Spotify can use own in-app payment option in new Android pilot

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Google and Spotify will be giving you options on what payment system to use. The search giant introduces this new pilot program to counter the concerns of app makers about its high fees and alleged anticompetitive behavior. So, when users download Spotify from the Play Store, they will get an option of either Spotify's payment system or Google Play Billing. This option will be available in some countries in the coming months. 

The pilot involves a small number of participating developers, beginning with Spotify. "This pilot will help us to increase our understanding of whether and how user choice billing works for users in different countries and for developers of different sizes and categories," Google said in a blog post. 

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Instagram reportedly testing voice message replies to Stories

Source: Alessandro Paluzzi

Instagram might be trying out a new way to reply to Stories. Developer Alessandro Paluzzi discovered a new feature that could let users send voice messages as replies to Stories. Paluzzi shared a screenshot of what the interface looks like. As with any potential feature tests, there's no guarantee these will be made public. But as Engadget pointed out, this seems to clash with the objective they set of decluttering people's inboxes through private Story likes.

Valve to hold summer Steam Next Fest in June

Source: Valve

Valve has recently concluded its spring Steam Next Fest, but we already have a date for the next event. The upcoming Steam Next Fest will take place from June 13 to 20, with a showcase scheduled at 1 PM ET. Valve is promising "hundreds" of demos that people can check out. There will also be developer live streams featuring games the company wants to highlight. We don't have a list of the demos yet, but there have been excellent games shown off before.

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Canadian Reviewer Weekly Roundup – 3/20 – 3/26

Xbox celebrates Sonic the Hedgehog 2 with limited time only custom console and controllersTwitter experiments with audio clip sharing from Spaces audio 

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Ubisoft Winnipeg expands hiring as company plans to invest more in the country 

LG One:Quick Flex is an all-in-one display for the office & home 

Youth Science Canada to host Canada-Wide Science Fair on May 16-20 

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Meet Philips' 'most intelligent electric shaver yet' 

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Filtrete Smart Room Air Purifier is now available in Canada 

Netflix buys Boss Fight Entertainment game studio 

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Wendy's Canada adds Siri Shortcuts to iOS app 

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