Tag: Snapchat

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Mobile Syrup

Here are the big tech companies taking action against Russia

The recent illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia has left the general population on both sides appalled. And while the West can’t do much when it comes to taking action on foreign soil, several big tech and social media companies have joined forces and decided to limit, or completely cut off Russia from their services.

Note: This story doesn’t mention any financial sanctions against Russia, and instead focuses solely on social media and big tech restrictions/limitations. This story will be updated with more information as it becomes available.

Apple

Apple announced on Tuesday, March 1st that it has halted all product sales through its web store in Russia.

Heading to the Russian Apple website shows that all items, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watch, AirPods and accessories are marked with “в настоящее время недоступно,” which translates to “currently unavailable.”

Further, Apple has disabled live traffic and live incident data from Apple Maps in Ukraine in a bid to safeguard the local population’s locations, in addition to removing Russian state-led news outlets RT News and Sputnik News from its App Store globally, except for those accessing the store in Russia.

Russians are also currently unable to use Apple Pay as the bank that facilitates the transactions in the nation — VTB has been hit with strict economic sanctions.

Reddit

Reddit initially decided to “quarantine” (shadowban) its r/Russia and r/RussiaPolitics subreddits on Tuesday, March 1st in an effort to curb misinformation originating from threads posted by bad actors. Visiting the quarantined subreddit shows a message, stating “This community contains a high volume of information not supported by credible sources.”

Said subreddits were host to posts defending the invasion, and cherry-picking reasons to justify it, including discussions about Ukrainian soldiers being Nazis, the Ukrainian population spreading misinformation and using past war/training drill photos as current and other types of false propaganda.

Since then, Reddit has doubled down on its approach and decided to outright ban any and all links that direct to Russian state-supported media outlets, including RT and Sputnik and said that it will not allow any advertisements that “target Russia or originate from any Russia-based entity, government or private” on its platform.

Netflix

Netflix announced on Wednesday, March 2nd that it has decided to put all future projects it had undertaken in Russia on hold.

The Los Gatos, California-based streaming service had four Russian originals planned, including a Dasha Zhuk-directed crime thriller series that was in the works but has since been put on hold.

Further, Netflix was recently added to Russia’s list of ‘audiovisual services,’ and was due to oblige to new obligations starting March 1st. One of the new obligations was for Netflix to stream 20 Russian federal television stations. Since then, Netflix has responded and said that it won’t comply with the new rules.

Microsoft

In a blog post published on Friday, March 4th, Microsoft president Brad Smith announced that the company will “suspend all new sales” in Russia.

“We are coordinating closely and working in lockstep with the governments of the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, and we are stopping many aspects of our business in Russia in compliance with governmental sanctions decisions,” Smith wrote.

Microsoft specifies that its decision will only affect “new sales.” It’s currently unclear what that could mean for current Windows, Office, Microsoft 365, Azure, and Xbox users in Russia.

EA

EA, undoubtedly one of the biggest game developers and publishers out there announced that it is removing all Russian club and international teams from its FIFA and NHL titles.

The company announced its decision in simultaneous Tweets posted its FIFA and NHL accounts:

The move from EA further’s the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and Union of European Football Associations’s (UEFA) decision to kick out Russian international and club teams from real-world sports.

In addition, EA is ceasing all operations in Russia and will stop selling its games and content, including virtual currency bundles, in Russia and its ally Belarus. “our games and content will no longer be available for purchase in our Russian region storefront on Origin or the EA app, including through in-game stores. We are also working with our platform partners to remove our titles from their stores and stop the sale of new in-game content in the region,” reads EA’s statement.

Google and YouTube

Google condemns the unjust violence in Ukraine, and as a result, the Mountain View, California-based company has disabled the Live traffic layer, in addition to information on how busy restaurants and stores are from its for Google Maps. The move should deter Russian forces from spotting concentrations of the Ukrainian population, and the ones trying to leave the country but are stuck in long roadblocks on the location and navigation service.

