Android Customers Can Lastly ‘Like’ Messages From iPhones

Texting between Android and iPhones isn’t at all times the smoothest expertise. Images and movies get pixelated, messages from Android customers present up because the dreaded inexperienced chat bubble on iPhone, after which there are emoji reactions. When an iPhone consumer hits the thumbs up or coronary heart response emoji, that doesn’t translate to Android, and reveals up as an ungainly textual content description of the emoji as a substitute.

Google has been attempting to repair a few of that, although it faces the neverending problem of buy-in from Apple. This week, Google mentioned that updates coming to Messages will enable Android customers to answer iPhone texts with emojis. Different updates embody the power to string responses to particular person messages, embed YouTube movies immediately in messages, and get automated transcriptions of voice messages on sure telephones. It’s a concerted effort by Google to make messaging on Android extra interesting, and put stress on Apple to fulfill it midway.

{Photograph}: Google

The technical level of competition right here has been RCS, or Wealthy Communications Companies, a messaging customary that Google has been pushing its companions to undertake over the previous 12 months. RCS handles attachments and media higher than the SMS customary that has been the norm in messaging for many years. Factor is, Apple has its personal messaging customary between iPhones and different Apple gadgets, after which defaults to SMS when an iPhone consumer and Android consumer are exchanging messages. And Apple expressed precisely zero curiosity in switching to RCS. So quite a lot of messages get misplaced in translation between the platforms.

Final month, Google made a public plea for Apple to change its requirements so iOS messages would play good with Android gadgets. However after Apple CEO Tim Prepare dinner’s withering dismissal of the thought, the stalemate between the tech giants continues. At the very least Android customers—or these contemplating the change—are getting barely higher messages with this newest replace.

Right here’s another gadget information.

Come Alongside and Journey On a Improbable…Promoting Voyage?

Anybody who has ever ridden in a New York Metropolis taxi cab has seen their fair proportion of commercials on a loop, which through the years has developed from “Taxi TV” to straight-up programmatic promoting. So it appears inevitable that rideshare providers like Uber would wish to capitalize on all that quiet, peaceable passenger downtime and fill your experience with adverts.

Uber has tinkered with promoting throughout rides earlier than, like again in 2020 when it added taxi-style advert billboards to the tops of vehicles. However in a press launch this week, Uber laid out its plans to “seize customers’ consideration” by serving them adverts throughout practically each a part of an Uber interplay. Uber customers can stay up for audio adverts taking part in whereas they watch for a experience and throughout the journey. The corporate can also be planning to show outstanding adverts throughout the Uber Eats app, ship sponsored emails, and slap much more video adverts on tablets inside vehicles.

Keep in mind of us, it’s not in regards to the vacation spot; it’s about how a lot you purchase on the journey.

Sharing is Caring, Until You’re Netflix

In different bleak information from the land of capital extraction, Netflix is about to start out charging for all these further customers siphoning off one individual’s account. This week, Netflix mentioned it’ll lastly transfer to place an finish to individuals sharing their logins. The value shall be $4 a head for every further account that’s not thought-about in the identical house. Netflix has been testing the crackdown since March, although in international locations outdoors the US. However quickly, it appears will probably be platform broad. Netflix mentioned the brand new coverage will go into impact in 2023.

As if to preempt the choice, Netflix introduced earlier this week that it’s going to now permit you to spin off a sub account into its personal paying account. You’ll need to splurge on the total month-to-month charge, however no less than it’ll hold your watch historical past and preferences intact.