Threads update gives players more control over their feed

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Threads update gives players more control over their feed
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Threads is rolling out so many updates that it no longer has time to announce them prior to deployment. The most recent update brings one important feature that will allow its users to choose what they want to see on their feed.

Announced by Adam Mosseri on Threads, a new option that allows users to decide whether or not they want to see a post on their feed is now rolling out to everyone. It also makes it easier to find certain posts that you might be interested in.

Once your Threads app receives the update, you’ll be able to swipe right on a post to like it, or swipe left to prevent other posts like it from appearing on your feed.

In an effort to give people more control over their Threads experience, we’re rolling out the option to swipe right on a post to like it, or swipe left to show you’re not interested. We’ll use those signals to show you more posts like the ones you swipe right on and fewer of those you swipe left on.

It’s worth mentioning that you can undo your action if you accidentally swipe left on a post (or right). It’s a nifty little feature that will hopefully make your feed more interesting as you use it more.

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Paramount seeking partners and planning a $500 million budget cut

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Paramount seeking partners and planning a $500 million budget cut
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Paramount, a leading company in the entertainment industry, is seeking partners for its streaming service, Paramount+. Bloomberg reports that Paramount, which owns CBS and MTV, aims to make its streaming business profitable and is actively looking for collaborations to achieve this goal.

At the shareholder meeting on June 4, 2024, the company’s leadership mentioned that their partnership bid is attracting significant interest from other industry players. Paramount also plans to cut expenses by $500 million and boost licensing revenue. These strategic moves are part of the company’s broader effort to strengthen its position in the highly competitive streaming market.

We still do not know who Paramount’s potential streaming partners are

Currently, there is little information about who Paramount’s potential partners might be. Cord Cutter News speculates that Comcast could be one of the companies in talks with Paramount. If this partnership materializes, it is likely that content from both Peacock and Paramount+ would be available on a single streaming app, offering a more extensive library to subscribers.

Paramount+ and Peacock together have about 105 million subscribers. This number is still less than Netflix’s 270 million subscribers and Disney+’s 111 million subscribers.

Paramount is also discussing a merger with Skydance Media, the company behind movie hits like Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and Apple TV’s Ghosted.

Users think streaming is becoming like Cable

When Netflix started the streaming revolution, it promised users a break from the constraints of cable television. Streaming was seen as a viable alternative to piracy, offering an ad-free experience and easier cancellation options.

However, with Paramount’s search for partners and the upcoming partnerships involving Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery, many users are beginning to wonder if streaming is becoming the new cable TV.

Nowadays, users often need to subscribe to multiple services to access a variety of content. To manage rising production costs, services like Hulu and Netflix now offer ad-supported subscriptions at lower prices, which resembles the traditional cable model.


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Opera update brings the ability to add emojis to your tabs

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Opera update brings the ability to add emojis to your tabs
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Your Opera browser has just become more customizable with the addition of a new option to designate an emoji to each of your tabs. The Norwegian browser has just announced a new update that gives users the ability to customize their tables with emojis is now rolling out.

Apart from the fun aspect, adding emojis to tabs makes it easier to keep everything organized and prioritize those tabs that are more important. The so-called Tab Emoji feature will make your tabs stand out and visually recognizable.

A world without emojis would be plain sad – we don’t even want to think about that. With this release, we went in quite the opposite direction and created Tab Emojis. This feature lets Opera users add some fun directly to their tabs by decorating them with a smiley, an animal, a fruit, a vegetable or any of the over one thousand emojis of their choice.

In order to decorate your tabs to be able to recognize them easier, you can now assign emojis to them by hovering over any tab and then accessing a menu of five pre-selected emojis.

To access a much larger collection of emojis, simply tap the “+” button. It’s also important to add that emojis can be changed or removed completely the same way they are added.

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Windows may let you explore your Android phone’s files wirelessly

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Windows may let you explore your Android phone’s files wirelessly
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It seems that Microsoft is working on a feature that would allow you to access the whole storage of your Android phone wirelessly through Windows File Explorer. The company would use its Phone Link app as a bridge to make it possible.

Phone Link is a Windows app that enhances the interaction between your PC and your mobile device. It offers multiple possibilities, like accessing files on your phone wirelessly. However, wireless file access is limited to images and videos. Currently, you cannot explore your phone’s internal storage using the Phone Link app. But it seems that is about to change.

Phone Link would allow you to wirelessly explore your Android phone files from Windows

PhantomOcean3 reported on X about the new development. According to the post, Microsoft is working on integrating your linked Android phone storage into the Windows file explorer. This means that you will be able to access all your files wirelessly as if it were another normal Windows folder. Currently, this is only possible using a USB connection.

The feature is not yet functional, but the source showed a screenshot with a related toggle. Enabling the toggle will “Show mobile device in File Explorer.” Once it is available, you can find it by going to Windows 11 Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices > Manage mobile devices. If you enable the feature, Windows will ask you for access permission to all the files on your mobile device. To complete the setup, you will have to tap on a notification from your linked phone.

