Category: Apps and Software

Games, Apps, Softwares, Operating Systems and Software Hacks

iOS 13 To Add Dark Mode Support And Overhaul Several System Applications
Apple is set to kickstart its developer’s conference, called WWDC on the 3rd of June this year. Like previous years, the company will announce the latest version of iOS, the operating system used in the iPhones and iPads. Likely to be called iOS 13, it is supposed to bring about a ton of changes to the software. A freshly shared report by Bloomberg, details what alterations and additions to expect from the new OS.

iOS 13: Expectations?

The upcoming iOS 13 as previously mentioned, will include a variety of changes in the operating system. One predominant change that the update will introduce is support for dark mode. However, this mode will be called ‘Black and Grey’ and the control for toggling the mode will reside in the control center. Other notable changes are expected to be as follows:
- Updated Health App- With the upcoming iOS 13, the Health app will get a new screen that displays the daily health of the user. In addition, the application will also track new metrics including the loudness of the music the users listens and bring extensive support for menstrual cycling tracking.
- Updated Reminders App- A simple addition yet an important one. The updated app will be redesigned to add a grid layout with sections which will reflect tasks for the day, flagged tasks and scheduled tasks.
- iMessage Update- Even though Whatsapp, owned by Facebook is one of the largest internet messaging (IM) platform, the iMessage exclusive to Apple maintains its dominance. With iOS 13 update, the application will allow users to set a profile picture to their account which is unavailable as of now.
Other notable features include sticker versions of Animojis and Memojis, block incoming email from certain contacts in the Mail app, option for frequently visited locations in Maps.

The report also highlights that the company will launch a new sleep mode that will automatically darken the lock screen as the night falls. The clock alarm will get the new option for bedtime alarm which as the name suggests will work as a sleep reminder.

Apple Home app will have better integration with security cameras and allows users to view the past recording. Limited to the iPad, the iOS update may redesign the multitasking screen and multi-window support on the tablet. Noteworthy, iPhone’s inbuilt browser, Safari will get support for a dedicated download manager.

WatchOS 6 Changes

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WatchOS is the operating system that runs on the Apple watch, which is one of the most popular smartwatches in the world. The WatchOS 6 is also reported to bring a multitude of changes to the smart wearable. It will gain a dedicated App Store which will make it even more independent of the iPhone. The company will be proving a wide number of new apps the Apple Watch including Apple Books, Calculator, Voice Memos, and health apps ‘Dose’ and ‘Cycles’ for tracking medication.
May 6, 2019
Top Android And iOS Competitors That Got Lost In The Wheel Of Time

Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS are the most popular and the most used mobile Operating Systems worldwide. While their success is unprecedented and doesn’t seem like it can be beaten; there was a time when many companies were close. Here is the list of all the once-promising competitors to the hulking giants in the smartphone OS market. Most of them have been forgotten in the wheel of time.

Windows Phone

Windows Phone first debuted in the early 2000s and ran on QWERTY based mobile phones. After the ever increasing hold of Android and iOS on the consumer market, Microsoft shifted its strategy and named it Windows Phone in 2010. With support for touchscreen devices and partnership with renowned smartphone OEMs like Nokia, HTC and Samsung; it was a refreshing take on Operating System for mobile phones. Alas, due to the poor app support and partners backing out of the project, the company officially shut down the Windows Phone two years ago. While the loyalists would still swear by its fluidity and colourful UI; the Windows Phone is still the closest any competitor ever arrived at beating Android and iOS.

Symbian

Symbian OS was developed by Symbian Limited and was launched in the year 1998. While it was earlier designed for Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), many major phone makers adopted the OS. The most prominent one of them was Nokia. The king of mobile phone OEM at the time also used a User Interface (UI) called S60. But, due to the ever increasing adoption of Android and iOS and Nokia’s foray into Windows Phone, Symbian also had to meet its ill-fated end. The legendary Nokia 808 PureView released in the year 2012 was the last phone to run SymbianOS from Nokia.

Sailfish OS

Sailfish is developed by Jolla after the MeeGo interface by Nokia in its smartphone, the N9. While the latter was soon discontinued after its release, the former still receives consistent updates. Sailfish was designed to be a replacement for Android, promising better and safer software integration. To appeal to its investors, the company even had to release its own smartphone, called Jolla Phone. But, due to issues with various part suppliers, the company failed miserably and announced bankruptcy. However, software updates to the OS are still delivered quite regularly.

