Google’s Android 11 Beta is making it easier for users to shift between messaging apps without changing the current task screen.
Apple pulls out a Pocket Casts from its App Store in China after the country’s internet regulator raised an issue.
Twitter is making a new nudge to reduce the spread of misinformation.
Amazon says it will temporarily ban police from using its facial recognition technology.
Lastly, Google removes TikTok-style app from its Play Store.
Google launches Android 11 Beta
After delaying its initially planned launch last week due to protests last week, the search giant released its Android 11 on Wednesday.
With the latest version, users can manage their conversations across multiple messaging apps in the notification section. That makes it easy for people to respond to messages from different platforms under a single place.
Users can also prioritise certain conversations to give them higher preference. Once prioritised, these messages will show up even if ‘Do Not Disturb’ setting is on.
A new feature allows users to respond and stay with certain conversations without changing other apps. Called Bubbles, the feature can be opened from the notification page and carried on as people browse through their phones.
The Android 11 comes with new media controls to help users conveniently switch the device their audio or video content is playing on.
It allows them to bring their music from headphones, to speakers, or even to their TV.
On privacy settings, with the update, Android 11 will factory reset any app that hasn’t been used in a while. Before resetting, it will notify the users of the action it will take.
Users can confirm if they wish to re-grant app permissions the next time they open the apps.
The new features will be available on Pixel 2+ phones from Wednesday, and on other devices in the coming weeks.
Twitter’s new nudge
In the last few weeks, Twitter has been making changes to reduce the spread of misinformation.
On Wednesday, the micro-blogging app added a new feature to its retweet setting.
Twitter users will now see a new option before they retweet a link. They will be shown a prompt to confirm that they’ve read the article connected to the link before they retweet.
Users can choose to ignore prompt, and tap retweet. The platform can’t stop users from sharing any link they want.
“Sharing an article can spark conversation, so you may want to read it before you Tweet it,” Twitter said in a statement.
“To help promote informed discussion, we're testing a new prompt on Android –– when you Retweet an article that you haven't opened on Twitter, we may ask if you'd like to open it first.”
Twitter’s nudge may help people to go beyond headlines, and read the article, before they share it with others on the platform.
Amazon halts police use its facial recognition software
Amazon on Wednesday said it will temporarily ban police from using its facial recognition technology.
The ecommerce giant will be implementing a one-year ban on use of Amazon Rekognition software by police.
The move will help give regulators frame strong laws to govern the ethical use of facial recognition technology.
Also, the retailer notes that a one-year period would give ‘enough time’ to implement appropriate rules on the topic.
“Congress appears ready to take on this challenge,” Amazon said in a statement.
“We hope this one-year moratorium might give Congress enough time to implement appropriate rules, and we stand ready to help if requested.”
During the moratorium period, Amazon’s facial technology will continue to be used by organisations like Thorn, the International Center foer Missing and Exploited Children, and Marinus Analytics.
The firms use the company’s technology to help rescue human trafficking victims and reunite children with their families.
Amazon Rekognition provides facial analysis and search capabilities to detect, analyse and compare faces for a wide variety of user verification, people counting, and public safety use cases.
Amazon’s decision to slap a ban comes after the death of George Floyd at the knee of a police officer. The killing led to a series of protests in the US and few other parts of the world.
Apple pulls out Pocket Casts from App Store in China
Apple has removed a podcast app from its App Store in China following a request from the country’s internet management regulator.
Pocket Casts said in a tweet that its app, “has been removed from the Chinese App store by Apple, at the request of the Cyberspace Administration of China.”
The podcast hosting company confirmed that it does not censor content on its platform and that it would remain as an open medium.
In a response to a query by a Twitter user on whether the Chinese regulator approached the company before its app was removed by Apple, Pocket Casts confirmed that it was contacted by the cyberspace authority through Apple two days before the app was removed from the store.
China’s internet regulator had told the podcast listing platform it “includes content that is illegal in China as determined by the CAC.” But no other specific reasons were given.
There is no update from Apple on this issue as yet.
Google removes TikTok rival app from Play Store
Google has removed Zynn from its Play Store, accusing the video app of stealing content from other apps, the BBC reported.
Zynn has become one of the most downloaded apps in the US, and it is said to give cash payments for signing up and watching videos.
The app has been accused by a number of popular TikTok users saying accounts impersonating them are showing up on Zynn.
“I feel that it’s honestly sad that they are stealing creators’ content and impersonating people,” a TikTok influencer told Wired .
The app was officially available to users only from May. But several copied accounts had uploaded the posts three months earlier, in February, according to Wired .
Zynn is funded by Kuaishou, the Chinese rival to ByteDance, which owns TikTok.
Amid the controversy, Google has removed the app from its Play Store, but hasn’t given a reason for doing so.
