Spotify Testing Free Pandora-Style ‘Stations’ App on Android Devices

Spotify is doubling down on free music and has begun testing a standalone app that offers a station-based streaming music experience similar to Pandora’s original music service, reports Variety.

“Stations,” available on Android devices in Australia, is designed to let users stream free music from curated radio-like stations. The app’s description says that Stations “is an experiment by Spotify that makes it easy for anyone to listen to great music.”

Stations is the easiest way to listen to the music you love. Totally free.

When you have access to all the music in the world, finding the right thing to play can feel like a challenge. With Stations, you can listen immediately, and switching stations is simple and seamless–no searching or typing needed. As you listen, it learns what you like and creates personalised stations that you’ll love.

Based on the app’s description, Stations is designed to make it quick and easy to find new music, with the app offering up personalized stations after it “learns what you like.” Spotify says there’s no searching or typing required to use the app.

It’s not clear what Spotify plans to do with Stations in the future, and it’s not known if the company plans to eventually release an iOS app, but Stations does fill a much-needed function – it provides more free listening options for customers on mobile devices.

Spotify’s main app also has a free ad-supported listening tier, but the on-demand service is limited to customers who use Spotify on the desktop. On mobile devices, listening options are far more limited.

Spotify’s main app boasts 140 million total active subscribers and 70 million paying subscribers, so the unpaid market is still huge for Spotify and one consumer group that Apple does not reach. Apple Music has no free listening tier, and Apple has no plans to implement one.

For now, Spotify’s new Stations app is limited to a select number of Android devices in Australia and it is supported via ads.

Tag: Spotify
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Slack Nixes its Standalone Apple Watch App

Over the course of the last few months, several companies have decided to end development on apps for the Apple Watch, focusing instead on Apple’s iOS platform. The latest company to nix its Apple Watch app is Slack. If you’re unfamiliar with Slack, it’s a team communication and collaboration platform for businesses.

In an update to its iOS app today, Slack eliminated its standalone Apple Watch app. Slack customers will, however, still be able to respond to incoming messages on their Apple Watch thanks to rich notifications.

Apple Watch users, there’s now one iOS app for all of your needs. We’ve removed the standalone Watch App, but rest assured, receiving and replying to messages from your wrist works the same as before. It’s like two for the price of one, but with apps.

Slack’s Apple Watch app, like many of the Apple Watch apps that have been abandoned, was never particularly useful, so it’s no surprise Slack has decided not to dedicate additional resources to it. The Slack Apple Watch app let users view unread mentions and view and respond to direct messages, but these features were not easy to use on a wrist-worn device. It also let users receive and interact with notifications, features that are still available through an iPhone.

When the Apple Watch was released, most companies developed an Apple Watch app for the device even if the app didn’t do anything useful, because it wasn’t yet clear how and when people would use apps on the wrist. As the Apple Watch has matured, though, it’s become clear that most dedicated apps offering anything beyond a quick interaction aren’t used often enough to be a worthwhile use of company resources.

For example, Twitter in September ended support for the Apple Watch, eliminating the standalone Twitter app on the device. At the time, Twitter said that it felt notifications were the most helpful part of the Apple Watch Twitter experience, which is also what Slack is now relying on.

Other companies that have stopped offering Apple Watch apps include Target, eBay, Whole Foods, Amazon, and Google (for Google Maps). eBay and Google have both said Apple Watch support might return in the future, but have not yet released new apps.

Tag: Slack
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Apple Stops Signing Older Versions of iOS 11

Following the release of iOS 11.2.5 on January 23, Apple stopped signing older versions of iOS 11, including iOS 11.2, iOS 11.2.1, and iOS 11.2.2.

iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch owners who have upgraded to iOS 11.2.5 will no longer be able to downgrade to earlier versions of iOS.

Apple routinely stops signing older versions of software updates after new releases come out in order to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date.

iOS 11.2.5 is now the only version of iOS 11 that can be installed on iOS devices by the general public, but developers and public beta testers can download iOS 11.3, an update that is being beta tested ahead of a spring release.
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Square Cash now allows anyone to buy and sell bitcoin

Square’s Cash App has been helping people send and receive money without fees for a while now. Originally an money-by-email service, Cash App has grown into a more robust offering with its own prepaid Visa card. The company has been testing buying and selling Bitcoin via the app, as well, and has finally made it official.

Blockchaiiiiinnnnn! You can now buy and sell Bitcoin instantly with the Cash App!

Still unsure what Bitcoin is? https://t.co/5fH7YEolnN 👀 pic.twitter.com/XvYknaEzBl

— Cash App (@CashApp) January 31, 2018

The feature is available to most everyone who uses Cash App, unless they’re in New York, Georgia, Hawaii or Wyoming. The company promises that it’s working on it. This does seem to be a pretty simple way to get into owning Bitcoin, though Square warns that the cryptocurrency’s price is “volatile and unpredictable.” While the company won’t add additional fees when you purchase Bitcoin through its app, it calculates the price when buying based on a quoted mid-market price and margin, which could be different when selling. You’ll also be limited to up to $10,000 worth of Bitcoin per week, so be sure to plan accordingly.