It is not yet known when the option to check your phone’s storage through the Windows File Explorer will be available. It will likely first go through a few weeks or months of testing in beta versions of Windows. However, once it is available, it will immediately become one of the most useful features.


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Kling AI video generator challenges Sora with impressive results

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Kling AI video generator challenges Sora with impressive results
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Kling, developed by TikTok’s rival in China, is a new AI-powered video-generating service. AI tools are becoming more and more capable, and it seems that the next big leap will be in the generation of clips. OpenAI, one of the biggest names in the segment, launched this year by launching Sora. Kling wants to be a worthy rival.

Maybe the name “Kuaishou” doesn’t sound familiar to you. It’s because outside of China it is known as “Kwai.” The service has established itself as TikTok’s main rival in China. However, it now wants to step firmly into the AI-powered video generation segment. Kuaishou describes Kling as a “model of video generation.” Like other similar services, videos are generated based on a text prompt.

First Kling AI generated video samples are impressive

People who have had access to the service, like Min Choi, have posted some generated videos. The results seem quite impressive:

The Kling AI website includes multiple other samples of generated clips. However, let’s remember that those clips might have been retouched in some way. In the past, it was found that one of the videos generated by Sora had many additional hours of work behind it. Still, the thread in X above also includes examples generated from user prompts.

Currently, the Kling AI video generator is only available in China. Also, those interested must sign up for a waiting list. In its current state, it is capable of generating 1080p/30fps clips with a maximum duration of up to two minutes.

The company has not yet revealed when the service will be accessible without a waiting list or outside of China. However, TikTok’s rival appears to have a powerful and promising video-generating tool with Kling AI. Sora, its main international rival, will be available later this year according to Open AI.


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Google’s Gemini might expand app control with upcoming Spotify extension

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Google’s Gemini might expand app control with upcoming Spotify extension
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Google is going all in with its Gemini project, aiming to up its game against ChatGPT. The tech giant is pushing hard to blend its AI chatbot with various apps and services people are using through what it calls Gemini extensions.

Just recently, Google unveiled the YouTube Music extension, letting users ask Gemini to find, play, and control tunes straight from YouTube Music. There’s a good chance Google will soon expand this feature to other music streaming apps as well.

Spotify could soon get its own Gemini extension


A deep dive into Google app version 15.22.29.29.arm64 by tech media outlet Android Authority and code expert Assemble Debug has uncovered that Google is working on a Spotify extension for Gemini.Similar to how the YouTube Music extension works, the Spotify one should let Gemini connect with the Swedish music streaming app. This means you will be able to use Gemini to manage music playback on Spotify and play your favorite playlists or artists. Gemini should also be able to help you find a song by its lyrics or hunt down tracks similar to your favorites.

The Spotify Gemini extension isn’t live yet, but once it’s ready and Google gives it the thumbs up after some beta testing, it should roll out widely. However, once it’s live, you might need to manually enable it by:

  1. On your phone or tablet, head over to gemini.google.com.
  2. At the top, hit Menu, then tap on Settings, and finally extensions.
  3. Locate the extension you’re looking for and toggle it off or on.
  4. Just follow any prompts that pop up on your screen.

Extensions give Google Gemini access to data from different Google apps and services, making its AI results even more spot-on for you. For example, with the Google Workspace extension, Gemini can give you answers based on your own content. And with the Google Maps extension, Gemini gives you location-based info.

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New York to ban addictive social media feeds and overnight notifications for teens

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New York to ban addictive social media feeds and overnight notifications for teens
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New York plans to ban social media companies (think Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snap, and more) from using algorithms to manage content for minors without parental consent.

State lawmakers are taking measures against social media platforms, which have faced criticism in recent years. They’re blamed for their alleged addictive nature and impact on young people.

You might recall how in February, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced a lawsuit against social media companies like Meta Platforms’ Facebook and Instagram, accusing them of contributing to a mental health crisis among the youth. The lawsuit alleges that the companies intentionally designed their platforms to “purposefully manipulate and addict children and teens to social media applications”.The newly proposed legislation aims to stop social media companies from providing automated feeds to minors. The bill, still being finalized but expected to be voted on in the coming days, would also ban sending notifications to minors during overnight hours without parental consent, according to people familiar with the matter.

In March, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that prohibits children under 14 from accessing social media platforms and requires parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds, a move intended to protect them from online risks to their mental health.

Back in March 2023, Utah was the first U.S. state to implement laws regulating children’s access to social media in March of last year, followed by states like Arkansas, Louisiana, Ohio, and Texas.

The dangers go beyond the algorithm’s addictive nature. Kids on social media (without proper supervision) are exposed to inappropriate content that can be harmful to their development. This includes violent images, explicit material, and misinformation that can skew their understanding of the world. Moreover, the addictive nature of social media can lead to excessive screen time, which is associated with a host of issues such as sleep disturbances, decreased physical activity, and impaired academic performance.


