Category: General

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest General Retail news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

Google Message Router is overloaded leading Gmail to go down on Thursday

Google first alerted Workspace users Thursday at 11:30 am ET that some Gmail users might see a delay in receiving emails. On DownDetector, the number of reports about Gmail went from 33 at 11:25 am ET to 761 by 1:55 pm. At 5:03 pm ET, Google issued an update that said, “the issue with email delays was mitigated for the majority of affected users at 2:45 PM” and “a few users may have observed delays until the full mitigation was done at 4:15 PM ET.”

70% of those submitting a report on DownDetector said that the problem was receiving their email in a timely manner. 16% complained about sending email on the platform and 14% said that they could not connect with the Gmail server. One Gmail user on DownDetector with the username “Elizabeth” wrote, “Ah, glad to know that it’s Gmail and it’s not me, I was scared and lost why I couldn’t make one, so I guess I’ll wait whenever Gmail is back working again.”

Another subscriber to the platform named Michael Hubert wrote, “My emails are not being delivered. it says they are sent but no one is receiving them.” As bad as this sounds, the issue appeared to be limited in scope. After all, 761 reports on DownDetector, while a decent jump from the 33 reports submitted two and a half hours before the peak number, indicates that most people weren’t affected or didn’t know that Gmail was having problems.

Officially, Google says that the incident started at 11:30 am ET and ended at 4:15 pm ET. The issue lasted for 4 hours and 45 minutes. On the Google Workspace Status Dashboard, the company wrote, “Some Gmail users experienced a delay in sending emails globally for a duration of 4 hours and 45 minutes. Any emails that were delayed after entering our system were auto retried and should have been delivered within a couple of hours after mitigation.”

As for the cause of the issue, Google wrote, “From preliminary analysis, the root cause of the issue appears to be an overload in Google Message Router (GMR). Google will complete a full incident report in the following days that will provide a detailed root cause.”
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December 1, 2023

Google Chat gets a new mobile redesign with bottom navigation bar on Android and iOS

Google Chat is rolling out a new bottom navigation bar to its Android and iOS apps, making it easier for users to access key features and stay organized on the go. The new navigation bar provides quick access to Home, Direct Messages, Spaces, and Mentions views, streamlining the overall user experience. Here’s how each of the new views work:

The Home view serves as a central hub for all conversations, allowing users to effortlessly stay up-to-date on important threads. A dedicated filter lets users focus on unread messages, ensuring they don’t miss critical information.

The Direct Messages view concisely overviews all one-on-one and group conversations, with pinned conversations conveniently placed at the top for easy access.
The Spaces view similarly displays a condensed list of all spaces, along with pinned conversations at the front.
The Mentions view acts as a personal notification center, highlighting all messages from conversations and spaces where the user has been mentioned. This feature ensures that users are always aware of relevant discussions and can quickly respond to inquiries or participate in ongoing conversations.

The new bottom navigation bar will automatically appear on Android and iOS devices for both admins and end users, eliminating the need for any manual intervention. The rollout will be gradual, taking up to 15 days for all users to receive the update.

Additionally, the new bottom navigation bar is available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google Accounts. The gradual rollout will commence today for Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains on Android and iOS devices.

These updates follow the expansion of the app’s message bubbles to iOS yesterday, which provide a more cohesive messaging experience across all platforms. Now, with the introduction of the new bottom navigation bar, we see how Google is focused on simplifying navigation and enhancing user productivity within the app as well.

November 30, 2023

Google Chat expands its message bubbles to iPhones

Google Chat is getting a visual upgrade with the introduction of message bubbles on iOS devices. This feature, which was previously available only on web and Android, makes it easier to differentiate between incoming and outgoing messages, leading to a more streamlined and intuitive messaging experience.

With message bubbles now available on iOS, users will see each incoming message displayed in a standalone bubble aligned to one side of the chat window, with a solid color background. Outgoing messages, on the other hand, will appear in their own distinct bubble on the opposite side, using a different color background. This visual separation ensures clear and effortless differentiation between messages, enhancing the overall chat experience.

Message bubbles not only enhance the aesthetic appeal of Google Chat but also promote improved message comprehension and reduced confusion. By clearly distinguishing between incoming and outgoing messages, users can effortlessly follow conversations and quickly identify their own contributions. This feature proves particularly beneficial for group chats, where multiple participants are actively engaging.

