Tag: ios

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft brings Bing Chat preview to iOS, Android and Skype

Just a couple weeks after Microsoft unveiled its revamped Bing with a new ‘Chat’ feature powered by an upgraded ChatGPT, the company is continuing its breakneck rollout by launching Bing Chat on mobile.

In a new blog post, Microsoft said that Bing Chat is “available on iOS and Android today.” The blog post makes mention of the Bing mobile app and the Edge mobile browser, but in my brief testing, I wasn’t able to easily access it through the Bing app on my Pixel 7. However, Bing Chat was available through Edge when tested on both the Pixel 7 and an iPhone XS as long as I was signed into my corresponding Microsoft account.

That said, accessing Bing Chat wasn’t particularly straightforward. On both devices, I had to search a query through Bing first, and then I could tap the ‘Chat’ option to switch over to Bing Chat.

Along with availability on iOS and Android devices, Bing Chat now supports voice input. In fact, it appears that’s the main way Microsoft wants people to interact with Bing Chat on mobile — when you access the Chat interface, there’s a big, blue microphone button you tap to speak a query. You can still type queries by tapping the grey keyboard icon on the left side of the interface.

Bing Chat in Microsoft Edge for Android

Bing Chat in Microsoft Edge for Android.

As with other devices, accessing Bing Chat on mobile requires access to the Bing preview. If you haven’t signed up for it, check out our how-to here. If you already have access to the Bing preview, Chat should be available as long as you’re signed in with the same Microsoft account on your mobile devices.

Beyond the Bing app and Edge, Microsoft expanded Chat to Skype. Skype users can add Bing to conversations the same way they would add any other contact and then ask it questions by typing “@Bing” into a message. Moreover, Microsoft says users can pick how they want Bing to respond. For example, Bing can reply with bullet points, text, or a simplified answer.

Microsoft appears to be using Bing in Skype to test out how it’ll work in a messaging environment before a wider expansion. In the blog post, the company specifically outlined plans to bring Bing to “other communications apps, like Teams, in the future.”

Bing in Skype

Bing in Skype | Image credit: Microsoft

Bing in Skype is available worldwide in preview starting February 22nd. For those already part of the Bing preview experience, Microsoft says the Bing in Skype capabilities will show up later today — if you’re not part of the preview experience, you’ll have to sign up and join the waitlist (again, check out our how-to here). Microsoft did warn that it’s aware of “connectivity issues in low-bandwidth situations” when using Bing, and the company says it’s working on a fix.

These latest expansions to Bing Chat come after Microsoft capped the length and number of conversations people can have in response to extended conversations causing Bing to go haywire.

Source: Microsoft

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Mobile Syrup

Exient’s Ultimate Sackboy now available on iOS and Android

Following last month’s reveal, PlayStation’s Ultimate Sackboy is now available on iOS and Android. Developed and published in partnership with U.K.-based studio Exient, Ultimate Sackboy is an endless runner game.

Ultimate Sackboy stars PlayStation’s mascot, originating from the LittleBigPlanet franchise. Players take on the role of Sackboy as he runs through a variety of levels, avoiding obstacles. Players must swipe their screen to move tracks, jump across hazards, and swing to safety. As players progress through the game, new Tiers unlock, allowing Sackboy to explore new tracks. The game also incorporates a Leaderboard system that players can strive to reach the top of.

As with other endless runner titles, players can collect Bubbles within each level to unlock cosmetic items such as costumes. Much like LittleBigPlanet, Ultimate Sackboy offers hundred of clothing options to unlock, upgrade, and collect.

Ultimate Sackboy is launching with its own battle pass feature. Exient refers to it as Marathon. Throughout the game’s first season, players can unlock rewards by completing daily missions. The Season 1 Pass includes the Astronaut costume, which many players many recognize as being available in previous LittleBigPlanet games. Each season runs for 28 days, with Season 2 kicking off on March 22nd.

This isn’t Sackboy’s first stint on mobile devices. Previously, studio Firesprite took a crack at an endless runner with the character. This previous installment was 2014’s Run Sackboy! Run!

Ultimate Sackboy has been available in closed beta across several regions, including Canada. Following its beta period, Exient is releasing its new title worldwide. Players can download the game from the App Store or the Play Store.

