Google is working on an update to the Nearby Sharing feature and it looks kind of cool

Nearby sharing is one of the best features of any phone or tablet. As the name suggests it is the feature that lets you send any sort of image or file to anybody that is near you and has their Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on.

Well, coming on to the topic, Google has been working on updating this feature for devices that have Android 6 and above. The feature will start rolling out in two weeks and will let users share things with people nearby without having to authenticate the transfer.

As we said before, this feature once it has rolled out after two weeks will only be available for phones that will have the Android 6 or above version of the operating System. This feature is available on Android Phones and Tablets as well as devices that run Chrome OS. According to the company itself, it is working on the low end to expand the number of devices that this feature works on and has plans to bring it to Windows as well.

Now, there is a specific reason why this feature is called a nearby share. Well, the thing is that it supports a lot of ways to send stuff than just over the internet. The feature supports Bluetooth, WI-FI, NFC, UWB, and WebRTC, so that users can automatically find the best way to send content depending on where they are at the moment.

This feature allows users to share content between their own devices without any problems, but if you wanted to you could share it with other people as well. If the need to change the preferences on your phone arises all you have to do is you will head to Settings, then to Connected Devices after Connection Preferences, and then lastly Nearby Share.

This feature will be very useful for users who are in a hurry situation and want to share something with another device quickly and without wasting any time. This feature is beneficial for students and just basically academia people alongside people with busy jobs.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Apple CEO Makes It Clear That He’s Not A Fan Of RCS And Would Prefer Users To Buy An iPhone

Apple CEO Tim Cook is very bold and blunt when it comes to his words and that’s why when he was asked to give his opinion on RCS, he didn’t hesitate one bit.

The Cupertino firm’s CEO was questioned by an audience member at this year’s Code Conference about Apple adopting RCS and allowing people to see videos in better quality formats. To that, Cook said that it would be better to simply buy an iPhone.

For those who aren’t quite familiar with the concept, well, RCS is similar to hypercharged SMS. Therefore, users get the chance to release top-notch multimedia files, similar to chat applications like WhatsApp or even Telegram.

At the same time, we see it putting standard texting features on display such as typing indicators, read receipts, and more amongst others.

There has been plenty of talk and debates linked to Blue Bubbles and Green Bubbles. The former is related to iMessage while the latter has to do with other texting on Apple devices.

And at the same time, the search engine giant has been putting a lot of pressure on the iPhone maker to bring the RCS on board so Android users may send out multimedia texts to Apple users. This way, we’d bid farewell to the bubble war once and for all.

A new campaign had even been launched in this regard to help persuade consumers to listen to what Google had to say, indirectly forcing Apple to shape up its world of texting. This was called ‘get the message’ and it hoped to add more pressure on Apple to alter its mind on the matter.

The website for this particular campaign went into plenty of detail as well. They said it was beyond just a war of bubble colors but had more to do with important things. From broken-up chats to missing receipts for texts, not to mention poor-quality videos as well- the list was wrong.

The issues have been there for a while now and Apple simply fails to pay heed or think about what benefits it would gain by adopting RCS. They just don’t get the picture of modern texting or wish to get the picture related to the matter.

At the moment, there are currently nearly 500 million users of the texting format around the globe and they’re all loving Google’s app designed for messaging.

Tim Cook says customers at Apple are not asking for this type of support. As recently put out by The Verge, Cook revealed how his users of Apple aren’t requesting support like this. And if there’s not a lot of demand, the firm doesn’t see the point of stressing the topic as much.

The matter linked to various bubbles is not present when you’re using various apps such as WhatsApp or Telegram or even Messenger. And that’s one of the main reasons why so many people are now turning to solutions from third parties.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

The time taken to update an application is longer than marketers' expectations

In light of a recent survey conducted by Airship, it has been noted that many businesses have to deal with difficulties to ensure a better user experience. Over 90% of application developers and marketing agencies agree that they must deal with difficulties while waiting for the app's new update. Ninety-six percent of the agencies rely on these new updates to provide a better experience for their respective audiences.

The time taken by the developers or sellers to launch an application or introduce an updated version plays a significant role. As it has been said that it can affect one’s business.

The survey highlighted 7 areas, which span around the overall user application experience. It has been observed that almost more than a quarter of the marketing agencies and other linked product holders keep planning new strategies for a better user experience as they believe that the more user-friendly their product is, the better experience they can provide. However, when it comes to launching these new updated application versions, less than a quarter of these agencies can launch what they planned.

The agencies believe that these actions are taken instantly as soon as the requests are received. On the other hand, developers have a different perspective. According to them, it may take more than a month for the actions to be taken.

