From Clubhouse updates to Amazon’s robot announcement, here’s what you missed in tech this week!
Instagram for kids
Instagram has decided to pause the launch of Instagram Kids. This project was initially started to prevent kids younger than 13 to lie about their age to create an Instagram account. Instagram Kids would have been launched for children younger than 13. However, Instagram faced backlash as people communicated how toxic the app can be for teens. Read more about the project here.
Rating Apple Apps on the App Store
Apple now allows users to rate their apps in the App Store. Since this update, users were unable to review and rate Apple Apps such as Apple Mail, Apple Maps, and Podcasts. Now users can share their true feelings about the different Apple Apps. As this is a recent update, there has not been an abundance of ratings yet. Find out more about the new update and low ratings here.
Facebook cross-app group chats
Facebook continues to integrate its apps with cross-app messaging between Messenger and Instagram. Now, Facebook has released various updates including cross-app group chats. This update allows users to start group chats with both their Messenger and Instagram accounts. This integration will help users stay connected in a much easier way. For all of Facebook’s updates announcements, head here.
Amazon’s home robot
Amazon will soon launch its first home robot, Astro. According to Amazon, Astro will be able to move autonomously around your home and has the ability to check up on pets, people, and home safety. Astro also works with Ring to provide your home extra security. The robot will essentially be an Alexa on wheels as it will have the same capabilities as Alexa but will be able to move around your home with you. Read Amazon’s article about Astro here.
New Clubhouse Features
Clubhouse has announced new updates to its audio-only app. One of the updates includes Clips. This new feature allows users to share 30-second clips of public rooms, which makes it easier for people to discover your club. Currently, Clips is in beta so it is only being released to a small group of creators. Read the full list of updates here.
YouTube bans anti-vax videos
In an attempt to mitigate misinformation about the vaccine, YouTube has stated that it will now ban any video on the app that spreads misinformation about the vaccine. They will also ban and terminate channels of people who are known to be against the vaccine. This is YouTube’s new effort to help stop the spread of vaccine misinformation as the company has started pulling ads from anti-vax videos since 2019. Head here for the full story.