Additionally, on Friday, March 4th Google suspended all of its ad sales in Russia. “In light of the extraordinary circumstances, we’re pausing Google ads in Russia,” the company said in a statement given to Reuters. “The situation is evolving quickly, and we will continue to share updates when appropriate.”

This applies to all of Google’s offerings, including Google Display Advertising, Google Search, Google News and YouTube.

YouTube previously blocked Russian state-backed media outlets like RT and Sputnik from earning ad revenue, but the new rule suspends said channels from running ads completely.

Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram

In response to the ongoing conflict, Meta has blocked state-run media accounts like Russia Today on both Facebook and Instagram in the EU, UK and Ukraine. While the ban only applies to those three regions, the media outlets have been shadowbanned globally. What this means is that the state-run accounts are still live and posting, their content will be severely demoted and not recommended to anyone.

Additionally, state-run media outlets can no longer run earn-through ads on all Meta-owned platforms globally.

As a form of retaliation, the Russian government banned Facebook on Friday, March 4th, stating that the social media company had infringed the country’s rules by limiting, and in some cases, outright abolishing access to state-backed media.

Twitter

Along with Meta and its subsidiaries, Twitter has also taken down Russian state-run media accounts in EU and Ukraine, and paused ads in both Ukraine and Russia “to ensure critical public safety information is elevated and ads don’t detract from it.”

Snapchat

While Snapchat’s private format helps it avoid the spread of misinformation, and its Discover and Spotlight sections are pre-moderated, the Santa Monica, California-based company said that it will be swift to remove instances of misinformation regarding Ukraine or Russia on the platform if and when it finds any.

The company has stopped all advertising in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine and says it will stop advertising sales to all Russian and Belarusian entities. “We do not accept revenue from Russian state-owned entities,” reads its release.

Russia Today, or similar Russian state-backed media outlets were never allowed to distribute content through Snapchat.

Snapchat is still available to users in Russia.

TikTok

TikTok announced on Monday, February 28th that it has geographically blocked access to Russian-state-run media outlets like Sputnik on its platform in the EU. The channels remain available and visible on TikTok for users outside the EU.

Nintendo

On Friday, March 4th, Nintendo announced that it has suspended payments via the Russian Nintendo eShop, which means users in Russia would no longer be able to purchase video games, DLC, or download free demos.

Visiting the website currently shows a message in Russian, which roughly translates to “Due to the fact that the payment service used in Nintendo eShop has suspended the processing of payments in rubles, Nintendo eShop in Russia is temporarily placed into maintenance mode.”

CDProjekt Red

Warsaw, Poland-based CD Projekt Red announced in a Tweet on Thursday, March 3rd that it has decided to pause selling its games in Russia and Belarus. The developer states that it is working with its partners to suspend all digital sales and cease physical stock deliveries, along with halting its game sales through GOG.

“We know that players in Russia and Belarus, individuals who have nothing to do with the invasion of Ukraine, will be impacted by this decision,” reads CDProjekt Red’s statement. “With this action we wish to further galvanize the global community to speak bout what is going on in the heart of Europe.”

Poland, home of CDProjekt Red shares its border with Ukraine and Belarus.

Disney

Disney announced on Tuesday, March 1st that it will stop releasing its theatrical films in Russia.

“Given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis, we are pausing the release of theatrical films in Russia, including the upcoming ‘Turning Red’ from Pixar,” a Disney spokesperson said in statement given to CNN. “We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation.”

Canadian service providers

Several Canadian TV service providers, including Bell, Rogers, Telus, Shaw, Access Communication and VMedia have pulled the state-backed RT channel from their respective lineups.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Snapchat to allow users to change their username once per year

Being stuck with a username that you made when you were young sucks, and while most social media platforms give you an option to update your username (at least once), others have lagged behind.

Newly added to the list of platforms that let you update your username is Snapchat, allowing you to finally go from “XxX_SpongeBOBLover1_XxX” to something more mature.

