Anchor and WordPress can turn your blog post into podcasts

As part of Spotify's Stream On event, podcasts played a significant role in its future. One feature to help entice more people to use podcasts is a new partnership between Anchor and WordPress. 

Writers interested in podcasting but don't know where to start can rely on their written works. You can turn your posts into podcasts by either reading the blog posts yourself or using third-party text-to-speech technology that Anchor will offer.

The feature is meant to bring your work to newer audiences without that much extra work. The hope is that it can help create a new revenue stream for you as well. There are other new podcast features we'd like to discuss in future posts.

Source: Anchor

Apple issues apology for dispute with WordPress

Old versions of the WordPress app on iOS had Plans tab, but in-app purchases aren't available on the app

While Apple's legal battle with Epic Games rages on, it is resolving its issue with WordPress. The tech giant even issues a rare on-the-record apology to the blogging platform after it forced WordPress to monetize its free app. If WordPress offers in-app purchases, it would be giving Apple 30% of what it earns from these.

Apple's full statement reads: "We believe the issue with the WordPress app has been resolved. Since the developer removed the display of their service payment options from the app, it is now a free stand-alone app and does not have to offer in-app purchases. We have informed the developer and apologize for any confusion that we have caused."

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WordPress launches its new media picker for Android

Photo by-Shahzin Shajid/ UnsplashThere are dozens of online publishing software and content management systems (CMS) available online, but currently, Wordpress holds the title of the most popular self-hosting service for both amateur and professional users. The platform powers over 26% of all web traffic, more than other popular CMS services combined. More than 500 new websites and over an average of 1,800,000 posts are created through Wordpress each day.

While Wordpress is without a doubt one of the most popular self-hosting services available today, many organizations opt to use managed Wordpress hosting instead for enhanced control. Either offers many advantages in terms of extended functionality and being SEO-friendly, but unfortunately even the most popular CMS systems experience problems. In May 2017 the company announced its 4.7.3 security update, which fixed a number of cross-site scripting errors and other bugs in addition to introducing updated user features. In addition to improved comment tracking, the new Android Media Picker tool streamlines user experience and makes it easy to upload, store, and organize photos.

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WordPress adds fingerprint-scanner support for Android app

WordPress looks to improve its app on Android with its latest update. The app now has support for devices with fingerprint scanners and it also features a new media library interface. If your device runs on Android Marshmallow, you can opt to use your fingerprint scanner to unlock the app’s lock screen instead of having to input your PIN. A fingerprint icon should show up if your device is compatible with this feature. WordPress also makes managing multiple photos and video uploads easier. They cleaned up the interface of the media library and added Material Design elements to it.

Some of the minor changes include fixes for problems like deleting posts instead of moving them to trash, incorrectly asking Authors for their credentials, disappearing avatars for those using the comment section, as well as issues with opening external sites from apps.

Source: WordPress