Google Maps redesigns real-time location sharing on Android

Screenshots courtesy of 9to5Google

A new server-side update for Google Maps introduces a simplified, cleaner look for its location sharing feature. Its redesign better aligns with the rest of the navigation apps' material design. It has a new floating action button for "New Share" and below that is a list of who you are sharing your location with. Before the redesign, this information was displayed at the top of the screen.

The share menu itself gets a new look for the header text and options panel. The default setting shares your location for an hour, but there's a button you can tap that has "+" and "-" options to adjust the time. There is also an "until you turn this off" option. If you want to learn what kind of data is being shared, there's a link to view this information. Since it's a server-side update, you don't need to do anything. Just make sure you have the latest version of Google Maps.

Source: 9to5Google

Toronto City has an official COVID-19 information chatbot

Embed from Getty Images 

The city of Toronto recently introduced a COVID-19 information chatbot to help answer common questions about the virus and its effects on the residents and businesses in the area. It's also designed to answer queries on city services affected by the pandemic. It draws most of its answers from content already available on the city's website. And since the chatbot is new, it's still learning. If you get an answer that doesn't seem right to you, you can ask it again using different words. The chatbot is only available in English. The city government reminds users that the chatbots are for informational purposes and shouldn't be taken as medical advice. 

City staff continues to train the chatbot and update the information it can access. The chatbot also improves with each interaction. But if you can't find the information you need, you can also call 311 to get answers to your queries. The 311 service supports over 180 languages.

Source: City of Toronto

LG Stylo 6 leaked renders appear online

The rumoured LG Stylo 6 (left) side by side with the LG Stylo 5

It looks like the LG Stylo 5 gets a successor. Reliable leaker Evan Blass shared press renders of what's being called the LG Stylo 6, which looks to have a notched display with slimmer top and bottom bezels. And unlike the single rear camera on the Stylo 5, the Stylo 6 gets a triple camera setup. The Stylo 6 retains a fingerprint sensor at the back of the phone. And on its right side, there's the power button, while the left side has the SIM card slot, volume rocker, and what might be a dedicated Google Assistant key. The USB-C port at the bottom is flanked by a 3.5mm headphone jack, the primary mic, speaker, and slot for the stylus. There is a secondary mic at the top of the phone. It isn't known though when the Stylo 6 will be launched. But if we rely on the date on the homescreen, it says May 18.

Source: GSMArena

Apple TV+ to debut 'Dads' documentary on June 19

Ron Howard and Bryce Dallas Howard

The Friday before Father's Day, Apple TV+ will be debuting a new documentary aptly called Dads. Directed by actress Bryce Dallas Howard, it examines her family, with interviews of her brother before and when he becomes a first-time dad. It also features interviews with her father, filmmaker Ron Howard, and her grandfather, too. Other famous fathers included in the documentary are Jimmy Fallon, Judd Apatow, Neil Patrick Harris, Ken Jeong, Kimmy Kimmel, Conan O'Brien, Patton Oswalt, and Will Smith, among others. 

Bryce and Ron serve as producers for the film. It's part of an ongoing deal between Ron's Imagine Documentaries and Apple, where the company gets the first right to refusal for non-fiction features and series from the studio. If you're interested in catching the movie, you can stream it on Apple TV+ via the Apple TV app starting June 19.

Source: Apple Insider