Author: Trent Meikle

Seriously, WhatsApp has been knocking it out of the park lately. Unique usernames, locked chats, and of course, the edit button. Meta’s messenger is due a “bad” update soon, right? Yes, but that won’t be happening any time soon if the rumours over at WABetaInfo are true (and they usually are). This time ’round, Meta is working on multi-account support. Living a double life As it stands, the only way to have two instances of yourself across two WhatsApp accounts is to use your phone’s built-in Dual Messenger feature which works… fine, though it can be a hassle to set…

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta isn’t the be-all-or-end-all content platform it hoped it would be by now. Creators are flying this way and that between YouTube, Twitch, and even TikTok and the few that decide to give Meta, or more specifically, Facebook, a chance rarely ever seem to stick it out long-term. Now, Meta is making some changes in the hopes of driving more creators towards itself with the expansion of its “performance bonus program.” Across the Meta-Verse The first change concerns Meta’s performance bonus program, which pays a premium to creators in exchange for more engagement on their Facebook posts. Meta…

For once, Twitter has gone a couple of days without inciting some sort of “controversy” on the Internet. Or perhaps we’re getting better at tuning Musk’s plaything out. Whatever the case, that blissful peace has come to an end. The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) has laid a $250 million lawsuit at Twitter’s feet for – you guessed it – violating copyright law. The NMPA’s lawsuit is on behalf of seventeen music publishers (including Sony and Universal) who themselves are working with some of the industry’s “best” artists. The suit was filed in Tennessee’s federal court, with the claim that…

Google just couldn’t help itself. During its annual I/O keynote last month, the search giant made it clear that it was joining the generative ‘AI goldrush’, a fad being adopted by any tech company worth its salt in 2023. Google took it a step further, with nearly every announcement at the keynote focusing on AI in some way or another – with Gmail’s “Help me write” feature being one of them. It’s finally being released from its desktop confines, and making its way to Gmail’s Android and iOS apps. Artificial Mail Alas, ‘Help me write’ is — so far –…

Making money through YouTube has long since been a dream coveted by the youth (both past and present), though the platform’s Partner Program has long since been reserved for its better-performing channels. Now, however, YouTube is changing the requirements for eligible channels to join up, allowing smaller creators to start earning some sort of revenue in their channel’s infancy. Howdy, partner YouTube announced the changes to its YouTube Partner Program (YPP) yesterday, giving smaller channels access to features like channel memberships, Super Chats, Super Thanks – also known as tipping (and money laundering), and the ability to promote their merch…

Well, the honeymoon period is finally over. Disney+ is officially hiking subscription prices in South Africa, just over a year since it launched. We’ve been dreading this day, knowing in our bones that the Mouse’s cheaper-than-usual prices wouldn’t last forever. Fortunately, the increase isn’t as drastic as we were expecting. And there’s a month or so left to prepare for the increase taking place on 19 July 2023. Out with the old, in with the new The news comes via the streaming platform’s updated official FAQ page, and official SMS’ sent out to subscribing customers (though we’re still awaiting our…

Games are massive. Just look at the incoming Mortal Kombat 1 (or 29?) which boasts that it’ll need at least 100GB of space before you can get going. That’s nothing compared to the original Warzone install. Activision’s game needs close to 175GB of valuable hard drive space on the PC (via ArsTechnica). Modern-day consoles can’t keep up with the games they’re pumping out and Microsoft’s latest announcement of a new Xbox Series S proves just that. Xbox goes back in time Say hello to the Carbon Black Xbox Series S, a ‘new’ console that’ll come loaded up with 1TB of…

Netflix’s password crackdown is working Despite Netflix’s previous love of password sharing, the company changed its tune over the past few months. Despite being one of the more successful streamers, Netflix’s recent password crackdown in the US – started on 23 May 2023 – has, surprisingly, been a success. That’s not out of love for Netflix; but instead, out of a desire to… uh, watch Stranger Things again? Do people still do that? The streamer’s password crackdown involves turning users away who don’t live at the address of the main account holder. Instead, these users are greeted with a splash…

Geoff Keighley has done it again. The semblance of soul left in the wake of E3’s demise has awakened itself in the Summer Games Fest – ushering in a myriad of new trailers during last night’s event. Not all the games shown off were good and even stranger, not all of them were even games. Seriously, could Henry Cavill look less interested in The Witcher’s season three trailer? Even though PlayStation’s recent Showcase hogged plenty of the limelight, the Summer Games Fest attracted a larger-than-expected crowd, making it difficult to keep up. That’s why we’re doing it for you; stringing…

Those magical pieces of tech that sit around unused in your pocket for most of the day? Forget about ‘em. Android TV 14’s Beta just dropped and it’ll be able to receive (and make) calls on the big screen, amongst a few other changes that involve energy conservation and better-optimized Bluetooth connectivity and HDR controls. The timing is certainly odd, considering Apple’s recent announcement that FaceTime would be coming to tvOS during this week’s Worldwide Developers Conference. Either way, humanity is inching ever closer to the world promised to us in Back to the Future II – even if it…