LG Velvet 5G is coming to Canada on Aug. 7

LG Canada just announced it'll be bringing the LG Velvet 5G to the country on August 7. It's now available for pre-order until August 6 through LG.ca and participating carriers. 

The handset will be available through the following Canadian retail partners: Bell, Eastlink, Fido, Freedom Mobile, Koodo, Rogers, SaskTel, Telus, Videotron, Virgin, Best Buy, TBooth, Wireless Etc. (Costco), The Mobile Shop, The Source, Visions, Wal-Mart, Wireless Wave, WOW Mobile, and Xplore Mobile. 

Those who pre-order get a $200 Visa gift card and a pair of LG Tone Free (FN6) wireless earbuds (available while supplies last). LG hasn't revealed the official price of the Velvet 5G yet, but it's listed on Bell's site at $750.

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Spotify introduces new podcast charts feature

You can now check out the "Top" and "Trending" Podcasts in the country with this new Spotify feature. The streaming service introduces these new podcast charts to 26 markets, including Canada. It's accessible through the Podcasts section. And that can be seen if you head to the Search tab on mobile. These charts are only available on iOS and Android to show you the latest and greatest podcasts. The Top Podcasts list the top 200 shows in the selected region or category, while Trending Podcasts show the 50 "rapidly rising shows." Some markets—including Brazil, Australia, Germany, Mexico, Sweden, the UK, and the US—can even separate the Top Podcasts by category. You can also check out the participating countries' rankings through the "Podcast charts by country option."

Source: Spotify

Google Play Pass starts rollout in Canada

Google Play Pass is coming to Canada and eight other countries this week. The company's take on Apple Arcade has only been available in the US before this week's announcement. Now, it's coming to Android users here and in Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, and the UK. The subscription service gives you access to over 500 Android games and apps without needing to pay for in-app purchases or see ads. You can check out some of the new titles coming to the service in the video above.

Google is also introducing a new, cheaper annual subscription option for Play Pass in the US. It usually costs US$4.99 per month (around CA$6.75), but the annual fee will go for $29.99 ($41), which undercuts Apple Arcade's yearly fee of $49.99 ($68). According to The Verge, this new subscription option will also be coming to all the markets where Play Pass will be available. 

AppleCare+ monthly payment option comes to Canada

Canada, Australia, and Japan are the newest countries to access Apple's AppleCare+ monthly plans. The company first brought this option to the US in 2018. While it doesn't show up as available in the three countries yet, we assume that's going to change soon. Apple confirmed the expansion by adding them to an official support article.

AppleCare+ or AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss coverage used to be available for purchase in 24-month increments for the iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch (or 36 months for the Apple Watch Edition and Hermes models). Once this option goes live, you can choose to pay for an AppleCare+ plan upfront or switch to the monthly plan and receive coverage beyond the two years. Pricing and device support varies from country to country. And it currently doesn't support the Mac, HomePod, and other Apple devices.

Source: Apple Insider + 9to5Mac