The rollout of message bubbles to iOS devices will be automatic, requiring no action from admins or end users. The update will begin to show up for users today and will gradually roll out over the coming weeks — up to two weeks to be exact — ensuring a seamless transition for all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google Accounts.

Message bubbles in Google Chat are one way in which Google is expanding its app features that were previously only present on the Android and web apps, to iPhone. For example, just today Google also brought its revamped Google Drive scanner and title suggestion capabilities to iOS as well. This expansion to iOS devices further solidifies Google’s commitment to providing a user-friendly and intuitive messaging experience across all platforms.

November 29, 2023

South Korea’s retail sales increase in October

South Korea’s retail sales increased 6.4 per cent year-on-year in October amid higher demand for food items and daily necessities.

The combined sales of 25 major offline and online merchants grew to 15.3 trillion won (US$11.87 billion) during the month from last year’s 14.4 trillion won, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) data showed.

Online sales grew 12.6 percent to 7.95 trillion won attributed to an increase in bulk economy-size purchases and strong demand for travel packages and outdoor autumn season activities-related items.

Online food products sales rose 23.4 per cent while sales of cosmetic products and living/furniture items increased 21.5 per cent and 16.9 per cent, respectively.

However, online fashion/clothing sales dropped 3.7 per cent while sporting goods sales slid 4.1 per cent.

Meanwhile, offline sales climbed 0.5 percent to 7.36 trillion won, led by a 6.8 per cent rise in sales at convenience stores. Sales at super supermarkets advanced 3.1 percent.

On the other hand, sales at hypermarket chains dropped 4.1 per cent as sales of innerwear and miscellaneous goods fell 10.5 per cent. Home/living, home appliances/culture sales at hypermarkets also declined 5.6 per cent and 1.5 per cent, respectively.

Sales at department store chains went down 2.6 per cent as sales declined across all categories except women’s casual, which grew 1.0 per cent.

November 29, 2023

Big players opt out of advertising on Instagram after a child predator test fails

Two of the major dating app companies – Bumble and Match – have paused their Instagram advertising. The reason is that tests that mimic the behavior of child predators utterly failed and led to ads being served alongside sexually explicit material.

Other affected include Disney, Pizza Hut, and Walmart. As you know, these giants demand from social media platforms that their ads must not appear next to inappropriate content (for example, hate speech and sexually explicit material).

The Wall Street Journal has conducted a substantial experiment which they summarize like this: “Instagram’s Algorithm Delivers Toxic Video Mix to Adults Who Follow Children”.

WSJ “sought to determine what Instagram’s Reels algorithm would recommend to test accounts set up to follow only young gymnasts, cheerleaders and other teen and preteen influencers active on the platform. Instagram’s system served jarring doses of salacious content to those test accounts, including risqué footage of children as well as overtly sexual adult videos—and ads for some of the biggest U.S. brands”, the report say

In a stream of videos recommended by Instagram, an ad for the dating app Bumble appeared between a video of someone stroking the face of a life-size latex doll and a video of a young girl with a digitally obscured face lifting up her shirt to expose her midriff. In another, a Pizza Hut commercial followed a video of a man lying on bed with his arm around what the caption said was a 10-year-old girl.

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection, a child-protection group, separately ran similar tests on its own, with similar results.

Meta said these tests produced “a manufactured experience that doesn’t represent what billions of users see” and declined to comment on why the algorithms compiled streams of separate videos showing children, sex and advertisements.

Match began canceling Meta advertising for some of its apps, such as Tinder, as early as October 2023. Also, Match has halted all Reels advertising and stopped promoting its major brands on any of Meta’s platforms. “We have no desire to pay Meta to market our brands to predators or place our ads anywhere near this content,” said Match spokeswoman Justine Sacco.

Robbie McKay, a spokesman for Bumble, said it “would never intentionally advertise adjacent to inappropriate content,” and that the company is suspending its ads across Meta’s platforms.

November 28, 2023

Google Calendar will soon drop support for devices

Google Calendar is a popular app that millions of people use to manage their everyday lives. It allows users to create events, schedule meetings, and set reminders. However, if you are still holding on to an older Android device running Nougat 7.1 or below, your days of using this app on your device are numbered.

