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Apple Now Allows Apps in South Korea to Use Third-Party Payment Systems
Apple Now Allows Apps in South Korea to Use Third-Party Payment Systems
Apple said on Thursday that apps exclusively released in the South Korean App Store can use third-party payment systems to take in-app payment. The move comes after South Korea last year amended its Telecommunications Business Act, which banned app stores from forcing developers to use its first-party payment systems. Google complied with the law in November, and now Apple follows suit.
The South Korean law clamps down on app stores in an effort to rein in tech giants, who've been called out for their monopoly over in-app payments. Apple, in particular, has been criticized for the commission it charges to use its payment system, which critics have dubbed the "Apple Tax." The tax gives Apple up to a 30% cut on subscriptions and in-app purchases. This has been the source of many developer complaints throughout the years.
Though developers can request to use a third-party payment system for apps exclusively distributed in South Korea, Apple will still take a 26% commission for payments made through these systems. If an app is available globally, developers must create another version of the app for distribution solely on the App Store in South Korea.
Apple warns that users will not have access to some App Store features if developers choose to go this route, including features like Ask to Buy and Family Sharing. Moreover, Apple won't be able to assist users with refunds, purchase history, subscription management and the like. Instead, developers will now be responsible for these features, and they must report all sales to Apple each month.
Both Apple and Google opposed the South Korean law, citing the benefits of its first-party system. Namely, both tech giants argued that allowing a third-party payment system undermines their users' safety and privacy on their app stores, increasing the risk of fraud.
Lawmakers around the globe are looking to establish limits for big tech. The US Congress is working on a slate of bills aimed at antitrust and privacy that would change the way that tech giants do business.
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MacOS Monterey was bricking some laptops. That's been fixed
MacOS Monterey was bricking some laptops. That's been fixed
Installing a new operating system is an emotionally complicated process. On the other side of the update, the new OS promises new toys to play with and enhancements to older features. But there's always the fear that something goes wrong. Maybe something's a little buggy in the new operating system, maybe your system rejects the upgrade or maybe your whole laptop gets bricked.
That particular nightmare became a reality for some users who said that the new MacOS Monterey upgrade completely shut down their Macs. Several people reported online that their computers refused to boot up after they installed Monterey, with others reporting that the ports no longer worked, or that their MacBook got stuck in a loop of trying (but failing) to update.
Apple didn't respond to a request for comment. However, tech reporter Rene Ritchie tweeted a statement from Apple a few days later, saying that the issue was related to the T2 security chip and had been fixed in a recent update. So if you've been putting off the upgrade, it should be safe to download Monterey now.
Users faced similar issues with last year's launch of MacOS Big Sur, so the Monterey problems weren't exactly a surprise. That's why we always recommend backing up your computer before you install any major update, especially new operating systems.
If you're ready to upgrade, make sure to check whether your computer is compatible with Monterey. And look through our favorite features in MacOS Monterey.
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'The Rings of Power': All the Tolkien Terminology You Need to Know
'The Rings of Power': All the Tolkien Terminology You Need to Know
There's a reason folks who know a ton about the works of JRR Tolkien are often referred to as scholars. Watching The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit is the tip of a genuinely massive iceberg, which is why a lot of people who enjoyed the films are a little confused about what's happening in all of the trailers for the upcoming Amazon series The Rings of Power.
But don't panic! You don't need to read an epic tome or watch 20 hours of Extended Editions to appreciate this new series when it comes to Amazon Prime Video on Sept. 2. Armed with whatever you remember from the last time you watched The Lord of the Rings and this quick terminology guide, you'll be prepared to enjoy this series without feeling terribly lost at these words you've never heard used in the movies before.
The Second Age
The Rings of Power takes place before what you've seen in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, but not like 10 years back like you might see in lots of other prequel stories. The Rings of Power takes place thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit, during a period of time referred to as the Second Age. In this world, large segments of time are separated by major global events. For example, the scene at the end of The Lord of the Rings where everyone gets on those boats and sails away marks the end of The Third Age.
One of the cool things about The Rings of Power telling a story in the Second Age is that we'll get to see characters we've only previously experienced through legend and flashback, as well as ancient characters from the movies when they were young. Elves live impossibly long lives unless they are murdered, so in this series there will be character names we've heard before like Galadriel and Elrond and Isildur but much, much younger versions of the people we've already met.
Harfoots (pronounced har-foots)
One of the Harfoots, a race seen in The Rings of Power and ancestor of Hobbits.
Amazon Prime Video
You may have noticed in all of the trailers for The Rings of Power there are no Hobbits, at least not as you'd recognize them from the movies. There's a very good reason for this: Hobbits don't exist yet! Where Elves, Dwarves, and even Men of The Second Age live long lives and accomplish great deeds, the ancestors of Hobbits have lifespans much closer to an average human here in the real world. That means their evolution happens much faster than the other races of Middle-earth, and what we will see in The Rings of Power are one of the ancestors of Third Age Hobbits, known in this time as Harfoots.
Unlike the Stoors and Fallohides, which are other races that eventually come together with Harfoots to become Hobbits, the little folk we will see in Rings of Power are nomadic gatherers. They live off the land, with a more earthy and natural look to their clothing and behavior. A few of these Harfoots have been spotted in the trailers already, complete with the tell-tale hairy feet and shorter stature. Unlike Third Age Hobbits, Tolkien described many Harfoots as being darker skinned and are on average smaller than the characters you already know.
Expect Harfoots to play a pivotal role in this series, even if they don't get as much screen time as the films' Hobbits.
