Tech Hangover: Twitter is trying to make Fleets a thing now
Stop trying to make it happen – it will never happen.
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We get it, you have a life. There’s no way you can read all of the day’s news in one single shot, let alone visit every web page, which is why we’re here to help. Well, sort of.
There’s a ton of tech news we weren’t able to cover throughout the day (hey, give us a break, we’re a small independent outfit), so to help you stay up to speed with everything we didn’t get to, we rounded up some of the biggest stories, which should help you keep up to date. Hence the tech hangover.
Here’s some tech news you probably missed out on today (and when we say you, we mean us, but also…you).
Twitter starts testing its own version of Stories, called ‘Fleets,’ which disappear after 24 hours
Image: Twitter
Last week, it was Linkedin. This week it’s Twitter. Welcome to the official Stories club, ya jerks.
Twitter is testing its own version of Stories. The company announced today it will begin to trial a new sharing format called “Fleets,” starting in Brazil, which will let users post ephemeral content to its social network for the first time. Unlike Tweets, Twitter’s new Fleets can’t receive Likes, Replies or Retweets. And they’ll disappear entirely after 24 hours. – TechCrunch
Apple now lets apps send ads in push notifications
Image: Unsplash
This has to be one of the dumbest thing Apple could do to iOS. I mean, I’m sure there’s more they could do to fuck it up, but still. Thankfully users have the option to opt-in to this, which I guess most people won’t.
Apple will now allow push notifications to be used for advertising, so long as users agree to receive the ads first. As spotted by 9to5Mac, Apple updated its App Store guidelines today with a change to its traditionally strict restrictions around push notifications. – The Verge
Facebook has a new tool to spot spammers, and it’s already taken down billions of accounts
Image: Medium
Fake accounts on Facebook has always been a major problem for the platform. But now, Facebook implemented a pretty advanced AI to find them and stop them in their tracks.
Chasing fake accounts on social networks is an high-tech game of cat and mouse game, and as soon as one troll is down, another one pops up. But Facebook has revealed that it has a new trick up its sleeve to better identify spammers – an improved weapon-of-choice that attackers won’t be able to dodge as easily as before, according to the social media giant. – ZDNet
Coronavirus Porn Is Going Viral on Pornhub
Image: Angus Mordant/New York Daily News
LOL, humanity was a mistake.
Globally, the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, has killed more than 3,000 people and infected 90,000. The “Deserted Wuhan” video, by a couple who goes by Spicy x Rice, contains a grain of truth: the Chinese city where coronavirus started does actually seem deserted, with public transit halted and residents’ movement being restricted for over a month now. – Motherboard
How to clean your phone to help stop the spread of germs
Image: Unsplash
With Coronavirus making the rounds, this felt like a much-needed PSA.
Several studies, including one published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine in 2017, have suggested phones can contain lots of germs. So if you’re washing your hands, you should probably also keep your phone clean. – CNBC
And in just case you missed some of our stuff earlier, here’s what you may have missed:
- Review: Roborock S5 Max – let the machines do the work for you
- Twitter is joining the rest of the social media world with its own version of Stories
- Does Google Stadia have Fortnite?
- Two musicians have recorded and released every possible musical melody in existence
- Robinhood is back up and will offer premium users a measly $15 to compensate for downtime
- You can now snag the original Halo: Combat Evolved on Steam
- This surge protector features 8 outlets along with 2 USB ports – right now it’s just
- WhatsApp now has dark mode for Android and iOS – here’s how to turn it on
- Score this highly-rated Anker charging stand for just $12
- Snag one of Sony’s best wireless headphones for just a whopping $60
- Hulu with Live TV is now available on the PlayStation 4
Notable Mentions
This Small Company Is Turning Utah Into a Surveillance Panopticon
The Simplest Way to Spot Coronavirus Misinformation on Social Media
Intuit Is Buying Credit Karma. Should You Cancel Your Account
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