Apps
Galaxy S24 might let you place Instagram on your lock screen
A big change from how lock screens work
Which apps would you consider an essential on your smartphone? While everyone has different answers for that question, smartphone makers have a way of deciding for you. Just look at what apps are on the lock screen. Manufacturers think that these apps, usually the camera and the dialer, are so important that you shouldn’t even need to unlock your phone. Samsung is reportedly working on a strange addition to this prestigious list for the Galaxy S24 series: Instagram.
According to app sleuth Alessandro Paluzzi, the upcoming Galaxy S24 will allow users to add a shortcut to the Instagram Camera on their lock screen. If true, the change is significant for smartphones. Commonly, smartphones allow only the brand’s own apps to make the lock screen. Third-party apps, such as Facebook and Instagram, are usually unavailable for a slot on the screen. (Facebook only recently got real estate on the iPhone’s lock screen through iOS 16.)
#Instagram is working on letting #Samsung #GalaxyS24 users add the shortcut for the Instagram Camera to the lock screen 👀 pic.twitter.com/vlG2uucXn0
— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) November 15, 2023
The strict system prevents users from accidentally making huge changes while the phone is in their pocket. That said, it should be interesting to see how the Galaxy S24 handles Instagram on the lock screen.
Based on the wording, only the camera is accessible. If you want to post something as a Story or a Reel, you might need to unlock your phone. Of course, this is all speculation based on a single screenshot from an unannounced smartphone coming next year. When the Galaxy S24 launches, it should come with a flurry of eye-catching features, but Instagram on the lock screen will likely be something interesting to look at.
SEE ALSO: Instagram will soon let you make stickers from your photos
Apps
Apple Creator Studio: Creative apps bundled into single subscription
All the tools you need, one payment
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.
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.
SEE ALSO: Google paid Samsung a lot of money to install Gemini on Galaxy
Apps
Microsoft continues to shove Copilot where it’s not wanted
This time, it’s reportedly coming to File Explorer.
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.
SEE ALSO: Dell admits AI PCs were a mistake
-
Reviews2 weeks agoPOCO M8 Pro review: Goin’ loco over this POCO
-
News6 days agoInfinix NOTE Edge debuts: High-end features for accessible pricing
-
Reviews1 week agoRedmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G review: The midrange fashion piece
-
Reviews1 week agoMijia Smart Audio Glasses review: Immerse yourself in the music
-
CES 20262 weeks agoBest of CES 2026: AI Everything!
-
Features1 week agoCan the REDMI Note 15 Pro+ 5G Survive?
-
News1 week agoREDMI Note 15 Series unveiled: Price, availability in the Philippines
-
CES 20262 weeks agoSpotlight: ASUS Zenbook at CES 2026

