Jane Manchun Wong
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TweetDeck may become a paid Twitter Blue option
TweetDeck — a version of Twitter beloved by journalists, social media pros and other power users — might soon become a paid app.
Twitter is testing a new 'Articles' feature
The experimental feature was discovered by Jane Manchun Wong.
Clubhouse is developing a new way to invite friends to chat called 'Wave'
Clubhouse is working on 'Wave' feature to invite friends to chat, Jane Manchun Wong has discovered.
Facebook is publicly testing dark mode in its mobile app
Facebook has confirmed that it's publicly testing dark mode in its main mobile app, making it easier to browse the social network at night.
Spotify tests 'Tastebuds' feature that highlights your friends' favorite tracks
There's no better way to find new music than to get recommendations from someone whose taste you share. Spotify is capitalizing on that by testing out a new feature called Tastebuds, which lets you see what your friends have been listening to and discover new music though them.
Twitter begins testing Reddit-style nested conversations
Following conversations in the din of Twitter isn't the simplest of tasks, but it's about to get easier. A new conversation tree feature with nested replies is being tested on the platform and is set to roll out in 2020.
Instagram copies TikTok with new music-heavy Stories features
Facebook may be for boomers, but the company has had more success keeping younger users on Instagram. The evolving requirements of social media demand constant innovation though, and Instagram is working to stay relevant by incorporating features popularized by one of its fastest-growing rivals: TikTok.
Medium may offer its own version of Pocket and Instapaper (update)
Medium may get Instapaper-like capabilities in the future if the company decides to roll out a feature it's currently testing. App researcher Jane Manchun Wong has discovered that the online publishing platform is testing a "Save to Medum" option after reverse engineering its Android application. Just like Instapaper or Pocket, the experimental feature lets you save pages, so you can read them later. Wong tested it out with an article from The New York Times and found that the feature even allowed her to bypass the publication's paywall.
Spotify is testing a 'Create podcast' button inside its app
Spotify has been ramping up its podcast offerings recently, and soon the company will make it easier than ever to publish your own podcast on the platform. Judging by a new 'Create podcast' button in the Spotify app, it looks like you'll shortly be able to record, edit and publish a podcast right from your phone using the Anchor app, then upload it to Spotify and other platforms like Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts with a single tap.
Spotify might let users build and listen to playlists together
Spotify appears to be working on a "Social Listening" feature that will let multiple users control a playlist from separate devices. They'll also be able to listen to the same songs in real-time. The company hasn't announced the added capability yet, but researcher Jane Manchun Wong spotted a prototype and shared images on Twitter -- where she's previously leaked other updates. The group DJ feature could work like Dubtrack.fm and the former Turntable.fm. It will likely allow users to listen to the same songs while they're apart or collaborate on a playlist when they're together.
Facebook may combine your News Feed and Stories into one carousel
It looks like Facebook may be testing a way to combine your News Feed and Stories into one swipeable, hybrid carousel. On Twitter this morning, Jane Manchun Wong -- a software engineer who's spotted changes like Twitter's "subscribe to conversation" button -- reported that Facebook is demoing the new format. The GIF Wong shared shows her News Feed in a Stories-like carousel.
Instagram finally tests a fast-forward feature for videos
In a move so overdue you're probably checking the date stamp on this article, Instagram could finally be about to launch a seek bar on videos posted on users' feeds. The feature, discovered by app researcher Jane Manchun Wong, would let you skip backwards and forwards through a video without having to start it again from the beginning (as every other video player ever made already allows).
