UK Deal: Save on SanDisk Flash Drives, microSD and SD cards today only

You can never have too much extra storage, and this sale makes it even more affordable!

As part of its daily deals, Amazon UK is running a nice sale on some SanDisk microSD cards, SD cards, and flash drives, with prices starting at just £6.79.

These can be used to expand the storage of your phone, tablet, camera, Nintendo Switch, computer, and much more, or you can just use them as ways to transport your files from one place to another. We live with a lot of our data in the cloud these days, but sometimes having a local copy of it that you can carry around is more satisfying and easier for the times you don’t have a data connection.

The deals include:

• 128GB SanDisk Ultra microSDXC Class 10 A1 £23.89 (was £35)
• 64GB SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC £20.99 (was £30)
• 32GB SanDisk Ultra microSDHC Class 10 £6.79 (was £9)
• 64GB SanDisk Ultra Flair USB 3.0 Flash Drive £12.08 (was £19)

These prices, and more in the whole range, expire today so be sure to get your orders in now so you can stock up on them! SanDisk is also running a sale on a number of other storage items including portable SSDs, CompactFlash Cards and high-capacity SD cards, so be sure to give that a look too and score some savings.

For more UK deals coverage, be sure to keep an eye on Thrifter UK, sign up for the UK newsletter and follow the team on Twitter.

See at Amazon UK

Is the Galaxy Note 9 too big?

With a 6.4-inch display, the Note 9 is the largest Note yet.

Ever since the first Galaxy Note was released in 2011, Samsung’s famous series of phones has always been known for being among the largest on the market. With the Note 9’s display measuring in at a massive 6.4-inches, it’s easily the biggest Note to-date.

Galaxy Note phones are supposed to be huge, but with the Note 9, has Samsung gone too far?

Here’s what some of the AC forum users have to say about the Note 9’s size.

ivanwi11iams
08-28-2018 05:38 AM

“

Only two days in, and the size of the Note 9, is slowly getting the better of me.

Since the release of the iPhone X, I have been using one, and took a step down from the iPhone Plus range.

Although I have only two bottom row of icons, the handling of the device certainly takes some getting used to.
I will give it to the end of the week, to see how I can adjust to the sheer size of the…

Reply

LadiJae
08-28-2018 06:44 AM

“

Interesting…my husband has it and I’ve been toying with it….it doesn’t seem that big. I have the iPhone 8plus…it doesn’t seem THAT much bigger in hand…

Still deciding if I’m gonna get it

Reply

donm527
08-28-2018 07:43 AM

“

I have always felt that the iPhone Plus’ are just too big a phone so I’ve never been a fan of the current Note 8/9 size even though this is my favorite phone to date.

It’s doable but ever since I’ve gotten this phone, there are some things I haven’t done or just don’t want to lug a phone this size… like running. Running NY this November and deciding if I was going to but I think I’ll go with…

Reply

hasasimo
08-28-2018 09:40 AM

“

The size was the only thing putting me off, but I finally caved and bought one. I thought the Note7 was the sweet spot for Note sizes. But it has steadily gotten larger since.

I prefer full-time, one-handed use, which I was enjoying with my S9. With the Note I can only go one-handed part of the time, and that often involves some hand gymnastics.

If there was a Note Mini of some kind I’d…

Reply

What do you think? Did Samsung make the Note 9 too big?

Join the conversation in the forums!

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

• Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review
• Galaxy Note 9 vs. Note 8
• Where to buy the Galaxy Note 9
• Galaxy Note 9 specifications
• Is the Note 8 still a good buy?
• Join our Galaxy Note 9 forums

AT&T
Verizon
T-Mobile
Samsung
Amazon

Google debuts all-new Wear OS interface with Google Assistant feed

An all-new way to get to the core features of your smartwatch.

Wear OS hasn’t been the most exciting platform the last few years, even back to when it was still called Android Wear. The interface has always focused on notifications and simplicity, but kind of lost its way when Google decided to make its watches feel more standalone and focus on apps. Now, Google’s restoring some of the simplicity with an all-new interface for Wear OS.

Here’s the core of the experience: everything centers around the watch face, of course, and with a swipe up, down, left or right you head into a distinct (and currently non-customizable) area. Swipe down to reveal quick toggles for things like airplane mode, settings, do not disturb, volume and more. Swiping left reveals the just-announced all-new Google Fit interface, always ready to show you the latest progress on your health goals. As before, swipe up to see your notifications — each one takes up a majority of the screen, with actionable items available with a single tap. Unlike the current Wear OS interface, you can see parts of more than one notification at once.

