Android Users Can Finally ‘Like’ Messages From iPhones

Texting between Android and iPhones isn’t all the time the smoothest expertise. Photos 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 exhibits up as a clumsy textual content description of the emoji as a substitute.

Google has been making an attempt to repair a few of that, although it faces the neverending problem of buy-in from Apple. This week, Google stated that updates coming to Messages will permit Android customers to answer iPhone texts with emojis. Other updates embrace 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 satisfy it midway.

The technical level of rivalry right here has been RCS, or Rich Communications Services, a messaging normal that Google has been pushing its companions to undertake over the previous yr. RCS handles attachments and media higher than the SMS normal that has been the norm in messaging for many years. Thing is, Apple has its personal messaging normal 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 a whole lot of messages get misplaced in translation between the platforms.

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

Here’s another gadget information.

Come Along and Ride On a Fantastic…Advertising Voyage?

Anyone who has ever ridden in a New York City taxi cab has seen their fair proportion of commercials on a loop, which over time has advanced from “Taxi TV” to straight-up programmatic promoting. So it appears inevitable that rideshare providers like Uber would need to capitalize on all that quiet, peaceable passenger downtime and fill your journey with advertisements.

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. But in a press launch this week, Uber laid out its plans to “capture consumers’ attention” by serving them advertisements throughout practically each a part of an Uber interplay. Uber customers can sit up for audio advertisements taking part in whereas they await a journey and throughout the journey. The firm can be planning to show outstanding advertisements throughout the Uber Eats app, ship sponsored emails, and slap much more video advertisements on tablets inside vehicles.

Remember people, it’s not concerning the vacation spot; it’s about how a lot you purchase on the journey.

Sharing is Caring, Unless You’re Netflix

In different bleak information from the land of capital extraction, Netflix is about to start out charging for all these additional customers siphoning off one particular person’s account. This week, Netflix stated it can lastly transfer to place an finish to individuals sharing their logins. The value might be $4 a head for every additional account that’s not thought-about in the identical house. Netflix has been testing the crackdown since March, although in nations outdoors the US. But quickly, it appears it will likely be platform extensive. Netflix stated 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 will let you spin off a sub account into its personal paying account. You’ll must splurge on the complete month-to-month payment, however no less than it can hold your watch historical past and preferences intact.