Software & Apps News - Page 13

The latest and most important Software & Apps news - Page 13.

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Proton Drive brings its encrypted cloud storage app to the Mac for the first time

Oliver Haslam | Nov 24, 2023 2:15 PM CST

Keeping your files in the cloud is a great way to make sure that you always have access to them when you need them. It's also possible to use that cloud storage as a kind of way to back up your data, although it's important to remember that anything that syncs isn't strictly backup. Regardless, encrypting that data is important and now Mac owners have another option for storing their data online.

Proton Drive brings its encrypted cloud storage app to the Mac for the first time

Proton Drive launched on the web a few months back and then launched mobile and Windows versions of its apps. Until now, the encrypted cloud storage service was only available to Mac users when they visited the Proton Drive website, but that's all changed with the launch of a proper Mac app for the first time.

The new app means that Proton Drive is now properly multi-platform and that's good news for people who want to rely on it because it means they can access their data in more ways. The new Mac app is now available for download and promises full encryption of files and folders by default. It gives users 1GB of data storage for free with additional options for those who need extra capacity. Plans start at $4 per month for 200GB of storage and versioning is available on each file for up to 10 years, which is handy should something go awry.

Continue reading: Proton Drive brings its encrypted cloud storage app to the Mac for the first time (full post)

Spotify is testing a feature that turns off personalized song recommendations

Oliver Haslam | Nov 23, 2023 2:30 PM CST

Spotify is reportedly testing a tweak that will allow music fans to turn off its popular personalized recommendations system. That system currently allows Spotify to recommend new music based on the songs and artists that a user likes and frequently listens to, but a new report claims that there is work afoot to give people the ability to disable all of that.

Spotify is testing a feature that turns off personalized song recommendations

The testing was first reported by MacRumors, although it isn't yet clear how it will work or how Spotify will market it. However, it seems likely that Spotify will give users the opportunity to temporarily disable the personalized recommendation system to allow them to listen to songs without having those songs negatively impact future recommendations. The most obvious use for such a feature is road trips where a family member's songs could alter recommendations moving forward. Nobody wants Baby Shark to have an effect on which songs they're recommended, do they?

If that all sounds familiar, it should. Apple recently started testing a similar function in the current iOS 17.2 beta that allows people to disable Apple Music's listening history when they are in a particular Focus Mode. With that in mind, music fans with a Driving Focus Mode could have their listening history disabled when driving but then have it automatically turn back on when they aren't.

Continue reading: Spotify is testing a feature that turns off personalized song recommendations (full post)

Elon Musk's backing down from another pointless X change and will bring headlines back to posts

Oliver Haslam | Nov 23, 2023 2:13 PM CST

When making what he saw as a stand against ugly URL cards posted by online publishers, Elon Musk took the decision to have X remove headlines from those cards in the name of 'aesthetics'. However, that meant that readers would have to open the link just to see what it was about, which in turn made for a terrible experience. Now, Musk seems to have seen the error of his ways and is now turning this car around - and headlines are coming back.

Elon Musk's backing down from another pointless X change and will bring headlines back to posts

In a post to the X social network, previously known as Twitter, Musk confirmed that X will overlay the title in the upper portion of the image posted on a URL card, making it easier for people to understand what they are about to read without having to first open it. This comes a few weeks after the initial change that saw publishers find new and interesting ways to convey their message.

For some that involved simply putting the title of the piece in the X post itself, while others got more creative and chose to embed the title in the imagery instead. However, it now appears that none of those workarounds will be required soon.

Continue reading: Elon Musk's backing down from another pointless X change and will bring headlines back to posts (full post)

ChatGPT's voice chat feature is now free for everyone who wants to use it

Oliver Haslam | Nov 23, 2023 2:00 AM CST

If you've been following along with the OpenAI controversy over the last few days you will know that the company fired its CEO, hired another one, and then got rid of them and took the original CEO back all in the space of a weekend and change. But after all of that, the company still managed to find the time to launch a new feature.

ChatGPT's voice chat feature is now free for everyone who wants to use it

To be more specific, it took an old feature and rolled it out to more people. The ChatGPT voice chat feature was previously limited to people who paid for the Plus or Enterprise subscriptions which meant that those who use the free version of ChatGPT were unable to take advantage of it. However, that's all changed after co-founder Greg Brockman shared the news via a post on X, the social network previously known as Twitter.

The ChatGPT voice chat feature allows iPhone and Android app users to speak to the chatbot and then have it answer back using a synthesized voice. It's similar to Siri and other digital assistants in that sense, but it's backed by the OpenAI Large Language Model that has made ChatGPT such a huge deal for people around the world of late. That also means that it's lightyears ahead of Siri and those similar assistants.

Continue reading: ChatGPT's voice chat feature is now free for everyone who wants to use it (full post)

The way you sign into WhatsApp is about to change forever

Oliver Haslam | Nov 22, 2023 2:15 AM CST

Whenever you sign into WhatsApp you have to wait for the instant messaging service to send through an SMS with a six-digit code for you to enter. And that's fine most of the time, except when it isn't. And for those times WhatsApp is now implementing a whole new way to verify that you're who you say you are.

The way you sign into WhatsApp is about to change forever

As noted by the WhatsApp watchers at WABetaInfo, a new version of the WhatsApp app now available in the App Store seems to have enabled a new feature that allows users to verify themselves using their email address for the first time. The change means that users can now request the verification code be sent to their email address, allowing them to sign in that way.