Silvan Elves (pronounced sil-vn)
Arondir's armor from The Rings of Power, on display at San Diego Comic Con 2022
Katie Aiani
One of the coolest costumes seen in trailers for The Rings of Power so far belongs to the character Arondir, who is not mentioned in any of JRR Tolkien's works. Arondir was created as a new character out of necessity; the race he represents is mentioned several times across Tolkien's works but never given the same kind of attention as many of the other races in Middle-earth.
Arondir is a Silvan Elf, and according to Tolkien these elves are separated from the others and scattered across multiple worlds. Those who made it to Middle-earth have a deep connection to nature, which is why you see Arondir in a wooden breastplate with a tree spirit or Green Man carved into it. What survives of Silvan Elves in the Second Age become part of Lorien, the area of Middle-earth we see Galadriel as ruler of in The Lord of the Rings.
Outside of looking very cool, Arondir and other Silvan Elves we see will be unique and stand out quite a bit from the Elves of this time.
Valinor (pronounced vali-nor)
The first image Amazon Prime Video shared from The Rings of Power was a still shot of Valinor with the two trees still alive.
Amazon Prime Video
The Elves you have seen across all of Tolkien's movies -- and soon this TV series -- live in Middle-earth, but they are not from Middle-earth. The Elves as we see them migrated to Middle-earth from a place called Valinor, a massive land with multiple cities and its own separate constructs of time and life. The way Elves and other creatures of Valinor lived while there is wildly different from the way they live in Middle-earth.
Elves left Valinor and came to Middle-earth because they had no choice: The two trees that allowed life to exist in Valinor were destroyed by a giant spider called Ungoliant and another being called Morgoth. Ungoliant would later give birth to the giant spider Shelob, who nearly kills Bilbo and Frodo in their respective stories. Morgoth passes his darkness to his pupil Sauron, who changes his name to Annatar when he went into hiding from those chasing the remnants of Morgoths army.
Valinor would eventually become a place Elves wish to return to, which you see at the end of The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. The ships Bilbo, Frodo and other board at the end of the movie are traveling back to Valinor. Being allowed to return home before that point was considered a great honor, so when it's mentioned you will usually hear it in a grand context.
Númenor (pronounced noo-menor)
From a trailer for The Rings of Power, the first shot of the kingdom of Númenor
Amazon Prime Video
We've seen the massive white city of Gondor and the far-reaching lands of the horse lords called Rohan, but there was another Kingdom of Men where Aragorn's ancestors came from called Númenor. This massive star-shaped island was home to Men who lived much longer than most of their contemporaries and could build lasting relationships with Elves and Dwarves. Like Aragorn, many of the people from this island were gifted fighters and great leaders.
The Men of Númenor aren't quite like the men of the rest of Middle-Earth. They live quite a bit longer thanks to their ancestry, which frequently leads to them being treated as something different from someone you would meet in Middle-earth proper. Most Men of this era have never been to Númenor, let alone recognize it as somehow ruling all Men of the era.
Since this is the biggest kingdom of Men in the Second Age, there's a good chance a significant amount of this show will take place in Númenor.
Khazad-dûm (pronounced k'hah-zahd-doom)
Elrond and a Dwarf walking through the underground city of Khazad-dûm in The Rings of Power.
Amazon Prime Video
Most folks only know the kingdom of the Dwarves as a tomb and home to an angry Balrog who loses a fight with Gandalf. In The Lord of the Rings, we know this massive underground city as Moria, but in the Second Age it was also known as Khazad-dûm.
Unlike the scattered, separated version of the Dwarves we see in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, we're going to see Dwarves in their prime throughout The Rings of Power. This is before the Arkenstone and the incident with Smaug, and before the Balrog is awakened in Moria. (All of that happens in the Third Age.) Instead, we're going to see Durin and his kin as master crafters with political agency and hopefully a will to work with the other peoples of Middle-earth.
And, unfortunately, we will probably also see whatever leads these proud people to retreat fully into their mountain.
Lindon (pronounced lin-don)
Amazon Prime Video
Middle-earth is a big place, and at this point in the world's history there are a lot of Elvish territories that currently don't look like the ethereal land Galadriel rules or the civilized kingdom Elrond presides over in the movies. Before Lothlorien and Rivendell there was Lindon, ruled by High King Gil-galad. During most of the Second Age, Elrond actually works for Gil-galad as his herald because he is not yet considered a high-ranking Elf.
Lindon is, for most Elves, the harbor used to travel to either Númenor or Valinor depending on your purpose. It's a protected harbor and in many ways the space used for the army Gil-galad sends to fight Morgoth. For the purpose of this series, it's likely Lindon will be considered the political seat of power for the Elves. And because it's an Elven city, you can expect it to be staggeringly beautiful.
Eregion (pronounced eh-reh-gee-on)
Celebrimbor, lord of Eregion in The Rings of Power.
Amazon Prime Video
While Lindon is the seat of political power for the Elves, it's not where the action will likely take place during The Rings of Power. That honor will almost assuredly go to the Elf-controlled region in the western part of Middle-earth called Eregion at this time. Eregion is located a short distance from both Khazad-dûm and what will later be known as Mordor, which means it's close to our cool Dwarven characters and nicely located for battle scenes against Sauron's army of orcs.
While Gil-galad is High King of all Elves, Eregion is led by Celebrimbor. As a descendant of Feanor, creator of the Silmarils (we'll get into those next), Celebrimbor has an unceasing desire to create something of real value for the peoples of Middle-earth. In the books, Celebrimbor and the other artists of his realm are guided by Annatar to make The Great Rings for all the kingdoms of Middle-earth.
As you probably know, that doesn't go super well for everyone and takes a few thousand years plus a couple of Hobbits to fully deal with.
Silmarils (pronounced sil-mar-ils)
A representation of the three Silmarils embedded in Galadriel's dagger.