The change was first noticed by AssembleDebug from TheSpAndroid who discovered a new flag in the newest version of the Google Calendar app (v 2023.46.0-581792699-release) called “UnsupportedOperatingSystem__enabled,” which is used to display a message to users who are running an unsupported operating system. The particular message found within this flag informs users that they need to update their device to Android Oreo (8.0) or higher in order to continue using Google Calendar.

The reason for dropping support for older Android versions is likely due to security concerns. Older versions of Android are more vulnerable to hacks and data loss, and Google wants to make sure that its users are protected. Additionally, newer versions of Android offer a number of new features and improvements that are not available on older versions. As a result, Google is encouraging users to update their devices to the latest version of Android.

Google announced a similar change earlier this month for Chrome both on desktop and Android, stating that Chrome version 119 on Android would be the last version supported on devices running Nougat and lower. Chrome 120 on Android no longer supports Android Nougat.

It is important to note that this will most likely not be the last of Google’s apps that will undergo this change. Android Nougat 7.1, released in 2016, is now a seven year old version of the operating system. Although Google has not yet officially announced dropping support for Android Nougat for Google Calendar, the evidence found in the flags suggests that this change is imminent. As a result, users with older devices should start planning to update their devices to newer versions of Android.

November 27, 2023

Malaysian AirAsia X Launching Direct Flights to Kazakhstan

The airline plans to conduct regular flights four days a week—Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays—using an A-330 aircraft for the Kuala Lumpur-Almaty route.

AirAsia X, established in 2006, is a segment of the AirAsia Aviation Group. It boasts a fleet exceeding 270 aircraft and operates flights across 400 routes spanning 25 countries.

AirAsia X ‘s most popular destinations are: Asia (Bali, Sapporo, Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Busan, Jeju, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Xi’an, Beijing, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Shanghai, Chongqing, Wuhan, Maldives, New Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai and Kathmandu), Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and the Gold Coast) New Zealand (Auckland), the Middle East (Jeddah and Medina) and the United States of America (Hawaii).

The airline operates in three hubs: Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Denpasar, Bali.

November 27, 2023

Embraer E2 jets gain type certification in Singapore

Embraer’s E190-E2 and E195-E2 have attained type certification from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS). Scoot, low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, is due to operate the E190-E2 from 2024.

The E190-E2 and E195-E2, considered the world’s quietest and most fuel-efficient single-aisle aircraft, were certified by three key civil aviation authorities in 2018 and 2019, which include the FAA in the US, EASA in Europe and ANAC in Brazil.

Embraer and CAE recently announced plans to establish a state-of-the-art E2 full flight simulator and pilot training programme in Singapore, which will commence operations by the end of this year. The full flight simulator is based at the Singapore-CAE Flight Training Centre which is located at SIA Training Centre.

November 23, 2023

Google Messages widely rolls out quick capture camera icon shortcut for faster photo sharing

After a recent revamp that removed the top search bar from the app, Google Messages was set to receive another UI tweak that would make it easier for users to send photos. As reported last month, this update would introduce a camera icon directly on the Messages home screen, streamlining the process of sending photos. This UI change is now rolling out widely.

Previously, sending photos using Google Messages involved either accessing the conversation and attaching the photo from the “Add” button or capturing the photo separately in the camera app and then selecting it from the conversation. Now, the easy-to-access camera icon lets you start the process of sending a photo from the beginning if you intend to capture and send a quick photo instead of forwarding one from the camera roll.

As you can see in the screenshots above, the camera icon is placed adjacent to the search icon on the top right of the app. Tapping on it, opens the camera app UI and viewfinder, allowing you to capture a quick photo. Once the photo has been taken, Messages then prompts you to select a recipient and attach the photo in a new message to the chosen recipient — while still giving you the control to add additional text and send at your leisure.

This new feature joins other experimental additions that Google Messages has been exploring, such as an animated emoji, an updated voice recorder, and Google Account login capabilities for the web version. Meanwhile, as new features continue to be rolled out, old ones seem to have suddenly gone missing from the app without explanation, most likely due to a bug.

The camera shortcut was previously in a limited rollout phase, with only a small group of Google Message users accessing it. That said, while the old method was relatively straightforward, this new shortcut strives to make the process even more effortless — facilitating seamless photo sharing.

November 23, 2023

Google Messages loses Reminder and Google Photos integration features

Google Messages, the default messaging app for many Android users, has recently lost two key features: message reminders and Google Photos integration. These removals have been met with confusion and frustration from users, who are hoping that the features are simply bugs and not intentional changes.

