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Meta is gearing up to debut a new type of Facebook ads that will allow users in the European Union to download apps without having to visit their mobile platform’s app store, according to The Verge. Yes, it will offer a direct download option for users, though the capability will likely debut only on Android, because the company is reportedly working with Android developers for its pilot launch later this year. 

Android users can already install APKs and sideload apps they download through their browsers. However, those apps still use Google’s billing system. Meta’s alternative way to download apps is supposedly completely independent of both Apple’s App Store and Google Play. It’ll be possible to introduce such a feature in the EU due to a new law called the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which will go into effect in 2024. Under the DMA’s rules, consumers must be able to download apps from competing app stores. “When a gatekeeper engages in unfair practices, such as… preventing installation of applications from other sources, consumers are likely to pay more or are effectively deprived of the benefits that alternative services might have brought,” the European Commission said. 

Tom Channick, a spokesperson for Meta, has confirmed the company’s plan to introduce app downloads through Facebook ads to The Verge. “We’ve always been interested in helping developers distribute their apps, and new options would add more competition in this space,” he said. “Developers deserve more ways to easily get their apps to the people that want them.” We also reached out to Meta for confirmation and more details. Meta reportedly won’t be taking a cut from developers’ earnings and will allow them to use whatever billing system they want. For now, anyway. That could change as the service evolves, if it ever gets past the pilot testing phase. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/facebook-may-let-eu-users-download-apps-directly-from-ads-084313006.html?src=rss 

Joby Aviation has been cleared by the FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) to start flight tests on its first production prototype air taxi, the company wrote in a press release. It’s a large step in the company’s aim to start shipping the eVTOL aircraft (electric vertical takeoff and landing) to customers in 2024 and launch an air taxi service by 2025. 

“The aircraft will now undergo initial flight testing before being delivered to Edwards Air Force Base, California, where it will be used to demonstrate a range of potential logistics use cases,” Joby wrote. 

The aircraft can take off and land like a helicopter, then tilt its six rotors horizontally and fly like an airplane at up to 200 MPH. It’s designed to carry a pilot and four passengers over a distance up to 100 miles on a charge — enough range for most types of air taxi operations. At the same time, Joby claims it’s nearly silent in cruise mode and 100 times quieter than conventional aircraft during takeoff and landing.

Joby’s first production prototype recently rolled off the company’s assembly line in Marina, California. The plant was built in partnership with Toyota, Joby’s largest investor with a $394 million stake. Cementing that relationship, Joby announced that it was appointing Toyota North America CEO Tetsuo (Ted) Ogawa to the board of directors.

With the the FAA’s special airworthiness certificate in hand, Joby can perform flight tests of full production aircraft, following tests with full-scale prototypes that began in 2017. In May last year, the company received another crucial permit, the FAA’s Part 135 air carrier certificate for commercial operations. It recently teamed with Delta Air Lines to offer travel to and from airports, and its website shows a scenario of flying from downtown NYC to JFK airport in just seven minutes compared to 49 minutes in a car.

Now, Joby must clear the largest hurdle with full FAA type and production certification in order to take paying passengers on commercial flights. That’s likely about 18 months away, aerospace engineer and Vertical Flight Society director Mike Hirschberg told New Scientist. Its first customer would be the US Air Force, as part of a $131 million contract under the military’s Agility Prime program, with deliveries set for 2024.

Alll that puts the company tantalizingly close to delivering a true air taxi service, something that has eluded numerous other manufacturers to date. Last year, the Kittyhawk aircraft backed by Larry Page shut down, and other companies like Ehang, Archer, Volocopter and even Airbus aren’t as far along as Joby. “This first aircraft coming off our pilot manufacturing line is a really, really big deal for the company,” Joby CEO JoeBen Bevirt told TechCrunch. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/joby-aviations-first-production-air-taxi-cleared-for-flight-tests-093526681.html?src=rss 

YouTube is looking to take a more aggressive approach in preventing viewers from using ad blockers while watching videos on its platform. As BleepingComputer reports, people have been posting screenshots on social networks like Reddit that show a pop-up notice warning them that their player will be blocked after three videos. 

The warning says YouTube will block their ability to play videos on the platform unless they disable their ad blocker or add the website to their white list. “Ads allow YouTube to stay free for billions of users worldwide,” the notice continues. To go ad-free, the company tells users to get a YouTube Premium subscription so “creators can still get paid.” Prior to these warnings, YouTube only showed popups to ad blocker users, reminding them that it’s against the website’s TOS. Eventually, it added a timer to the notices to ensure viewers take the time to read them.

The website has confirmed to BleepingComputer that the new alerts are part of an experiment. A spokesperson told the publication that YouTube is “running a small experiment globally that urges viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium.” They said that YouTube might temporarily disable playback “[i]n extreme cases, where viewers continue their use of ad blockers.” The spokesperson added that they will only disable playback “if viewers ignore repeated requests to allow ads on YouTube,” though it’s unclear if that means YouTube won’t automatically block playback after a viewer watches three videos and will give them more opportunities to comply. 

At the moment, this new approach only affects a small number of users, and YouTube didn’t say how many people and regions are part of the test. The website, which makes most of its money from ads, has seen its ad revenue decline over the past three quarters, so we won’t be surprised if this test expands to more users around the world should it turn out to be effective. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youtube-test-threatens-to-block-viewers-if-they-continue-using-ad-blockers-053117556.html?src=rss