Most of us rely on our apps to connect, work, and move. Switching between apps, doing work, messaging people — everything can be done in a single tap. I’d be lying if I said apps didn’t help improve my life. It offered me convenience, and as a young 20-something in the midst of his blossoming career, apps made me more efficient and productive.
When I attended Social Media Week in Manila, I was reminded of how my life depended on my apps. The event tackled how apps are changing our lifestyle, behavior, and culture — it might even be bringing the worst in us.
As a young adult filled with hope, I believe apps bring the best in us — not the worst. The only time apps will make a negative impact in our lives is when you abuse it. Always, always use it sparingly. Believing that apps aren’t inherently bad, here are apps that definitely make any young adult’s life easier.
Grab
After Uber left my country, Grab took over. While I hate monopoly, Grab made itself indispensable, hosting a full suite of services that everyone would badly need in the worsening living condition in the metro. From taxis, private cars, to express shipping, and even food deliveries — Grab ingrained itself in our lives, it’s going to make you wonder: “What was life before Grab?”
Zomato
As an urban dwelling young adult, Zomato has been essential for my date nights. It suggests restaurants and cafes which would make my life easier when deciding for a place to eat with my beau. Hangouts and catch up with friends are also easier, with their 1+1 or 2+2 promo, allowing us to eat at our heart’s content without spending too much.
If there’s one thing that you should have on your smartphone, it’s Google’s mobile apps. It has everything you need — Chrome, Search, GMail, Maps, Drive, Calendar, Contacts, you name it! Work and life would be a lot easier if you have these. Trust me.
Klook
Traveling has been one of every young adult’s goals they hope to achieve before turning 30. In case you didn’t know, travel is eighty percent planning. As a frequent traveler, Klook made my trips easier, allowing me to buy mobile sim cards, book a tour, and get discounts even before I arrive at my destination. Klook, in a sense, can save you time, money, and headaches so you can focus on the adventure waiting for you.
YouTube
There’s more to YouTube than vlogs and music videos. If you use YouTube right, you can get tips on how to achieve your fitness dreams, some DIY crafts to keep you occupied, styling tips, gadget reviews, and more. By now, you already know that learning doesn’t stop at school. If you want to commit to self-development, YouTube can be your university — hosting courses that appeal to your interests.
Instagram/TikTok
Just like YouTube, Instagram is more than just aesthetically-pleasing photos and TikTok is more than just a collection of wacky, senseless short videos. Both apps are changing the way we consume content, with young adults using Instagram and its Stories feature more to connect and update with friends and the people they admire. Tiktok, on the other hand, is becoming a platform for the younger generation. Nonetheless, both Instagram and TikTok can provide inspiration and laughter — if you scour and follow the right accounts.
GCash/PayMaya
Banks might be leaning towards apps for accessibility and convenience, but GCash and PayMaya revolutionize the way we handle our finances. Through these apps, we can transfer charge-free between banks albeit it’s a tedious process. On the other hand, you can use both GCash and PayMaya to pay your bills, load your prepaid cards, and send money — while getting rebates for using their services.
Bonus: Angkas
I can’t recall how many times Angkas saved my life. When I woke up late for a meeting and I braved the horrible traffic jams to make it, Angkas was always there. The future of motorcycle taxi in the Philippines is still blurry, but every young professional must have this app to get through the metro. Don’t worry about the cost, though. You can always make money, but you can’t get back the time wasted stuck in traffic. Make the most of your youth!
Archiving social media is a real problem today. Because most of public discourse happens through social media platforms, a single break in infrastructure can easily wipe out entire conversations and milestones in the modern era. Over the weekend, that exact scenario happened. A glitch on X reportedly erased most images and links from 2014 and beyond.
As spotted by Tom Coates on the platform, images from before December 2014 disappeared from the site. Likewise, links from the same period are also broken and lead nowhere. Among those that disappeared, one of the most notorious losses was a photo taken by Ellen DeGeneres at the Oscars — a tweet that garnered an enormous amount of retweets at the time.
