Microsoft Outlook now lets users easily compress videos to avoid attachment limit.

Sending attachments in emails can be a frustrating experience because of the size limitations imposed on us by the service providers. All of them - Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo - have the same limitations and while they may sometimes frustrate us, users, these limitations exist to save precious storage and bandwidth. Currently, the attachment size limit in Outlook is a measly 34 MB. If sending from OoneDrive, the size gets bumped up to 2 GB. However, Microsoft Outlook for Android has decided to give its users some slack.

The latest update to Microsoft Outlook allows users to send videos that exceed the attachment limit by compressing them. The app now has an option to easily compress the videos before sending them. I'm sure some will welcome this new feature. Personally, it does not make a difference as I always upload whatever I need to share to my OneDrive and send a link to it to my recipients.

The update is available for download on Google Play store. Check it out.

Apple Music lets users watch videos while browsing the app and listen to music videos in the background.

Apple Music received an update on Android that brings some improvements to music videos within the app. The changelog contains four items, all of them related to music videos, and one of my favorite new features is the ability to continue watching videos while browsing the music app. A Picture-In-Picture (PIP) capability in Apple Music itself. Unfortunately, Apple is not enabling PIP on Android yet. A full-featured PIP on Android would allow users to continue watching videos while using other apps on Android 7.1 or 8 devices.

My second feature is the ability to listen to music videos in the background. Another nice feature which comes in handy when I want to, say, read an incoming email without Apple Music pausing the video.

The other two items in the release notes are:

• Watch them [music videos] in full screen or inside Now Playing.
• Add your favorite music videos to playlists to watch them back-to-back.

Hopefully, Apple will surprise us with full PIP support in a future update. Why not? They're close anyway or so I want to believe. Until then, check Apple Music in the Play Store and enjoy music videos.

Instagram for Android let users send live videos in Direct.

Instagram has been on a roll issuing updates this year that proved to be popular with users and today, they’re adding a new feature that makes it easier to invite friends to watch your live videos or invite friends to watch a live video you’re watching. How this works? Keep reading, it’s dead simple.

When you go live, tap the Direct icon at the bottom of the screen to send your video to friends. They will see the live video in their Direct Inbox. However, if they don’t to see it live, they’ll get a message saying the video has ended. Instagram also gives users the option to disable the option to send their live videos in Stories settings. Viewers also can send live videos they’re watching in Direct messages using the same Direct icon at the bottom of the screen.

This update is part of Instagram version 26 for Android in Google Play. I do not see it yet in the Store, but it should not be long or in time for you to share your festive videos.

Source: Instagram

Tumblr for Android introduces Safe Mode and will stop providing updates for Android Jelly Bean.

Tumblr describes itself as “a place to express yourself, discover yourself, and bond over the stuff you love.” The platform lets you express yourself with photos, GIFs, text, videos, live videos and audio. Basically, share about anything you like.

In today’s update, Tumblr is adding safe mode, a tool that lets users control what they see and what they don’t want to see. A Safe Mode switch has been added in the General Settings of the app, more precisely under Filtering.

Tumblr also announced that owners of Android Jelly Bean devices, that’s Android version 4.1 to 4.3 will stop getting updates from now on. The app will still work on these devices, but no new features will be added. If you still use Jelly Bean on your device, you should seriously consider upgrading. Running such an old version of Android is a security risk, as Google is not providing security patches for it anymore.

Tumblr is available free in Google Play Store.

VLC for Android update brings back 'lost' Artists/Albums in media library.

More than a week ago I blogged about VLC for Android getting a major update, and this week, the popular media player is getting a few fixes. According to the developer, some users have reported they were unable to see some of their artists/albums in the media library. This update will fix that issue and will also “try” to recover playlists from the old database to the new one.

Here’s the rest of the fixes in this update that raises the version to 2.5.13:

·       Fix videos not disappearing after deletion.

·       Restore WhatsApp videos for those who didn’t had it anymore.

·       Add WhatsApp videos to quick access shortcuts.

·       Fix ‘seen’ check on RTL devices.

·       Fix some Chromebooks showing TV interface.

Again, VLC for Android is a powerful media player you should try. It supports just about any format imaginable and it’s cross-platform. Better yet, it is completely free in Google Play Store.

Instagram makes it easier to follow users and accounts with hashtags.

Instagram just made it easier to follow whatever you like on Android, Apple devices and the web. As usual there’s nothing for Windows 10 PCs. What’s a PC anyway? But I digress. As of today, Instagram users on the aforementioned platform will be able to follow whatever they like thanks to hashtags.

According to Instagram, millions of users share photos, videos and tag them every day. With the update rolling out today, users will be able to tap on a hashtag to follow other Instagram users, similar to following a friend. Users can search for a topic of interest or tap a hashtag in a post and they will see related posts. Users will then see a follow button on their screens that they can tap to follow the topic or the account with the ability to unfollow later.

Instagram is also making it easier to find hashtags from other users’ account and Instagram says that “hashtags you follow respect your privacy settings.” Setting the hashtags to private will only be visible to your followers.