Amazon Prime Video
A common misunderstanding about The Rings of Power is that it will be based on stories told in The Silmarillion. As Amazon was unable to secure the rights to use The Silmarillion to craft the stories in The Rings of Power, the actual source material being used will instead be the Appendices in The Lord of The Rings. It's worth noting these pages contain a ton of the timeline elaborated upon in The Silmarillion, including three jewels called the Silmarils. These are powerful magic stones created from the power within the two trees that kept Valinor alive. Instead of using those stones to restore the trees that Ungoliant and Morgoth destroyed, the stones were stolen by Morgoth and embedded in his crown to make him more powerful.
When Morgoth is eventually defeated during The First Age, the Silmarils remained behind while the Elves traveled to Middle-earth because they were too powerful to hold and drove otherwise reasonable people to lust for power. You can see a nod to the three Silmarils on Galadriel's ornamental dagger, and it will likely be a major point of discussion before Annatar becomes Sauron and forges the rings of power to give to all the leaders of Middle-earth.
While the creation of the rings will obviously be the focus of this series, the Silmarils which came before them are likely to be mentioned quite a bit in this series.
TikTok Parents Are Taking Advantage of Their Kids. It Needs to Stop
TikTok Parents Are Taking Advantage of Their Kids. It Needs to Stop
Rachel Barkman's son started accurately identifying different species of mushroom at the age of 2. Together they'd go out into the mossy woods near her home in Vancouver and forage. When it came to occasionally sharing in her TikTok videos her son's enthusiasm and skill for picking mushrooms, she didn't think twice about it -- they captured a few cute moments, and many of her 350,000-plus followers seemed to like it.
That was until last winter, when a female stranger approached them in the forest, bent down and addressed her son, then 3, by name and asked if he could show her some mushrooms.
"I immediately went cold at the realization that I had equipped complete strangers with knowledge of my son that puts him at risk," Barkman said in an interview this past June.
This incident, combined with research into the dangers of sharing too much, made her reevaluate her son's presence online. Starting at the beginning of this year, she vowed not to feature his face in future content.
"My decision was fueled by a desire to protect my son, but also to protect and respect his identity and privacy, because he has a right to choose the way he is shown to the world," she said.
These kinds of dangers have cropped up alongside the rise in child influencers, such as 10-year-old Ryan Kaji of Ryan's World, who has almost 33 million subscribers, with various estimates putting his net worth in the multiple tens of millions of dollars. Increasingly, brands are looking to use smaller, more niche, micro- and nano-influencers, developing popular accounts on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube to reach their audiences. And amid this influencer gold rush there's a strong incentive for parents, many of whom are sharing photos and videos of their kids online anyway, to get in on the action.
The increase in the number of parents who manage accounts for their kids -- child influencers' parents are often referred to as "sharents" -- opens the door to exploitation or other dangers. With almost no industry guardrails in place, these parents find themselves in an unregulated wild west. They're the only arbiters of how much exposure their children get, how much work their kids do, and what happens to money earned through any content they feature in.
Instagram didn't respond to multiple requests for comment about whether it takes any steps to safeguard child influencers. A representative for TikTok said the company has a zero-tolerance approach to sexual exploitation and pointed to policies to protect accounts of users under the age of 16. But these policies don't apply to parents posting with or on behalf of their children. YouTube didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
"When parents share about their children online, they act as both the gatekeeper -- the one tasked with protecting a child's personal information -- and as the gate opener," said Stacey Steinberg, a professor of law at the University of Florida and author of the book Growing Up Shared. As the gate opener, "they benefit, gaining both social and possibly financial capital by their online disclosures."
The reality is that some parents neglect the gatekeeping and leave the gate wide open for any internet stranger to walk through unchecked. And walk through they do.
Meet the sharents
Mollie is an aspiring dancer and model with an Instagram following of 122,000 people. Her age is ambiguous but she could be anywhere from 11-13, meaning it's unlikely she's old enough to meet the social media platform's minimum age requirement. Her account is managed by her father, Chris, whose own account is linked in her bio, bringing things in line with Instagram's policy. (Chris didn't respond to a request for comment.)
You don't have to travel far on Instagram to discover accounts such as Mollie's, where grown men openly leer at preteen girls. Public-facing, parent-run accounts dedicated to dancers and gymnasts -- who are under the age of 13 and too young to have accounts of their own -- number in the thousands. (To protect privacy, we've chosen not to identify Mollie, which isn't her real name, or any other minors who haven't already appeared in the media.)
Parents use these accounts, which can have tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of followers, to raise their daughters' profiles by posting photos of them posing and demonstrating their flexibility in bikinis and leotards. The comment sections are often flooded with sexualized remarks. A single, ugly word appeared under one group shot of several young girls in bikinis: "orgy."
Some parents try to contain the damage by limiting comments on posts that attract too much attention. The parent running one dancer account took a break from regular scheduling to post a pastel-hued graphic reminding other parents to review their followers regularly. "After seeing multiple stories and posts from dance photographers we admire about cleaning up followers, I decided to spend time cleaning," read the caption. "I was shocked at how many creeps got through as followers."
But "cleaning up" means engaging in a never-ending game of whack-a-mole to keep unwanted followers at bay, and it ignores the fact that you don't need to be following a public account to view the posts. Photos of children are regularly reposted on fan or aggregator accounts, over which parents have no control, and they can also be served up through hashtags or through Instagram's discovery algorithms.
The simple truth is that publicly posted content is anyone's for the taking. "Once public engagement happens, it is very hard, if not impossible, to really put meaningful boundaries around it," said Leah Plunkett, author of the book Sharenthood and a member of the faculty at Harvard Law School.