This is of course huge news for people who need to sign into their WhatsApp account but don't have an active cellular connection. That could be when they are outside of cell service, for example, and is one of those very times when something like WhatsApp could be so vital.

Continue reading: The way you sign into WhatsApp is about to change forever (full post)

Windows 11 23H2 can now be installed via Microsoft's Media Creation Tool

Darren Allan | Nov 17, 2023 11:20 AM CST

Those wanting to use the Media Creation Tool to install the latest version of Windows 11, the 2023 Update (or 23H2), will be pleased to hear this is now possible.

Windows 11 23H2 can now be installed via Microsoft's Media Creation Tool

Normally, this would be the case pretty much straightaway following the release of a new version of Windows, and indeed Microsoft updated the current version of the Media Creation Tool to indicate it would install 23H2 just after the upgrade was launched.

However, to the confusion of those using the tool, it actually fetched the 22H2 version of Windows 11 instead.

Continue reading: Windows 11 23H2 can now be installed via Microsoft's Media Creation Tool (full post)

Microsoft Store adds a new feature: you can now choose what drive to install a game on

Kosta Andreadis | Nov 14, 2023 11:02 PM CST

Being able to choose what drive or directory to install a PC game on is not something you'd consider a luxury feature. It has been a point of contention for the Microsoft Store since the storefront debuted with Windows 8 in 2012. Fast forward to 2023, and the Microsoft Store app in Windows 11 (version 22310) has finally been updated to do just that - including the ability to install games like Starfield and Halo Infinite on an external drive.

Microsoft Store adds a new feature: you can now choose what drive to install a game on

You can now buy a game directly from the Microsoft Store and choose a drive or location on your PC to install it. To quote Jim Carrey from The Cable Guy, "The future is now!" For those using the Xbox app on Windows 10 or 11, you'll undoubtedly be aware that this has been a feature for a little while now - so it is great to see it finally make its way to the Microsoft Store proper.

It's just wild that it's taken so long and that Microsoft can tout what should be the norm as a brand-new feature coming to an app that has been around for over a decade.

Continue reading: Microsoft Store adds a new feature: you can now choose what drive to install a game on (full post)

You can finally delete your Threads account but still use Instagram

Oliver Haslam | Nov 14, 2023 6:30 AM CST

It's fair to say that Threads is the darling of the social network world right now, with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently claiming that there are around 100 million people using the platform right now. That means that you've probably been tempted to take it for a spin and even if you haven't, it's probably only a matter of time before you do. And now you can do without the fear of losing your Instagram account if you don't like it.

You can finally delete your Threads account but still use Instagram

Because that's a very real problem that some people have had to deal with to date. Until now, there was no way to delete a Threads account without also deleting the accompanying Instagram account which is less than ideal. However, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has confirmed that a change has been made that now allows people to delete only a Threads profile while keeping the associated Instagram account intact.

That was a long-standing feature request for people who had taken Threads for a spin but later decided that it simply wasn't for them. The option to just let the account lay dormant was always there of course, but that has its own problems and should never be the only option. Now, it isn't, and that's great news for people who might have been on the fence about taking Threads for a test drive.

Continue reading: You can finally delete your Threads account but still use Instagram (full post)

There's finally a way to stop your Threads posts popping up on Facebook

Oliver Haslam | Nov 13, 2023 1:30 PM CST

The rise of Threads as a competitor for X and Mastodon continues to be an impressive one, but Meta has been doing some things to try and raise its profile yet further. Part of that meant that Threads posts would often appear on Facebook, something that not everyone wanted to happen. Now, it seems that there has been a change made that gives users the option to finally stop it from happening.

There's finally a way to stop your Threads posts popping up on Facebook

The new toggle has appeared in the Threads app under the Privacy option. The toggle in question is actually two, with the 'Allow your posts to be suggested on:' portion of the settings allowing people to choose Instagram and Facebook independently. That's a more granular option than some might have expected and it's good that people now have more flexibility. Some might want their Threads posts to pop up on Instagram but not Facebook, for example.

It will be interesting to see whether this change has an impact on Threads' growth. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said last month that Threads had almost 100 million monthly users at the time, and we can expect that to be more by now. However, it's a small number compared to the more than 500 million users that Elon Musk claims X currently has, although it's important to remember that Musk has been known to say things that aren't entirely true before.

Continue reading: There's finally a way to stop your Threads posts popping up on Facebook (full post)

WhatsApp just made it less annoying to be added to a group voice chat

Oliver Haslam | Nov 13, 2023 12:30 PM CST

If you're a WhatsApp user who finds themselves joining voice calls often you're probably already very aware that it can be annoying to receive that call when you're in the middle of something. It can also be startling to receive a call if you aren't expecting it, but WhatsApp is now changing the way that all works to make things a little less disruptive.

WhatsApp just made it less annoying to be added to a group voice chat

Having previously tested the change in beta form, WhatsApp is now rolling out a tweak to the way people are invited. The new voice chats should make things more palatable. Now, rather than receiving a call, people will receive a notification that can then be tapped just like any other. Once tapped they'll see an in-chat bubble that will allow them to join an ongoing voice chat if they want to. That's important because it means that just tapping the notification isn't enough to throw you into a call - a second tap is required.

WhatsApp confirmed the tweak in an updated support document that also confirms that voice chats will be available to groups of between 33 and 128 people. The feature is only available on a user's primary device as well, and the chat will automatically be closed if nobody joins the first or last person in the chat for 60 minutes.

Continue reading: WhatsApp just made it less annoying to be added to a group voice chat (full post)