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Software and App Updates

Google has made the Android 14 beta available.

Google has made the Android 14 beta available.

Google’s Android development cycle runs on a rather predictable cadence these days. Today, after two developer previews, the company launched the first of four planned public beta releases of Android 14. As with previous versions, the first beta is also the first release that anyone can install over-the-air, assuming they have a supported Pixel device, going back to the Pixel 4a 5G (but not the Pixel 4).

There’s no official support for non-Google phones yet. As always, keep in mind that these are betas for a reason and still mostly meant for developers who want to test their apps against this new version and early adopters who just can’t wait for the stable release. Things can — and will — break.

For the most part, there aren’t many new features in this beta version, though there are two user-facing UI updates worth calling out. The first is a new back arrow (yes — we’ve reached the point in mobile OS history where new back arrows are pretty much the most exciting thing). As Google notes, the gesture navigation experience now “includes a more prominent back arrow while interacting with an app to help improve back gesture understanding and usefulness.” This arrow will match your wallpaper or device theme. Exciting stuff.

Developers will now also be able to add custom actions to the system sharesheet, and the sharesheet will now be smarter about how it ranks your sharing targets.

Otherwise, there isn’t all that much new here. Per-app language settings are here, as are Google’s previously announced new privacy settings.

I expect we’ll hear a bit more about what’s new in Android 14 — and see more user-facing features — at Google I/O next month. For now, though, this appears to be another evolutionary release.

Netflix May Soon Let You Play TV Games While Using Your Phone as a Controller

As per Bloomberg and Steve Moser, a contributing writer at MacRumors, Netflix would enable users to control games on their TV using their iPhones. This move is in line with Netflix’s recent announcement of making its games “playable on every Netflix device that you have.”

Moser further explained that the iOS app has code indicating that the phone could be utilized as a game controller by prompting a message that says: “A game on your TV needs a controller to play. Do you want to use this phone as a game controller?”

Take a look at his tweet below.

In late 2021, Netflix launched its mobile games service and has since released 55 games, with an additional 40 slated for release this year. However, these games are exclusively available on iOS and Android devices, and cannot be played on larger screens such as TVs or laptops.

To avoid creating a dedicated game controller as Google did for its now-defunct Stadia service, Netflix is considering using mobile devices as controllers. Furthermore, it recently announced that it is developing a cloud gaming service, which may also utilize mobile devices as controllers.

Back in October last year, Netflix’s VP of games, Mike Verdu stated that the company was seriously exploring cloud gaming features.

We are very early in that side of our journey. We do believe that cloud gaming will enable us to provide that easy access to games on any screen and be frictionless and provide the accessibility into gaming experiences.

Apple Launches ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Service in US

Apple Inc has announced the launch of its “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) service, Apple Pay Later, in the United States. The move is expected to disrupt the fintech sector that is currently dominated by firms like Affirm Holdings and Klarna. The BNPL service will allow users to split purchases into four payments, spread over six weeks, with no interest or fees. The loans will be available for online and in-app purchases made on iPhones and iPads with merchants that accept Apple Pay, with amounts ranging from $50 to $1,000. The service will initially be offered to select users, with a full rollout planned in the coming months.

The service, Apple Pay Later, will allow users to split purchases into four payments spread over six weeks with no interest or fees, the company said. It will initially be offered to select users, with plans of a full roll-out in the coming months.

Apple Pay Later’s entry into the BNPL market is expected to significantly impact other players in the industry. Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell, predicts that Apple Pay Later “will absolutely wallop some of the other players”. Affirm, a major player in the BNPL space, saw its shares fall more than 7% following the announcement. PayPal also closed about 1% lower.

The BNPL sector experienced a surge in demand during the pandemic-related lockdowns, as shoppers turned to online payment platforms. Fintech companies offering BNPL services, especially to millennials and Gen Z customers, benefited from the increased demand. However, rising interest rates and inflation have since dampened purchasing power and forced consumers to tighten their purse strings.

Apple’s entry into the BNPL market is expected to shake things up, but the company is treading cautiously. Christopher Brendler, an analyst at D.A. Davidson, notes that “we expect Apple to tread cautiously, especially in this macro environment”. Apple has decided to not use a partner and will underwrite, fund, and collect on the loans directly. The service is enabled through the Mastercard Installments program, with Goldman Sachs as the issuer of the Mastercard payment credential.

With over 85% of US retailers accepting Apple Pay, the launch of Apple Pay Later is expected to further solidify the company’s position in the payments industry.