Swiping right, you get perhaps the biggest change to the whole thing: a new Google Assistant interface. Rather than being a one-screen affair for talking to Assistant, this is a scrollable feed of upcoming information very similar to the old Google Feed or the latest Google Assistant interface on your phone. Scrolling through, you’ll see information on the weather, upcoming appointments, travel times to points of interest, reservations and prompts to initiate a search with a single tap.

The previous idea that you’d be speaking to Google Assistant on your watch and getting audible responses didn’t make a lot of sense, and this model is much more conducive to viewing quick bits of information all in one place. On such a small screen you want to limit the amount of time you’re tapping around and waiting for things to load, so having that regularly refreshed and pushing information to the watch to be available at any time feels like a big improvement. It also seems like a good indication of the direction for Google Assistant on phones.

The new interface retains the option to scroll through a list of apps and launch specific apps, but it isn’t a core interface paradigm — and considering what most people do with a small-screened smartwatch, that makes sense. With this initial release there isn’t any customization of the swipe options, though — Assistant will be on the left, and Google Fit will always be on the right unless the smartwatch maker decides to replace it with their own fitness app. One question that remains is whether Google has cleaned up some of the odd bugs and interaction issues with various notifications on different screen sizes — too often on Wear OS you run into issues with buttons and interface areas being cut off because apps aren’t being designed with a particular eye for detail on the platform.

This whole interface feels more complete and focuses on what matters in a smartwatch.

Google isn’t announcing specific software update plans, but has said that the new Wear OS interface will start rolling out to existing smartwatches starting in September. Considering the hardware similarities between all of the current crop of Wear OS devices we can expect most modern devices to get the latest update, but that decision is ultimately up to the manufacturer.

This ultimately isn’t a huge change, but feels like an important step forward in usability for Wear OS. Focusing on the core interactions with simple, well-defined swipes makes a whole lot more sense than being able to quickly change watch faces or access a scrolling list of apps. The lack of customizability feels odd for a Google product, but could be changed in subsequent releases. With this new software out in the world, now it’s time to get some fresh Wear OS hardware based on the forthcoming Qualcomm wearable processor to make this feel like a complete generational jump.

Spigen’s $11 Moto G6 case is the one to get

Protect your Moto G6’s glass back without spending an arm and a leg.

The Moto G6 is one of the best values in smartphones right now, and while it gets a lot right, can still be made even better with the right accessories.

While the glass back of the Moto G6 is a welcome touch we don’t usually see for phones in this price range, it’s not something that’ll hold up well in the event of a drop or fall. Thankfully, that’s where the Spigen Rugged Armor case comes into play.

Affordable and reliable

Spigen Rugged Armor Case for Moto G6

$10.99 at Amazon

Great protection in a slim profile

Spigen’s Rugged Armor cases have always been great, and this one for the Moto G6 is no different. It’s protective, comes in a slim package, and is easy on the wallet.

The Good

• Feels great
• Excellent button + port cutouts
• Solid protection in a slim profile

The Bad

• Back is slippery
• Only comes in black

Spigen Rugged Armor Case for Moto G6 What I like

Spigen’s Rugged Armor line of cases isn’t anything new. It’s easily one of the company’s most popular budget options, and considering that the Moto G6 is also designed to help people get the most bang for their buck, the two are a perfect pair together.

The Rugged Armor goes onto the Moto G6 with ease, and while it’s easy to take off when you want to, never feels like it’ll fall off on its own. The flexible TPU material is designed to absorb the impact of any drops it encounters, and thanks to the lip that comes up over the G6’s screen, the front is also protected from any accidents.

Cutouts for the USB-C port and 3.5mm headphone jack are plenty big, the covers for the volume rocker and power/lock button feel great, and the carbon fiber pattern on the back helps to add a nice bit of flair to the case’s design.

Add that together with the fact that the Rugged Armor case doesn’t add a lot of thickness to the Moto G6, and you get a really compelling option.

Spigen Rugged Armor Case for Moto G6 What I don’t like

One thing I noticed while using this case is that the back material isn’t quite as grippy as I would have liked. While the Moto G6 is still easy to use with the case on, I was unpleasantly surprised with just how slippery it is.

Also, while the overall look of the Rugged Armor case is fine, it’d be nice to see Spigen offer more colors than just black.