Image credit: Exient

Source: Exient

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Mobile Syrup

Tomb Raider Reloaded is fun, but should only be played on Netflix

Tomb Raider Reloaded is simultaneously a rock-solid mobile experience and everything that’s wrong with smartphone games.

Instead of being a curated premium title like the excellent Lara Croft Go, Reloaded is a free-to-play top-down action roguelike. This means that Lara will clear out procedurally-generated areas while avoiding traps and collecting loot.

That all works surprisingly well — which isn’t too surprising, considering it hails from Burnaby, B.C.’s Emerald City Games and Montreal’s Onoma (formerly Square Enix Montreal), in partnership with main Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics. Now, I’m not normally someone who enjoys the “start over each time you die” nature of roguelikes, but it actually fits in Reloaded. Here, Lara will always start out with her signature dual handguns, and you’ll collect upgrades after each stage to affect everything from their rate of fire and damage to one-time health-replenishing bonuses and permanent gear upgrades.

And at the centre of that gameplay loop is a simple Vampire Survivors-esque one-button control scheme in which you control Lara’s movement while she shoots automatically. In this way, it feels natural and well-optimized for mobile. At times, Lara’s auto-targeting can frustratingly snap to an unintended enemy, but ultimately, it’s a smart way to streamline the action. There’s an undeniable thrill in avoiding incoming attacks in bullet-hell-like action.

The game also uses the Tomb Raider license in subtler but nonetheless effective ways. Keeley Hawes (Tomb Raider: Anniversary) returns to voice Lara, while series familiars like Winston and Werner Von Croy and the City of Vilcabamba and Lost Valley make appearances. I could do without the Chibi-style aesthetic, though, which feels like an odd fit for Tomb Raider.

Tomb Raider Reloaded

The biggest issue with Tomb Raider Reloaded, however, is its monetization. This is a problem for many mobile games, to be sure, but it’s especially troublesome here. In particular, Reloaded has an egregious ‘energy’ system that limits how much you can play unless, you guessed it, you spend real money. It feels extremely dated in a 2023 game, creating needless friction to an otherwise fine experience.

In fact, there are over 10 types of currencies (including Coins, Gems, Tokens and Manuals) that are used for miscellaneous upgrades, gear unlocks, bonuses and more. Considering the appealing approachability of the core gameplay, it’s frustrating that everything surrounding it has become so muddled by monetization.

That said, there is a workaround. The entire experience, sans all of these in-app purchases, is available through Netflix Games. In other words, anyone with a Netflix subscription can download Reloaded at no additional cost. If you haven’t been planning to cancel the service due to its recent password-sharing crackdown, it’s far easier to recommend. That way, you can enjoy the simple-yet-engaging gameplay without the annoying monetization.

Tomb Raider Reloaded can be downloaded for free on Android and iOS or through Netflix Games.

Image credit: CDE Entertainment

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Mobile Syrup

Google releases quick fix to solve Google Photos issues on iOS devices

Following the iOS 16.3.1 update across Apple devices, the Google Photos app came across a fairly troublesome bug. Users reported a persistent issue that caused the app to crash. Naturally, this prevented users from accessing their Google Photos library on iPhone. Thankfully, Google is providing a fix.

Early Tuesday morning, Google launched its version 6.23.1 update for the Google Photos app on iOS. “We fixed user-reported issues and added new features to provide an enhanced editing experience,” reads the What’s New section. Since updating the app, it’s reported that users are finding the app to be much more stable.

As of the time of writing, it still remains hard to pinpoint how widespread the issue was. Based on affected users’ testimonies, Other Google suite apps, including Gmail, Google Docs and Google Maps, were all in working order. Google Photos, on the other hand, was found to crash regularly.

While Google did provide a solution for the issue, there’s still no telling what caused it in the first place. iOS 16.3.1 wasn’t a major software update and was designed to fix bugs. It’s not known whether this update is what caused an issue for Google Photos or not.

As long as users have Photos version 6.23.1 installed on their devices, they should not run into any further issues. Users can double-check if it is installed by navigating to ‘Settings’ and selecting the ‘Google Photos’ app. At the bottom of the page, the app’s current version is displayed.

Source: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Tomb Raider Reloaded will launch on Android and iOS on Valentine’s Day

Tomb Raider Reloaded will release on Android and iOS on February 14th, 2023. The game soft-launched in some Asian markets in 2021, but this marks its official wide release.

