Apps

Shopee levels up your in-app experience with Shopee Pets

Get rewards, big discounts, and brand offers

Published

March 11, 2022

Apple Gamboa

I have to let you in on a secret — unlike so many kids in my generation, I never got to own a Tamagotchi and I’ve always, always wanted one. So, imagine my thrill in the first week of March, when I opened my Shopee app and found out they released a game that was inspired by the popular mobile game in the 90’s — Shopee Pets. And what’s even more exciting, this game allows users to redeem rewards by taking care of their cute, fluffy pets.

Aside from big discounts and exclusive brand offers, Shopee Pets is one of the many exciting things to look forward to during this 3.15 Consumer Day Sale.

Shopee Pets is a life simulation game where players can help their pets evolve through daily activities. Players can level up their pet’s experience points and unlock diamond points throughout the game by feeding, cleaning, and playing with them. Accumulated points can be used to redeem rewards at the Points Redemption Store.

I really find it cute whenever I’d feed, groom and dress up my pet, Liam. It’s also really fun playing with him and keeping him happy by playing Soccer, Trampoline and Dance to the Music games. Once he reached level 4, I was able to attend the Shopee Pet School daily with him where we got to answer quizzes, race and join other class games together to earn more diamond points.

Players can start doing improvements on their pet’s home by level 25, unlocking new themes, and gaining access to upgrades. Players can take care of their pets all day, and once their pet reaches level 50, they can choose another pet and repeat the life cycle.

Collect coins, vouchers, and more

With Shopee Pets, players can look forward to amazing prizes which include Shopee coins, coins cashback vouchers, and other products such as a Xiaomi Air Purifier, an O’Healthy Electric Juicer Blender, an Acer Aspire 3 laptop, and many more. One lucky player also stands a chance to win ₱100,000 via ShopeePay from March 12 to 16.

Shopee Pets joins a list of other fun in-app games such as Pera Panalo, Shopee Candy, Shopee Farm, Shopee Bubble, and Shopee Claw that have become shoppers’ favorites on the platform.

And to enhance the overall online shopping experience, ShopeePay, Shopee’s mobile wallet, offers exclusive perks and savings such as daily free shipping and cashback vouchers. Users can enjoy 20% cashback when they scan to pay at ShopeePay’s partner merchants until the end of March. Users can also checkout ShopeePay PhP 1 Deals and redeem discounts in stores.

On 3.15 Consumer Day, users can take advantage of 50% off on load across all networks and up to 100% cashback on bills payment. With ShopeePay’s Free transfers feature, users won’t have to worry about transfer fees when they send money to any bank or to any Shopee user. They can get a chance to win PhP 100,00 and new users can get free ₱100 on their first-ever transfer from March 8 to 17.

Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play.

Apps

Google, on Android adopting Liquid Glass: “Not happening!”

Just in case you were wondering.

Published

May 7, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Google is slightly moving away from Material Design. Last week, a set of icon changes saw Android adding splashes of gradients to its formerly flat app icons. To poke fun at Android’s move away from flat designs, a user on X created a mockup of Android running Apple’s Liquid Design. Google, however, had a response ready in the chamber.

On X, @Micetor made a mockup of Android, specifically on the upcoming Pixel 11, using Apple’s latest Liquid Design aesthetics. It looked much like what an iPhone does except with Google’s icons and fonts.

Clearly, Google does not need to reply to any unsubstantiated mockups about its ecosystem. But they still did.

Sameer Samat, Google’s head for the Android ecosystem, personally replied to the mockup with a simple rebuttal: “Not happening!”

Not happening! Y'all are wild. 😂

— Sameer Samat (@ssamat) May 5, 2026

Despite using the design language for over a decade, Google does not want to drop Material Design altogether. Though the new gradients have revitalized the design language somewhat, the essence of flat design is still there.

Apple, on the other hand, wants a return to 3D. Liquid Design mimics the transparent aesthetics of Windows Vista. Though a bunch of users have found the design polarizing, other brands have started copying the design for themselves, incorporating elements on Liquid Design on their interfaces.

Whatever Google is doing, it’s coming in due time. The company is hosting its annual Google I/O on May 12 to showcase new developments coming to the Android ecosystem, including its design.

Apps

iOS 26.5 will support end-to-end encryption RCS messaging

The final update should come out within the month.

Published

May 5, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Back in 2023, Apple finally adopted the RCS messaging standard, ensuring that iOS and Android users could communicate more seamlessly despite being on different platforms. This year, the platform is adding an improvement to the feature: end-to-end encryption.

Starting with the upcoming launch of iOS 26.5, Apple will now support end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging between iOS and Android users (via 9to5Mac). Besides the seamless communication, users on both platforms can start enjoying secure messaging with one another.

Apple has been testing the feature since February. Now, the company is confident enough to release the encryption technology in a new build for iOS 26.5 meant for developers. At this point, it’s just waiting for an actual release.

Why is this a big deal? Encryption adds an extra layer of security for your messages. Plus, end-to-end encryption means that messages is encrypted and decrypted only by the sender and the receiver. Third parties, which includes Apple, cannot intercept and access your information.

With the feature on, both messaging platforms on Android and iOS will show a lock icon to signify that, yes, your messages are encrypted.

Though the current build isn’t meant for end users just yet, it’s expected that iOS 26.5 will launch within the month, if not by next week.

SEE ALSO: Apple iPhone 17e review

Apps

YouTube makes picture-in-picture mode free for everyone globally

The update is rolling out globally now.

Published

April 30, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Picture-in-picture (or PiP) mode is a godsend for multitaskers. The feature lets users watch videos in a tiny floating window while doing other tasks. However, the feature isn’t readily available for all users. Or wasn’t, at least. YouTube is now rolling out PiP mode for free globally.

Previously, PiP mode was exclusive to YouTube users who pay for Premium or Premium Lite. It was also exclusive to the United States.

Now, YouTube is making the feature completely free for users all over the globe. It will be available for both iOS and Android versions of the app.

There’s still a catch, though. The free version is available only for “longform, non-music content.” The same goes for Premium Lite subscribers. Music is still an exclusive feature for those who pay for the regular version of Premium. Basically, there is no change for paying users or users in the United States.

Using PiP mode is simple. All you need to do is load up a video you want to watch in the background. Then, just exit the YouTube app and go about your other tasks. The video will be inside a floating, resizable window while you look at other things.

There’s no timeline on when the update will reach your device. However, YouTube has promised that it will roll out globally within the coming months.