BlackBerry OS

Blackberry, the Canadian smartphone maker was once the most popular brand amongst businessmen and college goers. Remember when all the cool kids had access to BBM? This was due to the BlackBerry OS inside the devices. It was a secure operating system that was capable of supporting touch screen and QWERTY input. Although, like most entries in this list the BBOS also fell flat to its competition over the lack of apps and a dated UI design. While the company tried fixing it by allowing the installation of Android apps on the devices. But, BlackBerry eventually gave up and launched the Priv, a smartphone running Android OS in the year 2015.

FirefoxOS

One of the biggest names in web browsers, Mozilla’s foray into the mobile OS business is nothing to write home about. First shown in the year 2012, it was designed for entry-level smartphones. But again, due to a sluggish adoption and lack of app support made the company discontinue Firefox OS in the year 2016. While it didn’t have a good run, the OS is credited for the birth of KaiOS. It is the latest software to power feature phones to make them smarter.

Tizen

Also read: Huawei Working On Smartphone With 16MP Pop-Up Camera And 4,000 mAh Battery

Tizen is an open source Operating System mainly embraced by Samsung in its Z series. It was mainly intended to run on entry-level budget smartphones and as a replacement to Android. The Tizen OS promised a faster UI with future support for popular applications. All the promises fell flat, however as these premises were met with no results. Tizen was last seen in the Samsung Z4 in the year 2017.

April 25, 2019
Madras High Court Lifts Ban From Popular App TikTok

TikTok is a wildly popular media sharing platform/application that has a lot of controversy surrounding it at the moment. On April 16, 2019, the Indian Government issued a report which stated that Google and Apple should take down the TikTok app from the respective application stores. Shortly after, the action was implemented by both American technology organizations, resulting in the removal of the application from the online app stores. As per latest reports, the Madras High Court has lifted the ban on the aforementioned app.

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court announced its decision on Wednesday (April 24, 2019). The Bench removed its interim order on the condition that the upload of any form of obscene content to the application will result in the revival of any court proceedings associated with the same. On the other hand, TikTok users are ecstatic, and so is the company. In a statement by ByteDance, which is the parent company of TikTok, this decision is greatly appreciated by the thriving community in India, as it will give a chance to the users to showcase their creativity via the application.

Previously, Tamil Nadu’s IT Minister M. Manikandan had suggested that the state should submit a petition to the Central Government in order to incorporate a strict ban on the application in India. Consequently, the HC had appointed Arvind Datar as the independent counsel to the court. As per recent reports, the Chinese company had appealed for interim relief by April 24, which led to the lift of the ban from TikTok in India.

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In further developments, TikTok said that it will continuously keep improving its security detail in order to regulate any forms of obscene and vulgar content on the application, while catering to the users’ needs at the same time. India’s resilience against such applications is increasing day-by-day, and only time will tell if banning such applications will lead to an improvement in the social culture or not.

April 25, 2019
WhatsApp To Prevent Users From Taking Chat Screenshots

Popular instant messaging platform, Whatsapp is planning to take things to the next level. After introducing some major security overhauls to its application, the company is testing out a new feature which is similar to Snapchat’s messaging platform in some ways. Previously, the application was reported to receive an update which will curb unnecessary fake news chains. As per recent news, the application is now rumoured to get a feature which will prevent users from capturing screenshot chat screens.

About The “No-Screenshot” Feature

When the Authentication feature will be available and you enable it, conversation screenshots are blocked (for you) ?
What do you think? I don't like the idea and I don't see the point.
If I authenticate my identity using my fingerprint, why conversation screenshots are blocked? https://t.co/wVFWyx2Ibb
— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) April 15, 2019

In another popular media sharing app, Snapchat, users are not necessarily prohibited from taking screenshots. Instead, any screenshots taken on one end are reported on the other end. As per reports, Whatsapp will twist this feature in order to prevent all screenshots within the application. The Facebook owned messaging app is expected to follow on the lines of Netflix and Amazon Prime applications, which do not allow screen recording or screenshotting within the premises of the app.