WhatsApp to Introduce a New Feature in Which Audio Messages Sent will be Playable Only Once

WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta, has announced a new feature that allows users to send audio messages that can only be played once. This messaging app will receive an update, version 2.23.7.8, according to an app-tracking website. The audio messaging feature has been developed to enhance privacy and will only play once when activated.

The audio messaging feature is currently in development, and will be available in a future release. This feature will function similarly to WhatsApp’s existing view-once feature for photographs and videos, where the content can only be viewed once and cannot be saved, forwarded or recorded for added privacy.

With this new feature, audio messages sent in view-once mode cannot be saved, forwarded or recorded, making it even more secure and private for users. This would limit the possibility of someone else accessing or listening to the voice note afterwards, thus providing a higher level of privacy and security for communication.

The feature is expected to be popular among WhatsApp users who value privacy and the protection of sensitive and confidential information. It is yet another example of WhatsApp’s ongoing efforts to enhance privacy and security for its users.

11-year-old girl develops app that detects eye diseases

The 11-year-old girl’s mobile app can analyse various parameters such as light and colour intensity to locate the eyes within the frame range

Meet Leena Rafaq an 11-year-old Dubai-based Malayali girl originally from Kerala, who has developed an AI application to detect eye diseases and other conditions through a unique scanning method using an iPhone. Rafaq named the application “Ogler EyeScan” and began developing it when she was 10. In a video, she said that her application can analyse various parameters like color and light intensity, distance and look-up points to locate eyes within the range of the frame using advanced computer and machine learning,

In her post, Leena added that “Exciting news! I am thrilled to announce the submission of my new Artificially Intelligent mobile app, named Ogler EyeScan,” Rafeeq said in a LinkedIn post on Saturday adding that she created the AI mobile app when she was 10, the application also identifies any light burst issues and if the eyes are positioned exactly inside the scanner frame. She also said “Olger” can identify conditions like Arcus, Malenoma, Pterygium and even Cataracts with help of trained models.

Leena said that her app is currently under review in Apple’s app store and is hopeful that it will be approved soon. The Olger EyeScan is only supported in iPhone 10 and above with iOS 16+. She also said, “This App was developed natively with SwiftUI without any third-party libraries or packages, and it took me six months of research and development to bring this innovative app to life.”

Reverting to some of the comments on her viral LinkedIn post, she mentioned that the accuracy of her app is “nearly 70% at this moment.”

US Announces Rs. 2.5 Crore Award for Pakistani Game Developers

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Investment Promotion Activity (IPA) has announced the ‘Green Alliance: Gaming Challenge Awards’ for Pakistani game developers concerned about climate change. 

The award aims to encourage the development of commercially viable games that raise awareness about mitigating climate change, promote sustainable climate-smart practices, and encourage youth to take measures to protect the planet.

The awards also seek to enhance US-Pakistan bilateral trade and increase foreign direct investment. The IPA is seeking award applications from game developers and relevant enterprises registered in Pakistan, with potential award funding of up to Rs. 25 Million per award.

The awards are open to all geographic regions of Pakistan, and women-led/owned businesses are encouraged to apply. 

Interested parties can receive more information about the award application process by sending an email to IPAfund@pakistanipa.com with ‘Green Alliance: Gaming Challenge Awards’ in the subject line.

The deadline to submit applications is 11:00 PM (Pakistan Standard Time) on 31 May 2023.

Apple’s Siri Might Soon Get Technology Similar to Chat-GPT

Apple’s Siri was introduced in 2011 with iPhone 4S. Since the launch of Siri, Apple has incorporated new features and surprised its customer base. Recently the news is that it will get a complete makeover, as the company is working on its natural language, which might give Siri ChatGPT-like abilities. 

Apple’s Siri Will Have ChatGPT-like Features

The rise in OpenAI’s ChatGPT is miles ahead of the competition, which has forced Google and Apple to reinvent their AI. This has encouraged Apple to try new ChatGPT-like features. The underutilized assistant, Siri, will get natural language generation capabilities, which will be a major turn-up for the company. The company has already incorporated a new feature in Apple TV – the streaming box. The new feature allows Siri to crack jokes and potentially set timers using AI features. 

However, the tvOS 16.4 beta upgrade is only available for developers. The general public will soon be able to avail of the feature and test it by signing up for Apple’s beta software program. However, in the coming days, Siri can be accessed with natural languages on several devices such as iPhones, iPads, and Macs. 

Google has also launched its “BARD” to compete against OpenAI’s ChatGPT – which has opened up to trusted testers before the company reveals it widely to the public. 

