Tech Roundup: Android 13, YouTube Channel Store & More

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

• Google begins rolling out Android 13 to Pixel phones, earlier in the year than the previous two Android annual updates.
• Apple is said to be planning to bring ads to more of its first-party apps that come pre-installed on iPhone and other Apple devices, including Maps, Books, and Podcasts, similar to what the company already serves in Apple News, Stocks and the App Store.
• The move comes as Apple's sweeping privacy changes, viz the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) privacy framework, has led to billions of dollars in lost revenues for platforms like Facebook, blowing up the digital advertising ecosystem, while bolstering its own ads business as well help position itself as a champion of consumer privacy.
• By using privacy as a competitive vector to steal advertising market share from Meta and Snap that rely on ad for revenues, the end result is that Apple is granted exclusive access to consumer data for ads targeting.
• Google's YouTube reportedly plans to launch a "channel store" for streaming services later this year, making it easier for subscribers to purchase multiple services through a single app and positioning itself in direct competition with Amazon, Roku, and Apple.

• Tech giant Oracle says it's putting TikTok's algorithms and content moderation systems under the microscope to "ensure that outcomes are in line with expectations and that the models have not been manipulated in any way."
• Snap's Snapchat+ subscription reaches over 1 million paid subscribers globally, two months after its launch in June; adds new features, including priority Story replies to celebrities, Bitmoji backgrounds, and custom app icons.
• Online dating service Bumble begins testing its Hive social network for Bumble BFF, including group chats, polls, and video calls; also confirms its plans for new astrology features and other enhancements for LGBTQIA+ users.
• Meta debuts new Reels features for Instagram and Facebook, including a new "Add Yours" sticker that allows users to respond to other users' Reels with their own; debuts a standalone native app for WhatsApp on Windows that functions without the need to link a companion device to send, receive, and sync messages, as the chat platform gains support for undoing deleted messages.
• Music streamer Spotify extends its free trial period for Spotify Premium to three months, up from the previous one month; trials a new audio feature that encourages users to record voice reactions to music playlists.
• ByteDance-owned TikTok rolls out a text-to-image "AI greenscreen", letting users create a basic background for videos from a text prompt.