We aren’t yet rolled out in New York, Georgia, Hawaii, or Wyoming – but we’re working on it! Stay tuned.

— Cash App (@CashApp) January 31, 2018

Via: Reuters/Twitter

Source: Cash App/Twitter

How to share Amazon Prime with friends and family

Willing to share some of that free quick shipping and streaming video with your crew? It’s probably easier than you think.

Your Amazon Prime account is set up with a feature called Amazon Household that allows you to share a large handful your benefits with friends and family. Add another adult to your digital household and enjoy easy features including parental controls for the kids, unlimited storage for photos, and a family library to share books, apps, and games. Here’s how to get started!

• How to add members to your Household in Amazon Prime
• How to manage your content in Amazon Prime
• What are other shareable benefits with Amazon Prime?

How to add members to your Household in Amazon Prime

Click Your Account from the drop-down menu located at the top-right side of your screen.

Scroll down to your Account Settings and click the Manage your Household option.

On the Household homepage, click to Add an Adult.

Have the adult enter their Log in Information, whether they’re a trial member or Prime member.

Add up to 4 children to your household by clicking Add a Child.
Each child’s profile can be modified by clicking Edit underneath their avatar.

Once you’ve added everyone to your household — adults, teens and kids — you’re all set to share content! Keep in mind that each adult will be sharing their payment information under the same account, so it’s important to ensure the appropriate credit or debit card is selected at checkout when purchasing products or content.

How to Manage your Content in Amazon Prime

Select Your Account from the drop-down menu located at the top-right side of your screen.

Scroll down to your Account Settings and select the Manage your Household option.

Under your household homepage, click Manage Your Family Library in the middle of your screen.

Select whether or not you wish to share apps/games, audiobooks, or eBooks by clicking their Sharing Buttons.

Underneath your Family Library, select Manage your Content and Devices.

Select Show Instant Video under the Content Tab.

Click Show FreeTime located next to the sort menu under Your Content.

Choose from your Instant Videos and select Add to FreeTime.

Choose between videos and Select a Child to allow viewing access.
Click OK when finished.

That’s the basics for managing your content under your Household account!

What are other shareable benefits with Amazon Prime?

Amazon Prime is more than just sharing content. For your annual subscription charge you get access to a great number of perks, including reduced expedited shipping on orders:

• Free 2-day, same-day, and discounted one-day shipping
• Prime Video access to thousands of movies and TV shows
• Early access to Amazon Lightning Deals
• Unlimited storage for photos
• Free Kindle books through the Lending Library
• 20% off diapers subscriptions
• 15% off Baby Registry completion discount
• Prime Fresh benefits

That’s all there is to setting up your Amazon Prime account to share its benefits with your friends and family! There’s always the option to remove members as needed, but if you choose to leave your household, there’s a 180-day period where neither adult can add members or join other households. Setup is quick and easy, and it’s a great perk for Prime members that love to share.

Sign up for Amazon Prime

Updated Jan. 30, 2018: Added new info on teen accounts.

Motorola releases 5 new Style Shell Moto Mods made out of Gorilla Glass

The new Style Shells are the most expensive at $29.99 a pop.

Although they may not be the best phones on the market, you’ve got to give Motorola credit where credit is due for trying something new with its Moto Z devices. The ability to change up both the look and function of your phone on the fly with Moto Mods is still a lot of fun, and Motorola has five new Style Shell Moto Mods to spruce up the look of your Moto Z.

The new Style Shells are the most expensive we’ve ever seen at $29.99 each (previous ones have cost $19.99), but that’s because these are also the first Style Shell Moto Mods to be made out of Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Motorola says the new backs are “damage resistant”, but since these are still made out of glass at the end of the day, I’d recommend avoiding as many falls and drops as possible.

You’ve got five new designs to choose from, and while most of them aren’t something I’d use, they’re some of the most visually-interesting Motorola has kicked out so far.

This comes shortly after Motorola released a new folio case Moto Mod, and while these most recent Moto Mods haven’t been as crazy as ones we saw at CES 2018, I actually prefer these simpler offerings. Having a projector or Polaroid printer on the back of your phone is cool, but things like this are what I like most about the whole Moto Mod system.

If you’re interested in giving these new Style Shells a shot, you can pick them up for yourself with a click/tap of the button below.

See at Motorola

How to turn off auto-update for PlayStation 4 games

If you’ve ever wondered how you can stop your games from auto updating and enjoy the task at hand without exiting, here’s how to turn off auto update all together.

