Category: Apps

Key Highlights

• Black Panther 2 will reportedly be available to watch later this month on Disney Plus Hotstar
• Black Panther Wakanda Forever is likely to stream on Disney Plus Hotstar platform in India
• Directed by Ryan Coogler, the movie pays tribute to the original Black Panther, the late Chadwick Boseman

The OTT launch date for Black Panther Wakanda Forever has been announced. Wakanda Forever, a follow-up to 2018’s Black Panther, suffered an unrecoverable tragedy when its star Chadwick Boseman passed away unexpectedly even before filming began. On November 11, 2022, Black Panther Wakanda Forever debuted in theatres following multiple rewrites and reshoots.

Ever before Marvel Studios decided against recasting Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, the movie has been referred to as a rite of passage for the filmmaker Ryan Coogler and his team. Black Panther 2 will now be available on streaming services after earning more than 8.2 million at the global box office. Also Read | Kantara Hindi OTT Release In India: Wait Is Finally Over, Watch Online Here

Black Panther Wakanda Forever OTT Release Date

The OTT platform Disney Plus Hotstar will begin streaming The Black Panther 2 Wakanda Forever on January 20 in India. The movie will be available in up to four languages ​​including Hindi, English, Tamil, and Telugu. It can be accessed from any smartphone or PC through a web browser such as Google Chrome, Safari, or Mozilla Firefox.

Black Panther 2: How To Watch It Online In India

In order to watch Black Panther 2 aka Black Panther Wakanda Forever online in India, you must have a Disney Plus Hotstar subscription. Below are the prices for Disney Plus Hotstar subscriptions:

The 30th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Black Panther Wakanda Forever, is helmed by Ryan Coogler. Numerous actors, including Martin Freeman, Angela Bassett, Dominique Thorne, Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, and more are featured in the movie. The film tackles the death of King T’Challa as a new force emerges from underwater.

Also Read | ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ OTT Release: How To Watch Tom Holland-Starrer On Netflix

Key Highlights

• Telegram pushed new updates right before 2023 started
• The app brings a bunch of new features
• Hidden media, new drawing tools, and more are some of its new features

Telegram revealed numerous new app features in its final release for 2022. The app’s features are now available to users. They can now further customize their experience with this instant messaging service by using features like hidden media, zero storage use, new drawing and text tools, contact profile pictures, etc. The features were revealed on the Telegram blog.

Also Read | Telegram Tips And Tricks: How To Schedule Messages On Telegram Android, iOS App

Hidden Media

The ability to cover photos and videos with a shimmering layer that blurs the image is now available in Telegram, which previously offered spoiler formatting to hide any text in messages. Your recipients only need to tap once to end the spell and view the content.

Zero Storage Usage

Telegram scarcely takes up any space on your device, and users can always download files and documents again from the Telegram cloud instead of keeping them on their phone’s storage. Users can now add unique auto-remove settings for cached media from Private Chats, Groups, and Channels, with some exceptions for particular chats, thanks to a recent upgrade.

New Text and Drawing Tools

The already powerful media editor has undergone a complete overhaul. Sensitive data will be redacted with a new blur tool. The user can also alter the font, size, and backdrop of the text, and they have access to five highly precise color selection options.

Contact Profile Picture

Users can change the contact profile pictures that are hidden from other people when editing their contacts. All the more, one can suggest a picture suggestion for their contact’s profile. It will take the contact just two taps to add it to their profile.

Public Profile Pictures

One can restrict who can see their profile image while allowing everyone else to see it. The visibility can be set to “Nobody,” with a few individuals or groups added as exceptions.

Hiding Group Members

The robust anti-spam option in Telegram’s most recent upgrade includes tools to help chat admins maintain large groups spam-free, although some can prefer to shield their users from unwanted personal messages. Group administrators who have more than 100 members can now opt to hide the member list.

New Progress Animations on Android

Users of Telegram Premium will receive ten new sets of uniquely animated emojis as a gift from Telegram creators. These new features can be found under the Stickers sticker panel’s Emoji tab.