Some users — both on stable and beta versions of the app — have reported that the alarm clock icon, used to set reminders for messages, is no longer visible in the toolbar when selecting a message. While the “Remind 1 hr” shortcut in incoming notifications still works, the full reminder functionality seems to be missing. This is a strange occurrence considering the feature was introduced back in 2019 and has since then become a popular feature among users.

Additionally, the Google Photos integration that allows users to upload videos to the cloud and send them as links, is also missing. This feature was particularly useful for sharing high-quality videos without the limitations of SMS/MMS. However, this feature is now completely missing from the Messages app settings, when it would normally appear right above the aforementioned “Remind 1 hr” setting.

The removal of these features has led many users to believe that they are intentional decisions by Google. However, it is more likely that these are bugs or glitches rather than planned changes, likely due to the recently planned upgrades currently in testing— such as noise cancellation and markdown text support.

The selective removal of reminders and the complete disappearance of the Google Photos integration are not likely to be permanent or deliberate actions when considering how popular and helpful these features are. However, it is essential to note that this isn’t the first time a helpful feature has disappeared from the Messages app, such as has been the case with the “View messages by category” feature that filters personal from business messages.

Google has not yet addressed the missing features in Google Messages. Hopefully, the company quickly fixes these issues and restores the functionality that users have come to rely on sooner rather than later.

November 22, 2023

AirAsia X, Unilode renew partnership until 2027

Unilode Aviation Solutions and medium-, long-haul carrier AirAsia X have extended their full-service ULD management partnership until 2027.

The two have been working together since 2009 and the partnership has been renewed twice in the past 14 years. Unilode manages the ULD supply for AirAsia X’s current fleet of 14 A330 aircraft. The carrier will acquire three more widebody aircraft by the end of this year with plans to grow further over the next few years.

AirAsia X currently flies to 19 destinations and the ULD repairs are carried out in Unilode’s global MRO network, mainly located in the Asia-Pacific region, to reduce turnaround times and increase asset availability.

“Unilode has flexibly adapted to our changes in ULD types and met our ongoing ad-hoc demands to enable AAX to increase cargo revenues amongst other key deliverables,” commented Captain Suresh Bangah, chief operating officer of AirAsia X.

Unilode, who claims aa strong presence and customer base in the Asia-Pacific region, said it will continue to strengthen its position in the region with new customers and MRO expansion in the coming months.

November 21, 2023

Vietnam Airlines joins the AAPA

Vietnam Airlines is the latest member to join the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), as announced by a press release on 14 November, with immediate effect.

As part of the AAPA, Vietnam Airlines will participate in the Association’s meetings and joint activities, where members can stay updated and exchange information about the trends in the aviation industry. Airline members also receive in-depth insights, forecasts, and advice from the group’s regular monthly distribution.

On 9-10 November 2023, the AAPA organised its 67th Assembly of Presidents in Singapore, which gathered airline leaders to discuss relevant issues in air transport and aviation, with a core focus on sustainability. The conclusion of the event, which was hosted by airline member Singapore Airlines, saw the passing of a series of resolutions covering sustainability, aviation safety and regulatory impact.

Airline leaders have agreed to a ‘collective’ target of 5 percent SAF utilisation by 2030, and the trade association is calling on governments, fuel producers, airports, and other industry organisations to come together globally, to accelerate the transition to renewable energy and push the ambitious goal to carbon neutrality by 2050.

The AAPA’s membership now stands at 15 airlines, which include Air Astana, Air India, ANA, Bangkok Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Eva Air, Garuda Indonesia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Royal Brunei Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways and Vietnam Airlines.

November 21, 2023

Apple stops advertising on “X” again

Citing its sources, Axios says that Apple has stopped advertising on the platform for the second time since Elon Musk purchased Twitter. This time the decision to stop spending ad money on what is now known as “X” came after Musk endorsed an antisemitic conspiracy theory that was posted on the site. 164 Jewish rabbis and activists demanded that companies like Apple, Google, Amazon, and Disney stop advertising on “X”.

Apple, a major advertiser on “X,” has joined IBM, Disney, Sony, Warner Bros. Discovery, Lionsgate, and Paramount Global. A report by Media Matters for America says that certain advertisers, including Apple, IBM, Amazon and Oracle, had their ads on “X” placed next to posts considered to be from far-right subscribers.

