Apps

Grab resumes GrabFood and GrabExpress services [Updated]

Transport services still suspended

Published

March 17, 2020

Rodneil Quiteles

UPDATE as of 2PM, Matrch 17, 2020: Grab has resumed its GrabFood and GrabExpress delivery services.

In a Facebook post, the company said, “Upon careful assessment of the on-ground situation and after discussions with regulators, we are resuming GrabFood and GrabExpress operations beginning March 17, with a skeletal fleet operating to match allowed restaurant schedules.”

All transport services remain suspended.

In an effort to contain COVID-19, the Philippine government on Wednesday, March 16, announced that the island group of Luzon will be put in total lockdown or what they want to call “enhanced community quarantine.” In compliance, Grab Philippines has decided to suspend all of their services.

The ride-hailing service made the announcement on their Facebook Page saying “To safeguard our communities from the threat of COVID-19, we are pausing our GrabCar, GrabFood, GrabExpress, and GrabTrike operations in Luzon from March 17 until further notice.”

The statement added: “We are one with the government in combating the viral spread, and are working with the different government agencies to find ways to continue serving the needs of Filipinos during these times.”

The latest bulletin by the Philippines’ Department of Health — posted on March 16 at 7PM, indicates the current total number of confirmed cases in the country is at 142, with total number of recovery at three.

Here are the guidelines of the “enhanced community quarantine” in Luzon:

1. Classes suspended until April 14.

2. Mass gatherings prohibited.

3. Strict home quarantine – movement limited to accessing basic necessities; provision of food and health services to be regulated

4. Government offices closed except for frontline health workers, security personnel, border control

5. Private establishments – only those providing food and medicine; banks, money transfer services, power, energy, water, telcos, shall be open

6. BPO’s and export-oriented industries to remain operational

7. Media allowed to travel but have to secure ID

8. Mass transport suspended

9. Land, air, sea travel restricted

10. Outbound international travel allowed in the next 72 hours

11. Inbound international travelers to be allowed entry subject to quarantine procedures if coming from previously restricted countries

12. Filipino citizens and their families to be allowed international entry

13. Movement of cargoes to be unhampered

14. Uniformed personnel on official business allowed to travel, especially those transporting medical supplies

15. Government to formulate programs and measures to help affected residents – may include delay on lease rentals, prorated 13th month pay, reprieve in utility bills, financial assistance for small businesses

16. DSWD to help provide food

As general rules, the CDC or The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed these to help with preventing the spread of COVID-19:

Stay home when sick
Cover coughs and sneezes
Frequently wash hands with soap and water
Clean frequently touched surfaces

Related Topics:coronavirus Covid-19 Grab Grab Philippines GrabCar GrabExpres GrabTrikes GrabFood

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.