Apps
WhatsApp will turn-off features until you accept the new T&C
Facebook wants your submission before May 15
WhatsApp will continue the roll-out of its controversial terms of service, which has received a lot of criticism in the last few months for being too intrusive. Well, Facebook has made it clear that users can either accept the new terms or lose access to features.
The instant messenger has always shied away from advertisements since its inception. But its acquisition by Facebook confirmed one thing — the private, silent life of WhatsApp would change radically. The new terms and conditions are from Facebook, ensuring that all its products like Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp, are ready for monetization.
“After a few weeks of limited functionality, you won’t be able to receive incoming calls or notifications, and WhatsApp will stop sending messages and calls to your phone,” the company said. At that point, users will have to choose: either accept the new terms, or they slowly forget WhatsApp.
The moment WhatsApp starts sending “persistent reminders,” users will encounter limited functionality on WhatsApp until they accept the updates. Although, it won’t happen to all users simultaneously and will change in a phased manner.
Additionally, if you don’t use the messaging app, your account will get deleted as WhatsApp generally deletes those accounts that remain untouched for about 120 days.
The rollout isn’t going smoothly for WhatsApp, though. Germany’s data regulator has asked the instant messenger to stop processing users’ data from the country. The Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (HmbBfDI) issued a three-month emergency ban on Tuesday, which is permitted under the General Data Protection Regulation.
Right now, it’s hard to gauge if Facebook will continue with its blitzkrieg or buy some time for itself and rethink the strategy. If one country has clamped down on the app, it won’t take much time for others to follow as well. Facebook is already in boiling water with American lawmakers and cannot afford to spoil relationships with any more governments.
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
-
News2 weeks agoInfinix NOTE Edge debuts: High-end features for accessible pricing
-
Reviews2 weeks agoRedmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G review: The midrange fashion piece
-
Features2 weeks agoCan the REDMI Note 15 Pro+ 5G Survive?
-
Reviews1 week agoHONOR X9d 5G review: Tougher, more long-lasting and optimized
-
Gaming2 weeks agoCivilization VII coming to Apple Arcade this February 5th
-
Automotive1 week agoBYD expands PH presence with entry of DENZA luxury EVs
-
News2 weeks agoHONOR slaps the iPhone Air with the all-new Magic8 Pro Air
-
News1 week agoBeyond the Box, Digital Walker turn over Tesla Model Y to iPhone 17 raffle winner