This may not be the most welcomed feature for a lot of users who like to capture screenshots of their chats and share them with their friends. What a lot of people don’t realize is the fact that sharing screenshots is a violation of the privacy policy, which prohibits users from sharing personal information with a third party. Even though the fingerprint authentication feature is not yet available on Android, the presence of such a feature combined with the “No-screenshot” feature may be a decent security detail for the application.

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Additionally, Whatsapp will be updated with two separate tabs: one for emojis and one for stickers. The sticker section will be further divided into two tabs: party stickers and content stickers. This will make the emoji and sticker search much simpler than before. In light of Facebook’s recent data breaches (which have raised concerns amongst users), the company is trying every possible method to step-up the security detail in its applications. It is possible that the company may introduce a toggle feature to control whether you want other users to screenshot your chats or not.

April 18, 2019
Google And Apple Take Down TikTok From Their Respective Application Stores

On April 16 2019, the Indian government asked American Multinational technology giants Apple and Google to take down the popular application TikTok from the respective application stores. This action took place soon after the Supreme court refused to issue a stay order regarding the ban of the viral app. As per reports, ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok had previously filed an appeal which alleged that such a ban will lead to a huge setback to the company in the future run. As per latest reports, the application has been banned from both Apple and Google’s application stores.

About TikTok

TikTok is an insanely viral media sharing application, which is a rebranded version of the application that was earlier referred to as ‘Musical.ly’. The app allows users to share self-created short videos with a background track of their choice. Millions of audio tracks are present in TikTok’s library. Furthermore, a multitude of filters and effects are available in the application, which can be used to enhance the video quality. The app is completely free to use and was gaining a lot of popularity among the younger audience.

The aforementioned application was accused of providing unregulated videos to its users, which contained instances of vulgar content. Reports stated that the Madurai bench of the aforementioned High Court had previously passed an order which directed the government to remove the application and any similar instances from the app stores. In the appeal filed by ByteDance, it claims to have taken down 6 million lewd and non-compliant videos from the application’s video library. Moreover, ByteDance also stated that the company trusts the Supreme Court to take the right decision.

Conclusions

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The Madras HC also appointed a senior advocate as an independent counsel in the case. The Senior Advocate will examine the implications of the application regarding any policy-violating content in the application. In the next hearing (which will be held on April 24), TikTok’s viability as a media sharing application will be brought to light. Even though there is a chance that the application may not ever make its way back to the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, TikTok Owners are quite positive regarding the results of the hearing in the light of the appointment of the new independent counsel.

April 17, 2019
Indian Government Asks Apple & Google To Remove TikTok From Their App Stores

In the ongoing case against the immensely popular media app TikTok; the Indian government has asked technology giants Apple and Google to take down the short video recording and sharing service from their respective app platforms. The news arrives after the Supreme Court refused to issue a stay order on the banning of the app. ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok had filed the appeal to issue a stay on banning the app alleging it is causing irreparable damage to the company.

What Is TikTok?

For those who are unaware, TikTok is a popular Chinese mobile app that was earlier known as ‘Musical.ly’. It lets users create short videos and offers features like filters and effects to be used in the videos. The app has become immensely popular among the younger audience which is credited to the exponential increase in affordable smartphones and the rise of 4G connectivity in the country.

About The Case

A case was filed in the Madras High Court after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the court regarding the TikTok app for objectionable, vulgar content. The Madurai bench of the aforementioned High Court passed an order which directed the government to stop the downloading the app in the country. It also put a restriction on certain media houses which restrained them from telecasting the videos created using the TikTok app. As mentioned above, the company ByteDance then challenged this by filing an appeal in the Supreme Court. It has claimed it has taken down almost 6 million videos which didn’t meet its guideline policies and that it trusts the Indian Judicial System to take the right decision.

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The aforementioned request to remove TikTok from app stores by the government is issued via the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The ministry has asked Apple and Google, both of the companies which own iOS and Android OS respectively. If the companies accept the request made by the government, the TikTok app will cease to subsist on the app stores of both the Operating Systems. This is being done to stop new users from downloading the app. However, for users who have the TikTok app preinstalled on their devices, the change wouldn’t lead to anything, as the app would continue to exist on their devices.

