Tech Roundup: Meta Paid Features, Reliance Jio 5G & More

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

• Indian telecom giant Reliance Jio, which has over 421 million subscribers, announces plans to launch 5G services in the country later this year; launches Jio AirFiber, a wireless plug-and-play 5G hotspot.
• Apple says the number of Apple Podcast subscribers grew by more than 300% since June 2021.
• Microsoft unveils plans to amend its licensing terms in the European Union on October 1 to make it cheaper to run its software on rival cloud platforms, after antitrust scrutiny in the region.
• Meta partners with JioMart, an e-commerce venture between Reliance Retail and Jio Platforms, to launch a grocery shopping service on WhatsApp in India; brings NFT (non-fungible token) support to Facebook and to shutter its dedicated Facebook Gaming app on iOS and Android on October 28, 2022, transferring games, content and groups to the main Facebook app.
• Twitter releases its Circle feature out of beta on iOS, Android, and the web, letting users tweet to smaller, selected groups of up to 150 individuals.
• France-based music streaming service Deezer trials a well-being app called Zen in Belgium that features content for guided yoga, meditation and inspiration.
• Meta's Instagram tests a new option that allows users to use keywords, hashtags and emoji to mute certain topics from appearing in suggested posts, as the platform aggressively shifts toward recommendations; also adds ability to mark multiple posts in Explore page as "Not Interested."
• Twitter reportedly discussed creating an OnlyFans clone to monetise the adult content that's been prevalent on the social media service for many years, but its inability to effectively detect and remove harmful sexual content, such as Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), put the brakes on the plan, according to The Verge.
• The U.S. state of California's state legislature passes the Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, that if enacted into law, would require online platforms to take extra measures to ensure their services are safe for users under 18; to require companies to default to the highest possible privacy settings in most cases, provide "an obvious signal" to the minor users that their location data is being monitored by a parent (or guardian) and forbid them from adopting dark patterns that are designed to steer users towards a privacy-intrusive choice.
• Meta to set up a New Monetization Experiences division to identify and build "possible paid features" for Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, marking the company's first serious foray into building paid features across its main social apps.
• Snap to discontinue original shows that appear in the Discover section of Snapchat as well as wind down in-app games and standalone apps Zenly and Voisey as part of "restructuring our business to increase focus on our three strategic priorities: community growth, revenue growth, and augmented reality"; adds a Dual Camera feature to Snapchat for iOS, letting users capture photos and videos using their phone's front-facing and rear cameras simultaneously.
• Sony acquires mobile game developer Savage Game Studios for an undisclosed amount; creates a new PlayStation Studios Mobile Division to focus on creating games based on new and existing PlayStation IP.
• The Indian government confirms it has no plans to restrict Chinese smartphone manufacturers from shipping phones that cost below US$ 150 in the country, contradicting earlier reports.