Also Read | Want To Send Secret Messages On Telegram? Here’s A Step-By-Step Guide

According to estimates provided by app analytics company Sensor Tower, social networks, e-commerce, and mobile games made up the majority of India’s top downloaded apps on the Google Play Store. Let’s check out the most downloaded Android apps of 2022:

Also Read | Google Yearly Wrap-Up: Here Are The Top Games And Apps Trending In 2022

Instagram

With 118.9 million app installs this year, Instagram, which is owned by Meta and has increased the use of its short-form video feature Reels, came in first place on the list of the most downloaded Android apps. Over the years, this social networking platform has seen substantial change. It is made for interacting with friends and family, and it’s a great tool for business networking and even making money.

Meesho

Meesho received 186.7 million Android app installs which put it in second place. Meesho, one of the most popular reselling applications in India, was founded in 2015 by two IIT Delhi graduates. An individual can pick a product from the selection and recommend it to their group of people. If they like it and purchase it, the individual will receive a commission.

Facebook

With 110.4 million app installs, Facebook moved up to the ninth place. One of the most widely used social media sites, Facebook offers both a web client and a mobile app for iOS and Android users. It functions fundamentally as a social media platform with a multi-media emphasis that enables users to publish text-based messages, images, videos, and GIFs.

WhatsApp Business

With 108.5 million Android app installs, WhatsApp Business, which has seen substantial growth this year, has made it to the top ten. It is a free app that can be downloaded on both Android and iPhone. The owner of a small business was considered when developing the platform. WhatsApp Business offers features to automate, sort, and swiftly respond to messages, which makes communicating with customers simple.

Shopsy

One of the biggest winners this year was Flipkart’s value e-commerce platform Shopsy, which had a 652 percent increase in Android app installs year over year to 156.5 million downloads. Shopsy by Flipkart is a brand-new platform for sellers that charges 0 percent commission. It enables companies to increase their reach to between 200 million and 500 million clients who are on a tight budget.

Also Read | 2022 Year End Wrap Up: List Of Most Premium Tablets That Could Still Be A Hit In 2023

Key Highlights

• WhatsApp will reportedly end support for many older Samsung smartphones
• The company might soon end support for Android phones that are not running at least Android 5.0 (Lollipop)
• Users should upgrade to a newer device to continue using WhatsApp

According to reports, WhatsApp will soon stop supporting a handful of vintage Samsung phones. The Galaxy Ace 2, Galaxy Core, Galaxy S2, Galaxy S3 Mini, Galaxy Trend II, Galaxy Trend Lite, and Galaxy Xcover 2 will no longer be supported, according to a SamMobile report. These phones, which went on sale between 2011 and 2013, were updated to Android 4.x, the most recent significant update to the Android operating system. As a result, after December 31, 2022, WhatsApp will no longer function on these devices.

In addition to Samsung, WhatsApp will no longer support the following smartphone brands: Apple, HTC, Huawei, Lenovo, LG, and Sony. Users of these outdated devices must therefore upgrade to a newer phone that is running at least Android 5.0 (Lollipop) in order to continue using the popular messaging app. Also Read | Step-by-Step Guide: How To Use Second Screen On Samsung Galaxy Tablets

List Of Samsung Phones Unsupported By WhatsApp

The full list of Samsung devices that WhatsApp will stop supporting starting the following week is as follows:

• Samsung Galaxy Ace 2
• Samsung Galaxy Core
• Samsung Galaxy S2
• Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini
• Samsung Galaxy Trend II
• Samsung Galaxy Trend Lite
• Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2

Also Read | WhatsApp Pink Scam Red Alert For Android Users: What Is This New Scam? How To Stay Safe?

Meanwhile, users of WhatsApp’s desktop beta version will be able to flag suspicious status changes thanks to a new feature that is apparently in development by the company. This feature allows users to report status updates directly in a new menu in the status area. With this new feature, users will be able to notify the moderation team of any updates that can be in violation of the terms of service.

