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Tag: sharing

  • Google Controversially Revamps YouTube Link Sharing in Messages: Is Simplicity Worth the Sacrifice?

    Google Controversially Revamps YouTube Link Sharing in Messages: Is Simplicity Worth the Sacrifice?

    Google is modifying the way YouTube previews and links are displayed within conversations on the Google Messages application. In previous versions, when Android users shared a YouTube video link with their contacts, the video URL was displayed first, followed by a video preview, the webpage title, a description of the video, and finally, the YouTube domain name.

    Changes to YouTube Video Sharing

    The new update, however, brings about several changes to this setup. If the conversation only contains the link to a YouTube video, the URL at the top will no longer be visible. Furthermore, the video preview image will be slightly taller, the lower section’s background will be lighter and more prominent, and the text will be larger.

    However, should you choose to add a comment along with the YouTube video link, all the changes will remain, except for the URL and link, which will not be removed.

    Controversy Surrounding The Update

    The decision to remove the URL has sparked controversy, with many users expressing disappointment with the change. Advocates of the change, however, argue that it offers a more streamlined appearance to the link. If a comment is attached when sharing the link, the URL will remain at the top of the video preview.

    For users who prefer seeing the URL instead of the preview, there is an option to disable previews. This can be done by opening the Google Messages app, tapping on the profile icon in the upper right corner, and navigating to Messages Settings. From there, users can disable either ‘Show all previews’ or ‘Show only web link previews’.

    Questions & Answers

    What changes has Google made to YouTube link sharing on the Google Messages app?
    Google has made changes to how YouTube links look in the Google Messages app. The URL at the top will no longer appear if the conversation only contains the link to a YouTube video. The video preview image is now taller, the background of the bottom section is more prominent, and the text is larger.

    What happens if a comment is added with the YouTube link?
    If a comment is added with the YouTube link, all the changes will remain, except the URL and link will not be removed.

    How can users disable previews and see the URL instead?
    Users can disable previews by opening the Google Messages app, tapping on the profile icon in the upper right corner, navigating to Messages Settings, and disabling either ‘Show all previews’ or ‘Show only web link previews’.

  • YouTube now offers QR codes for channel sharing

    YouTube now offers QR codes for channel sharing

    YouTube is now offering its creators another convenient way to share their channels with their audience, via QR codes. This feature is being rolled out to all creators globally and can be accessed easily from the YouTube app itself.

    If you’re a creator, here’s how you can grab your QR code:

    1. Open the YouTube app on your phone (Android or iOS).
    2. Tap on the “You” tab at the bottom.
    3. You’ll see a little button under your channel name that says “Share channel”. Tap it.
    4. In the menu that pops up, tap “QR code”.
    This will generate a full-screen QR code that you can save to your camera roll or take a screenshot of. This QR code prominently features your channel logo, making it visually identifiable.

    This update from YouTube is more than just a cool feature. It’s a smart move that benefits both creators and viewers. For creators, it’s a simple and effective way to promote their channels and gain new subscribers. For viewers, it’s a hassle-free way to find and follow the channels they love. For viewers, it simplifies the process of finding and subscribing to channels, as all they need to do is scan the QR code with their phone’s camera, and they’ll be taken directly to the channel.

    In the past, creators had to rely on third-party apps to generate QR codes for their channels. This often meant dealing with ads or limited customization options. Now, YouTube has built this feature right into their app, making it seamless and user-friendly.
    Ultimately, YouTube’s new QR code feature is a win-win for everyone involved. It’s a small but impactful change that makes the platform even more accessible and engaging. Whether you’re a creator looking to grow your audience or a viewer looking for great content, QR codes are a handy tool to have in your back pocket.
  • Google Messages is testing an easier way to send multiple images

    Google Messages is testing an easier way to send multiple images

    Google Messages, the default messaging app for most Android devices, offers a reliable and consistent experience when sending text messages. However, compared to other messaging apps, it does lack in certain areas pertaining to multimedia, such as when sending multiple images at once. Thankfully, it looks like Google is working on improving this experience.

    Currently, sending an image from your gallery in Google Messages is a fairly simple process: tap the image attachment icon, pick your photo, and send. The app even has a built-in camera shortcut, so you can snap a photo on the fly. But for those in a rush, the workflow needs refinement. Each new photo requires you to reopen the attachment sheet, negating the time-saving benefits of the in-app camera.