April 16, 2019
Apple’s iOS 13 To Get Dark Mode, New Undo Actions And More: Reports

Apple is scheduled to kickstart its developer’s conference, called WWDC on the 3rd of June this year. The company is expected to announce the latest version of iOS, the operating system used in the iPhones and iPads. Allegedly called the iOS 13, it is expected to bring about a plethora of changes to the software. Fresh reports claim the update will introduce the much awaited dark mode and a new undo action among many others.

iOS 13: What To Expect?

The upcoming iOS 13 from Apple as mentioned above, will introduce a host of changes in the operating system. The biggest change in the update will be the introduction of dark mode. According to reports, this will be a system-wide implementation and will be available as an option in settings. The final implementation may end up looking like the dark mode on the latest MacOS Mojave, which was rolled out last year. The second significant change will be applicable to the iPads running on iOS 13. With the new software, the ability for apps to have multiple windows will be added. These windows will contain individual sheets which can be attached/detached. The new update is expected to make multitasking better on the iPads.

iPhone X

Another overhaul in the upcoming iOS 13 will be regarding the undo system. In previous generations, users could physically shake the device to undo the last typed characters on the keyboard. The latest update will change this as a new three-finger tap gesture will replace the aforementioned actions. With the new iteration, users will be able to slide left or right after the three fingers tap to undo or redo their actions respectively. With iOS 13, the company will also add a new font management panel to access font settings more easily.

iPhone XR

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Other notable changes in the forthcoming iOS 13 will be an upgraded Mail app. The new app will be capable of organising messages into categories like marketing, travel or not important. Similar to third-party email apps, the new, updated Mail app will also be able to categorise messages as “read later”. Like the above-mentioned software, the Reminders app will also get a major overhaul. The voice assistant for Apple devices, Siri will also be better at rejecting noises such as laughter or crying babies with the iOS 13. The latest operating system will hit iPhones and iPads later this year. All the devices from iPhone 6s and above, iPad Mini 2 and above and the iPod touch 6th Gen is expected to receive the update.

April 16, 2019
Future Android Updates To Be Delivered Via The Google Play Store

Google’s Operating System Android is one of the most popular softwares in the world. Its popularity can be justified with the wide variety of devices it is compatible with. However, despite the popularity, one Achilles Heel the OS has faced time and again is the disparity in software updates. While smartphone OEMs like Google, Essential and Nokia have been known for pushing updates constantly, the majority of devices lack the latest version of the software. A post on the social media website Reddit insinuates Google is looking forward to changing that.

In the post, the user claimed they received an Android software update through the Google Play Store, Android’s application store. This is an unconventional way of dealing with an update, as in the past all the new iterations to the AndroidOS were delivered through the settings menu. The new type of software update was seen in testing on the latest Android Q Beta 2.

Future Android Updates

While it is not set in stone, the aforementioned change could revolutionise the way future software updates are delivered. While the user on Reddit claimed it was a relatively small update package; it may be an indication that the new way of pushing changes in software through the Google Play Store would be limited, at least initially to monthly security patches. This suggests heavier files, like the ones packing major changes to the software, could still be delivered via the settings menu, as the conventional method.

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Delivering monthly security patches through the Google Play Store may be a monumental move on Google’s part. Because of this, smartphones which were abandoned and would not receive updates otherwise; would have a chance of receiving an update. This would make the AndroidOS one step closer to a privacy focussed software.

April 16, 2019
Facebook, Whatsapp, And Instagram Restore Services After Widespread Outage

On April 14 2019, a multitude of users faced issues while connecting to popular social media website, Facebook. The connection issues were not limited to Facebook, however, because Instagram and Whatsapp users were confronted with similar problems. This is not the first case when Facebook services have been down for a long time. Previously, in the month of March 2019, Instagram and Facebook faced a global outage that lasted for a long period of time (more than 24 hours). This time, the outage lasted for a shorter duration, but questions were still raised regarding Facebook’s vulnerability to external attacks.

