Microsoft isn't just reserving watermarks for unactivated or bootlegged Windows copies. The Verge has learned that the most recent Windows 11 Release Preview build (22000.588) applies a watermark to the desktop if you use a workaround to run the operating system on unsupported hardware. Try it and you'll see a "system requirements not met" notice that asks you to visit settings to learn more. There don't appear to be any feature limitations, however.

The company started testing the watermark in rough Windows 11 builds released in February. Its inclusion in the Release Preview indicates Microsoft is ready to bring the alert to a completed software update in the near future.

Windows 11 officially requires either an 8th-generation Intel Core CPU or an AMD chip based on a Zen+ or Zen 2 architecture. Many believe the cutoff is arbitrary, and have used a Microsoft-sanctioned registry tweak to bypass a CPU check and install the OS without a rejection message. Microsoft has warned it might not provide updates to these PCs, but the software should still work.

In practice, a purely cosmetic mark like this is more a disclaimer than a deterrent — it's a reminder that Microsoft won't help you if the software misbehaves on an unsupported machine. If you're comfortable bypassing the CPU check in the first place, you can likely remove the watermark as well. Still, this might prove annoying if you've been running Windows 11 on an out-of-spec PC without hassles.

Snap is taking more action against bullying and harassment on Snapchat. It will no longer allow anonymous messaging from third-party apps that hook into its platform. The company said that while most people used these features in "fun, engaging, and entirely appropriate ways," it acknowledged others might take advantage of anonymity "to engage in harmful behavior."

From now on, third-party apps that want to let folks communicate through a Snapchat integration will need to have registered users with visible usernames and identities.

Last May, Snap locked two third-party apps that allowed for anonymous messages out of its developer platform and began a review of Snap Kit standards and policies. The decision came soon after the filing of a lawsuit related to the death of a teenager who was allegedly bullied through the apps, Yolo and LMK. The teen's mother sought to hold the makers of all three apps liable.

Of the more than 1,500 developers with access to Snap Kit, two percent will be affected by this policy, according to The Verge. Another rule change will impact three percent of Snap Kit developers: friend-finding apps will be restricted to those aged 18 and older. Snap is enacting that change to protect younger users and make things “more consistent with Snapchat’s use case — communications between close friends who already know each other.”

Google has released the second Developer Preview for Android 13, and it includes a big change in how the platform delivers alerts. Apps built for Android 13 will need to ask for permission before they can send notifications. Apps made for Android 12 or lower won't face this obligation, but this could still be very helpful if you're tired of having to disable notifications for apps that enable them by default.

Developers, meanwhile, can establish "downgradeable" permissions that scale back once they're no longer required. An app that needed access to your location before might switch it off if a relevant feature was disabled, or if the permission is no longer necessary in Android 13.

After that, Developer Preview 2's biggest upgrades mostly apply to audio. You'll find Bluetooth LE Audio support that promises "high fidelity" sound without a big hit to battery life. Musicians will find MIDI 2.0 compatibility that lets you use higher-resolution and more expressive USB instruments. The newer Android 13 build is also better at handling non-Latin languages like Japanese and Tamil.

You'll need a Pixel 4, Pixel 4a or newer Google phone to load the Android 13 DP2 system image outside of an emulator. As with past previews, you won't want to install this on your main phone — there are likely to be plenty of remaining glitches and compatibility headaches. Google is still targeting platform stability between June and July, and the polished release isn't due until sometime after that. If you can afford to experiment, though, it should be clear the new OS is quickly taking shape.

Slack has furnished its iPad app with a much-needed update. The highlight of the release is a redesigned interface that introduces a two-column layout to the app. If you’re already familiar with the desktop version of Slack, you know what to expect. You have access to a sidebar that allows you to quickly access different channels and direct messages, with the content of those conversations appearing in a separate right-hand pane. Slack suggests the layout makes it easier to multitask and stay productive.

