Apps
5 free apps for amazing deals in the Philippines
Being cheap doesn’t mean getting the worst; you just have to be practical to get the best deals in town. You don’t even have to look too far, because your smartphone is just waiting for you to download these apps to get discounts and freebies.
We personally use these apps, so we’re a living testament to how great they are. From commuting to eating, watching movies, and staycations, we’ve got you covered!
Angkas

When Uber was suspended in the Philippines, we turned to other ride-sharing and booking services. One of them was Angkas — a motorcycle passenger service. Riding on a motorcycle through major thoroughfares is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it gets us to our destinations faster! We also get discounts every week, ranging from PhP 20 to PhP 40 from user-exclusive promo codes. We use Angkas during rush hour traffic since it’s cheaper compared to Uber or Grab’s spiked-up rates.
Booky

You gotta love Booky for their amazing Buy One, Get One deals! The app started off as your go-to restaurant finder that works even when you’re offline. It then offered table reservations with discounts of up to PhP 500, and now, they have a wide selection of buy one, take one promos. You can get two Potato Corner jumbo fries for the price of one, and more!
GMovies

If you love going to the cinemas, you should have GMovies on your phone. With this app, you get to check out current show times from popular movie theaters, join other movie buffs with their discussion, and most importantly, get rewards and discounts. You receive an initial PhP 100 off your first ticket purchase, and earn points which you can convert for a movie ticket. GMovies also gives out discount codes for new movie releases every week, plus surprise deals for movie festivals.
TravelBook.ph

While there a lot of online hotel booking services, TravelBook.ph always give us the best deals in the Philippines. When trying a number of similar services, we always end up with TravelBook.ph since they have the cheapest prices. Not only that, you also get generous points (one point = one peso) every booking, plus seasonal discount codes that you can apply. You even get bonus points for providing an honest review and by being loyal to the service.
Zen Rooms

If you’re traveling abroad or even locally, you should check out Zen Rooms. We first discovered Zen Rooms when their service was limited to selected places, but now, they cover more Asian countries and Philippine cities like Cebu, Bohol, and Boracay, to name a few. While their quality-assured rooms are already cheap, you also get discount codes through their newsletters. Additionally, you can search for more Zen Room coupons online that you might have missed.
SEE ALSO: Five Uber app alternatives for your daily commute
[irp posts=”18123″ name=”Five Uber app alternatives for your daily commute”]
Apps
Disney+ launches a TikTok-coded vertical feed called Verts
TikTok has changed how we consume media. Everything is now vertical. Even the most established streaming services, often a bastion for traditionally horizontal content, is adopting the different format. Now, Disney+ is getting a vertical feed called Verts.
Like its contemporaries, Verts presents a continuous feed of content but tailored to show the plethora of titles from the Disney+ library. This might include the first scenes of shows or notable highlights. The hope, of course, is to direct users to the longform content.
Directly from the Verts feed, users can easily add the respective title to their watchlist or go straight to the title’s page. In turn, the feed is accessible from the homepage since it has its own tab.
According to Disney, early experiments with the feature have driven engagement to available content. Right now, the feed is mostly for clipping enticing content from shows. However, the platform will experiment further with the format for new ways to tell stories.
Though Verts surely stands for “verticals” in this case, “adverts” might fit better as its full government name. Still, it might be a useful tool if you’re figuring out what to watch for the night.
Currently, Verts is available for Disney+ subscribers in the United States. Disney also has plans to expand the feature to ESPN for sports-related content.
SEE ALSO: Live NBA action on Disney Plus now available in the Philippines
Some of today’s navigation apps are living in the future. Instead of a two-dimensional map, these apps render the user’s surroundings in 3D. It’s a nifty upgrade that helps drivers more accurately visualize directions on the fly. Finally, Google Maps is getting a much-needed upgrade and will take navigation to the third dimension.
In a new update rolling out today, the new Immersive Navigation feature will bring your surroundings to life. The 3D view creates a render of the surrounding buildings, overpasses, and terrain around the car. It takes the guesswork out of navigation by showing precisely where to turn and what landmarks to look out for.
In the same vein, you can now use Street View to preview your destination before you arrive. Google Maps will also highlight your destination’s entrance, side of the street, and nearby parking.
Outside of how the map is visualized, Google Maps is also infusing its service with Gemini. The new Ask Maps feature will let you engage with the app in a conversational manner. For example, if you’re in the middle of a long drive, you can now ask Maps where the best place is to stop over and have a coffee break. Ask Maps will provide directions, a potential itinerary, and even helpful links to book a reservation ahead of time.
Now, availability for both of these features is still a bit limited. Immersive View is rolling out today to compatible devices and vehicles in the United States. Further, availability will expand over the coming months.
Meanwhile, Ask Maps is available now in the United States and India for Android and iOS. A desktop version is coming soon.
SEE ALSO: Google Maps is finally getting a power saving mode
Apps
Apple Music, TikTok launch Play Full Song, a new music discovery experience
Rolling out worldwide exclusively through Apple Music
Ever came across a viral 15 or 30-second music snippet on TikTok that instantly became your jam on repeat?
For years, TikTok has been a regular source of songs that have become part of our playlists. And together with Apple Music, listening to the music you discover has just gotten even easier.
That’s through Play Full Song, a new music discovery experience, which launches exclusively though Apple Music.
With the new feature, Apple Music subscribers can now enjoy full-length tracks that they discover on TikTok. That’s without ever leaving that popular streaming app.
Fans who discover a song that they love on their For You or Sound Detail page can simply tap the Play Full Song button to open up an Apple Music player and enjoy the song in its entirety.
From there, subscribers can continue listening to a personalized stream of recommended songs. That means no more need to switch apps and search separately.
The new Play Full Song experience helps music fans move seamlessly from the moment of discovery to deeper listening. It’s also designed to be instant and all within the same environment.
Moreover, users can also save their favorite songs to Your Music and add them directly to their Apple Music playlists.
Built using Apple’s MusicKit, full-length song playback takes place on Apple Music. This way, streams are paid within the Apple Music service, supporting artists and rights holders while giving fans a smooth, uninterrupted experience.
Listening Party also launched
The feature builds on the success of TikTok’s Add to Music App. This was previously launched to help artists and fans convert discovery on TikTok to a playlist save in Apple Music and other streaming services.
To cap the announcement, TikTok and Apple Music are also introducing Listening Party. This new feature is designed to bring artists and fans together around music.
It creates a shared environment where fans can listen to songs from their favorite artists in real time, interact with each her, and engage directly with the artist during the session.
-
Reviews2 weeks agoPOCO X8 Pro Max review: A new beast from the far east
-
News2 weeks agoPOCO X8 Pro Series: Price, availability in the Philippines
-
Reviews2 weeks agoPOCO X8 Pro Iron Man Edition review: Midrange phone in superhero armor
-
Automotive2 weeks agoVinFast extends free unlimited charging in 3 markets amid rising fuel prices
-
Philippines2 weeks agoThe HONOR X8d is serviceable
-
News2 weeks agoPOCO X8 Pro Series launches in Singapore with early bird prices
-
News2 weeks agoPOCO introduces X8 Pro Series with Dimensity 9500s
-
Gaming2 weeks agoNVIDIA’s DLSS 5 can turn your favorite AAA game into AI slop
