Now that Netflix is offering mobile games on Android, there's a lingering question: how will iOS players join in when Apple's policies bar all-in-one gaming services? The hard way, apparently. In his "Power On" newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman (with help from developer Steve Moser) claimed to have seen code indicating Netflix would release all its games "individually" on iOS, through the App Store. They won't all be downloadable and playable within the app, Gurman added.

The main Netflix app would still offer access to the game catalog, but you'd merely be launching a separate app when you tap a game. That's currently how it works with Android, but Netflix has the option of folding games into its Android app. On iOS, it would have no choice but to make games available separately. Apple requires that every game on the App Store receive an individual screening, even if it's only available through the cloud.

You could see this coming in light of Apple's approach, but it still indicates that Netflix will have to make some compromises if it's going to bring mobile games to iOS. This also underscores a growing rivalry between Apple and Netflix, as Gurman explained. The two are competing on an increasing number of fronts, ranging from gaming to streaming video services, but neither can afford to estrange the other. The potential exists for a significant conflict, especially if Apple has to make further concessions on App Store rules. 

Square is now allowing all teenagers to use Cash App, after restricting it to adults until now. Those aged 13 to 17 will need permission from a parent or guardian to use the app, however.

Users can send money to each other and receive discounts on some purchases. Teens can also use a Visa debit card called Cash Card to pay for goods. They can add the Cash Card to Apple Pay or Google Pay, and they'll receive a physical version of the card too. The card is customizable — you can choose a color and stamps, draw on it or make it glow in the dark. Changing the design costs $5 and there might be ATM withdrawal fees too.

There are some restrictions on accounts for those aged 13 to 17. Those users' parents or guardians will have access to their transaction records, including transfers, and they can shut down a teen's account and Cash Card at any time. Parents and guardians will be the legal owners of teens' accounts (13- to 17-year-olds will be classified as authorized users).

Under 18s will be locked out of some parts of the app too. They won't be able to trade bitcoin or access the Investing, Borrow, Check Deposit, Paper Money Deposit or Cross-Border Payments features. They can't use their Cash Card at certain businesses either, including bars, car rental places or hotels.

To request access to the app, teens will need to enter their parent or guardian’s information when they're signing up for a card or sending a peer-to-peer payment form their balance. Cash App will then contact the teen's parent or guardian for approval.

The Apple TV app has reached its final frontier: your cable provider's set-top box. According to Variety, Comcast used its latest earnings call to reveal that the Apple TV app will be available on Comcast's platforms in the "coming months." Viewers with Xfinity X1 set-tops, Flex streaming hubs, XClass TVs and (in the UK and Europe) Sky Glass sets will have access to Apple TV+, in-app channels (like AMC+ and Showtime) and Apple's usual video purchases and rentals.

In exchange, Comcast is bringing its Xfinity Stream app to Apple TV hardware. The move will let you use the Apple TV device either as a set-top stand in or to watch broadcasts on someone else's TV when you're away.

This may be a more significant expansion than it seems. Apple's streaming video app is available on many smart TVs, dedicated media players and game consoles in addition to the company's own products, but there are many people whose cable box is the smartest device in the living room. This brings Apple TV+ to many people who wouldn't even consider a service if it required a new TV or any device beyond the ones included with their cable subscriptions.

iOS 15.1 was released yesterday, which means you can finally start checking out Apple's long-awaited SharePlay feature. After seeing how buggy it was on the iOS 15 beta, I was able to check out SharePlay this week during a briefing with Apple, and the experience was surprisingly smooth. Though SharePlay works with just a small collection of apps at the moment, it's also coming soon to Disney+, while the NBA and TikTok apps will be updated today to support it. I watched a few videos and a Milwaukee Bucks game via these apps on my demo, and beyond being impressed by how much more stable everything is since the beta, I also found some tips particularly useful.

Setup and starting a SharePlay session

First, make sure you and your friends all update your devices to iOS 15.1 or iPadOS 15.1. Just like we observed in the beta, you need to start a FaceTime call before you can SharePlay anything. Once you're on a call, open a supported app and you'll see an alert at the top of the screen asking if you want to stream your content. When you start a session, your callers will see a box pop up at the top of the screen to join you. 

For the most part, everyone you're SharePlaying with will need to have the relevant apps installed (i.e. TikTok, HBO Max, Showtime, Paramount, Apple TV etc). In some cases, they'll also need to have a subscription or at least an account. 

While you watch a show together, anyone on the call can pause, skip forward or rewind, and that will bring everyone to the same point on the stream. As you watch something, FaceTime will run in picture-in-picture mode on top of your display, and whoever on your call is talking will appear in that box. 

Share your screen

If you want to share your screen instead of watching a show, though, you'll need to tap on the screen while on your FaceTime call to pull up the commands panel and press the button on the right that resembles a person in front of a rectangle. 

