custom css */ .tdi_3_f4f.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_f4f.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Users can expect tabs to load 10 per cent faster Chrome users ...
