Articles by Jay Bonggolto

Smart Reply now suggests automated responses in the Google Docs comments.

What you need to know

Google announced the addition of Smart Reply to Google Docs.
The new capability allows you to quickly respond to comments in Docs using suggested replies.
It only supports comment threads in English for now.

Google rolled out Smart Reply to YouTube last year in an effort to help creators engage with their audience more efficiently by responding to comments using suggested responses. It’s a handy feature that debuted in Gmail a few years ago, and Google Docs has now received the same treatment.

Suggested replies have started showing up below the reply box in Google Docs comments so you can save time responding to feedback from your colleagues, for example. Of course, you can edit the suggestion after you’ve picked one or simply send it as is. If you’re not confident in a suggested response, you can just reject it.

Smart Reply in Docs will be turned on by default. But if you’re not …

Paid content will be available to listeners in other countries starting September 15.

What you need to know

Spotify has opened its podcast subscriptions program to all U.S. podcasters.
The price points for subscription have been expanded to 20 from the original three options.
International listeners will have access to subscriber-only content from September 15.

Spotify launched its paid podcast subscriptions for testing back in April with a limited number of creators. The company has now expanded the program, allowing all podcasters in the U.S. to sell subscriptions to their listeners.

The program is available through Anchor, Spotify’s podcast creation and distribution platform, and podcasters can offer select episodes as subscriber-only content. Beyond Spotify, they can also publish their content to other platforms through a private RSS feed.

Creators can charge their subscribers a specific amount from 20 different price points, starting as low as $0.49 per month. But befor…

New legislation is likely to put an end to the 30% cut from in-app purchases imposed on app developers in South Korea.

What you need to know

A new South Korean bill looks set to bar Google and Apple from imposing their in-app payment systems on developers.
The regulatory move poses a threat to the tech giants’ key revenue stream.
Legislators are expected to vote on the new legislation on Wednesday.

Google and Apple’s in-app payment systems for developers in South Korea may soon come to an end. The country’s legislators are expected to give their final verdict on Wednesday for a new bill that seeks to stop the tech giants from forcing developers to obey their respective in-app purchase policies, as per Reuters.

The new legislation is an amendment to the “Anti-Google law,” officially known as the Telecommunications Business Act. If approved, the legislation will curb one of Google’s major revenue streams, banning it from taking a 30% cut from in-app purchases made on some of the …

It also showcased its own air charging system and in-car connectivity features.

What you need to know

OPPO has showcased its first magnetic wireless charging solution dubbed MagVOOC.
It comprises a charging stand, a MagSafe-like portable charger, and a power bank.
The company also unveiled a new truly wireless charging system that can charge a phone from across the room.

OPPO has announced three new magnetic wireless versions of its VOOC fast-charging system, called the MagVOOC series. As its name implies, the magnetic wireless charging solutions offer an alternative to Apple’s MagSafe charging technology.

The MagVOOC line-up was demonstrated at an event in China, consisting of an ultra-slim portable charger, a power bank, and a vertical charging stand. The portable magnetic charger notably bears a resemblance to MagSafe, although it has more charging output at 20W than Apple’s contender (15W). OPPO says it “adopts a split design making the whole charger thinner.”

On the other…

It looks set to pick up a “star” button soon, just like Microsoft To Do.

What you need to know

A new APK teardown revealed a new Google Tasks feature to label important tasks with a star button.
The upcoming change will let you view all of your starred tasks under a dedicated tab.
It remains unclear when the new feature will roll out publicly.

Google Tasks is one of the best to-do apps for Android that don’t often get a lot of love from the company despite the great productivity benefits it offers to users. Now, the folks over at XDA Developers have discovered an unreleased feature in the app that should make sorting through your most important chores a breeze.

According to the site’s APK teardown, the app is about to pick up a new feature that will allow you to mark important tasks with a star button that sits to the right of each item in your list. Once you’ve starred a task, it will be automatically added to the “Starred” tab pinned to the top left corner of Tasks.

