Spotify is giving its Apple Watch users some love, adding UI and playback upgrades that more closely align with the familiar experience from larger screens. In an update that starts rolling out today, watchOS users will see a beefed-up Your Library view with more in-depth music controls and the ability to download playlists without going back to your iPhone.

Before today's update, Spotify's Apple Watch features were rudimentary. For starters, the app displayed the Your Library view as a text-only list of titles. The new update provides a more attractive UI, including artwork thumbnails. In the watchOS app's old version, once you tapped on an album or playlist, it would immediately launch playback without letting you choose any options beforehand. The new update adds a screen with two prominent buttons for downloading and shuffling your music.

Spotify initially added offline playback in an update from May of last year, but that version still required you to use your iPhone to choose offline music, and you could only download individual songs to your wearable. Downloading entire playlists and albums without pulling out a phone will be a welcome addition for Apple Watch owners. The new update also lets you swipe to like a song from the list view, a gesture already familiar to users of the Spotify iOS app.

Spotify

Today's update also improves Apple Watch podcast playback, letting you view your listening progress and pick up right where you left off. The previous version would always restart podcasts from the beginning.

In addition to the Apple Watch app upgrades, Spotify also highlighted new tap-to-listen controls for Meta's Ray-Ban Stories and music curation for the overhead boarding music on Delta airlines. The company also announced support for the “Ambient Experience” that displays playlist or podcast artwork on Fire TV Omni QLED Series TVs when you aren’t watching anything. Owners of the $800 and up television can scroll through their music using either the TV's remote control or Spotify Connect devices.

You no longer need to pull out your phone to use Google One's virtual private network. Google has released One VPN apps for Mac and Windows systems. As on mobile, the VPN encrypts and otherwise masks your internet traffic. You can't use it to access content from other regions like you can with some VPNs, but it should help if you're worried about exposing your IP address (potentially useful for tracking) or using a public hotspot.

The VPN requires at least the $10 per month 2TB Google One plan, although you can share access with up to five other people. Desktop support is available in all 22 countries where the service is available, including the US, Canada, Mexico, UK and much of Europe. You'll need at least macOS Big Sur or Windows 10. There is a caveat — while the Mac app works for both x86 and ARM users, the Windows app doesn't support 32-bit or ARM-based systems. You'll have to look elsewhere if you're hoping to secure your ARM-powered Surface Pro.

As before, Google has independent bodies audit its VPN. It also shares the source code for its app libraries to ensure transparency. The audit for the desktop apps will be made public in the "coming weeks."

The desktop apps are arguably overdue when many VPN providers have long supported multiple platforms. This isn't necessarily the best option, depending on your needs. Mozilla's VPN includes regional server choices for $60 per year, and you can even get a free Opera VPN if you're only worried about protecting your browser activity. Google's advantage remains the bundle — you're really buying cloud storage that happens to include a VPN among its benefits.

Serif is determined to make its Affinity suite a more practical alternative for creatives who'd rather not pay for an Adobe subscription — or use a conventional PC, for that matter. The developer has released Affinity Version 2 apps that not only include major new features (more on those shortly), but the first edition of Publisher for the iPad. You now have all of the Affinity bundle on your tablet, and won't have to split your attention between your computer and iPad when it's time to design a page layout.

Regardless of platform, you should see some meaningful upgrades. Affinity Photo 2 now includes non-destructive RAW development, saved layer states, compound masks (that is, joining multiple masks together), live warping and live masks for elements like hue and luminosity ranges. Affinity Designer 2, meanwhile, adds non-destructive vector warping, a "knife" cutting tool, a shape builder and even tools for measuring lengths and areas. Affinity Publisher 2 now helps you add academia-friendly footnotes, endnotes and sidenotes. You can also create automatically repeating layouts and use a style picker. There's even a way to stitch multiple documents into a single book, although that's only available in desktop versions for now.

Some improvements are iPad-specific. A new radial menu provides access to common keyboard modifiers like Command and Option, while a quick menu offers clipboard options and nine customizable shortcuts. And if you're feeling the limits of your tablet screen, a compact mode keeps the brush and layer panels open while making more room for the image you're editing.

The one-time price may be more of a draw than before. You'd normally pay $170 for the entire Affinity suite across all platforms, but a launch sale drops that price to $100. That makes it relatively affordable compared to Adobe's Creative Cloud, which will keep you paying indefinitely. You can buy the individual Affinity Version 2 apps for $70 on the desktop ($41 on sale) and $20 (currently $12) on the iPad.

