Apps

Spotify trolls the Golden State Warriors in new playlist cover

Yes, it’s a real playlist made by Spotify

Published

November 17, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

In sports, there are just some moments that you just have to laugh at, regardless of which team/athlete you support. Today, Spotify is joining the fun by trolling the Golden State Warriors and their recent blunder during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

This week, Warrior Klay Thompson got into a scuffle with Timberwolf Jaden McDaniels. To break up the melee, Rudy Gobert got between the two and attempted to restrain Thompson. Within a split second of Gobert’s intervention, Draymond Green entered the fray and put Gobert in a chokehold. McDaniels, Thompson, and Green were all ejected from the game. Additionally, the NBA meted out a five-game suspension against Green for the dangerous escalation.

For fans of either team and neutral onlookers, the moment lives on infamy, prompting debates supporting or decrying Green’s actions. Naturally, memes about the event also popped up. Spotify is piling onto the ongoing discourse by making the cover of one of its public playlists into the now-iconic moment.

Compared to other music streaming services, Spotify offers one of the most comprehensive curations of music through public playlists on the platform. One of those playlists, simply called Locked In, is meant to hype listeners up for those critical gametime moments when there’s only two minutes left on the clock. Touting over three million followers, the playlist contains an extensive lineup of hip-hop and rap music.

And, as you can see now, Spotify’s idea of being locked in is a renaissance-like photo of Draymond Green literally locking in Rudy Gobert by the throat. If you don’t like that, you don’t like NBA basketball Spotify’s music.

Apps

Twitch is shutting down in South Korea

By the end of February 2024

Published

December 7, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

Livestreaming has been an entertainment juggernaut since 2020. A lot of users online, especially those stuck at home or who have transitioned to work-from-home lifestyles, have turned to streaming both as viewers and as creators themselves. Unfortunately, in some countries, streaming doesn’t come cheap. If you’re in South Korea or are fans of Korean streamers, the streaming landscape is about to change. Twitch is shutting down in the country.

In a blog post released today, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy announced that the company’s operations in South Korea will stop on February 27. After this date, streamers who made Twitch their community’s home will have to find a new platform.

As a gesture of goodwill, Clancy says that the company will help Korean streamers find a new home — even if it’s not on Twitch — leading up the shutdown date. Currently, YouTube remains a possible destination for streamers.

Operating an online company in South Korea is pricey. Because laws are different in the country, internet service providers can charge companies significantly more for bandwidth usage. Because of the exorbitant costs, “Twitch has been operating in Korea at a significant loss,” Clancy said, leading to the withdrawal.

The death knell has sounded for a while. Last year, the platform downgraded the country’s maximum resolution to only 720p in an attempt to reduce costs. Though a former leader in South Korea’s thriving esports community, Twitch now finds itself on a flight heading out of the country.

Apps

Facebook, Instagram will lose cross-platform messaging this month

For an unknown reason

Published

December 5, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

Over the past few years, Meta started integrating its various platforms into one ecosystem. Right now, Facebook and Instagram users can chat with each other on their respective apps. Unfortunately for fans of the cross-communication between the two platforms, Meta is taking the feature away this month.

Through a new support page, Instagram has announced that chatting between the two platforms will no longer be available starting in mid-December. The exact date of the removal is currently unknown, though.

When the undisclosed date arrives, Instagram users cannot start new conversations with Facebook users anymore. Additionally, all existing chats between the two platforms will become read-only, meaning users can’t add new messages to the conversation anymore.

On the flipside, Facebook users will stop seeing the Activity Status of Instagram users from their platform. Cross-platform conversations will not appear on Messenger, either.

Though the support page is conclusive against the feature, Meta has not explicitly explained why Meta changed its current cross-platform plans. It’s still possible that the company will implement a better solution in the future. As it stands, the European Union’s GDPR regulations require large companies to main interoperability between different platforms. Meta is an undeniable example of such a large company.

Apps

Strava is getting a much-requested chatting feature

Individual and group chats

Published

December 5, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

What is your fitness app of choice? Though there are a lot of options available now for enthusiasts, it’s undeniable that Strava is making one hell of an impact lately. If you’re a fan of the social fitness app, you’re getting a new feature to boost the social part of Strava.

Today, Strava is getting a substantial messaging feature for users. In the new update, users can start chats with other users in single or group conversations.

It’s a comprehensive feature, too. Chats will include likes and GIF reactions. Additionally, users can configure their options to accept messages only from mutuals or only after they messaged the other person first. Additionally, group chat creators can manage the participants included in the chat.

When compared to other fitness apps today, Strava is arguably leaning more towards the social aspect of the experience. The app allows users to run and hike together as a community. Now, despite how social the core of the app is, it never really allowed users to communicate directly with one another. Users had to rely on external messaging apps just to coordinate with one another.

As of late, Strava continues to pile on more features and integrations with other apps. Earlier this year, the app started allowing users to integrate with Spotify.