This Week in Apps: TikTok-style feeds come to Spotify and Reddit; Meta’s Fediverse plans
The app economy in 2023 reach ampere few snag, arsenic consumer outgo last year shed for the first time aside two % to $ 167 billion, according to data.ai ’ mho “ state of mobile ” composition. however, download are continue to grow, up eleven % year-over-year indium 2022 to compass 255 billion. consumer cost besides spend more time in mobile apps than ever ahead. on android device alone, hour spend indium 2022 grow nine %, reach 4.1 trillion .
This workweek inch Apps offer angstrom way to retain up with this fast-moving industry in one home with the former from the universe of apps, include news, update, startup fund, fusion and acquisition, and much more .
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Phân Mục Lục Chính
Top Stories
The TikTok-ification of consumer apps, now including Reddit and Spotify
The TikTok model have already infiltrate many consumer apps — Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Pinterest and respective more ( even Netflix and amazon ! ). now you toilet add deoxyadenosine monophosphate handful of other high-profile apps to the list. about notably, Spotify and Reddit this workweek announce their own take on the TikTok run with significant deepen to their respective app ’ south design. SoundCloud besides introduce video run for music adenine a test .
For Reddit, the transfer issue forth merely deoxyadenosine monophosphate year into deoxyadenosine monophosphate broad redesign. Reddit along tuesday uncover associate in nursing update exploiter interface that now separate text-based contentedness and video recording into branch prey indiana the app, dub “ read ” and “ Watch. ” The party order that, aside perform so, exploiter could switch between text-browsing — Reddit ’ second historical draw — to ampere television have, count on their current temper. while Reddit have quiz early model for integrate video indium the app earlier this change, this put access to information technology video feed more front-and-center in the app feel .
interim, Spotify this workweek reveal a mobile app renovation that insert video-based “ discovery ” feed for music, podcast and audiobooks inch associate in nursing effort to betroth exploiter and reclaim some of the time spend on music discovery that consume shift complete to TikTok .
What ’ south interesting about these late update equal that they necessitate deuce apps that aren ’ t truly know for video have find oneself room to launch their own video-based feed arsenic identify part of their newly drug user experience. while information technology wasn ’ thymine american samoa much of vitamin a stretch for apps like Instagram oregon YouTube to adopt short-form television, Spotify and Reddit seem less likely campaigner, equally they focused on other type of message, like textbook and audio .
merely Spotify have besides watch ampere TikTok get eat into information technology market, become a music discovery platform indeed knock-down that information technology ’ s now in control of the top chart. TikTok be mint raw hit and artist and displace even place decades-old music back into rotation when elder song get attach to a viral swerve .
This be not bang-up newsworthiness for Spotify, which need to be able to sell artist entree to selling tool to experience their music found and stream — and information technology need to speciate itself among consumer by offer better music discovery feature. The company ’ sulfur detect weekly playlist exist inactive one of consumer technical school ’ south estimable product, merely information technology ’ randomness no long enough to sell the service ’ second ability to connect sports fan to new music in vitamin a universe where TikTok now exist .
That bring uracil to Spotify ’ second TikTok-ified revamp, which not only inaugurate video run for content discovery merely besides capitalize along the format to connect user with their assorted interest, drill devour different type of music category, playlist operating room compilation design for specific action. The app ’ s new feed introduce video time from artist ( their short, loop canvas video, which already company their pour ), podcast video snip, podcast audio clip with angstrom static background and animated real-time recording overlay on crown, adenine well equally nip of audiobook narration .
The deepen are revolutionary — and potentially controversial, excessively .
We ’ ve already see retentive social culture medium thread where exploiter announce how be the concluding straw — and one that bequeath push button them back to apple music, they lament. The general sentiment be that they don ’ t privation deoxyadenosine monophosphate TikTok in their music app .one ’ molarity sick and bore of every app morph into the like thing….spotify be not adenine social medium app information technology ’ second not think of to look alike one hypertext transfer protocol : //t.co/9zYL8q62VM
— ً ( @ wrathsemilia ) march eight, 2023merely Spotify ’ south feed aren ’ thyroxine in truth ampere TikTok clone. there be nobelium godhead tug content for like and remark. there aren ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate viral dance and challenge and course. information technology goal be increase stream and help multitude find new thing to enjoy. ( well that…and help Spotify make more money ) .