In response to a post on “X” that claimed Jewish communities support “dialectical hatred against whites,” Musk replied, “[y]ou have said the actual truth,” The comment by Musk drew a rebuke from the White House. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said, “It is unacceptable to repeat the hideous lie behind the most fatal act of Antisemitism in American history at any time, let alone one month after the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.”

“X” CEO Linda Yaccarino responded to the criticism via a tweet in which she wrote, “X’s point of view has always been very clear that discrimination by everyone should STOP across the board — I think that’s something we can and should all agree on. Regarding this platform — X has also been extremely clear about our efforts to combat antisemitism and discrimination. There’s no place for it anywhere in the world — it’s ugly and wrong. Full stop.”

Musk purchased Twitter last year paying $44 billion for the social media platform. After changing the name of the site from Twitter to “X,” the multi-billionaire revealed plans to turn “X” into a multi-functional “super app” like China’s WeChat which offers social media capabilities along with mobile payment features. But if “X” is unable to keep some of its high-spending advertisers, it will need to find some new sources of income besides X Premium.

November 20, 2023

AirAsia to Open Bali-NTT Domestic Route in December

AirAsia airlines will open a new domestic route of Denpasar, Bali-Kupang, NTT beginning on December 16, 2023. The Bali-NTT route will serve three flights a week on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

“AirAsia opens the [route] with a special price of Rp1.5 million for one trip,” said Corporate Communication Manager Indonesia of AirAsia, Ageng Wibowo on Friday, November 17, 2023.

According to Ageng, this new route will create an opportunity for foreign tourists and Kupang residents to travel through Denpasar, Bali, and extend their trips to various domestic and international destinations such as Surabaya, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, and Perth.

This route also opens Kupang to various sources of foreign tourist markets such as Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.

Kupang is the gateway to all areas in NTT, especially Rote Island, Sabu Island, Timor Island, Alor, Sumba, and Flores. Thus, this route will boost the tourism and economy of the region.

Additionally, Kupang itself has a promising tourism potential, proven by the number of domestic and foreign tourists visiting the province. The diverse social and cultural spheres supported by Kupang’s geographical conditions attracted visitors to the region.

“Kupang has many tourist attractions consisting of Marine, Nature, Culture, and Historical destinations, such as Oenesu Waterfall, Tablolong Beach, Crystal Cave, and Manikin Beach,” he said.

AirAsia, Ageng added, is committed to connecting tourists with their chosen cities by offering flight choices to various interesting destinations.

November 17, 2023

Instagram now lets you lock down your Posts and Reels for close friends only

When navigating the Instagram landscape, the ability to share Stories and Notes exclusively with close friends has been a perk for a while. However, Instagram has upped its game by testing stories with multiple audience lists. In other news, Instagram’s latest feature allows you to take it a step further by restricting your posts solely to your inner circle.

The Close Friends feature is expanding its territory, now including feed Posts and Reels. This enhancement allows users to share more intimate content with a smaller, more trusted audience, fostering a sense of privacy and connection.

To take advantage of this feature, simply tap the Audience button while crafting your post, choose Close Friends, and hit Share. If you haven’t already created a Close Friends list, follow these quick steps:

Tap your profile picture in the bottom right to head to your profile.
Hit the top right, then go to Close Friends.
Select “add” next to those you want on your list, or use Search.
For removal, tap “remove” next to their name.
Save changes by tapping Done at the bottom.

Just so you know, no notifications go out when you tweak your list. Posts or Reels shared with Close Friends will have a green star icon, so your friends and you, for that matter, will know when you are part of a Close Friends list. Oh, and it is worth noting that no one can request to be added to your Close Friends list.

Bid farewell to the days of sharing your every post with the entire follower list. Now, your Instagram feed has the potential to transform into a haven of posts from a more tightly-knit community, as users can reciprocate this gesture.

Previously, Instagram kept it binary—public or private, no in-between. This shift is noteworthy, especially considering that Facebook has long allowed users to tailor post visibility to specific groups on their friends list, be it close friends, acquaintances, or those you’d rather keep your posts away from.

In the ever-evolving Instagram universe, Meta, the parent company, has been on a roll, providing creators with more ways to monetize their content. Beyond this, the app keeps rolling out frequent updates, such as the recent ability to add song lyrics to Reels, ensuring its massive user base of over 1.2 billion stays engaged and satisfied.

November 16, 2023