Facebook’s spokesman stated that the company is acknowledging the issue faced by users and that all steps are being taken to resolve the issue. Apologizing for the inconvenience, the spokesman refused to divulge the cause of the outage. Rumours are floating around, which state that the reason for the outage of Facebook services was most likely a DDoS (Denial of Service) Attack. In a Denial of Service attack, multiple network nodes try to disrupt the server by accessing it at the same time.

Downdetector Reports

Downdetector.com indicated that at the peak time, over 12,000 users reported issues with Facebook connectivity throughout the world. Regarding other applications, Instagram had an outage count of over 7,000 users, whereas Whatsapp peaked at 3,000 user reports. The live outage map on the website clearly exhibited that the majority of issues arose from the Asian and European continental regions.

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Considering the popularity of the social media website, a downtime of even a few minutes is a cause of issue amongst its users, and when this happens on a regular basis, it turns into a matter of concern. A lot of people in the US did not face a similar issue, which hints towards the fact that maybe the Asian and European data centres for the company were attacked or disrupted because of some reason. Users may still face outages in the future, but as of now, the issue has been resolved as per the company.

April 15, 2019
Snapchat Releases A Rebuilt Android App Promising Faster Performance

Snapchat, a popular multimedia messaging platform has faced its fair share of problems previously. The Android version of its application has always been complained about not being on par with the performance of its iOS counterpart. While the app was fairly stable and easy to work with on the latter, the former faced a lot of lags and continuous slowdowns which resulted in a sub-par experience. The company has freshly announced a new, rebuilt version of its Android application which promises a more refined, lag-free user experience.

Snapchat’s New Android App

To @Android. Love, Snapchat. #SnapForAndroid pic.twitter.com/MGOFQYa9Cj
— Snapchat (@Snapchat) April 8, 2019

The new Snapchat app for Android OS is a complete overhaul of the platform. However, it doesn’t bring any drastic visual changes to the table but instead relies on fixing the problems it faced on the inside. Notably, the Android and iOS versions of the messaging platform were identical visually and feature little to no differences in terms of controls and usability. The issues that users faced, as mentioned above were mainly performance related, which Snapchat claims will be fixed with the new update, and bring it on par with the iOS version. Interestingly, previous issues with fixing the Android app according to the company was the diverse range of devices that the platform boasted of, with each running on different internals and sporting differently sized displays. This made optimisation difficult for each device.

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Another issue that the users faced previously was the disparity between feature distributions. While the iOS app received new features including filters and menu options right as they were announced, it took weeks and sometimes even months until the said feature made its way to the green side. The company has said that in future, the Android version may even get features faster than its iOS counterpart. Previously, due to the aforementioned issues, users of Snapchat on Android were reported to switch to rival platforms like Instagram, which caused a substantial dent in the company’s revenue last year.

April 9, 2019
Top Five Free Photo Editing Apps For Android Smartphones

Smartphone cameras have developed drastically over the past few years. What was once a secondary, optional camera option for most, has now become the primary shooter for many people. But even the best images can need a bit of touching up to make them look better. If you’re using an Android smartphone, the choices of which Photo editor to choose can be overwhelming, with so many options around. We have compiled a list of the five best photo editing applications available on Android.

Snapseed

Google’s photo editing app for Google’s Operating System. There are many reasons why Snapseed is a great and powerful editing tool. The application is simple to use, the UI is minimalistic and good looking. What’s more, the AI capabilities of the app is unmatched, with options like changing perspective and adding background blur. Snapseed is completely free to download and use and does not offer any in-app purchases or annoying ads. You can download Snapseed from here.

Pixlr

Another great option if looking for powerful photo editors on Android. While it is free to download, users looking for more options can buy certain elements like frames and effects for a fee. However, most of the tools are free and do a great job of giving users the results they might be looking for. The biggest selling point of the app is the crazy 25 photos in one collage feature; with a variety of layouts, backgrounds and spacing between the images. You can check out the app on Google Play by clicking here.

Adobe Photoshop Express

Adobe Photoshop is already a well-known name when it is about photo editing softwares on PC. The Photoshop Express app for smartphones might not be as powerful as its PC counterpart but is still useful in its own might. It is completely free to download and use and does not have any advertisements inside the application. The application has many worthy tools to edit images and can sync with other apps like Lightroom on the platform. Furthermore, users can sync with the cloud account and save their progress. Interested users can check out the app here.

