Canadian Reviewer Weekly Roundup – 11/21 – 11/27

Google Pixel 6a rumoured to run on a Tensor chip

Netflix, Riot Games confirm second season of 'Arcane' 

Pixel 6a leak suggests the headphone jack is going away 

Spotify takes out shuffle as default after Adele's request (at least for Premium users) 

Meta will delay Facebook, Instagram message encryption to 2023 

Apple will fix faulty speakers on a 'small percentage' of iPhone 12, 12 Pro for free 

TikTok's TV app rolls out on more devices in Canada, the US 

Twitter brings shopping into live streams 

Apple will reportedly use its own modem design for 2023 iPhones 

Amazon reportedly wants to develop a 'Mass Effect' TV show 

Listen to SiriusXM Canada for free until Dec. 6 

Instagram starts rolling out live test of 60-second Stories 

Square Photo Studio app wants to help businesses take product shots on mobile 

Report: Apple's mixed reality headset works as a standalone device 

Survey: In-store shopping makes a comeback in Canada 

Spotify is 'retiring' its Car View feature without a replacement 

Tile gets acquired by family location sharing service Life360 

Tile gets acquired by family location sharing service Life360

Tile

Tile faced stiff competition against Apple's AirTags. So, the company's next move is to be acquired by Life360 to get better resources to compete in its segment. The family tracking company bought Tile for US$205 million. According to Tile CEO CJ Prober, the company will still operate under the same branding.

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Spotify is 'retiring' its Car View feature without a replacement

Spotify

Spotify is getting rid of its Car View feature, which has made it easier for drivers to use the app while they're in their vehicles. It seems to have disappeared on Android already, but it isn't clear if and when it'll disappear on other platforms. It was confirmed to be coming, though. In October, a Spotify moderator responded to a post on its community forum asking where the feature went. It also planned to retire features like the in-car Now Playing View for Android.

And while features get retired on apps all the time, what might upset many of its users is that there isn't a replacement for it right now. Some accuse Spotify of removing the feature to sell its Car Thing device, a display and remote control for the car. But even that feature is limited to Premium subscribers via a waitlist.

Source: The Verge

Survey: In-store shopping makes a comeback in Canada

Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva from Pexels

It looks like 2021 is the year many Canadians are ready to do some in-store shopping. According to the 2021 Holiday Shopping Report from Accenture, 57% of Canadian consumers plan to do most of their holiday shopping in-store, and 75% plan to do their shopping in December, with 47% admitting they'll be doing a lot of last-minute shopping. Six out of 10 Gen Z consumers plan to do most of their holiday shopping in-stores, while 44% of baby boomers intend to do theirs online.

The baby boomers also intend to increase their spending by over $100, and those with children will spend the most. They are expected to spend an average of $713. While Canadians, on average, plan to spend $635, which is $119 up from last year's survey. An emerging trend across the demographics is increased support for BIPOC retailers, with 50% of Gen Z consumers supporting diverse retailers this year.