This outlay might not thrill you if you recently bought Affinity V1. You may likewise need to consider rivals like Adobe if you need further apps for animation, web design and other aspects of the creative pipeline. If these tools fit your workflow, though, the price is low enough that they should be reasonably easy to justify.

LumaFusion, a well-regarded video editing app for iPhones, iPads and Macs, is finally making its way to Android and Chrome OS devices. Shortly after it won best iPad app of the year in 2021, thanks to its ability to make complex video editing easy to do using just one's fingers, LumaFusion made its Android debut on Samsung's Galaxy Tab S8 devices. According to Android Police, its developer, LumaTouch, promised to put it up for download on the Galaxy Store back then while also working on a release for the Chrome OS. It took some time to make that happen, but now LumaTouch is rolling out an early access version of the app to the Google Play Store and the Samsung Galaxy Store.

The features iOS users enjoy are expected to be on the Android and Chrome OS releases, as well. LumaFusion lets users lay down up to 12 tracks, six of which can be videos, which they can link and unlink. They can use preset transitions or create their own, import media from various sources or edit directly from USB drives, as well as pick from a library of royalty-free music, sound effects, videos and backgrounds. AP says LumaTouch formed a team of Chrome OS developers to make this release happen, so the app has likely been optimized for the platform instead of being a subpar iOS port. 

LumaFusion typically costs $30, but users will be able to purchase it from the Galaxy Store and Play Store for $20 within its early access period. The listing for either platform isn't up yet, from what we can see, but it'll most likely pop up soon enough. 

After finally allowing posting last year, Instagram continues to make changes to its desktop web app. The latest update introduces a refresh user interface that takes better advantage of large screens rather than looking like a larger version of the mobile app, TechCrunch has reported. 

Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri announced the update along with the new in-app scheduler revealed yesterday. "We know a lot of people use the web to multitask and we wanted to make sure Instagram was an as great experience as possible online," he said in a video. "So it is cleaner, faster and easier to use and it’s designed now to take advantage of large-screen monitors."

Steve Dent/Engadget

As shown above, the home, search, explore, messages and notification menus were moved to a new side rail that collapses to icons depending on screen size. Stories are shown at the top, while your profile, suggestions and more are off to the right. When selecting any menu option, the left menu bar remains, making navigation quicker and easier. 

The new interface makes Instagram easier to use on web, but there's still no sign of a dedicated iPad app, as 9to5Mac notes. Earlier this year, Mosseri said that iPad was "not big enough" to make a dedicated Instagram app a priority. Now, at least, you could use the web version instead to get a better experience.

Alphabet's Wing division has teamed up with DoorDash to deliver some convenience and grocery items — such as pantry staples, snacks and household essentials — by drone. Customers can place an order through the "DoorDash Air" section of the DoorDash app and receive their items in as little as 15 minutes. 

When they check out, users will need to select a delivery spot for the drone to drop off their package. The DoorDash app will ask them to confirm that the drop zone is clear before the user completes the order.

Wing/DoorDash

The pilot is live in Logan, Australia, where Wing has been testing its services for a few years. DoorDash drone deliveries are only available to a small number of households for now, but availability will be expanded in the coming months. The drones can carry a payload of just over a kilogram, DoorDash said.

This is a big step for Wing, as it marks the first time that the company's services have been accessible through a third-party app. DoorDash employed Wing's new API to make the integration work. Until now, the Wing Delivery App has been the main way for customers to order and receive items via the company's drones. 

Wing says it has been working on a way to offer third-party app integration for some time. “We see this new functionality as a logical step on this journey to make drone delivery a plug-and-play option for more businesses and consumers — no matter what app they use,” Wing wrote in a blog post.

Wing has been expanding its footprint in recent months. The company announced last month that its drone delivery service was coming to Ireland imminently. It's also operating in Christiansburg, Virginia and Helsinki, Finland.

In 2018, the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance partnered with Google to integrate its software platform and services like Google Maps and Assistant into vehicles. Now, Renault Group (Renault, Dacia, Alpine and Mobilize) is expanding that partnership to develop a "software-defined vehicle" (SDV) with Google based on Android Automotive OS. The aim is to deliver "new on-demand services and continuous upgrades to be delivered to the car," with Google acting as its "preferred cloud provider." 

