Online&Social
Epic Games’ Attempt to Restore Fortnite on App Store Fails
Epic Games was hit with a set back after a US District Court Judge denied its motion to restore Fortnite to the iOS App Store. The popular game was removed after Epic Games launched a sneaky update that allowed it to dodge revenue sharing with Apple. Apple retaliated by pulling the game from its App Store and blocking access to Unreal Engine. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that “the game will remain off the App Store unless Epic Games attempted to bring it back in accordance with App Store guidelines,” reports TechCrunch. However, it’s not all bad news for the game developer. The Judge also ruled that “Apple can’t retaliate against Epic Games by blocking the gaming firm’s developer accounts or restrict developers on Apple platforms from accessing Unreal Engine.” /* custom css */ .tdi_3...
Microsoft Sides with Epic Games in Fight with Apple
Microsoft has put its weight behind Epic Games during its ongoing feud with Apple. The tech company says that Apple’s App Store created barriers and tolls – and these are even more serious than “Microsoft’s own Windows ever did when the company was found guilty of violating US antitrust laws.” This comes after Epic Games launched a sneaky Fortnite update that allowed it to dodge revenue sharing with the tech company. Apple retaliated by pulling the game from its App Store and limiting the game developers acces to key graphics technology. “The graphics technology, known as Unreal Engine, is a suite of software used by millions of developers to build 3D games and other products. Cutting off Epic from Apple’s iOS and Mac developer tools would mean the gaming company can no longer distribute U...
New WhatsApp Storage Feature Unveiled
Image sourced from YoMZanzi WhatsApp is working on a new feature that’ll allow users to better manage their device storage usage, according to WABetaInfo. The storage feature menu is expected to offer: A storage bar, useful to understand the portion of space occupied by WhatsApp (all media). A second section to review all shared files, in order to delete unnecessary media and free up space. A final section that contains the list of chats as usual, with the possibility to search a specific chat. WhatsApp’s Viral Message Forwarding Feature is Updated WhatsApp is on a mission to slow the spread of fake news between users and that’s why earlier this year it imposed a strict new limit on message forwarding. This feature means users who plan on forwarding a message that has been identified...
TikTok to Challenge Ban by Trump Administration
Sourced from Cosmico TikTok has announced that it will be taking legal action against US President Donald Trump and his administration in an attempt to challenge its imminent ban. The Chinese-owned app has been told by the administration to sell off US operations within 90 days, or else. The Verge reports that motivation for the ban stems from the fact that “lawmakers allege that TikTok could be pressured into handing over data or other intelligence to the Chinese Communist Party”. According to the BBC, “TikTok says it has tried to engage with Trump’s administration for nearly a year but has encountered a lack of due process and an administration that pays ‘no attention to facts’”. TikTok is “led by an American CEO, with hundreds of employees and key leaders across safety, secur...
Google Maps is Getting a more Realistic Update
Google has revealed that it’s rolling out “new visual improvements that bring even more detail and granularity” to its global map. The company hopes that this will give help users get a better understanding of what an area looks like whether they’re exploring it virtually or planning a visit. Google uses high-definition satellite imagery that maps out 98% of the earth’s population. “With a new color-mapping algorithmic technique, we’re able to take this imagery and translate it into an even more comprehensive, vibrant map of an area at global scale,” it says in an official blog post. “Exploring a place gives you a look at its natural features—so you can easily distinguish tan, arid beaches and deserts from blue lakes, rivers, oceans and ravines. You can know at a glance how lush and green ...
Gmail Suffers Outage Across the Globe
Google has confirmed that Gmail suffered an outage after users reported being unable to send emails and attach files. “Gmail service has already been restored for some users, and we expect a resolution for all users in the near future. Please note this time frame is an estimate and may change,” says the company in its latest update. Google Maps is Getting a more Realistic Update Google has revealed that it’s rolling out “new visual improvements that bring even more detail and granularity” to its global map. The company hopes that this will give help users get a better understanding of what an area looks like whether they’re exploring it virtually or planning a visit. Google uses high-definition satellite imagery that maps out 98% of the earth’s population. “With a new color-mapping algorit...
