Software & Apps News - Page 10

The latest and most important Software & Apps news - Page 10.

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Apple's macOS Sonoma 14.2 update makes it easier than ever to fill out those annoying PDFs

Oliver Haslam | Dec 13, 2023 4:00 AM CST

Alongside the release of new software updates for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Aooke TV, Apple also recently released a new macOS update for the Mac. That update, dubbed macOS Sonoma 14.2, brings with it a number of new features and a few of them are going to make a big difference to the way people get things done. But perhaps the biggest change is one that will make it way easier for people to fill out those pesky PDFs that they sometimes receive.

Apple's macOS Sonoma 14.2 update makes it easier than ever to fill out those annoying PDFs

We've all had to fill out PDFs for companies, whether they're insurance documents or perhaps the paperwork for a new job. Whatever the reason, entering data just got easier with macOS Sonoma 14.2 thanks to the arrival of an enhanced AutoFill feature.

Apple says that the new feature identifies fields in those PDFs and other forms and then enables users to populate those documents with information such as names and addresses from contacts. That could be a really big improvement for some, especially if you're someone who spends their days filling out such forms.

Continue reading: Apple's macOS Sonoma 14.2 update makes it easier than ever to fill out those annoying PDFs (full post)

Apple Music will pay artists more for spatial audio songs to bolster its catalog

Oliver Haslam | Dec 13, 2023 3:45 AM CST

Apple is reportedly ready to start paying artists and record labels more money for the songs that are streamed if those songs also have a version with spatial audio support - notably, the song streamed doesn't have to be a spatial audio one, just so long as there is a spatial audio version in Apple Music's library.

Apple Music will pay artists more for spatial audio songs to bolster its catalog

Spatial audio uses Dolby Atmos technology to create a 3D soundscape that can sound pretty great, especially when used with headphones. The HomePod supports spatial audio, but it's when listening with earbuds or headphones that things can come alive. But right now the number of songs with spatial audio support is limited and some of those that have it already sound pretty poor. Now, Apple seems to be ready to throw money at the problem.

That's according to a new Bloomberg report which says that unnamed sources have reported that Apple is in talks with those involved in the industry to make the new payment model work. It's one that should see more music have spatial audio versions available, with the report noting that the costs involved with making a Dolby Atmos version of a song are not prohibitive.

Continue reading: Apple Music will pay artists more for spatial audio songs to bolster its catalog (full post)

Iconic Microsoft Windows feature finally comes to Linux... the Blue Screen of Death

Kosta Andreadis | Dec 12, 2023 8:57 PM CST

Earlier this year, Linux hit its highest market share in decades, and even though that meant only 3% of PCs were rocking the open-source operating system, it was still something to celebrate for Team Penguin. Linux will probably never reach the same height as Microsoft Windows or even Apple's macOS (though it is more popular with PC gamers). Still, the long-standing OS will continue to receive updates and improvements for the foreseeable future.

Iconic Microsoft Windows feature finally comes to Linux... the Blue Screen of Death

One of these updates is a long-standing feature from Windows that is finally making its way to Linux, the Blue Screen of Death or BSOD. Windows users know all about the Blue Screen of Death, a full-screen error message that follows a full system crash requiring a complete reboot. With error codes and messages, it also doubles as a troubleshooting tool to figure out what's going on.

The Blue Screen of Death will work similarly in Linux, with the new system-BSOD component (currently listed as "experimental") generating an error message and QR Code when a Linux system crashes.

Continue reading: Iconic Microsoft Windows feature finally comes to Linux... the Blue Screen of Death (full post)

Epic wins massive court case against Google, the Play Store, and Android

Kosta Andreadis | Dec 12, 2023 5:58 AM CST

"Victory over Google!" writes Epic Games' Tim Sweeney after the jury handed down a verdict in favor of Epic in its case against Google, which the company sued for allegedly running its app store and billing service as a monopoly. Epic Games, the creator of the super popular Fortnite (which this is all about), began its legal battle against Apple and Google three years ago - and earlier today, it recorded a landmark victory.

Epic wins massive court case against Google, the Play Store, and Android

"After four weeks of detailed court testimony, the California jury found against the Google Play monopoly on all counts," Tim Sweeney continues in his post-victory post on X. "The Court's work on remedies will start in January. Thanks for everyone's support and faith! Free Fortnite!"

The ruling was a unanimous yes to the question of Google's monopoly power on the Android platform, app distribution, and billing services. It was also a yes to Google acting in an anti-competitive fashion and, in the process, harming Epic Games. In a post on its website, Epic Games calls the victory "a win for all app developers and consumers around the world."

Continue reading: Epic wins massive court case against Google, the Play Store, and Android (full post)

Threads gains tags, but they're nothing like the tags you're used to

Oliver Haslam | Dec 10, 2023 10:00 AM CST

There are now more social networks out there than ever before and some of them are actually rather good, including Threads. The Meta-owned social network continues to grow with new features being added all the time. Now, the Instagram-linked social network has gained new support for tags but they're very different from the hashtags that you're familiar with on Instagram itself.

Threads gains tags, but they're nothing like the tags you're used to

Tags have long been used in posts on special networks like Twitter and the aforementioned Instagram as a way for people to link multiple posts together. If you tag a post with #cats, that post will then show up in all searches for that tag, creating something of a saved search scenario. It's great for discoverability, and now Threads has tags of its own.

