Tech Roundup: Samsung One UI 4, Twitter Threader Purchase & More

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

• Apple comes under criticism for buying ads slots on Google that redirect users searching for popular services such as Tinder, Plenty of Fish, Bumble, HBO, Masterclass, and Babbel to the App Store in an attempt to protect its 30% cut on in-app subscriptions by decreasing web signups; company defends its ads for third-party apps, saying they are clearly marked as from the App Store, and that they have been live for five years.
• Meta's Facebook rolls out new shopping features, including Shops in Groups, product recommendations in the News Feed, and a test of Live Shopping for Creators, as Instagram tests paying over US$ 10,000 in bonuses to select Reels creators, as part of a program previously announced in July, following similar moves by YouTube, Pinterest and Snapchat.
• Internal documents reveal Facebook's contentious plans to defend its algorithmic ranking (as opposed to a reverse chronological timeline) citing its own research data that its "sophisticated personalisation software knows what users want better than the users themselves."

• Newsletter platform Substack says it has reached 1 million paying subscribers, up from 250,000 last December.
• Taproot, the first major upgrade to Bitcoin's code since the introduction of Segregated Witness in 2017, goes into effect.
• Amazon releases Prime Video app for Mac with offline downloads, AirPlay, and options for renting or purchasing content.
• Twitter acquires Threader, an app that lets users compile long threads on the platform, and announces plans to shut it down on December 15; urges users to switch to its Twitter Blue subscription service that brings "features like Reader, which turns long threads into an easier-to-read experience, and Bookmarks Folder, a feature […] that lets you save and organise your favourite threads."
• Microsoft to block tools like EdgeDeflector that stop Windows 11 from using Edge browser to open Start menu search results, via an upcoming software update, as it tightens its grip over the ecosystem.
• Samsung releases Android 12-based One UI 4 for the Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and S21 Ultra, with new theming options, keyboard tweaks and improved privacy settings.