Spigen Rugged Armor Case for Moto G6

If you’ve used a Rugged Armor case from Spigen before, you already know what you’re getting with this one for the Moto G6.

Once again, Spigen’s crafted a case that offers great protection on all fronts, isn’t too bulky, feels good in the hand, and is affordable for just about everyone.

4
out of 5

This isn’t the flashiest or fanciest case around, but if you just need something that’ll keep the Moto G6 safe, this is an excellent pick.

See at Amazon

YouTube Premium is now available in the Netherlands, Denmark, and more

The service costs $11.99/month and gives you access to a ton of stuff.

Back in 2015, YouTube Red launched as a way for people to get an even better YouTube experience than what was offered in the free version. For $9.99/month, YouTube Red gave you access to ad-free videos, all-new original shows, and much more.

YouTube Red is now being replaced by YouTube Premium, and for folks that are hardcore or just moderate YouTube users, it’s definitely worth checking out.

The latest YouTube Premium News

August 29, 2018 — YouTube Premium expands to 4 more countries

As the YouTube Premium rollout continues, it’s now been confirmed that the service is available in four additional countries. Specifically, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands!

Similar to other parts of Europe where YouTube Premium is available, the service costs €11.99/month and 119 kroner/month in Denmark.

June 18, 2018 — YouTube Premium is finally launching!

It’s been over a month since Google first announced YouTube Premium, but starting June 18, the service is finally rolling out to replace YouTube Red in 17 countries around the globe.

YouTube Premium is initially rolling out to the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Mexico and will then expand to additional markets. If you never signed up for YouTube Red and want to give Premium a try, Google’s giving away three months of the service for a limited time.

All the big details

What’s included?

As mentioned above, YouTube Premium comes with a load of goodies that make its monthly fee well worth the asking price.

All of the old features from YouTube Red are here, including:

• Ad-free videos
• Play videos in the background
• Download videos for offline use
• Access to all YouTube Originals content

In addition to these perks, a YouTube Premium subscription also gives you full access to YouTube Music. With a YouTube Premium plan, you can use YouTube Music to listen to music without ads, let your tunes play in the background, and download songs/playlists for offline listening.

How much does it cost?

That’s all fine and dandy, but how much will you be paying for all this?

YouTube Premium costs $11.99/month, and you can cancel or change your plan at any time. However, YouTube now has a second, more affordable option you can check out called YouTube Music.

Where is YouTube Premium available?

At this time, you can sign up for YouTube Premium in the following countries:

• Australia
• Austria
• Belgium
• Canada
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Ireland
• Italy
• Luxembourg
• Mexico
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Russia
• South Korea
• Spain
• Sweden
• United Kingdom
• United States

What’s the deal with YouTube Music?

For a cheaper $9.99/month, you can subscribe to YouTube Music. That monthly fee will allow you to listen to music ad-free, let songs play in the background, and download them so you can keep jamming even when you’re without an internet connection, but you won’t get any of the perks in the bullet list above.

If you subscribe to YouTube Music but decide you want to upgrade to YouTube Premium later on, you can make that change at any time.

You’ll access your tunes through the recently upgraded YouTube Music app, and while new features are in the works, it’s already pretty great in its current form.

Download: YouTube Music (free)

What if I was already subscribed to YouTube Red?

YouTube Premium is a pretty great deal, but old YouTube Red subscribers might think differently. YouTube Premium has all of the same features that were previously found in Red, but it now costs $2 more each month.

Thankfully, if you were previously subscribed to YouTube Red on or before May 21, 2018, you get access to all of YouTube Premium for YouTube Red’s old pricing of $9.99/month.

YouTube Music has the potential to solve Google’s streaming conundrum

Updated August 2018: Added a new section for where YouTube Premium is available.

Everything Lenovo Smart Display does better than a tablet in the kitchen

Android Things is functional in ways a normal tablet can’t manage, and that’s okay.

With the launch of Lenovo’s Smart Display with Android Things onboard, we’ve seen one question, in particular, stand out above the others. Why buy this when you can buy an Android tablet? Wouldn’t it be better to have something battery powered you could take with you everywhere? In some ways, sure, a tablet offers portability and functionality beyond the Android Things platform.

But as someone who has done exactly this for years, used an Android tablet around the house while cooking or folding laundry or working on my bike, I greatly prefer the experience I’ve had with the Lenovo Smart Display. And if you really think about it, there’s a good chance you’ll see an Android tablet just doesn’t cut it. Especially in the kitchen.