Snapchat previously allowed users to alter their display names (how your name appears when someone sends you a snap or message), but starting tomorrow, Wednesday, February 23rd, all Snapchatters across iOS and Android will be able to change their username without affecting their friend list, Snap code, Snap score and memories.

To update your username, tap your Bitmoji on the top left corner and navigate to ‘username.’ If you head to that section now, you’ll see that you can’t interact with it, but if you head to the section tomorrow, you’ll see a “Change Username” option, as seen in the image below:

Type in your desired username, tap next, and you’re good to go.

It’s worth noting that while Snapchat is allowing users to change their usernames, you’ll only be able to alter it once per year, so be prudent about the name you choose.

This comes soon after Snapchat announced that it would allow users to share real-time locations with friends.

Image credit: Snapchat

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Snapchat to allow users to share real-time locations with friends

Snapchat is enabling a new feature, allowing users to share their real-time location with friends. The feature is used to monitor the location of friends when taking an Uber or out on a date, etc.

The introduction of the new feature was first reported by The Verge. From the sounds of it, the real-time location feature works very similar to Apple’s Find My app. Users can turn on the setting and share their real-time location with selected friends for 15 minutes. This feature can also be used for up to a few hours at a time.

The main focus of this feature sounds like it weighs on safety. You can imagine the benefits of securely sharing your real-time location with a friend or family member when on a date with someone new. Alternatively, it could be utilized to ensure that a friend successfully gets home from their Uber ride.

The Snapchat Snapchat real-time location feature is only available between mutual friends on the app. Users can pause sharing without sending the friend a notification.

Real-time location-sharing is off by default. In order to turn it on, a user must first select a friend and view their profile. The option to then select the duration of location sharing is found. The friend is then able to see the live location within the chat thread between you and them.

The addition of this feature is the latest major addition to the photo and messaging app. Although Snapchat does enable users to share the location of where the app was last used via the Snap Map, this is far more advanced.

It’s certainly a more useful tool to consider when looking at options outside of the iOS ecosystem. Privacy and safety appear to be in good standing when looking at the feature. Plus, there appears to be very little fuss involved.

Source: The Verge

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Snapchat to allow users to share real-time locations with friends

Snapchat is enabling a new feature, allowing users to share their real-time location with friends. The feature is used to monitor the location of friends when taking an Uber or out on a date, etc.

The introduction of the new feature was first reported by The Verge. From the sounds of it, the real-time location feature works very similar to Apple’s Find My app. Users can turn on the setting and share their real-time location with selected friends for 15 minutes. This feature can also be used for up to a few hours at a time.

The main focus of this feature sounds like it weighs on safety. You can imagine the benefits of securely sharing your real-time location with a friend or family member when on a date with someone new. Alternatively, it could be utilized to ensure that a friend successfully gets home from their Uber ride.

The Snapchat Snapchat real-time location feature is only available between mutual friends on the app. Users can pause sharing without sending the friend a notification.

Real-time location-sharing is off by default. In order to turn it on, a user must first select a friend and view their profile. The option to then select the duration of location sharing is found. The friend is then able to see the live location within the chat thread between you and them.

The addition of this feature is the latest major addition to the photo and messaging app. Although Snapchat does enable users to share the location of where the app was last used via the Snap Map, this is far more advanced.

It’s certainly a more useful tool to consider when looking at options outside of the iOS ecosystem. Privacy and safety appear to be in good standing when looking at the feature. Plus, there appears to be very little fuss involved.

Source: The Verge

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Snapchat to allow users to share real-time locations with friends

Snapchat is enabling a new feature, allowing users to share their real-time location with friends. The feature is used to monitor the location of friends when taking an Uber or out on a date, etc.

The introduction of the new feature was first reported by The Verge. From the sounds of it, the real-time location feature works very similar to Apple’s Find My app. Users can turn on the setting and share their real-time location with selected friends for 15 minutes. This feature can also be used for up to a few hours at a time.

