Spotify beta tests the ability to use Siri to control its app on iOS 13

Embed from Getty Images

The wait might not be too long until you can ask Siri to play music for you on Spotify. The streaming service is beta testing integration with iOS 13's SiriKit audio APIs, which will allow you to ask Siri to interact with the app. 

What the API will allow iOS users to do includes everything from playing artists or albums as well as theoretically manage playlists, like tracks, etc. The caveat is you will need to instruct Siri that you want the action done on Spotify, so the virtual assistant knows you want it to interact with this specific app.

Click to read more ...

Twitter for iOS lets you pin lists to your Home timeline

If you want an easier way to access your favourite lists on Twitter and you're using an iPhone, this new feature is for you. After testing it out with some users back in July, Twitter now allows all iOS users switch from viewing your timeline to lists you follow or subscribe to by simply swiping. You can pin and unpin up to five Lists, giving you a more curated experience on the app. 

The update also brings a new landing page for lists. It shows a header image and more context about these as well as the number of members and subscribers. To edit your Lists, head to your profile picture and then in the Home menu, look for the Lists tab. The GIF above shows how this can be done. Now, if you're an Android user, Twitter told Engadget that the feature would be available outside of iOS "in the near future."

Netflix tests new human-curated collections on iOS

There was a time when you could rate and review Netflix's content beyond using the binary thumbs up or thumbs down option. The perception is Netflix changed this to let its algorithm do all the curation for you. And for us, that sometimes feels like the company continually pushing its content, instead of offering us shows or films that are in line with what we want to see. But it looks like the company wants to give its users more input again over what we get to see. The streaming service is beta-testing human-curated collections on its iOS app.

Click to read more ...

Telegram brings new features to iOS app

Over the weekend, Telegram introduced some new useful features to its iOS app, including enhanced dark themes, Silent Messages, and Slow Mode. With improved Night Mode, you get new accent colours to choose from, allowing you to customize the theme to your liking. Meanwhile, Silent Messages lets you send a message to someone without a sound. It doesn't matter what their notification settings on their device are. They will still get a notification, but it won't come the sound. This would prove to be useful if you're messaging them in the middle of the night or when they're at an important meeting or date.

Slow Mode for group chats will let an administrator limit people to sending one message per the interval they choose. For example, they can set it so that people could only send one message every 30 seconds. The app also allows for custom titles for group admins. You can also toggle looped playback for animated stickers in the Settings. And if you want, you can send a single :heart: :thumbsup: :meh: :wow: or :party:  to add an animated emoji to the chat.

Source: 9to5Mac