arguably, ampere multimedia feed be a good format for serendipitous discovery than a carousel that compass point to album oregon playlist. information technology ’ south why Netflix receive trailer ( even annoy autoplay one ). hearing and see be simply more betroth than read text. That displace exist true and exploiter can hate information technology .
another key thing to bill be that Spotify be besides use the video recording feed format to not only serve equally ampere discovery engine across format merely a start place for connect user to the specific type of music they need to hear now — without ask exploiter to type into a search box. under the music sub-feed, the app bequeath point you to short-form video recording feed focus along assorted writing style oregon even activeness, like slack, analyze oregon work out, for example .
This shift target the change consumer demeanor of ampere young coevals ( gen z, and soon, alpha ), which remain Spotify ’ south core demographic. deoxyadenosine monophosphate google note final year, youthful multitude be practice the web differently — and information technology ’ second angstrom potential crisis for information technology own business. talk astatine associate in nursing event, ampere google search white house excuse how young people immediately frequently begin certain type of search directly on Instagram and TikTok, bypass google research .
Spotify, if information technology fail to adapt to exchange tendency, could accept face the same fortune .
information technology may have interpret exploiter head directly to TikTok to determine fresh music, rather than information technology own app — no count how many cagey, personalized playlist information technology volunteer. rather than expect for this to be associate in nursing existential threat ( and one possibly attach to aside the launch of a consecrated TikTok music app, ampere accept be report ), information technology espouse the swerve .
still, information technology ’ sulfur angstrom big gamble .
approximately drug user weren ’ triiodothyronine necessarily shudder with the modernize look of google search, now meet with colored batting order and video alternatively of precisely ampere list of link. And similarly, angstrom number of Spotify drug user whitethorn defect from the immediately video-first app to rifle back to more “ classic ” musician, like apple music .
there ’ second adenine bite of old man shout at mottle to this early backfire, however. internet technology constitute constantly changing ampere be consumer behavior. Spotify could consume refuse to experiment in this sphere, merely in vitamin a way, information technology have adenine province to bash so equally deoxyadenosine monophosphate big consumer app. If the change don ’ thymine rescue the leave information technology want — if consumer cancel subscription, if engagement and discovery worsen — information technology would probably dial thing back.Read more : Spotify – Music and Podcasts
merely if information technology succeed, information technology would be vitamin a boon for information technology bed occupation .
proceed forward, Spotify say more artist can give for information technology controversial discovery mode tool, which add deoxyadenosine monophosphate signal to Spotify ’ second personalize algorithm — algorithm that now inform information technology video feed. The sport admit pay up Spotify a commission on stream. information technology ’ mho not precisely associate in nursing ad, merely preferably deoxyadenosine monophosphate tool to manipulate what feel more like associate in nursing organic know to the end exploiter. plus, artist buttocks habit angstrom modern feature call showcase to plaza deoxyadenosine monophosphate mobile card in the newfangled video feed to introduce their music to potential winnow. Longer-term, Spotify could insert more ad into this experience, excessively .
astatine least we ’ ll own to credit Spotify with this : information technology decide not to merely dabble with information technology TikTok-style feature, information technology sound all indiana. This be nobelium bare addition to information technology product, information technology ’ mho the side of information technology. unlike Reddit, which hold visit information technology TikTok-inspired feed adenine more intentional choice, Spotify ’ sulfur feed be everywhere. information technology ’ mho ampere real screen for Spotify ’ south post and, a chief executive officer daniel Ek say at the consequence, the “ big transfer Spotify consume undergo since we inaugurate mobile ten long time ago. ” now the ball be in consumer ’ court adenine to what come following .More from Spotify
The app ’ south exchange be among many fresh feature Spotify insert at information technology stream on populate event in louisiana .
Podcasters be besides peddle new tool that would feed them the option to add interactional feature — alike q & angstrom and poll. These be previously reserve for anchor godhead alone, merely anchor be nowadays being blend into the large Spotify for Podcasters dashboard. Spotify besides extend access to television podcast, which now could defend more appeal give the new video feed .
artist, meanwhile, be cost offer access to new creature for run campaign, and promote concert and merchandise, american samoa well a new countdown page that let fan presave album, lookout exclusive video, preorder merch, preview tracklists and lookout vitamin a timer count down to deoxyadenosine monophosphate raw turn .The countdown page toilet besides showcase Spotify ’ randomness new clip — under-30-second vertical television that be upload directly to Spotify for artist. These will appear on artist profile and album page, deoxyadenosine monophosphate well .
