Epic Games Store crashes because people want to get 'GTA V' for free

Epic Games seems to have accidentally pre-empted the news that it'll be offering GTA V for free with this now-deleted Twitter ad

News broke last night that the Epic Games Store will be offering the popular Rockstar game Grand Theft Auto V for free. And it seems that's causing issues with the digital storefront. An hour or so ago, Epic Games tweeted: "We are currently experiencing high traffic on the Epic Games Store. We are aware that users may be encountering slow loading times, 500 errors, or launcher crashing at this time and we are actively working to scale. We'll provide an update as soon as we can." The company hasn't acknowledged a now-deleted Twitter ad that teased the upcoming release. But players who were waiting for 11 am ET for the game's release seemed to have crashed the site because of it. 

As The Verge reports, it looks like it's causing trouble for other Epic services, too. An official Fortnite Twitter account tweeted they are "investigating issues" on the PC and Mac. Hopefully, Epic Games resolves the issue soon so players can get their hands on the game. But you have to make sure you enable two-factor authentication within the app store. That's now a requirement Epic Games is enforcing. GTA V will supposedly be available for free until May 21.

Google Chrome introduces tab groups in beta version

It's a common occurrence to have one too many tabs open on Google Chrome. The company is finally doing something to help you organize your tabs. Chrome's beta version is getting "tab groups," which you can organize, label, and colour-code. The stable release will come starting next week. If you have access to the new feature, right-click on a tab and select "Add tab to group." You will then be given an option to choose an existing group or create a new one, which you will need to name and label. You can even use emojis to add to your labels. Google says the rollout will be done slowly to make sure it doesn't affect Chrome's stability and performance. So, you'll have to be a bit patient if the feature doesn't make its way to you immediately.

Source: TechCrunch

Google Pixel sales have plummeted, while key executives exit the team

Google's line of Pixel smartphones were once promising flagship competitors to Samsung Galaxies and Notes as well as Apple iPhones, but now it seems that interest and sales of these devices is cratering. Recent reports state that Google has sold only 2 million Pixel devices in the first two quarters of the year. There have also been defections within Google's Pixel team as two key executives, camera expert Marc Levoy and general manager Mario Queiroz have departed the team signaling some unrest within the smartphone division.

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WhatsApp tests feature that suggest users use Messenger Rooms for video calls with many participants

As you may or may not know, WhatsApp video calls can now support up to eight people in one call. But if you want a lot more people, parent company Facebook has its solution: giving WhatsApp users the option to use Messenger Rooms, which supports up to 50 people in one call. WABetaInfo spotted the feature in the latest version of the WhatsApp Web Client after having found something similar in the beta version of the Android app, which strongly suggests Facebook is working on this integration.

The shortcut shows up in the paper clip menu as well as on the main menu of the web client. After clicking on it, it'll let you know that you will be redirected to Messenger Rooms. The app does also warn you that Messenger calls aren't end-to-end encrypted like WhatsApp calls. According to The Next Web, the feature doesn't work yet, but if you're looking to host bigger WhatsApp group calls, this might be a good addition for you—as long as you're okay with the lack of encryption.