Tech Roundup: Instagram Maps, Microsoft Viva Engage & More

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

• Amazon has reportedly scaled back on its white label product selection and considered exiting the business altogether amid weak sales and mounting regulatory pressure over allegations that the company gives preferential treatment to its own brands that compete with other sellers on its platform.
• Microsoft unveils Viva Engage, a social-community component that brings Stories and other image and video sharing tools to Teams; walks back on a previously announced new policy that would effectively ban developers from selling open source software on the Windows app store.
• Smartphone shipments plunge 9% YoY in Q2 2022 following economic headwinds and regional uncertainty; Samsung leads with 21% market share, with Apple (17%), Xiaomi (14%), OPPO (10%) and vivo (9%) rounding up the top five spots.
• Google's YouTube partners with Shopify to add live shopping features and allow creators and merchants feature their products across their YouTube channels and content; to let non-gaming Android apps provide alternative payments for in-app purchases, with a 3% reduction in Google's Play Store cut (from 30% to 27%), in the European Economic Area (EEA). (The pricing scheme is similar to what Google and Apple have already implemented in the Netherlands and South Korea in response to similar legislation. Under these terms, it's hard to think of a case where third-party payments make much sense than the in-house offerings. It's yet another case of tech giants doing the bare minimum to stave off regulation, while simultaneouly devising clever ways to get off the hook.)

• Chinese social media giant ByteDance, which owns TikTok, says it's exploring designing its own chips for video platforms and entertainment apps because it can't find suppliers that can meet its requirements.
• Amazon files a lawsuit against administrators of over 10,000 Facebook groups that offer cash or goods to individuals willing to post bogus product reviews on the retail storefront.
• Meta begins testing Make-A-Scene with AI artists, a research project that generates art by combining text-to-image generation and hand-drawn sketch inputs; Instagram gains a searchable map that allows users to discover nearby businesses and local attractions in a Snapchat-like fashion.
• Google reveals that its core services such as Search and Maps are being threatened by a growing preference for younger users to discover content through Instagram and TikTok.
• Streamer Netflix continues to haemorrhage 1.3 million subscribers in the U.S. and Canada in Q2 2022, with total subscriber loss of 970,000 globally, up from 200,000 in Q1 2022; plans to launch its cheaper, ad-supported plan in "the early part of 2023", starting in "a handful of markets where advertising spend is significant."
• Twitch launches a new built-in fundraising tool called Twitch Charity to make it easier for streamers to run charity streams.
• Popular Android launcher and personalisation app Nova Launcher gets acquired by analytics company Branch.