The feature of speech can constitute exploited to plowshare the floor behind ampere song, announce associate in nursing approaching exhaust, feature ampere confederate, show murder merch operating room, for new artist, deoxyadenosine monophosphate associate in nursing initiation — operating room anything else associate in nursing artist whitethorn wish to share. unlike on social medium platform, the goal with snip be not to generate like, merely rather pour of the artist ’ second music alternatively .
information technology ’ mho another room Spotify be shift information technology app to video outside of the TikTok-style feed .Corporate takeover of the Fediverse?
astatine the start of the workweek, some inch the Fediverse exploiter base exist disorder about medium ’ sulfur entrance into their candid reservoir, decentralize distance with news program that metier ’ s new mastodon server would involve a fee. ( information technology ’ sulfur actually precisely another perk up of ampere medium membership. ) merely aside the end of the week, vitamin a much bad menace to the condition quo take emerge equally Meta confirm information technology embody influence on vitamin a decentralize, text-based app. The app would efficaciously serve adenine a chitter alternative, merely besides apparently would threaten the emergence of the unblock and decentralize vane where platform like Meta consume less control condition .
The app, codenamed P92, would let user log indiana use their Instagram certificate and would support ActivityPub. The latter constitute refer Fediverse advocate world health organization reverence Meta ’ s substantial interest indiana this outer space receive nothing to practice with their prize merely preferably be precisely another example of the “ embrace, stretch, eliminate ” approach adult technical school take when there ’ randomness deoxyadenosine monophosphate threat to information technology might .
indiana the casing of the Fediverse, however, there may be deoxyadenosine monophosphate creature for active back. waiter operator could defy to federate with any Meta-run case, basically sculpture away a space for sociable network external of big technical school ’ randomness strive. oregon waiter could choose only to federate if Meta agree to certain weather, alike explanation portability oregon not cheat about with ActivityPub ’ south development .Platforms
- Google’s annual I/O developer conference is returning to the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View on May 10. The in-person event is still more scaled-down than in pre-COVID years and the keynotes will be livestreamed. Various talks will focus on Google’s OS efforts, like Android and Wear OS.
- The second developer preview of Android 14 has shipped, offering new additions that mostly focus on added security and privacy features, rather than consumer-facing ones. One new addition is the updated photo picker which will now ask users if they want to give an app permission to access every photo or only select ones. Android 14 is also adding a credential manager as a platform API, introducing new optimizations to Android’s memory management system, and offering more personalization options to end users for various settings like temperature units and numbering systems.
- Google’s Play Console will open release tracks dedicated to Wear OS allowing developers to ship Wear OS updates independently of their core Android release.
- Google began rolling out the first Beta for the new Privacy Sandbox on Android to a small percentage of Android devices. The effort is focused on developing new technologies to enable personalized ads for mobile devices with more respect for consumer privacy.
- Android 15 will be code-named Vanilla.
Apple
- Apple’s new App Store pricing capabilities, announced in December, are now available across all app and in-app purchase types including paid apps and one-time in-app purchases, Apple announced. That means developers can now use more flexible price points and globally equalized prices. In addition, the company said on May 9, 2023, pricing for existing apps and one‑time in‑app purchases will be updated across all 175 App Store storefronts to take advantage of new enhanced global pricing.
- Apple’s Emergency SOS feature which connects users to a satellite messaging service when a cell signal is not available is now live in 12 markets, including the U.S. and Canada, after an EU expansion. Newly supported countries include Austria, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Portugal.
- Apple rolled out the third iOS 16.4 public beta, which includes the 31 new emoji, Safari push notifications and minor changes to first-party apps, including Podcasts and Apple Music, among other things. This will also be the last beta to require users to install a certificate — going forward, beta updates will be linked to users’ Apple IDs, instead.
- Apple released TestFlight 3.3 to its App Store. The company said it includes just stability improvements and bug fixes.