While you're sharing your screen, your friend can pinch to zoom on what you're showing them. But during a screen share session, your alerts (or other notices that pop up) won't appear on their screen, in case there's sensitive info you don't want others seeing. The pill on the top left of your screen will also turn purple to let remind you you're screen-sharing. 

When I was watching someone share their screen, by the way, I could still go back to my own phone and open another app. FaceTime's picture-in-picture tile showed my caller's screen with their face in an embedded picture-in-picture. Inception!

Other features

The controls box also lets you access the iMessage window for everyone on the call. You can continue to watch a game on the NBA app with your family without your camera or mic on, and send texts instead. That's particularly helpful when you need a toilet break when a game runs long.

Apple also built a feature called smart volume to automatically lower the streaming audio when you're speaking so everyone can hear you. This works best with AirPods, but it'll also work with your device's speaker.

Depending on each app's developers, other tools can be embedded to make them more useful. In Apple Music, for example, you can look at the song's lyrics as they play in real time, and tapping on a specific lyric will bring you and your callers to that point in the track. When you're all on TikTok together, each person can like the videos they want, too. The popular game Heads Up will also be coming to SharePlay so you can guess the word on your face while your friends act it out for you. 

SharePlay works with iPhones, iPads and Apple TVs, and most playback features are the same across Apple's ecosystem. Those with Apple Watches will also be able to use this feature for group workouts or meditations on Fitness+ with up to 32 callers. So far, SharePlay works with just a few apps, but as more developers integrate it, iOS users could find more ways to socialize and digitally gather with loved ones soon.

In case there wasn't enough news this week, Google is revealing a new version of Android that's designed for larger screens like tablets and foldables. It's called Android 12L, and is really just a set of new features for the existing OS that are optimized for big screens. The developer preview is available today as an SDK on Google's site so app makers can begin taking in some of the new features that should make for a more cohesive experience on devices with bigger displays. The public version of 12L will arrive early next year, "in time for the next wave of Android 12 tablets and foldables," the company said. The preview will also be "coming soon to the Lenovo P12 Pro."

While Android already supports a sort of multi-window experience, there are still areas of the interface that feel more like a blown up version of a phone OS, rather than something that makes better use of the increased space. One of the things coming to Android 12L is a two-column layout for the notification shade and lockscreen when the system detects that the screen is above 600dps wide. Google said other system surfaces and apps will adopt this look too, though it didn't specify which yet. 

Android 12L will also feature a taskbar at the bottom of larger screens that will let you more easily open apps. This will also simplify the process of launching things in split-screen mode: just drag and drop an icon from the taskbar. Google is also enabling all apps to run in split screen, regardless of whether they are resizable. 

Google

Cosmetically, Google is also adding tools that let developers make their apps look better in various windows or views. They'll be able to use custom letterbox colors or treatments, apply custom rounded corners and adjust the position of inset windows. 

The above features are already available for preview in the developer software, but there are also changes coming that app creators have to apply for users to experience them. Google recommends that developers create versions of their UI tailored to the window size class of each device, and it's added reference devices for programmers to see their layouts across phones, tablets, foldable's larger internal displays and desktops. 

For devices that can fold, Android 12L will offer an API that will allow developers to make their apps aware of hinges or other boundaries, and use them "as natural separators." This means that when supported, you might be able to use an app like Kindle and have it show a two-column layout when your device is folded and expand to fullscreen when you open your phone completely flat.

Google is also adding ways to make adopting this easier for developers with a new Activity embedding tool and other updates in the Jetpack Window Manager library. The interface will be backward-compatible, so those using older versions of Android can still use apps that are optimized for 12L. 

Google

The company is also releasing its Material You design system to Jetpack Compose, so that developers can add the adaptive theming capabilities to their apps. This means that, when supported, third-party apps can also take on the color scheme that Google derived from your wallpaper, and buttons or menu highlight hues can reflect the palette for a more cohesive look throughout Android 12. 

Finally, to give developers a reason (or disincentive) to get their apps optimized for Android 12L, Google is updating the Play Store. It will check each app against its large screen app quality guidelines and take the results into ranking and search listing considerations. It'll go even further by warning people on bigger devices with notices on an app's Play Store page if it's not been optimized for 12L. 

Android has long faced criticism over being a poor OS for tablets and bigger displays, and 12L does appear promising. Google also announced some updates to make it easier for developers to code for WearOS, including offering Jetpack Compose support for the platform. It looks like the company is working hard to improve areas that it's been behind Apple on, and we'll have to see how developers take to these changes to know if Google's tablet, foldable and smartwatch dreams might succeed.

Spotify isn't the only service PlayStation 5 owners can stream music from while they're playing Deathloop, Returnal or other games. Starting today, you can fire up tracks from Apple Music as well.

