YouTube Kids to release three new child safety features this year

YouTube is working on making sure kids won’t get exposed to inappropriate content on its Kids service. The company is rolling out more safety features in the coming months. The first one that’s coming out this week is going to let parents limit their kids’ use of the app to specially-curated channels, like Sesame Workshop and PBS Kids. There won’t be a need for parents to tweak the app to make sure the content has been vetted.

But if parents want more control over what their kids see beyond what YouTube selects, the option to handpick channels is coming later this year. And the last feature is that video playback will be limited to verified videos and channels when parents opt to turn YouTube search off. For those who are satisfied with how YouTube Kids is now, parents also still have the option to open up a wider selection of video content for their children.

Source: Android Authority

Spotify adds on-demand listening to its free tier

Free users of Spotify were previously only able to play songs on shuffle while on mobile. That’s about to change, kind of. Spotify is offering on-demand listening to 15 of its top playlists, including the personalized Discover Weekly. This selection reaches up to 750 songs or around 40 hours of listening. On top of this, custom playlists get new personalization tools. As you add tracks, it’ll begin to learn what you like and suggest more songs you can add. And when you’re streaming on a limited data plan or in a area with poor coverage, there is a new data saver toggle that optimizes music to save bandwidth. These new features will be arriving in the coming weeks.

Source: Android Police

‘Sense8’ finale gets June 8 release date

After sci-fi series Sense8 got cancelled last year despite high cost of production, it left fans wanting with how the show ended. Netflix decided to heed fan requests and the show from J. Michael Straczynski and the achowskis will be coming back for a two-hour finale on June 8. The streaming service describes it as, “Personal lives are pushed aside as the cluster, their sidekicks, and some unexpected allies band together for a rescue mission and BPO take-down in order to protect the future of all Sensates."

Source: CNET

Google lets Android users listen to podcasts right from search results

Google is making it easier for Android users to listen to podcasts right from their mobile devices. All you need to do is search for the podcast you want to listen to and your search result will float at the top or near the top information about the podcast you were looking for. It’ll also show the latest episodes with a play button to their right. This provides a simple playback options but also the ability to download podcast episodes for offline listening. You can even subscribe to these podcasts and these will be added into a list you can curate. The easiest way to access the podcasts you subscribe to (or what looks like the only way to access at the moment) is adding the podcast shortcut to your homescreen.

The feature also lets you find and return to episodes you haven’t finished listening to. The podcast page also shows you suggestions based on genre, publisher, and popular ones based on the podcasts you’re subscribed to. As expected, the feature also works with Google Assistant, so you can use voice commands to find, play, and resume episodes. It isn’t clear yet if this is getting a full app experience or whether it’s coming to iOS. For now, it’s an easy way to get into podcasts or check out shows you don’t want to commit to yet.

Source: The Next Web