Instagram said that the update has started rolling out today. It may not be available to you today, but do check out on Google PlayStore as from now on.

Pocket Casts for Android now lets you switch themes without a restart.

Pocket Casts, my favorite podcast app on Android, got updated with a minor update today, raising the version number to 6.4.6.  Before I list the change log, the developer announced some major changes in version 7.4.7, which is a big jump from today’s update. I can’t wait to see what they have in store.

In today’s update, Pocket Casts brings a new “Extra Dark OLED theme.” Dark themes make it easy on the eyes should you choose to watch a video podcast…in the dark. This is great especially if you have a partner sharing the same room or bed. While this might sound like a minor addition, it won’t necessitate a restart of the app. Currently, changing the theme is already available in the app. But doing so requires closing and re-opening the app. With this update, this is not required. The change will happen on the fly. You would think that the most popular mobile platform on earth would handle such a change easily. But no.

This update also fixes some issue with “download URLs not changing properly when the author updates them.” Picture in Picture features also gets fixed as well as chromecasting. I assume that the former is available only on Android devices that runs Android Oreo or 8.0.

The update is available for download in Google Play Store for your podcast needs.

Dailymotion for Android lets you view vertical videos in full-screen mode.

Last week VidMe closed down citing inability to compete against Google and Facebook. That news made the headlines last week and that leaves users with one less option to choose from. No doubt YouTube remains the most dominant video platform on the market. Then, there’s Dailymotion, a French owned video platform that’s still available should you want to join a less crowded video platform.

Dailymotion was updated today, offering Android users the ability to display vertical videos in full-screen mode. The update also brings some small improvements to account management and an improved playlist management that lets you “re-order the videos.”

If you’re a user of Dailymotion on Android, make sure you download the update in Google Play Store. If, on the other hand, you want to experience something other than YouTube, Dailymotion is the way to go.

Instagram update lets you remix photos and control photos & videos replays.

Today Instagram is releasing an update that will let you ‘remix’ pictures you received via direct message from your friends. In simple terms, you will be able to edit, resize, move, draw and add stickers to the picture. And there is more to it.

Once you receive the picture via direct message, tap and hold the camera in the message to snap a picture to add to your reply. The original picture will also be included in the reply, thus giving you the ability to edit both using the methods mentioned above.

In addition to ‘Remix’, Instagram also now lets you control replays. You decide whether your friends can view your messages once with “One View” or several times with “Allow Replay”. Instagram says that “photos and videos sent with “Allow Replay” loop automatically and your friends can tap and hold to pause.”

Both features are available starting today in Instagram version 24 which is available for download in Google Play Store.

Source: Instagram

Telegram for Android groups photos & videos into albums; adds saved messages & improves search.

Some new features are making their way into Telegram 4.5, the latest iteration of the messaging app for Android. The update allows users to send multiple photos and videos grouped into albums with each album able to support up to 10 photos or videos. Telegram will automatically arrange the photos and videos “in the chat as elegantly proportioned thumbnails.” The recipient will be notified once, instead of ten times. In addition, Telegram also let users choose the order photos are sent. Still on the photo front, Telegram 4.5 adds multiple profile photos. This comes in handy if you can’t choose which photo is best for your profile.

This update will also allow users to “bookmark important messages” by forwarding them to Saved Messages. These messages can be saved to users’ personal cloud storage. “Each saved message has a “go to” button that takes you to the right place in the chat where it was originally posted.” Telegram will display Saved Messages at the top of the in the sharing and forwarding menus.

Search has also been improved thanks to a new search algorithm. Users will be able to search “for public channels and bots by their titles, and most popular items will always be displayed first.”

All in all, Telegram version 4.5 introduces some nice features. Check the update in Google Play Store. It may not be available right away. So, be patient.

Source: Telegram

Instagram let users add 24 hours old photos and videos to their stories.

Starting today, Instagram is gradually rolling out a much requested update to its Android app that will let users pick photos and videos from their devices to add to their stories no matter when they were taken. Prior to this update, Instagram allowed using photos and videos taken within the last 24 hours to create stories.

Instagram will also add a sticker to photos and videos more than 24 hours old. But rest assured, those can be easily removed, rotated and resized.

As stated above, this is a gradual update, so you may not see it right away on your device. Check it out on Google Play Store.

Source: Instagram

Video sharing is now faster in Google Photos for Android.

Google just made it easier and faster for us to share our videos through its excellent Google Photos app for Android. The frustration of not being able to share your videos right away due to a slow connection is now an experience that the new update to Google Photos promises to get rid of. As of now, uploading videos is not the best of experience.

The updated Google Photos will make that faster by uploading a low-res version of videos, small enough for quick sharing. The app will later replace the low-res video with the high-res video you recorded once your Android device connects to a good enough internet connection.

No more waiting to share videos with your family and friends. Wait no more and go grab the update in Google Play Store.

View Instagram Stories in mobile web browsers.