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Apple Plans A Passwords App As iPhone Password Manager

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Apple Plans A Passwords App As iPhone Password Manager
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Apple users may soon get their very own password manager app as the tech giant plans to introduce the “Passwords” app. With its own password management tool, Apple apparently seems ready to give tough competition to the existing password managers offered for iPhones and Macs.

Apple Intends Launching The Passwords App As A Dedicated Password Manager

As reported by Bloomberg, Apple has decided to roll out its very own password manager for the users, the “Passwords” app. Apple plans to unveil this new app at this year’s Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (June 10-14, 2024).

While the tech giant will share more details about the password manager at WWDC, for now, they have highlighted a few key features.

As reported, Apple’s Passwords app will serve as a dedicated password manager powered by Apple’s iCloud Keychain. Though Keychain already functions as a standalone password management solution, allowing both password generation and storage features, using it is a bit tedious for most users as it is accessible only after navigating the device settings. Therefore, Apple intends to streamline the process with the new Passwords app, making the password manager readily accessible.

Regarding the Passwords app functions, Apple shares that the app can import passwords from other password managers. This way, users may easily switch from their existing password managers to Apple’s built-in one. Besides, it will also provide multi-factor authentication functionality, enabling the users to ditch other authenticator apps, too.

With so many features, the tech giant seems willing to give tough competition to the big players of the password management realm, like LastPass and others. It seemingly has addressed all the shortcomings in its existing credential management features. The new Passwords app will boast easy accessibility, secure password management, and MFA functionality—everything a privacy-savvy user wants.

However, it remains to be seen whether Apple can really convince its users to trust the Passwords app for their credentials instead of their current password vaults.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.


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Google Play Store may soon remind you to open your forgotten apps

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Google Play Store may soon remind you to open your forgotten apps
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Google has started testing a reminder feature within its Play Store app that will gently nudge you to open apps that you have downloaded but never opened. This convenient feature is especially useful for those who tend to download apps and then forget about them.

Android users often download apps only to forget to open them, and Google aims to solve this issue with a new feature that reminds users to open apps they have downloaded but not yet used. This feature, discovered during a deep dive of the app’s code, was found in the Google Play Store v41.2.21 and is called the “Open app reminder.”

The feature works by sending a notification to the user if they haven’t opened a newly downloaded app within 24 hours of installation. If the user ignores the first reminder, a second reminder will be sent. However, after two reminders, no further notifications will be sent for that specific app. It’s worth noting that this feature is still under testing and might not be available to all users yet.

Images credit — Android Authority

This upcoming feature from Google is a welcome addition for users who frequently download apps but don’t always remember to open and use them. It’s particularly beneficial for those who download apps over Wi-Fi and then switch to other tasks, forgetting about the recently installed apps.
According to Android Authority, the feature was spotted in the Google Play Store version 41.2.21 during an APK breakdown. However, some users have already seen the feature on their devices, which means that Google is gradually rolling it out and that we can anticipate a wider release of this feature soon. This upcoming feature from Google is a small yet useful addition to the Play Store and serves as a gentle reminder for users to explore and utilize the apps they have downloaded.

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Quit Using EmailGPT As Its Vulnerability Risks Users

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Quit Using EmailGPT As Its Vulnerability Risks Users
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Researchers warn users to stop using the EmailGPT service due to an unpatched security vulnerability. Exploiting the flaw potentially results in various security threats from data exposure to system crashes and monetary losses.

EmailGPT Extension Vulnerability Threatens Users

Sharing the details in a recent post, Synopsys Cybersecurity Research Center (CyRC) researchers highlighted how a severe security flaw in EmailGPT risks users’ security.

EmailGPT is an AI-powered email generating API and browser extension. Leveraging OpenAI’s GPT, it allows users quickly create email drafts and replies via prompts generated on the basis of the previous user communications.

As elaborated, the researchers discovered numerous prompt injection vulnerabilities that an adversary could exploit to take over the service logic. Consequently, the attackers may force the service to leak hardcoded system prompts and execute malicious prompts.

Regarding the impact of such exploits, the researchers mention about the users suffering financial losses due to repeated malicious prompts which an attacker may generate to the API that works on a pay-per-use model. Moreover, an attacker may also inject malicious prompts causing the service to leak sensitive user information, or even trigger denial of service.

This vulnerability, identified as CVE-2024-5184, received a medium severity rating and a CVSS score of 6.5, according to CyRC advisory.

No Patch Available Yet

According to the timeline shared in the advisory, the researchers first attempted to contact the EmailGPT developers and report the flaw in February 2024, followed by multiple attempts for the same. However, despite their effort, the researchers received no response from the service regarding vulnerability fixes.

Consequently, upon completion of the standard 90-day disclosure period, the researchers went ahead with public disclosure.

For now, there exists no viable patch or mitigation for the vulnerability. Given the threats associated with potential exploitation, the researchers advise users to stop using the EmailGPT service (API and browser extension) until a fix arrives.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.


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