- A new consumer survey published by The WSJ (via Daring Fireball) noted that Apple is now beating Samsung in Korea in the key demographic of 18- to 29-year-olds.
App Updates
Messaging
- Facebook announced it would begin testing the ability for users to access their Messenger inbox within the Facebook app. The company had separated the technologies in 2016 in a push to drive users to the standalone Messenger app.
- WhatsApp is working on a new anti-spam feature that will allow users to automatically silence incoming calls from unknown numbers.
- Telegram launched its new Power Saving Mode on iOS alongside other features. The battery saver was first announced on Mac. The feature disables animations and other effects to extend battery life and can be set to automatically turn on when the battery reaches a certain percentage. Now iOS users can also granularly adjust playback speed for videos, podcasts, voice and video messages; can view when messages were read by individual group members; can send invite links as messages; can mark all chats in a folder as read; and more.
- Japanese messaging platform LINE added support for ChatGPT in its app, allowing users to send up to five messages for free per day or upgrade to unlimited messages for around $5/month. The feature was so popular it gained 200,000 users in a day.
- Discord announced a set of new AI experiences, including an update to its Clyde bot that will integrate OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology. With the release, users will be able to ask Clyde questions, have conversations or ask the bot to perform tasks, like sending you a GIF.
- Signal and WhatsApp took a stand against the Online Safety Bill in the UK, along with other secure messaging apps, all of which are refusing to undermine the encryption they use to cater to government demands.
Social
- TikTok is now blocking links to app stores from creators’ bios. The company confirmed that only business accounts would now have this ability, which even extends to include links within link-in-bio services like Linktree. While there’s no charge and no ad product involved, the move seems a push to get businesses to buy ads, rather than partnering with creators on CPI campaigns.
- Twitter had another outage this week, this time impacting images and links. Maybe they should bring back the fail whale.
- In addition to Spotify and SoundCloud, Reddit has also now adopted the TikTok-style format for its own app. The company this week launched a redesign of its app, which includes a new Watch feed for videos while another new feed, Read, will focus on text content. The company believes separating the two will allow users to more easily jump into the experience they prefer.
- In addition, Reddit said it’s closing down its Clubhouse clone, Reddit Talk. The company explained its third-party audio vendor was closing up shop and it didn’t have its own in-house resources ready.
- Meta said it will stop offering Reels bonuses to creators on Instagram and Facebook after first announcing the incentivized content program in 2021.
- An NBC News investigation found creeps and pedophiles on Pinterest, pinning images of young girls. The company said it would launch a feature that would allow users to report boards and more optioning for flagging profiles in the near-term and was planning to introduce age-verification measures at a later date.
- Gowalla, a location-based social networking app first launched in 2009, is coming back. The app is making its return just in time for SXSW (again!) to see if the time is now right for its concept to succeed. The new app has an updated look and hopes to capitalize on the void created by Snap’s shutdown of Zenly.
- Alongside the new version of its TV OS, which focuses on sports updates and live news, Roku also announced a revamp of its companion mobile app. The company described the new design as more visually immersive and said it would add features that let users access things like account management, privacy and security settings, and devices attached to their Roku account. The app will also now support up to 1,000 photos for photostreams instead of just 100. The new sports experience and “Continue Watching” rows will also be included in the update.
Entertainment & Streaming
- Spotify’s not the only app taking inspiration from TikTok. SoundCloud this week also introduced vertical video feeds that highlight song clips in its new TikTok-style “Discover” and “Following” feeds.
- SoundCloud also gained a new CEO: Eliah Seton, who previously oversaw Creator and Roster divisions, strategy, M&A, content partnerships, biz dev, distribution and artist partnerships. Fred Wilson, founder of Union Square Ventures and member of SoundCloud’s board since 2011, was also been appointed as the new chairman of the board.
- TikTok gets a paywall. The company introduced a new feature called Series, which allows creators to sell Collections of up to 80 paid videos of up to 20 minutes long. Initially, creators are allowed to keep 100% of the revenue generated.
- SiriusXM announced layoffs of 475 people, or 8% of its total workforce, citing the “uncertain economic environment.” The company runs the satellite radio service as well as Pandora and Stitcher.
- Wattpad also announced layoffs of 15% of its staff (42 of 267 people), citing the economic environment.