Reloaded was developed by Burnaby, B.C.’s Emerald City Games and Montreal’s Onoma (formerly Square Enix Montreal) in partnership with main Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics. Onoma’s involvement is particularly notable since the team, best known for acclaimed mobile titles like Lara Croft Go, was shut down in November shortly after being acquired by Embracer Group.

For the uninitiated, Reloaded is an isometric action-adventure game featuring roguelike elements. This means that throughout each run, Lara Croft will acquire new perks like XP modifiers and outfit-upgrading manuals to enhance her abilities.

Meanwhile, Crystal Dynamics is promising daily and weekly challenges like Temple of the Sun, a Gears of War-style ‘Horde Mode’ in which Lara must face waves of enemies.  

On the whole, Crystal Dynamics intends for the game to be a celebration of the Tomb Raider‘s history after the game was delayed out of 2022, which marked the series’ 25th anniversary. To that point, Reloaded features veteran Lara Croft voice actress Keeley Hawes (Tomb Raider: Anniversary), as well as returning characters like Winston, Anaya Imanu and Werner Von Croy. Grammy-nominated musician Tina Guo has also overseen orchestral recordings of classic Tomb Raider themes.

Tomb Raider Reloaded will be available on iOS and Android as a free download with in-app purchases, or through Netflix Games at no additional cost without ads or in-app purchases. Pre-registration is now available on iOS (via the game’s website) and Android.

In addition to Reloaded, Crystal Dynamics is in early development on a new AAA Tomb Raider game that will be published by Amazon. Additionally, The Hollywood Reporter revealed last week that Amazon is planning its own Marvel-esque “cinematic universe” of Tomb Raider movies and shows. Meanwhile, Captain America star Hayley Atwell will also voice Lara Croft in an undated Tomb Raider animated series on Netflix.

Image credit: Embracer Group

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Mobile Syrup

EA kills Apex Legends Mobile and Battlefield Mobile

EA is pulling the plug on Apex Legends Mobile and Battlefield Mobile.

The former game will shut down on May 1st, 2023, while the latter, which was still in development, has been formally cancelled.

In a blog post, developer Respawn said Apex Legends Mobile had fallen short of its “bar for quality, quantity and cadence.” Therefore, it made the “mutual decision” with development partner Tencent to axe the game one year after launch. EA says it will not refund players for any in-app purchases that have been made. However, Respawn will continue to support the main Apex Legends experience on consoles and PC.

In a separate post, Respawn parent company EA simply attributed the Battlefield cancellation to the ever-evolving games industry. Instead, EA says it’s still “hard at work at evolving Battlefield 2042” as pre-production on “future Battlefield experiences” remains underway.

The announcements come as part of EA’s Q3 2023 earnings release, in which it also announced the six-week delay of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor until April 28th.

Image credit: EA

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Mobile Syrup

Here’s how to turn on Gmail’s new package tracking feature

If you need to track a lot of packages, a new Gmail feature might be right up your alley. Google’s popular email app now has a built-in package tracker, though for the moment, it seems you need to enable it manually.

9to5Google detailed the new feature and noted that Gmail should show a ‘Track your packages in Gmail’ card at the top of users’ inboxes when the feature rolled out. However, that card isn’t showing up for everyone, but the feature is still available for a bunch of people.

To enable it on Gmail for Android, you can head into Settings > Select your email address > Scroll to General > Tap ‘Package tracking’ to enable it. The process differs slightly for iOS users, who need to first switch to the Gmail account they want to enable the feature for, then head into Settings > Scroll to General > Tap ‘Data privacy’ > Toggle on ‘Package tracking.’

In my own testing, I was able to turn on package tracking on Gmail on my Pixel 7, but only for my personal accounts — my work Gmail account didn’t have the feature. Moreover, the toggle for Package tracking wasn’t present on Gmail on iOS.

Gmail’s package tracking feature in action | Image credit: 9to5Google

Once enabled, users should see a few things change in their Gmail app. First up, when browsing the inbox, emails with package tracking information should show an estimated delivery date in green text with a truck icon. Then when you open the email, you’ll see a card with more details about the package, including stages like ‘Order placed,’ ‘Shipped,’ and ‘Delivered.’ There are shortcuts to track the package or view the order details as well.

