Apps
GrabPay expands its cashless payments
You can now pay for bills, groceries with GrabPay
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
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.
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