Apps
Zoom users will start getting ads soon
For free users in select countries

Especially because of the pandemic, Zoom skyrocketed into its fame. The video-conferencing app is now an essential in every professional’s toolbox, whether they’re still working from home or already returning to the office. Its popularity hinges on two essential factors: it’s free and easy to use. Shifting its focus, Zoom is making its app a tiny bit less free and a lot more profitable by showing ads to free users.
To be clear, Zoom won’t magically implement a payment system for every user. However, if you’re enjoying the app’s benefits free of charge (as a lot of people are), the platform will start to push ads towards you after every call. Ads won’t pop up during an actual meeting. Instead, users will see them in the little browser pop-up once the call ends.
Zoom is still testing the program out. As such, ads will only pop up in select countries. (The company didn’t mention which countries in its official announcement.) Regardless, the new program is a start towards a more profitable system for the company (and, arguably, a more contentious one for its free users).
Currently, the platform’s free tier does not lock users out from a lot of essential features on Zoom. In fact, end-to-end encryption, which used to be a premium feature, is already available for free users. The new ad program will further serve to delineate Zoom’s free tier from its more premium one.
SEE ALSO: How to remove filters in Zoom


Maya is offering subscribers many ways to save this summer season by using the digital bank app.
Those who have not downloaded Maya yet will get a free Maya Card when they open an account and deposit PhP 1,000.
For cash ins and bank transfers, Maya helps people get rid of transaction fees and enjoy cashbacks.
Customers who cash in via InstaPay will get up to PhP 25 cashback. Those who use Maya Center, meanwhile, get a full cashback on their 1% cash in fee, capped at PhP 150.
There’s also no cash in fee for linked banks and over-the-counter transactions up to PhP 8,000.
Need to pay for something but do not have enough funds at the moment? Maya may also be used to get instant credit of up to PhP 18,000 for eligible users.
Throughout summer, users should also be on the lookout for these exclusive deals:
- Zalora: 20% off discount for new users, 18% off for existing users on purchases using Maya; 15% off on Michaela Bags
- Robinsons Malls: Up to PhP 200 cashback using Maya QR, minimum spend PhP 1,000
- SM Store: Raffle entry for every cash in or Maya QR scan-to-pay; prizes are PhP 3,000 Maya credits, Apple Airpods Pro 2, Apple iPhone 14
- Boozy: PhP 150 off sitewide using promo code MAYA150 upon checkout
- Airpaz: 3% discount on flight and hotel bookings using Maya, minimum spend PhP 1,600

Is it on Huawei AppGallery?
This is the question we get asked most when people are curious about a Huawei smartphone.
It’s no secret to anyone the challenges that Huawei faces. But they’ve done a wonderful job beefing up their own library of apps. The essentials are there. And now, we’re happy to report that they also added these apps for your mobile gaming pleasure.
These are: Roblox, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Genshin Impact.
Here’s how easy it is to download these apps through the Huawei AppGallery.
WATCH HOW TO DOWNLOAD HERE.
Roblox
Roblox describes itself as “the ultimate virtual universe that lets you create, share experiences with friends”.
It appears to be very popular with kids. And some K-Pop groups have even launched partnerships with the game during their mini album releases.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang or simply Mobile Legends is a game many of you should be familiar with, especially if you live in Southeast Asia.
It’s become the de facto MOBA game for many in the region. So much so that huge tournaments have been held over the past few years.
Call of Duty: Mobile
Call of Duty is already a popular franchise on its own. It also found huge success in Asia with its mobile version.
Call of Duty is no stranger to seasonal content as even their flagship titles operate in the same manner year after year. This is likely why players keep coming back.
Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact took the world by storm when it first launched in 2020. The anime-like art style along with the engaging gameplay and story made it a huge hit.
HoYoverse continues to provide fresh content to this day, expanding the already vast world in the game.

The race for artificial intelligence is a hot trail. Amid the unbridled popularity of ChatGPT, several companies have started pushing their own language models out the gate. Google, eager to compete in the emerging industry, has now opened Bard to users.
Today, Google has started issuing invitations to Google One subscribers for a chance to try the new chatbot. Subscribers can enter a waitlist to test the technology for themselves.
In essence, Bard acts the same as ChatGPT. Users can talk to the bot conversationally, and it will respond perfectly, as if you were talking to another human being. It’s a language learning model. By talking to so many users, the model can learn the best way to reply to certain prompts.
Although Google has access to its search engine, Bard is currently meant to complement it. The company warns users that the chatbot is still prone to occasional mistakes. As an example, it gave the wrong scientific name for a plant. While this example is innocuous, there can be more nefarious errors that the developers are still trying to fix. With a wider test now open to the public, Google hopes to fix more egregious mistakes ahead of a wider launch.
For now, if you subscribe to Google’s premium subscription service, you can wait in line to try out the new technology.
SEE ALSO: Google is working on a ChatGPT competitor called Bard
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