More vandalism from @elonmusk. Twitter has now removed all media posted before 2014. Thats – so far – almost a decade of pictures and videos from the early 2000s removed from the service.
For example, here’s a search of my media tweets from before 2014. https://t.co/FU6K34oqmA
— Tom Coates (@tomcoates) August 19, 2023
X has not publicly commented on the supposed glitch. However, after the deletion was noticed, the platform restored the iconic Ellen DeGeneres photo to its full glory. It’s not a complete restoration, though. A lot of content are still missing.
The single photo’s restoration suggests that the content wasn’t outright deleted but rather misplaced. As some have pointed out, a few instances are still directly available from the servers. Users have also speculated that the glitch was intentionally done to free up valuable server space.
Regardless, the glitch — intentional or accidental — opens up an important issue on how the world can archive content on social media platforms. Despite how inane our conversations can be from day to day, losing a section of social media also means losing entire swaths of public discourse to the ether.
SEE ALSO: Twitter is rebranding to 𝕏
Quickly sharing smartphone photography can be a chore. Not every messaging platform allows lossless media sharing. Often, a platform will sacrifice image quality for speed. Finally, WhatsApp is getting with the program and allowing users to send HD photos on the app.
Today, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg officially announced a new feature coming to WhatsApp. Starting now, the messaging platform is rolling out an update to enable HD image sharing.
According to WABetaInfo, the feature will bump up image quality to 4096 x 2692 resolution. Now, an upper limit naturally implies that there’s still compression going on, especially for photos taken at much higher resolutions. WhatsApp has not explained how compression will work under the new HD feature. However, it’s still a good improvement.
Alternatively, if users don’t want to handle the increase in storage or bandwidth use, they can continue to send images in standard quality. The option, once the app is updated, can be accessed by an HD icon when sending images.
Besides image sharing, WhatsApp is also working on adding HD sharing for videos. However, Zuckerberg did not share a timeframe for the improved version of the feature. The update should be rolling out now for WhatsApp users.
X is continuing its arduous trek to become an all-in-one app. This time, after reintroducing native livestreaming, the platform is moving towards the next natural evolution: video chat. X CEO Linda Yaccarino has officially announced that the feature will come to the platform soon.
In an interview with CNBC, Yaccarino, who took the reins from Elon Musk earlier this year, announced that “soon, you’ll be able to make video chat calls without having to give your phone number to anyone on the platform.” As if that’s not enough, Andrea Conway, a designer at the company, also posted that she “just called someone on X.”
Given Conway’s post, the feature should be in a relatively stable part of the development process. However, it’s not clear when and how the platform plans to launch video chats for the public. It’s also unclear whether the feature will be available to all users or only to those who pay for X Premium, formerly known as Twitter Blue.
With the evolution of all social media platforms (and not just X), it’s not a surprising development for the company. The industry is dedicated to creating the next “everything” app or a hub where users can find everything they’ll need for their digital world: social media, communication, commerce, and other functionalities. TikTok, for instance, recently started tests to support podcasts.
SEE ALSO: X is bringing back livestreaming
vivo Y36 BGC shoot: Super Night Algorithm at work
Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections release date
Caviar is selling a Barbie collection of smartphones
Samsung is reportedly testing a Galaxy Z FE
The voice of Mario is retiring from the character
-
Reviews2 weeks agoThe Xiaomi Pad 6 is great for the editor on-the-go
-
Reviews2 weeks agoHONOR 90 review: Simply bedazzling
-
Gaming2 weeks agoRefurbished Steam Decks are now available through Valve
-
Health2 weeks agoRedmi Watch 3 Active: Basic but better
-
Gaming2 weeks agoRockstar officially partners with Grand Theft Auto V roleplay servers
-
Gaming2 weeks agoPlayStation 5 Slim supposedly leaked online
-
Entertainment2 weeks agoCatch Cinemalaya 2023 films at Ayala Malls this weekend
-
Apps2 weeks agoSpotify DJ feature now available in the Philippines