The main focus of this feature sounds like it weighs on safety. You can imagine the benefits of securely sharing your real-time location with a friend or family member when on a date with someone new. Alternatively, it could be utilized to ensure that a friend successfully gets home from their Uber ride.

The Snapchat Snapchat real-time location feature is only available between mutual friends on the app. Users can pause sharing without sending the friend a notification.

Real-time location-sharing is off by default. In order to turn it on, a user must first select a friend and view their profile. The option to then select the duration of location sharing is found. The friend is then able to see the live location within the chat thread between you and them.

The addition of this feature is the latest major addition to the photo and messaging app. Although Snapchat does enable users to share the location of where the app was last used via the Snap Map, this is far more advanced.

It’s certainly a more useful tool to consider when looking at options outside of the iOS ecosystem. Privacy and safety appear to be in good standing when looking at the feature. Plus, there appears to be very little fuss involved.

Source: The Verge

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Snapchat to allow users to share real-time locations with friends

Snapchat is enabling a new feature, allowing users to share their real-time location with friends. The feature is used to monitor the location of friends when taking an Uber or out on a date, etc.

The introduction of the new feature was first reported by The Verge. From the sounds of it, the real-time location feature works very similar to Apple’s Find My app. Users can turn on the setting and share their real-time location with selected friends for 15 minutes. This feature can also be used for up to a few hours at a time.

The main focus of this feature sounds like it weighs on safety. You can imagine the benefits of securely sharing your real-time location with a friend or family member when on a date with someone new. Alternatively, it could be utilized to ensure that a friend successfully gets home from their Uber ride.

The Snapchat Snapchat real-time location feature is only available between mutual friends on the app. Users can pause sharing without sending the friend a notification.

Real-time location-sharing is off by default. In order to turn it on, a user must first select a friend and view their profile. The option to then select the duration of location sharing is found. The friend is then able to see the live location within the chat thread between you and them.

The addition of this feature is the latest major addition to the photo and messaging app. Although Snapchat does enable users to share the location of where the app was last used via the Snap Map, this is far more advanced.

It’s certainly a more useful tool to consider when looking at options outside of the iOS ecosystem. Privacy and safety appear to be in good standing when looking at the feature. Plus, there appears to be very little fuss involved.

Source: The Verge

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Sony partners with Snapchat on exclusive ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ lens

Sony has teamed up with Snapchat on an exclusive new lens based on its upcoming Marvel film Venom: Let There Be Carnage. 

With the lens, you can call forth either Venom himself or Carnage, the film’s red-and-black symbiote villain, in augmented reality. Snapchat is for free available on Android and iOS.

The lens is dropping now to promote Let There Be Carnage‘s October 1st theatrical release date.

Directed by Andy Serkis, Venom: Let There Be Carnage follows Eddie Brock/Venom (Tom Hardy) as they face off against the deadly Carnage (Woody Harrelson).

Image credit: Sony Pictures

Categories
Potins

Kim Kardashian West to join Snapchat?

Kim Kardashian West is planning to join Snapchat.

The ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ star has teased fans she is thinking of signing up for the app, which allows users to send photos, videos and other messages that are deleted after a short space of time.

Kim appeared in a Snapchat video posted to DJ Khaled’s account, in which she laughed and smiled as he sang her praises.

Khaled said: ”Ayo Kim, they don’t want you to wear the Saint Laurent fur. They don’t want you to break the app store.

”They don’t want you to be the biggest boss in the game. So, what we gonna do is we gonna win more.”

The 34-year-old beauty – who has children North, two, and Saint, four weeks, with husband Kanye West – then shared an image from the video on her social media accounts and wrote: ”Should I? #SNAPCHAT.(sic)”

And her fans were clearly excited by the idea, as her Instagram posting – which had ‘Kim Snapchat soon come’ written on the still – has already attracted over 700,000 likes.

Kim’s half-sister, 18-year-old Kylie Jenner, is currently the most viewed person on Snapchat and often makes multiple posts a day.