If you’ve ever been watching Netflix or in an intense match during WWII, then you know that the auto updates are a bit of a pain in the rear. Most of the time, you would pause it and resume the update when you put your PlayStation 4 in rest mode anyways! Why not turn off the auto updates altogether if you won’t be using it?

Here is exactly how to turn that off and enjoy your gaming.

Go to Settings on the far side of your PlayStation 4 loading screen, right by the Power logo.
Under Settings you’ll want to go to System, it’s the second to last option under the settings screen.
Under system, you should see Automatic Downloads, it should be the second option underneath this screen.
Once you’re in the Automatic Downloads area, you’ll want to go all the way down to Application Update Files, it is the last option your should see. This is how you will be able to disable the automatic updates for your games.

Make sure you don’t uncheck the other boxes unless you want to manually search for system updates and featured content.

Now, you have successfully stopped your automatic updates for your games! Enjoy your games or videos without having those interruptions by automatic updates.

PlayStation 4

• PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
• PlayStation VR Review
• Playing PS4 games through your phone is awesome

Amazon

Google Flights now predicts delays and makes sense of cheaper tickets

Google’s two new tools should make flying suck just a little less.

Although I’ve yet to have a bad experience while flying, the same can’t be said for many of my friends and colleagues. Google Flights is one of the better tools around for booking and managing your flights, and it’s picking up a couple new tools that make it even more enjoyable to use.

First off, Google Flights will now predict whether or not an upcoming flight is going to be delayed. Google Flights has previously shown delays once an airline makes them official, but now it’ll be able to use machine learning and flight data to make these visible before an airline calls them in. These predictions won’t be shown unless the system is 80% certain the delay will occur, but even so, it’s still a good idea to show up to the airport on time no matter what.

Along with this, Google Flights is also making it easier to see what you are and aren’t getting when trying to save a few bucks and book a flight with a Basic Economy ticket. There’s nothing worse than getting a cheaper ticket to only find out at the airport that you can’t change your seat or bring a carry-on item, but Google is partnering with American Airlines, Delta, and United to make sure that all of this information is readily available.

With these new features in place, will you be using Google Flights to book your next trip?

YouTube TV will be the official broadcaster of LAFC soccer games

The 3 best Android phones for former Windows Phone users

Looking for a new smartphone? Here are the three best Android phones you should consider (and why) if you’re switching from Windows Phone.

You’ve likely heard that Windows Phone is no longer a thing. That makes picking an alternative handset an essential step for those who need a smartphone but can no longer rely on Microsoft.

As Executive Editor of Android Central sibling site Windows Central, I have always carried around multiple smartphones to make my product reviews more informed. That makes me no stranger to Android or Apple’s iPhone. If I had to choose one OS in 2018, it’d be Android due to the larger array of hardware and software options.

As to which phones I’d pick, it comes down to three choices:

• Google Pixel 2
• OnePlus 5 (or 5T)
• Razer Phone

Each has pros and cons, like any piece of technology. You’ll need to balance each with what you prioritize the most. Do you value the camera, display, or audio? Does it fit in your pocket?

I put together this video of why I think each of these phones is worth consideration. (I also mention why I don’t recommend LG or Samsung …)

Combined with Microsoft Launcher for Android, GroupMe, Microsoft Edge for Android, and a few other Microsoft apps the jump to Android is not nearly as bad as you may think.

Plus, you can always go and make the home screen look like Windows Phone if you want to reminisce!

If you have a favorite Android phone, let me know in comments which one and why!

See OnePlus 5T on Amazon
See Pixel 2 at Amazon
See Razer Phone at Amazon

Related reading

• OnePlus 5T is the (new) best Android for Windows phone converts
• 2 reasons why Google’s Pixel 2 is the best Android for Windows phone converts

Get your maximum refund with TurboTax’s $65 Home & Business tax software

Got your W-2 ready?

The TurboTax Home & Business tax software 2017 is down to $64.86 on Amazon. It normally sells for $80. Not only is this software $15 better than its average street price, it’s also $5 lower than any previous deals we’ve seen. We’ve shared a couple deals on TurboTax software in the past, but this is the first time it has dropped this low.

You can also get the TurboTax Premier software on sale for $54.86. That’s a drop from its street price of $70 and a match for its lowest ever.

Both pieces of software are available in a Windows-only digital download, which means you can use it as soon as you buy it. I’m sure you’ve been eagerly awaiting this day. If you don’t use Windows, you can get Home & Business or Premier as physical discs compatible with Windows and Mac for the same price.

Because these are Amazon exclusives, they also come with a year subscription to Quicken Starter Edition 2018. Quicken is a famous piece of consumer-level accounting software. You could end up with an even bigger refund on your taxes next year if you use Quicken to track your money habits now.

The Home & Business software is ideal for the self-employed and business owners out there. There’s extra guidance on self-employment deductions, access to experts to answer your questions, and it will double check your return.

See on Amazon