Everything Else

News: Facebook's AI-Powered Assistant Just Keeps Getting Better with Latest Update

M — Facebook's AI-powered assistant unveiled to the public in April — is now better than ever. The latest update to M now allows it to provide three more suggestions: a function to save content to view later, birthday wishes, and call initiation.

News: No Matter Where You Are, You Can Request an Uber for Someone Else

Admit it — many of us have not gotten in the Uber's we've requested. Sometimes, you just need to get someone else a cab that you're not going to be going with. No biggie ... but your friend doesn't have any connection to Uber or the driver, which can be a little awkward. Uber is addressing this slight issue today, with an update that allows you to officially request Ubers for others.

News: Spotify Brings Popular Playlist to Life with Concert Tour

Your favorite music-streaming app is taking artists from its popular RapCaviar playlist on tour to five major US cities. That's right, put down your smartphones and pick up your credit card because these tickets are going to sell fast.

Review: Sonic the Hedgehog on Mobile Is a Fun Throwback, with More Than a Few Headaches

Who would have thought back in 1991 that you'd eventually be able to play Sonic the Hedgehog whenever and wherever you wanted? Not a crappy Game Gear version, either. I'm talking the full Sega Genesis version of Sonic, available to you on a bus, a plane, or in a rest-stop bathroom. Now imagine how those people would react if you told them the game would also be free. They would think you were crazy.

News: Facebook Messenger Gets a Huge Update with New Filters & AR Features

Say goodbye to boring video chats over Messenger. Now the app is rolling out new features that can make any chat interesting and fun.

News: Want to Watch YouTube with Other People? Try Uptime

If you're like me, then your perfect Friday night has your friends over for some group-YouTube streaming. If you're not like me, you're probably cool. But for the rest of us, YouTube is meant to be a shared experience. I think YouTube has caught on to that trend, since it has developed Uptime, an app that lets you watch YouTube with other people wherever you all are.

News: Want to Make Your Own Live Broadcast? New Facebook App Aims to Help

Facebook, you either love it or you hate it ... or maybe you're indifferent. The point is, Facebook is everywhere, and the debate is still raging over whether or not it's actually, well, good. That debate may not exist for the various personalities of Facebook much longer, however, as Facebook announced a new app geared directly towards improving how they broadcast their content to their audiences.

News: You Can No Longer Automatically Backup Photos to Google Photos While Charging

Well, get ready to have your battery depleted if you use Google Photos. The backup app has just removed the "Backup While Charging" feature in their app.

News: Being a YouTuber On-the-Go Just Got Easier

The beauty gurus, gamers, and daily vloggers of the world are getting a great gift from YouTube very soon. No, it's not exclusive swag or diamond awards. Instead, it's an update to the YouTube mobile app that will support all video formats and let you send in-app messages.

News: Forget CNN or FOX, WhatsApp Is Now a Popular News Source

According to a new study from the Reuters Institute and the University of Oxford, people are getting their news from ... unexpected sources. Put away your CNN app and stop checking the New York Times because a familiar app is now keeping you up to date on current events: WhatsApp.

News: Revamped Video Tab Testing Shows Facebook Really Wants to Compete with YouTube

More video content is making its way to Facebook as the social network relentlessly tries to get its video platform up to par with YouTube. Now, they seem to be making more of an effort to improve their video tab, as new features have started to appear on some Android phones.

News: Mark Zuckerburg Announces Facebook's Commitment to Uniting the World

At Facebook's first Communities Summit, admins from top Facebook groups assembled to discuss tools to better manage and optimize their members. Here, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that these changes fuel the company's shifting focus from connecting the world to uniting it.

News: Facebook Testing 'Profile Picture Guard' to Protect You from Scammers

Facebook is testing a new feature in India. One that could help you protect your profile photos from being used on sites without your permission.

News: Niantic Branding Pokémon GO Cheaters with Scarlet Letter

Pokémon GO updates will have new deterrents for cheaters, and these seem to use shame more than just prevention. The changes were mentioned by a Pokémon GO support account on Reddit. (There are other updates coming soon to Pokémon GO as well.)

