HomeNewsPhotosTechnologyThe Tech Weekender: PUBG Mobile coming to India in a new avatar, Google following Apple's lead, Discord coming to the PlayStation, and more
WhatsApp recently scrapped its May 7 deadline for users to accept its controversial privacy policy update. The Facebook-owned messaging platform announced the policy update back in January 2021, which was first supposed to come into effect on February 8. However, severe backlash from users, who were concerned about privacy, forced the company to postpone its plans. The last date for accepting the policy update was pushed to May 15 after which WhatsApp said it would delete accounts of those who didn’t accept the new terms.
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As the wait for PUBG Mobile's return in India continues, developer’s Krafton, recently announced that the game will be rebranded as Battlegrounds Mobile India. Ahead of the launch, the game’s new website has gone live. The developers have also quietly changed the logo on the company’s official YouTube channel. Battlegrounds Mobile India pre-registrations will begin soon in India. The website now confirms that the Battlegrounds Mobile India release date is imminent.
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Google is taking a page out of Apple’s privacy playbook, with the search giant announcing that it will introduce privacy labels on the Google Play Store in 2022. The company will introduce a new ‘Safety Section’ in the Play Store that “that will help people understand the data an app collects or shares, if that data is secured, and additional details that impact privacy and security.” The privacy labels are designed to let users know the details about their data that apps are collecting or would collect after installation.
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Sony recently announced that it would be partnering with the popular gaming-oriented chat app, Discord. The partnership is aimed at bringing the messaging app to Sony’s PlayStation. Sony’s PlayStation division, a unit of Sony, has taken an undisclosed minority stake in Discord ahead of a rumoured IPO. Sony Interactive Entertainment has also made an undisclosed investment as part of Discord’s Series H round as a minority investor.
Ericsson reached a multi-year agreement with Samsung on a global patent license. Thus, ending a dispute that hit the Swedish telecom equipment maker's first-quarter revenue. The settlement, which ends ongoing lawsuits in several countries, was done in record time. The current dispute started in December. The cross-license agreement covers sales of network infrastructure and handsets from Jan. 1, 2021, it said in a statement. Ericsson expects second-quarter patent licensing revenue to be between 2 billion Swedish crowns ($237.30 million) to 2.5 billion crowns.
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In its first two years, since its 2018 launch, Fortnite made over $9 billion, according to Epic’s financial documents. The documents were revealed during Epic’s ongoing court battle with Apple over App Store practices and regulations. The financial documents confirmed that Fortnite brought in over $5.4 billion in 2018 and over $3.7 billion in the next year taking the total to over $9 billion, making it Epic’s biggest property. Epic’s other games brought in $8 million in 2018 and $100 million in the next year.
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Spotify recently updated Your Library to make the UI more intuitive for Android and iOS users. The music streaming service announced that the updated design is aimed at improving functionality and easing navigation. The redesign will feature changes such as dynamic filters, improved sorting, and a new grid view to name a few.
