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

Google Photos can now censor your kid’s face better

The new Redact feature can censor sensitive information.

Published

September 25, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Censoring photos is heavy work. Either you stick on random emojis or draw an indiscriminate splotch of doodles to cover sensitive information. It’s an imperfect art but an essential one to protect privacy. Today, Google Photos is getting a Redact feature which can censor sensitive bits with pixelated blocks.

An addition to the Markup tool, Redact acts like a nifty pen that can hide information that you don’t want seen. Unlike a ghastly emoji or a splotch, the censored bar mixes better with the surrounding elements. In the example that Google used, a censored license plate blends well with the car it’s attached to, making the photo look more cohesive. Besides license plates, it’s the perfect tool for covering other information like phone numbers, addresses, and the faces of your loved ones.

Google Photos is also rolling out Moods, a set of filters that give photos a nostalgic look, including a 2000s night digicam vibe that’s popular today. There are also 15 new Remix templates to add more creation options.

Both the Redact and the Moods features will roll out to Android users starting today. The new Remix templates, however, will be limited to some countries on both Android and iOS.

Apps

Smart launches LiveSmart App for exclusive deals

Exclusive deals, cashback, and bill payments in one app.

Published

September 18, 2026

GadgetMatch

Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and TNT have launched the LiveSmart App, a new platform that combines loading, bill payments, exclusive offers, and other everyday transactions in one app.

The app is available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. It is open to Smart, TNT, and subscribers of other mobile networks.

The LiveSmart App gives users access to exclusive deals and savings. These include cashback offers, discounted Smart and TNT data packages, and limited-time access to AI.Smart.

“Filipinos are becoming more deliberate about where they spend and how they can get more value from every peso,” said Lloyd R. Manaloto, FVP and OIC for Smart. “The LiveSmart App is designed to help make those everyday decisions a little smarter, by giving users convenient ways to load, pay bills, and access exclusive savings and offers in one place.”

Exclusive deals and perks

Smart and TNT are rolling out several offers on the LiveSmart App starting September 18.

Smart and TNT subscribers can get 5% cashback when they purchase load or pay their Smart Postpaid bill through the app.

The app also offers data packages at exclusive prices. Smart Prepaid subscribers can get Power All 109 for PHP 105, while TNT subscribers can get Saya All 109 for PHP 105.

Users who download the LiveSmart App may also receive limited-time free access to AI.Smart.

AI.Smart combines multiple AI models, including AWS Nova, ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, and Thinking Machines, in one workspace. Users can use it to generate images, create presentations, draft documents and spreadsheets, and get help with schoolwork, content creation, and other projects.

To claim the free AI.Smart credits, users need to tap the AI.Smart banner in the LiveSmart App. They then need to create an AI.Smart account using their Smart or TNT number.

Smart says users can also expect more exclusive deals and perks from lifestyle partners as it expands the LiveSmart App.

Powered by Smart 5G

The LiveSmart App runs on Smart’s network. Smart 5G supports activities such as video streaming, gaming, and real-time social media sharing.

The company said Ookla recently recognized its network for the Best Mobile Video Experience in the Philippines for the first half of 2026. Smart recorded a Video Score of 72.82, which it said was the highest among mobile operators in the country.

The LiveSmart App is now available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Users can learn more about the app through Smart’s website.

Apps

Apple’s best feature to cure motion sickness is finally on Android

Google copies a good page from Apple’s playbook.

Published

September 15, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

As an Android user, I’ve been jealous of iPhone users for a while now, but it’s not for the reason you might think. See, I’m ridiculously prone to motion sickness when I’m not driving. So, when I discovered that Apple has a software-based cure called Vehicle Motion Cues, I wanted it immediately. Now, Android does have third-party apps that do the same thing, but they’re not as good as a fully native version. Well, those dark, nauseating days are about to come to an end. Android 17 is finally getting a similar tool called Motion assist.

Before that, let’s rewind for a bit. What do these features do? How can they cure motion sickness?

Whenever you open Vehicle Motion Cues or Motion assist, the interface spawns a series of dots on the screen. These dots respond to movement. For example, if the vehicle turns to the left, the dots also go to the left, mimicking the movement. Without cues like this, the stationary nature of the screen clashes with our brain’s perception of movement. The disparity creates that feeling of nausea. Basically, our eyes are desperately trying to focus on the static screen, but our brains are telling us that we should be seeing motion. Having moving dots reorients our brain and places the phone inside our perception of movement.

Now, you can enable the same feature on your Android 17 device through Settings > All services > Motion assist under Personal & device safety. You can also set it so that the feature turns on automatically when the phone detects that you’re in a moving vehicle. Finally, you can also tweak the shape, color, and opacity of these dots.

Android 17’s Motion assist is rolling out now to compatible devices.