Google Podcasts adds CarPlay support on iOS

Google Podcasts now supports CarPlay on iOS to make it "more easily and safely listen while you drive." It arrives as part of version 2.0 of the app's iOS version. Google Podcasts will now have a simpler interface with three tabs: Home, Explore, and Activity. The Home tab shows you new episodes of subscribed shows, Explore has recommended shows and episodes, and Activity displays your listening history, downloaded podcasts, and queued episodes. You get an option to download new episodes of podcasts you subscribe to automatically. 

The update also brings with it "several bug fixes to improve performance. You can download Google Podcasts here.

Source: 9to5Google

Shopify plans to keep company office closed until 2021

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Ottawa-based Shopify will not be opening its company offices until 2021. CEO and founder Tobi Lutke said in a tweet that for now, the company is "digital by default," saying "office centricity is over." Most Shopify employees will have the option to work remotely permanently after that. The company has over 5,000 employees, as of December 2019, and it briefly became Canada's most valuable company earlier this month. It's the first major Canadian company to allow staff to work from home permanently.

Source: Reuters + iPhone in Canada

SkipTheDishes shares Canadian food order trends during COVID-19

Burgers are one of the most popular food orders in Canada (Photo by mafe studio on Unsplash)

Food delivery app SkipTheDishes recently revealed information about what COVID-19 has changed when it comes to consumer behaviour. Everything from eating routines to peak hours has shifted because of the pandemic. 

The new rush hour for orders is at 5 pm, with dinner pre-orders up and lunch pre-orders dropped by almost half. And people seem to crave food more in the late afternoons at around 3 to 4 pm. People still order in a lot on the weekends, but there's been an increase in weekday orders. There are fewer late evening orders now since a lot of Canadians are staying in.

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Google Maps now shows wheelchair accessibility information

In honour of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Google Maps introduces a new feature that lets you know whether a location is wheelchair accessible. The navigation app has wheelchair accessibility information for over 15 million places around the world. When you have the feature enabled, you will see if a location has an accessible entrance when there's a wheelchair icon on a place's listing. When you scroll further, you'll find out if the establishment offers accessible seating, restrooms, and parking. You need to make sure you have the latest version of Google Maps on your Android or iOS device to get access to this new handy feature. Once you've updated, head to Settings and select Accessibility. From there, find Accessible Places.

The feature though, is only as good as the people who contribute to it. And so, Google is bringing to iOS devices an easier way to contribute accessibility information. Android users can already share this information on their devices. According to iPhone in Canada, the guide comes with tips for rating accessibility, in case you aren't sure about what counts as being "accessible."