While focusing on the difference between these two perspectives, the study showed that developers prioritize bugs over requests. As bugs can create more problems for the users, they are fixed on an urgent basis. Other factors, such as quality testing or getting approval, also play a role in applications being delayed for release.

In the future, it is expected that these firms will be using a "no code" option to ensure a better user experience much more efficiently.

The survey results were based on one hundred application developers and one hundred and two marketing agencies and respective product holders who are directly affiliated with solving problems faced by users and can generate over two million dollars per year.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Instagram’s CEO Admits Hashtags Don't Effectively Boost Post Engagement, This Research Confirms It

Instagram is one of the biggest social media platforms in the world, and it has quickly started to surpass Facebook in terms of importance in Meta’s business strategies. Facebook’s fall from grace has been swift, so it makes sense that Meta would want to emphasize Instagram more heavily because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making up for the losses that Facebook is bringing in.

One method that people use to boost engagement on their Instagram posts is to use hashtags, but with all of that having been said and now out of the way it is important to note that (time after time) Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri has admitted that doing so might not be all that effective. According to Mosseri, hashtags are not actually meant to boost engagement, but rather they are meant to help sort content into categories so that people can look through them a bit more easily with all things having been considered and taken into account.

Since what Mosseri is saying goes against what people have been assuming about hashtags for quite a long time, researchers at SocialInsider conducted a study in which they looked over tens of millions of Instagram posts, or 75 million to be precise. These posts were published over a period of one year between March of 2021 and March of 2022. It turns out that this research has confirmed Mosseri’s assertions that hashtags do not, in fact, help people get even slightly more traction on their social media posts despite assumptions to the contrary.

However, an important fact that needs to be considered is that hashtags can still improve post performance slightly, but overloading one’s post with hashtags will not increase its reach in an exponential way although some might logically assume that that’s the case. Using three to four hashtags resulted in the highest boost in engagement of around 3.41%, but in spite of the fact that this is the case most other hashtag quantities produced only marginally less optimal results which indicates that hashtags are not essential to make sure that your post gets good reach.

SocialInsider also cross referenced this research by analyzing Instagram accounts with various follower counts. No matter how many followers an account has, using too many hashtags almost always results in decreased engagement rather than higher engagement levels and reach. This becomes even more prominent for bigger accounts who have between fifty thousand to one million followers. Big accounts generally see the best performance when they use three to four hashtags, but for small to medium sized accounts this ideal number hovers at around five to six so they have more leeway in that regard.

Instead of flooding your Instagram posts with hashtags, it would be better to use fewer hashtags and focus on using the right ones. Some hashtags can result in better reach than others because they are searched for more frequently, or alternatively they might be a bit more relevant to the content that you are creating. Quantity is definitely not equal to quality in most aspects of finding an audience, and hashtags are yet another example of that.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

What’s the Best Fast Charger on the Market? Here’s What We Found

Most major smartphone companies including Apple and Samsung have stopped including charges in their product packaging because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up reducing electronic waste and helping them improve profit margins. This has created a new problem for consumers to solve, namely that of figuring out which fast charger they should buy. The folks over at Engadget recently ran a series of tests to uncover the best product of all.

The first thing to discuss about these tests is the methodology that was used to conduct them, and with all of that having been said and now out of the way it is important to note that these tests involved draining the battery until only ten percent of the power was remaining. The devices were then plugged into a fast charging brick, and the increments in battery life every ten minutes was then recorded.

Power strips and extension cords were not used since they might have distorted the test results. Instead, the researchers plugged the charges directly into a 120 volt power outlet with all things having been considered and taken into account. One thing that was noted in this research was that the battery charged slower when it was still in the 10 to 20 percent range. The charging speed then increases until the 80% mark is reached, after which it slows down to reduce the chances of overcharging and damaging the battery.

Five devices were included as parts of this study, namely the iPhone 13 and M1 Max Macbook Pro from Apple, the Galaxy S22 Ultra from Samsung, the 2017 launch model of the Nintendo Switch as well as the latest model of the Dell XPS 13. Without further ado, here are the best performing fast charges based on all of these tests.

1. Anker 711 Nano II

This 30 watt charger falls comfortably into the category of most popular chargers, and it is the best option by far for smaller devices. It fully charged the iPhone 13 in as little as ninety minutes, and it only needed an hour or so to fully charge the Galaxy S22 Ultra. While this model failed to quickly charge the laptops, in spite of the fact that this is the case it still outperformed Apple’s own 20 watt charging brick once all has been said and is now out of the way.