Fotor Photo Editor

The clever wordplay in the name aside, Fotor is a great photo editing application in its own might. Also an image licensing platform on the side, the app features a scrollable feed, quite like Instagram where the artists can showcase their work. They also can license their work through Pxbee, a stock photo licensing platform and use it to make money. This doesn’t mean the photo editing tools doesn’t have many tools inside. Offering more than 300 photo effects and some professional grade editing tools, Fotor is one of the best free to download apps available for smartphones. Interested users can check Fotor by going on the link here.

PicsArt Photo Studio

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Another popular application when looking in the market for great photo editors is PicsArt Photo Studio. Claimed to be installed over 500 million times on smartphones, it is one of the most popular softwares around. The app features over 3000 tools to edit images according to one’s needs. While it is completely free to download, there are certain in-app purchases and advertisements inside the app itself. If you want to check out PicsArt on Google Play, you can do that by going on the link here.

April 6, 2019
Snapchat Launches Snap Games, Snap Original Shows & Upgrades Lens, Snap Kit
Snapchat was first released in the year 2011, and over time, the application became popular because of its interesting Instant Messaging platform. The app allows users to send messages that vanish once the user on the other end has viewed the same. 8 years later, Snapchat is an application with a host of features such as Snap Map (which allows users to view the locations of their friends on the world map) and the Discover tab, which shows stories and video content from celebrities and creators across the world. On its Snap Partner Summit held on April 5, 2019, Snapchat unveiled a plethora of new features that will soon be added to the application.

Snap Games

https://youtu.be/LWD4mfKx3eE

A few weeks back, Snapchat teased a mobile gaming integration within its application. At the event, Snapchat shed light on its new gaming platform, known as Snap Games, which is a platform to play multiplayer games with friends. Furthermore, users can use text or voice chat while playing all those games. At the time of launch, Snap Games is rolling out with a total of 6 games, which are listed below:
- Bitmoji Party
- Tiny Royale (Zynga)
- Snake Squad (Game Closure)
- C.A.T.S. Drift Race (ZeptoLab)
- Zombie Rescue Squad (PikPok)
- Alphabet Hustle (Spry Fox)
Snap Originals

https://youtu.be/oKU99fWC1xs

Interestingly, 2019 seems to be like an year where a lot of brands are trying to enter the show space. First Apple, and now Snapchat has announced its upcoming feature, Snap Originals, which will portray original programs and shows made by Snapchat. The shows will play in portrait mode, surprisingly, and will follow the ‘Stories’ trend of Snapchat. As of now, Snapchat has genres ranging from Teen dramas to documentaries and comedies as well. A total of 10 shows were announced at the time of launch, with a promise of new shows coming up soon.

Snap Lenses

As some users may be aware, Lenses are Augmented Reality effects that can be applied onto images or can be used with the Live Camera to create amazing filters. Lenses and filters are one of the most defining features of this application, and Snapchat has upgraded the same for a better experience. As per the teaser video by Snapchat, the new Lens feature can be used to look up music, products, solve math problems and have fun with landmarks. Moreover, with the new Lens Studio, users can create their own lenses and share them in an active AR community, Snapchat says. Users can find out more about Snap Originals here

Snap Kits

https://youtu.be/a7sfJ8ei25o

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As the last announcement of the event, Snapchat stated that it will incorporate new upgrades to the Snap Kit. Snap Kit is a set of development tools that allow developers to embed Snapchat based features in their own applications. Previous apps using Snap Kits are Tinder and Houseparty. Additionally, Bitmoji Kits will allow users to implement Bitmojis (animated avatars) in other applications too. The aforementioned features may be available in an official update very soon, however, Snap Originals will roll out in the upcoming months.
April 5, 2019
Google Adds Snake Game To The Maps App In Light Of April Fool’s Day

Google loves playing around with special events and festivals all across the world. The company is known for switching up the doodles to something fun and springy, which imparts a colourful look to the popular search engine. For April Fools, Google has introduced a modified version of everyone’s favourite game, which is “Snake”, and integrated it into the Maps app across both Android and iOS platforms.