This concern is at the heart of the current drama concerning the TikTok account @wren.eleanor. Wren is an adorable blonde 3-year-old girl, and the account, which has 17.3 million followers, is managed by her mother, Jacquelyn, who posts videos almost exclusively of her child.
Concerned onlookers have pointed Jacquelyn toward comments that appear to be predatory, and have warned her that videos in which Wren is in a bathing suit, pretending to insert a tampon, or eating various foodstuffs have more watches, likes and saves than other content. They claim her reluctance to stop posting in spite of their warnings demonstrates she's prioritizing the income from her account over Wren's safety. Jacquelyn didn't respond to several requests for comment.
Last year, the FBI ran a campaign in which it estimated that there were 500,000 predators online every day -- and that's just in the US. Right now, across social platforms, we're seeing the growth of digital marketplaces that hinge on child exploitation, said Plunkett. She doesn't want to tell other parents what to do, she added, but she wants them to be aware that there's "a very real, very pressing threat that even innocent content that they put up about their children is very likely to be repurposed and find its way into those marketplaces."
Naivete vs. exploitation
When parent influencers started out in the world of blogging over a decade ago, the industry wasn't exploitative in the same way it is today, said Crystal Abidin, an academic from Curtin University who specializes in internet cultures. When you trace the child influencer industry back to its roots, what you find is parents, usually mothers, reaching out to one another to connect. "It first came from a place of care among these parent influencers," she said.
Over time, the industry shifted, centering on children more and more as advertising dollars flowed in and new marketplaces formed.
Education about the risks hasn't caught up, which is why people like Sarah Adams, a Vancouver mom who runs the TikTok account @mom.uncharted, have taken it upon themselves to raise the flag on those risks. "My ultimate goal is just have parents pause and reflect on the state of sharenting right now," she said.
But as Mom Uncharted, Adams is also part of a wider unofficial and informal watchdog group of internet moms and child safety experts shedding light on the often disturbing way in which some parents are, sometimes knowingly, exploiting their children online.
The troubling behavior uncovered by Adams and others suggests there's more than naivete at play -- specifically when parents sign up for and advertise services that let people buy "exclusive" or "VIP" access to content featuring their children.
Some parent-run social media accounts that Adams has found linked out to a site called SelectSets, which lets the parents sell photo sets of their children. One account offered sets with titles such as "2 little princesses." SelectSets has described the service as "a classy and professional" option for influencers to monetize content, allowing them to "avoid the stigma often associated with other platforms."
Over the last few weeks, SelectSets has gone offline and no owner could be traced for comment.
In addition to selling photos, many parent-run dancer accounts, Mollie's included, allow strangers to send the dancers swimwear and underwear from the dancers' Amazon wish lists, or money to "sponsor" them to "realize their dream" or support them on their "journeys."
While there's nothing technically illegal about anything these parents are doing, they're placing their children in a gray area that's not explicitly sexual but that many people would consider to be sexualized. The business model of using an Amazon wish list is one commonly embraced by online sugar babies who accept money and gifts from older men.
"Our Conditions of Use and Sale make clear that users of Amazon Services must be 18 or older or accompanied by a parent or guardian," said an Amazon spokesperson in a statement. "In rare cases where we are made aware that an account has been opened by a minor without permission, we close the account."
Adams says it's unlikely to be other 11-year-olds sending their pocket money to these girls so they attend their next bikini modeling shoot. "Who the fuck do you think is tipping these kids?" she said. "It's predators who are liking the way you exploit your child and giving them all the content they need."
Turning points
Plunkett distinguishes between parents who are casually sharing content that features their kids and parents who are sharing for profit, an activity she describes as "commercial sharenting."
"You are taking your child, or in some cases, your broader family's private or intimate moments, and sharing them digitally, in the hope of having some kind of current or future financial benefit," she said.
No matter the parent's hopes or intentions, any time children appear in public-facing social media content, that content has the potential to go viral, and when it does, parents have a choice to either lean in and monetize it or try to rein it in.
During Abidin's research -- in which she follows the changing activities of the same influencers over time -- she's found that many influencer parents reach a turning point. It can be triggered by something as simple as other children at school being aware of their child's celebrity or their child not enjoying it anymore, or as serious as being involved in a car chase while trying to escape fans (an occurrence recounted to Abidin by one of her research subjects).
One influencer, Katy Rose Pritchard, who has almost 92,000 Instagram followers, decided to stop showing her children's faces on social media this year after she discovered they were being used to create role-playing accounts. People had taken photos of her children that she'd posted and used them to create fictional profiles of children for personal gratification, which she said in a post made her feel "violated."
All these examples highlight the different kinds of threats sharents are exposing their children to. Plunkett describes three "buckets" of risk tied to publicly sharing content online. The first and perhaps most obvious are risks involving criminal and/or dangerous behavior, posing a direct threat to the child.
The second are indirect risks, where content posted featuring children can be taken, reused, analyzed or repurposed by people with nefarious motives. Consequences include anything from bullying to harming future job prospects to millions of people having access to children's medical information -- a common trope on YouTube is a video with a melodramatic title and thumbnail involving a child's trip to the hospital, in which influencer parents with sick kids will document their health journeys in blow-by-blow detail.
The third set of risks are probably the least talked about, but they involve potential harm to a child's sense of self. If you're a child influencer, how you see yourself as a person and your ability to develop into an adult is "going to be shaped and in some instances impeded by the fact that your parents are creating this public performance persona for you," said Plunkett.
Often children won't be aware of what this public persona looks like to the audience and how it's being interpreted. They may not even be aware it exists. But at some point, as happened with Barkman, the private world in which content is created and the public world in which it's consumed will inevitably collide. At that point, the child will be thrust into the position of confronting the persona that's been created for them.
