Snapchat is upgrading its visual search features, and putting them at the center of its app. The app is now rolling out changes it announced back in May during its Partner Summit event. The updates include more prominent placement of the “scan” feature — now located directly under the camera’s shutter button — and new capabilities that will suggest lenses and music based on your surroundings.

Snap has been experimenting with visual search, called “scan” since 2019. The feature allows Snapchat users to identify plants and music, solve math problems, and scan food and wine labels with the in-app camera. But up until now, much of this functionality was easily overlooked as it required a few extra taps to access. With the update now rolling out, “scan” visible whenever the camera is open.

Snapchat’s also adding a few new features it previewed earlier this year, like the ability to shop for outfits by pointing the camera at articles of clothing. It’s also adding Camera Shortcuts, which will suggest a combination of augmented reality lenses and music based on your surroundings. For example, pointing the camera at your pet may suggest AR lenses meant to work with dogs and music to go with your clip.

Though Snap has been working on its “scan” capabilities for some time, the fact that it’s now making the feature much more prominent underscores how big a priority it is for the company. Snap has also integrated scanning abilities into its latest AR Spectacles, which can similarly suggest lenses based on what’s around you (unlike previous versions of Spectacles, the newest ones aren’t for sale just yet). Visual search also help Snap compete for creative talent with rivals like TikTok and Instagram (which also happens to be working on its own visual search feature). The company told The Verge that it’s working on adding camera shortcuts to Spotlight to make it easier for people to riff on other users’ clips.

YouTube is making good on its promise to bring picture-in-picture viewing to iOS users. TechCrunchreports that YouTube is promising PiP viewing to all iPhone and iPad users in the US, starting with volunteers using Premium. You'll have to opt into the test through the experiments website on your computer, but you're all set after that — you can watch clips in a floating window while you check your social networks or otherwise get things done.

Premium testing ends on October 31st. You might have to reinstall the YouTube app if the feature isn't available right away.

The company hasn't said when it plans to enable PiP for non-Premium subscribers. This is still a step forward, mind you. YouTube's web-only support was limited at best — this should expand the audience and put YouTube's app more on par with competing video services.

It’s been a long time coming, but if you depend on the Electrify America mobile app to find nearby charging stations, you can soon access the software through your vehicle’s Android Auto or CarPlay infotainment system. Electrify America announced today it's rolling out support for both systems this week.

The software allows you to find the location of all the approximately 650 charging stations the company operates across the US. You can also see details about each station, including the availability of individual chargers and their capacity. Once you’re at a station, you can then use the software to remotely start and stop a charging session.

While it’s something of a head-scratcher it took Electrify America until 2021 to offer Android Auto and CarPlay support, that functionality is at least now in place as the company works toward nearly tripling its network by the end of 2025. Critically, it’s also another way Electrify America needed to catch up to Tesla. The automaker’s Trip Planner, which you can access through your car’s touchscreen display, will route you to Supercharger locations that are on the way to your next destination.

Airbnb announced earlier this week that it's offering free, temporary housing to 20,000 refugees from Afghanistan. Now, it says anyone with available space who's willing to house refugees can sign up to do so — not only Airbnb hosts.

The company is funding the stays through Airbnb.org, its nonprofit that aims to provide people with a place to stay during times of crisis. The company and its co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky have donated to the efforts. Donations to the Airbnb.org Refugee Fund will also help fund the program, and perhaps help cover the cost of more stays. Airbnb is waiving its fees on all refugee stays too.

Airbnb.org is working with partners including the International Rescue Committee, HIAS and Church World Service to help refugees find a place to stay. The nonprofit and Airbnb are also offering support to the federal government, as well as cities and states that have expressed openness to welcoming refugees.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says there are currently around 2.5 million registered Afghan refugees, as TechCrunch notes. Given the number of people who have attempted to flee Afghanistan since the Taliban swept the country and assumed power, there may be many more refugees who need support. Providing at least 20,000 refugees with temporary housing is a positive step to help them transition into their new lives, but Airbnb's efforts, while welcome, may prove a drop in the ocean when it comes to this humanitarian crisis.

Apple thinks it might have a simple way to attract wary publishers to Apple News — give them a larger slice of app sales. TechCrunchreports that Apple has launched a News Partner Program that lowers the tech firm's cut of App Store subscriptions from 30 percent to 15 percent "from day one" if qualified publishers provide their content in the Apple News Format. Outlets previously had to wait until an app's second year on the App Store before Apple's share dropped to 15 percent.

The apps themselves have to deliver "original, professionally authored" news and, unsurprisingly, allow auto-renewing subscriptions through the App Store. If a publisher isn't located in one of Apple News' existing markets (currently the US, UK, Australia and Canada), it can still qualify for the program by providing an RSS news feed.

The move could satisfy publishers that avoided Apple's in-app subscription system, if not the App Store entirely, due to the 30 percent initial cut. You might see more publications on Apple News (if not necessarily News+) as a result. However, it's not clear if antitrust regulators will be thrilled. The program does show that Apple can be more flexible with App Store fees, but it's also an incentive for publishers to dive deeper into Apple's ecosystem.

On August 28th, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Now, some nearly 60 years later, you can listen to the address in its entirety within Fortnite as part of an experience called March Through Time. Time Magazine crafted the interactive exhibit with help from the game’s Creative Mode community, as well as the DuSable Museum of African American History and the estate of Dr. King.

