Author: Alvin Wanjala

WhatsApp has devised two ways to clear up its upcoming privacy changes that were met with online fury. Last week the app said users would eventually accept the new privacy changes to continue using the app. WhatsApp will showcase a notification banner to its users inside the app, educating them on the new privacy changes and giving them a chance to accept the said changes at their own pace. Eventually, though, it said users would have to “accept these updates to keep using WhatsApp.” But what the app didn’t specify was what will happen to dissidents who won’t oblige to…

WhatsApp has discovered a new way of clearing the air on its controversial Privacy Policy update that will go into effect on May 15th (from April 5th previously). Previously it started sending its billion-plus users clarification on the updated policies’ meaning via its Status feature. The new attempt to explain the changes will be through a banner on top of personal messages inside the app. Expect to see this banner in the next few weeks that you can read at your own pace. WhatsApp will eventually start reminding people to review and accept these updates to continue using the app.…

Google is releasing the first developer preview of the next major Android update, Android 12. As is the norm, the developer preview majorly highlights under-the-hood developer-facing changes, and Google will reserve more user-facing features for its I/O conference, typically held in May. Major under-the-hood changes for developers include how the OS handles images and video and expansion to support the latest video and image formats, in addition to privacy protections. Some UI changes exist, but Google is yet to reveal the juicy details on this end. Privacy Starting with Android 12, Google introduces new controls over identifiers that can be…

Microsoft has debuted the latest variants of Office, both the consumer-faced and commercial Long term servicing channel. Consumer-faced Office 2021 and commercial Office 2021 LTSC will be arriving later this year on both Windows and macOS. The new Office LTSC includes features like the beloved Dark Mode, which has become part and parcel of any software, and accessibility improvements. Office 2021 LTSC Excel will be getting Dynamic Arrays and XLOOKUP. These features will also be available in the consumer Office 2021 variant. Apart from these, Microsoft has not fully detailed new features in the upcoming Office variants. Another change coming…

YouTube has announced a set of new features, including refreshed design, a TikTok competitor, automatic video chapters, and an official push into e-commerce. YouTube and E-commerce Starting with the latter, YouTube is officially making its foray into e-commerce shopping. Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan says they’re testing “a new integrated shopping experience” to meet the growing demand for e-commerce. “We … want to build on this full suite of monetization opportunities through commerce,” he wrote in a blog post. He says the e-commerce push will allow viewers to tap into trusted creators’ credibility and knowledge to make informed purchases directly…

Adobe Flash player was declared dead by its maker, Adobe, on Dec. 31, 2020. Adobe even went a mile further by adding “a time bomb” code inside Flash so it would stop playing supported content on devices starting Jan. 12. Adobe did what it could, and now that dead software is still installed on millions of Windows PCs. As such, Microsoft is rising to the occasion, permanently uninstalling Flash from Windows 10 via the KB4577586 update that began rolling out this week, ZDNet reports. Microsoft wants to help remove the dead software on Windows 10 PCs automatically. The KB4577586 update…

After the Clubhouse boom, is audio the future of the internet? Maybe. But whatever you do, brace yourselves, because audio seems to be going mainstream. While Twitter continues to work on voice tweets after their public failure last year, the company is rolling out voice DMs. Voice DMs like tweets have a time limit. And for Twitter’s love of conciseness, you won’t go over a time limit of 140 seconds, or 2 minutes and 20 seconds. That may sound like a bummer to some, but it’s fine – it’s a voice message, not a podcast. And the 140 seconds time…

Sharing files between a Windows PC and an Android phone can be done wireless or using a cable, but the process has never been convenient. On the other hand, sharing files between a MacBook and an iPhone or iPad is a breeze, due to AirDrop, another feature that Android users wish they had, besides iMessage. But Samsung and Microsoft have partnered and are working on a solution to this problem. According to a new report, the two want to bring the Aid Drop-like file transfer experience between Android and Windows 10. The report says Quick Share feature, exclusively available on…

Microsoft’s new Office app is now available on iPad. Like the one available on iPhone, and Android, the new Office app combines Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in one single app. Although iPad users could previously access the new Office app built for the iPhone, this native iPadOS-optimized app is expected to enhance user experience while working on documents. “We’re combining the Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps you know into a single, iPadOS-optimized app,” said Sameer Gupta, a Program Manager on the Office team. “Plus, you’ll see additional tools to keep you more productive than ever. For example, you’ll be…

Phones have gotten bigger in the recent past, and you’ll notice this big-screen trend while shopping for an upgrade. That has been due to consumer’s inclinations to big screens. But while phone screens are growing, it can be daunting to reach some points without an extra hand. Such problems need software solutions, and a rumor suggests Google’s upcoming major Android update might address it. According to a report by XDA Developers, Google is working on one-handed mode for Android 12. The report says one-handed mode will be included in the open-source version of Android(AOSP), making it available to any smartphone…