"As kids get older, they naturally want to define themselves on their own terms, and if parents have overshared about them in public spaces, that can be difficult, as many will already have notions about who that child is or what that child may like," said Steinberg. "These notions, of course, may be incorrect. And some children may value privacy and wish their life stories were theirs -- not their parents -- to tell."
Savannah and Cole LaBrant have documented nearly everything about their children's lives.
Jim Spellman/WireImage
This aspect of having their real-life stories made public is a key factor distinguishing children working in social media from children working in the professional entertainment industry, who usually play fictional roles. Many children who will become teens and adults in the next couple of decades will have to reckon with the fact that their parents put their most vulnerable moments on the internet for the world to see -- their meltdowns, their humiliation, their most personal moments.
One influencer family, the LaBrants, were forced to issue a public apology in 2019 after they played an April Fools' Day Joke on their 6-year-old daughter Everleigh. The family pretended they were giving her dog away, eliciting tears throughout the video. As a result, many viewers felt that her parents, Sav and Cole, had inflicted unnecessary distress on her.
In the past few months, parents who film their children during meltdowns to demonstrate how to calm them down have found themselves the subject of ire on parenting Subreddits. Their critics argue that it's unfair to post content of children when they're at their most vulnerable, as it shows a lack of respect for a child's right to privacy.
Privacy-centric parenting
Even the staunchest advocates of child privacy know and understand the parental instinct of wanting to share their children's cuteness and talent with the world. "Our kids are the things usually we're the most proud of, the most excited about," said Adams. "It is normal to want to show them off and be proud of them."
When Adams started her account two years ago, she said her views were seen as more polarizing. But increasingly people seem to relate and share her concerns. Most of these are "average parents," naive to the risks they're exposing their kids to, but some are "commercial sharents" too.
Even though they don't always see eye to eye, the private conversations she's had with parents of children (she doesn't publicly call out anyone) with massive social media presences have been civil and productive. "I hope it opens more parents' eyes to the reality of the situation, because frankly this is all just a large social experiment," she said. "And it's being done on our kids. And that just doesn't seem like a good idea."
For Barkman, it's been "surprisingly easy, and hugely beneficial" to stop sharing content about her son. She's more present, and focuses only on capturing memories she wants to keep for herself.
"When motherhood is all consuming, it sometimes feels like that's all you have to offer, so I completely understand how we have slid into oversharing our children," she said. "It's a huge chunk of our identity and our hearts."
But Barkman recognizes the reality of the situation, which is that she doesn't know who's viewing her content and that she can't rely on tech platforms to protect her son. "We are raising a generation of children who have their entire lives broadcast online, and the newness of social media means we don't have much data on the impacts of that reality on children," she said. "I feel better acting with caution and letting my son have his privacy so that he can decide how he wants to be perceived by the world when he's ready and able."
'Stranger Things 4': Let These Incredible TikToks Tide You Over Until Vol. 2
'Stranger Things 4': Let These Incredible TikToks Tide You Over Until Vol. 2
The final episodes of Stranger Things, season 4 arrive tonight! It's been a couple of weeks between volumes and with the wait just about over, maybe some shorter content will help plug the gap. Noah Schnapp and more cast members from Stranger Things have been providing the content we need to tide us over to the new episodes.
In a video posted on May 29, two days after Stranger Things season 4 premiered, Schnapp appears in full Byers garb -- a plaid shirt and khaki-colored pants he wears on the show -- and does an understated dance to a hip-hop track. "Will Byers making a TikTok?," the caption reads. You can check it out below.
@noahschnapp
Will byers making a tiktok?
♬ no idea X poke it out X out west - VNDRE
If you've scrolled through TikTok over the past month, you've probably taken note of the Stranger Things chatter. Season 4 has inspired everything from a TikTok challenge where people reveal which song would save them from Vecna's curse, to an auto-tuned version of Eddie's plea to a possessed Chrissy in the first episode ("Chrissy wake up," the track starts off. "I don't like this…").
Seventeen-year-old Schnapp and his Tiktok-savvy co-star, 20-year-old Caleb McLaughlin, are adding their own entertaining videos to the mix, and it's exactly what I've needed during this gap between season 4 episodes. Neither actor is new to the platform -- McLaughlin has been on since at least 2021 and Schnapp since at least 2019 -- but they've both delivered for fans during the show's interim.
In his follow-up TikTok to the Will Byers dancing vid, Schnapp pokes fun at TikTok's adoption of Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill, the 1985 song that saw a resurgence after the release of season 4. "Me scrolling on my For You page after May 27," appears on-screen, while he scrolls through numerous normal and sped-up versions of the song. In addition to the TikTok recognition, the track charted around the world.
Meanwhile, McLaughlin, the actor who plays Lucas, has spent the season 4 pause lip-syncing to Pass the Dutchie, another song highlighted in season 4, and introducing Stranger Things music-lover Max to his own 2022 single, Soul Travel. (McLaughlin, like several actors in the Stranger Things cast, is also a musician.)
All of these videos have individually crossed a million likes. So chances are I'm just recapping TikToks you've already seen. But if not, it's a fun way to spend some more time in the realm of Stranger Things. Schnapp has posted behind the scenes photos and videos of the cast, including some throwback pics from when they were all younger. McLaughlin's other videos also reveal how much fun the gang has together when TV cameras aren't rolling.
Netflix users watched 286.8 million hours of Stranger Things season 4 in its first three days -- more hours than the second season of Bridgerton. The second half of season 4 debuts in a little over a week, on July 1. If you want a mood boost while you wait, head to the accounts of these two creative cast members.
