You can now share YouTube videos directly to Snapchat

You no longer have to copy-paste or otherwise contort yourself to share a YouTube clip through Snapchat. As of today, Android and iOS users can share YouTube videos directly through the Snapchat Camera, whether it’s to Stories or individual Snaps. You can apply creative layers like text, and automated stickers will take Snapchat viewers directly to a video in either the YouTube app or a web browser.

You just need to tap “share” in the YouTube app and choose Snapchat when it’s an option. This is the first time you can visually share YouTube links, Snap said.

This won’t be as alluring as sharing vertical videos from common alternatives like TikTok and Instagram. It should save you some hassle if you find a must-see YouTube video, though, and it should be particularly helpful for sharing Shorts that are well-suited to Snapchat’s app.

Windows’ revamped phone sync app puts Android notifications up front

Microsoft realizes it has crammed Your Phone with features as of late, and it’s giving the software a rework to help you manage all that content. The company has unveiled a rebranded Windows 11 Your Phone app, now called Phone Link, that includes a redesigned interface. The updated software puts notifications out front to make sure you don’t miss an important alert. You’ll also have tabbed navigation that should help you better manage apps, calls, messages and photos.

The refresh also brings visuals more in line with Windows 11’s look and feel. It will be easier to get started, for that matter. An upcoming Windows 11 update will let you set up Phone Link by scanning a QR code.

The release comes alongside a renaming of the Android app to Link to Windows (formerly Your Phone Companion) to better illustrate its role. Phone Link won’t necessarily eliminate the urge to check your device, but it might prevent the flood of information from becoming overwhelming.

TweetDeck may become a paid Twitter Blue option

TweetDeck — a version of Twitter beloved by journalists, social media pros and other power users — might soon become a paid app, The Verge has reported. A new version of the app redirects to the Twitter Blue subscription signup page, according to code discovered by security researcher Jane Manchun Wong. It promises “a powerful, real-time tool for people who live on Twitter” and would be an “ad-free experience,” according to screenshots. 

TweetDeck is already an essentially ad-free experience, so the inclusion of that language strongly implies that it would become a paid service. The new version would be a “complete rebuild with the parts from the new Twitter app,” Manchun noted in a reply. However, she also spotted a link for a “legacy version” which could still be free. 

Twitter launched its Twitter Blue subscription service last November for $2.99 per month. Some features like top articles were seen as positives, but users also criticized Twitter for hiding key features like an “undo” button behind a paywall. 

Twitter has been testing a new version of TweetDeck since last year, with significant changes like “a full Tweet composer, new advanced search features, new column types, and a new way to group columns into clean workspaces,” the company wrote. Some power users haven’t exactly embraced it, however, due to user interface and other issues. 

The company has also pondered a TweetDeck subscription service, asking users in 2017 if they’d be willing to pay up to $20 per month for a “more advanced TweetDeck experience.” And last year, Bloomberg reported that Twitter was considering a subscription fee for the app. 

The move would make sense for Twitter internally, as TweetDeck has always been a black sheep product that lets users bypass ads. Adding it to Twitter Blue would finally allow the company to monetize it and offer a true ad-free experience — since Twitter Blue itself still includes ads.

Apple now allows Netflix, Spotify and other ‘reader’ apps to link to their sites for payment

Netflix, Spotify and other similar services will now be able to add a link in their iOS apps that take users to their own websites for payment and account management. Apple now allows developers of “reader” apps to link to a website that they maintain. The tech giant defines reader apps as applications that “provide previously purchased content or content subscriptions for digital magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music and video.” 

Apple first announced that it will allow certain media services to add in-app links last year as part of a settlement with the Japan Fair Trade Commission. The company agreed with the stipulation, because those apps “do not offer in-app digital goods and services for purchase” anyway. While the change was a result of JFTC’s investigation, Apple will apply the new policy to all reader apps around the world. That said, developers will have to request access to the External Link Account Entitlement program first before they’re allowed to add in-app links. Also, while the change gives developers a way to avoid giving Apple a 15 to 30 percent cut, the company will still collect commissions for purchases within the app itself if the service offers any. 