Recently, OpenAI has said that the launch of ChatGPT and GPT-4 is the start of an era of huge technological empowerment. It also set the stage for human-like technology to compete with Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc’s Google. 

Unlike ChatGPT or GPT-4, Apple’s Siri will offer a more humane touch because of its speech feature. It is also said the capability will be limited only to Siri. However, there is no update on the feature launch as the concern grows over AI’s potential harm. Hopefully, we will hear the news soon and see the hype. 

Microsoft to Launch its Own App Store on iOS Devices

Microsoft is planning to launch a mobile app store that will compete against the App Store and Play Store.

According to Microsoft’s Xbox head Phil Spencer, Microsoft will take advantage of an upcoming EU law that will break up the monopoly held by the two major smartphone platform holders.

“We want to be in a position to offer Xbox and content from both us and our third-party partners across any screen where somebody would want to play,” Spencer told the FT.

“Today, we can’t do that on mobile devices but we want to build towards a world that we think will be coming where those devices are opened up.”

The demise of Windows Phone left Apple and Google to dominate the smartphone market. Both companies have been investigated for abusing their position to implement unfair and anticompetitive policies.

In March 2024, the EU is set to introduce the Digital Markets Act in a bid to tackle the problem. Under the legislation, Apple and Google will be forced to open their platforms to third-party app stores.

“The Digital Markets Act that’s coming – those are the kinds of things that we are planning for,” added Spencer. “I think it’s a huge opportunity.”

Google has come under less regulatory scrutiny on the app store issue than Apple because it technically allows third-party stores to be sideloaded on Android. The EU’s legislation will seek to make installing alternative stores commonplace and reduce the hoops that users have to jump through.

Apple is notorious for its “walled garden” approach to iOS that it argues provides users with a better and more secure experience. Critics believe it’s a cover to protect the billions that Apple makes annually via the App Store and point to macOS’ relative openness as a contradiction to its key arguments.

In a letter to lawmakers last year, cybersecurity expert Bruce Schneier said that Apple’s concerns about sideloading were “unfounded” and that it’s “simply not true” that legislation such as the EU’s puts user privacy and security at risk.

“it’s fairer to say that this legislation puts those companies’ extractive business-models at risk. Their claims about risks to privacy and security are both false and disingenuous, and motivated by their own self-interest and not the public interest,” wrote Schneier.

“App store monopolies cannot protect users from every risk, and they frequently prevent the distribution of important tools that actually enhance security. Furthermore, the alleged risks of third-party app stores and ‘side-loading’ apps pale in comparison to their benefits.

“These bills will encourage competition, prevent monopolist extortion, and guarantee users a new right to digital self-determination.”

Microsoft has fallen foul of Apple’s App Store rules after being blocked from releasing a native app for its Xbox cloud gaming service. Microsoft has released such an app on Android but on iOS it’s forced to stream cloud games using the web browser.

After the EU’s Digital Markets Act, Microsoft will finally be free to offer a native Xbox cloud gaming app on iOS—even if it has to be distributed through its own store on the platform.

Man Creates Remarkable 3D Game Using GPT-4

To create a basic Doom style game, the man asked users to simply ask GPT4 to create a game that resembles Doom

ChatGPT took the internet by storm upon its release last year. With the launch of GPT 4 a few days ago, AI experts are experimenting with the model and testing all the limits to which it can exceed.

While people had enough hopes for this new AI technology when it came to basic AI work, what no one expected from GPT 4 was to develop a full-fledged game. However, technology is the name for surpassing user expectations and that is exactly what has happened.

The Indian Express on Twitter spotted an AI enthusiast Jani Lopez who experimented with GPT4 and gave an in-depth breakdown to show how this latest technology could be used for game development purposes. In a twitter thread shared by the user, he demonstrated how to leverage the AI technology to produce basic video games similar to a well-known one like Doom, ways one should use the AI to generate the required codes, showed simple steps on how to increase the game’s prototype visual appeal and showed small glimpses of codes written entirely by the GPT4 itself.

Javi stated that while users can create some meaningful content, they should look at the AI realistically and keep their expectations in check before wanting the GPT version to pop out something never seen before.

In order to create a basic Doom style game, Jani said that users can simply ask GPT4 to create a game in resemblance to Doom. He further stated that while tis initial request might seem basic, users can improve the visual aesthetics and overall working of the game once they have the foundation established.

The fact that GPT4 can create something as complex as a game shows that this is only the tip of the iceberg. Users can easily expect GPT4 to bring forward even more astounding creations and take the world of technology by storm. Who knows what the next year in the tech world will bring, but what we know is that we will be here to keep you updated!