Google has added a new feature to Google Maps for iOS: the ability to send an ETA to someone else. The feature was recently updated for Android users back in August and now it can be used from an iPhone, as well. With it, Google Maps users on iOS can share their live location with contacts in real time, enabling others to see their ETA without waiting for manual updates.
Uber has updated its mobile app with a new way for riders and drivers to talk with each other: VoIP. The new calling feature is akin to Skype, but exclusively for users who want to chat with their driver in a personal manner. The new feature joins the existing ability to send SMS and in-app text-based chat messages.
An app released this week allows running Linux on any Android device without the need for root. This app is absolutely super simple to use and requires little to no technical knowledge to get off the ground running. The app goes by the name UserLand and it's entirely free to download and use - and it's also completely open source.
If you're one of the Spotify faithful and you own a Wear OS smartwatch, then today you're getting another option when it comes to controlling your music. Spotify has announced a standalone app for Wear OS, which means that you no longer need to rely on your phone when it comes to listening to your Spotify library. For those that use a smartwatch regularly, this will likely be a welcome launch.
Lately, Discord has quickly been growing past the scope of a VoIP and chatting service for gamers it launched with just three years ago. This is perhaps best evidenced by the app's new digital storefront, which launched in a limited beta back in August. Today, the storefront is launching in beta on a global scale, giving users a chance to buy select video games within Discord itself.
Google's new Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL devices were revealed earlier this week, and to almost no surprise the phones are ready to hold their title as having some of the best cameras around. One of the key reasons for this is that the Pixel doesn't just rely on optics hardware, but also uses advanced software in the custom Pixel Camera app to capture great images. This continues with the latest generation, but next week's launch also sees the app get a long-awaited feature.
Facebook is testing an Unsend feature in Messenger that will enable users to "unsend" a message they've sent to others. The company first announced plans to offer this feature following controversy over some Zuckerberg messages that had quietly been deleted from recipients' accounts. Though Facebook doesn't have much to say on the matter, a pair of screenshots showing it have been published.
This week the Google Pixel 3 was revealed in full by Google and, before the device hit stores, its camera app was leaked. This app includes some of the technology meant to make the Google Pixel 3 the most elite camera smartphone in the world. Not all, but certainly some. Unless you've got a Pixel 3 in your pocket, this is just about as close as you're gonna get.
It's not exactly a secret that Facebook has been trying to unseat sites like YouTube and Twitch when it comes to streaming video - particularly game streaming. Over the summer, a new portal called Fb.gg was launched, organizing Facebook's game streaming service in one place. Of course, the success of YouTube and Twitch comes in part because of their mobile presence, and Facebook has wasted little time in coming up with an answer to that as well.
With macOS Mojave landing at the end of last month, a lot of developers are looking to update their apps to take advantage of the operating system's new features. 1Password has done just that for its password manager, pushing version 7.2 to Mac this week. Along with it comes a number of new features that center around the new capabilities of macOS Mojave, including a new dark mode 1Password's developers seem particularly excited about.
Facebook has launched 3D photos, a tool that uses artificial intelligence to add a 3D effect to images. The feature requires the user to take images with a dual-lens iPhone camera, which captures depth information. When shared, users who view the 3D photos can move their phone or VR headset around and view the subject independently of the background.
Apple Music incorporated Genius lyrics this week as Genius added an Apple Music player for Apple Music subscribers. That's the lyrics encyclopedia website Genius, previously known as Rap Genius, now rolling with Apple. Users who visit Genius whilst logged in to Apple Music (with an Apple Music subscription) will be able to play any track for which they're reading lyrics. Just so long as that track is available on Apple Music.