Complementing the new layout are a handful of enhancements to the sidebar. For instance, you can now long-press on a channel to access a contextual menu that allows you to do things like copy a link to it. Slack has also made it so that your section preferences will sync between the desktop and iPad versions of the app, so your sidebar will stay consistent between devices. Lastly, the update features a few accessibility enhancements. As just one example, Slack has added improved support for Apple’s VoiceOver screen-reading feature.

The timing of the update could not have been better. This week, following a delay late last year, Apple released its new Universal Control feature. Once you installed iOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.3 on your devices, you can use a single keyboard and mouse (or trackpad) to control your Mac and iPad at the same time. In that way, you can use your iPad as a kind of secondary display. 

Meta is introducing new “parental supervision” features for Instagram and virtual reality. The update will be available first for Instagram, which has faced a wave of scrutiny for its impact on teens and children, with new parental controls coming to Quest headsets over the next few months.

On Instagram, the controls will be part of a new “Family Center,” where parents can set time limits and access information about their teen’s activity on the app. For now, parents will be able to see a list of accounts their teen is following, as well as which accounts follow them. Parents will also be notified if their teen reports another user.

Notably, the update is for now only available in the United States and parents will only be able to access the parental control features if the teens “initiate supervision” within the app themselves. Teens will also need to approve any parental requests for parental supervision. “Over the next few months we’ll add additional features, including letting parents set the hours during which their teen can use Instagram, and the ability for more than one parent to supervise a teen’s account,” Instagram Head Adam Mosseri writes in a blog post.

Instagram

The new features, which were first promised back in December, arrive after Instagram was forced to “pause” work on a dedicated app for kids younger than 13 after a whistleblower disclosed internal research documenting Instagram’s impact on teens’ mental health. The disclosures prompted lawmakers to push Meta to end work on Instagram Kids entirely. So far, Meta executives have declined to do so.

Mosseri said the company also plans to add similar parental control features to its Quest headsets so parents can also set limits on their children’s activities in virtual reality. Those features, which won’t launch for a few more months, will enable parents to restrict VR content rated for ages 13 and up and set other limits on VR purchases. Meta is also working on a “Parent Dashboard” for the Oculus app so parents can keep tabs on what their children are watching and how much time they are spending in VR.

Since last June, Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming service has been broadly available on iOS devices, but for many iPhone and iPad owners, the experience wasn’t up to what the company offered on other platforms. On Monday, however, Microsoft announced it had implemented a series of enhancements that would improve performance on all iPhone and iPad devices. At the time, it didn’t provide details on the work it had done, noting only they would lead to a “smoother and more responsive gameplay experience.”

But following an email from Engadget, Microsoft has shared more details on the update. The company says it optimized video output and network data transmission on iOS devices. It also found a way to reduce overall input lag. Since input lag is something that can easily take you out of a game, the work Microsoft did there should be easily noticeable.

One of the tricky things about Xbox Cloud Gaming on iOS is that Microsoft is forced to offer it through Safari, as opposed to a dedicated app, due to Apple’s policies on game streaming apps. Browser APIs have come a long way in the past few years, but a web experience still isn’t a substitute for a native app.

In February, Meta introduced a feature called Personal Boundary to Horizon Worlds and Venues to combat harassment. The company gave every avatar a bubble with a radius of two virtual feet, making it so that no one could come within four feet of your personal space. At the time, Meta made it so that users could not disable the feature. In response to community feedback, however, the company is now updating the tool to give people more control over it.

Meta

You now have three options that allow you to decide who can get close to your avatar. The app will default to the first one, “On for Non-Friends.” As you can probably guess, this one prevents people who aren’t on your friends list from getting close to your avatar. Then there’s “On for Everyone” and “Off.” The latter option effectively returns your avatar to the standard Meta enforced before introducing Personal Boundary. In some contexts, such as when two people first meet, the software will switch to a more restrictive setting to ensure everyone is safe.

As much as things like groping have become a significant issue in VR social spaces, today’s update would suggest that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for helping people feel safe in virtual reality. Meta acknowledges as much in its latest blog post, noting these new options will make it easier for friends to high-five, first-bump and take selfies while in Horizon Worlds.