The History of “Snake”

First introduced in 1997 on the Nokia 6110, the Snake game became an instant hit because of how simple and captivating it was at the same time. Needless to say, the game was continually modified into different forms as time progressed, but the basics remained the same. Users play as a snake, which has to keep eating “bits” or “food” to increase the score. Players would lose if they make contact with the walls or themselves while moving around the sandbox.

How To Play The Game?

To experience the snake game on the Maps app, just open the sidebar in the application and select the “Play Snake” option. Note that the game doesn’t include a “classic” snake, instead, players will play as a means of transport if that makes sense. There are a total of six cities in the game, which are Cairo, São Paulo, London, Sydney, San Francisco, and Tokyo. Furthermore, there is also the option of a “world” map that users can check out. The vehicle depends on the city the players choose. For instance, if users choose to play in the London map, they will get to play as a double-decker bus, and if users select Tokyo, they spawn as a Bullet train.

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Users can move the vehicle around by swiping in the desired direction on the 8-bit map, and pick up passengers that keep appearing on the screen. The game also includes some special “landmarks” such as the Burj Khalifa or the Golden Gate Bridge which grants extra points to the user. Users can play and make their own high score which can then be shared via different social media applications. Previously, Google added the legendary Pac-Man game to Maps in the year 2015 for the same event. The company has even set up a website for the game, which can be checked out by clicking here.

April 1, 2019
MIUI 11 To Get Extreme Battery Saving Mode And More
Earlier this year, Xiaomi announced that it had started development of the upcoming version of its custom UI, MIUI 11. While addressing questions asked users, company executives beamed some light on the key features of the anticipated update.

MIUI 11 Updates and Feature

Although system icons on the current MIUI are well illustrated, they have largely remained the same since MIUI 6. The company did introduce some changes with the latest MIUI 10 update, however, they are not very significant. Therefore, in order to tackle the visual fatigue, the company is planning to use new icons and further enhance the user experience reported Xiaomi’s Product Manager, Liu Ming.

Another vital feature that will make its way with the upcoming MIUI 11 is the all new ultimate power saving mode. As the name suggests this will help extend the battery backup of the device once the battery capacity reaches a certain level. The feature when toggled will turn off all non-essential functions on the device and will switch its display into the black and white mode.

Furthermore, the MIUI 11 update will have enhanced Dark Mode support. In simpler words, the support for dark mode will further extend to third party applications including internet browsers. The update is also reported to add support for running applications in small windows which will help in boosting productivity.

Release Date and Supported Devices

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The consumer-ready MIUI 11 update is expected to be rolled in the 27th of June this year. A leak from the past suggested that most devices in Xiaomi’s current lineup will be eligible for the update which include the following devices:
- Redmi Note 5 Pro, Redmi Note 5, Redmi 5A
- Redmi Note 6 Pro, Redmi 6, Redmi 6 Pro, Redmi 6A
- Redmi Note 7, Redmi Note 7 Pro
March 28, 2019
Firefox Releases The Lockbox Password Manager For Android

With the increasing cases of privacy breaches and password leaks, it is important to stay secure in today’s day and age. However, with different usernames and passwords required on major web services, it can often get confusing to remember them all. In a bid to make that easier, Mozilla Corporation, best known for its popular Firefox web browser has launched Firefox Lockbox password manager for Android devices.

Firefox Lockbox

The Firefox Lockbox is a password managing application that was launched for iOS devices last year. Like the Firefox Send launched a while ago, it is also based on the company’s Test Pilot system. It was an initiative to test a feature or an add-on to the Firefox browser before the tangible release. The latest application claims to be different than traditional password managers in a way that Firefox Lockbox uses the passwords already saved in the desktop Firefox browser. The app syncs the said usernames and passwords with the help of a Firefox account. Unlike the said password managers though, it does not give the option to generate a secure password.

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Unfortunately, the Firefox Lockbox application does not allow manual entries of the account details. To save new account information, users will need to login to the web service from the desktop browser, save the details there and then it will automatically sync to their devices. For filling in the details easier, the autofill option can be enabled in the settings. The app uses 256 Bit encryption method to safely secure the details and supports the device’s fingerprint scanners and FaceID system for secure access to the software. The software is completely free to download and use on Android and iOS and the application weighs around 41Mb on Android. Interested users can visit the link here to download.

March 27, 2019