News: Snapchat's New Feature Shows You Where in the World Your Friends Are

Snapchat's newest feature will allow you to see where your friends are posting from around the world. Called Snap Map, this easy-to-use update gives users the ability to view your friends' stories and locations on a map.

No Excuses Now: Uber Introduces a Tipping Feature in Their App

Uber drivers do a lot for us. They sit through traffic, make conversation, put on our favorite tunes, drive us however far we need to go, and they work long hours. Some even have to deal with people who may have had too much to drink, which we all know can be obnoxious. So yeah, we'd say that it's about time for Uber to include a tipping feature in their app.

News: Netflix Introduces 'Choose Your Own Adventure' Television — We're Just Waiting for Interactive House of Cards

Have you ever been on a Netflix binge and thought to yourself "man, these characters are so dumb. Why would you go back to the haunted house, Jenny? You know what's in there, and now you're going to die. This whole situation was so easily avoidable, JENNY." If you've ever thought you'd make better decisions than the characters in your favorite TV shows, Netflix has your back.

News: Create a Fire Mixtape with Your Friends Using Spotify's Group Playlists

Music has always been able to connect us. Spotify is now offering an innovative new way to do just that. The company announced today that they have launched a new feature in collaboration with the Messenger app that allows you to share and make playlists with friends.

News: Read Classic Ebooks for Free — With Formatting You Would Actually Pay For

Volunteer project Standard Ebooks strives to enhance some of the work available from Project Gutenberg and other public domain text sources, making them easier on the eyes.

News: PayPal & Venmo Are Finally Offering Instant Pay Transfers, Within Minutes

For $0.25 per transaction, PayPal will soon be allowing you to transfer money through their app that will get delivered within seconds rather than days.

News: Snap & Time Warner to Create 10 Original 5 Minute Shows a Year

Thanks to a $100 million deal, you could be seeing more original shows on your Snapchat soon. Already, Snap has been producing super short shows in order to compete with social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook who have also been attempting to create their own content. While musical.ly has so far had the biggest success in this area, this deal with Time Warner is certainly promising for the beleaguered platform.

News: Pokémon GO Fans — Niantic Is Updating the Game in a Big Way

Pokémon GO has been making the news since it was released last summer. But throughout the past year, the core gameplay has remained mostly the same. We're learning today that is about to change, as Niantic is gearing up to release a major update for the popular AR game.

News: This Dad Wants to Make Selling Pre-Teens Smartphones Illegal

While restaurants and classrooms have enacted policies banning cell phones, one father has had enough of his kids' obsessive phone habits. Dr. Tim Farnum is now seeking to ban the sale of smartphones to children under 13.

Insta Slang Explained: What's the Meaning of Finsta?

Combine the word "fake" with the word "Instagram" and you get what's called a "Finsta." If you are concerned about posting pictures on social media that you wouldn't want your family or boss to see, then a finsta account might be the thing that you need.

News: Tidal Is Still a Thing That Exists, Now Has Jay Z Exclusive

We talk a lot about Spotify and Apple Music on the topic of music streaming. So much so that it's easy to forget that other streaming platforms exist. Tidal, Jay Z's streaming service, is often one of these forgotten platforms.

Limited Time Only: Verizon Opens Enrollment to Insurance Platform for Your Current Phone

Ok, I have to admit, I drop my phone around 2–4 times a week. I'm horrible at protecting it and I've gone through my fair share of cracked phones. Most of the time, once the phone is cracked it's just easier to get an entirely new phone, rather than have to fight your phone provider for a fix.

News: As FTC Cracks Down, Instagram Will Start Letting You Know Who's Getting Paid to Post

Get ready IG influencers, the Instagram promotional world as you know it is about to change. Instagram is one of the top places for influencers to make money with product promotion. So, of course, it is to be expected that these IG dominators would run into their fair share of disasters. Especially since over 90% of celebrities and influencers on Instagram don't follow FTC guidelines.