9to5 also notes Google plans to enhance the feature with proactive labels for delays as well as bring the email to the top of the inbox so it’s easier to spot. The package tracking feature will also make its way to Gmail on the web, but these changes will only arrive in the “coming months.”

Of course, if you prefer using a third-party app for package tracking (or if you’re like me and primarily do all your package tracking in a work Gmail that doesn’t yet have the feature), you can keep on doing that.

Source: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

What’s new on Xbox Game Pass on console, PC and mobile in late January, early February

Every month, Xbox brings new titles to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service.

Normally, these come in two waves spanning the first and second halves of the month, but this time, the list begins at the end of January and spills over into early February. It seems like Xbox held the list for the special January 25th announcements that the GoldenEye remaster is coming this week and The Evil Within developer Tango Gameworks’ new game, Hi-Fi Rush, is actually launching on the 25th.

Read on for the full list. Note: ‘Cloud’ refers to a game that can be streamed via Xbox Cloud Gaming to a variety of devices, including Android and iOS.

  • Hi-Fi Rush (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/S) — January 25th
  • GoldenEye 007 (Console) — January 27th
  • Roboquest (Game Preview) (Console) — January 30th
  • Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (Cloud and Console) — January 31st
  • Inkulinati (Game Preview) (Cloud, Console, and PC) — January 31st
  • JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R (Cloud, Console, and PC) — January 31st
  • Darkest Dungeon (Cloud, Console, and PC) — February 2nd
  • Grid Legends (Cloud) [EA Play] — February 2nd
  • Hot Wheels Unleashed – Game of the Year Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC) — February 7th

Meanwhile, here’s what’s leaving the Xbox Game Pass catalogue:

  • Donut County (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master (Console and PC)
  • Telling Lies (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Worms WMD (Cloud, Console, and PC)

As always, Game Pass subscribers can take advantage of an exclusive 20 percent discount to purchase any game on the service and keep playing even after it leaves the catalogue.

An Xbox Game Pass subscription costs $11.99 CAD/month for either Console or PC, while a $16.99/month Game Pass Ultimate membership includes Game Pass for both Console and PC, Xbox Live Gold, EA Play and Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Find out what came to Game Pass earlier this month here.

Image credit: Xbox

Source: Xbox

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Mobile Syrup

Square Enix RPG Various Daylife launches on Android and iOS

Square Enix RPG Various Daylife is now available on Android and iOS.

As a settler in the newly-discovered continent of Antoecia, players will have to embark on expeditions to uncover secrets and lucrative rewards. The game features a streamlined turn-based battle system and over 20 unique jobs for party members to take on.

Unlike most mobile games, Various Daylife is actually as a premium title for $28.99 CAD. Until February 28th, Square Enix is also offering a bonus digital artbook (which includes over 180 pages of behind-the-scenes artwork) alongside the purchase of the game.

Notably, Various Daylife was an Apple Arcade launch title in 2019, meaning it’s one of the few games that has left the service’s normally mobile-exclusive catalogue to date. The game, which was developed by staff who worked on acclaimed Square Enix RPGs Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler, also came to Nintendo Switch and PS4 last year.

Meanwhile, Octopath Traveler II is set to launch on PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch and PC on February 23rd.

Image credit: Square Enix

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Mobile Syrup

Nintendogs could be making a comeback on iOS and Android

Since the release of Mario Kart Tour, Nintendo seems to have mostly abandonned its once lofty smartphone gaming ambitions.

However, that could change if a new patent uncovered by My Nintendo News comes to fruition. A recently approved patent shows off a version of the 2005 Nintendo DS virtual pet game running on iOS and Android devices.

In Nintendogs, players use the DS’ touchscreen to play, train, pet, wash and walk their virtual dog. The title also took advantage of the DS’ built-in mic to allow players to give their dogs verbal commands. The experience was sort of like an advanced version of a Tamagotchi, but in the form of a DS title.

Image credit: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Given the real-time pet simulation series sold 23.96 million copies worldwide, it makes sense that the Japanese gaming giant would want to bring it back on smartphones.

Nintendo has made no official announcements regarding Nintendogs being revived on mobile devices.

Image credit: wikiHow

Source: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Via: My Nintendo News, iPhone in Canada