March Through Time transports players to D.C. 63, a “reimagined” version of the nation’s capital that allows you to visit museum-like exhibits that tell the story of Dr. King’s speech, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and the broader civil rights movement. Complete the experience, and you’ll earn a special spray you can use in your Fortnite matches.

While it’s better known for its concerts and brand collaborations, this isn’t the first time Fortnite has touched on a serious subject. As Eurogamer points out, Epic Games screened a series of programs devoted to fighting racism and voter suppression last year. You can check out out the March Through Time by using the code 3815-8892-143. It’s also accessible through the Discover Menu.

It's been clear for a while now that gaming will play a significant role in Netflix's future, and we're starting to see that play out in the wild. The company is now testing mobile games as part of subscriptions.

Netflix confirmed to Engadget this is the first time it has tested games in its mobile app publicly, but availability is very limited at the outset. “Starting today, members in Poland can try Netflix mobile gaming on Android with two games — Stranger Things 1984 and Stranger Things 3 — all as part of their membership," a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement. "It’s still very, very early days and we will be working hard to deliver the best possible experience in the months ahead with our no ads, no in-app purchases approach to gaming.”

It's worth noting you won't stream these games through the cloud. When users tap the Install Now button, they'll be taken to the Google Play Store and they can download the game to their device. You won't be able to download the games from the Play Store by searching for them directly, Netflix said.

Netflix is looking to expand the test in the coming months, including on iOS. Given that it isn't streaming the games, Netflix might avoid some of the hurdles cloud gaming services like Stadia, Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce Now have encountered on Apple's mobile devices. Those all run as web apps on iOS, rather than as ones you download from the App Store. Netflix's approach is a little more like Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass.

The GoPro Quik app is getting a bit more useful for subscribers. GoPro is giving them unlimited cloud backups at no extra cost. What's more, the app can back up photos and videos at full source quality.

The mural feature is designed to showcase your favorite memories and maybe free up some space on your phone. Not only can you send captures from your GoPro to the cloud, the app lets you save images and videos from anywhere on your device, including your camera roll, using the share sheet. The latest version of the Android app now includes limited mural storage, and the upgrade is coming to iOS soon.

Being able to upload unlimited images and videos at full quality is a solid improvement for GoPro Quik subscribers. At $2/month or $10/year, it might prove a more attractive storage option than Google One or iCloud. Those service's plans each scale up to $10/month for 2TB of storage. Google Photos ended free unlimited storage in June. You might even use GoPro Quik as a secondary, low-cost backup option for all of your photos and videos.

GoPro merged its namesake app with Quik earlier this year. Mural organizes photos and videos into events and the app can automatically generate highlight videos for you. There are editing tools for your images and videos, filters and access to royalty-free music tracks.

NBA 2K21's WNBA mode was barebones, to put it charitably, but 2K and Visual Concepts intend to flesh things out for the follow-up. The developers have detailed improvements to "The W" in NBA 2K22 that address some of the core complaints. Most notably, there's a new badge-based player progression system that lets you upgrade your MyPlayer creations to match your specialties. It still doesn't appear to be as sophisticated as the MyCareer mode from 2K21, but it should be more involving.

Off-the-court advancement has received improvements, too. Instead of picking options on a card, there are three playable experiences (scrimmage games, team practices and category-specific contact workouts) to improve your badges. The contact drills will also help you form bonds with WNBA stars, according to 2K.

You'll also find upgrades to the next-gen-only online mode. You can now hook up with friends before you start matchmaking, and you'll earn season experience points whenever you play against other people.

As Polygonnoted, there are still areas where the WNBA component will be underdeveloped compared to the men's league. There aren't mentions of improved team management or options to spend your virtual currency. Like with other sports titles, it could take a while before the modes are on par. The creators are clearly aware they need to catch up, though, and 2K22 appears to be an important first step.

One of the most influential game console designers is bowing out. According to Kotaku, NES and SNES designer Lance Barr has retired from Nintendo after 38 years and eight months at the company. Although relatively few know his name, he may have played a key role in obtaining mainstream acceptance for Nintendo and reinvigorating the video game industry in the US.

Barr joined Nintendo in a part-time role in December 1982, but he made his biggest mark when he was asked to design the outside of the NES to make the Famicom more palatable for American audiences. As requested, he made it look like it belonged next to a stereo system (complete with a VHS-style cartridge loader) compared to the "soft" Japanese model. The console's final look was rushed, though — while the prototype NES at CES was a sleek wireless machine, Barr and his team spent an hour reworking the device based on both a poor CES reaction and cost-cutting engineering demands. One of the most recognizable pieces of electronics in the past four decades was the product of a quick rework, in other words.

Barr was influential well beyond those two early consoles. He designed key NES accessories, including the Zapper light gun and NES Max. And while Nintendo headquarters took the design reins in the mid-1990s, Barr left his stamp on the 2000s as well — he was involved in the design of the Wii and its legendary Nunchuk add-on controller.

In that light, Barr helped shape Nintendo's overall hardware design language: simple, sturdy and instantly recognizable. Nintendo appears to be in good hands without Barr, but his departure still marks the end of a long and important era.