Google Daydream app adds functionalities in new update

A new update is rolling out for Google Daydream app users to make your lives a bit easier. The app can now show the battery level of the controller. All you need to do is look at the remote on your Daydream home screen, in the Play Store in VR, or in quick settings. Aside from that, you can also now receive notifications in VR. You can also activate this in the quick settings menu. Google is now also offering a chance to subscribe to the “Daydream newsletter: in the regular settings so you can get the latest news about Daydream. The update also includes some performance and reliability upgrades.

Source: Android Authority

Google’s chief game designer leaves the company in hopes of designing games again

Looks like Google’s Chief Game Designer Noah Falstein still has some unfulfilled goals he wants to pursue. Falstein has announced his resignation from the tech giant after “the opportunity to actually build the big, consequential game” had “failed to materialize.” He was hired back in 2013 when Google was still the parent company for game developer Niantic, which just released the game Ingress a year before. He seemed to have fit right in, bringing in over 30 years of game development and design experience to the company.

But following the restricting in 2015 when Google became Alphabet, Niantic became an independent company. And Google hasn’t really focused on those “big, consequential games” Falstein wanted to make. He hasn’t announced any future plans yet but with his experience, we won’t be surprised if we see him soon.

Source: Android Central

Netflix rolls out a screensaver of its original content on TVs

If you watch through a Netflix app on your TV, you might see something new when you leave it on idle. The streaming service has started to show cover art of its original content after a certain period of time that you’ve left the app idle. According to TechCrunch, this has been rolled out globally and was tested on the service before this international rollout. It seems to be Netflix’s way to promote its own content. You can’t turn it off or configure when it’ll appear so you’ll have to get used to it for now. It’s been spotted by users using many different devices such as Android TV, Xbox One, Roku, PlayStation, different smart TVs, etc.

Jay Z pulls music catalog from Apple Music and Spotify

Joella Marano/Wikimedia

Seems like an odd move at this time but Jay Z has pulled out all his solo work from Spotify and Apple Music. Tidal, the streaming service that the hip-hop star owns, will be the only place you’ll get to stream all his music. According to Spotify, his catalog was pulled “at the request of the artist.” This isn’t the first time he’s taken away his songs. When Tidal launched, he took out is debut album, Reasonable Doubt, from all streaming services. His Blueprint series has been removed as well. The only other service that has most of his catalog (except for Reasonable Doubt and Blueprint) is Google Play Music.

Source: The Verge