Lenovo Smart Display is way, way louder

There are some pretty great Android tablets out there these days, but none of them can produce sound like the Lenovo Smart Display. And in the kitchen, especially my kitchen, volume is everything. You’d be surprised by how quickly the speakers on a tablet become inadequate when you’ve got a window open and an exhaust fan on your range hood running and three different pans sizzling.

The Smart Display, on the other hand, can drown out all of that noise well before hitting max volume. In fact, max volume on this thing is way too loud for any occasion in my house, which is great. I’ll never be able to say the same for a tablet, and that all comes down to size. The larger body of the Lenovo Smart Display means it can hold bigger, more capable speakers. In much the same way Google Home does a better job delivering audio than a tablet, Lenovo Smart Display does a better job delivering video.

Lenovo’s microphones make a big difference

Just like Google Home, Lenovo Smart Display offers far-field microphones and Google’s voice imprint tech. I can get the Lenovo Smart Display in my kitchen to respond to me reliably from the living room. I’ve been using this model every day for the last two weeks, and so far have not had it miss what I was saying once. And like Google Home, it’s very good about picking up when one of my kids ask to play for their playlists instead of mine.

I have never successfully done the same with an Android tablet. Even when I can reliably get “OK Google” to work on a tablet, the follow up is typically not as good because the microphones just aren’t as capable. And if they work good enough to be considered reliable when you hold the tablet in your hand, you can never recreate that experience from across the room.

Android Things is a better interruption-free system

I get too many notifications. Between my work and home email, my social networks, messages on Slack, messages from friends, and the occasional game reminding me it exists, I pretty much live with some form of Do Not Disturb on at all times. If I didn’t, when I wanted to do something full screen the notification drop down would constantly interrupt me. Setting this up takes time, remembering to turn it off when I actually need to get my notifications is something I don’t do as often as I should, and frankly, it all becomes kind of tedious. I don’t need this in the kitchen.

But it’s not just the act of getting a notification. The ribbon UI in Android Things is an important way of delivering me information without touching the screen. From a distance, I can see my next calendar appointment, traffic details for that appointment, and notes I have left myself. If I’m cooking and my daughter isn’t home, she can reach me through Google Duo and I don’t need to use my hands to interact with any of this UI. When the call ends, I get right back to the recipe. This interface was purpose-built for these situations, and I can’t recreate any of this on an Android tablet without needing to touch the screen in some way.

Android tablets kinda suck right now

While I used to love Android tablets, it’s been a while since any particular version of one has been worth buying in my opinion. If you already own an Android tablet you love and enjoy carrying with you everywhere, congrats. You have a few more video streaming options, but you’re still not getting anything close to the Lenovo Smart Display experience.

If your argument against Lenovo Smart Display is to pick up a similarly priced tablet, so you have even more functionality and portability, I challenge you to show me a $200 Android tablet worth buying today. Spoiler – they don’t exist. The only company making Android tablets worth buying right now is Samsung, and not only does that mean you have to deal with Samsung’s extra UI things but you’re also paying way more than $200 for a good one. Not only is it impossible to recreate the Lenovo Smart Display experience with software alone right now, but trying to with comparable hardware is prohibitively expensive.

And unfortunately, this isn’t changing anytime soon. Google has made it clear the current focus is Android apps on Chrome OS, like the Pixelbook. If you’re waiting on a hero tablet from Google, you’re going to be waiting a long time and possibly not getting what you want. Instead, get a Lenovo Smart Display, and you’ll be a lot happier.

See at Best Buy

Chrome OS may soon get facial recognition

Existing Chromebooks won’t be updated to support this.

Thanks to recent efforts from HP and Dell, it’s quickly being proven that Chrome OS is just as suited for professional, adult machines as it is for the educational market. As the operating system continues to evolve, it looks like one of its next big features will be facial recognition.

The following commit, spotted by Chrome Story, confirms these plans:

intel: ipu3: Add face detection

The face detection works if set the mode
to FD_MODE_FULL.
The face info could be got by method getResult().

It’s disabled currently.
Add metadata and enable it in the future.

While this is certainly exciting stuff, it’s important that we keep our expectations in check.

For one thing, facial recognition won’t magically be added to all Chromebooks that are currently on the market. Instead, this feature appears to require special hardware of some sort (the commit goes on to mention Intel’s Face Engine).

Even with that said, it’s still encouraging to know that something like this is in the works. Facial recognition for the Pixelbook 2, anyone?

Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 hands on: Much too good for children

New Casio WSD-F30 smartwatch has improved dual-layer display, smaller case

This is still a huge watch, but Casio has made important changes.

Casio has made some of the most unique-looking smartwatches in the business, and is iterating its lineup with the new rugged WSD-F30 running Wear OS. At a glance it looks very similar to its predecessors, but it actually has some important changes both externally and internally to keep it compelling heading into 2019.

The WSD-F10 and -F20 models were unabashedly large, which kind of fit with their capabilities, but was a serious hinderance to anyone who wanted to wear the Casios on a daily basis. The WSD-F30 is still easily the biggest Wear OS smartwatch, but it’s smaller than its predecessor — 3.9 mm narrower, 0.4 mm thinner and now under 90 grams including the strap. It’s still larger than the LG Watch Sport, which was regularly ridiculed for its size, but the WSD-F30’s large case — along with the chunky design and bold colors — kind of fits the persona of the device. The (non-removable) band has also been redesigned for greater flexibility, and there are more holes for size adjustability.

Aside from the size, Casio has notably improved its unique dual-layer display technology. Like its predecessors the WSD-F30 has a pair of screens — one monochrome, one color — stacked together, so you can use the monochrome mode to save battery and the color mode for more advanced functions. Casio’s new monochrome screen is capable of showing more information — like atmospheric pressure and compass information — while extending battery life dramatically. The color display is now OLED, with an improved 390×390 resolution, for finer detail on this 1.2-inch circular screen.

It’s the same awesome Casio watch, now a little smaller with a much better dual-mode display.

That color display can be used in a new Extend Mode to show an offline color map and provide GPS tracking for three days (8 hours of screen and tracking use per day) without charging — another great tool for those multi-day excursions without a charger. Timepiece Mode is still here to use just the monochrome display without any smartphone connection for up to a month of battery life as a regular watch. The standard battery life with all of the usual smartwatch functions enabled is rated at 1.5 days.

As you’d expect the WSD-F30 is extremely robust. It’s rated for water resistance up to 50 meters, and has a MIL-STD-810G rating. And just look at the thing … it can clearly handle the abuse of being out in the wilderness (or whatever other punishing terrain) with you.

Casio hasn’t yet detailed the exact specs of the WSD-F30, so we can only assume that it’s still running the same basic internals as the last generation and not the new processor Qualcomm is teasing for a September announcement — but we’d love to be proven wrong in that assumption. It’s also unclear whether it will ship with the new Wear OS interface that was just announced — but even if it doesn’t, it will absolutely be updated shortly after release. Also yet to be announced are pricing and availability details.

Press release:

Casio to Release PRO TREK Smart with Color Maps Usable for Up to Three Days

Tokyo, August 30, 2018 — Casio Computer Co., Ltd. announced today that it will release a new addition to the PRO TREK Smart series of wrist devices for outdoor enthusiasts. The WSD-F30 enables use of offline maps and GPS log recording for up to three consecutive days.

In 2016, Casio marked its entry into the smartwatch market with the release of the WSD-F10 wrist
device for outdoor enthusiasts, with water resistance up to 50 meters and environmental durability
built to military specifications. The WSD-F10 was built to run Google’s Android Wear (now Wear
OS by Google) and the device and OS have been evolving together. The following year, Casio
released the PRO TREK Smart WSD-F20 with GPS, which is winning over outdoor enthusiasts
and other users with its wearable map functionality.

Extend Mode for using color maps and GPS offline up to three consecutive days

The new WSD-F30 comes with Extend Mode which enables use of offline color maps and GPS for up to three days on just a single charge. In Extend Mode, time and measurement data is continuously shown on the monochrome display, and a color map can be displayed with a push of button. Extend Mode also conserves energy by switching the operating system to energy-saving stand-by mode on a schedule set by the user. It also ensures optimal power management based on the activity plan, allowing the user to track his or her current location on an offline map and record tracks during activities longer than a single day.

New and improved dual-layer display

The WSD-F30 features a new and improved dual-layer monochrome and color display. The new color display employs an OELD that shows maps and data in finer detail. The layout of the monochrome display now shows more than just the time; it also displays atmospheric pressure/altitude and compass bearing, as befits the PRO TREK outdoor gear brand. The wrist device also comes with Multi Timepiece Mode, an evolution of the popular Timepiece Mode that allows only time data to be shown in monochrome while toggling off smartphone communication and the color display. In addition to the time, Multi Timepiece Mode now shows measurement data such as altitude and atmospheric pressure in monochrome, while still extending battery life without a charge to about a month, like its predecessor. This feature provides useful information for outdoor activities at a glance while conserving energy.