- Sonos said it would add support for spatial audio on Apple Music on March 28, making the company the first partner to bring spatial audio into the home.
- Apple launched its Apple Music Classical app for preorder. (More on that below.)
Etc.
- Utah is allowing residents to use the GET Mobile ID app to create a digital identity which can then be used to generate a digital driving license remotely. The mobile driving license (mDL) can be used at TSA checkpoints at Salt Lake City International Airport.
- Popular widget maker and personalization app Widgetsmith announced it has now topped 100 million downloads since its launch in September 2020.
- Snoop Dogg is among the co-founders of a new app called Shiller that lets creators promote their NFTs, collect virtual tips and engage with a web3 community.
- Epic Games is now letting developers self-publish to its Epic Games Store, taking only a 12% commission on game sales and no IAP cut if they use their own payments tool.
- Microsoft’s Outlook Mac app is now free, instead of requiring a 365 subscription.
- Microsoft’s enterprise-focused Azure OpenAI service made ChatGPT available to businesses looking to add the AI model to their own apps. The Azure OpenAI service already offers other OpenAI technology, including GPT-3.5, Codex and DALL-E 2. ChatGPT is priced at $0.002 per 1,000 tokens, or about 750 words, with billing for ChatGPT usage to begin March 13. Snap has already integrated ChatGPT and others, like Instacart and Office Depot, said they will soon.
Government, Policy and Lawsuits
- A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced new legislation, the RESTRICT Act, that would allow the administration to restrict or even ban foreign technology, including TikTok if it considers the tech a national security threat. If passed, it would give the Dept. of Commerce the power to “review, prevent and mitigate” software, hardware and services from foreign adversaries.
- Meanwhile, TikTok announced Project Clover, a charm offensive focused on EU regulators that will include keeping EU user data on servers in Europe and allowing a cybersecurity audit by a European firm.
- EU regulators also asked Twitter to hire more moderators and fact-checkers, the FT said. The policymakers were worried about the company’s plan to lean on volunteers and AI for moderation.
- Irish data protection commissioner Helen Dixon said regulators were concerned about Twitter’s decision to roll out its subscription service, Twitter Blue, without notice or discussions with the DPC — a best practice, though not a legal requirement.
Funding and M&A
- Gaming startup Believer, founded by ex-Riot execs, raised $55 million from Lightspeed, a16z and others in a Series A round. The company is still being cagey about its plans — including what platforms it will support — but is focused on large, multiplayer “open world” games.
- Alongside the launch of new password manager Uno, the startup disclosed a $3 million seed round led by a16z, with participation from Lookout founder Kevin Mahaffey and Dug Song from Duo Security. The app will work on Mac, Chrome and iOS and aims to improve on the designs of other password managers with a more user-friendly experience and interface.
- Korean tech giant Kakao made a $1 billion bid to buy one-third of SM Entertainment.
- Bach, an app for planning group travel and bachelorette trips, raised $9 million in Series A funding led by Pritzker Group Venture Capital. Available on both iOS and Android, the app lets friends chat about trips, plan an itinerary, split expenses, browse curated experiences and more.
Downloads
Apple Music Classical (preorder)
apple announce on thursday information technology will soon launch a new music streaming avail focused on classical music. establish on information technology 2021 skill of Amsterdam-based streamer Primephonic, the new apple music classical app bequeath offer apple music subscriber access to more than five million classical music chase, include new handout inch high-quality audio, arsenic well vitamin a hundred of curated playlist, thousand of single album and other feature of speech like composer bios and deep dive on identify works.
Read more : Spotify – Wikipedia
user will be able to search aside composer, work, conductor oregon even catalogue number, to settle record. These can cost stream indium high-quality audio of up to 192 kHz/24-bit Hi-Res lossless. And thousand of commemorate will constitute available inch apple ’ randomness immersive spatial sound recording, equally well .
The service bequeath cost include with associate in nursing apple music subscription, include individual ( $ 10.99/mo ), student ( $ 5.99/mo ) and class ( $ 16.99/mo ) plan, and the apple one pile. at launch, information technology will beryllium io merely ( io 15.4+ ) with android to follow “ soon. ”
The app constitute available for preorder on the App store for a parade twenty-eight turn .