The tabb…

The new improvements to DMs are rolling out over the coming weeks.

What you need to know

Twitter has announced new improvements for DMs.
One of these improvements will let you share a tweet with up to 20 accounts in separate conversations instead of a single group chat.
The latest round of updates will roll out over the next few weeks.

Twitter has announced a new round of updates for its Direct Message feature that should prevent accidental group chats and improve navigation within a conversation. The headline improvement is the ability to send a single tweet to multiple users in separate DMs.

Over the next few weeks, Twitter users on iOS and the web will be able to share the same tweet in up to 20 different DM conversations. This means the micro-blogging site will no longer create a new group chat when you send a DM to multiple accounts as it did before. Twitter acknowledged that this has led to “(awkward) accidental group chats” in the past.

This new feature will also roll o…

You’ll soon be able to let your colleagues know whether you’re working remotely or in the office.

What you need to know

Google Calendar has gained a new feature that lets you share your working location and hours.
You can keep your colleagues informed of your plan to work from home or somewhere else.
The new capability will roll out starting on August 30.

Google Calendar has added a new capability that comes in handy for hybrid work setup. The service will soon let you share where you’re working from.

From August 30, the search giant will roll out a new option to share your working location and hours directly from one of the best Android apps. You can choose between your primary office location, your home, or any other location. You can also plan your working location routine for a specific week and update your location as it changes. However, the ability to set the main office location is limited only to an administrator, although you can change the rest of the location settin…

It’s also testing end-to-end encryption for Messenger group chats and calls as well as Instagram DMs.

What you need to know

Facebook Messenger has rolled out end-to-end encryption for voice and video calls.
It plans to test the same security feature for group chats and calls in Messenger.
Facebook has also updated its expiring message feature with more options for setting the time before your chat disappears.

Facebook started testing end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for voice and video calls on Messenger in late 2019, although it did not confirm at the time as to when it would publicly introduce the feature. Now, that chat mode is rolling out to more users.

The release means that anyone but you and the receiver won’t be able to eavesdrop on your calls made through Messenger. Facebook has rolled out E2EE amid growing interest in voice and video calls, with more than 150 million calls on Messenger taking place every day over the past 12 months. It also comes as governments worldwide …

It surfaces suggested audio content and news to free you from frequently tapping on the screen while driving.

What you need to know

Android Auto starts showing recommended news and music on your dashboard screen through a new shortcut button.
The experimental feature pulls content from the apps installed in your infotainment system.
It appears to be available to a limited number of users for now.

Google has quietly introduced a new button in Android Auto that brings up a carousel of cards showing recommended music, podcasts, and news. Spotted by Reddit user u/sccabrian, the shortcut button appears to be part of a test for now as it doesn’t seem to be widely available.

The button comes in the form of a music note icon and sits next to the player controls. When tapped, it surfaces the “Media picks for your drive” window with an automated selection of media and content from Spotify and Google News, for example. The suggestions are based on your content preference.

The horizonta…

You’ll also get $150 in credit from Samsung plus a huge discount if you trade in an eligible phone.

What you need to know

Google Fi is giving a $400 bill credit to customers who preorder the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3.
The deal is available to both new and existing customers under certain conditions.
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is the first foldable phone to be available on the Fi store.

Samsung finally took the wraps off the Galaxy Z Flip 3 on Wednesday with a powerful Snapdragon 888 chipset and a lower price point, making it a worthy competitor to the best foldable phones. While there are many places where you can snag the phone for less, Google Fi is offering one of the best deals for the device.

If you’ve already subscribed to Google Fi or are planning to switch, you can get a $400 discount to your monthly bill if you preorder the Galaxy Z Flip 3 (via 9to5Google). To snap up the deal, you need only to preorder the phone from the Fi store and activate it on your plan within 30 days of …