digital services Archives

AppWizard

April 22, 2025

How to set expiration alerts for Amazon subscriptions on Android

Subscription management apps help consumers monitor and oversee various subscriptions, ensuring awareness of renewal dates. Key features include automatic detection of active subscriptions, categorization of subscriptions for easier tracking, and personalized alerts for upcoming expirations. These tools enhance financial oversight and help users avoid forgotten renewals and unnecessary charges.

Tech Optimizer

February 25, 2025

APAC enterprises shifting towards open source in database strategies

Enterprises in the Asia-Pacific region are increasingly transitioning from proprietary databases to open-source alternatives, with PostgreSQL being favored due to high licensing costs and vendor dependencies. IT leaders are reassessing database strategies to meet performance, cost, and scalability needs, particularly for applications requiring transactional, analytical, and AI workloads. Hybrid IT models are gaining traction, especially in countries like Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines, while Japan and Korea show strong on-premises demand, and India is moving away from legacy systems due to cost pressures. PostgreSQL is evolving to support hybrid IT and emerging workloads, including AI and analytics, with enhancements like lakehouse architecture for managing structured and unstructured data and the introduction of pgvector for AI applications. Data sovereignty regulations are prompting enterprises to deploy PostgreSQL in hybrid cloud environments to balance control and scalability. EDB has developed a hybrid control plane for unified management across on-premises and cloud deployments. Many enterprises are opting for a gradual transition to PostgreSQL due to legacy dependencies and operational risks, often starting with specific use cases before migrating legacy workloads. An example includes an insurance company in Hong Kong that migrated from Oracle to PostgreSQL, achieving reduced costs and improved performance. Successful migration depends on database mobility and application portability, with EDB planning to integrate GPU support and develop tools for faster AI application deployment, with expectations for rollout by the second quarter of 2025.

AppWizard

February 21, 2025

Amazon Appstore on Android to be discontinued this summer

Amazon will close its Android Appstore on August 20, 2025, ending access for users on Android devices and discontinuing the Amazon Coins program. The Appstore, launched in 2011, struggled to gain a substantial user base despite various innovations. Users will be warned that apps downloaded from the Appstore may stop functioning after the closure, but they can migrate purchased apps to Amazon devices like the Kindle. Amazon has already stopped selling Amazon Coins as of February 20, 2025, and unused balances will be refunded after the closure. Users are advised to disable auto-renewals for subscriptions. The closure reflects the Appstore's failure to resonate with users and diminishing relevance in the market.

AppWizard

February 3, 2025

Ask Jerry: What can I do about dishonest app developers?

Red Sky Labs has altered its business model, raising concerns about the integrity of promises made to consumers who invested in lifetime services. This change violates consumer protection laws and platform guidelines. Many consumers feel discouraged about pursuing small claims, such as five dollars, despite the principle of accountability. The cumulative effect of small grievances can lead to significant losses. Red Sky Labs has over 100 million downloads on Google Play, highlighting its influence. Consumers are encouraged to report issues, utilize social media for support, and engage with tech publications to raise awareness.

AppWizard

February 3, 2025

Lloyds and Halifax banking app customers urged ‘do not make repeat payments’

Customers of Lloyds and Halifax faced disruptions with their banking applications, primarily related to difficulties in making and receiving payments. Reports of issues began around 7 a.m. on Monday, affecting several hundred users. Lloyds acknowledged the problems on social media and assured customers that online banking and telephone services remained operational. This incident follows a significant outage at Barclays attributed to a technology issue, which left many customers unable to access funds. Lloyds Banking Group announced plans to close 136 high street branches between May 2023 and March 2026, raising concerns about the reliability of digital banking services. Industry experts expressed worries regarding the resilience of financial infrastructure amid these technological disruptions.

BetaBeacon

December 12, 2024

Epic Games Store Now Pre-Installed on Telefónica Android Devices • iPhone in Canada Blog

Telefónica has partnered with Epic Games to bring Fortnite and the Epic Games Store to millions of Android devices within its network. The Epic Games Store will be pre-installed on new compatible Android devices in Telefónica markets, making popular titles like Fortnite more accessible. The collaboration aims to expand in the future, offering additional benefits to mobile gamers. During the pandemic, Telefónica and Epic Games worked together on an interactive music event in Fortnite, attracting over 10.8 million participants. This partnership highlights Telefónica's dedication to providing innovative digital experiences to its customers.

AppWizard

December 12, 2024

Is Instagram down? What we know about Facebook, WhatsApp and Meta outages

On December 11, users worldwide experienced significant disruptions on Meta's platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, with over 100,000 outage reports for Facebook and more than 70,000 for Instagram. The issues began shortly after 11 a.m. MT, peaking around noon. Users had trouble accessing the apps and websites, and Messenger users faced login and messaging challenges. Meta acknowledged the technical issue and worked to resolve it. The disruptions also affected Meta's business tools, impacting advertising and messaging functionalities. Reports of outages began to decline in the afternoon after peaking around 1:10 p.m. ET. The incident highlighted the widespread impact of technical issues on both individual users and businesses.

AppWizard

November 14, 2024

T-Mobile finally retires old app and goes all-in on T-Life

The old T-Mobile app has been retired and is no longer available for download on Google Play or Apple’s App Store. Existing users can still access its features, but future updates are uncertain. T-Mobile transitioned to the new T-Life app at the beginning of 2024, which has expanded functionality beyond promotional giveaways. T-Mobile has encouraged users to explore T-Life as their comprehensive mobile solution. The consolidation of apps aims to enhance user experience, though some users may miss the simplicity of the old app and may be concerned about the introduction of advertisements in T-Life. T-Life has adopted the icon of the former T-Mobile app and is available for download on the Play Store.

AppWizard

October 11, 2024

All Amazon Prime members get one of the best shooters of all time for free

Prime Gaming is offering Amazon Prime members 27 free PC games in October, including Bioshock Remastered. The games available now include titles like Hive Jump 2: Survivors, SCARF, and Doom Eternal, with more games set to be added on October 17, 24, and 31. To redeem these games, users must be Amazon Prime members and can claim them through the Prime Gaming website. Accounts for digital services like GOG and Epic Games Store are required, but no payment is necessary, and the games are permanently owned by the user. Many titles are also compatible with PC-based handheld devices.

AppWizard

October 11, 2024

Discord: Why the messaging app is under scrutiny

Russia's telecoms regulator, Roskomnadzor, banned Discord due to its failure to prevent illicit activities such as terrorism and drug trafficking, particularly after not complying with a directive to remove nearly a thousand pieces of inappropriate content. This ban is part of a trend targeting Western social media platforms since the Ukraine invasion in February 2022. Following Russia, Turkey's BTK communications authority also banned Discord, citing the need to protect children from online threats and ongoing investigations into blackmailing minors. In the U.S., Discord is under FBI scrutiny for grooming minors and distributing child sexual abuse material, with 35 prosecutions linked to the platform in the past six years. Additionally, regulators in Germany and France have raised concerns about Discord's data collection methods, leading to an €800,000 fine in France for failing to comply with EU data protection regulations. Launched in May 2015, Discord has over 150 million active users and is popular for its voice and text communication features, but has also faced criticism for facilitating extremist content and political discourse.