Google also recently launched a pilot program to test third-party billing systems in Android, allowing users to pay for services either via its own payment system or the developer’s. Spotify, one of the apps piloting the feature, will show subscribers Google’s and its own billing system side by side starting later this year. Google will still get a cut even if the user chooses the service’s own billing system, but it will be smaller than the 15 percent commission the tech giant typically collects for subscriptions. 

Chrome OS version 100 rolls out today with a redesigned app launcher

Yesterday, Google officially released version 100 of its Chrome browser, and today it’s following suit by releasing version 100 of Chrome OS. While there weren’t a lot of big features for Chrome 100 besides a new icon, the update for Chrome OS brings a handful of changes worth noting. Probably the most significant is a redesigned app launcher experience. When you press the “everything” button (where caps lock is on most keyboards) or click the circle icon on the lower left side of the screen, the new launcher pulls up in a window on the left side of your display rather than covering all your open windows. Longtime Chrome OS users might remember that this was how the launcher behaved years ago.

Besides that visual change, Google has made it easier to organize the apps you have installed. You can choose to sort them alphabetically or by color, and new apps you add will stick to that organization scheme. From a functional perspective, Google has also improved search results that come up when you type in the launcher, automatically pulling up information for your query without having to open more details in a browser window. The search field also can look through all your open tabs if you’re trying to find a specific site you had open.

The next new feature is purely for fun — the camera app can now create GIFs. When you pop open the camera, you can choose to record a five-second video that’ll automatically be turned into a GIF. Once that’s done, you can share it to pretty much any app on your Chromebook or send it to an Android phone using the nearby share feature.

Google also improved the dictation feature on Chromebooks. Previously, you could dictate text into any text field on your device, but today Google is adding some editing features. Chrome OS now recognizes commands like “delete” to remove the last letter or “move to the next character” to adjust where your cursor is. Asking for “help” will also pull up a list of commands that you can use if you’re not sure how to accomplish a specific task with your voice.

As is usually the case with most Chrome OS updates, these aren’t exactly earth-shattering updates. But as Google now updates Chrome OS and the Chrome browser every four weeks, they’re not all going to bring big features. But there are still a few quality of life improvements worth checking out once the update hits your device — I’ve always found managing the apps in my launcher a bit cumbersome, so I’m hoping today’s update makes things a bit better.

Apple faces €5.5 billion lawsuit from Netherlands over its app store

A Dutch foundation has hit Apple with a lawsuit over the App Store’s developer fees, seeking €5.5 billion euro in damages for what it alleges is monopolistic behavior. In a press release, the Dutch Consumer Competition Claims Foundation stated it was f…

Uber will soon offer NYC yellow cabs via the app

Uber has struck a deal that will soon allow folks in New York City to hail yellow cabs through its app. The city’s 14,000 taxi drivers will be able to accept fares from Uber users through apps like Curb and Arro.

This is Uber’s first citywide partnership of this nature in the US. It expects the integrations to be up and running this spring. Passengers will pay around the same as they would for Uber X rides, the company told The Wall Street Journal, with Uber and its partners taking a cut of the fare. Taxi drivers will be able to see their estimated earnings before deciding whether to accept a trip.

The move could help remedy Uber’s shortage of drivers and tackle the surge pricing problem while helping cab drivers find more fares. It could be an uneasy alliance, however, given that the taxi industry has opposed ride-sharing apps in the past. 

“The companies that tore up this industry need this more than the drivers do. Drivers can hold out on 1 – 2 more fares but cannot settle for a biz model that underpays drivers, fires them at will & guts full-time work. So it’s time to negotiate,” said New York Taxi Workers Alliance executive director Bhairavi Desai. “If Uber and Curb think they can slide in with a payment structure that’s broken for Uber drivers and piece it together on the backs of yellow cab drivers, they’re in for a sobering surprise.”