Smaller, thinner case for enhanced wearability

The inner components have been rearranged to realize a watch case that is 3.9 mm narrower and 0.4 mm thinner than before, for a more compact profile that also looks good on trim wrists. Nano treatment gives the resin bezel a metal-like luster for a luxury feel. The watchband has been improved and is now more flexible and has more holes for greater adjustability and fit.

Pokémon Go Seeing ‘Resurgence’ With Most Daily Spending Since Launch, Due to Trading Update

It’s now been two years since Pokémon Go launched on iOS, becoming immensely popular with players across iOS and Android in the months that followed its debut. Although the number of players in the game has lessened since then, Pokémon Go has remained consistently popular among its fans, and this week Sensor Tower reports that it’s seen a “resurgence” this summer thanks to the long-awaited Pokémon trading update.

That update came this past June, allowing players to trade Pokémon with nearby friends — a feature that took the company two years to implement because it “wanted to make sure” the mechanic was done right, according to Niantic software engineer Kiersten Koa.

Now, Sensor Tower says that Pokémon Go players have spent an average of $2.5 million per day in the game since the June 19 update. In the 60 days leading to the update, players worldwide were spending about $1.8 million per day in the app. This means that the trading update has increased Pokémon Go’s daily revenue by $700,000 per day, representing a 39 percent increase.

Sensor Tower points out that this daily spending “hasn’t been seen since its summer 2016 launch.”

Niantic’s Pokémon GO has never stopped being popular, but it’s definitely had its share of peaks and valleys when it comes to player spending. Right now, it’s in the midst of a resurgence the likes of which hasn’t been seen since its summer 2016 launch, and the game’s most fevered spending has come in the wake of June’s big friends and trading update.

Next, Sensor Tower says it’s looking to see how the change of seasons will affect the game, since its revenue tends to peak during the summer months as more players venture outside to play the game. Still, another major update is scheduled to arrive before the end of 2018, enabling a player-versus-player mode, which should again “propel player spending back to the levels seen at the game’s launch.”

Although not part of Nintendo’s mobile gaming initiative with developer partners like DeNA and Cygames, Nintendo does have a stake in Pokémon Go’s success since it owns part of The Pokémon Company. The next main Nintendo game to see a smartphone launch will be Dragalia Lost, which was just announced to have a debut on September 27.

Tag: Pokémon GO
Discuss this article in our forums

Spotify and Hulu Update Student Deal to Include Showtime, All Bundled for $4.99/Month

Spotify and Hulu are further sweetening their student subscription offer by adding a monthly Showtime subscription into the mix, pricing everything at $0.99 for the first three months and $4.99 per month after (via The Verge). This means that eligible college students can get a Spotify Premium subscription ($9.99/month), Hulu With Limited Commercials subscription ($7.99/month), and a Showtime subscription ($10.99/month) for $4.99 per month.

The updated student subscription is available beginning today and is open only to higher education students above the age of 18 who haven’t already tried Spotify Premium. The offer will be live for just over one month, expiring on October 9, 2018. To verify your status as a student, Spotify uses a third party service called SheerID.

With the deal, users will be granted access to Showtime via Hulu’s in-app premium network add-on feature. Of course, customers can also use their Hulu log-in information to gain access to the separate Showtime Anytime app on devices like iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. For more information about the new student plan, check out Spotify’s page right here.

Spotify chief premium business officer told The Verge that its Hulu partnership has been “an overwhelming success.”

“We’re always trying to find creative solutions to add value back to our premium customers, especially via partnerships, and our focus is on the long-term relationship with each subscriber. If we do the right thing, they reward us with loyalty.”

For Showtime, the move provides an excellent way to get in front of — and attempt to lock in — the next generation of potential premium cable subscribers. “We had to figure out ways to get into a place where kids could stream us easily,” Showtime COO Tom Christie tells The Verge. “There’s no other brand out there today that’s been more successful in setting up streaming business on campus than Spotify”

Spotify and Hulu originally partnered for a student plan back in September 2017, offering access to Spotify Premium and Hulu With Limited Commercials at $4.99 per month. Due to its popularity, the companies then expanded to offer a similar plan to all users in April 2018 at a price point of $12.99 per month. Showtime says it is “having conversations” about potentially joining the non-student bundle as well.

Tags: Spotify, Showtime, Hulu
Discuss this article in our forums