After setting up your new Apple Watch Series 7 that you got this holiday season and pairing it with your iPhone, it's time to check out all the new features and tweak a few settings to make the most of your new Watch. The Apple Watch Series 7 comes with a larger screen, faster charging and a more durable design. That might not sound as exciting as the blood oxygen sensor that debuted in last year's Series 6. (Here's how the Apple Watch 7 compares to the Apple Watch 6.) But the Series 7's new features have the potential to add more convenience to a lot of everyday tasks, from checking the time to resp onding to texts and tracking your sleep.
Apple unveiled the $399 Apple Watch Series 7 during its product launch event on Sept. 14 alongside the iPhone 13 family, a refreshed iPad Mini, and a new entry-level iPad. The new Apple Watch is a light update to the Series 6 that's ideal for people looking to replace a watch that's several years old.
Read more:Apple Watch 7 review: A slight upgrade compared to last year's smartwatch
If you're considering the Apple Watch Series 7 or already bought one, here's a breakdown of what's new and why it matters. You can also check out all the Apple Watch Series 8 rumors we've heard so far.
Apple Watch Series 7 has a QWERTY keyboard
The Apple Watch Series 7 should be easier to type on.
Apple
The Apple Watch has a new QWERTY keyboard that takes advantage of its larger screen, which is about 20% bigger than the Series 6, allowing you to type similarly to how you would on a phone.
What's new: A full-size keyboard means that you aren't limited to sending a canned response to a text, scribbling a quick note or dictating a message, as is the case with the Apple Watch Series 6.
How you'll use it: The Apple Watch Series 7's QWERTY keyboard lets you tap each key to type, or use Apple's QuickPath feature to swipe between letters without lifting your finger. You'll still want to use your phone for messages longer than a short sentence, but it still generally makes it easier to text using the watch.
The bottom line: The Series 7's QWERTY keyboard makes it easier to send longer and more complex messages that are uncomfortable to scribble or too private to dictate. It's another example of how the Apple Watch has evolved to become better at working independently of your phone in the years since its launch.
Third-party Apple Watch apps like FlickType already allow you to type on your Apple Watch, but having it as a native option on the watch results in a smoother experience. It also means watch owners won't have to rely on third parties for this potentially vital tool, which is important considering some keyboard apps have been accused of participating in App Store rating scams.
Read more: Apple Watch 7 upgrade: How to trade in your old watch to get the best deals
Larger screen on the Apple Watch Series 7 amps up reading
The Apple Watch Series 7's larger screen can fit more text.
Apple/Screenshot by Sarah Tew/CNET
The Series 7 is Apple's first major redesign since the Series 4 launched in 2018. The new watch comes in 41-millimeter and 45mm sizes for the first time, representing a shift away from the 40mm and 44mm sizes that were available on the Series 4 through Series 6.
What's new: The Apple Watch Series 7's screen is about 20% larger than the Series 6's and more than 50% bigger than the Series 3's. The borders that frame the screen are also 40% smaller than those of the Series 6, allowing Apple to expand the screen size without making the device much larger. But don't worry, older watch bands are still compatible with the Series 7.
How you'll use it: The Series 7's larger screen makes it better at its most important job: showing information that's easy to see at a glance so that you don't have to grab your phone. The larger screen means the Series 7 is capable of displaying 50% more text without having to scroll, making reading text messages, emails and notifications more convenient.
There's more: Apple also updated the user interface in its apps to make better use of that larger screen. Apps like the stopwatch, activity and timer now have larger buttons, meaning it's easier to hit snooze even when you're still half asleep. You also get specific watch faces that are optimized for the Series 7's bigger display, such as a new version of the Modular face that can fit complications with more information. I've been using this new watch face to see my activity progress, the time and weather forecast at a glance.
And don't forget, WatchOS 8 introduces the ability to set Portrait mode photos as your watch face, and the Series 7's larger screen is better able to show them off.
Read more:Apple Watch Series 7 vs. Series 6: The biggest changes coming in Apple's new smartwatch
A brighter screen in always-on mode
Apple/Screenshot by Sarah Tew/CNET
Apple also updated the Apple Watch's display in a different way by making the screen more visible in always-on mode. It's another addition that makes it even faster to get quick bits of information from your watch.
What's new: The Apple Watch Series 7's screen is up to 70% brighter in always-on mode when your wrist is down, according to Apple. However, Apple specifically says this applies to indoor usage.
How you'll use it: The Series 7's improved brightness means it is even easier to see information like the time, your activity rings and your next meeting without having to wake the watch's screen. It feels like a step toward making the Apple Watch's screen appear the same whether it's asleep or in use, and doing so creates a more seamless look that doesn't feel jarring when switching between awake and idle mode.
To use this feature, you'll want to make sure the always-on display setting is turned on in the Apple Watch's settings menu. On your Apple Watch's app screen, press the settings icon, scroll down to Display & Brightness and tap Always On. From there, make sure the switch next to Always On is toggled on.
What about battery life? You could also choose to keep this feature turned off if you want to maximize battery life, and Apple hasn't said whether the brighter always-on screen will affect the watch's power consumption. I've been wearing the Apple Watch Series 7 daily with the always-on display setting turned on, and it typically lasts for about a day and a half. But battery life will always vary depending on your usage, and activities like using GPS connectivity while running will cause it to drain faster.
Read more: Best Apple Watch accessories
Apple Watch Series 7 charges faster than Series 6
The Apple Watch Series 7 should charge 33% faster than the Series 6.
Apple/Screenshot by Sarah Tew/CNET
The Apple Watch Series 7's battery lasts as long as the Series 6, but the amount of time it takes to charge your watch has dipped.