Update 12:30PM ET: This post has been updated with quotes from the New York Taxi Workers Alliance. The full statement is below.

Statement from NYTWA Executive Director Bhairavi Desai:

On Uber – Yellow Cab Deal

The companies that tore up this industry need this more than the drivers do. Drivers can hold out on 1 – 2 more fares but cannot settle for a biz model that underpays drivers, fires them at will & guts full-time work. So it’s time to negotiate.

After its business model has shown the failures to protect drivers from ridership downturns and rising gas prices, Uber is returning to its roots: yellow cabs.

First, this should settle once and for all the question of maintaining the vehicle cap.

Second, the fare structure that is not enough for Uber drivers is also not going to be enough for yellow cab drivers who have higher expenses such as the medallion payment and higher car costs as a new one must be hacked up every six years. To start with:

  • Uber – and Lyft and the taxi meter – need to implement a fuel surcharge immediately in NYC for all drivers.

  • Yellow cab drivers must be paid the metered rate and after 10 long years without a raise – that meter needs to go up.

  • The TLC-regulated App driver payment rates used to pay drivers under this program need to be adjusted to the increase in operating expenses since they were set 4 years ago. Drivers need to be paid whichever is higher – either 85% of what the passenger pays or 100% of the TLC-regulated rates.

  • Uber and yellow cab drivers need Just Cause protection so drivers can not be fired without warning or reason as the means for the company to control supply.

Here are some sample fares comparing what drivers would earn on the meter vs. under the proposed rates. Yellow cab drivers would be short-changed on average 15%.

Trip #1 (Manhattan short trip, rush hour)

  • Drop+Evening Rush hour (Taxi $3.50)

  • 2 miles long (Taxi: $5.00; App: $2.32)

  • 12 minutes long (App: $6.35)

  • 4 minutes slow/stopped (Taxi: $2.00)

  • Taxi fare (surcharges, taxes excluded): $ 10.50

  • App-based Driver Pay: $8.67

Trip #2: Manhattan (East Side) to JFK Trip, non-rush hour

  • Taxi Fare: $52

  • 17 miles (App: $19.78)

  • 42 minutes (App: $22.22)

  • App-based Driver Pay: $42

Trip #3 Manhattan (West Village) to LGA, Night-time

  • Drop + Night Surcharge ($3.00)

  • 12.8 miles long (Taxi: $32.00; App: $13.93)

  • 35 minutes long (App: $18.52)

  • 5 minutes slow/stopped: ($2.50)

  • Taxi Fare (surcharges, taxes excluded): $37.50

  • App-based Driver Pay: $32.45

If Uber and Curb think they can slide in with a payment structure that’s broken for Uber drivers and piece it together on the backs of yellow cab drivers, they’re in for a sobering surprise. Neither company will grow ridership without working out terms that work for drivers. We know who’s in the driver’s seat. And spoiler alert, it’s not a venture capitalist.

Google will test alternatives to its Play Store billing system, starting with Spotify

As part of a program that could have far-reaching consequences for the tech industry, Google is launching a pilot to test third-party billing systems in Android and across its wider ecosystem. The company announced on Wednesday it plans to conduct the …

Twitter DM search now works the way you’d expect

Twitter is expanding DM searches to help you find the exact conversation you’re looking for. The social media app now lets you use the search bar in the DM inbox to find specific messages. Type in a keyword or name, pick the “Messages” tab and you’ll see any relevant messages, including older ones.

The company didn’t mention which platforms supported the feature (we’ve asked for comment). As of this writing, we could only search for people or groups on the web.

Twitter introduced DM searches in 2019, when they became available to iOS app users. The feature didn’t come to Android until 2021, but Twitter delivered an upgraded version that allowed searches of your full history rather than just recent threads. The firm teased the ability to search message content later that year, but it clearly took longer to deliver the upgrade than anticipated. Still, this might be appreciated if you’re trying to unearth a must-have restaurant or revisit a favorite discussion.