Bell, Air Canada to offer free messaging on flights

Photo: Bell

Bell and Air Canada have teamed up to offer free access to messaging apps for all Aeroplan members worldwide on Wi-Fi-equipped planes. Bell will sponsor the inflight Wi-Fi services across Air Canada's fleet, including Air Canada Rogue and Air Canada Express, starting May 15. This deal will let you use apps like iMessage, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Viber, and Messages by Google. You don't have to be a Bell subscriber to get access. 

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Shopify is 20 percent smaller

Photo: Shopify

Shopify is downsizing further. This time, it cuts around 20 percent of its 11,600 workforce as the company sells Shopify Logistics to Flexport. The company's CEO Tobi Lutke goes into detail about the changes in this blog post. Last year, the company laid off around 1,000 employees.

Reddit finally makes it easier to share posts on social media sites

Image: Reddit

Reddit has admitted that they "didn't make it easy" to share posts on other social media platforms. But now, it's changing course. The site gets an updated "shared link" preview for text posts, allowing recipients to see what's in the link before clicking. It shows a visual preview of the content, subreddit name, total upvotes, and comments. 

There's also a new sharing option on Instagram Stories. And a one-tap screenshot-sharing experience so you don't have to save screenshots to your device before sharing them. Reddit also introduces a new embedding toolbox that makes it easier to embed posts on CMS platforms like WordPress, which has long been available on other social media platforms.

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Apple and Google partner to prevent Bluetooth tracker stalking

Photo: Apple

Apple and Google have teamed up to propose a new industry standard to prevent unwanted tracking from Bluetooth trackers. The companies submitted a new draft industry specification to the standards development organization Internet Engineering Task Force that would allow Bluetooth tracking devices to work with a standard unauthorized tracking detection tool on iOS and Android. So, if a malicious person slips an AirTag into an Android user's bag, the target can still get unauthorized tracking alerts. You won't need to download the dedicated Apple app if you're on Android anymore.

The detection tool is expected to work with other Bluetooth trackers and operating systems. Bluetooth tracker manufacturers like Samsung, Tile, and Pebblebee expressed support for Google and Apple's proposal. The new standards were developed with feedback from these companies and from safety and advocacy groups like The National Network to End Domestic Violence and the Center for Democracy and Technology. The Internet Engineering Task Force will accept feedback on Apple and Google's submission for three months. And the proposal is expected to be implemented by the end of the year.

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