Apps

GrabPay expands its cashless payments

You can now pay for bills, groceries with GrabPay

Published

April 30, 2020

Kenrick Buduan

The enhanced community quarantine for high-risk areas in the Philippines has been extended until May 15. With strict stay-at-home directives, delivery services saw a notable increase as Filipinos buy essential goods online. Grab expands its GrabPay service to include payments for these goods in order to simplify the delivery process.

Cashless payments for grocery items, bills payment, and more

Responding to the needs of the times, Grab launches GrabMart — an on-demand grocery shopping service. GrabPay is available for items purchased from retailers like Robinsons Supermarket, Great Deals Ecommerce Corporation, FamilyMart, Starbucks, ASSI Fresh Plaza, Fetch! Naturals, Freshmart, and more. It will also expand to include medicines in the future.

There’s a special promo for those who use GrabMart too. To get a PhP 100 discount, users can use the promo code MART100 for purchases with a minimum spend of PhP 1,000. Meanwhile, MART150 applies a PhP 150 discount for purchases with a minimum spend of PhP 2,000.

Grab users have more reasons to use GrabPay too as it expands to include bills payment for the following:

Meralco
Manila Water
Maynilad
Sky Cable
Destiny Cable
Cignal TV
Cable Link
PLDT
Smart
Sun Cellular
Smart Bro
Globe
SSS
DFA
NBI
PhilHealth
Unicef
VECO
Metro Water
Auto Sweep
Pag-Ibig fund
MMDA

Meanwhile, those that use GrabFood and GrabExpress delivery service are encouraged to use GrabPay. This will eliminate the need for paying cash and promotes non-direct contact with riders. It also ensures a seamless delivery process and proper social distancing.

Send money to others and pay in physical counters

GrabPay users can also send money to other GrabPay users within the app. Simply go to the Payments tab and tap on the “Send” button. They can then input the desired amount as well as the recipient’s contact number. The amount sent is automatically added to the recipient’s GrabPay balance.

For items available only at a physical store, GrabPay now supports scan-to-pay service to facilitate contactless payments. From the Payments tab, tap the “Pay” button to scan the QR code in a check-out counter. Supported establishments and stores include SM and Watsons. There’s a GrabPay Green Lane for faster checkout in some SM stores as well.

To reload a GrabPay balance, users can top up from convenience stores or Grab riders or cash-in with their debit or credit cards.

Grab assures its GrabPay users that the payment service is secure and private. The service automatically encrypts and protects personal information and transactions. Users can see all their transactions in a real-time manner and report any problems to Grab.

With the additions to GrabPay’s capabilities, paying digitally is now quick and easy. These new additions are also helpful during these times when social distancing is encouraged to stop the spread of COVID-19.

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:contactless payment coronavirus Grab GrabPay

Apps

Apple Creator Studio: Creative apps bundled into single subscription

All the tools you need, one payment

Published

January 14, 2026

GadgetMatch

Apple has officially streamlined its popular creative apps into one single subscription suite with the introduction of Apple Creator Studio.

The collection includes some of the most useful apps for today’s creators: Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage.

New AI features and premium content in Keynote, Pages, and Numbers also make the Apple Creator Studio an exciting subscription suite. Freeform will eventually be added to the lineup.

The groundbreaking collection is designed to put studio-grade power into the hands of everyone. It builds on the essential role Apple devices play in the lives of millions of creators worldwide.

The apps included cover video editing, music making, creative imaging, and visual productivity to give modern creators the features and capabilities they need.

Final Cut Pro introduces exceptional new video editing tools and intelligent features for Mac and iPad.

For the first time, Pixelmator Pro is also coming to iPad with a uniquely crafted experience optimized for touch and Apple Pencil.

Logic Pro, meanwhile, for Mac and iPad introduces more intelligent features like Synth Player and Chord ID.

Apple Creator Studio will be available on the App Store beginning January 29. In the Philippines, the rates are PhP 399 a month or PhP 3,990 annually.

There is also a free one-month trial which includes access to:

Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Pixelmator Pro on Mac and iPad
Motion, Compressor, and MainStage on Mac
Intelligent features and premium content for Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and later Freeform for iPhone, iPad, and Mac

College students and educators can subscribe for a discounted price of PhP 149 per month or PhP 1,490 per year.

Apps

Apple gives up on making AI, inks a deal with Gemini to power Siri

Gemini gets another feather in its cap.

Published

January 14, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

In the not-too-long-ago past, the biggest names of the tech industry competed to build their own AI software. Now, though some brands are still on the hunt, it’s easier to name certain software that have more successfully drowned users in a flood of AI-powered features. Today, Google gets another win by adding Apple’s Siri to its Gemini cap.

In the past, Apple peddled Apple Intelligence, an upcoming AI-powered system to compete against the giants of the industry. However, much like other features from other brands, Apple Intelligence came out half baked with features still lacking months after the initial launch.

Now, Apple has signed a deal with Google to use Gemini for a revamped Siri. The former plans to launch a new version of Siri later this year. Because of the deal, the voice assistant will start using Gemini as a foundation for its own services. Currently, Samsung’s Galaxy AI already uses Gemini.

Formerly a battleground between so many competing brands, it’s now looking like a battle between two major companies: Google and OpenAI. Google now has a huge grip, though. Both Samsung and Apple are no slouches when it comes to owning market share in the world’s smartphones.

Now, as consumers, Apple’s deal probably doesn’t mean much besides the continued influx of features that add little to no value to a smartphone.

Apps

Microsoft continues to shove Copilot where it’s not wanted

This time, it’s reportedly coming to File Explorer.

Published

January 14, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

If you look at a modern keyboard, you’ll find that the Copilot button is the cleanest one on the entire panel because no one ever willingly presses it. And yet, Microsoft still believes in the feature’s value. To show their odd commitment, the company is reportedly adding Copilot to File Explorer.

According to @phantomofearth from X (via Windows Central), a new Windows 11 preview build will add a button beside File Explorer’s navigation menu. Currently, the button is invisible and doesn’t do anything. However, the report says that the feature is tied to something called “Chat with Copilot.” It’s becoming clear that the system aims to add the AI software right inside the file organization app.

Besides revealing the potential addition of the egregious feature inside File Explorer, @phantomofearth also added mock-ups of a desktop with Copilot right on the taskbar, hinting at a potential nightmare of the feature lording itself over where it’s not wanted.

Thankfully, the preview build doesn’t always represent a final version of the system. There’s still a chance that Microsoft will not add the AI to the File Explorer.

As of late, Microsoft has received a lot of flak for persistently pushing Copilot onto users, regardless of how they feel about the feature. The company is also facing criticisms in the background for being a major proponent of AI data centers in the United States, which, in turn, have caused the prices of tech to skyrocket this year.