Tech Roundup: Apple Community+, Snapchat+ & More

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

• Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is selling features of its intelligence-gathering tool Coinbase Tracer to the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, letting agency track crypto transactions, according to The Intercept; comes as E.U. lawmakers provisionally agree on anti-laundering rules for crypto, requiring verified customer identities for transfers between regulated digital wallets to ensure traceability and identify possible suspicious transactions.
• Google’s Switch to Android app, which lets users switch from iOS to Android, expands support to include all Android 12 phones.
• Snap officially announces Snapchat+ subscription plan that costs US$ 3.99 a month with access to "exclusive, experimental, and pre-release features" for "passionate" users in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, and the U.A.E.; includes the ability to change the app icon, see who re-watched a story and pin a friend to the top of chat history as a "BFF."
• Apple launches "Community+" to recognise and reward top contributors in the Apple Support Community.

• The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urges Apple and Google to remove ByteDance's TikTok from app stores for its "pattern of surreptitious data practices" or provide statements by July 8; says it "poses an unacceptable national security risk due to its extensive data harvesting being combined with Beijing's apparently unchecked access to that sensitive data." (It's worth noting that India banned TikTok in 2020 over national security concerns.)
• Meta faces backlash for imposing heavy charges on apps created for its virtual reality headsets — 30% cut from digital purchases and 15-30% on subscriptions — that mirrors the existing in-app purchase model set by Apple and Google (Android), a move viewed as hypocritical in light of the fact that Meta has previously criticised Apple’s "monopoly rents" and called out its "unique stranglehold as a gatekeeper on what gets on phones."
• Google joins hands with iFixit to offer genuine repair parts for Google Pixel phones, from Pixel 2 through Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.
• Brazil follows the footsteps of the European Union to consider making USB-C charging a requirement for smartphones in a bid to reduce e-waste, a move that's likely to affect Apple, which still uses a proprietary Lightning standard for the iPhone.