Tech Roundup: Google Chrome 100, Meta Messenger Shortcuts & More

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

• Russia readies to launch its own alternative to the Google Play Store, called NashStore, on May 9 as part of an attempt to wean itself off foreign technology and services amid the Russo-Ukrainian war .
• Google pulls Hangouts app from the Play Store and Apple's App Store as it readies to transition users to Google Chat.
• ByteDance TikTok tests a new Watch History option to allow users to browse through a running list of the videos previously viewed on the app; launches TikTok Library, an in-app creator tool with select content from Giphy, alongside plans to add more content sources, audio, sounds, and text templates.
• Google debuts new "Trusted Store" badges for merchants "based on their performance across metrics relative to other merchants, including but not limited to shipping speeds, shipping and return costs, and return windows" as part of improvements to its Shopping service.
• Meta's Instagram pilots a new feature that enables users to discover and support social movements directly through hashtags; WhatsApp tests a much larger 2GB cap for file transfers between users of the instant messaging platform and adds multiple improvements to voice chats, counting out of chat playback, 1.5x or 2x playback speeds, and options to preview, pause, and resume recordings, as the messaging service touches 7 billion voice messages daily on average.
• Apple gets handed another €5 million (US$ 5.5 million) fine in the Netherlands by the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) over its failure to adequately comply with mandated alternate payment system requirements for dating apps, reaching a total penalty of €50 million; regulator approves of Apple's amended proposal, which it said "should result in definitive conditions for dating-app providers."
• The details of the adjusted proposal, which Apple submitted on March 27, have not been publicly released as yet, but the development comes as the Dutch Consumer Competition Claims Foundation filed a €5.5 billion lawsuit against the company, alleging that "App developers are forced to pass on to consumers the increased costs caused by Apple’s monopolistic practices and unfair terms."
• Meta updates Messenger with Slack-like shortcuts, including /silent to reply without a notification and @everyone to notify all, with plans to add more options like /pay and /gif.
• Google officially release Chrome 100 for desktop web and mobile with 28 security fixes; also features the first major icon update for the web browser since 2014 and a new app launcher for Chrome OS.

• Twitter tests new "Collaborations" feature that could make it possible for users to co-author tweets with brands; expands Professional Accounts to all users globally.
• Microsoft updates Windows 11 to let users change their default browser with a single click following criticism that the latest version of the operating system is making the process more complicated.
• Sony takes on Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass subscription with a revamped PlayStation Plus gaming subscription service that bundles the company's two current subscription services, PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus, into one; to come in three flexible tiers PlayStation Plus Essential, PlayStation Plus Extra, and PlayStation Plus Premium.
• Automated transcription service Otter.ai adds several features, including AI-generated meeting summaries and a "home feed" with transcriptions and a calendar.
• Spotify tests a vertical scrolling 'Audio Newsfeed' to enhance podcast discoverability on the platform with machine learning-selected 60-second audio previews.
• Google rolls out support for picture-in-picture functionality to its iOS YouTube TV app; brings new option to automatically detect Markdown and enable syntax autocorrection in Google Docs as well as add improvements to braille support, and adds a "booking page" to Calendar, letting users present available periods for a meeting.
• Facebook's parent company Meta has been found paying major political consulting firm Targeted Victory to orchestrate a smear campaign against its rival TikTok, calling the latter a "threat" to American children; includes work to amplify negative TikTok coverage by "placing op-eds and letters to the editor in major regional news outlets, promoting dubious stories about alleged TikTok trends that actually originated on Facebook, and pushing to draw political reporters and local politicians into helping take down its biggest competitor."
• Apple officially announces new policy that forbids Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers from repairing devices previously reported as missing.
• New investigation undertaken by the Financial Times finds that a software development kit released by Russia's Yandex for use in Android and iOS apps harvests user metadata that's then routed to its servers in the country, raising concerns that the information could be used by the Kremlin to track users; says the "device, network, and IP address" information is both "non-personalised and very limited."