Instagram Accused of Collecting Users Private Biometric Data
Facebook-owned Instagram is being sued over allegations that it “illegally harvests the biometric data of users”, according to Bloomberg. “In [a] new lawsuit, filed Monday in state court in Redwood City, California, the company is accused of collecting, storing and profiting from the biometric data of more than 100 million Instagram users, without their knowledge or consent.” The report goes on to say that if found guilty of privacy violations, the company could be expected to pay $1000 per violation — “or $5000 if it’s found to have acted recklessly or intentionally”. Instagram Debuts Reels to Rival TikTok Instagram has rolled out a new way to create and share videos – Reels – to rival popular Chinese app, TikTok. The social media platform says that use...
Huawei AppGallery Launches Discovery Bank App
Huawei has announced that the Discovery Bank app is now available on its AppGallery platform, ensuring that the bank’s users now have access to this app across multiple platforms and can use it from anywhere in South Africa. “We are happy to welcome Discovery Bank to our Huawei AppGallery family of apps,” says Zhao Likun Zhao, VP at Huawei Consumer Business Group for Southern Africa. “AppGallery has over 400 million active monthly users worldwide and has secured its position as one of the Top 3 app marketplaces globally, even though we only launched it to a wider market in 2018. Locally, Huawei has partnered with a number of companies who create apps that are key to the daily life of South Africans, which includes banking apps, so people can manage their financial present and future.” Comm...
Trump Signs Executive Order to Ban Business with TikTok
US President, Donald Trump has reportedly signed an executive order that aims to prohibit all transactions with TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance. This order – which is expected to come into effect in 45 days – is meant to “address the national emergency with respect to the information and communication technology supply chain”. US President Donald Trump has reportedly signed an executive order that aims to prohibit all transactions with #TikTok’s parent company #Bytedance.Click To Tweet “The spread [of apps controlled by the Chinese government] continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States,” reads the order. “The United States must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security.” INBOX: @rea...
WhatsApp Testing New iOS Features
WhatsApp is introducing new features and updates for iOS 2.20.90.21, reports WABetaInfo. These include: Improved Security Code Notifications that update end-to-end encryption for messages and statuses. A new ‘Multi Wallpaper’ feature that’ll allow users to have different wallpapers dedicated to different chats and even adjust the brightness of these wallpapers. These are currently only available through Apple’s TestFlight beta programme, and there’s currently no word on when users can expect these features to roll out to the public. WhatsApp’s Viral Message Forwarding Feature is Updated WhatsApp is on a mission to slow the spread of fake news between users and that’s why earlier this year it imposed a strict new limit on message forwarding. This feature means ...
Capitec’s Banking App Ranks #1
Capitec has revealed that its new banking app has reached the #1 spot on both the South African Google Play and Apple app store charts. It currently trends on the charts ahead of Zoom, Whatsapp Messenger, Tik Tok and Facebook. “Our digital banking services are the most widely used in the country, with over 7.5 million active users. We’ve also noted a significant increase between January and July 2020, with the bank welcoming almost 600 000 new digital banking clients,” says Gerrie Fourie, CEO of Capitec Bank. This success comes at a time when the bank’s traditional service channels are taking a back seat to its digital offerings; a trend, which was been significantly augmented by the COVID-19 crisis. The bank believes that its clients are seeking safer, more convenient and affordable ways ...
WhatsApp’s Viral Message Forwarding Feature is Updated
WhatsApp is on a mission to slow the spread of fake news between users and that’s why earlier this year it imposed a strict new limit on message forwarding. This feature means users who plan on forwarding a message that has been identified as “highly forwarded” will only be to send it to a single contact at a time. A “highly forwarded” message is defined as media that has been sent through a chain of five or more contacts. This isn’t the first time WhatsApp has introduced a limit like this – in 2019, the Facebook-owned chat app reduced the number of immediate forwarding contacts to five. These messages were labelled with double arrows to indicate they did not originate from a close contact. WhatsApp says that now it is “piloting a simple way to double-check these messages by tapping ...