What's new: The Apple Watch Series 7 can charge up to 33% faster than the Apple Watch Series 6, according to Apple. It takes 45 minutes to charge from zero to 80%, and 8 minutes of charging should enable 8 hours of sleep tracking. In CNET's testing of the new Apple Watch, reviewers found this to be true. Charging the Watch for at least 30 minutes made the battery jump from zero to 54%. In comparison, the Series 6 only replenished 37% in the same amount of time.
How you'll use it: We've been asking for more battery life out of the Apple Watch for years, but that's especially relevant now that Apple has added native sleep tracking to its smartwatches. Rather than extending the watch's battery life, Apple makes it easier to quickly charge the watch during short windows throughout the day, presumably so that you don't have to charge it overnight. The idea is that you'll be able to top off the watch's battery whenever you have a few spare minutes.
The bottom line: The Apple Watch Series 7's faster charging speed is another way in which Apple is trying to make its smartwatch a more capable sleep tracker. In addition to making the Series 7 easier to charge in a pinch, Apple also added the ability to measure respiratory rate during sleep with its WatchOS 8 update. Taken together, these improvements could help Apple catch up to Fitbit, which offers multiday battery life on its watches and more in-depth sleep metrics.
Read more:Best Apple Watch bands for 2021
The Apple Watch Series 7 has a brawnier build
The Apple Watch Series 7 comes with tougher crystal and is dust resistant.
Apple/Screenshot by Sarah Tew/CNET
Exercise tracking has become one of Apple's biggest areas of focus for the Apple Watch. The Series 7 is more suitable for outdoor activity since Apple claims it has a more durable build.
What's new: The Apple Watch Series 7 is rated for IP6X dust resistance (a first) and is coated in a crystal cover that Apple says is 50% thicker than that of the Apple Watch Series 6. That means you'll feel at ease wearing it to the beach or during a hike.
How you'll use it: The Series 7's increased durability pairs nicely with the new cycling features in WatchOS 8. The new software brings an updated version of fall detection that Apple says can tell the difference between falling off a bicycle and a different type of accident. Apple also says WatchOS 8 can automatically detect outdoor cycling workouts. (See Lexy Savvides' test of the new Apple Watch cycling features here.)
The bottom line: We put Apple Watch Series 7's durability to the test. Those who want a truly rugged watch have military-grade options from Garmin and Casio to choose from, or could opt for a rugged Apple Watch case. But these updates suggest Apple is trying to push the Apple Watch beyond basic workouts and appeal to those who might need a more durable watch for activities like rock climbing. That's the premise behind the rumored Explorer Edition, which Bloomberg reports will come with greater impact resistance and could launch in 2022.
Whatsapp kik viber or retxt which third party messenger is gadmowera whatsapp kik viber or retxt which third party messenger is hacked whatsapp kik viber or retxt which third party messenger is crashing whatsapp kik viber or retxt which third party messenger is in another language whatsapp kik viber or retxt which third party messenger is my home whatsapp kik viber or retxt which third party messenger home whatsapp/kik/line
WhatsApp, Kik, Viber or ReTXT: Which third-party messenger is right for you?
WhatsApp, Kik, Viber or ReTXT: Which third-party messenger is right for you?
James Martin/CNET
There is no shortage of third-party messaging apps in either the iTunes App Store or the Google Play Store and it's pretty easy to see why. While every smartphone has a default messaging app, none have many extras.
Sure, you can send photos and videos, and probably emoticons, but beyond that the default chat apps are pretty bare. To its credit, Apple has made strides with iOS' Messages app with features such as being able to send your location and voice memos, while Android will let you send contacts and other business-related tasks, but there's not much fun in that.
Fortunately, third-party messaging apps are mostly free, offer fun extras, and some even have added features like encryption to keep your messages secure. All use data, so any texting limits you have with your carrier don't apply and the ones that make calls are free for people who have the app.
Feature comparison
Obviously, a text messaging app has to let you send text messages, and adding photos and videos is more or less the standard with these type of apps. But it's the extras like locations, contacts, and even doodles that set some of these apps apart. On the other hand, you may be someone who is uninterested in stickers and gifs, so this chart will let you zero in on the things you need and the things you don't.
WhatsApp Messenger
Kik
Viber
ReTXT
Text messages
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Phone calls
Yes
No
Yes
No
Photos
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Videos
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Audio clips/voice memos
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Video calls
No
No
Yes
No
Sketching/drawing
No
Yes
Yes
No
Locations
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Share contacts
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Special Graphics/Stickers
No
Yes
Yes
No
Emoticons
default keyboard
Yes
Yes
default keyboard
Subscription
Yes ($0.99/year)
No
No
Yes ($0.99/year)
Encryption
No
No
No
Yes
Read receipts
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
In-app purchases
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
James Martin/CNET
WhatsApp Messenger
WhatsApp has been in the third-party text messenger business for a long time, and even if you're not using it, chances are a lot of your friends are. The app has an extremely easy setup because you don't have to add buddies or invite people; WhatsApp Messenger scans your contacts for other users of the app and lets you start a conversation on your own.
WhatsApp shows your chats in little text bubbles, gives you a time stamp for messages, notifies you when a text has been viewed by your recipient and lets you include photos, audio notes and videos within your conversations. You can also change your background and send your GPS location to an interactive map. You can use premade away notes such as "I'm busy," "Available" or even "My battery is about to die," and you can block specific contacts from within the app. You also can easily send a friend's contact information to another user without leaving the app. So, while the app is not leaps and bounds ahead of other messaging apps, there are some nice extra features here.
It's important to note that WhatsApp is free for the first year of use, but then you'll need to sign up for subscription at 99 cents per year. But even though free is always better, I think a dollar a year (at the current exchange rate, that's about £0.65 or AU$1.25) is easily worth it for what you get.