    However, as spotted by @AssembleDebug on X and reported on by Android Police, the latest Google Messages beta (version 20240318 openbeta_dynamic) brings a UI refresh designed for quicker image sharing. In this version, the preview screen of a newly snapped photo shows the biggest change. The button at the bottom right now says “Send,” cutting out an extra step for single images. The bottom left gains an “Add more” shortcut, reopening the attachment sheet for further selections or to use the camera again. This is far easier than saving to your camera roll.

    That said, this change does have its downsides. One curious omission in this beta is the “Edit” option for basic photo annotations. Knowing that the new UI is still being tested, we are hopeful that these tools will be restored prior to making it to the production phase. We need more features added, not taken away!

    Regardless of this small setback, this streamlining is a welcome change for Google Messages. With such broad testing, we can likely expect a stable release soon, potentially bringing back those missing editing tools. While not a huge change, it demonstrates Google’s continued efforts to refine the core messaging experience.

  • Indian car rental company zooms into Vietnam

    Indian car rental company zooms into Vietnam

    Leading Indian car rental platform will begin operations in Vietnam next week.

    Users can start booking cars, including SUVs and hatchbacks, on its website and smartphone app starting Monday, a media representative said.

    “We hope to reach 2,000 vehicles on the platform by March next year.”

    The company has appointed Kiet Pham as its vice president and country director.

    Kiet used to hold senior management positions at Indonesian ride-hailing platform Gojek and Indian hotel booking company OyO.

    The rollout is part of Zoomcar’s plan to enter the Southeast Asian market, where it plans to invest more than $100 million in the next two to three years.

    Zoomcar launched its car rental service in India in 2013 and has become a leading company there in the industry.

    It has 10,000 cars for rent in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. Its headquarters in India has 300 employees.

    The company recently raised US$92 million from several investors led by U.S.-based SternAegis Ventures.

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  • Twitter is working on an Undo button

    Twitter is working on an Undo button

    Judging by evidence spotted by reverse engineer Jane Wong, Twitter is working on a yet-unannounced Undo button. The feature will appear after the user sends a tweet. The point of the “Undo” button is probably to give the user the option to stop their tweet from posting shortly after hitting the Send button if a mistake has been made. This alleged feature could be the answer to the criticism Twitter has gathered for not having an edit button.

    Over the years there has been pressure on the social network from the Twitter community to add an edit button.

    Twitter’s new “Undo” button seems like a partial solution, as it shows the company is still on the offensive about the idea to edit tweets.

    The Undo Button isn’t the only new feature expected to come to Twitter. Recently, the network was spotted testing a Shop button that shows up in tweets including links to online stores, and earlier, the Super Follow feature was introduced, allowing people to charge for access to their tweets. We won’t be surprised if Twitter has more goodies to show us in the near future.

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  • Grab launches first shared kitchen in Vietnam

    Grab launches first shared kitchen in Vietnam

    Grab launched a shared kitchen in Vietnam on Tuesday to cater to the growing demand for food delivery.

    It is in Thu Duc District, Saigon, and 12 restaurants make food exclusively for GrabFood drivers to pick up and deliver to customers.

    Grab has given each of them space to cook for free though they have to pay utility bills, and get a commission on the orders.

    Vietnam is the second place where it has launched GrabKitchen after Indonesia, and there is great potential for this model in the country, Jerry Lim, CEO of Grab Vietnam, said in a statement.

    Thu Duc was chosen because of its young demographic comprising students and workers who want to order from their favorite restaurants which are located too far away, he said.

    More such kitchens would be opened in the city this year and the model would be expanded to Hanoi and Da Nang next year, Lim added.

    Shared kitchens have become popular in Asian countries such as China, Japan and India in recent years as restaurants can focus completely on the food and do not need to find, rent and manage a shop.

    Between January and June this year the number of GrabFood transactions quadrupled to an average of 300,000 orders a day.

    Competitors for GrabFood in Vietnam now are Foody’s Now, Go-Viet’s GoFood and South Korean-owned Baemin.

    Vietnam’s ride-hailing and food delivery market is expected to top $1 billion this year and $4 billion in 2025, according to a recent report by Google, Singaporean investment firm Temasek and U.S. consultancy Bain.

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  • Instagram is preparing to implement a new feature

    Instagram is preparing to implement a new feature

    Instagram is an already hugely popular photo and video-sharing social networking service, with over 1 billion monthly active users as of last year, but believe it or not, there’s still plenty of room for growth, mostly due to the many security and privacy scandals surrounding its parent company’s core platform. At the same time, it’s pretty crazy to think Instagram has reached this insane level of mainstream success without ever offering some basic features.

