Apps

3 reasons why Tinder is the best travel app

Tips on how to make the most out of your travels!

Published

November 4, 2019

MJ Jucutan

There are plenty of travel apps nowadays to help you make the most out of your travels, but nothing comes close to the splendid experience I had using Tinder. Yes, you read that right. I used Tinder — a dating app — as a travel app.

There’s always a stigma surrounding Tinder. Whenever I mention I’m using the app, people frown. Tinder, to these people, is an app for hooking up or for those desperate to find love. Pity them for they don’t know that an app like this has a lot of uses, particularly during your travels.

Here are the reasons why it’s the best travel app, ever.

You can get the best recommendations from a local

No one knows a place better than a local. Want to know the coolest yet un-crowded cafe in the neighborhood? How about some speakeasy bar that only a few can go into? These locals know the spots where you can best enjoy the city so it’s best to ask them.

A while back, I was in Taipei for a business trip. Seeing how I have a spare day to go around, I asked a few matches in the area on where to go and what to do. A local suggested visiting chic cafes, art galleries, and other hiking destinations aside from the popular Elephant Mountain. A bar owner — whom I matched with — suggested visiting his bar in New Taipei City. However, it was too far and it would have taken so much time so I decided to pass.

These suggestions helped me plan my itinerary which would later allow me to take Instagrammable photos around the city, buy local beef jerky as a souvenir to my now ex-crush, and see more of what Taipei has to offer.

You can have a date, tour guide, and photographer in one

Some matches are eager to meet you in person. If you decide to meet these Tinderfellas and Tinderellas, they can easily become your tour guide and your photographer on your date.

A year ago, my flight was delayed for seven hours. Stuck at Mactan-Cebu International Airport, I decided to open Tinder and asked my matches the best places to visit around the area. I was keen on exploring nearby destinations since Cebu is known for its horrible traffic jams, and I didn’t want to miss my flight.

A match gave me tourist spots in Lapu-Lapu city (where the airport was located) and I explored for an hour. A few moments later, he asked if I wanted to meet up and I immediately said yes. I took a motorcycle ride to the capital and met him at SM Seaside City Cebu, the third-largest shopping mall in the Philippines.

Seeing how I had limited time to explore, my match took me to the best spots where we could eat and take lots of amazing photos, particularly at the mall’s rooftop where we both watched the sunset together.

You can make connections that last a lifetime

It’s marvelous to find people whom you can connect with on a different level, and it’s even more interesting if they came from different cultural backgrounds. These people are full of ideas and opinions that it’s hard not to be drawn and share your own thoughts. The conversation we have with these people can lead to a different kind of connection, something that we yearn in most of our relationships with other people.

However, not everything is about romance. Some connections are bound to stay as friendships. I have a lot of friends and acquaintances now that I initially met on Tinder, and I was able to forge harmonious (and professional) relationships with all of them. To date, I still grab meals with them and keep up with everything that’s happening in each other’s lives, especially when I’m around town.

Yes, Susan. You can build a wholesome and professional relationship with your Tinder matches. It’s not just for hook-ups, but if that’s your jam, then…

Bonus: Get free accommodations for a night!

If you’re down for a sexy time, Tinder can get you free accommodations, too! You can ask your date and stay at his/her place and voila, life hacked. Just be careful about who you sleep with, screen them properly, inform at least one of your friends, and don’t forget to use protection!

What’s your Tinder story? Connect with us on social media and share your stories!

Apps

Disney+ launches a TikTok-coded vertical feed called Verts

Published

March 13, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

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.

Apps

Google Maps is finally getting a 3D mode

The app will also have a Gemini chatbot baked inside.

Published

March 13, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

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.

Apps

Apple Music, TikTok launch Play Full Song, a new music discovery experience

Rolling out worldwide exclusively through Apple Music

Published

March 12, 2026

GadgetMatch

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.