Kalakshar US

Apple takes a lot of strong positions, but their ultimate hill to die on might just be requiring apps to make purchases through the tech giant. The latest example comes from Patreon, which announced that Apple is requiring it to switch over to the iOS in-app purchase system or risk expulsion. Patreon’s entire purpose is to allow creators to offer “patrons” memberships in exchange for content. While some tiers are unpaid, creators offer paid options to make money — something this shift could impact. 

Patreon users need to know about two main changes. By this November, all creators can only offer a subscription-based plan on iOS as the app store doesn’t support other formats, such as first-of-the-month or per-creation plans. As a result, Patreon is rolling out a 16-month-long migration process that will shift all memberships to subscriptions by November 2025. At that point, subscription-based plans will be the only option available, unfortunately proving Apple’s far-reaching power. 

Apple will also be taking a 30 percent cut on all subscriptions made on the Patreon iOS app after November of this year — something its done for Patreon in-app commerce purchases since early 2024. Patreon has designed a tool that allows creators to increase their prices on the iOS app and leave them as is on the browser site and Android devices. However, creators can turn it off if they’d rather leave their rates as is. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/patreon-will-have-to-use-apples-in-app-purchase-system-or-be-removed-from-the-app-store-192631471.html?src=rss 

TikTok is rolling out some direct message updates, including “highly requested” group chats. Owner ByteDance notes that group chats aren’t available everywhere just yet, but those who do have access to the feature will be able to chat in groups of up to 32 people.

You can start a group chat in a couple of ways. From your inbox, you can tap the Chat button at the top of the screen or a name in the messages list and then the “More options…” button. You can then choose which friends you want to include and then tap “Start group chat.”

The other method to start a group chat is by sharing a post with a bunch of people. When you have a video you’d like to chat about with more than one person, tap the Share button, then select “Create group chat.” Pick the friends you want to send it to, add a message if you like, then start chatting with your buds about the video.

You can accept any group chat invites you receive via your inbox. You can only invite people you mutually follow to a group chat. As with regular DMs, group chats are not available to users aged between 13 and 15. As for 16- and 17-year-olds, they’ll only be able to join a group chat if they have at least one mutual friend in there. If they create a group chat, they’ll have to review and manually approve anyone new who joins.

TikTok is also bringing stickers to DMs. That gives folks another way to engage with each other visually. You can create and upload custom stickers for anyone to use.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktok-is-finally-rolling-out-group-chats-for-up-to-32-people-180056720.html?src=rss 

It’s Google’s turn to hold a major hardware event, albeit a little earlier than usual this year. The Made by Google showcase will take place at 1PM ET on August 13. You can stream it live on the Made by Google YouTube channel or simply watch above. We’ll also have full, in-depth coverage of everything Google announces right here on Engadget.

The company has already confirmed that it will show off the latest lineup of Pixel smartphones. We’re expecting to see four models, including the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 XL, which will have a prominent camera bar on the rear. Google is also rebranding its latest foldable. Rather than being dubbed the Pixel Fold 2, the device is called the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The Gemini AI assistant will be baked deeply into all of these phones as Google aims to boost your productivity and make photo editing much easier.

Elsewhere, rumors suggest that Google will announce the Pixel Watch 3, which is expected to be available in two sizes. It’s likely that we’ll see the Pixel Buds 2 as well.

Given that Google revealed a new TV streaming box and Nest Learning Thermostat a week before the event, it seems that the company wants to keep the focus on Pixel devices. That said, there’s always the chance of a genuine surprise or two. For what it’s worth, an “after party” event will start at 2:30PM ET. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/made-by-google-pixel-event-how-to-watch-on-august-13-161207703.html?src=rss 

The Indie Horror Showcase event is returning on October 24. This is a “celebration of upcoming nightmarish games” made by developers throughout the world and will be hosted by DreadXP, an indie publisher responsible for well-received games like The Mortuary Assistant and Sucker for Love.

The upcoming streaming event promises “loads of cool new indie horror” from both DreadXP and plenty of third-party developers. As a matter of fact, submissions are open to anyone, just in case you’ve been tooling around with something particularly frightening.

There were some noteworthy games discussed during last year’s event. These included the now-iconic Slay the Princess and the supernatural phone operator sim Home Safety Hotline. Other standouts from last year included Pneumata and Janet DeMornay is a Slumlord (and a witch). DreadXP says that last year’s showcase featured more than 60 trailers and announcements. This year’s event should fall somewhere in that range.

The publisher hasn’t given any indication as to which titles to be on the lookout for this year, but submissions are still open until September 16. It has promised announcements and trailers from “developers of all sizes in the indie horror scene.” DreadXP has yet to announce a premiere time for the stream.

One game that’ll likely get an update is Paranormal Activity: Found Footage. This title leverages the “found footage” format from many horror movies and brings it to gaming. DreadXP is behind the spooky adaptation and it’s scheduled for release in 2026.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-indie-horror-showcase-gaming-event-returns-on-october-24-162507028.html?src=rss