Instagram Stories lets you "share all the moments of your day, not just the ones you want to keep on your profile." Basically, you're sharing multiple photos and videos in a slideshow format and they will disappear after 24 hours. Up until today, Stories were only visible through the Instagram app on mobile devices. Well no more.

According to Instagram, 250 million users use Stories every day. Instagram will, in the coming weeks, make Stories available to users who use Instagram on the web. Stories is indeed coming to mobile web browsers. Another thing. Stories will be available for viewing only in mobile browsers. But Instagram said in a blog post that users will be able to post Stories from mobile web in coming months.

Until then, point your favorite mobile browser to instagram.com to view Stories when they become available. Otherwise, use Instagram for Android in Google Play Store.

Source: Instagram

WhatsApp adds support for sending documents of any type and text formatting in latest update

If you are not in the WhatsApp beta program, you should check the latest update that was published to the store earlier today. As a member of the beta program, I have been using these new features for a while now and it is great to see WhatsApp finally bringing them to the masses. And if you want to be among the first to try these new features, I strongly advise you join the beta program. You can do that in the apps page in Google Play Store. Let’s see what’s new in this update.

WhatsApp will now let you send files of any type as attachment by tapping the attach icon within the app. Prior to this update, and if I’m not mistaken, WhatsApp only supported PDF files. With this update, WhatsApp supports any file type you have stored on your device.

WhatsApp also improved the camera feature in that users will be able to swipe up to see all their photos and videos on the device. A quick and easy way to attach these files to a message with less navigation.

Since WhatsApp is all about messaging that involves mainly text, users will be able to format text to make them bold, strikethrough or italicize. To do this, users must tap and hold to select a word or more and select whichever format they want from the contextual menu.

Finally, WhatsApp made some design improvements for voice and video calls. 

Make sure to update WhatsApp on your device to enjoy these new features. It is a free update in Google Play Store.

Udacity for Android now supports offline videos subtitle.

Learning new technologies nowadays is made easy thanks to sites like Udacity and I, for one, Know how beneficial such online learning sites help in my every workday and with internet connectivity continuously improving, that makes learning on the go a definite advantage. I remember the days when I was lugging around thick and heavy Microsoft official curriculum books. Fortunately, all these books now fit on my devices. Udacity, among others, brings learning to another level and today, Udacity published an update to improve the learning experience.

A few month ago, Udacity updated their Android app to allow downloading videos within their app for offline learning.  Today, the builtin video player now supports subtitles while in offline mode. This new feature can be disabled in the Settings page should users not want subtitles in offline mode. This update also includes the usual bug fixes and some small UI tweaks. The change log does not provide details about the latter.

Udacity is a great app for those who want and need to continue learning. Check it out in the Google Play Store.

Viber for Android now lets you watch YouTube videos in-chat.

Users of Viber for Android are in for a treat in the last update as they will be able preview and view YouTube videos in a chat message. While this update is nothing major, it's more like Viber catching up with competition from WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. So when Viber users will receive a link to a YouTube video, Viber will show a preview of the video and users will get all the options to play, pause, forward or rewind the video within the app.

Another addition to Viber is the ability to know whenViber "contacts were last seen online." Of course, like any updates, Viber also gets some bug fixes and improvements.

Viber Messenger is free for download free on Google Play Store.

Flipboard on Android won't play videos with sound unless you explicitly want it to.

Flipboard published a big update a few weeks ago and today, they're issuing a fix to a problem related to how videos are played in the app. Based on users feedback, Flipboard now will not auto-play videos with sound unless users actually tap to open and view the video. The videos in your feed will remain silent otherwise. So Flipboard users will enjoy the same experience as in apps like Twitter or Facebook where the videos will play without sound until you tap on them again.

A very welcome feature that has started rolling out in Google Play Store for you to download.

Insert videos in Google Slides from Google drive and YouTube.

Today, Google made it possible to insert videos in presentations from Google Drive and YouTube. After inserting the videos in Google Slides, users will have the option to choose when to start or end the video; whether the video should auto-play when presenting. Additionally, users will also have the option to mute or play the video with audio by doing right-click on the video and choosing Video options. 

Inserted videos can be played both on the web or a mobile device. However, inserting videos to Google Slides is only supported on the web. For those viewing the presentation and do not have permission to view the embedded video, can always request request access.

Double-tap YouTube videos to rewind or skip forward 10 seconds.

YouTube app for Android just made it easier for users to skip forward and backward 10 seconds by double-tapping on the left and right sides of the video player. A most welcome feature. Currently, tapping a video will allow it to either pause or to literally skip to the previous or next video in the queue. Of course, this feature is still there in the app, hence the need to double tap on the sides of the video player to skip 10 seconds.

Check out the update in Google Play Store and upgrade to enjoy this new feature.

BBC News for Android gets full screen portrait videos.

The official BBC News app for Android has been updated today with a new video tab that offers a curated list of "videos of the day". Additionally, the app will give users the ability to watch full screen portrait videos. The update also includes an "improved navigation with clearer sections and style."

Grab the update in Google Play Store.