Tech Roundup: Big Tech's Big Quarter, Twitter Shop Module & More

[A recurring feature on the latest in Science & Technology.]

• China's antitrust authority State Administration of Market Regulation (SAMR) orders online platforms to ensure food delivery riders earn above the country's minimum wage, that riders be freed from unreasonable demands placed upon them by algorithms, and that these workers have access to social security and a place in a union, in a likely financial blow to big delivery services companies such as Meituan, as part of a concerted effort to rein in big tech companies in the country and guidelines designed to protect basic labour rights for riders, including a base income, work safety, food safety, a decent working environment and access to insurance coverage.
• Chinese tech giant Tencent temporarily suspends new WeChat user registrations in China as it upgrades its systems to comply with "relevant laws and regulations" amid tightening of regulatory scrutiny in the country.
• Microsoft-owned LinkedIn surpasses US$ 10 billion in annual revenue for the first time, with hardware revenue jumping 172% YoY and its Intelligent Cloud segment, counting the Azure public cloud, Windows Server, SQL Server and GitHub, producing US$ 17.38 billion in revenue.
• Apple posts revenue of US$ 81.4 billion for third fiscal quarter of 2021 (Q2 2021), as iPhone accounts for 48.6% of all sales, the Wearables, Home, and Accessories category hits record revenues of US$ $8.8 billion, and the services division — which includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, AppleCare, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, iCloud+ — sets new quarterly revenues of US$17.5 billion.
• Google's parent Alphabet reports revenues of US$ 61.9 billion for Q2 2021, with YouTube Shorts (its TikTok-like feature) breaking a new record by surpassing 15 billion daily views, up from 6.5 billion views in March; launches Google Cloud Retail Search, a managed service that offers retailers a custom version of Google Search that integrates into their apps and websites.
• Facebook-owned WhatsApp reportedly developing new feature that would allow users to port their chat histories from iOS to Android; Instagram to default accounts of new users on its platform under the age of 16 to "private" during sign-up, imposes new ads controls that aims to prevent advertisers marketing to teens under 18 based on their interests (only age, gender and location can be used tailor ads), to no longer show young people's accounts in Explore, Reels or in the "Accounts Suggested For You" feature to adult accounts identified as "potentially suspicious", and adds support for 60-second videos on Reels.

• Twitter tests new feature that allows users to sign up for an account using their existing Google or Apple account (using Sign in with Apple) and pilots Shop Module, a new shopping section that brands, businesses and other retailers can add to the top of their profiles to showcase their products, on iOS; acqui-hires the team behind Brief, a subscription-based news aggregator and summary app founded by former Google employees, as part of its continued efforts to flesh out news-based products on the platform; to shut down the app on July 31.
• Gaming-focussed messaging service Discord debuts threaded conversations across mobile and desktop, which auto-archive after 24 hours of inactivity; to be enabled in all servers automatically by August 17.
• Samsung reports US$ 55.2 billion in revenues for Q2 2021, with its semiconductor business accounting for more than half of the company's operating profit, as revenues from mobile division declines 24% from the previous quarter (but up 8% YoY); hits the pause on Galaxy Note lineup to focus on its third generation of foldable devices and an S Pen designed for Galaxy Z Fold and Flip phones at its Unpacked event on August 11.
• Chipmaker Intel announces plans to manufacture chips for Qualcomm, best known for designing the Snapdragon chips that power most major Android phones, as part of its new Intel Foundry Services business.
• Facebook's revenues for Q2 2021 hit US$ 29.08 billion, as its namesake social media platform reaches 1.91 billion daily active users (and 2.90 billion monthly active users), while its family of apps touch 2.76 billion daily active people (3.51 billion monthly active people); calls out plans to turn the Facebook into "a metaverse company" and warns of "increased ad targeting headwinds in 2021 from regulatory and platform changes, notably the recent iOS updates, which we expect to have a greater impact in the third quarter compared to the second quarter."
• Japanese electronics giant Sony says it has now sold over 10 million PlayStation 5 gaming consoles, up from the 7.8 million announced in April, making it the fastest-selling PlayStation ever.
• Multimedia messaging app Snapchat updates its built-in Snap Map feature with recommendations for places to visit based on location, friend activity, and places previously saved as favourites.
• Google details upcoming safety section for apps in Google Play App Store, letting developers offer users a deeper insight into their apps' privacy and security practices (like encryption), as well as explain the data may be collected and why prior to installation; expected to go live sometime in the first quarter of 2022.
• Music streaming service Spotify reports Q2 2021 revenues of €2.3 billion, up 23% YoY, as the platform tops 165 million premium subscribers and 365 million monthly active users.