2. Anker 715 Nano II

Anker has been making a lot of waves by offering products that balance affordability and quality, which makes it unsurprising that both the top spots are occupied by charges from this brand. The 715 Nano II is a 65 watt charger so it is far better suited to charging laptops than its 20 watt counterpart. Anker’s charger is particularly effective at charging the Galaxy device, perhaps as a result of it communicating effectively with the device in question.

3. Razer USB-C 130 Watt

Sometimes you need a high power charger, and this product from Razer would be your best bet based on the tests that were conducted. The Razer provided the fastest charging out of all of the 100 watt products that were tested, although its high power did not provide an appreciable or noticeable increase in the charging speeds for the MacBook Pro.

Conclusion

And there you have it! These chargers represent the cream of the crop in the current market, and it is interesting to see companies outside of the Apple-Samsung duopoly performing so well. An interesting thing to note here is that Apple is the winner in the 140 watt category, but all other categories saw unique brands like Anker giving a good showing that confirms the worth of their products.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Google Maps Is Providing Users Across 40 European Countries With More Environmentally Friendly Driving Routes

Google Maps is rolling out new eco-friendly routes for individuals wishing to take more fuel-efficient trips across Europe.

These new map updates and routes have been issued across 40 separate European countries, and are part of a new environmentally friendly push that Google’s planning with Maps; we might even see such routes pop up elsewhere. Currently, they’re limited to these 40 countries, as well as the USA and Canada. Our starting points were the latter two and Germany. The point of these new routes is to get users from A to B while spending as little fuel as possible. Naturally, the question pops up, “isn’t Google Maps already providing us with the most fuel-efficient pathways out there?”. The answer to that is a mix of both yes and no. Maps provide its user base with the fastest routes from A to B; these are not always, however, the most fuel-efficient or environmentally friendly. These concepts require more than speedily arriving at one’s destination, although that is an important factor.

To be clearer in my explanation, allow me to elaborate. The new Maps feature will not only take trip length into account, but it will also factor in other obstacles such as traffic lights, off-roading, terrain, and so forth. With all this in mind, a middle ground will be established between the quickest possible route, and one with the least number of stops, providing travelers with the most consistent speed. Fewer breaks and stops mean fewer exhaust fumes filling the air, and less fuel is wasted.

Google Maps will also show users just how much more fuel efficient the suggested route is, providing numbers on the amount of petrol being saved for the extra number of minutes expended while driving. With gas prices being driven up a wall nowadays, I honestly think that this feature is incredibly useful. If only we’d get this feature everywhere other than Europe and North America (which is also something that Google is working towards). Google estimates that the introduction of this feature in the US, Canada, and Germany helped remove more than half a million metric tons of carbon emissions. That sounds like a lot but remember: no truly effective change can take place until and unless our governments start holding corporations producing such waste accountable in the first place. Although, if Google’s provided numbers are anywhere in the ballpark of being true, this is an incredibly useful feature indeed.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

YouTube Plans On Adding Short Form Content To Its Kids App

YouTube is trying hard to align itself with TikTok and that’s why it’s making use of all the weapons that it feels can put up a tough fight.

The company is now thinking about including Shorts on the app’s kid’s content. Recently, the platform informed its creators on YouTube Kids to start thinking outside the box on how they can best include Shorts in this category.

In case you didn’t already know, this is deemed to be the app’s most profitable element so it makes absolute sense as to why there is such a strong push for the matter.

This will reportedly set the stage for the platform to release Shorts for the first time for younger audiences, which has never been done on YouTube before.

Even at its earliest, we’re not seeing this feature pop up anytime soon before next year. After all, it’s only arrived in its early planning stages. Therefore, there is a small possibility that it won’t occur at all.

However, if the app does go along with it, it’s definitely going to be one competitive battle between both sides. Remember, other platforms like Snapchat and Facebook have both tried their level best to take the app on board as they really become popular.

Only recently, we saw Facebook set up a trial for a new version of the app that entailed a full-screen having all the recommended videos inside it. But we saw how that did not last too long as many celebs like Kylie Jenner began complaining.

Last year around the summertime, we saw YouTube launch its Shorts around the world. They were seen sending out a very explicit message to kids’ creators about how they shouldn’t put too much time and effort into Shorts. But at the same time, they were told that any content put up by them across TikTok could be repurposed on the Shorts app.

But in just a few weeks, we saw the app’s tone change immensely. They are now calling creators to focus more on Shorts for kids too. At the same time, we saw the firm stating via a public post how its policies have always been based on the well-being of kids. Therefore, any short or long-form content will be entertained.

The app was first launched in 2015 and while we’ve seen long content be emphasized for quite some time. Hence, it’s interesting to see how a change of trends works on a children’s app now.

H/T: Insider

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World