But where Threads differs from the norm is the way tags actually work. For starters, they don't have anything before them which means that the ugly hashtag has been removed entirely. Instagram's Adam Mosseri detailed how the new feature works, saying that people can choose any word to be a tag, and that tag can have special characters inside it. They can even have spaces, making for an easier reading experience.

Continue reading: Threads gains tags, but they're nothing like the tags you're used to (full post)

YouTubers now have a whole new comment moderation feature to help stop trolling

Oliver Haslam | Dec 10, 2023 9:45 AM CST

If you're a YouTuber who has found themselves on the receiving end of trolling or just plain old hate in the comments you'll know that just turning them off is probably the best way to go. But YouTube has now rolled out another option that it hopes will act as a happy middle ground between letting people comment and blocking them for good.

YouTubers now have a whole new comment moderation feature to help stop trolling

The new feature, pausing of comments, allows people to pause comments to prevent new ones from being added. Those that are already approved will remain visible, but the addition of new ones will stop until the YouTuber chooses to reenable them. YouTube says that the aim here is to give people more flexibility rather than just turn comments off and lose all of those that were previously there.

The new feature is one that YouTube has been experimenting with since October with TechCrunch reporting that the experiment group reported they felt less overwhelmed when trying to manage the inflow of comments. Pausing them will allow time for the previous comments to be vetted without the backlog constantly being added to, something that can no doubt help with the anxiety created by having to vet the comments in the first place.

Continue reading: YouTubers now have a whole new comment moderation feature to help stop trolling (full post)

Spotify says that no, it isn't bringing in-app purchases back to its iPhone app

Oliver Haslam | Dec 10, 2023 8:45 AM CST

A few days ago we saw a report by MacRumors that suggested that Spotify was getting ready to bring in-app purchases back to the iPhone, potentially allowing music fans to sign up for Spotify Premium in-app for the first time in years. However, the streamer now says that isn't the case after all.

Spotify says that no, it isn't bringing in-app purchases back to its iPhone app

The original report by MacRumors claimed that there was an indication in the most recent Spotify beta app that there were references to a new in-app purchase system. Spotify hasn't allowed new subscribers to its Premium subscription to pay via the App Store's in-app purchase system in more than seven years. Nor can people pay for audiobooks in the app, either. It was suggested that might be about to change, but in a statement provided to The Verge, we're told that very much isn't the case after all.

Spotify's global head of corporate and policy communications, Farshad Shadloo, told The Verge that the company has no plans to witch in-app purchases on at the moment, which seems to fly in the face of what MacRumors reported.

Continue reading: Spotify says that no, it isn't bringing in-app purchases back to its iPhone app (full post)

WhatsApp chat filters are coming and they're now in beta

Oliver Haslam | Dec 8, 2023 5:45 AM CST

While the world continues to discuss whether Apple should open iMessage to make it work with other platforms like WhatsApp, the meta-owned messaging service is pushing on with new features of its own. The app has had new features added over the last few months and now a new one is on the way after it appeared in the latest WhatsApp beta that's now available to testers.

WhatsApp chat filters are coming and they're now in beta

The new feature adds support for filtering chat threads to make it easier to find the one that you're looking for. The WhatsApp beta watchers at WABetaInfo have reported on the change that is now available to users of the latest build that is now in the hands of those running the latest TestFlight beta.

The new WhatsApp feature adds a filter row to give users the chance to filter out chats that they don't want to see. One example is being able to filter unread messages so that they are easier to find in a sea of chat threads. Other options include the ability to filter group chats and more.

Continue reading: WhatsApp chat filters are coming and they're now in beta (full post)

WhatsApp gains listen-once voice messages

Oliver Haslam | Dec 8, 2023 5:30 AM CST

The instant messaging platform WhatsApp has announced a new feature that could well help keep voice messages more private after they have been sent. Normally, sending a voice message to someone means that the message is there forever and that the recipient can listen to it whenever they want to. However, a new change allows people to now send the same voice messages but have them automatically disappear immediately after they have been listened to.

WhatsApp gains listen-once voice messages

Such listen-once voice messages can be used for sending messages that are only valid for a short period of time. WhatsApp's announcement blog post includes the example of reading out your credit card details to a friend, although we're not sure that's something you should be doing all that much anyway. Another example is when planning a surprise, too.

Voice messages of the listen-once variety are clearly marked as such so those who receive them will immediately know what the situation is before they listen to that message. The new voice messages work in much the same way as the existing view once photos and videos that are already supported by WhatsApp.

Continue reading: WhatsApp gains listen-once voice messages (full post)

Facebook Messenger is now end-to-end encrypted as standard

Oliver Haslam | Dec 8, 2023 4:45 AM CST

Meta, the company that makes Facebook Messenger and owns the similar instant-messaging platform WhatsApp, has announced that it finally supports end-to-end encryption as standard with that being the default for all new chats. The move comes after Meta promised to make this change some time ago. Messenger has been around since 2016 and launched against a very different instant messaging backdrop.

Facebook Messenger is now end-to-end encrypted as standard

By adding end-to-end encryption Facebook Messenger ensures that all messages and calls are protected from snooping eyes before they leave the sending device. They are then unencrypted when they are received at the other end, with nobody between those two points able to decipher what was going on. That also goes for Meta, although that will change should the message be reported for violation of the Facebook Messenger terms.

Meta does say that it might take a little while for all chats to be updated with the new default, but there will be no limitation on the functionality that is available to the people using those chats once end-to-end encryption has been enabled.

Continue reading: Facebook Messenger is now end-to-end encrypted as standard (full post)