    Case in point, a fast-forward option for those 15-second clips you can add to your stories or the up to 60-second videos allowed to be uploaded to one’s Instagram profile. Incredibly enough, that’s not yet a thing, even though the video social component has enriched Instagram’s focus and functionality years ago. But according to a Twitter userknown for her very reliable work discovering unreleased features for apps like Facebook and Instagram, the long-awaited video seek bar is currently being tested internally.

    Jane Manchun Wong has the GIF to prove that claim, and indeed, the feature works as expected, with no unnecessary bells and whistles. Unfortunately, we can’t be sure this will roll out to the masses anytime soon, although given its simplicity and potential popularity, we don’t see what could possibly hold off its wide-scale rollout. Once that happens, you’ll presumably be able to both go forward and back in time in any given Instagram video instead of waiting for the whole thing to unfold, then play it back from the beginning if only a small part of it caught your attention.

    Interestingly, this seems to be only one of several Instagram add-ons in the pipeline, alongside a delay and warning for posting comments identified as potentially offensive, a new “Trusted Devices” section in the app’s two-factor authentication settings, and a couple of changes targeting Creator Accounts, aka high-profile influencers. It remains to be seen how many of these features will go public and when.

  • Transport ministry reconsiders ride-sharing service ban

    Transport ministry reconsiders ride-sharing service ban

    The Ministry of Transport has sought opinions from ministries, localities and transportation associations on its recently imposed ban on app-based taxi ride-sharing service.

    The ministry recently sent a document to the ministries of police, justice, finance, industry and trade, information and communications; authorities of Hanoi, HCM City, Danang, Quang Ninh and Khanh Hoa and the Vietnam auto transport association and Hanoi and HCM City taxi associations.

    In the document, the Ministry of Transport admitted that earlier the ministry requested Grab to stop its ride-sharing service called GrabShare. However, now, the ministry needed to gather the opinion after receiving Grab’s reports on advantages of the GrabShare. Grab has asked for the ministry’s permission for the firm to continue the service.

    The Ministry of Transport noted that the ministry wants to get the opinion about Grab’s proposal and also needs recommendations about fines for the violation in this service.

    Both Grab and Uber launched GrabShare and UberPool respectively in May this year. The services allow drivers to add additional passengers to their journey in addition to the person who makes the original booking. The service can help save customers around 30% compared to the original booking.

    But traditional taxi companies strongly oppose the service, saying that it is illegal and unfair competition.

    In June this year, the Ministry of Transport requested the ban on the ride-sharing service, explaining that under the ministry’s Circular 63, transport firms are only permitted to sign one contract per trip. If a GrabCar driver carries two passengers that agree to share their ride with each other, it means they are fulfilling two separate contracts, and therefore in breach of regulations, the ministry explained.

    The ministry spuriously claimed that sharing a car with a stranger may result in possible risks for passengers, although such practices are very common among traditional taxi companies at airports.

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  • Australia may require mobile network sharing

    Australia may require mobile network sharing

    Australian competition regulator ACCC has launched an inquiry into whether to mandate the establishment of a wholesale mobile roaming service, particularly in regional areas.

    The regulator is considering declaring a wholesale domestic mobile roaming service, which mobile providers could use to provide coverage in areas where they do not operate their own network.

    The inquiry will seek to evaluate how consumer demands for mobile service are evolving and whether this differs in regional and urban areas.

    In addition, the ACCC will evaluate the likely investment plans of established mobile operators absent a declaration, as well as whether there are any barriers to extending the reach of mobile networks.

    While the ACCC has previously considered mandating the provision of mobile roaming in regional areas in 1998 and 2005, ACCC chairman Rod Sims said much has changed since this time.

    “Network coverage is clearly a key feature of a mobile service, and each of the mobile network operators has extended its networks since we last looked at this issue in detail,” he said.

    “We do think it’s time we look at the issue again in detail, and examine some of these key matters, including consumer demand, network investment, and barriers to competition. We consider the most efficient way to do that is to consider all of the issues carefully through a declaration inquiry.”

    But he stressed that the regulator has not yet formed any opinion as to whether the declaration is needed, and that the inquiry could instead find that consumers would be harmed by the introduction of such a requirement because it could give mobile operators less incentive to invest in expanding their networks.

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