The PS5 is the first console with Apple Music integration. Subscribers can access the service's library of more than 90 million songs, playlists, Apple Music Radio and 4K music videos on a PS5. You can control playback while playing games by hitting the PS button on the controller and going to the music tab. You'll also see music recommendations for the game you're playing.

The Apple Music app (which you can download via the Media section) will let you view music videos too. If you're watching a video and leave the app to switch to a game or another screen, the music will keep playing. 

It's the second Apple app to hit the console after Apple TV landed on PS4 and PS5 last year. This summer, Sony and Apple offered PS5 owners six months of free access to Apple TV+.

Spotify has been a part of the PlayStation ecosystem since it arrived on PS4 in 2015. Six years later, it's neat to see players getting another option for streaming music. It'll be a nice perk for Apple Music subscribers who've managed to score a PS5.

Apple has at long last released the latest major version of its Mac operating system, macOS Monterey. While it's perhaps a more modest update than in previous years, there are some significant changes in some areas of the OS.

The redesigned Safari might be the most obvious transformation for many users. Apple initially planned to remove the tabs bar before it thankfully saw sense and decided to leave it as is in a later developer preview. The bar will match the color of the web page you're viewing, and there are some new features, such as Tab Groups.

Apple has overhauled FaceTime in macOS Monterey too. It works a little more like other conference calling software, in that you can start a call and then invite other people. This includes folks using Android or Windows devices through the new FaceTime web app. In addition, M1 Macs will support spatial audio for FaceTime and other features through AirPods and AirPods Max.

Elsewhere, macOS Monterey adds the Focus Modes seen in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, Quick Notes, Shortcuts and a new-look Maps app. Live Text, Apple's answer to Google Lens, is another new tool at macOS users' disposal.

SharePlay, the feature that lets people sync streaming videos and music with friends, isn't available just yet on macOS, but Apple rolled it out on iPhone today as part of iOS 15.1. You'll also need to wait a little longer for Universal Control, which brings Mac and iPad together. You can move your cursor from one to the other and drag files between devices. SharePlay and Universal Control will arrive on macOS later this fall.

The free news app on Amazon Fire TV now offers local channels in another 60 cities, including Charleston, Wichita, Tucson, Reno, Raleigh-Durham and Honolulu. That means live and on-demand local news coverage is now available for 158 cities. Amazon has also almost doubled the total number of channels from 126 to 259.

Amazon launched the app in late 2020 with channels in a dozen cities, and it expanded to 88 cities in March. The app includes news coverage from regional divisions of ABC, CBSN, TEGNA, Cox, The EW Scripps Company and Altice USA. While the app doesn't yet offer coverage from quite as many stations as NewsON (which has more than 275 channels), it's baked into Fire TV — you don't need to download another app.

When you visit the Local News tab in Amazon's app, Fire TV will automatically add stations from the closest metro area. Viewers can also access live and on-demand coverage by asking Alexa to "play local news."

The inspiration for a song can surface whether or not your full studio is available, and Roland has a solution for those spur-of-the-moment sessions. The music pioneer has introduced a free Zentracker app for Android and iOS that serves as a multitrack recorder for impromptu performances. You can add unlimited tracks (it defaults to four in the name of simplicity), draw on 200 audio loops and wield 16 audio effects while using familiar features like beat matching and looping.

You can save tracks to OneDrive, and Google Drive is "coming soon." The app is free as long as you have a Roland account, although Roland nudges you toward a Cloud subscription by limiting some effects, loop bundles, stem exports and other features to paying customers. You'll likely want a mixer like the Go: Mixer Pro-X to make the most of Zentracker, too.

There's an app for more formal productions. Roland is releasing a TR-Editor desktop app (below) that serves as a companion for machines like the TR-6S and TR-8S. You can browse sounds, program beats and tweak parameters from the comfort of your computer screen. While we're waiting on launch details as we write this, the software could be handy if you find the TR-series' on-device interface too cumbersome.

Roland

Sony has tweeted that it's testing a beta that will let PS5 players share screenshots and clips via smartphone using the PlayStation app. That will match functionality the Xbox has offered for a while now, though so far, Sony is only testing it in a limited release. 

One you turn it on, the new feature will automatically upload captures to the cloud. You'll then be able to access them on the PlayStation app for 14 days to save on your camera roll, share on social media, or send to PSN friends and parties. It should be less clunky than the current system of direct sharing from the console. 

On top of screenshots taken from the Create Menu or Create button shortcuts, you can share gameplay videos under three minutes in length up to 1080p (not 4K). For screenshots and videos to be auto-uploaded, make sure you've linked your PS5 console to the PlayStation app. It also needs to be left in rest mode and have the "Stay Connected to the Internet" setting enabled. For more details, check Sony's (region-locked) article.  

The update is now available in Canada and Japan only, and as with other beta features, "may not make it into the final version or may see significant changes," Sony notes. However, it seems as likely as any new feature to come out of beta, so hopefully it will be released to everyone soon.