News: Facebook Expands 'Safety Check' Features with More Status Details & Fundraiser Options

Facebook's 'Safety Check' is a useful social media function — it provides users a comfort that in the event of an emergency, they can let friends and family know they are safe. While certainly not perfect, the service is now essential during disasters and tragedies. That service is finally getting some improvements, as Facebook rolls out new features and updates.

PSA: Netflix Limits How Many Times You Can Download a Single Movie or Episode

Update 6/15: Netflix responded to our request for comment: This [download limit] may vary depending on the title and licensing agreement. There may be limits to the number of titles from the same licensing agreement that you can download at the same time. We will only enforce these limits in cases where our licensing agreements require us to do so.

News: Sprint's New Deal Could Save You a Lot of Money

You can pinch yourself, but you're not dreaming. Sprint is actually offering a year of (mostly) free, unlimited service for anyone who switches to the carrier. The only stipulation is that you must bring your phone with you, and it has to be one of the 27 eligible devices.

News: Journaling App Day One Updates Will Keep Your Secrets Better

New updates to the journaling app Day One include more security for journal writers' data. For example, users can now enable end-to-end encryption. The encryption does not happen automatically; however, users must go to Settings — within Journals — then select each journal they want encrypted.

News: There Are Now 5 More Levels to Unlock in Google's Local Guides

Get ready to step up your game, explorers! Google Maps is releasing an update for its gamified program to encourage reviewing of businesses and other locations within the Google Maps app.

News: Tech Companies Are Struggling to Get the Metals for Your Gadgets

Do you know what your smartphone is made of? I've had smartphones for years, but if you asked me that question I'd probably respond with "Wi-Fi." For uninformed consumers like myself, it may shock you to know just how much goes into creating a smartphone.

This Week on Instagram: Babadook Dresses Up for Pride

If you're on Instagram, you may start to see Babadook all dressed up this month. This beautiful monster is taking Instagram by storm by #babashooking it's way all around the world in its brand new Pride attire.

News: Tired of Long, Pointless Conversations on Dating Apps? 'First' Can Help

We're all looking to meet someone, and in this day and age the easiest way to do that is through one of the various dating apps out there. But we can all admit it can get disheartening swiping through all of those people for the frustration of someone not answering your messages after matching. The fact is, we could be missing out on great people just because they don't have time in their busy lives to answer their dating apps every day. Not to mention the fact that we as a society are becomi...

News: This Video Might Resonate with Anyone Addicted to Candy Crush

You've got some free time, so you decide to try out that new puzzle game on the App Store. After a half hour of fun, the game stops. It seems you've run out of lives, and have to wait until tomorrow to play ... unless you drop $0.99 on extra lives. What are you going to do, wait until tomorrow? Some of us might, but others ... not so much. If you dropped some cash to keep playing for the day, you, I'm sorry to say, were played. And this video shows you why.

News: As It Turns Out, Seniors Love Getting News on Their Smartphones

Amidst reports of the newspaper industry struggling to survive, it's becoming more and more clear that people are increasingly turning to their smartphones for the news. In fact, a new study by the Pew Research Center has found that 85% of US adults check the news on mobile devices. Surprisingly, seniors constitute a sizable portion of this.

News: PornHub Knows if You Watch Elf-Themed Porn

To celebrate its tenth anniversary, PornHub has just exposed all of our porn habits. All. Of. Them. Before you panic, no individual information has been released. Instead, PornHub has exposed the adult video trends and preferences of a variety of demographics.

The Clone Wars: The Russians Flirt with Instagram & Fake Follower Vending Machines

From Instagram bot farms in China all the way to vending machines in Moscow that promise to sell you fake followers — the Facebook-owned empire is attracting the attention of the world around. When it comes to Russia especially, the country seems to be developing a little crush on the glorious IG queen.

News: Pokémon GO Gyms to Be Shut Down Temporarily for Anniversary & Updates

Niantic announced today that all gyms in Pokémon GO will be closed while the company prepares to celebrate two major anniversaries for the game. There will be updates, in-game celebration, and the first ever real-world Pokémon Go event.