Pinterest is moving deeper into e-commerce with some more features it announced at its annual advertiser summit. The platform says users have long been asking for a way to shop directly on Pinterest and you can now complete some purchases without leaving the app. 

The in-app checkout feature is currently in beta for some Shopify sellers in the US. Pinterest plans to expand access in the US this year. It will contact folks who run stores through Shopify with more details soon.

The company also announced a feature called Your Shop at Pinterest Presents. It calls this a "personal shopping concierge" that will provide users with their own personalized shopping pages. It'll recommend creators and brands based on your preferences and activity. The feature is in beta for some US users. Pinterest plans to expand Your Shop to all US pinners this year ahead of an international rollout.

In addition, Pinterest says it will be easier for sellers to upload catalogs to the platform and keep prices up to date. Using a trends tool, sellers in the US, UK and Canada will be able to view real-time search data, see trend recommendations and learn more about their audiences. The trends tool will be available in other countries later in 2022.

Pinterest is following in the footsteps of Instagram by adding its in-app checkout. Instagram has had a similar feature since 2020. Meta's app added a dedicated shopping section toward the end of that year.

Earlier this year, Pinterest added a feature that lets users see what a piece of furniture will look like in their home before they buy it using augmented reality.

Google has released a bunch of new features and updates for several of its products, including the ability to pay for parking using your voice. You can now simply say "Hey Google, pay for parking" in ParkMobile street parking zones and then follow Assistant's prompts. After you complete the transaction using Google Pay, you can ask Assistant to check your parking status or to extend your time anytime you want. 

The tech giant has also rolled out grammar check for Gboard on all Android devices. It was originally a Pixel 6 exclusive before making its way to other Pixel models earlier this year. Now all Gboard users will be able to use it to detect errors and suggest corrections while typing. Google says the feature works entirely on-device to ensure your privacy. 

The Android Live Transcribe app has been updated, as well, and now has an offline mode that you can use to generate real-time speech-to-text captions without an internet connection. It will give you a way to access its capabilities while on a plane, in the subway or in other areas where you don't have access to mobile data or WiFi.

When you fire up Google TV, you'll now see a Highlights tab containing a feed of entertainment news and reviews based on the movies and shows you watch. The articles link to the shows or movies they're based on, and you can simply tap them to start watching. Meanwhile, an update for Nearby Share makes it easier to share photos, videos and other kinds of files to several people by letting you add multiple recipients during a transfer. This particular feature is rolling out to all devices running Android 6 or higher. 

If you're trying to curb the time you spend on your phone, you may find Android's new screen time widget useful. The widget itself shows a glimpse of the three apps you use most each day. You can also click through to set daily timers for you apps, set a focus mode to pause distracting apps at certain times and set a bedtime mode that silences your device and changes its screen to black and white. 

Finally, you'll soon be able to use Portrait Blur on more subjects if you own a Pixel or have a Google One subscription. The editing tool blurs the background on photos of people after you've already taken them, but when the update goes out, it can also be used on photos of other subjects like pets, food and plants. You'll even be able to retroactively apply the effect on old photos taken without the feature enabled. Unfortunately, Google didn't say when the update will be available, but here's a video showing how the feature works:

You no longer have to read Substack articles on the web. As 9to5Macnotes, Substack has released its first mobile reading app for iPhone and iPad. The software will help you follow your subscriptions, with notifications when a favorite writer publishes a new story. You'll find all media formats in a single place, too. The app will also help you discover new writers if you're eager for more.

Android users will have to be patient. You can sign up for a waiting list, but it's not clear when Substack's app will be available for Google's platform.

The iOS app should be helpful if you're an avid Substack reader who'd rather not fire up a web browser just to catch up — it's arguably overdue when rivals like Medium have offered mobile apps for years. It may be just as relevant for writers, for that matter. They won't have to worry so much that you might miss an email alert, or skip a piece when you're away from your desk.