Apps

Wise helps transfer money easily from abroad to the Philippines

Setup is easy as 1-2-3

Published

May 22, 2024

Luigi Leonardo

Decades of sending Filipino workers abroad, transferring money from another country to a loved one in the Philippines continues to be a source of frustration for millions of OFWs. Today, a more modern solution wants to help move your money in fewer steps and less fees. Wise, a British fintech company, is now available in the Philippines.

Since starting in 2011, Wise has expanded globally, hiring over 5,500 employees and servicing 10 million active customers worldwide.

Though the company started as a simple transferring service between different currencies, it has since added more services including an international prepaid card. In the Philippines, the company is starting with its standard transferring service, an international prepaid card, and the ability to shop online with a Wise account.

How to set up a Wise account

Wise is now available through the App Store and the Play Store. Creating an account on the platform is easy. All you need is an email address and a phone number. After making the account, the app will ask you basic questions: home address, occupation, preferred currencies.

However, to use the services, you’ll need a bit more to verify your identity. It will require users to upload a photo of a valid ID such as a driver’s license or a passport.

After everything’s set up, you can start a balance with a selected currency. If it’s your first time setting a balance up, Wise will require you to deposit of PhP 1,400. This isn’t a fee, though. You can use the deposit immediately. You can also now send details for your new balance to senders from abroad.

How to fund your new account

Currently, there are two ways to add funds to your account.

The first way is, of course, by receiving funds from a sender. The second way is to use any bank-issued debit or credit card to top up your account.

Wise hopes to add more ways to fund your account in the future. At the time of this writing, the company has already promised future partnerships with e-wallets.

How to move money from your Wise account to a bank account

Once you have your balance set up and have funds to transfer, you can go to the app, select your balance, and hit Send. Enter the amount you want to send and the account details of the receiving bank account.

If you need to convert your funds into another currency, the app will show you the exact exchange rate and fees associated. (Wise says that their fees are lower compared to other methods.)

How to get a Wise card

And now, the juicy part. Under the Card tab, users can apply for a prepaid card they can use anywhere in the world. It will cost a small fee (PhP 369.60 including VAT). While standard delivery is free, users can pay a bit for a faster delivery through DHL.

Once it arrives, users can activate the card by putting in the 6-digit code that comes with the card. After activation, they can use this card everywhere cards are accepted.

Alternatively, users can create a digital card for free and instantaneously.

Apps

WhatsApp will introduce usernames to hide your phone number

Hide your number from others.

Published

June 30, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

WhatsApp is about to get an extra later of protection. After thriving on number-based chatting, the platform will soon add usernames, eliminating the need to share your number with strangers.

Usernames are the standard way of maintaining your anonymity online. Though most platforms today require users to log their email addresses or phone numbers, establishing a username can prevent other users from seeing this information way too easily.

Today, Meta has started rolling out reservations for WhatsApp usernames. The feature itself isn’t available yet, but early adopters can grab theirs as soon as the setting becomes available on their app.

To access the reservation, users can go to Settings > Account > Username. Of note, this isn’t available for everyone yet. But if you want to take dibs on a specific name, be on the lookout for the setting.

As for the username itself, users can reserve anything as long as it’s unique. Business owners and creators can also use their Facebook or Instagram handles as their WhatsApp usernames.

The feature, once it launches, will stop users from accessing your phone number when messaging. Similarly, other users will now need your exact username to start a conversation. Users can also set a separate code to protect conversations further.

Apps

HONOR, Xiaomi are working on their own Privacy Displays

Samsung’s Privacy Display is apparently very popular

Published

June 24, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Normally, a smartphone brand’s blatant copying of another brand’s feature is not a good practice. Today, however, there is a new feature that we wish other brands would copy: Samsung’s Privacy Display. Thankfully, some brands, like HONOR, have finally gotten the message and are working on version of the feature.

As reported by Digital Chat Station on Weibo, HONOR is reportedly working on a privacy screen for its smartphones. Likewise, Xiaomi is working on the same thing, potentially launching the feature for the Xiaomi 18 Pro.

For the uninitiated, the Samsung Privacy Display is a built-in feature that blocks visibility of the screen at certain angles. If you’re not looking at the screen from the front, all you’ll see is a black void. It’s a built-in version of those protective screens that you can buy separately. Besides adding a nice layer of protection against scratches, it’s also meant to prevent snooping from your shoulder.

Samsung’s take was widely acclaimed for being insanely useful. When it arrives, this feature will be a godsend to more brands. Even better, users will no longer need to rely on third-party screen just to enjoy the privacy.

That said, there’s still no indication as to when these features will arrive on either HONOR or Xiaomi.

Apps

Meta is reportedly experimenting on a gambling app

Users can spend virtual points on Arena.

Published

June 24, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Meta does not have the most stellar of reputations. Despite offering the world’s most popular social media platforms, the company, through its various experiments throughout the years, continuously proves that it has other priorities than just providing the best for its users. Today, another reported experiment wants to take Meta to a new market that its users might fall into: the prediction market.

If you haven’t heard of the prediction market, consider yourself lucky. These apps, such as Kalshi, are basically just gambling platforms without the glitz of playing cards or the rigor of the stock market. Users gamble on mundane circumstances like the weather and more serious ones like war.

Today, as reported by The New York Times, Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly asking Meta to develop a prediction app of its own. Interestingly, the experimental app, supposedly called Arena, will use virtual points, rather than real money. However, Meta has not ruled out real money — and hence, real gambling — in the future.

Meta is entering the industry at an extremely volatile time. The world is starting to crack down on prediction markets. Some users, for example, have been accused of using insider information to get easy wins on these platforms. Some markets have also accused these platforms of subverting anti-gambling laws.