Where it excels
A lot of people already use it so you don't have to convince as many people to download it.
Location maps look natural inline and let you tap to get more info.
You can make free calls to others who have the app.
You can customize the look by changing backgrounds.
Where it falls flat
You can't make video calls.
It has no special graphics other than emoticons.
It doesn't have strong encryption.
Best for: People who know that their friends already use the app. Also, it's great for sending texts and making international calls to others who have the app.
James Martin/CNET
Kik
Free; iOS, Android, Windows Phone
Kik is a messaging app that's much more about fun than it is about productivity. Yes, it has the regular messaging features and you can easily add photos and videos like most apps, but the extras here are more for a younger audience and not what you get with the other apps in this collection.
I noticed right away that Kik didn't have the ability to send your location or contacts. Instead, it's set up for having fun with things like stickers, the ability to sketch, add the latest viral videos and memes, and more. One really useful feature is the ability to perform an image search from within the app. It also has an assortment of original emoticons, but the ones you can use for free are not much different from what you get on your default keyboard.
And that's the other thing about Kik. It has its own currency called Kik Points (KP) that you use to buy sticker packs and special emoticons you can't find anywhere else. You don't buy Kik points with cash, though. You earn them by completing surveys, visiting specific websites, or signing up for services from one of Kik's partners. In other words, it's a way for Kik to make money without billing the users of the app.
Where it excels
It has a huge number of things you can add to your messages, like stickers, icons, doodles, memes and more.
You can perform an image search from within the app to add images to the conversation easily.
It has its own in-app browser to find other content.
Where it falls flat
Lack of location-adding and contact features make it less useful for working folks.
The requirement of using Kik Points to buy features means you'll need to jump through hoops to get that unique zombie emoticon.
Best for: Students or groups of friends who like to keep the conversation going continuously with lots of fun stuff to add
James Martin/CNET
Viber
Free; iOS, Android, Windows Phone
I recently reviewed Viber and found it to have the most useful features I've seen so far in a messaging app. It's excellent for messaging and calling your friends for free around the globe and you can even make video calls.
Sending a message is just like other apps, with balloons for each of the people chatting, and you can set up group texts for up to 100 participants. You can create an audio clip by touching the microphone, then touching and holding a big button in the bottom center to record. You also can send photos and videos, and you can send your location.
For some fun, there is a doodle feature, which lets you pick a brush size and color, then draw on the screen to send little doodles to your friends. You also get a good assortment of stickers for free, but can buy themed sticker packs if you're interested.
But what sets Viber apart from most third party messaging apps is the ability to make both audio and video calls and you can do it on a 3G connection or better. The app uses your regular phone number, and you can call anyone around the globe for free provided they also have the app. In my testing, call quality was excellent and even sounded better than regular calls on my iPhone.
You'll have to pay (through in-app purchase) if you want to call landlines or people who don't have the app, but it has a guide which shows how much it will cost you depending on the country.
Where it excels
You can make free calls to other people who have the app (like WhatsApp) and you can make free video calls.
Both audio and video calls are high quality even without a Wi-Fi connection.
It has its own assortment of high-quality, original emoticons.
It has plenty of stickers included for just about any situation, and you can buy more if you want themed sets.
Where it falls flat
The Public Chat features let you browse subjects and enter a conversation, but you can't participate (coming in a later update).
Not a lot of people use it.
Best for: People who want to message, or make audio or video calls internationally for free.
James Martin/CNET
ReTXT
Free; iOS and Android
ReTXT is the newcomer to the collection having only been out for a few weeks, but in my review, I really liked the unique features you can't find in the other apps of this collection.
It does all the usual things such as letting you send photos and video, and you can add audio clips and send your location. But while it's not big on special graphics, stickers or anything like those, it has something even better to offer: the ability to correct or delete a message you already sent. Everyone has been a victim of their smartphone's autocorrect at one time or another, but with ReTXT, you can just tap the sent message and edit whatever you want. It then corrects the message for both you and your recipient.
Another unique feature is the capability to ask for clarification. When someone sends you a message that doesn't make sense, you can tap a button that sends them a question mark that appears right next to their own message balloon. This indicates that they should clarify their meaning without you having to ask questions or engage in a lengthy back-and-forth conversation.
Finally, ReTXT has strong security features which ensure you and your recipient are the only people to view your message content. It doesn't store your conversations on any server, and it has end-to-end encryption. The other apps can't boast this level of security, so if security is your number one concern, this is the app for you.
It's important to note that -- like WhatsApp -- you'll need to pay a 99 cents a year subscription (about £0.65 or AU$1.25), but if these features are important to you it's easy to part with a dollar per year.
Where it excels
ReTXT lets you edit sent messages to fix any errors, whether it was an autocorrect mistake or maybe even something you shouldn't have said in the heat of the moment.
You can ask for clarification by touching a button so you can avoid the back and forth texts.
End-to-end encryption means you'll know only you and your recipient can see your messages.
Where it falls flat
It doesn't have any customization or special graphics and emoticons besides what comes with your default keyboard.
Almost nobody uses it because it's so new.
Best for: Those who find themselves making a lot of typos in their messages, or those who want an added level of security not found in other messaging apps.
CNET recommends...
All of these are great chat apps, and really it comes down to a matter of your messaging style for which one you pick. But I think for most people, the fact that Viber covers so many bases puts it on top.
Not only does it have more practical features, like sending your location and contacts, it also has fun features which let you add audio clips and stickers to your conversations. And the fact that you can make both audio and video calls pushes it over the top.
There's still the problem of getting your friends to download the app, but with all these features, it shouldn't be too hard to convince them.