To accelerate development, the companies will work together on a "Digital Twin," or a virtual version of the car. It'll use advanced AI capabilities to allow the companies to more easily integrate new features and services into the vehicle, while allowing for "new onboard (In-Car Services) and offboard applications," the companies said. It'll also allow "continuous upgrades to be delivered to the car." 

According to the companies, the SDV will allow predictive maintenance and better detection and rectification of failures in near real time if necessary. It'll also allow for a personalized experience that adapts to driving behavior like frequent destinations, EV charging stations used, etc. It'll also help the companies build "insurance models based on actual usage and driving behaviors." 

Tesla pioneered the idea of software-defined vehicles, allowing for continuous improvements to its EVs and new features through over-the-air software updates. Other major automakers including Hyundai, Porsche and others have already made plans to create their own SDVs. However, Renault Group appears to be working particularly close with Google to develop its own system. 

Signal now has its own ephemeral Snapchat-like feature that you can use to share photos with friends. The messaging app has released the feature a month after it revealed that it was hopping on the Stories bandwagon and was already beta testing the capability. Also called "Stories," Signal's new feature lets you post photos that will remain viewable on the app for 24 hours, unless you erase them before the time is up. Signal says that like everything available on its app, Stories are end-to-end encrypted and will only be visible to the people you've chosen to share them with.

These people could be everyone in your contacts that use the app, along with anybody you've had a one-on-one conversation with or whose message request you'd accepted, even if you'd never added them. You can also create custom stories that will only be available to select viewers you choose — say, your colleagues or people with the same interests. Plus, you can share stories with existing groups. Just take note that everyone in that group will be able to see what you share, even those you'd never interacted with in individual chats. 

Seeing as Facebook and Instagram already have similar features, and Snapchat still exists, it remains to be seen whether Signal's take can get people to use the app more. Signal's Stories are now available on its Android and iOS app, and they're "coming soon" to desktop, as well. If you'd rather not see your contact's Stories, or if you're not interested in posting your own, you can alway opt out by going to Settings and toggling on "Turn off stories."

Instagram is rolling out its in-app post scheduler, allowing select users to plan their posts in advance without having to use Meta's Creator Studio or third-party services. The Meta-owned photo-and-video sharing platform is giving businesses and creators the power to schedule Reels, photos and carousels for up to 75 days within the app itself. Instagram tested the feature over the past few weeks, giving a small percentage of its global community access to the tool, before this wider (but still limited) release. 

To access the feature, eligible users will have to go to "Advanced Settings" after creating their post but before sharing it with their followers. From there, they can toggle on "Schedule this post" and select the time and date they want it to go live. They then have to navigate back to the post they were creating and click "Schedule." According to TechCrunch, which reported on the test, scheduled posts can be seen in the "Scheduled Content" section that can be accessed through the hamburger menu. The process could perhaps be simpler, but the feature eliminates the need to use the separate Creator Studio website or app for a more frictionless experience. 

Whether the feature will ever be available for ordinary users remains to be seen — Instagram hasn't mentioned anything about a full rollout. In the same post announcing its in-app scheduler, though, Instagram has launched Achievements. Creators can unlock them by taking specific actions, such as collaborating with another creator and making interactive Reels with polls and quizzes. 

Twitter has begun rolling out support for the new, more expensive version of its Blue subscription. As of Saturday, the company’s iOS app now reflects the fact users can pay $8 per month to obtain a verified account. The changelog notes people who sign up for Twitter Blue will receive a checkmark, “just like the celebrities, companies, and politicians you already follow.”

However, it looks like Twitter is still rolling out the necessary backend changes to support the change more broadly. There are reports of users not seeing a blue checkmark on their account even after signing up for the new subscription. Additionally, Twitter has yet to update its Android app, and the other perks Elon Musk promised would be part of the revamped Twitter Blue, such as the ability to post longer videos, are listed as “coming soon.” What the updated iOS app does include is a tweaked notification tab that features a column dedicated to displaying tweets solely from verified users.

It’s unclear when all the elements Musk promised will be in place, but he reportedly gave employees working on making verification a paid feature until November 7th to complete the work or else lose their jobs. On Friday, the company began laying off about 50 percent of its workforce, leaving entire teams gutted.