Users of WhatsApp must be informed of these changes and make sure their phones are compatible with the service. If you have an older Samsung phone or another brand phone that is no longer supported, you should consider upgrading to a newer device to continue using WhatsApp.

Also Read | Accidentally Deleted WhatsApp Message: Here’s How To Retrieve WhatsApp Deleted For Everyone Messages

Key Highlights

• As part of the transaction, existing shareholders of Flipkart Singapore and PhonePe Singapore purchased shares in PhonePe India directly
• This is a process that started earlier this year. It completes the move to make PhonePe a fully India-domiciled company
• More than one in four Indians are now using PhonePe with over 400 million registered users

Flipkart has announced that the digital payments platform PhonePe will now be fully owned separately. The e-commerce giant Flipkart and PhonePe are now established as separate entities following the partial separation announced in December 2020, the company said in a statement. The Flipkart Group acquired the PhonePe group in 2016.

Existing shareholders in the Walmart-led Flipkart Singapore and PhonePe Singapore purchased shares in PhonePe India as part of the deal. According to the company, this completes a process started earlier this year to make PhonePe a wholly India-based company.

Also Read | Flipkart Takes Shopping Experience To Metaverse: Here’s How To Shop In Flipverse

CEO of Flipkart Group, Kalyan Krishnamurthy, said, “We are confident PhonePe will continue to scale and achieve its vision of providing financial inclusion to millions of Indians.”

According to a TechCrunch report, Flipkart has no plans to re-enter the consumer payments market after splitting from PhonePe. PhonePe had already announced that it wanted to become an independent entity in 2020.

The majority shareholder in both business groups will continue to be Wallmart. More than one in four Indians are now using PhonePe with over 400 million registered users.

Since its launch, PhonePe has digitized more than 35 million offline merchants spread across tier 2, 3, and 4 cities, and beyond.

Sameer Nigam, Founder and CEO at PhonePe, said, “We are looking forward to the next phase of our growth as we invest in new businesses — like insurance, wealth management, and lending, while also enabling the next wave of growth for UPI payments in India.”

Also Read | PhonePe UPI Pin Activation Via Aadhaar: Steps To Enable UPI ID Using Aadhaar Number

Key Highlights

• Netflix collaborates with Nike to stream workout videos
• People of all fitness levels have a variety of options with the Nike Training Club app
• These videos will be distributed in two batches by Netflix and will be available in a variety of languages

It has been announced that Netflix and Nike Training Club would collaborate. On December 30, the streaming platform will make Nike fitness videos available to all Netflix customers on iOS and Android devices. Users will be guided through their wellness plans and exercise routines by these videos.

Also Read | What Are Netflix Secret Codes: How To Watch Hidden TV Shows And Movies On Netflix Using Secret Codes

These videos will be available in several languages and will be released in two batches. In two different batches, it will perform 30 hours of fitness sessions that will be accessible to all Netflix subscribers in a variety of languages. Users will be able to access the classes by searching “Nike” once they are live. The episodes—a total of 30 hours of content—that will be available on Netflix are mentioned below.

The first batch is reportedly set to begin on December 30 and the second round is set to begin in 2023. According to reports, the initial batch will consist of 45 episodes and feature programs like Feel-Good Fitness, HIIT & Strength with Tara, Fall in Love with Vinyasa Yoga, Kickstart Fitness with the Basics, and Two Weeks to a Stronger Core.

For the unversed, with guidance from Nike’s experienced trainers, the Nike Training Club app provides “a variety of activities for people of all fitness levels, including strength training, yoga, and high-intensity exercises.” It was introduced in 2009, and Apple Watch support began in 2018. It solicits users’ fitness objectives and provides them with customized training videos, advice, and inspiration to meet those objectives. Exercises for people with disabilities were also added to the app earlier this year.

Netflix has previously made investments in healthcare content. It debuted a Headspace feature on mindfulness and meditation last year. With the introduction of Netflix Games a few months ago, Netflix expanded its testing beyond healthcare to the gaming industry.

Also Read | Netflix Introduces ‘Basic with Ads’ Plan: Here’s How To Access It