Samsung’s One UI 7 looks rather iOS-y.

image via theverge.com
image via theverge.com

The upcoming redesign teased in a (seemingly premature) video found on Samsung’s Spanish website shows off smoother animations and a revamped Quick Panel, with quick settings now packed in bubbles — just like on iOS. The pill-shaped live activities feature also shares some similarities with Apple’s Dynamic Island.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/29/24308683/samsungs-one-ui-7-looks-rather-ios-y

Strava’s API debacle highlights the messiness of fitness data

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image via theverge.com

There are dozens of fitness apps and wearables, and Strava’s new rules will make it harder to get all that data in one place. The reality is many smaller fitness apps and wearable makers don’t have the resources to strike up direct data integrations with the thousands of other fitness apps and devices on the market. It’s much easier for everyone to use Strava’s API and call it a day. And unlike Apple’s HealthKit API or Google’s Health Connect, Strava is platform-agnostic.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/22/24303124/strava-fitness-data-wearables

Instagram will let you rebuild your recommendations from scratch

image via theverge.com
image via theverge.com

The new feature will be available to users of all ages, including Teen accounts. “We want to make sure everyone on Instagram – especially teens – has safe, positive, age-appropriate experiences and feels the time they’re spending on Instagram is valuable,” Meta said. “We want to give teens new ways to shape their Instagram experience, so it can continue to reflect their passions and interests as they evolve.”

https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/19/24300458/instagram-reset-content-recommendations-from-scratch

Netflix is removing nearly all of its interactive titles

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image via theverge.com

The removal of the titles marks a disappointing conclusion to Netflix’s earliest efforts into interactive content. The company first launched the interactive titles in 2017 with Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale, and I remember being wowed (and horrified) by paths in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/4/24287857/netflix-removing-interactive-titles-games

Nintendo made a music streaming app for Switch Online subscribers

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image via theverge.com

While we all wait for the reveal of Nintendo’s next console, the company has once again announced something very different. This time, it’s a mobile app called Nintendo Music, which lets users listen to classic gaming tunes from Nintendo games spanning the last few decades, including Splatoon, Animal Crossing, and The Legend of Zelda. It’s only available to Switch Online subscribers, and it’s launching today on both iOS and Android.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/30/24284073/nintendo-music-streaming-app-switch-online-subscribers

Sony closes Concord studio and permanently shuts down the game

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image via theverge.com

Sony is closing Firewalk Studios, the studio behind its PlayStation Concord game that it took offline last month after a disastrous launch. In a message to PlayStation staff, Hermen Hulst, CEO of the PlayStation studio business group, says Firewalk Studios will close alongside Neon Koi, a mobile game studio. The shutdowns will affect about 210 jobs, Bloomberg reports. “We have spent considerable time these past few months exploring all our options,” says Hulst. “After much thought, we have determined the best path forward is to permanently sunset the game and close the studio. I want to thank all of Firewalk for their craftsmanship, creative spirit and dedication.”

https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/29/24282900/sony-shutting-down-concord-firewalk-studios